Opinion

Don’t let Congress squash gay marriage

An enlarged Democratic majority in the 111th Congress may come with a cherry on top for same-sex couples in D.C.: the possibility of wedded bliss. Sources at City Hall told the Washington Blade that, assuming Democrats gain enough Congressional seats in November, the District’s City Council may pass a gay marriage bill in the upcoming spring. It’s about time, too. Gay and lesbian couples deserve the same legal and financial rights afforded to straight couples in the District. But before the Council takes the next step towards full equality for all of its constituents, it must ensure that the backlash from Congress won’t outweigh the benefit of a gay marriage bill.

By the Editorial Board October 2, 2008

Closing a shelter to solve homelessness?

Fresh from its battle with Congress over the District gun laws, the D.C. City Council is facing off with another opponent: Mayor Adrian Fenty (D). Last Friday, Fenty shut down the Franklin Shelter, one of downtown’s largest homeless centers, in direct defiance of legislation passed by the Council, and without a specific plan for the displaced homeless. Fenty’s support of long-term housing for the homeless is admirable, but it shouldn’t come at the cost of short-term housing like the Franklin Shelter, which the homeless rely on.

By the Editorial Board October 2, 2008

Hi, my name is Dan, and I’m a TV addict

I will gladly concede that there is garbage on TV that insults the intelligence and competence of all Americans (Two and a Half Men, I’m looking at you). But there is not a soul who can argue that the same garbage doesn’t exist in print or music. Every medium has a significant low-brow contingent, but no one who has seen an episode of Mad Men, Arrested Development, or The Wire can deny the high art that television can achieve.

By Dan Newman October 2, 2008

GUMBO: understanding the internal melting pot

There are no easy answers to the questions “What are you?” or “Where are you from?” Which is more important: the part of me that loves to make my paternal grandmother’s Indian recipes, or the part of me that loves to bake Christmas cookies with my maternal grandmother? The fact that my dad is Indian or that he’s Catholic?

By Therese Miranda October 2, 2008

The school junkies’ club: no ‘old boys’ allowed

Though my fellow students challenged me during every discussion and project, my teachers ultimately rendered life at Andover the most embracing of the “life of the mind” of any school I’ve attended—including Georgetown. Most Andover teachers live on campus in apartments attached to dorms or in houses adjacent to them. In choosing that lifestyle, each teacher makes educating and mentoring students the primary purpose of his or her life.

By Chelsea Paige October 2, 2008

My field trips bring all the boys to the art

The likes of Georgetown art aficionados include freshmen, seniors, exchange students, grad students, econ majors, sculptors, computer scientists, and more. Some of us overdosed on Jackson Pollock and Rembrandt in high school art, some of us have never taken an art class, some of us doodle masterpieces on our Problem of God notebooks. No matter what their academic pursuits or previous exposure to art, students from all walks swarmed to the general body meeting.

By Peter Kong October 2, 2008

5 dollar Yates fee is 5 dollars too many

Broken workout machines, TVs turned off or worse, turned to GUTV, grungy locker-rooms: Yates Field House hardly provides a luxurious gym experience. But it’s convenient and, thanks to the mandatory Yates fee included in everyone’s tuition, it doesn’t cost Georgetown students anything extra. Until now—Georgetown unveiled a new policy this semester of charging Yates members five dollars for fitness classes that were previously offered for free. Cutbacks can’t be avoided during tough financial times, but surely the University can weather the storm without destroying arguably the best service offered by Yates.

By the Editorial Board September 25, 2008

One thing that the Dems and CRs can agree on

Last Friday, The Hoya ran a column entitled “Fight for your Political Rights” by D.J. McLaughlin (SFS `10), which contained numerous factual inaccuracies and misquotes. McLaughlin irresponsibly lambasted the College Democrats and College Republicans for being “censored” by University policy concerning political activity on campus. He demonstrated an appalling lack of understanding of federal election and tax law, as well as the activities and goals of the College Democrats and Republicans. Both organizations, in a bipartisan fashion, would like to use this opportunity to debunk his fallacious accusations.

By admin September 25, 2008

The oilman with the clean energy plan

What do you get when you cross a grizzled oilman with one of the most dire energy crises in America’s history? The answer may be surprising, at least for anyone not familiar with T. Boone Pickens, the billionaire oilman who has been traveling the country in support of what he sees as the solution to America’s energy problem: the Pickens Plan. Speaking in Gaston Hall on Monday, Pickens laid out a clear strategy for reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil through natural gas and wind power. With oil prices showing no signs of decreasing, the U.S. needs to wean itself off foreign oil or face serious economic and environmental consequences. Pickens offers a clear way of doing this.

