On Thursday, October 19, Camilo Mejia, GI Resister, Conscientious Objector & Iraq War Veteran talked to a group of about 100 students about his experience in Iraq and his new book, "The Road from Ar Ramadi: The Private Rebellion of Staff Sergeant Camilo Mejia."

The event was hosted by Campus Progress UT, CAMEO, ISO, and Iranians for Peace and Justice. Active Marine Michael Nordstrom and other members of the Iraq War Veterans Against the War sat next to Mejia during the presentation and answered questions from the audience.

Check out coverage of the event in the Daily Texan

On Monday, the George Washington School of Medicine burst with excitement as students and community members braved the wind and rain to see Elizabeth Edwards speak about young people and health care policy in the upcoming election. Ezra Klein—journalist for the American Prospect, acclaimed blogger, and self-taught health care expert—played the role of moderator, keeping the audience laughing and informed on the broader picture while Edwards detailed her plan for the next President. The two played off each other well, critiquing both sides of the health care debate in a conversation that emphasized the importance of health care reform to the future of our country.

On October 17, 2008, the Gamma Pi Chapter of Lambda Theta Alpha hosted the third annual "Art of Surviving" benefit banquet. The event paid tribute to survivors of domestic violence, the chapter's philanthropic initiative. "Lambda Theta Alpha is about empowering those who struggle to strive. The 'Art of Surviving' banquet is about honoring those who have been brave enough to demand something more for themselves- they are survivors of domestic violence," said Stephanie Fyock, the event's organizer. The banquet showcased performances by local singers, a self-defense presentation, and renowned spoken word artist Dasan Ahanu.

Meeting on October 20th, the George Washington University Student Association, Interfaith Action and Muslim Student Association, along with Campus Progress and the Interfaith Youth Core brought Eboo Patel on campus at the Hillel Center for a discussion on the role of religion in America. Moderated by Erica Williams of Campus Progress, the discussion attracted over 70 people, who packed the room to hear Mr. Patel.

On Friday, September 26th, the George Washington University environmental student group Green GW and Campus Progress hosted a brown bag lunch preceding the September 27th Green Jobs Now National Day Of Action. Over lunch students and Benjamin Goldstein from American Progress discussed what "Green Jobs" are and what they mean to the future of the American economy and environment. The event was a great success, allowing a casual round table for students to ask questions to leaders in environmental policy and have a informative forum for discussion.

Starbucks seems to have realized that when people are paying $4 a gallon for gas, their not as likely to indulge in mocha latte- kinda. Starbucks is still after all Starbucks- an overpriced fancy company that has capitalized on Americans need for caffeine. Nonetheless, they have managed to somehow, in their Starbucks way, offer a discount to their customers. According to the Express, if you buy any Starbucks beverage in the morning, you can get any iced grande beverage for $2 after 2pm, as long as you save your receipt from your morning jolt.

For many tomorrow is just another day. A day to wake up, work, go to jazz in the sculpture garden, check out a great fundraiser at 18th and Red, etc. etc.But for those in the know (and that is you, loyal So-Cap reader) tomorrow is so much more. Why? July 11th (tomorrow or today I guess depending on when you are reading this) happens to be 7/11 when written in numbers and 7- Eleven just happens to be the name of a convenience store where they sell, say it with me, slurpees. And in honor of the fact that 7/11 is the day that happens to have the same numbers as the name of their store, 7-Eleven’s throughout the country are offering FREE SLURPEES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If there are two things that DCers do often, it’s eat and drink. And why not? DC is home to a plethora of great happy hour deals and tons of great restaurants. But after so many beers, chicken wings and French fries hitting the gym might not seem like a bad idea. And even you, starving intern and underpaid young professional, can afford to workout.

ventured to the Bush Legacy Bus Kickoff and Cook Out where we bashed Bush and ate a TON of food:

Starving interns and underpaid young professional- this pretty much sums up the majority of DC’s inhabitants.Thankfully, DC knows how undervalued both are, which is why it often offers up loads of free food and great deals, like free concerts and cheap movie tickets, including the AMC 8 at the Courthouse metro that offers $7 movie tickets on Thursdays with a valid student ID.(Thankfully, that student ID you've hung onto from college doesn't expire.)

Idealist.org, the website that I’m many of you found your internships and jobs on (I know I did) is teaming up with the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network-DC for a happy hour tonight at James Hoban's Irish Restaurant. Although the bar isn't exactly one of the best spots in town ($10 bucks says it will be out of business before the summer ends) the happy hour should be a good opportunity to network with other young professionals and to learn about other cool things happening in DC. There's good specials too: $3 Off All Pub Menu Items, $1 Off Irish Drafts, $2 Off Domestic Draft & Bottles, and $5 Martinis & Cosmos.

The happy hour is actually a prelude to Idealist.org Graduate Degree Fair for the Public Good tomorrow, June 18th, at GW University.  The grad fair is a great opportunity for those interested in grad school to check out programs at universities throughout the country.  Who wants to think about school during the summer?  It’s not exactly my favorite thing to do, but it might make your mother happy and I’m sure you can score some cool, free key chains and maybe even some candy.  The grad fair is free, but be sure to register.    

It looks as if the state of Virginia has found a way to bring back the Grandfather clause, but this time to exempt state citizens from their own states public education system. Virginia once again has put its overzealous pursuit of illegal immigrants over the needs of its residents and citizens. The state decided to deny in-state tuition to native-born student citizens based on their parent’s legal status. A recent Washington Post article explored the topic and discovered that residents of Virginia whose parents are illegal immigrants must pay out-of-state tuition or forego college altogether. Defending this position, the Virginia State attorney general’s office insisted that parents’ legal status matters because students are considered to be dependents until they are 24 years old.

This effort is one of many expensive and exclusionary steps taken by Virginia's state legislature to curb illegal immigration -- even though a recent poll showed that 96.8 percent of residents in Prince Williams County, for example, would rather see the state's money spent on public health initiatives and transportation improvements. Efforts to deprive Virginia state residents who are U.S. citizens the right to an education is reprehensible. These students will be forced to take out loans and will be plagued by debt, that is, if they can even get loans considering the fiscal crisis that our country is now in. Many students struggle to pay in state tuition as it is, and immigrants, who are often in the bottom income bracket, will as a result have to pay a disproportionate share of their income. These students are citizens and Virginia residents and they deserve to be treated as such. Regardless of your stance on immigration, denying U.S. citizens the right to an affordable education is irresponsible and certainly doesn’t solve the immigration problem.