Voices
Foxfield more than big Derby hats and mint juleps
For a typical steeplechase race of any significant size or importance, the focus of the day is on the horses and the results. The spring Foxfield Races, however, is not the typical steeplechase race event. One need only approach any college student in the vicinity to get a picture of what a day at the [...]
SCOTUS hearing, but not listening, on same-sex marriage
Last week, the Supreme Court herd oral arguments in two gay rights cases involving Proposition 8 (which banned same-sex marriage in California) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, which bars federal recognition of same-sex marriages). To many, the outcome of these cases will be the most important civil rights rulings of a generation. But [...]
Justices ignore historical context in aff. action cases
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Schuette v. Michigan Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, after hearing Fisher v. University of Texas earlier this term. “Another affirmative action case?” you might ask. While prima facie it may seem necessary to take up two cases on the same issue, both of these cases cannot be [...]
NCAA culture of impunity a threat to university life
In March 2010, LaMichael James was charged with menacing, strangulation, and assault of his ex-girlfriend. In February 2011, Darrell Williams was charged with rape and sexual battery. In December 2012, Michael Carter-Williams was charged with shoplifting. What do all of these cases have in common? Every one of these men is or was an NCAA [...]
Carrying on: Sexism in science sucks
Sitting in a large intro science class in Reiss 103 last year, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. The lights had been dimmed for the PowerPoint presentation, and the professor was talking animatedly about some subject or another. In a perfectly serious manner, the professor concluded a rambling story with the line “Women [...]
Foreclosure a reminder that four walls do not make a home
We have to be out of our house by August 1. The word “foreclosure” sounds so foreign—it brings to mind images of credit rating agencies and the “millions of Americans” facing similar fates. I hear the word in the voice of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) or President Barack Obama, in lofty sentences about job [...]
Transparency of social media puts rapists on the record
On Aug. 12, 2012, a 16-year-old girl named Jane Doe woke up naked in a Steubenville, Ohio basement she didn’t recognize. From what I can imagine, she felt shame and confusion at the state of her bare body. She had never felt more vulnerable in her life, holding her knees to her chest and shaking [...]
Angels of the desert illuminate humanity of immigrants
Walking solemnly into the courtroom on a warm Arizona day, I’m immediately confronted with the smell of sweat and the sight of 40 migrants seated in the rows to my left. Their clothes drape loosely off their shoulders and they all wear translation headsets, their only recourse to understand what’s going on. They’re currently being [...]
Carrying on: Insecurity of the unknown
Among Georgetown seniors, the conversations tend to get a little repetitive—who did what with whom at Tombs last night, who’s going to Tombs tonight, how awesome it is to be a part-time student so you can go to Tombs every day for 99 days, you get the idea. Among those conversations, you’ll frequently hear anxiety-inducing [...]
To invest in America’s communities, divest from fossil fuels
Two weeks ago, I attended the Power Up! Divest Now! Student Convergence at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. Students working on divestment from across the country gathered to learn from each other and share tools and ideas to help build a student movement. We heard from activists on the frontlines of the fight against climate injustice, [...]
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