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November 2011

Voices

Twuesday Tweetacular: dispatches from the hashtag front

A few days ago, a friend of mine was sitting at her computer, her face expressing deep, hopeless concentration—writer’s block if I’ve ever seen it. When I asked her what was stumping her, she sounded exasperated: “I can’t think of anything to tweet about.” Her answer surprised me, but not because of the importance that she was assigning to coming up with a bite-sized sentiment to bestow on her dozens of followers. Rather, I was baffled that she had enough self-awareness not to just type up her latest passing thought and throw in some number signs and words without spaces between them. From my experience, that’s what Twitter is all about.

By November 3, 2011

Voices

Founding Fathers fought slavery in their own way

As many have noted, ”all men are created equal” did not hold true for the vast majority of Americans until 1865, 1919, and even beyond. The founders did not create a republic for all; they created a republic for the few, but even this was a significant accomplishment—no other country had affirmed and secured natural rights in the same way that the United States did in 1788. In any case, this hasn’t stopped Randall Kennedy, a professor at Harvard Law, from categorically negating the legacy of the founders. In an editorial special to CNN last month, Kennedy writes that black Americans, in large part, reject Herman Cain because he esteems the founders as great men, who “did their job … a great job.”

By November 3, 2011

Voices

Troy Davis is yet another victim of a broken system

Troy Davis was convicted and sentenced to death before many students at Georgetown today were born. His fate has been sealed our entire lives. On September 21, 2011, yet another American man was killed for a crime he did not commit. Having spent most of his adult life on death row, Davis had to spend his last day in an agonizing battle. First the world heard that the President would not intervene. Then, the Supreme Court deliberated for hours over a stay of execution, which he had successfully received three times before. But he was denied a fourth. From his fatal injection at 10:53 p.m. to death at 11:08 p.m., Troy Davis passed away and became a pallid shadow cast long and low over the United States.

By November 3, 2011

Voices

No more stolen lunch money

To my disappointment, the Internet recently seems to have become more about social change and less about LOLcats. From the death of Neda Agha-Soltan, broadcast all across the world during the 2009 Iranian election protests, to the subsequent coverage of the Arab Spring, it became clear how powerful viral material could be. With that in mind, the It Gets Better Campaign was launched to end bullying and what seems like an increase in bullying-related suicides. The organization targets youth by releasing videos urging the bullied masses to keep on keeping on, and boasts videos from the likes of President Obama, various members of Congress, and professional athletes.

By the November 3, 2011

News

Capital campaign launches transformative programs

Out of the $1.5 billion the University looks to raise by 2016 as part of the Campaign for Georgetown, $300 million will go to the ambiguously titled “transformative opportunities.” Over the weekend, the University shed some light on what this category is meant to entail, releasing details for some of the projects it could fund.

By November 3, 2011

News

Grieg against Evans for City Council, supported by GU students

Fiona Grieg, a Democratic candidate for the Ward 2 City Council seat challenging incumbent Jack Evans, recently established the non-partisan Students for Fiona working group. Composed of Georgetown students, the group aims to increase student voter registration this semester, in anticipation of next April’s election. “In the spring, [the Students for Fiona group] will be focused on creating action plans for everyone involved, making sure people know where to vote, when to vote, how to vote, and then the reasons why to vote,” the group’s co-captain Craig Cassey (COL ‘15) said.

By November 3, 2011

News

GU townhouse solar panel project to move forward

The student group Georgetown Energy is currently working on an effort to place solar panels on a selection of University townhouses, a project which would be the largest student-funded solar project in the world if it is completed the way it was envisioned, the group’s cofounder and CEO David Nulsen (SFS ‘12) said.

By November 3, 2011

News

Saxa Politica: A campaign for all students

Images of the doors of Georgetown’s iconic buildings have become omnipresent on campus in the past few weeks due to the kickoff of the University’s capital campaign, “For Generations to Come: The Campaign for Georgetown.” They have supplanted the blue “Spirit of Georgetown” banners typically bound to the light poles and mounted on the face of the Intercultural Center building. It’s hard to walk anywhere on campus without seeing something about it.

By November 3, 2011

Sports

Hoyas slam Syracuse, through to Big East semis

Beating the same team twice in a season isn’t easy, especially when that team is your archrival. But the Georgetown women’s soccer team managed just that, defeating Syracuse 3-1 on Sunday to secure a spot in the Big East Tournament semifinals. While the Hoyas (15-5, 8-3 Big East) are excited to be heading to their first semifinal since 2007, they still have a lot to work on before facing West Virginia on Friday. However, head coach Dave Nolan’s focus is directed more towards correcting his squad’s mistakes against the Orange rather than scheming for a talented West Virginia team.

By November 3, 2011

Sports

Sports Sermon

It has been a roller coaster few months for the Big East conference, to say the least. New reports this week, however, indicate that the Big East may finally be adding teams rather than subtracting them, sending invitations to Houston, Southern Methodist, and Central Florida, as well as football-only invitations to Navy, Air Force, and Boise State. While these programs may not be the sexy solution Big East fans were hoping for, they still have good reason to cheer up.

By November 3, 2011