Editorial Board
The Editorial Board is the official opinion of the Georgetown Voice. Its current composition can be found on the masthead. The Board strives to publish critical analyses of events at both Georgetown and in the wider D.C. community. We welcome everyone from all backgrounds and experience levels to join us!
NBA misses its shot at meaningful reform
While most of the sports world was focused on football and the fallout of the Penn State scandal, National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern and Players Association Executive Director Billy Hunter were secretly hashing out an agreement to end the 150-day NBA lockout. Then, last Saturday, the Commissioner’s Office announced that an agreement was in place, and that the season would tentatively begin on Christmas day.
By the Editorial Board December 1, 2011
Emulate Sweeney’s spirit, not his actions
While most Georgetown students were enjoying turkey and family time, one of our fellow students found himself incarcerated by a violent military regime. Derrik Sweeney had been studying abroad in Egypt, but was forced to bring his semester to an end after being arrested near Cairo’s Tahrir Square during the country’s most recent pro-democracy protests. Along with two other American students, Sweeney was captured after the demonstrations turned violent, and was accused of throwing Molotov cocktails at security forces
By the Editorial Board December 1, 2011
Today’s GOP has succumbed to extremism
The 2012 Republican field is a laughable parody of presidential candidates. Perry and Michelle Bachmann are under-informed extremists, and Cain is an unqualified pizza magnate dogged by sexual harassment allegations. All three have become popular because Republicans can’t stomach the idea that a nominal moderate like Mitt Romney might actually be the nominee. Meanwhile, less than half of Republicans even recognize the name of candidate Jon Huntsman, a successful two-term governor and former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and China.
By the Editorial Board November 16, 2011
Immediate action needed to save our river
The report on the State of the Nation’s River is a frightening document, citing increases in both human and agricultural waste along with the emergence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the waterway. These chemicals, though they are linked to a wide-range of biological disruptions, remain largely unregulated. “In essence,” the report said, “we are conducting a grand chemistry experiment on the Potomac; so far, the results don’t seem encouraging.”
By the Editorial Board November 16, 2011
GU offers Zoning Commission a fair plan
Today, after years of planning and negotiating, D.C.’s Zoning Commission will officially begin considering Georgetown’s final 2010 campus plan, the decennial review of plans for expansion and growth that all District universities must submit. In looking at the University’s proposal, the Commission must remember that Georgetown, the District’s largest private employer, has gone to great lengths to consider and address the complaints of the local neighborhood organizations that have spoken out so vehemently against the plan.
By the Editorial Board November 16, 2011
Veterans’ Day reminds us of our obligations
On Veterans’ Day tomorrow, we honor those servicemen and women who were willing to sacrifice everything in the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and other conflicts. But we must not lose sight of the hidden battle that veterans fight when they come home.
By the Editorial Board November 10, 2011
Common fiscal policy offers hope for Europe
Although Europe’s financial chaos shows no sign of ceasing, the events of recent days suggest that there is still hope for a unified European fiscal policy. The welcome subordination of short-sighted political debates in countries like Greece and Italy to the broader economic needs of the European continent is ultimately necessary for the stabilization of the global economy.
By the Editorial Board November 10, 2011
JTIII’s postseason story has to change
When this year’s senior class came to campus in 2008, the Georgetown men’s basketball team was only a season removed from its fifth NCAA Final Four appearance and hailing the arrival of highly touted forward Greg Monroe, ranked one of the best freshmen in the country. But three years later, Monroe has left campus for the NBA, and the team has not won a postseason tournament game. The team has only an outside shot at qualifying for the NCAA Tournament in 2012. While there are plenty of guilty parties in the program’s recent struggles, the lion’s share of the blame for the Hoyas’ underperformance lies with one man: head coach John Thompson III.
By the Editorial Board November 10, 2011
SAC reforms are just more of the same
This week, the Student Activities Commission launched its latest club funding structure, called the Comprehensive Budget System. Though SAC Chair Andrew Koenig (COL ’12) called it a “fundamental departure from the ‘programming arc’ system of financial allocation, as well as a significant change in the way SAC approves organization events and operations,” the new system is neither a departure from the previous, flawed system nor a significant change in SAC’s labyrinthine bureaucracy.
By the Editorial Board November 3, 2011
Anti-piracy effort crushes Internet freedom
Last Wednesday, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee of the House of Representatives, Lamar Smith (R-Texas), introduced the E-PARASITE Act, a measure that will shackle innovation and freedom on the Internet in an attempt to stop piracy.
By the Editorial Board November 3, 2011