News

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

News

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.

By April 21, 2010

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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.

By April 21, 2010

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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.

By April 15, 2010

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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.

By the April 15, 2010

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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.

By April 15, 2010

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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.

By April 15, 2010

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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.

By April 8, 2010

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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.

By April 8, 2010

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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.

By April 8, 2010

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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.

By April 8, 2010

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GWU’s campus plan progresses, GU’s stalls

While Georgetown neighbors are still waiting to see the University’s final 2010 Campus Plan, which the University had planned to present at the beginning of January, neighboring George Washington University is moving ahead on schedule with the 2010 Campus Plan for its Mount Vernon Campus.

By March 25, 2010

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Five student residences burglarized

A string of five burglaries and attempted burglaries occurred on campus or within two blocks of the front gates over the past nine days. The latest incident took place early Tuesday morning on the 1400 block of 36th Street NW. Last Friday, another student residence on the same block was burglarized. On March 17, an on-campus residence was broken into during the day. The string of incidents started March 15, with one burglary and one attempted burglary on the 1200 block of 37th Street NW.

By March 25, 2010

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GU students MIA in anti-war movement revival

At Washington’s first anti-war protest of the Obama administration on December 12, 2009, activist and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader said the small crowd on hand—about 100 protesters, far fewer than the 1,500 the organizers expected—was most likely due to the mainstream left’s continued faith in Obama’s policies. “Until that really cracks, you’re not going to get a big national movement,” Nader said.

By March 25, 2010

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City on a Hill: Brothel boss-cum-mayor?

One-time brothel owner and current mayoral candidate Dennis Sobin wears an Adrian Fenty for Mayor shirt underneath a tan blazer. It’s one of two things he says he got from supporting Fenty in his 2006 campaign. The other was six months in jail.

By March 25, 2010

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Health inspections yield violations

Seven popular Georgetown eating establishments received critical health code violations in 2009, according to health inspection reports obtained by the Voice. Of the violators, Epicurean and Company was the most egregious, with a total of 17 critical violations identified.

By March 18, 2010

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Local assaulter convicted

Todd M. Thomas, 24, was sentenced to 26 years in prison last Friday after a D.C. Superior Court jury found him guilty of 11 separate crimes, including burglary and assault of Georgetown students. While some local media outlets, including the Washington Post and Saxaspeak, identified Thomas as the “Georgetown Cuddler,” the victims in Thomas’s case were male and Thomas has not been found to be connected to other cases of sexual assault on and near Georgetown’s campus.

By March 18, 2010

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Catholic Charities changes benefits after gay marriage legalization

Catholic Charities in the District of Columbia has enacted two significant employment policy changes in response to the District’s recent legalization of same-sex marriage. New employees will no longer be able to receive health benefits for their spouses and will be required to pledge that they will not violate the tenets of the Catholic Church.

By March 18, 2010

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Still feuding with GUSA, SAC warns clubs of cuts

The Student Activity Commission may decrease allocations to clubs next year, SAC Chair Ethel Amponsah (NHS ‘11) warned in an e-mail sent to SAC-funded groups Tuesday. Amponsah told clubs that the Georgetown University Student Association currently plans to cut SAC’s budget by approximately 15 percent, which will affect club funding unless SAC agrees to all six of GUSA’s advisory board recommendations.

By March 18, 2010

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Saxa Politica: Support student loan reform

As the House nears a crucial vote this week on the controversial healthcare bill, it appears more and more likely that Democrats will bundle influential legislation on student aid reform with the healthcare amendments they are attempting to pass using reconciliation. If passed, the bill would fundamentally change federal student loan programs by ending the practice of federally subsidizing private companies that give loans to students, instead giving federal loans directly to students.

By March 18, 2010

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GUSA cuts SAC budget, pushes for change

The Georgetown University Student Association’s Finance and Appropriations Committee, which now has exclusive control over allocating the Student Activity Fee, is considering cutting funding to the Student Activity Commission unless the organization agrees to the reforms outlined in the Comprehensive Funding Reform bill GUSA passed in November.

By March 4, 2010