The Super Bowl halftime show taught us controversy can refresh even the most predictable things. Recent issues of campus newspapers provide many such examples.
Videotaping: Town-gown conflict has existed as long as there has been a gown. In Medieval times, students at Oxford took to the streets with clubs and pitchforks to repel angry town mobs. These days, Georgetown neighbors impose restrictions such as an enrollment cap on the University in exchange for permission to construct buildings on campus.
When a court threatened the cap, community leaders brought tension to a new level by encouraging neighbors to videotape students. Good solution. If the University and the community talked once in a while, they’d realize that Georgetown students are already under constant surveillance by a 13-camera system on campus. We live in the modern era. We need to think synergy.
Julia Baugher: Did she or didn’t she? A quick Google search will reveal the truth. Two weeks ago, The City Paper reported that The Hoya cancelled her column, in part because of suspicions that she plagiarized material from the Internet. This isn’t the first time a journalist has plagiarized so carelessly. Last year, The New York Times saw its legitimacy threatened when it fired Jayson Blair for stealing and fabricating stories. In typical Baugher fashion, this mistake has landed her under the media spotlight. And, in retrospect, a sex column at a “conservative school” like Georgetown? There are promiscuous Hoyas, too.
Inflammatory Red Square Protests: It comes in successive waves, but the pattern is the same. Students dress up as Israeli soldiers, harass ordinary bystanders, and reduce a complicated issue to shouted slogans. A polarized opposition strikes back by inviting a controversial speaker to campus or writing letters to the “Viewpoints” section of The Hoya. Students have played this game for years and the effect is wearing thin. Let’s just hope those trendy die-ins don’t make a comeback.
Elections: Two things are atypical about this year’s GUSA election. Saxa Server didn’t screw up, and the disqualified ticket actually won the popular vote. Before anybody cries Florida, we should put this in proper perspective. Hoyas (favorites): Federal Election; Dookies (underdogs): GUSA Elections; Margin (duh): Who cares? (Sorry Sports section).
RIAA Two: The Industry Strikes … well, you get it. Last Sept. on a college campus not so far away, the Recording Industry Association of America issued thousands of lawsuits against students sharing music files. And last month, it struck the ice kingdom of Georgetown, with all those rebellious Hoyas downloading woefully mainstream tunes. Lucky for us, as the suits pan out, an exclusivity agreement with Coca Cola will prevent Pepsi from infesting the campus with renditions of obnoxious Green Day songs.
Most Hoyas are still suffering the consequences of unoriginal problems, but a few have a quicker learning curve. When controversial CIA Director George Tenet came to Georgetown, Dean Gallucci effectively managed to prevent the question period from going the way of Santorum.
