Jeffrey Sachs is perfectly happy to be an economics professor at Columbia University. But if a group of students had their way, he’d be the leader of the free world.

Led by Victoria Zyp (GRD ’08), a group of more than a dozen students began pushing Sachs as a non-mainstream candidate for president. Sachs has gained prominence for his research on poverty.

“He teaches about global poverty and the environment and is both a statesman and a scholar,” Zyp said. “That’s exactly what this country needs.”

A group of students are turning their routine trips to the dining hall into community service.

Mollie Schmitz (COL ’10) and Annie McBride (COL ’10) held their first Grab-n-Give run last Saturday afternoon. The food drive, which the two freshmen run with five of their friends, takes leftover Grab-n-Go meals donated by students to the District’s homeless.

This past Saturday, the seven freshman girls took a taxi to the Union Station Metro stop, intending to give the meals to homeless people there.

“It was too cold outside, so there were very few homeless people around,” McBride said.

Instead, they brought the meals to the John L. Young Homeless Shelter on D Street.

In response to low student turnout at many events in recent semesters, leaders of the Georgetown Program Board said that they have begun a campaign to increase campus awareness and involvement and to bring more enticing entertainment to the Hilltop. The GPB hosts a number of social events for students, including concerts and movie screenings. Ketan Bhalla (SFS ’07), who served until January as chair of the group, said that he has been discouraged by low turnouts at many of its recent programs. He said that while attendance has remained strong at a select few of the GPB’s most high-profile events, such as Mr. Georgetown and the annual Halloween screening of “The Exorcist” in Gaston Hall, most events have failed to attract

Georgetown students looking for a classy downtown meal after watching a Hoyas basketball game need look no further than IndeBleu. Located in Chinatown near Verizon Center, IndeBleu serves up an interesting blend of Indian and French cuisine.

The restaurant’s sophisticated fare offers a welcome hiatus from O’Donovan Dining Hall. The contemporary menu of fusion food consists primarily of traditional French dishes jazzed up with Indian spices.

For anyone who’s ever had trouble keeping track of all the Web sites they browse, three Georgetown seniors may have just solved your problem.

MyKollege.com is the brainchild of Dan Gavula (MSB ’07), John Suliman (MSB ’07) and Mike Toomey (MSB ’07), who were tired of having to constantly reopen Web sites they frequently use.

“We saw the need to create a consolidated homepage, something so that Georgetown students would have every link readily available,” Suliman said.

Since the university provided Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service with a funding boost and resources to purchase a new ambulance over a year ago, the student-run organization has been able to respond to a significantly increased call volume and is better able to treat students than ever before in its 25-year history, GERMS officials say.

Alicia Nelson (COL ’08), GERMS director of public relations, said that since the medical service received its new ambulance early in the 2005-06 academic year, the average response time has dipped to under four minutes — several minutes quicker than its previous average. She added that GERMS no longer has to rely on outside ambulances in certain circumstances of high activity, as had previously been its practice.

Ted Reilly (COL ’08) was named the next chief executive officer of the Corp last night as the student-run organization’s board of directors chose new leadership for the coming year.

Reilly currently serves as the assistant general manager of Vital Vittles and general manager of the Book Co-op.

The board of directors also named Jillian Perlow (COL ’08), the current head of Student Storage, as the business’ new chief financial officer, and Maggie Herfurth (MSB ’08), general manager at Midnight Mug, as its chief operating officer.

Terms for all newly appointed executives begin Feb. 1.

Herfurth, Perlow and Reilly were unavailable for comment last night.

Several hundred Georgetown students woke up early Saturday morning to participate in the District of Columbia’s annual Help the Homeless Walkathon, an event that culminated Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week at Georgetown.

Over 275 Georgetown students attended the event, according to Rob O’Rourke (COL ’07), the former chair of Hoyas Outreach Programs and Education, who helped organize Georgetown’s presence at the rally. O’Rourke and HOPE’s current chairs, Emily Herzberg (NHS ’08) and Sarah Dettenwanger (COL ’08), helped to transport six buses filled with Georgetown students to the National Mall to take part in the 19th annual walk.

Since the opening of Saxby’s Coffee two blocks outside Healy Gates last month, many students have begun using the coffee shop to quench their daily caffeine fix.

“I am a big coffee drinker and I love coffee,” Allie Abbruzzese (NHS ’08) said. “I used to drink the coffee at the Corp but the coffee is simply better at Saxby’s.”

Justin Scott (COL ’10) said that he prefers Saxby’s because it offers a better environment than any of the on-campus coffee shops run by the Corp.

“I preferred Saxby’s because it’s a more streamlined environment and it’s kept up more nicely,” Scott said.

Executives from the Corp, however, say that their campus coffee sales remain strong.

Cal Watson (COL ’07), says that a friend of his was never the same after being raped.

“I speak to you as a friend of a rape victim, someone whose story overwhelmed me, and one I initially could not believe or relate to,” Watson said. “I have tried to put myself to being an ally and listen to the stories every year; it’s important for everyone to hear.”

Watson spoke at Open Mic Night in Uncommon Grounds, the kick-off event in Take Back the Night’s annual week of events promoting on-campus awareness about gender-violated violence.