News

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



News

Georgetown Jesuit turns 100

Father James Martin, S.J., the oldest living Jesuit in the United States, will celebrate his 100th birthday this Friday on campus with friends and relatives from across the country.

Throughout his 68-year ministry, Martin has served at Georgetown University twice.

News

Champs closed; future uncertain

Champions Sports Bar and Restaurant has closed due to problems with both underage drinking and finances, according to Peter Pulsifer, chairman of the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E and co-chair of the ANC’s Alcohol and Beverage Committee.

The D.C. Alcohol and Beverage Commission forced Champions to close for 15 days and pay a fine of $25,000.

News

D.C. Court of Appeals denies GU motion to stay

The D.C. Court of Appeals denied Georgetown University’s request for a stay regarding portions of the Board of Zoning and Adjustment’s conditions for the campus Ten-Year Plan.

Despite the June 20 ruling, both students and University neighbors are optimistic about progress that has been made in the past year and the future of community relations.

News

Search continues for administrators

Over the summer, Vice President of Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez and other Student Affairs staff began the process of filling the newly-created position of the Special Assistant to the Vice President.

The position was created in March by Gonzalez with the specific purpose of having a hired administrator to deal with the issues of the University lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

News

UIS brings wireless networking to campus

byUniversity Information Services has upgraded technology through the purchase and installation of new computers and wireless networking at various locations around campus.

Sellinger Lounge, the public areas of ICC, Lauinger library, St. Mary’s and Dahlgren library are now equipped with wireless networks accessible through an ethernet card.

News

GOCard replaces old student ID

Georgetown University is continuing the process of fully incorporating the GOCard, a new student identification card that offers more services than the former student ID.

The old IDs will not open any campus dorms in the near future, according to Margie Bryant of the Office of Auxillary Services, which is heading the GOCard program.

News

GU hosts summit on Afghanistan

Georgetown University played a significant role in U.S.-Afghan relations over the summer by hosting the Afghanistan-America Summit on Recovery and Reconstruction. Top Afghan and U.S. government officials as well as U.S. policymakers and experts convened for the first time in the United States on July 24 and 25 to discuss pressing issues facing Afghanistan’s new government.

News

Right to Respect

Citizen organizations of Georgetown, one. Georgetown students, zero.

The D.C. Court of Appeals’ June 20 decision to deny the University’s request for stay for portions of the University’s Ten-Year Plan comes as another victory for the non-student residents of the surrounding Georgetown community who view students as negative addition to the neighborhood.

News

GUSA debates free paper program

After receiving the student survey results from the USA Today residence hall newspaper initiative Tuesday, the Georgetown University Student Association is still debating the status of the program. Some representatives have expressed concerns over the cost of the program and the accuracy of the survey.

News

A new kind of protest

It’s a spring weekend in the District. The peak of the cherry blossoms has passed; the days are getting warmer and longer; the tourists are making their presence known. And now that mid-April has arrived again, it’s the perfect time to protest.

But this season’s protests have shown a marked difference from past ones.

News

UD administrator to join GU staff

Dr. Todd Olson of the University of Denver will become the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs on July 1. Olson was chosen by Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez based on his experience and understanding of student issues, said Assistant Vice President for Communications Julie Green Bataille.

News

CAPS prepares for increase in on-campus student population

Counseling and Psychiatric Services is preparing for an increase in on-campus student population next semester. CAPS will begin a review of its counseling center’s activities and staffing this summer in order to meet this need.

The current staff may not be sufficient for an increase in campus need, CAPS Director Charles Tartaglia said.

News

ANC redistricting to affect upcoming elections

The Advisory Neighborhood Commission has redrawn its district boundaries so that Georgetown students will fall into three districts, one of which will be comprised entirely of students. Voters will elect ANC representatives for a two-year term in the new districts this November.

News

D.C. flooded with protests; GU students arrested

Tens of thousands of people participated in marches and rallies this weekend in downtown D.C. in support of causes ranging from anti-globalization to Palestinian solidarity. Hundreds of Georgetown students joined in, and at least two students were arrested for a bike rally early in the weekend.

News

Separate club accounts proposed

The Georgetown University Student Association Club and Activities Union voted unanimously Wednesday night in favor of a resolution calling for the creation of independent club accounts at the Georgetown University Alumni and Student Federal Credit Union.

The resolution, written by Student Activities Commission Chair Matt Connolly (CAS ‘04), will allow clubs to have their own accounts at GUASFCU for funds that are not given to them by SAC or the University.

News

GU students assaulted by MPD officers

Approximately seven Georgetown students were harassed and assaulted by Metropolitan Police Department officers early Sunday morning for “disorderly conduct.” The two students that were arrested and five that were harrassed are drafting a petiton protesting their treatment and calling for an investigation into the incident.

News

Committee responds to college alcohol report

An estimated 1,400 college students die each year in drinking-related accidents, according to a report released last week by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

In response to this, and to a recent Harvard report detailing trends in risky alcohol use among college students, a committee of Georgetown students, faculty and administrators have produced strategies to improve alcohol-related problems on campus.

News

Honor council revises sanctions guidelines

The Georgetown University Honor Council approved and published a revised version of the Honor System Sanctioning Guidelines on Wednesday.

The revised guidelines were rewritten to clarify the definitions of common cases of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, cheating and impermissible collaboration.

News

Athletes concerned about morning safety

Student athletes showed concern this week over the lack of security on and around campus in the early morning hours, in response to the assault and robbery of Jason Bonitsky (CAS ‘02) Saturday morning. Both Metropolitan Police Department and Department of Public Safety officers took more than half an hour to respond to the incident.

News

Flag display fuels abortion debate

The controversial issue of abortion resurfaced this Monday as students passed thousands of pink and blue flags which filled Copley Lawn on Monday.

The 3,643 flags, put up by GU Right to Life, symbolized the number of abortions performed daily in the United States, according to statistics from the Alan Guttmacher Institute.