On Thursday, September 11, Dayna Bowen Matthew, the George Washington University Law School’s Dean, was joined by John Lach, Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at the George Washington University, to address the law school community regarding the recent federal actions and their impacts.
Dean Matthew began the session with an acknowledgement of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Interim Provost Lach then joined her to recognize the law school’s influence and expertise on the issues currently being faced by the University in the District of Columbia, and throughout the United States and world as a whole. He provided an agenda, which included a letter sent by the Department of Justice to the University regarding on-campus antisemitism, a broad memo of DOJ guidance regarding DEI programs, and the presence of the National Guard in D.C. He caveated the information to be provided, noting, “I have to say up front that we do not have the answers to a lot of the questions I’m sure many of you have,” but “this is a very dynamic situation” and “we want to keep our community as informed as possible.”
Dean Matthew initiated the discussion by citing to the DOJ letter to the University regarding their investigation into allegations of antisemitism. The University received the letter on August 12 informing them of the investigation and their conclusion that “GW had been deliberately indifferent to acts of antisemitism,” to which the DOJ cited the encampment that took place on the U-Yard last spring. Dean Matthew read the letter, which stated, “the Department finds that, despite actual notice of the abuses occurring on its campus, GWU was deliberately indifferent to the complaints it received.” She responded to this allegation, saying, “I don’t believe that that conclusion is true. I don’t believe it’s true of the University, and I don’t believe it’s true of the law school.” According to Dean Matthew, the investigation was conducted with no input or information provided from GW.
Addressing the allegation of antisemitism, Dean Matthew asserted, “GW has been public in condemning antisemitism and every form of racial, ethnic, and other hatred, all of which have absolutely no place on this campus and no place at the law school.” She went on to say, “we are also committed, not only as a university, but I want to speak specifically as Dean of the law school, expressly committed to promoting an environment where all people feel safe, feel respected, and where those who violate our rules and the law are held accountable for their actions.” Interim Provost Lach echoed Dean Matthew’s sentiment, stating, “GW absolutely condemns antisemitism, it has absolutely no place on our campuses, in our civil societies.” Interim Provost Lach noted that the university is engaging with Jewish community organizations and law enforcement, as well as conducting training programs for members of the community.
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Dean Matthew then addressed the letter from United States Attorney General Pam Bondi, issued on July 29. The letter, a memorandum from the DOJ, provided guidance to federal agencies regarding “unlawful discrimination” in DEI programming. Speaking directly to those present, Dean Matthew remarked, “I’m sure everyone in the audience recognizes what a guidance is. A guidance is not the same as a statute—it’s not a regulation—but it provides us insight into how this Department of Justice interprets the law.” She went on to conclude her brief comments on the matter, stating, “at GW Law, we always have and always will follow the law. While we remain committed to our principles, we remain committed to being lawful.” Interim Provost Lach added “we’re doing the same things across the whole university.” According to Lach, the university is still in the process of determining next steps in response to the memorandum and will update the university community.
Interim Provost Lach moved on to address the presence of the National Guard in D.C., beginning by stating, “the safety of our community members remains GW’s highest priority, and, so you know, we are committed to looking out for all members of our community, ensuring that they’re safe, and, of course, that means keeping the community informed of any new and relevant information that may affect them.” According to him, the University does not anticipate any operational impacts resulting from the presence of the National Guard, and the University is in close contact with the Metropolitan Police Department. Interim Provost Lach highlighted the University’s suggestions for the community, which include carrying your government-issued ID in the form of a driver’s license, passport, visa, Alien Registration Card, or other form of identification, as well as your GWID card. Community members should also be sure to provide a close friend or relative with a copy of identifying documents and ensure that they are aware of your Alien Registration Number and country of origin, if applicable to the individual’s circumstances. The International Services Office has additional information and can assist students with specific questions regarding their situation. For up-to-date campus safety information, you can access the “D.C. Federalization” website.
Dean Matthew encouraged any students, faculty, or staff who are stopped by law enforcement to report the incident to the Dean of Students, Dean Kohn, and Dean Ewert, respectively. She encourages those affected to access the wellbeing resources provided by the University and the University’s federal updates page. For all information, those logged into myGW can visit the Impact of Federal Actions Resource Page.
Pivoting, Dean Matthew referenced a pilot program starting on Friday, September 12, called “The Law and Democracy Project.” Students at the law school will be able to participate in these sessions, which will be hosted by various organizations as two events. There will first be a one-hour program open to all students, with the first session being titled “The Importance of Freedom of Information Act Requests in Advocacy and Litigation” hosted by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. The second half of the program will be open to 2Ls and 3Ls to “participate in a supervised hands-on opportunity to put your learning into action.” Lunch will be served at the events, and all events will be hosted in the Faculty Conference Center (FCC).
Dean Matthew responded to two questions in the Questions and Answers session at the end of the meeting. In response to the first question, inquiring about opportunities for students to become more involved, she directed students to the law school’s clinics and field placement programs to directly interact with the community and its organizations. The second question posed asked how the University is planning to address student financial situations as impacted by the “Big Beautiful Bill,” which notably eliminated access to Grad PLUS Loans originating after July 1, 2026. Dean Matthew informed students that there is a task force underway to determine the impacts of the legislation on graduate enrollment, including a comment that “we have a little while to adjust our financing and budgeting.”
Dean Matthew concluded the meeting, stating: “As Provost Lach said, ‘we don’t have all the answers,’ but we wanted to come to you directly to let you know that we are paying attention. We care deeply. We’re planning and acting in the ways that will meet the needs of our community with everything at our disposal.”
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