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!

Editorials

Muslim center’s no madrassa

It seems like 2005 again as a $20 million donation from a Saudi royal stirs up media controversy, casting aspersions on Georgetown’s academic ethics and credibility.

By the February 21, 2008

Editorials

Fenty out of bounds on stadium

Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) thus far hasn’t shown himself to be a gambling man. His plan to finance a professional soccer stadium with money intended for debt repayment, however, would throw Washington’s future on a roulette wheel.

By the February 21, 2008

Editorials

Firearm database won’t misfire

The District responded limply to an increase in gun violence in the past year, mainly with the Metropolitan Police Department’s ineffective All Hands on Deck initiative, which tried to reduce crime by having all officers work overtime some weekends. Luckily, the mayors of eleven East Coast cities have a better idea: a database to share information on known gun offenders. There is no reason Washington shouldn’t sign on.

By the February 21, 2008

Editorials

Let students make the Deans list

Jane McAuliffe, the Dean of Georgetown College, deserves congratulations on her imminent ascension to the presidency of Bryn Mawr College. While Georgetown will be less without her, we should be mindful of the opportunity we have in filling her shoes: a new dean is a chance for new ideas, new energy and another step forward for the University. And, though it ought to go without saying, students need to be involved in the process of selecting McAuliffe’s successor.

By the February 14, 2008

Editorials

Williams and Kesten for GUSA

In a crowded field of eight Student Association executive tickets, Kyle Williams (SFS ‘09) and Brian Kesten’s (COL ‘10) critical goals and leadership experience make them the best choice for president and vice president.

By the February 14, 2008

Editorials

Time for ushering out a New Era

Most American sweatshops closed decades ago. Georgetown apparel manufacturer New Era, however, is keeping the tradition alive. Conditions at the company’s Alabama factory are abysmal, with union-busting that would embarrass Pinkerton. Georgetown’s contract with New Era will run out in June.

By the February 14, 2008

Editorials

Google e-mail plan won’t byte

For students dissatisfied with the unreliablity, sluggishness and 20 megabyte limit of Georgetown’s e-mail service, forwarding GUMail e-mails to a Gmail account has long been a better option. Georgetown should look into implementing Google’s education application, which would provide all the benefits of forwarding to Gmail on a school-wide scale, while saving the University time and money.

By the February 7, 2008

Editorials

School plan gets passing grade

Most people agree that Washington’s school system needs to be fixed, but they differ wildly on how to do it. Just ask Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty (D), Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, City Council members and community activists. They’ve been battling one another since November, when Fenty and Rhee proposed closing public schools.

By the February 7, 2008

Editorials

Permanent library long overdue

The D.C. government blamed a heat gun for the fire that burned down Georgetown’s public library last April. Ten months later, the neighborhood is lacking even an adequate interim branch and the reconstruction is so far behind that the project’s architect is only being announced today. In the District, slow-moving bureaucracy can be as dangerous to bibliophiles as heat guns. The District of Columbia Public Library system must open an interim library location as soon as possible and ensure that the permanent library is constructed on time.

By the February 7, 2008

Editorials

Holding on to Jesuit identity

Georgetown doesn’t have a Jesuit President, and likely won’t in the future. We don’t, in fact, have very many Jesuits—only 34 working on campus, out of some 728 full-time faculty. It’s quite possible to go through four years here without taking a class with or even, if you make an effort, meeting a Jesuit. For many students, the most prominent reminder of our Jesuit identity is how often we’re told that we have one. So, what’s the use of our Jesuit heritage today? Should we cast our religious identity aside like so many other Universities and seek to become a Potomac Harvard? After weighing the costs and benefits, we can only say no. Jesuit we began, and Jesuit we should remain.

By the January 31, 2008