Editorials

Opinions from the Voice’s official editorial board.

Editorials

Alexandria redevelopment unequal and unfair

Last Saturday, Alexandria’s City Council voted six to one to approve a contentious development project that will raze 2,500 affordable housing units and replace them with stores, offices, and 5,000 new apartments. Unfortunately, only 800 of these new units will be reserved for the existing low-income residents, uprooting thousands of families.

By the April 17, 2013

Editorials

NSO must require sexual assault education

Last week, it was announced that NSO would not include a mandatory sexual assault workshop, as recommended by the GUSA Sexual Assault Working Group. Instead, there will be a voluntary discussion incorporated into the Welcome Week schedule, and sexual assault prevention elements will be added to the compulsory NSO Show and online AlcoholEdu program.

By the April 11, 2013

Editorials

Gun control bills founder on student security

Last Thursday, Maryland’s legislature successfully passed one of the nation’s strictest gun control bills. When it is signed into law in the coming weeks, it will be an encouraging sequel to a similarly tough state bill signed into law in Connecticut last Thursday and certainly, a preview for serious gun control legislation at the federal level.

By the April 11, 2013

Editorials

An inhumane immigration deal is no deal at all

It’s no secret that one of the federal government’s priorities this year is overhauling the immigration system. And rightly so—as over 200 Georgetown students who demonstrated outside the Capitol Wednesday showed, our broken system is an issue that affects border states and Latino communities as well as bastions of relative privilege like the Hilltop.

By the April 11, 2013

Editorials

Adjunct unionization efforts deserve support

In the coming weeks, Georgetown’s adjunct faculty members will vote to decide whether they should form a union. The election has been scheduled thanks to the efforts of the SEIU-Local 500, which, in conjunction with advocacy organization New Faculty Majority, has lobbied for the unionization of adjuncts in universities throughout the District.

By the April 4, 2013

Editorials

Facebook confessions reveal campus tensions

The Georgetown Confessions Facebook page has garnered a huge following in recent weeks, with 1,144 likes at the time of publication. The page allows users to submit anonymous “confessions,” which are then posted for public consumption. Far from a harmless Internet fad, Georgetown Confessions has become the latest forum for debate concerning race and class issues.

By the April 4, 2013

Editorials

The Hill protects Monsanto, undermines justice

Last Tuesday, President Obama signed HR 933 into law with little fanfare. A continuing resolution designed to provide stopgap funding to the government for the next six months, the spending bill managed to include an unjust provision that protects biotech companies in the event that their genetically engineered (GE) crops are found to be harmful.

By the April 4, 2013

Editorials

Unpaid internships unlawfully exploit Hoyas

The season of applying for summer internships is upon us, and with it come questions about the legality of these positions. Many will be unpaid, forcing cash-strapped students to choose between valuable work experience and making enough money to pay rent. Considering the legal, economic, and ethical status of unpaid internships, the consensus is clear: Pay your interns.

By the March 21, 2013

Editorials

District living wage legislation shows promise

This Wednesday, businesspeople and activists crowded into City Hall for the D.C. Council’s public hearing for the Large Retailer Accountability Act. This groundbreaking piece of legislation would require large retailers, or firms with stores larger than 75,000 square feet whose corporate parent rakes in profits upwards of $1 billion, to pay their D.C. workers a living wage.

By the March 21, 2013

Editorials

President disappoints on environmental front

In February, President Barack Obama forcefully declared that the U.S. government can no longer afford to ignore key environmental issues. Unfortunately, EPA insiders have made public that his administration is looking not only to delay implementing clean energy regulation, but also to reduce restrictions and allow for more lenient greenhouse gas emission standards.

By the March 21, 2013

Editorials

Gtown should pursue serious housing reform

On Feb. 24, GUSA passed a resolution introduced by Sen. Abigail Cooner (SFS ‘16) to increase the transparency of Housing Services' room change policy. While the bill successfully identifies an issue that continues to plague students—the lack of a clear operating procedure for filling housing vacancies—it is limited in scope and effect.

By the March 14, 2013

Editorials

Tougher stance required to prevent wage theft

Worker rights activists gathered at City Hall on Monday, March 4 in a display of support and solidarity for workers testifying about their experience with wage theft in the District. The Wage Theft Coalition presented the D.C. Council with wage claims amounting to $260,000 owed to a group of forty workers.

By the March 14, 2013

Editorials

Maryland progresses with disposable bag tax

Last Friday, Maryland legislators introduced a bill in the House of Delegates that would impose a 5-cent fee on both paper and plastic disposable bags, the first tax of its kind at the state level. Modeled after D.C.’s own 2009 bag tax, the proposed fee would both reduce pollution of Maryland’s waterways.

By the March 14, 2013

Editorials

Stewards scandal highlights need for integrity

Last week’s election erupted into controversy when an anonymous source revealed presidential hopeful Jack Appelbaum (COL ‘14) to be a member of the Stewards Society. Exposing Appelbaum and his campaign manager to be members of this secret society was irrelevant and ultimately accomplished nothing beyond distracting student voters from the issues at hand.

By the February 28, 2013

Editorials

Sequester woes offset by D.C. emergency fund

Last month, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray made an announcement thousands of city officials across the nation wish they could make themselves. The District had accrued a $417 million surplus in fiscal year 2012, and has put it all away in its emergency fund. This brings its rainy day savings to almost $1.5 billion.

By the February 28, 2013

Editorials

New pope must shepherd Church to modernity

On Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI offered his final General Audience address in St. Peter’s Square. As soon as Monday, the College of Cardinals will begin the process of selecting a new pope—a decision that will present the Catholic Church with the opportunity to maintain the status quo or propel itself into an increasingly modern age.

By the February 28, 2013

Editorials

Activists demand Obama reject Keystone XL

Last Sunday, the world witnessed the largest rally against climate change in U.S. history. Over 40,000 concerned citizens gathered on the National Mall to demand President Barack Obama use his executive power to once and for all deny TransCanada, a Canadian energy company, permission to construct the controversial Keystone XL pipeline.

By the February 21, 2013

Editorials

Tisa/Ramadan promise much-needed change

Two weeks ago, the Voice Editorial Board laid out our priorities for Georgetown University Student Association executive candidates this year. We have decided to endorse Nate Tisa (SFS ‘14) and Adam Ramadan (SFS ‘14) for the GUSA presidency and vice presidency this coming year, as their understanding of what Georgetown’s student body needs best aligns with our values.

By the February 19, 2013

Editorials

CISR reforms needed to uphold social values

Since its establishment in 1970, Georgetown’s Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility has been charged with looking after the social integrity of the University’s endowment. Despite the Catholic social justice tradition the University claims to champion, the CISR has been unable to have a meaningful impact.

By the February 14, 2013

Editorials

D.C. environmental push at mercy of Congress

Last week, the D.C. Council introduced several bills containing progressive, environmentally-minded legislation that may put the District in conflict with the federal government. Councilmember Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) proposed a non-binding resolution that D.C. join 47 other cities in a nationwide campaign to pressure the EPA and the Obama administration.

By the February 14, 2013