The GW
HATCHET
August 24, 2026 Vol. 123
Iss. 4
Welcome Back Guid e 2026 Pages 7-8
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 • ONLINE AT GWHATCHET.COM
GW sanctions ZBT, AEPi for spring hazing violations
Interfaith center strengthens religious connections in first years on campus
ADELAIDE PETRAS
ADELAIDE PETRAS
Two fraternities are facing sanctions after being found responsible for hazing and other policy violations, according to the Student Organization Conduct and Hazing Transparency Report. Zeta Beta Tau and Alpha Epsilon Pi were found responsible for hazing in the spring — along with alcohol and other policy violations — and face disciplinary probation, limitation of privileges and other sanctions, including ZBT losing its oncampus housing, according to the report, which officials updated Aug. 13. The sanctions bring the total number of Greek organizations that have been disciplined for hazing since 2020 to five and mark the first time a fraternity has been sanctioned for hazing since 2024, per the transparency report.
University Chaplain Kristen Glass Perez believes GW’s interfaith center has facilitated collaboration and understanding between religious groups on campus two years after its creation. The Division for Student Affairs launched the Center for Interfaith and Spiritual Life in fall 2024 as part of a University-wide plan to review campus free speech policies and religious programming in response to campus tensions over the war on Gaza. Perez, who helms CISL alongside Director Simran Kaur-Colbert, said the center has successfully built connections and fostered dialogue among religious and non-religious students, as she looks to establish new grants and fellowships and strengthen relationships with the cen-
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
The University spokesperson declined to comment on the nature of each incident listed on the report. The Interfraternity Council did not return a request for comment on the specifics of each incident and how IFC assisted with the investigations. ZBT faces removal from housing, disciplinary probation, limitation of privileges, organizational censure and additional sanctions for its hazing and alcohol violations. The Division for Student Affairs found that members engaged in hazing by means of requiring new members to participate in “lineups,” though members declined to disclose the details of the lineups, according to the report.
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
JERRY LAI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER The former Zeta Beta Tau fraternity townhouse sits at 603 22nd Street.
DSA conducted an investigation into the hazing reports between April 24 through May 15, and officials delivered the outcome to the organization on July 1. The University spokesperson said a typical hazing investigation involves coordinated interviews and evidence review to evaluate “group culture” and overall student wellbeing. Members of ZBT’s executive board did not return requests for comment. AEPi was found responsible for hazing by requiring members to complete tasks like making videos, completing challenges, performing “embarrassing acts” and consuming substances they “would not typically consume.” The investigation into AEPi spanned March 17 to April 7 and resulted in disciplinary probation through December 2027 and limitation of recruitment privileges. The organization will also have to engage in a new member education and experience plan. Members of AEPi’s executive board did not return requests for comment.
SNAPSHOT
ZBT also accepted responsibility for a guest accessing the closed rooftop, which resulted in “personal injury” for the guest, for an event occurring April 23. The University spokesperson declined to share the specifics of the incident. ZBT was also found responsible for alcohol violations during a Jan. 20 incident due to open bottles of alcohol in common areas of its on-campus house, improperly storing a propane tank and violating other housing policies. The fraternity was found responsible for community disturbance on multiple occasions, spanning Feb. 5 to March 26, after receiving noise complaints from neighbors for at least one unregistered off-campus party. AEPi was also found responsible for offering and providing alcohol, underage alcohol use and drug and paraphernalia possession and use for a Jan. 23 incident. Sanctions for the incident include social probation through September 2026 and disciplinary probation through December 2026.
JERRY LAI | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
University Chaplain Kristen Glass Perez poses for a portrait.
