Georgetown students have launched an e-mail campaign to contact the D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams about violations of students’ rights in the District. Campaign Georgetown, the watchdog group for off-campus affairs, organized the week-long drive to educate students about discrimination and to get them involved.
On Monday night, Campaign Georgetown sent out an e-mail to much of the student body with a link to a web-site which gave students directions on contacting the mayor. According to Campaign Georgetown co-chair Philippa Sparg (SFS ‘03) more than 1,200 students had visited the web site by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Campaign Georgetown has worked to inform the campus about students’ rights by posting flyers reading “Tell the Mayor How Important Students are to D.C.” and by dropping informational sheets under residence hall room doors.
“[Campaign Georgetown] has been very successful in educating the student body about the violations of students’ rights that the recent BZA conditions have imposed,” said Justin Wagner (CAS ‘03), commissioner for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
Students have been “extremely responsive. They realize that these issues directly affect them and the only way to change these discriminatory conditions is to take a stand,” Wagner said.
Marty LaFalce (CAS ‘03), Campaign Georgetown member and organizer of the e-mail campaign, said he was impressed by the interest students have demonstrated in the campaign to defend students’ rights.
The campaign will culminate this Thursday with the arrival of Williams, who will be on campus attending a event for the inauguration of Georgetown President John J. DeGioia.
Sparg said the e-mail campaign was not organized because of Williams’ visit.
“I’m very confident our message will be well received by the mayor,” LaFalce said.
“We hope that Mayor Williams, who has been a friend of students in the past, recognizes the great contribution of students to the D.C. community and actively pursues reversing these rulings,” Wagner said.
