The GW Hatchet

The GW Hatchet The GW Hatchet is an independent student paper serving the George Washington University community.

The GW Hatchet is the independent student newspaper of The George Washington University. http://www.gwhatchet.com
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SPONSORED | Washington DC Law School Fair at George Washington UniversityMeet face-to-face with law school admissions de...
10/08/2025

SPONSORED | Washington DC Law School Fair at George Washington University

Meet face-to-face with law school admissions decision-makers from schools from across the nation!

OPINIONS | Officials laid off 43 staff members last week — the most significant round of personnel cuts since the COVID-...
10/08/2025

OPINIONS | Officials laid off 43 staff members last week — the most significant round of personnel cuts since the COVID-19 pandemic — directly attributing the decision to the University’s growing budget deficit. The announcement, delivered exclusively to faculty and staff via email, came after officials had for months framed budget decisions as efforts to avoid layoffs and indicated that any personnel cuts would be gradual and managed at the individual “unit” level. The editorial board urges GW to disclose which schools, departments and offices were impacted by the layoffs, and to treat transparency with stakeholders as an obligation, not a courtesy. 

“Officials can’t expect trust from a community they haven’t fully informed. When decisions of this magnitude that affect livelihoods, workloads and the student experience are made behind closed doors, limited communication is unacceptable. If officials believe these cuts were necessary, they should be willing to explain why clearly and directly to everyone affected.”

Read the full staff editorial at the link in our bio.

The editorial board consists of Hatchet staff members and operates separately from the newsroom. This week’s staff editorial was written by Opinions Editor Andrea Mendoza-Melchor, based on discussions with Contributing Opinions Editor Ava Hurwitz, Contributing Culture Editor Carly Cavanaugh and Contributing Sports Editor Grant Pacernick.

CULTURE | From fighting fires to gathering crowds by rocking the electric guitar, one firefighter has created a communit...
10/08/2025

CULTURE | From fighting fires to gathering crowds by rocking the electric guitar, one firefighter has created a community outside the firehouse Engine Company 23.

Lieutenant Mick Uranko has become something of a GW campus celebrity because of his electric guitar skills, with students and faculty frequently gathering outside firehouse Engine 23 on G Street to listen to, and sometimes even join in on, his riffs. Uranko and his fellow firefighters said his guitar shredding generates a sense of connection between the firehouse and the broader campus community, using music as a vessel to bring people together and making residents more aware of the firehouse’s critical role in Foggy Bottom. 

Uranko said he began learning how to play electric guitar when he first arrived at the Foggy Bottom station a little over two years ago, serving as a creative outlet and a means of evolving as a person.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Kavya Kartik
Photo by Adnan Masri

NEWS | Employees from GW’s law, business, medical and professional studies schools were among the 43 staff members the U...
10/07/2025

NEWS | Employees from GW’s law, business, medical and professional studies schools were among the 43 staff members the University laid off Tuesday, according to information gathered by The Hatchet, as officials declined to disclose which schools and offices were targeted by the University-wide cuts.

Officials spared the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, Elliott School of International Affairs and Graduate School of Education & Human Development in this round of layoffs, according to emails obtained by The Hatchet, and the status of other schools remains unclear as faculty and staff did not respond to requests for comment.

The Hatchet contacted more than 230 staff, faculty and administrators requesting information on layoffs within their schools, departments and offices and received responses from about 30. The majority of respondents, all current GW employees, said they had no information or declined to comment, often deferring to the Office of Communications and Marketing.

Here’s what we know so far about the staff layoffs across GW’s schools. Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Gianna Jakubowski
Photo by Nicholas Ware and The Hatchet’s File
Graphic by An Ngo

SPORTS | Men’s club ice hockey (3-3) shut out Georgetown University 3-0 in their annual Battle of DC showdown in front o...
10/06/2025

SPORTS | Men’s club ice hockey (3-3) shut out Georgetown University 3-0 in their annual Battle of DC showdown in front of a rowdy crowd at Capital One Arena on Saturday, claiming the first victory of the crosstown rivals’ three matchups this year.

The victory marked the Revolutionaries’ first win in the Battle of DC in at least six years, snapping a losing streak that included back-to-back 3-0 defeats to Georgetown in 2023 and 2024. The win also extended the Revs’ momentum, giving them a two-game winning streak following their dominant 20-3 victory over Princeton University on Friday.

The Revs will face off next against St. Joseph’s University at The St. James on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. Their next matchup against the Hoyas is set for Oct. 24 at 9 p.m., also at the St. James.