discrimination. Entering what she calls the center’s second full year of operations on campus, Perez said the center has put on events and created spaces that facilitate dialogue between different religious groups on campus, as well as dialogue between religious and secular groups. She cited the organization’s hosting of Sharaka, an event focused on Israeli and Arab coexistence in spring 2025 as an example of the center creating space for conversations regarding conflicts in the Middle East. “Everybody can relate to this at GW, but also in the world — what happens in the world impacts us locally, right? So we work to support people, to be available for people, for listening,” Perez said. See UNIVERSITY Page 5
CARSTEN HOLST | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR
GW Hospital midwifery practice in limbo amid MFA transition LAKSHMI DEV
ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR
Graham Rahal speeds past in an IndyCar at the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
ter’s on and off-campus partners. “When we have lots of people who are engaging with one another and planning programs together with our support and also independently of us, then that’s a win,” Perez said. “And I think that we’ve seen that grow, and I really look forward to seeing that grow more.” Officials created CISL in a period of growing, visible instances of discrimination on campus. Both Jewish and Muslim students reported instances of religious discrimination stemming from rising on-campus tensions related to the war in Gaza in the year prior to the office’s launch, including a pair of Title VI complaints filed with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights in 2023 alleging antisemitic and anti-Palestinian
Capital Medical Group, the medical practice that staffs GW Hospital, currently employs no midwives, leaving pregnant patients who sought out the hospital’s midwifery services uncertain about their options for care. CMG — a new physician-led nonprofit subsidiary of Universal Health Services, the owner and operator of GW Hospital, that provides clinical services at GW Hospital — continues to advertise a midwifery practice that provides prenatal care and deliveries at GW Hospital on its website,
despite confirming that no midwives signed contracts in July to work at the practice. The hospital’s midwifery practice has faced staffing shortages since at least 2022, and the recent transition of clinical services at GW Hospital from the Medical Faculty Associates to CMG has raised questions about the status of the program and has caused some patients to consider seeking care elsewhere as they report difficulties scheduling appointments with midwives. The MFA is expected to permanently wind down its operations in September, with GW officials saying about 85 percent of the practice’s 1,270 employees have
accepted contracts with CMG . A spokesperson for UHS said CMG offered employment contracts to the midwives previously employed by the MFA, but all of them declined. “We are assessing the future of the midwife program,” the UHS spokesperson said in an email. The practice has faced staffing challenges in recent years, with the program issuing a notice in 2022 warning patients they would see a “decreased midwifery presence” in the hospital office and the labor and delivery ward due to the practice undergoing “temporary changes.”
Staff Council collaborating with officials to improve performance review process PARIS ALBRECHT
CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR
The Staff Council is working with officials to improve GW’s performance review process, just months after officials reinstated the merit pool for salary increases this fiscal year, Staff Council President Mindy Galván announced at a meeting Friday. Galván said the council is working with Human Resource Management and Development to analyze data to help continue “reimagining” the performance review process, while also pressing officials on how managers are trained in the process in an effort to create equity in how staff are evaluated across campus. The initiative comes after officials announced that the fiscal year 2027 budget includes the return of a 3 percent merit pool to fund salary increases for eligible employees, which are based on performance reviews. Galván said as a result of complaints from staff across the University, she “strongly suggested” to officials that managers be trained WHAT’S
INSIDE
on the performance review process to avoid confusion about how many staff members can earn an “exceeds expectations” rating. She said she also urged officials to clarify how performance targets are met to increase equity in the staff experience across campus. She said Staff Council leadership also met with Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes and Vice President for Finance and Assistant Treasurer Hemant Bakshi to find ways to “better compensate” staff, but did not specify which avenues officials are exploring to improve compensation. The initiative adds to the council’s ongoing advocacy efforts regarding the performance review process and merit increases, including advocating for separating employees’ salary increases from their performance evaluations. Fernandes told the Staff Council last November that officials are looking into the Staff Council’s proposal for a yearly flat salary increase of 3 to 5 percent, though they would have to assess any impacts on the University’s budget and structural
NEWS Officials urge the Class of 2030 to leverage GW’s location in the nation’s capital at this year’s convocation ceremony. Page 2
deficit, as it would require GW to fund a higher merit pool. Galván said the council is also working with the Division of Safety and Operations and HRMD to reinstate the weather flex policy, which allows staff to use their “best judgment” if inclement weather poses a commuting travel hazard. The Staff Council unanimously passed a resolution in May recommending that officials adopt a weather flex policy that gives staff the ability to make decisions regarding their personal safety in the event of severe weather. Councilmembers in May said they brought the resolution forward after officials have made last-minute decisions on University closures with minimal communication or guidance, and with little consideration for staff not living in the Foggy Bottom area, like when forecasts indicated the potential for tornadoproducing storms in March. Galván acknowledged the University’s recent layoffs, citing restructuring efforts to “balance” units’ budgets. Both the Milken Institute School of Public Health and
OPINIONS The Editorial Board encourages students to embrace D.C. despite Trump’s changes to the city. Page 5
KRIS PARK | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Staff Council President Mindy Galván speaks at a Board of Trustees meeting in May.
the School of Medicine & Health Sciences have confirmed layoffs, according to emails from their deans. Galván said units that experience layoffs are often left in “uncertain” positions that impact morale and staff’s everyday workloads. Milken and SMHS’ layoffs come after officials laid off 43 staff mem-
SPORTS GW water polo is planning a championship comeback with a roster of 15 returning players. Page 6
bers last September, citing the need for additional budget cuts following a 3 percent reduction of the FY2026 budget. Staff Council Vice President Andrea Johnson said in her report that nominations for the upcoming Staff Council elections opened on Aug. 17 and will close on Aug. 31.
CULTURE Dive into your residence hall’s history and find the hottest D.C. live music venue with The Hatchet’s Welcome Back Guide. Page 7-8