Student Parties Off Campus

Monday, October 26, 2020 I Vol. 117 Iss. 11 INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER • SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904 WWW.GWHATCHET.COM What’s inside Opinions Culture Sports The editorial board Read our tips on how Revisit the 2015 women’s lays out how GW can to enjoy a healthy soccer team’s win streak help students with and responsible in our final installment of COVID-19. Halloween. top GW sports moments. Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 ‘ASTOUNDED AND HORRIFIED’ Documents show Marvin’s leadership tainted by racist, anti-Semitic policies JARROD WARDWELL the page of materials as their ish Telegraphic Agency re- ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR work progresses. She said of- ported as part of a plot to rid ficials decided to release the the school of Jewish students In February 1935, mem- materials after attendees of in 1950 after members voiced bers of the Knights of the Ku a recent town hall meeting support for racial desegrega- Klux Klan issued a letter to asked for more information tion. then-University President to be released about Mar- “The University likes to Cloyd Heck Marvin, thank- vin, and administrators are focus on the good, like in- ing him for refusing admis- accepting feedback on com- creasing the endowments sion to civil rights activist mittees examining the build- and doubling the size of the David Carliner. ing’s namesake on the Office student body and tripling Marvin returned his own of the President’s website. the size of the faculty,” No- letter to the KKK, thank- “This supports transpar- vak said. “That’s what they ing them for their message ency into the committee’s talk about, but that had a and citing the need to free work and does not indicate dark side to it. And that’s the University “from propa- the committee has reached what my research explores.” ganda of all types.” Marvin’s a recommendation about the Novak said controversy brief exchange with the KKK renaming request,” she said surrounding the Marvin is documented through one in an email. Center dates back to 1970, of several historical materi- Administrators estab- when students “seized” the als the Special Committee lished two special commit- University Center for three on the Marvin Center Name tees in July to investigate the days during one of the larg- shared with the GW com- Marvin Center name and the est protests in University his- munity earlier this month as Colonials moniker, weeks tory. officials consider renaming after the Board of Trustees On the same day as the the student hub. approved a framework to Kent State shootings, dur- The documents help illus- consider renaming requests ing which four anti-Vietnam trate the longest-serving GW from GW community mem- LILLIAN BAUTISTA | SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR War student protesters were president’s segregationist bers. Law professor Roger The Marvin Center’s current name has sparked controversy since officials dedicated the building to former University shot and killed by Ohio Na- policies that prevented Black Fairfax chairs the committee, President Cloyd Heck Marvin in 1971. tional Guardsmen, students students from enrolling at which also includes pairs of rushed the building and re- the University until 1954. faculty, staff, students, alum- in 2017 and again in fall 2018, vak, who published a biog- pus. named it the Kent State Me- Special committee members ni and advisers. forming task forces to re- raphy about Marvin during Novak said Marvin morial Center. Demonstra- are reviewing the materials, Fairfax said committee search the history of several his senior year in 2004, re- fired The Hatchet’s editorial tors aimed to condemn the which include Hatchet ar- members have been meet- building names on campus. ceived his own subheading board three times when it shootings, the oppression of ticles, Cherry Tree yearbook ing multiple times per week Most recently, five student of historical materials on the was editorially dependent Black people and adminis- pages and archival docu- to review the materials and organizations launched a committee’s website. No- on the University, viewing trators’ complicity in the war. ments that recount Marvin’s discuss considerations for petition calling for several vak’s research details several the paper as a “communist When administrators life and leadership, from the renaming. on-campus locations to be decades of Marvin’s “con- mouthpiece,” and he forbade dedicated the student center segregation of Lisner Audi- “I want to express my renamed because of their trolling” relationships with student chapters from affili- to Marvin in 1971 through a torium in the mid-1900s to gratitude to the GW commu- namesakes’ ties to racism. faculty and students, citing ating with national groups $1 million grant from Mar- student activism against the nity for continuing to share University President several instances of racism, except for those traditionally vin’s wife, Dorothy Betts, Marvin Center name in the their thoughts about