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Monday, September 10, 2018 I Vol. 115 Iss. 7 AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 WWW.GWHATCHET.COM PLAYING POLITICS PAGE 5 GW’s alumni giving rate clocks in as LeBlanc’s fi rst address lowest among peer institutions to freshmen: Be smart on social media 50 ALLISON KWON apologize for something they STAFF WRITER published when they were 8.8 percent of alumni donated to 13, and that is going to have 41.2% While serving as provost consequences,” he said. 40 GW in scal year 2017 – about 10 at the University of Miami, LeBlanc said social media University President Thomas has taken away opportuni- percent lower than its peer schools’ LeBlanc said his biggest fear ties for students to learn dur- was that a student would get ing college because mistakes 30.8% average alumni giving rate. hit by a car on a nearby high- that they make can be shared way. widely and be easily attacked. 30 But at GW, LeBlanc said He said misusing social me- he is more concerned that a dia can lead to permanent 24.1% student will post something consequences – including lost inappropriate on social me- job opportunities. 21.2% 20.2% dia – and ruin their reputa- He added that students 20 tion, friendships and career do not understand that per- Giving rate 16.7% prospects because of it. sonal communications, like 15.5% “I worry that our students instant messages, can be 13.8% will make a mistake that will spread to social media with- 11.3% haunt them forever,” he said. out students’ consent but still 10.1% 9.9% 9.8% 10 8.8% In his fi rst formal address have the same repercussions. to the Class of 2022 at con- “The people who disagree vocation Saturday, the Uni- with you will come after you versity president’s remarks like rabid dogs,” he said. focused heavily on one is- “That’s not how it used to be sue: the repercussions of so- on a college campus.” 0 cial media. LeBlanc said that LeBlanc said he doesn’t BU GW Tufts NYU Pitt while offi cials aren’t launch- have any formal way to mea- Tulane Miami ing any formal steps to edu- sure the eff ect of starting a Rochester Syracuse Georgetown University of Wake Forest Northeastern cate students about the topic, conversation about social me- he will continue to speak dia use on campus – but that about the dangers of online he hopes students will “pause Southern California Peer institution posts throughout the year and think” before posting. after a spring semester full of Caroline Mehl – the direc- EMILY RECKO | GRAPHICS EDITOR controversial online activity. tor of the OpenMinds Plat- Source: U.S. News & World Report A Snapchat post caused a form, an educational fi rm fi restorm on campus in Feb- that off ers health and social ruary after a member of Al- welfare training – said stu- pha Phi was pictured holding dents may feel more empow- ARIEL WEXLER & lion and garnered support from “That’s why philanthropy and a banana peel with the cap- ered to attack one another MEREDITH ROATEN more than 40,000 alumni. constituent engagement is one of tion “Izzy: ‘I’m 1/16 black.’” after a social media mishap REPORTERS The alumni giving rate reached the University’s highest priori- The post quickly spread because users don’t interact 11 percent in 2007. ties,” he said. around campus and sparked face-to-face online. She said Of the University’s 12 peer in- “The Division of Development Since University President action from both the adminis- having a large social media stitutions, GW has the lowest per- and Alumni Relations is always Thomas LeBlanc arrived on cam- tration and the Student Asso- following often has negative centage of alumni giving back to exploring new ways to engage our pus last year, offi cials have pri- ciation to improve diversity consequences for a student their alma mater. alumni,” he said. oritized alumni giving and phi- and inclusion on campus. because they feel a need to At 8.8 percent, the proportion The University of Southern lanthropy, hiring a new chief The SA election brought perform. of alumni who donate to GW is California had the highest alumni fundraising offi cer and embarking another round of online inci- “There’s a delicate bal- the lowest out of the University’s giving rate of GW’s peers at 41.2 on alumni tours across the coun- dents later in the spring. ance between how do you peer institutions, which includes percent, and the University of try. Former SA executive vice create a community out of a schools like the University of Pittsburgh barely surpassed GW The Board of Trustees also set presidential candidate Brady diverse cohort of students, Southern California and the Uni- with a 9.8 percent giving rate. out to improve alumni giving last Forrest was accused of anti- but how do we do that in versity of Pittsburgh, according to D.C. schools averaged giving fall with the creation of a new Semitism after students re- a way that’s respectful and U.S. News & World Report data. rates of 16 percent, not including task force focused on the subject. surfaced two Facebook posts also in a way that allows us GW’s giving rate has dropped at Gallaudet University, which did Offi cials announced in February he wrote in 2014 calling for to engage with new experi- least three percentage points over not report its giving rate in 2017. that the group would continue its a boycott of a multicultural ences, new cultures in a way the past seven years – hitting a Georgetown University’s rate work this year. event because Jewish student that encompasses individual low the year after the conclusion was an outlier at 30.8 percent and But externally, offi cials have organizations were involved. growth,” she said. of the University’s largest fund- American and Howard universi- also put money into fundraising Two days later, former SA Andrew Selepak, the di- raising campaign. ties tallied 6 and 9.9 percent, re- consulting fi rms – and have typi- senator and presidential can- rector of the online master’s The average alumni giving spectively. cally received a lower return on didate Imani Ross apologized program in social media at rate among the University’s peer Manfra said that not all alum- the eff orts than peer schools, ac- for “off ensive” posts about the University of Florida, said group – which includes schools ni engage with the University cording to a Hatchet analysis in minorities that she posted most professors educate their that GW has deemed similar in through monetary donations, add- February. in 2012 and 2013 – when she students about how busi- endowment size and research pro- ing that some graduates volunteer Alumni relations experts said was as young as 13. nesses make employment de- fi le – is about 18 percent, nearly their time for the University by the giving rate is continually neg- Forrest and Ross did not cisions based on the content. 10 percentage points higher than mentoring students or supporting atively aff ected by growing class return multiple requests for He said this type of training GW’s rate in fi scal year 2017, ac- regional admissions teams. sizes and increased student debt comment. should educate students cording to U.S. News data. He said offi cials typically re- – making it more diffi cult for insti- LeBlanc told faculty about a university’s core val- Matt Manfra, the enior associ- view peer institutions’ philanthro- tutions to solicit donations at the members at a Faculty Senate ues to ensure that students ate vice president for alumni rela- py data to “compare performance, same pace as in years past. meeting Friday that he plans understand that their actions tions, said the alumni giving rate share ideas and review best prac- Greg McCracken, director of to address social media use could also refl ect negatively has hovered between 8 and 9 per- tices around alumni and donor en- the University Fund at the West with students throughout the on their institution. cent for the past fi ve years and fell gagement and stewardship.” Virginia University Foundation, year in part because he real- “It’s important that the to 8 percent in fi scal year 2018 – He said alumni giving helps said boosting the alumni giving ized that nearly all fi rst-year university discuss what it a year after the conclusion of the to fund scholarships, fellowships, students have always lived in means to be a member of the University’s largest-ever fundrais- faculty, research and other student See RATES Page 2 the era of the iPhone. university community,” he ing campaign which raised $1 bil- resources. “Every freshman has to said. Administrative push to bring research on campus leads to $10 million revenue spike LEAH POTTER Maltzman said nearly all Several of the University’s NEWS EDITOR of GW’s research labs are now peer schools earn more in in- located on the University’s direct costs than GW because The University is earning three main campuses, but six of a high volume of on-cam- about $10 million more from years ago several engineer- pus research and higher fed- the federal government this ing and public health projects erally negotiated indirect cost year since moving research were housed in off -campus recovery rates. The Universi- projects to on-campus build- rental facilities. He said the ty of Southern California and ings six years ago, offi cials share of total on-campus re- New York University each re- said.