Story by Samantha Burchard and Sophia Caputo
Photos by Arwen Clemans

NEWS | The Medical Faculty Associates lost $100 million in fiscal year 2025, suffering heavier losses in the second half...
10/06/2025

NEWS | The Medical Faculty Associates lost $100 million in fiscal year 2025, suffering heavier losses in the second half despite officials’ March pledge that the medical enterprise would be in a better financial position at the end of the year, financial documents show.

FY2025’s $100 million loss — which GW reported in their consolidated financial statements published at the end of FY2026 Q1 —  marks the sixth consecutive fiscal year officials have reported the MFA operated in a deficit of tens of millions of dollars and the enterprise’s second highest loss ever on record following its $107 million loss in FY2024. 

Click in the link in our bio to read the full story.

Story by Gianna Jakubowksi
Photos by Nicholas Ware and Lexi Critchett
Graphics by An Ngo

OPINIONS | Alexia Green, a sophomore majoring in journalism and mass communications, argues student organizations, like ...
10/02/2025

OPINIONS | Alexia Green, a sophomore majoring in journalism and mass communications, argues student organizations, like GW Democrats, should consistently encourage people to speak out and provide a support system and opportunities for those who want to take a stand against President Donald Trump and his administration. 

“As GW students and citizens of D.C., it is our job to stand up for what we believe in because otherwise this country will not survive the Trump era. If people rely too much on the way our government is structured to help us out of this Trump era, then he will simply tear that structure down too. GW Democrats and other left leaning political groups on campus should be doing more to give students the space to demonstrate and speak out, with the full force of an organization’s support behind them. We shouldn’t be shrugging our shoulders and taking the easy way out of this situation. You are not removed from this: This is happening in the city we all live in, in the country we call home. If you want to see the change, be the change.”

PHOTO | Hatchet photographers captured 10 GW club sports teams during practices, games and tryouts, showcasing how stude...
10/01/2025

PHOTO | Hatchet photographers captured 10 GW club sports teams during practices, games and tryouts, showcasing how students are gearing up for the 2025–26 season.

Photos by Abby Brown, Addison Osborne, Arwen Clemans, Chance Hwang, Grace McMahan, Kyra Wood, Larkin Fermin, Lexi Critchett, Logan Rottuno and Quinn van Mourik-Rudnick

SPORTS | Atlantic 10 head coaches and media placed men’s basketball fourth and women’s basketball 10th in their preseaso...
10/01/2025

SPORTS | Atlantic 10 head coaches and media placed men’s basketball fourth and women’s basketball 10th in their preseason polls released Tuesday.

The poll sees the men’s team — who last year went 9-9 in the conference and finished tied for seventh — with stronger chances this season, improving by nine spots compared to last year, but is less optimistic than some sports betting markets, including ESPN where the Revs are tied with VCU for the best odds to win the conference.

In addition to the team results, the poll also selected preseason honors for the top A-10 athletes. The conference recognized four athletes on the men’s squad — a boost after the Revs’ received only one preseason honor last year — which ties GW with VCU for the most in the A-10.

This year’s poll named men’s redshirt senior forward Rafael Castro to the Preseason All-Conference First Team and the Preseason All-Defensive Team, an honor he achieved at the end of last season.

The men’s season kicks off on October 18 with an exhibition against Georgetown University in the Smith Center, while the women’s season will begin on November 3rd, when they host the University of the District of Columbia. 

Story by Grant Pacernick
Photo by Arwen Clemans and Brad Zhao

NEWS | Officials laid off 43 staff members Tuesday as GW navigates a period of financial strain, marking the first Unive...
10/01/2025

NEWS | Officials laid off 43 staff members Tuesday as GW navigates a period of financial strain, marking the first University-wide layoffs since the COVID-19 pandemic.

GW warned of potential layoffs for both faculty and staff when officials imposed the hiring freeze in July, but Tuesday’s terminations exclusively impact staff.

Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes told the Faculty Senate in August that the University was facing a $24 million budget deficit as of July, with the number jumping $10 million from May to July. He attributed the deficit to years of GW’s total expenses exceeding revenue — notably higher compensation costs like merit-based salary increases and employee benefits despite a decline in staffing levels. 

GW did not lay off staff in the Columbian College of Arts & Sciences, GW’s biggest school, according to an email CCAS Dean Paul Whalbeck sent to faculty and staff Tuesday night.

Story by Gianna Jakubowski
Photo by Josh Steinberg

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