this Thomas LeBlanc is cur- anti-Semitism and censor- with conservative values, students walked out of the early 1970s. process,” he said in an email. rently reviewing requests to ship. like Greek, religious and ceremony with raised fists – University spokesperson Efforts to rename build- rename Fulbright, Madison As Marvin helped the military organizations. one shouting, “It’s the Kent Crystal Nosal said commit- ings like the Marvin Center and Francis Scott Key Halls University generate success One of Novak’s articles State Center, and you know tee members have not yet de- date back to the building’s halls, the Churchill Center in faculty, students and fi- about Marvin’s leadership it!” cided on a recommendation dedication decades ago. and the Monroe School of nances, Novak said he also states the then-president regarding the Marvin Center Members of the Student As- Government. silenced leftist and anti-Uni- threatened to kick GW Hillel name, but they will update sociation revived the charge Alumnus Andrew No- versity sentiment on cam- off campus, which the Jew- See MARVIN Page 4 Officials lay off dozens Student parties off campus have endangered of communications staff local residents, neighbors say amid restructuring JARROD WARDWELL ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR ZACH SCHONFELD keting departments. CONTRIBUTING NEWS EDITOR SimpsonScarborough, Scott Wayne’s wooden a higher education market- fence may divide his yard Officials laid off dozens ing firm, advised officials from the weekly beer pong of communications and to transition the existing matches next door, but he marketing professionals in Division for External Rela- isn’t so sure it can protect recent weeks, according to tions and related units to a him from the spread of CO- internal emails and employ- centralized Office of Com- VID-19. ees familiar with the matter. munications and Marketing Sitting by his backyard Sarah Baldassaro, the in- to “streamline” the unit and water fountain feet away terim vice president for com- reduce staffing “redundan- from his neighbors, Wayne munications and marketing, cies,” according to a draft said he often hears music said officials made “difficult report created in February. blasting and shouting reso- decisions,” including layoffs The firm called GW’s exist- nating from just beyond the alongside plans to central- ing communications and wooden fence, where at least ize the division. Officials marketing structure “dys- five GW seniors have been said they are reorganizing functional, inefficient and living since June. He said administrative units to close suboptimal,” the documents students have congregated GW’s annual revenue short- state. weekly at the residence, and fall amid the pandemic, but “It is problematic that he doesn’t anticipate it end- an outside consulting group there are more communica- ing anytime soon. that officials hired before the tors and marketers outside Wayne is one of six health crisis already recom- versus inside the central Foggy Bottom residents mended the move in Febru- unit,” SimpsonScarborough who said they’ve observed ary, according to documents wrote in the draft report, students regularly throw- FILE PHOTO BY GRACE HROMIN | ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR obtained by The Hatchet. which was marked confi- ing parties despite the pan- Foggy Bottom residents said they feel angered and worried about off-campus students granting COVID-19 a foot- It remains unclear the dential. “This increases cost demic, prompting a slew of hold in the community by violating mask requirements and holding gatherings. exact number of staff laid off and decreases effectiveness complaints from neighbors. in recent weeks, but officials and integration of the com- Foggy Bottom leaders said knowledge its threat to the Wednesday. students violating social have eliminated dozens of munications and marketing they’ve received between 10 neighborhood. Anthony said officials distancing guidelines near positions starting early this effort overall.” to 20 complaints from com- Officials announced ear- take community complaints campus. She said local resi- fall, according to three em- Download this PDF munity members about so- lier this month that a recent seriously, but she added that dents who’ve alerted her of ployees familiar with the Baldassaro confirmed cial distancing violations in increase in COVID-19 cases the majority of students’ be- social distancing violations changes who spoke under SimpsonScarborough’s as- recent months, while Uni- on campus was linked to a havior off campus has been said they’ve seen parties the condition of anonymity sessment of the division, versity officials said they’ve “trend” of off-campus gath- more compliant than that of and gatherings where stu- for fear of retribution from adding that the firm began sent warning letters to more erings. Delta Tau Delta shut- students at other universi- dents don’t wear masks and the University. Baldassaro its work in fall 2019 and was than 120 students in the tered its off-campus house ties during the pandemic.

Load more