News

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



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The unhappy consensus

Keeping in line with the ritual of every election over the last 40 years or so, this fall’s contest is the most important one yet. At odds, we’re told, are two fundamentally different visions of America.

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GU improves recycling and waste disposal practices

Over the past few years, Georgetown’s waste disposal programs have made considerable strides to minimize student waste and maximize recycling.

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Kennedy Institute kicks off environmental ethics education programs

On Oct. 10, the Kennedy Institute of Ethics kicked off its new Environmental Justice Salon Series, led by Margaret Little, as part of President DeGioia’s Engaged Ethics Initiative. This new series is aimed at bringing together students and faculty to learn about pressing issues concerning the natural environment, and engaging them in constructive discussions.

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Dance groups compete for a slot at the Verizon Center

Georgetown has finally caught on to the reality television craze. Sponsored by the Athletics Department, Hoyas Got Talent is a dance competition among five Georgetown dance groups — Georgetown University Dance Company (GUDC), Black Movement Dance Theater (BMDT), GU Jawani, the Step Team, and Groove Theory. Georgetown students, using an app on the Athletics Department’s Facebook page, can vote for their favorite dance group, and the winner will receive the chance to perform during a halftime show at a Georgetown men’s basketball game at the Verizon Center.

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Saxa Politica: Clearly Unconvincing

On the evening of student government senate elections, student rights supporters scored a major victory in a referendum put forward by GUSA supporting a burden-of-proof alteration to the Student Code of Conduct. The recommendation for raising the evidentiary standard in all cases except instances of sexual assault was first proposed in April by the Disciplinary Review Committee. In the vote, the current “more likely than not” standard received a total of 93 votes, while the now well-advertised “clear and convincing” proposal received 2,507.

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Adjunct professors move towards unionization with SEIU

In response to the growing presence of Service Employees International Union organizers on campus, Georgetown’s provost Robert Groves addressed an email to all faculty members reaffirming the University’s respect and support of the right of employees to unionize. The SEIU, which represents 2.1 million workers in the healthcare, property, and public services sectors, began work this semester to unionize adjunct professors on the Hilltop.

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On first anniversary, Occupy shuts down bank, K St

Starting this past weekend and throughout this week, Occupy DC is celebrating its one year anniversary. Last Saturday, Occupy Our Homes DC had actions at all the Bank of America locations across the District, aiming to shut them down for their Saturday business hours. On Monday, Occupy DC held a protest in McPherson Square on K Street, the symbolic home of lobbying in the District.

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College Dems and Repubs come together to host debate watch party

For the first time in recent memory, the Georgetown chapters of the College Democrats and College Republicans hosted a presidential debate-watching party together. The two groups came together in Lohrfink Auditorium Wednesday night to experience and discuss the event that would become the most tweeted political event in U.S. history.

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Union Jack: Scab shenanigans

Last Monday’s “Fail Mary” will forever be inscribed into NFL lore, with the contradicting hand motions of the replacement referees—one signaling interception, the other incorrectly signaling touchdown—encapsulating the utter incompetence and confusion that has overshadowed the opening weeks of the 2012 season.

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Watchdogs concerned about PNC-GOCard partnership

Georgetown University and PNC Bank have partnered this year, enabling the Georgetown One Card to be linked to a PNC bank account. Though on the surface the move has been touted as a convenience for GOCard holders, consumer advocates have begun to draw attention to the deceptive practices of banks on university campuses.

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TEDx brings celebrities and dissidents together on campus

At TEDx this year, Georgetown students can finally realize their dreams of learning what power is. TEDx (Technology, Entertainment, and Design with the ‘x’ denoting an independent event) Georgetown, a part of the larger TED organization, is an event where various speakers will come to Georgetown on Sept. 28 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. to speak about power and its various forms. Launched by Richard Saul Warman and Harry Marks in 1984, TEDx events focus on the concept of “ideas worth spreading.”

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Epicurean settles one employee lawsuit

On Sept. 13, judges were supposed to reach an agreement on one of the three lawsuits filed against Epicurean and Co. by workers due to unpaid overtime wages. The hearing, which dealt with one of the complaints filed in 2010, was postponed until further notice.

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Saxa Politica: Technological Disconnects

We’ve all seen the signs on vending machines scattered across campus and felt the tinge of frustration and hopelessness. “Out of order,” reads the black box hammered onto an otherwise sleek dispenser. While the uncertainty of being able to purchase Coke at machines in the Leavey Center or in shadowy corners of the campus does not necessarily condemn the GOCard Office, the prevalence of frequently nonfunctional equipment points to a deeper issue with Auxiliary Business Services, GOCard’s parent institution.

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Occupy marks its anniversary with continued protest

A year ago in Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park, Occupy Wall Street launched its mission to address economic inequality in the U.S. The activism quickly spread, inspiring sister occupations throughout the country and around the world.

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Students struggle with campus business policy

The Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative has the broad mission to encourage undergraduate students to start their own businesses. However, such businesses are prohibited by Student Affairs policies, which student entrepreneurs say has led to a system of selective enforcement.

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Campus groups voice concerns about New South student space

As plans move ahead for the New South Student Center, plans for addressing concerns about student groups’ storage and practice space are just being formed.

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Union Jack: Who do the police protect?

With the passing of the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street inevitably come pronouncements on the significance and relevance of the movement. Conservatives have forcefully condemned it to what one famous Bolshevik once termed the “dustbin of history,” while sympathetic liberals have celebrated it for reintroducing economic inequality back into American political discourse.

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Caravan for Peace culminates with march and vigil in D.C.

The Caravan for Peace with Justice and Dignity, a protest movement against the ongoing Mexican drug war, culminated a multi-state tour in a vigil and rally in Malcolm X Park on Sep.12.

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Epicurean faces multiple lawsuits from employees

Since 2010, several employees of Epicurean and Company have filed lawsuits alleging the owners of the campus eatery failed to pay overtime wages, a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and D.C. Minimum Wage Act.

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Students struggle with delinquent landlords

Georgetown may be attempting to move more students on campus, but a substantial number of Hoyas still reside beyond the front gates. For many of them them, the biggest problem with their living situation isn’t SNAPs or neighbors, but the people who own their properties.