Monday, January 13, 2020 I Vol. 116 Iss. 18 AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 WWW.GWHATCHET.COM What’s inside Opinions Culture Sports The editorial board Students are spinning off Men’s basketball maintains discusses how NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts a “growth mindset” after enrollment cuts will from the comfort of their an inconsistent conference impact diversity residence hall rooms skid Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 DOE complaints decline by more than two-thirds since 2015 SHANNON MALLARD against GW between 2015 ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR and 2018, only one complaint stated that the University vi- The number of complaints olated an individual’s rights fi led against GW in the U.S. and required offi cials to take Department of Education Of- corrective action, according fi ce for Civil Rights has de- to a ProPublica report. clined 70 percent over the past In 2017, the OCR began fi ve years. investigating GW’s web- The OCR – a DOE branch site accessibility. The probe that investigates discrimina- found that University web- tion allegations – launched 10 sites lacked viewing features federal probes into discrimi- like video and photo cap- natory behavior claims in 2015 tions to accommodate dis- but only investigated three abled individuals’ needs. cases of alleged discrimina- Offi cials formed a task tion in 2019. Discrimination force in early 2018 to exam- law experts said the number ine website accessibility is- of complaints may have de- sues. GW met its fi rst OCR creased after offi cials man- deadline to make online dated diversity and Title IX content more accessible last trainings and better handling January. of cases at the University level. The OCR initiated an in- Caroline Laguerre-Brown, vestigation into a complaint the vice provost for diversity, alleging that offi cials retali- ARIELLE BADER | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR equity and community en- ated against a former stu- In 2019, GWPD of cers received 173 calls from on-campus blue light stations and made contact with nine of those callers. gagement, said the number dent for protesting age dis- of complaints fi led with the crimination last January. The OCR each year is “unpredict- complainant alleged that the Blue light phone use drops almost 20 able” and cannot “easily” be University fostered a culture attributed to specifi c factors. in which longer-serving pro- Laguerre-Brown said an in- fessors “bully” non-tenured percent in 2019 dividual could fi le more than and clinical research faculty. GRAHAM HURLEY GWPD received 110 one report with the OCR in When the DOE publicly REPORTER blue light voice calls in 2016, a certain year, and the DOE listed the complaint on the but GWPD only made voice may consider each grievance OCR website in February, Blue light emergency contact with the caller on as a separate complaint. offi cials said they were “con- phone use on campus de- 23, or about 20 percent, of “Still, we fully recognize fi dent” they acted “appropri- creased by nearly 20 per- the calls. In 2017, the de- that regardless of whether ately” toward the student. cent between 2018 and 2019, partment received 228 calls the number of complaints The complaint is still listed according to GW Police De- and 26 callers made contact fi led with OCR increases or on the OCR website. partment data. with the caller, about an 11 decreases in any given year, The OCR also opened In 2019, GWPD offi cers percent increase from the complacency is simply not an two investigations into al- received 173 calls from on- previous year, according to option, and we remain com- legations of disability dis- campus blue light stations, GWPD data. mitted to ongoing analysis crimination later that month. of which offi cers made Paradis said the Univer- and improvement of systems The fi rst inquiry investi- contact with the caller nine sity added “several” blue and processes for addressing gated whether GW denied times, the data shows. In light phones to campus in student concerns,” Laguerre- an individual benefi ts on the interviews, more than 10 2017, which likely caused ALYSSA ILARIA | GRAPHICS EDITOR Brown said in an email. basis of their disability, and students said they’ve never the spike in calls that year. Laguerre-Brown said of- the second launched an in- needed to use blue lights, She said GWPD more Senior Jennifer Nwoko- patrols, contribute to his fi cials have taken measures vestigation into whether the but knowing the phones frequently responds to blue lo said the blue light phones overall sense of security on like revising the Code of University retaliated against can be used to call emer- light calls than to the calls make her feel secure on campus. Student Conduct and re- an individual for protesting gency services makes them made from the PAL