The GW
HATCHET
BEST OF NORTHWEST GUiDE 2026 P. 6-8
April 6, 2026 Vol. 122
Iss. 24
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 • ONLINE AT GWHATCHET.COM
Incoming provost to champion shared governance, advance strategic framework GIANNA JAKUBOWSKI ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Incoming Provost Edward Balleisen was drawn to GW by University President Ellen Granberg’s vision. Balleisen, Duke University’s senior vice provost for interdisciplinary programs and initiatives, is inspired by interdisciplinary collaboration and expanding research opportunities, he told The Hatchet in a sit-down interview Sunday, just days after GW announced his appointment as provost. He added that Granberg’s strategic framework aligns with the direction he believes higher education should take, and when he comes to campus in July he will engage faculty and make deci-
sions rooted in shared governance and transparency. “As I moved through the process and learned more and more about the University, my sense of the possibility of being able to really work with the folks at GW to move it forward became more and more enticing,” Balleisen said in an interview. Balleisen will join GW as officials continue implementing the strategic framework guiding the University’s next seven to 10 years, which aims to expand students’ career opportunities, support graduate and professional programs, build a “robust” administrative system and emphasize interdisciplinary research and D.C.-based learning experiences. As the chief academic officer, Ballei-
sen will work alongside Granberg to oversee the framework’s phased implementation as officials work to accomplish its twelve goals. “I’ll be eager to learn more about the places where GW is incredibly strong and to think about the best approaches to find that right balance between the foundational strength in departments and then the opportunities for people in those units to collaborate with others outside of them,” Balleisen said. But Balleisen is also stepping in at a time of acute strain on GW’s academic mission as schools and departments grapple with cuts to budgets, Ph.D. programs and federal research grants as well as declining international student and graduate enrollment stemming from Presi-
WELC M O E TO THE HATCHET’S 2026
BEST OF NORTHWEST GUiDE DIANA ANOS
CULTURE EDITOR
Something is unraveling in the way we relate to each other. We are living in a time of heightened division, isolation and technological change that forces a community-wide reckoning with the ways we make meaning in a fragmented world. We are desperate for experiences that remind us we are not alone — shared meals, music, art and experiences. The last year has shaken our nation, the District and our campus. Across D.C., President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns, heightened unhoused encampment sweeps, removal of symbols of progress like the Black Lives Matter plaza and the deployment of the National Guard alongside efforts to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department have unsettled the city. At the same time, the rising use of generative artificial intelligence has entered a generation glued to screens. At a school like GW with especially career-driven students, where productivity is often prioritized over human knowledge and thought, escalating political violence and the erosion of shared public and cultural spaces all combine to leave many of us feeling lonely and disconnected. These seismic changes are reshaping how we live, learn and connect. They are testing the ways we speak, the art we con-
sume and the frameworks we rely on to make meaning. Though we can’t answer how to make sense of all of this, The Hatchet’s annual guide offers a collection of the restaurants, shops, sites and experiences that make Northwest D.C. feel like home. We strongly believe that shared experiences are how we strengthen connection and empathy during times of division and change. We invite you to listen to the harmonies at jazz bars, visit museums outside of the Smithsonians or pick up a new tune at a record store. Pull up a chair to watch drag queens sashay across the floor at drag brunch or dig into a honkin’ sandwich. GW students can host a party in their residence halls, spot a site of campus history that changed the world or take a ride around the block in a maintenance vehicle. These places are distinctly human, drawing us together over shared interests. No matter how out-of-the-box or weird, we peek into storefronts and restaurants with curiosity and a desire to connect.
dent Donald Trump’s visa and student-loan-borrowing restrictions. Balleisen said officials have briefed him on some of the University’s current challenges, and he looks forward to working with Granberg, deans and the Faculty Senate to keep the community informed about decision-making. He added that his experience at Duke — learning how the budget system works, developing new programs and reviewing existing ones — will provide relevant experience for decision-making at GW. GW is facing an unprecedented convergence of challenges, including cuts to the fiscal year 2026 budget — which triggered layoffs and reductions in campus services — the Justice Department’s anti-
semitism and diversity, equity and inclusion probes into the University, Trump’s cuts to federal research funding and increased oversight on international students. Balleisen said he has a “core belief” of sharing information about University decision-making with the community, but declined to comment on how he would navigate the specific challenges facing GW because he still has a “lot to learn” about the University’s circumstances. “It’s important for members of the community to have a good sense of both the constraints that the university is operating under and where there are opportunities that are worth considering,” Balleisen said.
