The GW
HATCHET
March 30, 2026 Vol. 122
Iss. 23
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 • ONLINE AT GWHATCHET.COM
Student demand for DSS doubled over six years ARUNMOY DAS STAFF WRITER
ISAAC HARTE STAFF WRITER
The number of students registered with Disability Support Services doubled over the last six years. About 12 percent of students — 3,052 undergraduates and graduates — were registered with DSS by the end of 2025, up from 6 percent, or 1,657 students, in fall 2019, according to University spokesperson Skyler Sales. More than 10 higher education experts said the surge reflects a national trend of students seeking support before college, rising diagnoses and reduced stigma around accommodations, while students noted that filling DSS vacancies this year improved communication and efficiency, prompting more to register with GW’s DSS office. Sales said demand for these
services — including academic and housing accommodations — remains high even after about 500 registered students graduated last May. 3,038 students were registered with the office as of January, an increase of 475 from 2,563 in August, she said. Sales attributed the growth in students registering for disability accommodations to heightened awareness, improved services and the 2008 Americans with Disabilities Act amendments, which broadened the definition of disability, granting more people eligibility for accommodations. She added that a “national mental health crisis” has driven more referrals from counseling centers to disability resources, which support students with “invisible” disabilities that people may have dismissed in the past. GW offers several types of accommodations for students
through DSS, including alternative text materials, assistive technology, classroom accessibility, housing accessibility, interpreting and captioning services and testproctoring services, according to the DSS website. Students seeking accommodations have to submit an application, including necessary documentation and meet with an accessibility associate to discuss their accommodation requests, according to the DSS website. Sales declined to comment on which accommodations students registered with DSS most commonly request. Higher education experts and GW students said the rise in accommodations reflects both national trends and recent improvements to GW’s DSS office after years of staffing shortages. See DSS Page 5
Undergraduate tuition to climb 3 percent next academic year ARJUN SRINIVAS
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
Undergraduate tuition will rise by 3 percent next academic year, bringing the cost of tuition to $72,000, officials announced on Friday. The increase will bring GW’s estimated total cost of attendance to $95,155 for new students and $98,165 for returning students during the 2026-27 academic year — a $2,810 increase for new students and a $2,740 rise for returning students. The annual fees, which include tuition, room and board, transportation and other fees, will in-
crease from $390 to $420, and the base price of housing and dining will rise $560 from $17,600 to $18,160. Students’ U-Pass fee will increase by $15, rising from $100 to $115 per semester. The base residence hall room rate price now sits at $11,440 — up $140 from this academic year — while the dining rate will increase $420 dollars to sit at $6,720 for the academic year, according to the release. All undergraduate students must live on campus for their first two years, and all students living on campus are required to purchase a meal plan.
Student-organized ‘No Kings’ protest draws hundreds denouncing Trump RYAN SAENZ
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Hundreds of protesters marched from Kogan Plaza to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters Saturday, rebuking President Donald Trump’s deportation policies and ties to Jeffrey Epstein while also taking part in the nationwide “No Kings” protests. Organized by GW Democracy Matters and six progressive student groups, GW’s protest drew about 500 total participants — roughly 30 percent of whom were students — and unfolded separately from the larger “No Kings” march that in the District, which organizers said they planned in an attempt to elevate student voices in the fight against Trump. Demonstrators called on Congress to impeach Trump and urged their removal of Attorney General Pam Bondi over the administration’s immigration policies and the Department of Justice’s alleged protection of Epstein and other abusers rather than protecting his victims, winding through campus as they made their way toward ICE’s headquarters. Roughly 150 protesters filled Kogan Plaza by noon, holding signs reading “No president should have that much power” and “No thrones in America,” while organizers addressed the crowd for about 15 minutes, calling Trump unfit for office and condemning what they described as his administration’s abuse of power. Although organized separately for GW students and community members, the demonstration was part of more than 3,300 “No Kings” protests held nationwide Saturday, which organizers estimated drew about eight million participants. Standing on Kogan’s
PHOTOS BY AINSLEY SULLIVAN AND JERRY LAI Students and Foggy Bottom community members gather in Kogan Plaza for a “No Kings” rally on Saturday.
