Good Night and Good Luck

Last week was so, so, so busy and I didn't think life could get any more hectic, but this week is proving to be just as busy--and it's only Monday. You know what they say: Life is what happens while you're busy making plans. While I had many different events last week, I wanted to share a couple of particular interest.

On Wednesday, after work I had interviews for the STAR Selection Committee. STAR stands for Student Admissions Representative and we are the tour guides for the University. So if you haven't come to visit us already,  you'll surely meet a STAR who will be giving you a tour or an information session (I give the Friday afternoon Information Sessions, so if you come at that time you'll hear me!). STAR is a great way to get involved on campus and to make friends, so if you're interested you can email them at gwstar@gwu.edu.

After giving three interviews, I had to attend a screening of the film Good Night and Good Luck for my Film, Media and Politics class. Not only did we watch this fantastic movie with our professor and members of another journalism class, but we had two very special guests with us: Marvin Kalb (right), Former CBS News Chief Diplomatic Correspondent, and Robert Vitarelli (left), Former CBS Director. We also were lucky enough to screen the film in the School of Media and Public Affairs's Jack Morton Auditorium, which made the film all the more powerful. After the movie, we had a Q&A session with Mr. Kalb and Mr. Vitarelli, which was so insightful and really eye opening. They shared stories about Edward R. Murrow, the legandary journalist who famously broadcasted live on the radio during the bombing of London during World War II and who brought down Senator Joseph McCarthy's 'red scare' in 1954. Kalb, the last correspondent hired by Murrow himself, gave us some very interesting stories about the legendary anchorman, telling us that he was so nervous when he broadcast on the radio, he would sit there with his shirt open and by the end of the broadcast, he would be drenched in sweat! Of course, when he began doing live television, he would pat himself down during the commercial breaks. Murrow was also rarely seen without a cigarette in hand, smoke constantly in the background of his newscast, something we would never see today. Kalb has a special relationship with our School of Media and Public Affairs; GW's Global Media Institute, along with the Harvard University and the National Press Club, sponsor The Kalb Report. Kalb conducts a sit-down interview with a media personality, from the 60 Minutes news team to Ken Burns, and GW students get FREE ticktes to the events, which are held at the National Press Club. I've seen Kaite Couric and Bob Costas and will go see Rupert Murdoch later in the semester. The screening from this past week was much more intimate than the Kalb Report but just as entertaining and unique to GW!

Another uniquely GW event occurred early Friday morning. As Kim mentioned, the GW community is gearing up for Student Association elections. Friday morning at 7 a.m. is when candidates are allowed to begin putting up posters around campus. Because these elections are so intense, students get up early and line up in front of Kogan Plaza, ready to run to the best locations at exactly 7 a.m., posters in hand. My good friend Xochitl Sanchez is running for SA President, so a bunch of my friends and I all got up at 5:30 a.m. to meet with Xochitl and her team over breakfast before heading to Kogan. The free breakfast of bagels, juice, coffee, fruit, and cereal made waking up at 5:30 a bit more bearable. We were divided up into pairs, one person to run ahead to reserve space and one person to follow holding the posters. This is serious stuff, though; there are rules to how you can poster and these students are not messing around. No one can put a poster in a place you have already claimed as your space--i.e. no one can put a poster over your hand. Every person participating must have the full name of the candidate that they support written on a piece of tape placed on their back so that if anyone violates the rules, the candidate will suffer the consequences. The number of posters allowed in the Marvin Center is also limited to 30 per candidate but this did not stop people from practically trampling each other at the starting line (see photo above). Tape was a hot commodity, and even though people I knew asked me for some, I wouldn't share unless it was for a Xochtil poster (I'm a very loyal supporter, what can I say?). I had always wanted to participate in this GW tradition and I'm happy to say that I have, and for a candidate I actually know and respect. Although I felt like a zombie the rest of the day, I couldn't help be proud of the beautifully taped Xochitl Sanchez posters donning the brick walls of the Academic Center. Check out http://xforchange.com/ for more info about Xochitl, your future SA president!

That's all for now,

--Abby