GW reinstates three-year housing requirement for incoming class SHAHIMA NAZEEL REPORTER
The University will once again mandate that juniors live on campus, beginning with the Class of 2030. GW will require first-year students entering GW in the 2026-27 academic year and beyond to live on campus for three years, reversing a 2023 decision to eliminate the requirement and grant students more flexibility in choosing where they live. More than a dozen students criticized the three-year on-campus living mandate, while others questioned whether GW has sufficient housing capacity to accommodate the policy. Before officials removed the three-year housing mandate in 2023, students reported waitlists and a growing demand from juniors seeking exemptions. University spokesperson Nadia Payne said officials decided to reinstate the requirement after reviewing student engagement, housing utilization and long-term planning needs, adding that the decision reflects evidence
ERIKA LOPEZ-CEPERO | PHOTOGRAPHER A contractor works on renovations in Mitchell Hall.
that living on campus longer “supports student success.” She said students previously raised capacity concerns related to the threeyear housing requirement before the University paused it in 2023, but Campus Living & Residential Education has since implemented changes — like staggering housing registration periods, streamlining timelines and expanding upperclassmen housing options — to improve planning capacity. Officials removed in-unit kitchens from rooms in Fran-
cis Scott Key Hall last summer, adding 80 beds to the hall’s capacity and converting single rooms to doubles after budgeting the project in 2023. They also introduced four-person bedrooms to FSK and increased the share of four-person bedrooms in JBKO Hall from 12 percent this academic year to 20 percent next academic year. The University also expects to complete renovations in Mitchell Hall in summer of this year, which went offline for the 2025-26 academic year for elevator modernization.
GW Law students mourn aspiring public defender after death at 22
Conservative student leaders report rise in membership, administrative support
RYAN SAENZ
RYAN SAENZ
Mychael Torres, a first-year law student and aspiring public defender, died last month. She was 22. Torres, who completed her undergraduate studies at Northwestern University in 2023 after arriving in Evanston, Illinois, in 2019 as the school’s youngest admitted student just shy of 16, enrolled at GW Law in fall 2025. Friends who met Torres in classes and through student groups remember her as a humble, kind and electric presence who radiated talent and had a bright future in law as a public defender. “She was just pure,” Hannah Billings, one of Torres’ friends said. “She didn’t hide anything, she was who she was. She was also just a wonderful friend.” In reflecting on Torres’ character, Billings, a 1L law student, recalled a time when she was locked out of her apartment, and Torres insisted on waiting with her for over three hours, eating ramen on the floor until she could get into her apartment. Anika Joglekar, a 1L student, said Torres quickly opened up as a friend and grew comfort-
Over a year after President Donald Trump’s return to power, GW’s conservative student leaders say the campus has become more welcoming to right-leaning students, pointing to packed events, a surge in membership and support from University officials. Three student leaders from GW College Republicans and Turning Point Foggy Bottom say membership and interest in their organizations and events have surged this year as Trump and Republicans returned to federal power, and students across the political spectrum show renewed interest in civil discourse. They said the surge in interest has coincided with increased support from University officials, including in response to online threats following Charlie Kirk’s assassination and view their recent successes as a starting point as they work on hosting more events with high-profile Republican leaders. “It’s great to be a Republican,” Kieran Laffey, the chairman of GW College Republicans, said. “We got a lot more work to do, and we want more dialogue and conversation, and we invite everyone, no matter what you believe, to come to our stuff.” Laffey said College Republicans has capitalized on growing interest from GW’s conservative students by revamping its social media and website, doubling the number of events it offers and expanding social opportu-
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
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INSIDE
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
COURTESY OF HANNAH BILLINGS Mychael Torres, who friends remember as a grounding force.
able being “loud” about her beliefs on a wide range of topics, adding that she was “well read” and could discuss anything. “It’s so funny to me when people describe Mychael as really reserved because pretty quickly as we got to know each other, she loves talking, and she had opinions about everything,” Joglekar said. Emily Talvacchia, a 1L law student, said before the first performance she had with
GW Law Cappella, she was “very nervous,” but Torres, who had performed during her time at Northwestern University, had a “confident, calm energy” to her and held Talvacchia’s hands to calm her down. “I consider this world to be very harsh and very dark,” Talvacchia said. “But she just had this light about her that was just really such a pleasure. To be in the same room as her and to hear her laugh, like she had the best laugh ever.”
NEWS Students for Justice in Palestine held a rally demanding GW fire a professor with ties to President Donald Trump’s Gaza policies. Page 2
OPINIONS The editorial board urges the GW community to challenge misconceptions about homelessness. Page 4
CARSTEN HOLST | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER GW College Republicans Chairman Kieran Laffey and Vice Chairman Paul Lieb pose for a portrait in Square 80.
CARSTEN HOLST | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Turning Point Foggy Bottom President Ryan Van Slingerland poses for a portrait in Square 80.
nities, from trips to the National Symphony Orchestra to parties at Hotel Hive. He added that the group has seen a 21 percent increase in membership this year, with 39 percent of members being first-year students — the
SPORTS Men’s basketball’s season was defined by heartbreaking losses that exposed inconsistent late-game execution. Page 5
highest proportion of first-years since before the pandemic. “Our membership has skyrocketed,” Laffey said. “The freshman class this year is our largest faction in the club, so we’re all thrilled, but we got to keep pushing.”
CULTURE Explore what makes our quadrant home in The Hatchet’s annual Best of Northwest guide. Page 6-8