D.C.’s food truck craze is in full swing. At George Washington University several food trucks line up on H Street every day to serve paninis, pizza, macaroni and cheese, and kabobs to students and passersby alike. The Hatchet reported this week that GW students will soon be able to use their GWorld cards (GOCard equivalents) at food trucks that frequent the Foggy Bottom campus.

GW doesn’t offer a traditional meal plan. Instead, students buy a certain amount of “colonial cash,” an amount of which is available to use at nearby partner restaurants. Students will soon be able to use this portion of their meal plans at the various food trucks. The Hatchet reports:

Senior Associate Vice President for Administration Ed Schonfeld said the move was in response to a letter submitted by the Student Association this week. [...]

Steve Nichols, deputy director of the GWorld card program, said administrators expected the move would cause food trucks to “blow up” in popularity even more.

“Once they take the card, they’re going to be pretty successful,” he said. “We’re anticipating they’re going to be really popular.”

Georgetown doesn’t share the rest of the district’s fascination with food trucks. While Georgetown students may demand more variety with their meal plans in general, food trucks rank decidedly lower in their priorities. Even though 2012′s campus plan resolution brought late-night food trucks on campus on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, students continue to go off-campus for late-night food and socializing. After all, the food trucks were only a short-term solution to growing on-campus student life. In all likelihood, the Snack Shack won’t start accepting flex dollars any time soon.

Photo: Edsel Little via Flickr

Take a look at the U.S. News & World Report website today, and you’ll no longer see a ranking number for our neighbors at George Washington University. In previous years at 51st place, now GW is “unranked” on the website, due to their misreported class ranking data of incoming students.

Earlier this month, a disclosure revealed that GW had inflated its high school class standing information for over a decade. The incoming freshmen in the top 10 percent of the class was reported at 78 percent, while the actual after correction was 58 percent. For those freshmen reported to be in the top 25 percent of their high school class, GW reported 95 percent, which was corrected to 90. The total number of students who submitted class rank, according to initial data, was 51 percent, and 38 percent after correction.

According to the U.S. News & World Report update, this false data made GW’s ranking higher than it should be after newer statistics are taken into account. Last week, the President of GW Steven Knapp formally apologized for the data errors and the Provost stated that those who were responsible for the errors would be “held accountable.”

In a statement released today, Knapp expressed surprise at the ranking removal. “We were surprised by the decision of U.S. News to remove George Washington’s numerical ranking rather than to correct it in light of our disclosure,” he said. “We regret the error and have put safeguards in place to prevent such errors from occurring in the future.”

On Monday, the GW Hatchet announced that the University will launch a new website called “HAVEN” next spring with a breakdown of the new sexual harassment policy as well as any relevant information or resources for students.

The new sexual assault policy changes:

• allow accusers to maintain confidentiality throughout legal proceedings

•  provide the victim a 180-day window to file a report of sexual abuse

• give both parties the right to appeal the court’s verdict

• state that victim-violator mediation is not an option

• enact more stringent anti-retaliation policies

According to the GW Interim Sexual Harassment and Sexual Violence Policy and Procedures, “Complainants” may request to be confidential during the review stage “as long as it does not prevent the university from responding effectively to the incident and protecting other members of the campus community.” The policy also states that if the “Respondent” is a member of GW faculty or staff, the “Complainant” must reveal information on that person to begin the hearing procedure.

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George Washington University recently unveiled its new logo (pictured right), a digital portrait of George Washington designed by GW’s assistant director of visual design.

The portrait is inspired by French sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon’s famous sculpture from the late 1700s, which was supposedly extremely accurate representation of our Founding Father. The unveiling ceremony included free food and t-shirts, as well as an appropriately-themed screening of the movie The Avengers, given the logo’s ability to transform good ol’ Washington into a digital/alien superhero.

According to George Washington Today, the University’s official online news source, the old logo (which puts a little more life in George’s peachy cheeks) was not compatible with online mediums and did not fulfill the modern, “visual” identity that the designers desired. “This is not a stagnant university,” said Forrest Maltzman, senior vice provost for academic affairs and planning, to Today. “It’s a university on the move, and I’m really excited we now have a logo that reflects that.”

GW students did not exactly jump in excitement during the logo unveiling ceremony. GW’s The Hatchet characterized the student reaction as both underwhelmed and possibly slightly disappointed. “Students’ hesitation seemed to indicate a question rippling through the room: “Is that it?,” The Hatchet wrote. The Hatchet also reported that rebranding for other universities cost up to $500,000.