clock tower, GW Democracy Matters President RJ Doroshewitz told the crowd that he loves his country more than he can “put into words,” which is the driving factor behind why he showed up
to Saturday’s protest. Doroshewitz asked the group to be loud enough during their protest to stop the Trump administration from ignoring them, adding that the president has “rolled over” Amer-
icans’ freedoms and futures. “Vital institutions are being unlawfully torn apart and our president is so corrupt that makes Nixon look like a nun,” Doroshewitz said. “This is our current re-
ality, but this does not have to be our future.” Doroshewitz said in an interview after said GW Democracy Matters and the other organizations involved in the protest chose to have
their own “No Kings” protest rather than join the larger one in D.C. because students’ fight against Trump comes from a different angle as they are focused on how the president and his administration are rewriting their futures. “It’s our futures that are on the line more than any other,” Doroshewitz said. “Not that not every other group is impacted, but we were the ones that were promised to grow up in a democratic nation. We were promised the American dream, and we’re the ones that aren’t seeing that.” Emma Sherman, a sophomore and member of GW’s American Civil Liberties Union chapter who also serves on GW Swing Left’s e-board, said while in Kogan that the demonstrators were a representation of American patriotism. She told the crowd to make sure DOJ officials hear they are demanding “liberty and justice for all.” “We marched for what our country is supposed to be and we sent a message to the Trump administration. The United States of America does not and will never bow to kings,” Sherman said. Eric Gitson, vice president of GW College Democrats, said the group planned to march to the Department of Justice to demand justice for victims connected to Jeffrey Epstein, as well as to ICE headquarters to protest what he described as the agency’s “terror” in carrying out deportations. He linked these concerns to recent confrontations during federal immigration operations, including the fatal shootings of Minneapolis residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti, which have intensified protests and prompted ongoing investigations and legal disputes over the incidents.
Women’s basketball advances to WNIT Great 8 for first time in team history ETHAN TSAI STAFF WRITER
GRANT PACERNICK SPORTS EDITOR
Women’s basketball (18-17) defeated Loyola Chicago (16-18) 71-62 at the Smith Center on Friday, advancing to the Great 8 of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the first time in program history. The Revolutionaries pulled away early in the fourth quarter and held on down the stretch after a tightly contested first 30 minutes. In the tournament’s first two rounds, the Revs mounted comebacks, defeating Bradley at home in the first round and erasing an 8-point deficit at University of Southern Indiana in the next. Junior forward Sara Lewis led all scorers with 25 points, matching her career high. She also pulled down 13 boards and had WHAT’S
INSIDE
eight assists, falling just short of a triple double. The win follows the Revs’ 5348 loss to the Ramblers on Jan. 17 at home during Atlantic-10 play. Head Coach Ganiyat Adeduntan said she was “smiling internally” as she watched her team’s improvement against Loyola’s zone defense. “We need to be locked in and hunt what we want offensively, and we spent a lot of time working on trying to capitalize against their zone,” Adeduntan said postgame. While the Revs shot a dismal 36 percent from the field in their first matchup against the Ramblers, including making just two of 18 attempts from 3-point territory, the team improved to 47 percent on Friday, making seven 3-pointers on 12 attempts. The Revs opened the game in a back-and-forth battle with Loyola, capitalizing on turnovers and tak-
NEWS Officials relaunched GW’s annual diversityfocused programming under a new name and a broader scope. Page 3
ing a small 8-5 lead after junior forward Sara Lewis broke a tie with an and-one. The Ramblers retaliated with back-to-back layups, but the Revs halted their momentum with a three from sophomore guard Gabby Reynolds at 4:05 that set the Revs on a 9-0 run, ending the quarter 17-12. Reynolds finished with another impressive scoring total, dropping 20 points on seven for 14 shootings, including making five of six 3-point attempts. The sophomore has emerged as a young star on the team in her second year of collegiate basketball, finishing top ten in the conference and first on the team for most points for game, clocking in an average of 14.5 points per game while eclipsing 20 points in each WNIT game. Fatigue took its toll on the Revs throughout the second quarter as they let through 9 fast-break points, allowing the Ramblers to start a 5-0 run at 6:47 and take the
OPINIONS The editorial board asks GW to reckon with its namesake as America celebrates its 250th birthday. Page 6
ADDY OSBORN | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Junior forward Sara Lewis looks to pass the ball during Friday’s Women’s National Invitation Tournament game against Loyola Chicago.
lead at 23-21 by 5:36. A layup from junior forward Kamari Sims at the buzzer sent the Revs to the locker
CULTURE The Hatchet staked out the Tidal Basin for four hours on Sunday, taking in the sights and sounds of peak cherry blossom bloom. Page 7
room tied at 25. See REYNOLDS Page 8
SPORTS For two decades, lacrosse’s single-season scoring record seemed untouchable, until senior Grace Curry broke it. Page 8