Editorials

Opinions from the Voice’s official editorial board.

Keep the Circulator on Wisconsin Ave.

In less than two weeks, the cheapest, most reliable, and most convenient transportation option serving West Georgetown will cease to exist. The Georgetown-Union Station circulator will no longer turn north up Wisconsin Avenue after slogging through the congestion of K and M Streets. A victim of short-sighted budget cuts, the Circulator extension was a boon to Georgetown residents and students alike.

By the Editorial Board September 24, 2009

Give the SFS’s Map class a chance

While it is understandable that many SFS students feel strongly about this issue––Map is a universal experience for SFS students––it is not wise to protest the changes without giving them a try first. The new course is looking to address Map of the Modern World in a more holistic manner than it had previously; the least we can do is wait for a semester to see if it succeeds.

By the Editorial Board September 24, 2009

Senate must pass Student Aid bill

Most vitally, this bill will retool the federal student loan system. Right now, taxpayers subsidize student loans made by private moneylenders, who are subject to the rise and fall of the market. If the bill passes the Senate, all federal lending will come from the Direct Loan program, in which the federal government lends directly to the student and cuts out the unnecessary middleman. By overhauling this over-complicated system, the government stands to save $87 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

By the Editorial Board September 23, 2009

GUSA reduces size, ups efficiency

By the end of last year, ten Senate seats had been effectively vacated by elected students who no longer wished to be members. GUSA, in response, delayed expelling the senators and holding the necessary special elections until April, leaving too many students without representation for months. The elimination of some Senate seats seems like an ideal way to nip this problem in the bud because it will invariably cut back on the number of students who can successfully get elected on a whim. Additionally, the cuts tended to be made in the most effective places: among underclassmen, whose representatives had some of the worst attendance.

By the Editorial Board September 16, 2009

Campus bike racks deserve some TLC

On any given bike rack around campus, skeletons of bicycles past remain chained up––metal frames, wheels and seats long gone, rusting away. These abandoned bikes take up much-needed space on the bike racks around campus, and should be dealt with by the Department of Public Service. Failing to act and get rid of these visual reminders of neglect and theft sends a message that the University doesn’t care about its space or its students’ attempts to get around campus.

By the Editorial Board September 16, 2009

Students need more room of their own

Although the University has made plans for increased student space in its upcoming 10 Year Plan, current students deserve some sort of change while they’re still on campus. While it is commendable that administrators are regularly meeting with the working group to eventually improve the situation, study space, social space, meeting space, and athletic space are all areas in dire need of expansion right now.

By the Editorial Board September 16, 2009

Baseball’s errors can’t be repeated

Although the assistant coach who told his players that they could report a set number hours each week is most to blame, we must question the competence of an athletic director who allowed seven years of such dishonesty to occur unnoticed. We hope that the interim athletic director, Daniel R. Porterfield, will no longer hire coaches who actively go against the often-quoted moral ideals of the University.

By the Editorial Board September 10, 2009

Healthcare reform, at any cost

Among the options presented to Congress for making effective, affordable healthcare available to every American is the creation of a self-sustaining public option to compete with the insurance companies. A public option undoubtedly lies at the heart of any substantive healthcare reform package. Nonetheless, at this point in Obama’s presidency, it would be nothing short of an absolute disaster for the President (and future efforts at healthcare reform) if he were to fail to accomplish any reform at all.

By the Editorial Board September 10, 2009

GU needs The Hoya’s independence

As one of only three top 25 universities without an independent paper, Georgetown deserves an autonomous news source. Once the suspension period ends, the University should allow The Hoya to go independent and should extend to it the same conditions stipulated in last year’s agreement. The paper should be allowed to keep its name and be distributed on campus, as it would have if it had been permitted to go independent this year.

By the Editorial Board September 10, 2009

GU’s financial foresight paid off

The financial crisis has shaken many aspects of the economy to the point of near-collapse, but Georgetown’s administration should be applauded for recognizing the crisis early in 2008 and making intelligent decisions that have allowed the school to maintain stability and decrease the crisis’ negative impact on major university priorities.

By the Editorial Board September 3, 2009

This fall, take advantage of RAD

The Department of Public Safety, in conjunction with the Women’s Center, the University’s Human Resources Department, and several other on-campus groups, has finally succeeded in securing funding for the program, first announced by DPS last fall and scheduled to begin the middle of next month. RAD, the country’s preeminent self-defense program, teaches women physical defensive methods and instructs them about risk reduction, awareness, avoidance, and recognition, and should be especially advantageous for Georgetown students in light of the recent assaults

By the Editorial Board September 3, 2009

AlcoholEdu: a lesson in futility

At times, AlcoholEdu’s stories and graphics are so outdated and out of touch that they make the cheesy Academic Integrity tutorial seem like gripping edutainment. Another solution is needed to get across the important message of how to drink alcohol safely.

By the Editorial Board September 3, 2009

GU fumbles response to summer rape

On July 10, 2009, a Georgetown student was raped at her residence on the 3500 block of O Street, according to a report filed with the Metropolitan Police Department. Most of the student body, however, could be forgiven for not understanding the gravity of the event. Georgetown’s Department of Public Safety’s subsequent Public Safety Announcement, released five days later, described the incident as a “sexual assault,” a vague term whose varying degrees of seriousness can indicate anything from groping or fondling to rape.

By the Editorial Board August 28, 2009

Work with the town, help the gown

Historically, Georgetown University’s ten-year plans have exacerbated the already-tense relationship between the school and its neighbors. This year, as the University looks to create and submit its plan for 2010-2020, is no different.

By the Editorial Board August 28, 2009

University debuts poor man’s Gmail

When the University switched to Hoyamail on Tuesday, most students probably did not mourn the death of its predecessor, GUMail. An e-mail server run by Google, Hoyamail comes with over 7,000 megabytes of storage space—a welcome boost from the paltry 20 megabytes GUMail provided for students. But Hoyamail is a deliberately crippled version of what it could be, preventing students from taking advantage of all the applications Google offers.

By the Editorial Board August 28, 2009

Covering up IHS sparks Catholics’ outrage

President Barack Obama’s address last week in Gaston Hall elicited national outrage in the wider Catholic community when it was revealed that Georgetown covered a Christian symbol, the letters IHS,... Read more

By the Voice Staff April 23, 2009

Safeway closes

Georgetown’s Safeway supermarket on Wisconsin Ave and 34th Street will close for renovations on Sunday, with plans to re-open in March 2010. During the construction, Safeway will waive its delivery... Read more

By Anna Bank April 23, 2009

Students’ inboxes far too eventful

If the University thinks its students have time to read the numerous broadcast e-mails they send out for announcements and events, they should think again. The meager 20 megabyte inboxes... Read more

By the Editorial Board April 23, 2009

Time to take pollution down to zero

In 1989, broadcast television behemoth Ted Turner created Captain Planet, a cartoon character whose mission was to make the world eco-friendly by influencing young people with his mantra, “The power... Read more

By the Editorial Board April 23, 2009

Squabbling Saps GUSA Confidence

Late last night, GUSA finally passed the Fall 2009 budget for all student funding boards on campus. The budget was approved in late February and has been stalling in the... Read more

By the Editorial Board April 23, 2009

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