Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Page 13 Cartoons

Identity crisis? Hong Kong’s unique cultural fusion

When asked, I say that I am from Hong Kong. People always ask me why I don’t say that I am from China. Never have I denied that I am... Read more

By September 17, 2009

Editorials

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 September 16, 2009

Editorials

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 September 16, 2009

Editorials

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 September 16, 2009

Voices

Transparency needed on student-centric plans

In the coming months, students will have their say on the University’s Ten Year Plan, according to Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, who said that the administration would... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Voices

9/11 remembered: a ringing phone and rising smoke

I don’t like to answer the phone. Even when my caller ID tells me who is calling, my throat still tightens and a small pit forms in my stomach. The... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Voices

Healthcare, money, and you

Here’s an oft-cited figure in the debate over health care reform: U.S. health care expenditures—16 percent of gross domestic product in 2007—are outpacing GDP growth by so much that the... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Voices

U.S. past point of no return in Afghanistan

In an editorial last Tuesday, Washington Post columnist George Will, a prominent conservative voice, called for “rapidly reversing the trajectory of America’s involvement in Afghanistan.”  The piece was plainly titled:... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Editorials

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 September 10, 2009

Editorials

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 September 10, 2009

Editorials

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 September 10, 2009

Editorials

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 September 3, 2009

Voices

Sibling love from the backyard to the battlefield

“You’re the look-out. So you can’t fall asleep, otherwise we will fail our mission,” Stuart said. “If you complete your mission, you will be promoted to a lieutenant sneak. You... Read more

By September 3, 2009

Editorials

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 September 3, 2009

Voices

NSO overload leaves former freshman feeling cold

Only one short year ago I was an incoming freshman—soon to be alone and already scared.  This is where New Student Orientation is supposed to help you. On the whole,... Read more

By September 3, 2009

Voices

Slim health facts can’t hide expanding waistlines

Of the various health care bills currently floating around the House and Senate, the late Senator Ted Kennedy’s committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) wrote the one with... Read more

By September 3, 2009

Editorials

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 September 3, 2009

Voices

Waxman-Markey overlooks outsourced emissions

With the passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act (also known as the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill), the House of Representatives took a bold step to address the long-neglected... Read more

By September 3, 2009

Voices

Steel Butterflies and the Back to School Blues

I briefly considered retiring from my formal education a few days ago. It seemed to me that I had had enough—for real this time. The thought of going back to... Read more

By August 28, 2009

Voices

This Georgetown Life: Stories of College Infancy

I was awakened by a knock on my door around 10 a.m. on Homecoming Weekend my freshman year. At the door was a preppy, intoxicated senior followed by an apologetic,... Read more

By the August 28, 2009