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



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On the record with new senior research fellow Andy Stern

On Wednesday morning, the Voice sat down with Andy Stern, the former president of Service Employees International Union and a new senior research fellow at Georgetown’s Public Policy Institute. Stern, who led one of the largest unions in the United States from 1996 to 2010, began his fellowship at Georgetown earlier this week.

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City on a Hill: D.C.’s politics of personality

Washington has long embraced local politicians with polarizing personalities and less-than-savory behavior. Think of former Mayor and current disgraced Councilmember Marion Barry’s famous “set up”—and think about how the city continues to embrace him.

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Veterans benefits increased, GU vets not satisfied

Although Georgetown announced this week that it would increase the aid it gives to undergraduate veterans fivefold, veterans’ advocates on campus say the new aid package is still not effective in controlling the cost of a Georgetown education.

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GUSA execs reflect on campus promises, new initiatives

After a rare second-term election fueled by a list of promised new initiatives and the slogan “Because Results Count,” Georgetown University Student Association President Calen Angert (MSB ’11) and Vice President Jason Kluger (MSB ’11) have spent the beginning of their second term shoring up existing initiatives and doing preliminary work on some news ones, but they have been forced to delay action on some of their most ambitious projects until the next academic year.

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GUSA searches for GUTS funding

The account that funds the Georgetown University Transportation Services bus services on Saturday nights and Sundays is almost completely depleted, leaving the Georgetown University Student Association and the Student Activities Commission, whose Alumni Gift Account have funded the service for the past four years to question whether the service should be continued and, if so, where sustainable founding for it can be found.

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DPS responds to assaults

After a recent string of assaults on or near campus, Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety has not increased patrols, but continues to work closely with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Student Advisory Safety Board to increase campus safety, according to Associate Dirctor of DPS Joseph Smith.

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Saxa Politica: When Club Lau just won’t do

Suggesting new facilities for Georgetown’s 2010 Campus Plan is like playing the world’s most infuriating game of Tetris. Anyone walking around campus can see that the University has tried to fit a lot into a small space.

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Hoya defers independence, reflects on diversity progress

The Hoya has decided to postpone independence for at least one year for financial reasons, according to Kevin Barber (COL ’11), the chair of The Hoya’s Board of Directors. Barber said that “the additional expenses we’d incur going independent” had affected their decision. “Like all papers, we’ve experienced declines in revenue,” Barber said.

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Young alumni give despite complaints

When members of Plan A: Hoyas for Reproductive Justice chained themselves to the statue of John Carroll in Healy Circle to protest the University’s sexual health policies last month, alumnus Fiore Mastroianni (COL ’09) wrote on Twitter: “Georgetown administrators negotiate with pro abortion hooligans. Future donations from me: $0.” A few days later, Alexa Rozell (SFS ’11) found her own reason not to give to Georgetown, writing on Twitter: “Like I was going to give any money to Georgetown after grad, but bringing Karl Rove to campus is the nail in the coffin.”

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Small gains in admissions diversity

After the student town hall meeting in response to last year’s April Fool’s issue of The Hoya, President John DeGioia announced a commitment to recruit more Georgetown applicants from underrepresented groups. Although the specific initiatives of the Admissions Working Group—established following last year’s town hall—were made after this year’s pool had been admitted, a detailed profile of students admitted to Georgetown’s class of 2014 shows marginal increases in ethnic diversity.

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Sexual assaults rattle campus

Although the Metropolitan Police Department has already increased patrols in some areas near the University in light of recent violent crime, an April 10 sexual assault in Copley Hall and an April 16 sexual assault on the 3300 block of Prospect St. NW have done little to assuage students’ fears that crime is on the rise in Georgetown.

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City on a Hill: New candidates, new laughs

This year, the big show in Washington local politics will be the mayoral primary race between incumbent Adrian Fenty (D) and D.C. Council Chair Vincent Gray (D). But even with Fenty’s obsession with working out and Gray’s resemblance to actor Vincent Price, the most entertaining competition may be the race to fill the chairman’s seat that Gray is vacating.

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Proposed diversity requirement sparks debate

Georgetown University’s Academic Working Group, which was formed last year as part of the school’s Diversity Initiative, has divided students and faculty alike with its recommendation that the University institute a diversity requirement.

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Neighbors fundraise against Campus Plan

Although the final draft of the University’s 2010 Campus Plan will not be presented until April 26, local neighborhood organizations have already initiated fund raising campaigns to organize their opposition to certain proposals. The Citizens Association of Georgetown has progressed the furthest in its fundraising efforts. According to CAG President Jennifer Altemus (COL ’88), CAG has already raised “a few thousand dollars, at least” for its Save Our Neighborhood Fund.

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Georgetown business district looks to rebrand

After a year of financial difficulty in Georgetown, the Georgetown Business Improvement District has recently embarked on a “brand review” of Georgetown’s commercial area. The goal of the brand review process is to discover what Georgetown BID’s marketing director Nancy Miyahira calls “the essence of the Georgetown brand.” With that information, the Georgetown BID plans to help its members better target customers.

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Saxa Politica: Immoral investments

There’s a new group of student activists at Georgetown and their demands—in the name of human rights and international law—deserve to be taken seriously. Georgetown, Divest! is part of a growing movement of students across the U.S. demanding that their universities divest from corporations that profit from violations of human rights and international law in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

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Plan A protests spark meetings with administrators

After a March 27 protest during the first Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program weekend, in which three members from Plan A Hoyas for Reproductive Justice chained themselves to the John Carroll statue in Healy Lawn, university administrators agreed to meet with representatives from the group.

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Robberies continue despite increased patrols

Despite DPS and MPD’s increased security initiatives, a series of robberies have recently taken place in public places around Georgetown. Around 1 a.m. on March 29, a man was robbed and assaulted while walking in the 3700 block of R Street NW. Yesterday, a Georgetown student was mugged on the same block at about the same time. MPD is investigating both incidents.

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Neighbors create database of student disruptions

Burleith Citizens Association President Lenore Rubino recently sent out an e-mail to the Burleith listserv with a two-pronged solution for noise violations and general student misconduct: submitting complaints about student residents to a new BCA-run database and calling 911 to report loud parties.

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Saxa Politica: GU takes up veterans’ issues

This past Veterans Day, I participated in a panel discussion at Georgetown that examined the relationship between civilians and members of the military. Despite the fact that Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Ricks hosted the discussion, the event was under attended.