Editorials

Opinions from the Voice’s official editorial board.

Editorials

We’ll drink to that

In an effort to accurately assess the drinking culture at Georgetown, the Office of Planning and Institutional Research e-mailed a survey to all undergraduates last week. It asks students to answer a series of questions about their own drinking habits and general perceptions of the role that drinking plays for the majority of Georgetown students.

By the November 6, 2003

Editorials

A new hospital for D.C.

Southeast Washington has had a rough time over the past few years. Politicians and residents were up in arms when Mayor Anthony Williams announced the closure of D.C. General Hospital, one of two full-service hospitals in the District’s poorest quadrant in 2001.

By the November 6, 2003

Editorials

Hungry like the Wolfowitz

Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, in a speech delivered last Thursday in Gaston Hall, discussed the American invasion of Iraq and reflected on his recent trip there. “We had a fairly exciting trip to Iraq this weekend,” he noted. His speech had some great lines, including one rather evangelical-sounding claim: “Today there is plenty of good news in Iraq.

By the November 6, 2003

Editorials

Odd bedfellows unite, again

Take Back the Night and the College Republicans might seem like unlikely partners, but these two campus groups are working together on the annual Take Back the Night rally this year. The College Republicans intend to co-sponsor the event by donating money and providing personnel and advertising resources.

By the October 30, 2003

Editorials

Policing (and arresting) MPD

According to a Washington Post report Sunday, 24 Metropolitan Police Department officers have been arrested on charges ranging from attempted murder to drunk driving since the beginning of the year. Sound like a lot? It is a lot for the 3,700-officer department.

By the October 30, 2003

Editorials

Why is voting this hard?

Electronic voting was originally hailed as the solution to all voting problems. Hanging, pregnant and otherwise illicit chads would be a thing of the past, and confusing butterful ballots would be replaced with state-of-the-art touchscreen displays. But now that such voting machines have been implemented in many states, Florida 2000 is beginning to look like a walk in the park.

By the October 30, 2003

Editorials

Sports Sermon

“Whatever system Steve is using isn’t working. That’s not a criticism, it’s a fact.” – ESPN analyst Joe Theismann

The time has come to focus on some real sports in D.C. Forget about Steve Superior’s hapless Redskins. Poor Patrick Ramsey has the spinal structure of a 75-year-old construction worker thanks to all the hits he’s absorbed over the past three weeks.

By October 30, 2003

Editorials

Returning to recycling

The environmental revolution that occurred in the early 1970’s made it abundantly clear to Americans for the first time that we were not doing enough to protect our world. While there was a resurgence of activism during the early 1990’s, the environment has taken a backseat to other hot button issues in recent years.

By the October 23, 2003

Editorials

Change the smoking policy

Last week Interhall announced it would soon conduct a survey regarding the smoking policy for campus residence halls. Interhall thinks that the current policy is outdated, and believes that there is a demand for smoke-free residences on campus. The current policy, which is very liberal toward smoking, goes farther than most other universities and should be revised.

By the October 23, 2003

Editorials

A safer campus

Last Tuesday, Georgetown University announced that it will hire David Morrell, a former employee of the U.S. Secret Service and the Department of Homeland Security, to be the first Vice President for University Safety. The announcement comes after a year-long search for a person to handle the unique job of managing the safety needs of a school in the nation’s capital.

By the October 23, 2003

Editorials

Expanding DPS, at last

Most Georgetown students don’t pay much attention to the competing jurisdictions and administrative boundaries that run through the District of Columbia. Except for one: Live in Henle, and if you throw a party, your biggest worry is the Department of Public Safety.

By the October 16, 2003

Editorials

Bush tends to circuses

Need that ivory fix? Thankfully, President George W. Bush is looking out for the big game hunter in all of us. Last month, administration officials proposed changes to the Endangered Species Act that would legalize the killing and importation of a quota of endangered animals and their products.

By the October 16, 2003

Editorials

A worthwhile Homecoming

The bright, warm weather reflected the cheerful atmosphere last Saturday as students and alumni gathered in the McDonough parking lot. While various festivities were held throughout homecoming weekend without any major glitches, the most noticeable success was the football “tailgate.

By the October 16, 2003

Editorials

Get the word out

The Lecture Fund should be congratulated for bringing Michael Moore to speak at Georgetown. After more than ten years as a cult figure among liberal college students, known mostly for his documentary Roger and Me as well as his television series and books, Moore entered the mainstream with the release of his Oscar-winning film Bowling for Columbine last year.

By the October 9, 2003

Editorials

We’re number … 20?

The November issue of The Atlantic Monthly includes a series of articles on the college admissions process. The pieces chronicle the long-term trend towards nationwide competition in American education. Entitled “Our First Annual College Admissions Survey,” the feature also includes a chart, much like that found each year in U.

By the October 9, 2003

Editorials

How to solve everything

In the eyes of many college applicants, student amenities are quickly outstripping more established criterion for judging schools, such as student-teacher ratios, historical prestige or the amount of financial aid the school is willing to provide. Colleges are responding, and the race is on.

By the October 9, 2003

Editorials

Tailgating without tailgates

The annual Homecoming tailgate is going to look a lot different this year. The event has been moved from Lot T next to the Leavey Center to the McDonough Gymnasium parking lot, and no cars will be admitted to the tailgate area because of a lack of available space.

By the October 2, 2003

Editorials

More unnecessary rules

For the past two weekends, Residence Life has limited residents of University townhouses to no more than four registered parties per weekend night. According to Dmitry Vovchuk, hall director for Alumni Square and University townhouses, the new cap is intended to limit weekend activity to a “legitimate number of parties” in order to address concerns over trash, noise and excess foot traffic.

By the October 2, 2003

Editorials

The power to improve

Power outages, whether storm-induced or not, inconvenience thousands of people, take time and labor to fix, and paralyze economic activity. The utility industry wants to get power back on as much as their customers want them to-no power means no billing for power.

By the October 2, 2003

Editorials

Ready for Isabel

Empirical evidence has now demonstrated that, like werewolves in a full moon, Georgetown students go insane during hurricanes. On Thursday night, in the thick of Isabel, students were doing things that they probably need to do more often-mud wrestling on the front lawn, bonging beers in the driving wind on Village A’s rooftops accompanied by chants of “IS-A-BEL! IS-A-BEL!”, making out in the rain, and generally rocking like a hurricane.

By the September 25, 2003