Staff Editorial: Hoax is No Joke

Posted Thursday, November 8 2007 02:55:10 am

By The Editorial Board
STAFF EDITORIAL

Primed by the Islamofascism flier incident that had been unnecessarily blown out of proportion, campus was already on edge when word of the repeated appearance of swastikas in a dorm began to spread. The drawings were mostly centralized to one student's Mitchell Hall door, though a few other occurrences were also reported, chiefly in New Hall. When an email was sent to all GW students alerting them that the FBI had been called in to investigate, the interest and buzz about this newest controversy spread even farther, meriting a mention in the Washington Post.

Students were quick to speculate who drew the swastikas and why. When it became known that the student who reported the symbols actually drew them herself, campus sentiment seemed to rapidly turn against the student in question. While her true motivations are still publicly unclear, in the very least, it is safe to characterize this as a severely bad judgment call - one that will likely be accompanied by serious ramifications for the culprit.

But a mistake in judgment, for whatever reason or intentions, does not change the fact that what Sarah Marshak did is unconscionable. Faking a racially charged incident is never acceptable, and neither is the use of a swastika – a symbol that many associate with millions of deaths and genocide. What is even more worrisome is that events such as these may cause legitimate victims of racial crimes to be met with some degree of skepticism.

As the novelty of the self-inflicted crime has worn off, we’re left to wonder, what was the point of it all? GW is an internationally recognized university with a reputation for a diverse student body. Our campus is mere blocks from the White House, and GW students practically serve as the largest source of unpaid labor in the District, interning on Capitol Hill offices, various think tanks, and other Washington establishments.

Now though, when a District resident thinks of GW, or when an employer is looking over your resume, it’s unfortunate that the most recent news that springs to mind is not about the great professors or an interesting guest speaker. Instead, they’re reminded of a university were a student drew swastikas on her own door to gain publicity. This is not the image any student wants to present.

This semester is beginning to set a dangerous precedent – one in which controversy becomes campus fodder while leaving students filled with outrage. Hopefully, as incidents like these become far, far more sporadic, students can again concentrate on the important issues facing us as both a student body and a university.