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The GW Hatchet, Washington D.C., DC (2025)

08/13/2025

NEWS | The Justice Department on Tuesday found that GW violated federal civil rights law by failing to combat antisemitism and will now seek “immediate remediation” from the University.

The department’s Civil Rights Division determined that GW acted “deliberately indifferent” to student and faculty reports of antisemitism, claiming officials violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and referencing several incidents during last year’s pro-Palestinian encampment. In a letter addressed to University President Ellen Granberg, the DOJ said it will enact “enforcement” measures against the University “in the near future” unless they enter into a voluntary resolution agreement, which officials have until Aug. 22 to indicate interest in.

For a detailed breakdown of the DOJ’s findings, recent antisemitism claims levied against GW and context on what’s happening at other universities, read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Ryan Saenz
Photo by Rachel Kurlandsky

08/01/2025

Officials hired a controversial consulting firm that has recommended layoffs at several universities to “conduct assessments of select administrative divisions,” a University spokesperson confirmed.

University spokesperson Shannon McClendon said officials retained Huron Consulting with the goal of improving “overall efficiency and effectiveness” in alignment with the University’s strategic framework, set to launch this fall. Several universities have hired Huron in recent years to help them combat budget shortfalls — a challenge GW is facing as officials cut administrative and academic budgets for fiscal year 2026 — though McClendon said the firm’s efforts aren’t related to the FY26 planning process.

Huron in 2020 recommended layoffs at The New School — which laid off 122 employees to combat a projected budget shortfall five months after officials hired the firm — and The University of New Hampshire, which announced likely layoffs in accordance with the financial review Huron completed for $600,000 and later laid off 35 employees. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences also announced plans to lay off 51 employees in 2023 after it hired Huron to address a budget shortfall.

American University retained Huron in December 2023 to launch a strategic workforce assessment as part of its seven-year strategic plan, where faculty and staff expressed concern over the firm’s hiring due to the group’s reputation. American University laid off around 40 employees in June 2025, though it’s unclear whether the university was still working with Huron at the time of the layoffs.

McClendon declined to comment on how the University plans to address potential concerns from faculty and staff about the firm’s previous layoff recommendations.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Gianna Jakubowski
Photo by Lily Speredelozzi

07/29/2025

OPINIONS | Opinions Editor Andrea Mendoza-Melchor says vague language surrounding Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” has left many people — including herself, one of the roughly 3.5 million college students enrolled in the program — questioning whether they’ll meet the new eligibility requirements.

“For most of my life, my family and I have never really had to worry about health coverage, since we were a low-income family and qualified for Medicaid. My mom often cited healthcare coverage as a large incentive to keep living in the United States because we never had to worry too much about the essential expenses that came with doctors and medicine. Living next to the Mexican border also meant we had the privilege of seeking alternative healthcare options, as Mexican citizens, if Medicaid couldn’t cover a medical visit or procedure. But with Trump’s bill, there has been some uncertainty within my home about what my medical coverage would look like in the future if I were no longer receiving Medicaid coverage.”

Read the full perspective at the link in our bio.

07/24/2025

NEWS | Dozens of international students from countries affected by President Donald Trump’s travel ban are bracing for delayed returns to campus or requesting to defer their enrollment, Vice Provost for Enrollment and Student Success Jay Goff told the Staff Council Friday.

Goff said between two and three dozen international students from countries affected by the travel ban Trump enacted in June either expect to arrive late to campus this fall because they scheduled visa appointments for August, or asked the University to defer their enrollment. His announcement at Friday’s Staff Council meeting comes after officials cited uncertainty surrounding international student enrollment as one of the pressures prompting University-wide budget cuts.

Trump’s travel ban bars or limits entry to the U.S. for citizens of 19 countries, which could impact more than 50 international students who attended the University in 2024, according to enrollment data. Goff said most international students affected by the travel ban asked the University to defer their enrollment to January or next year, which officials are granting to students in good standing.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Gianna Jakubowski
Photo by Chuckie Copeland

07/18/2025

NEWS | Officials announced the next chief of the GW Police Department on Wednesday, permanently filling the role after officers’ reports of safety violations last fall led to the former chief’s resignation and triggered an investigation into the department’s arming rollout.

Victor Brito — who has held various leadership positions at police departments across the Washington metropolitan area over the last thirty years — will take the helm on Aug. 4, capping off a nationwide search and replacing interim police chief Ian Greenlee, who has served in the position since former GWPD Chief James Tate’s October resignation.

“This is a tremendous opportunity to shape campus safety rooted in trust, partnership and transparency. I am looking forward to working in collaboration with all of you to ensure a safe, resilient community,” Brito said in the release.

