Forward on Climate Rally draws 40,000 to capital

This past Sunday, nearly 40,000 people stood together on the National Mall in the Forward on Climate Rally and challenged President Barack Obama to live up to his inaugural promise to combat climate change. Led by environmentalist groups 350.org and the Sierra Club, the rally was the largest environmental demonstration in history.

By Julia Jester February 21, 2013

News

Student group endorsements indicate potential GUSA frontrunners

Based on endorsements, two tickets have emerged as clear favorites in the Georgetown Univeristy Student Association presidential campaign: the ticket of Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) and Adam Ramadan (SFS ’14) and the ticket of Jack Appelbaum (COL ’14) and Maggie Cleary (COL ’14).

By Rhiannon Greene February 21, 2013

News

On the record with former ambassador Melanne Verveer

On Wednesday, the newly established Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security was officially launched in a series of remarks by President DeGioia, Dean Lancaster, and the executive director of GIWPS and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, Melanne Verveer. The Voice sat down for an exclusive interview with the ambassador.

By Claire Zeng February 21, 2013

News

City on a Hill: D.C. reaches higher ground

Last week, anticipation for medical marijuana in the District heightened, as its first medical pot dispensary announced it plans to open as soon as April. The time for medical marijuana has come, and D.C. has an opportunity to act as a model for the nation on how to manage and regulate it.

By Gavin Bade February 21, 2013

News

Council pushes to end coal use in all District power plants

In his State of the Union, President Barack Obama made a forceful case for combating climate change. Ironically, he spoke less than a mile away from the Capitol Power Plant, the last coal-fired plant in the District and a major source of the city’s air pollution. Last Tuesday, the council introduced the Coal-Fired Prohibition Act of 2013, which would ban the use of coal as a fuel source in D.C. by Jan. 1, 2016.

By Claire Zeng February 14, 2013

News

Jumpstart to be official club, hopes to raise profile and membership

This year, Jumpstart, a non-profit organization started in 1993, has begun the process of becoming an officially sponsored Georgetown club. Becoming an official club will help Jumpstart raise its visibility and recruit more students, improve its access to space on campus, and complement the efforts of the D.C. Reads program.

By Jeffrey Lin February 14, 2013

News

CISR still developing procedure to review proposals

The Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility has been working to match Georgetown University’s investment decisions to its Jesuit ideals. Over a year ago, on Feb. 17, 2012, the University announced an expansion of the CISR, but the committee has yet to find a systematic way to engage students actively and consistently over time.

By Lucia He February 14, 2013

News

Union Jack: Drones finally face scrutiny

For the first time ever, the so-called “drone wars” are under intense scrutiny and it is a welcome development that his legacy is being examined. However it seems more appropriate than ever to actually question the core priorities of the War on Terror—whether or not drones have more congressional oversight.

By Cole Stangler February 14, 2013

News

Five tickets start competing for GUSA presidency

Early Thursday morning, five campaigns declared their candidacies for the presidency and vice presidency of Georgetown University Student Association. Campaigning will last for two weeks until voting starts on Wednesday, Feb. 20 and the election is called on Thursday, Feb. 21.

By Connor Jones February 7, 2013

News

Sexual Assault Working Group hasn’t met for more than a year

Many groups at Georgetown are trying to reduce the prevalence of sexual assault. Their efforts receive support from the Sexual Assault Working Group, a collection of students, staff, and community members dedicated to the issues of sexual assault and relationship violence on campus. But the group has not met in a year.

By Jeffrey Lin February 7, 2013

News

Provost reorganizes office, creates rotating positions

Groves has taken many steps to implement this reassessment of Georgetown’s academics and his next step is the reorganization of his office. In an email to the student body last Wednesday, Groves announced he will be creating three new vice provost positions which will be filled by existing faculty.

By Claire Zeng February 7, 2013

News

City on a Hill: Students know best

A new District of Columbia Public Schools policy would grant students the power to evaluate their own teachers by answering a survey and then link their opinions to hiring and firing decisions made by DCPS. Chancellor Henderson should take it this new policy to the public.

By Gavin Bade February 7, 2013

News

Lawsuit pending in dispute over rights to Jack’s Boathouse

The dispute over Jack’s Boathouse has entered a new phase as owner Paul Simkin has prepared to file a lawsuit against the National Park Service over its attempt to revoke his right to operate on the property. Simkin’s attorney Charles Camp confirmed that the lawsuit is ready and will likely be filed within the next few days.

By Rhiannon Greene January 31, 2013

News

Applicants outnumber available spots on Alternative Spring Break trips

From March 2 to March 9, Georgetown students will travel around the country to take part in the week-long Alternative Spring Break program, engaging in community service and social justice issues under the banner of Georgetown’s Center for Social Justice. In recent years the number of applications for the program has more than doubled. Despite an increase in scholarship funding, the CSJ is unable to offer every applicant a spot, as it balances bureaucratic and financial concerns with the challenge of having a positive and lasting impact.

By Lucia He January 31, 2013

News

WMATA proposes to bring Metro stop to Georgetown

Last week, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) released a broad-reaching, ambitious strategic plan to modernize and renovate the Metro system over the next several decades. Dubbed Momentum, the 49-page plan aims to address the major strains that have plagued the system for the past several years by widening accessibility, improving physical conditions of trains and stations, and easing congestion. The plan includes a proposal to build a new alignment of the Blue Line from Rosslyn that will run under the Potomac to Georgetown and extend under M St. to reach Thomas Circle.

By Claire Zeng January 31, 2013

News

Union Jack: Labor under attack (as usual)

Last week, organized labor was dealt a major blow on the federal level, when a federal appeals court ruled that President Barack Obama’s recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board last January were invalid. The decision, handed down by three Reagan appointees on a D.C. Circuit Appellate Court, which breaks with over 150 years of precedent on recess appointments from Republican and Democratic presidents alike, could invalidate all decisions going back to when the three board members in question were appointed.

By Cole Stangler January 31, 2013

News

GU Fossil Free pressures University to divest within 5 years

GU Fossil Free, a new student group created last semester, delivered a letter to President DeGioia’s office Wednesday morning requesting that Georgetown University immediately begin a process to divest from coal, oil, and natural gas companies within five years.

By Isabel Echarte January 24, 2013

News

Owner of Jack’s Boathouse faces legal battle over property rights

Jack’s Boathouse has been renting out kayaks from the Georgetown waterfront for nearly 70 years, but a legal battle is beginning to develop over the rights to the property—and the current operator of Jack’s is alleging that the National Park Service (NPS) has made a deal with a major competitor.

By Rhiannon Greene January 24, 2013

News

Students honor MLK’s legacy with service, celebration

Throughout this week, the Georgetown community is celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with several events organized both on and off campus to commemorate the 50th anniversary of King’s call to justice and embrace of radical social change.

By Lucia He January 24, 2013

News

City on a Hill: Certifiably screwed

It’s not often I agree with anything a Chamber of Commerce chapter has to say, but even your friendly progressive columnist has to admit the D.C. Chamber and its business lobby allies have a point in their criticism of the Certified Business Enterprise program. On Tuesday, they wrote a letter to Mayor Vincent Gray asking him to veto a bill passed by the D.C. Council late last year tightening up requirements for businesses participating in the program.

By Gavin Bade January 24, 2013