Editorials

GUSA’s own housing meltdown

No one can say that GUSA President Pat Dowd (SFS ’09) and Vice President James Kelly (COL ’09) lack ambition. Their GUSA Summer Fellows initiative has the laudable aim of providing free summer housing at Georgetown to undergraduates with unpaid internships they couldn’t otherwise afford to take, starting this summer. But Dowd and Kelly have approached the idea with a startling naiveté of the complexities involved in enacting such a bold proposal. Putting their energy towards an unreachable goal of trying to institute it this summer diminishes GUSA’s credibility and detracts from the program’s chances for next year.

By the Editorial Board March 27, 2008

Editorials

DPS shouldn’t run an arms race

Department of Public Safety officers are about to get a belated Easter gift: batons and pepper spray. By the end of March, all of Georgetown’s DPS patrol officers should be trained to use their new tools. But instead of protecting Georgetown against D.C.’s rising crime rate, these weapons might actually make life on campus more dangerous.

By the Editorial Board March 27, 2008

Editorials

Area taken out by the ballgame

While Washington prepares for the Nationals’ first game in their new stadium, one group of Washingtonians has little to be excited about: people living and working near the stadium who have been shut out of its economic benefits.

By the Editorial Board March 27, 2008

Editorials

GU holds its first Women’s Week

Feminist author and blogger Jessica Valenti wanted to know what words came to Georgetown students’ minds when they heard the word “feminism.” The responses from the predominantly female audience included words such as “angry” and “bra-burning.”

“Most young women are feminists, have feminist values, but are too freaked out to use the word,” Valenti said.

By Marco Cerna March 27, 2008

Editorials

Bill leaves D.C.’s workers ailing

Last week, Washington became the second city in the country to force businesses to provide paid sick leave to their employees. While the Council should be commended for following San Francisco’s lead and protecting the city’s working poor, it should reverse the pro-business amendments that dramatically reduce the legislation’s effectiveness.

By the Editorial Board March 13, 2008

Editorials

Hard time has come for reform

Prison, meant to be a punishing interlude before a return to society, has become a way of life for too many Americans. The Pew Center on the States released a report last month that found the United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world, with one in every 99.1 adults an inmate in a federal or state prison.

By the Editorial Board March 13, 2008

Editorials

How to repair our national lawn

Although the National Mall is home to memorials to our nation’s Founding Fathers, it is treated like Washington’s ugly stepchild. The facilities are neglected and dirt patches grow faster than grass. As the front yard of the nation’s capital, the Mall deserves better than its current disgraceful state.

By the Editorial Board March 13, 2008

Editorials

Time to run off voting system

After deciding which Student Association tickets to vote for from the plethora of candidates, actually casting the vote should have been the easy part. But when Georgetown students logged on to vote last Thursday, they were greeted with a ballot that managed to be an online analogue to GUSA itself: confusing and tedious. Voting was so flawed that GUSA will hold a run-off between the top four tickets because the GUSA Senate refused to certify the results. It’s time to ditch the multiple-choice ballot and instant-runoff voting.

By the Editorial Board February 28, 2008

Editorials

GUSA: Out with old, in with new

Ben Shaw (COL ’08) took office last February promising to bring the student body free national newspapers, extend the add-drop period and represent the student body to the University administration. As Shaw’s term ends, two of those goals have been fulfilled.

By the Editorial Board February 28, 2008

Editorials

Clinton shouldn’t fake comeback

One year ago, Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) seemed poised to win the Democratic presidential nomination in more of a plebiscite than an election.

By the Editorial Board February 28, 2008

Editorials

NEWS HIT

Free national newspapers are finally set to arrive on campus the Monday after spring break, almost a month after Student Association President Ben Shaw (COL ’08) promised the papers would be here.

By Yamini Kalidindi February 28, 2008

Editorials

Muslim center’s no madrassa

It seems like 2005 again as a $20 million donation from a Saudi royal stirs up media controversy, casting aspersions on Georgetown’s academic ethics and credibility.

By the Editorial Board February 21, 2008

Editorials

Fenty out of bounds on stadium

Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) thus far hasn’t shown himself to be a gambling man. His plan to finance a professional soccer stadium with money intended for debt repayment, however, would throw Washington’s future on a roulette wheel.

By the Editorial Board February 21, 2008

Editorials

Firearm database won’t misfire

The District responded limply to an increase in gun violence in the past year, mainly with the Metropolitan Police Department’s ineffective All Hands on Deck initiative, which tried to reduce crime by having all officers work overtime some weekends. Luckily, the mayors of eleven East Coast cities have a better idea: a database to share information on known gun offenders. There is no reason Washington shouldn’t sign on.

By the Editorial Board February 21, 2008

Editorials

Williams and Kesten for GUSA

In a crowded field of eight Student Association executive tickets, Kyle Williams (SFS ‘09) and Brian Kesten’s (COL ‘10) critical goals and leadership experience make them the best choice for president and vice president.

By the Editorial Board February 14, 2008

Editorials

Time for ushering out a New Era

Most American sweatshops closed decades ago. Georgetown apparel manufacturer New Era, however, is keeping the tradition alive. Conditions at the company’s Alabama factory are abysmal, with union-busting that would embarrass Pinkerton. Georgetown’s contract with New Era will run out in June.

By the Editorial Board February 14, 2008

Editorials

Let students make the Deans list

Jane McAuliffe, the Dean of Georgetown College, deserves congratulations on her imminent ascension to the presidency of Bryn Mawr College. While Georgetown will be less without her, we should be mindful of the opportunity we have in filling her shoes: a new dean is a chance for new ideas, new energy and another step forward for the University. And, though it ought to go without saying, students need to be involved in the process of selecting McAuliffe’s successor.

By the Editorial Board February 14, 2008

Editorials

Google e-mail plan won’t byte

For students dissatisfied with the unreliablity, sluggishness and 20 megabyte limit of Georgetown’s e-mail service, forwarding GUMail e-mails to a Gmail account has long been a better option. Georgetown should look into implementing Google’s education application, which would provide all the benefits of forwarding to Gmail on a school-wide scale, while saving the University time and money.

By the Editorial Board February 7, 2008

Editorials

School plan gets passing grade

Most people agree that Washington’s school system needs to be fixed, but they differ wildly on how to do it. Just ask Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty (D), Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee, City Council members and community activists. They’ve been battling one another since November, when Fenty and Rhee proposed closing public schools.

By the Editorial Board February 7, 2008