Brito served for six years as the chief of police in Rockville, Maryland until November 2024, where he created and updated community policing policies for the 100-person department. He stepped down in November, but the release does not cite a reason. He also served as the chief of police in Hagerstown, Maryland and in various roles at the Metropolitan Police Department, where he finished as assistant district commander of the Seventh District, according to the University release.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Ella Mitchell
Photo by Kaiden J. Yu

07/11/2025

NEWS | Division for Student Affairs officials paused the formation of new student organizations through the end of the 2025-26 academic year, a University spokesperson confirmed.

University spokesperson Claire Sabin said the Office of Student Life, which coordinates the formation of new student organizations, implemented the pause at the end of the spring semester and will revisit the application process “after extensive review of the 2025-2026 academic year.” Officials have since updated the DSA’s student organizations webpage to reflect the pause and do not have any scheduled New Student Organization Info Sessions on Org Help’s Engage page, which students are required to attend if they want to form a new student organization.

Sabin said officials paused the application process to “improve the support structures” that serve more than 500 current student organizations at GW. She said it is critical that DSA officials provide “equitable and well-rounded” support to current organizations on campus to help meet their goals.

This appears to be the first time officials have put a hold on the formation of new student organizations, according to Hatchet archives.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Ryan Saenz
Photo by Arwen Clemans

07/09/2025

NEWS | Officials announced Tuesday they are suspending hiring and will likely lay off staff and faculty as they cut administrative and academic budgets for fiscal year 2026 to address “unsettling” financial challenges worsened by a yearslong structural deficit and federal attacks on higher education.

GW will implement a hiring freeze for positions supported by operational funds until at least Oct. 1, limit non-essential discretionary expenses, review procurement contracts and planned capital expenditures and likely lay off some faculty and staff — a step officials said they “tried to avoid but cannot any longer” as President Donald Trump’s threats to federal research, international students and financial aid programs mount. The announcement comes as officials prepare the University’s FY2026 budget, which they announced in April would reflect a three percent reduction to address expenses surpassing revenues in recent years.

The announcement — signed by University President Ellen Granberg, Interim Provost John Lach, Chief Financial Officer Bruno Fernandes and Chief of Staff Scott Mory — states that University leadership will take voluntary temporary salary reductions and review current procurement contracts to cut costs. These steps add to measures officials annonced in April, which included a pause on merit-based staff salary raises to combat “difficult and immediate budget challenges” and higher education “headwinds.”

“Since our April 30 communication regarding initial steps we were implementing to address budget challenges, we regret to report that the financial outlook for FY26 continues to deteriorate for GW and for higher education more broadly,” the statement reads.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Gianna Jakubowski
Photo by Colin Bohula

06/27/2025

SPORTS | For the first time in more than 40 years, men’s basketball will host the Georgetown University Hoyas this fall, GW Athletics announced Wednesday.

The cross-town Hoyas exhibition game, scheduled at the Smith Center for Oct. 18, will come two weekends before the start of the 2025-26 season, marking an opportunity for a more game-like practice experience for players and a chance for fans to see two of D.C.’s premier teams in action. GW has already started to fill out its nonconference schedule, already scheduling a game against University of South Florida in November and a game against the reigning NCAA champions, University of Florida, on the docket for mid-December.

An opportunity to face off against Georgetown has long been a white whale for GW fans, with the last matchup between the two teams taking place in December of 1981 — a 61-48 GW loss at the Capital Center. Prior to that, the two teams faced off often, with 89 games between the schools dating back to 1907.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Ben Spitalny
Photo by Raphael Kellner

06/25/2025

NEWS | GW is considering consolidating classes, cutting programs and laying off faculty and staff in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, which has faced declining enrollment over the last decade, according to a Monday announcement and emails sent to faculty.

A statement outgoing Provost Chris Bracey shared with the GSEHD community and posted online Monday indicates that non-tenure faculty and staff could see “potential changes” to their job statuses as officials implement “organizational recommendations” to address the school’s declining enrollment. GSEHD has faced years of financial, operational and enrollment struggles, which they have previously tried to fight through a variety of initiatives, including the development of a strategic plan in 2014 aimed at attracting more students and their acceptance of a $2.4 million grant in April aimed at improving civic engagement in public schools.
GSEHD will “evaluate the number of staff” at the school in the context of their “forthcoming administrative adjustments, according to the statement.

Read the full story at the link in our bio.

Story by Dylan Ebs
Photo by Cooper Tyksinski

The GW Hatchet

08/13/2025

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