Samuel Buckley
City on a Hill: More candidates, better elections
Freshmen, you’ve just gotten to college and probably are overwhelmed with anticipation of the intellectual engagement and rivers of free alcohol in your near future, but I have a favor to ask of you. I’m asking you to run for political office: not in some far-off future where you’ve developed some brilliant plan to get us back into space with renewable fuel recycled from asbestos. I’m asking you to run now. I want you to become an elected official in D.C. by launching a campaign to join this neighborhood’s reigning overlords, the Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
By Samuel Buckley August 26, 2011
Provost O’Donnell steps down
The 2011-2012 academic year will mark Provost James O’Donnell’s tenth and final year as a member of Georgetown’s senior administration, according to an announcement by University President John DeGioia.
By Samuel Buckley August 26, 2011
Students encounter problems at the polls
After an aggressive voter registration drive by District student advocacy group D.C. Students Speak, a number of Georgetown students reported problems casting their votes in Tuesday’s special election to fill... Read more
By Samuel Buckley April 28, 2011
Concerts at Georgetown: Then and now
Last Saturday night, a few hundred students gathered in McDonough Gymnasium for the Georgetown Programming Board’s Spring Kick-Off concert, which featured “Let It Rock” singer Kevin Rudolf alongside Los Angeles rapper Shwayze and electro-poppers Dev and the Cataracts.
By Samuel Buckley April 14, 2011
Lez’hur Ledger: International Pillow Fight Day: It’s going “down”
I arrived on the scene expecting a ruckus. After all, it was the spot for D.C.’s celebration of International Pillow Fight Day, right on the Mall directly adjacent to the Capitol Fountain. Given the Mall’s wide, open space, I expected a genuine melee to ensue. The Facebook description gave the impression that the event was deliciously unsanctioned. We were supposed to keep our pillows discreetly stowed away, until, upon some secretive cue, we broke out into a spontaneous spree of bedding-based combat. I had high hopes for participating in some boisterous mayhem, perhaps with the threat of pillow-on-riot-shield action looming over our heads.
By Samuel Buckley April 7, 2011
Local artists pop up in AdMo
In fiction, the vanishing shop is a pretty common convention—an exploring protagonist is surprised to find a store sitting where there might have been an abandoned building or vacant lot the day before, only for it to disappear soon after. Much like this proverbial protagonist, folks traversing through Adams Morgan over the next three weeks are likely to see a shop on the corner of 18th and Mintwood that isn’t normally there. However, there’s a more natural force at work here: a collection of Adams Morgan artists have turned the vacant space into a “pop-up shop” until April 16th, as a neighborhood component of the citywide Cherry Blossom Festival.
By Samuel Buckley March 31, 2011
Applications up in ’11, admission rates down
After marginal changes in acceptance rates over the last two years, Georgetown’s admission rate has shrunk by more than a point to 18 percent, due in part to the largest applicant pool in the school’s history, according to data provided by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.
By Samuel Buckley March 31, 2011
Critical Voices: Of Montreal, thecontrollersphere
Thecontrollersphere, the latest EP from indie pop staple Of Montreal, is in many ways a compilation of rejects. Clocking in at only 23 minutes, the five-song record was primarily composed of tracks cut from their last release, the critically-acclaimed False Priest. Sadly, while False Priest witnessed the band successfully blending funk, electronic, and R&B influences, the tracks that made it onto TCS don’t mesh nearly as well, and the EP feels discordant as a result. But the news isn’t all bad—in fact, this lack of cohesion makes TCS interesting, in a clinical sort of way.
By Samuel Buckley March 24, 2011
Critical Voices: Travis Barker, Give the Drummer Some
It’s hard to think of Give the Drummer Some, the solo debut from Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, as a product of the man who helped craft the sound of one of the most quintessential pop-punk bands of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Instead of Blink’s power chords and whiny vocals, the drummer’s solo effort is a rap-rock project, packed with A-list vocals and production—with the latter category including Barker’s own talent. While the album lacks consistency, it displays Barker at his best, showcasing his undeniably brilliant drumming skills while blending his own sound with the distinctive styles of his featured artists.
By Samuel Buckley March 17, 2011
GUSA endowment commission proposals take shape
GUSA’s Student Activities Fee Endowment Commission held its inaugural meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the allocation of $3.4 million to campus projects. A provision of SAFE reform allows GUSA’s Finance and Appropriations committee to allocate the $3.4 million Student Activities Fee Fund and accrued interest. GUSA established the commission to determine how the endowment money will be allocated, pending final approval by FinApp.
By Samuel Buckley March 17, 2011