Vox would spend a million dollars on that shining, sepia-toned, gleaming face.

This week, as the semester came to a close, a new set of Healy clock hands adorned the face of the tower. As Hoyas slowly leave the hilltop, Vox commenters had a few things to say.

Students woke up to replaced clock hands at the top of Healy Hall; it was initially unclear who the mysterious angels were who put them back up. GFK and Admiral Ackbar began ruminating on the possibilities:

GFK: The University did point out that extra hands were available in case the stolen hands were not recovered shortly. They must have gotten tired of waiting and installed the backups.

Admiral Ackbar: Or it’s a trap!

When Georgetown tapped Kathleen Sebelius as a graduation speaker, conservative Catholics condemned the University for its decision to honor a pro-choice politician. not typical anymore proposed we find more ways to incite the anger of the Cardinal Newman Society:

Can we do more things that get the CNS angry with us? As a non-reactionary Catholic, nothing would make me happier.

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George Washington University will introduce gender-neutral housing options during the 2011-2012 academic year, according to an announcement made yesterday. Male and female students who hope to live together will have to request the option, which will be offered in every one of GW’s co-ed residence halls.

“I credit our students with identifying the need and urging our administration to take an in-depth look at these issues,” Peter Konwerski, GW’s dean of students, said in a news release.

The push for gender-neutral housing in Foggy Bottom began last year, when students organized an effort that led to student government support and a University-led review committee.

Last month, the Georgetown University Student Association passed a resolution that encouraged discussion about gender-neutral housing that drew the ire of the Cardinal Newman Society. Despite the attention, neither GUSA nor the University have indicated official plans to change the on-campus housing policy.

George Washington University finally beat Georgetown. At getting infested with bedbugs.

Five residence halls on GW’s campus have reported infestations this semester, resulting in six confirmed cases of an infestation. According to the GW Hatchet, four of these cases have been fully treated, with the remaining two will be treated within the next week. At least two dozen bed bug infestations have been reported at GW in the last three years.

In September, a Georgetown University-owned townhouse was treated for a bedbug infestation. So, maybe it took us three years to finally catch on to the trend. We had no idea our neighbor school was such a trailblazer!

What’s next, GW? Norovirus? Beat ya.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

h/t GW Hatchet

Last Friday, George Washington University President Steven Knapp announced that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will give the GW’s commencement speech this coming May. Last year, First Lady Michelle Obama gave GW’s commencement speech.

“Sounds like GW got a terrific speaker,” Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications, admitted in an e-mail.

If history is a precedent, Georgetown is unlikely to announce its commencement speaker for several more months. Last year, Georgetown didn’t officially release its list of speakers until late April.

Although Meghan Hogge, director of academic events, declined to comment on GW’s pick and the status of Georgetown’s own selection process, all signs suggest that this year’s announcement will have to wait until next semester.

“Georgetown will have individual commencement speakers for each ceremony and I do not anticipate having a final list until much closer to our actual commencement dates,” Bataille wrote.

At last May’s commencement ceremonies, the nine speakers—one for each school and one for the ROTC commissioning ceremony—included Dikembe Mutombo (SLL ’91) and Bob Schieffer.

Photo: Flickr user “shootingbrooklyn“

The Project on Student Debt recently published its figures for the Class of 2009—and it ain’t pretty.

American student debt is frighteningly high; according to the study, which was published by the Institute for College Access and Success, the national average debt for a graduating senior in 2009 was $24,000. Among all states, D.C. claims the highest debt rate per student ($30,033), although New Hampshire ($29,443), Maine ($29,143), Iowa ($28,883), and Vermont ($27,786) followed close behind.

Surprisingly enough, however, Georgetown doesn’t have the highest student debt among all schools in the nation’s capital. Corcoran College of Art and Design ($42,355) leads the pack, followed by American University ($40,966) and George Washington University ($31,299). The figures make Georgetown’s $25,085 average debt look paltry by comparison.

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Our friends in Foggy Bottom aren’t too happy about the Westboro Baptist Church’s protest next month. While one student group has already organized a counter-protest, GW freshman Daniel Wein and junior Daniel Reade decided to act differently.

Wein and Reade created Transcend Hate, a group that aims to raise money for those targeted by the WBC, according to the GW Hatchet.

“We didn’t like the idea of responding to noise with more noise, responding to yelling with yelling,” Wein told the Hatchet. “We didn’t really feel like that was a positive way to confront them even if you have silly signs.”

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