News

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



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DC on Speed

Big Brother is watching you, but not in the way you might expect. It isn’t through John Ashcroft’s hidden cameras in smoke detectors, but rather through a system established to monitor traffic. And this time big brother doesn’t want you to obey-he wants you to pay.

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Campus lockdown policy will end

NEWS BY ROB ANDERSON In an effort to better “balance the need for safety with the interest of fostering community,” Georgetown will relax its residence hall access policies starting Sept. 12, according to a campus wide e-mail sent yesterday by Senior Vice President Spiros Dimolitsas and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson.

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GU as 7-Eleven?

If you’ve read this week’s cover story about the bevy of new administrators this year, one thought may well have struck you square: When did our top-tier national research university turn into a 7-Eleven? Perhaps that’s an exaggeration: the new Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall may have Starbucks coffee with boutique flavored syrups, but there are no blue raspberry Slurpees yet.

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Dieringer prepares to face her fears

The Georgetown student who allegedly sexually assaulted Kate Dieringer (NHS ‘05) last year is back on campus this year.” People keep telling me I won’t run into him on campus, but I’m sure I’ll see him all of the time-in Leavey, in the library, in the cafeteria, in Booey’s, in Wisey’s,” said Dieringer.

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Alumnus dies in UN explosion

Rick Hooper (MAAS ‘90) died Aug. 19, 2003 in the bombing of the United Nations offices in Baghdad. Hooper, 40, was working as assistant to the head of the U.N.’s special envoy, Kieran Prendergast. Temporarily replacing an assistant envoy, Hooper was planning on staying in Baghdad for only two weeks before continuing on to Palestine.

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Changes to alcohol policy considered

NEWS BY SHANTHI MANIAN Students and faculty of the FRIENDS initiative submitted a proposal to Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson this week that would drastically change Georgetown’s alcohol policy. The document includes recommendations to eliminate Georgetown’s “dry dorm” policy, party registration and “beer gardens” which physically separate drinkers from non-drinkers at on-campus parties.

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GU honors King’s legacy

Georgetown is sponsoring an event this evening to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Civil rights activist Ossie Davis will speak at the Kennedy Center, followed by a performance by the Georgetown Gospel Choir.

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Students robbed in Burleith

An armed assailant robbed two Georgetown students of their purses this week. At approximately 11:45 p.m. Tuesday night, the two students were approached by an armed suspect while they walked down the 3300 block of “O” Street, N.W. The suspect demanded their purses and they turned them over.

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Juan’s gone, Olson steps in as interim V.P.

NEWS BY ROB ANDERSON Former Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Juan Gonzalez unexpectedly ended his tenure at the University this summer to take a position as Vice President for Student Affairs at Arizona State University. Former Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Todd Olson is now serving as the interim Vice President for Student Affairs.

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Computer worm blasts PCs

Two computer viruses have been causing slowdowns across the Georgetown University network and e-mail system in recent weeks. University Information Services is taking steps to mitigate the effects. The W32.Blaster.Worm and W32.SoBig viruses have struck Internet users worldwide.

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Georgetown flexes its Quad

Workers are placing the final touches on the new Southwest Quadrangle this week, finishing most of the construction just in time for the start of 2003-2004 academic year. Despite the occasional glitch, like a few unexpected fire alarms early Wednesday morning, all buildings in the new complex besides the Jesuit Residence will be ready for occupants on time.

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Rx for the District

As analysts and political junkies follow the Democratic presidential primary races in Iowa and New Hampshire, perhaps some attention should be focused on New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. The first time voters will go to the polls during this presidential campaign will be January 13, here in the District of Columbia.

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In Memoriam

Rev. Joseph T. Durkin, S.J. The Rev. Joseph T. Durkin, Professor Emeritus of History, died this summer shortly after his one-hundredth birthday. An extremely active community member even in old age, Durkin worked with prison inmates and Alzheimer’s patients, as well as Georgetown students.

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Zoning Commission approves arts center plans

The plans for Georgetown’s Performing Arts Center were approved by the D.C. Zoning Commission on Monday night, ending debate about the University’s compliance with conditions imposed on its 10-year plan by the Board of Zoning Adjustment. Construction of the new facility will begin in August and include a renovation of the Ryan Administration Building as well as the addition of 30,000 additional square feet to the existing structure.

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Feds enter non-disclosure debate

President John J. DeGioia recieved a letter from the US Department of Education asking for a written explanation of the University’s non-disclosure policy. The letter comes after Kate Dieringer (NHS ‘05), along with the advocacy group Security on Campus, Inc.

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Clark, panel blast Bush policy

A panel of experts criticized the Bush Administration’s handling of international and domestic affairs Wednesday in Gaston Hall. Wesley K. Clark, a retired general and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, moderated the program titled “America After the War.

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Hefty ransom

The pleas are the same from year to year, from campus group to campus group. The common refrain? “More space!” And of those many organizations, few have been pleading longer and harder than Georgetown’s many performing arts groups. Mask & Bauble, Nomadic Theatre and Black Theater Ensemble, not to mention many dance and music groups, have found suitable performance and practice space exceedingly scarce for decades.

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Pilarz set to leave, new position announced

Interim Chaplain Rev. Scott Pilarz, S.J. will leave Georgetown this summer to become President of the University of Scranton, a Jesuit university in Pennsylvania. Pilarz’s departure coincides with the appointment of Rev. Philip L. Boroughs, S.J. to Vice President for Mission and Ministry, a newly created position.

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Both sides of abortion debate demonstrate

A light rain fell on Copley Lawn Wednesday morning, forming puddles around thousands of pink and blue flags protruding from the sodden ground.

GU Right to Life put up the 3,598 flags to symbolize the number of abortions performed each day in the United States, citing the Alan Guttmacher Institute as the source for its figures.

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GUSA passes sex assault resolution unanimously

The GUSA Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on Tuesday calling for drastic reform to Georgetown’s disciplinary disclosure policy and sexual assault categorization. The resolution was proposed by Luis Torres (CAS ‘05) and Advocates for Improved Response Methods to Sexual Assault (AFIRMS).