By the Editorial Board September 25, 2008

Bomb blast in Islamabad affects more than just Pakistan

Although I did not realize it at the time, the hotel is eminent not only because of its extravagance, but because it neighbors the embassies of foreign dignitaries, the President’s office, and the parliament building. Perhaps most importantly, the Mariott serves as a symbol of corrupt Pakistani decadence and of the government’s unpopular alliance with the United States.

It is no shock, then, that it was the prime target of a terrorist attack.

By Nafees Ahmed September 25, 2008

All we are saying is give football a chance

I’m not an unrealistic idealist: I know as much as anyone what our season was like last year. I know we’re still building a program that only recently joined I-AA. And I know that we’re facing as tough a schedule as ever. So I don’t have expectations of sweeping the league or watching a Football Championship Sub-Division playoff game on TV this season. But I do know that anything can happen on the gridiron, that every game is a fresh start, and that our team is talented enough to put up a fight every week. So I show up every Saturday ready to watch something special happen, to witness a time-expiring field-goal or a game-ending sack, to stand at the front of the bleachers when the game is over and triumphantly sing the fight song with a victorious team.

By Nick Sementelli September 25, 2008

Flirting with finance as time runs out

When I was little, I wanted to be an astronaut (until I heard about the Challenger disaster). I wanted to be an astronomer (until I figured out they have to stay up all night). Then I realized that I just wanted to be the person who gets to make up the stories about the constellations—an illustrious profession I refered to as being a “mythologist.” And since the cosmos-naming gig never came through, here I am: suit-less and clueless and feeling incredibly behind because I have neither a job offer from Crédit Suisse nor a second round interview with Goldman Sachs.

By Simone Popperl September 25, 2008

Get out the vote, starting on the Hilltop

Many Georgetown students will have their first opportunity to vote in a presidential election this upcoming November, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Whether America elects its first African American president or its first female vice president, voters have an unprecedented opportunity to break down barriers for women and minorities. The country’s mood is unique too; the overwhelming majority of voters are looking for change after an administration that has wrought eight years of havoc on this country. It’s time for Georgetown students to exercise their rights by requesting an absentee ballot and voting for whichever candidate they feel will bring the change we need. There is no excuse for students who live four miles from the Capitol and two-and-a-half miles from the White House to avoid participating in our democracy.

By the Editorial Board September 25, 2008

Juicy Campus: thanks, but no thanks

Thought middle school was tough? You’ve probably never been to Juicy Campus. Within days of arriving at Georgetown last week, the gossip site was flooded with threads about who’s sleeping with whom, who the hottest person on campus is, who’s promiscuous, and who’s an asshole, to pick out a few topics. As if that wasn’t enough, all of the allegations, which frequently called out students by name, are made under the cloak of anonymity, without any repercussions for the posters. The answer to the Juicy Campus phenomenon is not for Georgetown’s administration to censor the website, cutting off access for students using Georgetown’s internet connection. Rather, it falls to us—the students of Georgetown—to practice a modicum of restraint on the site, always keeping the golden rule in mind—don’t say anything you wouldn’t want to be said about you.

By the Editorial Board September 18, 2008

Give booze unto others as others gave booze unto you

While friends at large state schools reported that frats often charged entry fees to offset costs, all the parties I attended were free. I was sort of proud of this. As one particularly generous host explained, “It’s about taking care of our own. We crashed parties when we were freshman; now it’s our turn to pay it back.” His pay-it forward logic struck me as oddly chivalrous, especially for a guy in a “Kiss Me I’m Irish” t-shirt.

By Sarah Harman September 18, 2008

16 fewer townhouses for the rest of us

It sounds like an idyllic, almost utopian community: 16 groups of four students united by common interests and a commitment to social justice living together on a block of colorful townhouses just outside the main gates of Georgetown. But even if Magis Row—the new living and learning community that Residential Life has created for the 2009-2010 school year—manages to live up to the University’s high expectations, which seems unlikely given its ambiguous mission, the program’s benefits wouldn’t outweigh the damage it does to the student body as a whole. By taking 16 townhouses out of the housing lottery, the program subverts the fairness of the housing selection process and unduly favors a group of students hand-picked by the University over the general student population.

By the Editorial Board September 18, 2008

Trains: they’re the only way to fly

After a few too many flights where pilots sighed, “Well, we made it,” and fellow passengers made the sign of the cross as the wheels finally managed to stick their landing, I knew it was time to find a different way to get around. Because they seemed to succeed where planes failed—with wheels firmly attached to the ground at all times—I began to take trains everywhere I went.

By Sara Carothers September 18, 2008

Feds shouldn’t take aim at home rule

In 1973, Washington won home rule: the right to govern most of its affairs free from Congressional interference. Now Congress is considering a bill that would take away the city’s self-government on one of the most important issues in the District: handguns.

By the Editorial Board September 18, 2008