The Hoya’s assault on Kelley Hampton and Luis Torres in their editorial section Tuesday was bitter, vindictive and borderline libelous. But while the editors of Georgetown University’s newspaper of record filled their pages with Academy-esque attacks on two individuals’ character, they missed a wider discussion about due process versus the good of the community.
Are Georgetown students better off with Hampton and Torres holding executive positions in the Georgetown University Student Association? We may never find out, but given the limited scope of GUSA’s power to impact student life, I doubt that there is much of a difference either way.
This is not an election for head-of-state, which actually matters. Republicans and Democrats are both guilty of preferring “what’s best for the country” to the “democratic process.”
For example, American conservative and liberal commentators alike were outraged last month when Spanish citizens chose to vote against a government that failed to represent their interests. The Bush administration spun the defeat of Jose Maria Aznar’s populist party as a victory for terrorists, insinuating that Spanish voters should have traded their principles for security.
Democrats say the same thing when criticizing the liberal independent Ralph Nader’s decision to run for the presidency. The message? Don’t vote for the person that you think will most represent your interests. Instead, vote against the members of Republican Party, who are in the pockets of a particular set of industries, and vote for the Democratic Party, which is in the pockets of a another set of industries.
When the nation’s future is at stake, both Democrats and Republicans might be right. Liberal Americans would have more of their interests served by a Democrat president, and arguably, Aznar’s support of the American-led war on terror was critical in smoothing over strained U.S.-Europe relations.
At Georgetown, however, there is room for grand principles. After all, this is an educational institution where the consequences of being wrong are at worst a well-educated rebuttal from a disagreeing party.
It may be that the election process and the constitutional council have treated the Giblin and Lashner ticket poorly. That’s a worthwhile question, one I’m sure many self-important GUSA members will ask for the next couple days. But as it stands, the Hampton and Torres exercised their right to appeal a decision they thought was unfair.
As for what’s best for students, The Hoya should examine their own reasons for not wanting Hampton and Torres to be GUSA’s top executives, rather than making unsupported claims of secret society conspiracies, exaggerating truths, and making personal attacks.
