On Tuesday night, Georgetown club leaders gathered in Copley Formal Lounge to discuss common goals, issues and problems Georgetown clubs on campus experience. Hosted by the Georgetown University Student Association, the purpose of the meeting of the Club Union was to foster communication between club leaders, the faculty, and the administration.
Constant feedback is key for effective communication between all elements of Georgetown’s community, according to GUSA Vice President Brian Walsh (CAS ‘02). Walsh said clubs on campus all share a common goal to “expand academics enhance academics, and explore new ways of approaching academics.”
Walsh said a collaborative effort is necessary to pursue this common goal. Strong ties between students and faculty members must be forged, and awareness and support of various club events must not be left to each separate club but to all campus clubs.
Government professor Anthony Arend said Georgetown is at a critical point in its history. Edwards said he has seen “fundamental changes” in student involvement since he was a student at Georgetown in the 1980s. Arend said that in the last five years alone, the way students, teachers and the administration interact has changed drastically.
Arend cited the establishment of the Unity Coalition, designed to handle acts of intolerance and bigotry as an example of changes at Georgetown. Arend also addressed efforts by Campaign Georgetown to promote students’ interests and rights beyond campus as a positive change for the campus.
Justin Wagner (CAS ‘03), a commissioner on the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission, called students to take action to defend students’ rights to housing, privacy and human rights by e-mailing D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams as part of this week’s e-mail campaign.
“When the rules are limited, you go down a slippery slope and students start being treated as second-class citizens in D.C.,” Wagner said.
Wagner also proposed the development of a city-wide coalition encompassing students on all D.C. campuses.
Juan Gonzalez, vice president for student affairs, discussed the addition of the Southwest Quadrangle and its impact on students’ lives by increasing campus space.
“Students have a duty of redefining 30,000 square feet and making it their space,” Gonzalez said.
According to Gonzalez, club leaders must take advantage of their leadership positions and urge students to redefine and personalize this space to accommodate all students. Gonzalez said the faculty and administration are “ready to listen with great intensity.”
GUSA representatives spoke to club leaders about new campus programs such as the Safe Walks Program that makes students available on Friday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. until 4 a.m. to walk students within campus boundaries, an off-campus housing database where students can rate houses, landlords and neighbors, and improvements made to I-week.
Megan Gallagher (SFS ‘02), chair of the Student Activities Commission said lack of funds for clubs limits activities severely. Gallagher said that GUSA will work to bridge the gap between the “haves and have-nots” by increasing supplies and transportation and resolving issues of office space.
According to Gallagher, the annual fund and strong alumni-student relations may provide opportunities for fundraising and promoting club activities.
Club leaders such as Shari Thomas, president of the South Asian Society, said the Club Union meeting was helpful for information about the work GUSA is doing for all students.
“Everyone in that room cares, and that makes all the difference. The communication that just one meeting fosters is amazing,” Thomas said. “Now I am going home to tell my members to e-mail Mayor Williams.”