app, campus, but she doesn’t “It’s great that it is there working the Equal Oppor- disability discrimination. feel secure while walking which allows users to text know if they’re functional for people who might need tunity, Non-Discrimination, Neither complaint is listed around campus. or call GWPD about an or not because she’s never it,” he said. “And I feel like Anti-Harassment and Non- on the OCR website. Mary Paradis, the for- emergency and tracks the used one. it is placed strategically Retaliation Policy to ensure mer interim chief of police, user’s location using GPS. “If something were to around campus. So it’s defi - GW is equipped to handle Education and enforce- said blue light callers rarely Paradis said the University happen and there’s no re- nitely accessible.” discrimination cases. ment made contact with police will begin transitioning to sort, it’s good to know that Campus security ex- Offi cials debuted a bias Alan Sash, a partner in offi cers because callers typ- a new “app-based” security they’re there,” she said. perts said college students incident reporting website the litigation department ically leave the area before system this spring. Freshman Danielle typically opt to call emer- last February that allows at the fi rm McLaughlin & offi cers arrive. GWPD of- “The vast majority of our Shakib said her roommate gency services on their own faculty, students and staff to Stern who has worked on fi cers did not make contact calls for service are through used a blue light recently cell phones, but the blue report bias-related acts for Title IX cases, said students with nearly 90 percent of all our emergency telephone because she felt unsafe light is a secure option for the Bias Incident Response come from a variety of dif- blue light calls since 2016. line,” she said. “Calling the when she was walking students to use. Team – which includes ad- ferent backgrounds, so of- “It is not as important GWPD emergency line al- home late at night. Marc Lovicott, the ministrators from offi ces fi cials should establish clear for students to use them as lows you to interface with “She pushed the button, director of communica- like the Division of Opera- standards of acceptable in- it is for students to be aware dispatchers and provide the but somebody was there tions for the University of tions – to review. Laguerre- terpersonal behavior. He that we have these phones most detailed information to help her right away and Wisconsin-Madison Police Brown added that offi cials said instituting mandatory and to be aware of their lo- about the emergency.” walk her home, so it was no Department, said an “over- “regularly” evaluate ways to diversity and Title IX train- cation,” Paradis said in an Eleven students said big deal,” she said. whelming majority” of his increase student awareness ing for students could result email. “Blue light phones they’ve never used a blue Freshman Ryan Shi- department’s blue light ac- of resources like the Title IX in a decrease in the number are strategically placed light phone but feel safer woo-Kim said the blue light tivations are generally ac- and ethics offi ces. of complaints fi led with the DOE. around campus as a means knowing that the phones phones and GW’s other cidental or prank calls. Recent investigations to connect the community are a back-up option to call- security services, like Safe with GWPD.” ing emergency services. Ride and consistent GWPD See LIGHTS Page 2 Of the 24 cases brought See COMPLAINTS Page 2 Science and Engineering Hall has bolstered GW’s research output: faculty VITA FELLIG universities joining GW. to house the entire depart- REPORTER “As a result of our hiring, ment in one location. The bio- our research expenditures medical engineering depart- Since the biology depart- have increased dramatically, ment was previously divided ment moved from Bell Hall our faculty’s publication between Phillips and Staugh- to the Science and Engineer- numbers are up, the number ton halls. ing Hall fi ve years ago, pro- of research-active faculty at He said the building has fessor Courtney Smith said SEAS is up – everything is allowed him to expand the she’s noticed “simple” im- up,” Can Korman, the en- range of his research – which provements in her working gineering school’s associate focuses on using imaging conditions. dean of research and gradu- technology to try to detect ill- She said SEH’s more ef- ate studies, said in an email. nesses, according to his fac- fective air conditioning sys- Korman said the build- ulty profi le – to include sea tem and the availability of ing – which cost $275 mil- urchins and biofi lms. pure deionized water in all lion to construct and opened “Having proximity to of SEH’s sinks have made in March 2015 – is the “key other researchers has greatly her research process faster facility” in terms of infra- expanded the scope of my and more effi cient.