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What’s happening on campus and in D.C.



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LGTBQ activists reflect on Newsweek rankings

Of all the arbitrary college rankings that have recently been released, one stands out as particularly puzzling: Georgetown’s 24th place showing on Newsweek’s “Best Gay Friendly Schools” list. When it comes to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender issues, Georgetown’s recent history is marred by hate crimes and institutional intolerance. But some said the ranking reflects ongoing institutional efforts to improve the on-campus environment for LGBTQ students and faculty.

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Corp sees 10 percent rise in applicants

Three hundred eighty-five students applied to the Students of Georgetown Inc. this year, an unusually high number. But the entirely student-run company, better known as the Corp, hired only 57 new employees, for a total acceptance rate of 14.8 percent. They received up to 10 percent more applications than they had in any previous year.

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Leo’s introduces changes

Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall has made several changes to its layout for the 2010-11 academic year. The upstairs dining area has been most significantly altered. The salad and sandwich bar, which used to take up a large portion of the upstairs floor space, has been removed. The wrap station now also serves salads, but it no longer offers a weekly rotation of wraps or any meat options.

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On the record with Joe Hill: Student, Perkins loan advocate

On Wednesday evening, Joe Hill (COL ‘10) sat down with the Voice to discuss the testimony he delivered before the House Budget Committee in support of the Perkins Loan Program. Interview conducted and transcribed by Emma Forster. How did the Perkins Loan help you personally? When I began to apply to colleges, the price tag was a big factor in where I would go.

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City on a Hill: Gray’s growth problem?

At approximately 2 a.m. on May 26, D.C. Councilmembers received a startling surprise in the draft budget submitted to them by then-Chairman Vincent Gray. Despite assurances Gray had made the previous night that the long-awaited streetcar project would be included in the city’s budget, it had mysteriously disappeared.

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On the record with ex-Colombian President Álvaro Uribe

On Tuesday morning, Álvaro Uribe, former President of Colombia and Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership at the School of Foreign Service, sat down with the Voice's Cole Stangler for his first interview since leaving the presidency in August.

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GU, students discuss changes to off-campus life

The University is crafting new off-campus housing regulations, a process which has close ties to the negotiation of the 2010 Campus Plan. The discussion is still in its early stages, but students at Georgetown have recently attended two meetings with Georgetown administrators to discuss changes to off-campus housing regulations. The first meeting was attended by seven students, Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson, and Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Jeanne Lord.

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Anti-semitic graffiti suspect identified

The Department of Public Safety has identified a student allegedly responsible for at least one of the bias-related incidents that occurred over the weekend, the Office of Communications reported this afternoon. Four students in two dorm rooms were the victims of bias-related incidents in New South Hall on Sept. 6 and 11. The perpetrators drew swastikas and wrote “Hitler” on the victims’ dry-erase boards. A similar incident occurred in Darnall Hall last weekend, according to the Department of Public Safety.

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SFS pioneer passes away

On Sept. 5, R. Smith Simpson, who helped found Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, died near his home in Charlottesville, Va. He was 103. Simpson was a career Foreign Service officer. After receiving his law degree from Cornell University in 1931, he served as a labor policy advisor for the National Recovery Administration. He spent 23 years in the U.S. Foreign Service and later helped select future diplomatic officers, which showed him that many candidates’ knowledge of international geography, culture, and sociology was deficient.

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Saxa Politica: Doomed to repeat

Flipping through old Voice archives was enough to give me déjà vu. “SAC continues freeze of GUSA funds,” March 4, 1999. “Gay activists press demands,” Feb. 13, 1973. “Residents say GU must justify higher enrollment,” Nov. 11, 1999. Reading through archives, it is increasingly apparent that we’ve been fighting the same battles for decades. Georgetown University Student Association versus Student Activities Commission. Students versus neighbors. Activists versus the administration. University Information Services versus technology.

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Ex-Colombian President Uribe’s arrival to SFS sparks protests

“On what basis was this man appointed to Georgetown?” Mark Lance, director of Georgetown’s Peace Studies Program, asked the group of about fifty protestors and onlookers. “He’s not a scholar of anything. … This is a man who shows contempt for the very idea of human rights work.”

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GU conservatives shun activism, Tea Party

As the November midterm elections approach, conservatives, buttressed by the popularity of the Tea Party movement, have energy and momentum. Even though conservatism at Georgetown has increased its campus presence, conservatives at Georgetown have not adopted the populist energy, tone, and activist tendencies of the Tea Party movement.

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Jones and Savage vie for ANC seat

For the first time since 2004, Georgetown’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission will see a competitive election. Jeffrey Jones and Michael Savage are both vying to be elected to the ANC 2E’s Single Member District 3 seat. Incumbent Commissioner Bill Skelsey said he was not surprised that the vacancy on the ANC has attracted multiple candidates. This is a contentious time for Georgetown politics.

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Group for elderly to launch

Georgetown Village, an age-in-place cooperative, is slated to launch in 2011, and aims to ease the burden of costly professional assistance for elderly residents facing chronic health problems or mobility issues. This plan is part of the recent nationwide growth in age-in-place cooperatives, which allow older residents to remain in their houses.

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City on a Hill: No more snow days for D.C.

Anyone who was in D.C. last February has memories of a carefree week filled with snowball fights, hot chocolate and an unexpected break from class. But that week, which you may fondly remember as “snowpocalypse,” also brought with it impassable roads, transportation failures, and the closure of the local and federal governments.

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Davis Center café construction stalled

Although The Corp has said that it is not planning to start any construction on a café located in the Davis Performing Arts Center lobby for at least six months, faculty members working in the Davis Center and members of The Corp have denied that plans to build a café have been cancelled.

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Sexual assault misrepresented

Last Sunday morning, an unidentified man raped a woman sleeping in Burleith after removing an air conditioning unit from a window in her house and climbing through the window, according to a Metropolitan Police Department incident report obtained by the Voice on Wednesday night. The suspect is still at large.

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Bikeshare is coming to Georgetown

Capital Bikeshare, a program sponsored by the District Department of Transportation and Arlington County that offers short-term bike rentals, is slated to begin construction on 100 new stations next week. Three new stations will be located in the Georgetown area, including a location at Prospect and 36th Streets, in front of the Car Barn.

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On the record with Georgetown President John DeGioia

On Wednesday evening, President John DeGioia sat down for his biannual interview with representatives of the student press. Interview conducted and transcribed by Emma Forster.

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Saxa Politica: GUSA needs perspectives

At the Voice, we have a saying about Georgetown University Student Association presidential elections: “The most articulate bro always wins.”