Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Editorials

Leo’s Diner, wherefore art thou?

A change is gonna come to Leo’s next fall. Or at least, that’s what Georgetown administrators have promised, which is to say, it’s far from certain. A press release from last June promised a vast overhaul to Leo O’Donovan Dining Hall including as many themed mini-restaurants—with names like Barracas Italian Bistro, the Rolling Pin Coffee House, and Leo’s Diner—as could fit in a single building.

By the April 24, 2008

Editorials

Take a SmartBike, leave a SmartBike

D.C. may never be the chic fashion capital that Paris is, but the District will soon adopt one fashionable transportation trend from the city of love. This spring, D.C. will launch the first state-side high-tech public bicycle sharing program, SmartBike, sponsored by Clear Channel Outdoor and the District Department of Transportation. Modeled after similar systems in Paris and other European cities, SmartBike will offer D.C. residents a convenient option for traveling shorter distances and represents a commendable commitment to pollution-free transportation.

By the April 24, 2008

Editorials

The death penalty is dead wrong

For a few sweet months this year, the U.S. stood in solidarity with every other industrialized nation in the world. That all came to an end last week when the Supreme Court ruled in Baze v. Rees that the current method of lethal injection does not violate the Eighth Amendment as a form of cruel and unusual punishment, ending the U.S.’s de facto moratorium on the death penalty that had been in place while the case was tried.

By the April 24, 2008

Voices

A Papal visit without pontification

On the first day—well, Tuesday—the Pope crossed the Atlantic, and he saw that it was good.

By April 17, 2008

Voices

It’s the end of the world and we know it, and I feel fine

I recently read a New York Times article about a new particle accelerator in Switzerland. Articles in the Science section don’t normally fill me with a sense of foreboding and doom, but this one succeeded where others failed. With the accelerator, scientists hope to recreate the “Big Bang” on a small scale in order to explain the origins of the universe. It seemed alright until I got to the paragraph which said that two men “think the giant particle accelerator that will begin smashing protons together outside Geneva this summer might produce a black hole or something else that will spell the end of the Earth—and maybe the universe.”

By April 17, 2008

Voices

Geography porn, or: How not to study abroad

My interest in studying abroad was inspired by my first visit to the Epcot World Showcase at age eight. For those of you who weren’t as lucky as I was, Epcot’s World Showcase is Disney’s take on globalization, a mini-park featuring small-scale replicas of eleven countries, centered around a beautiful lagoon. At Disney’s Epcot Center, not only is China walking distance from Belgium, but every “country” serves French fries, accepts VISA and closes at midnight. The fantasy climaxes every evening in a choreographed display of global friendship performed to inspirational music and accompanied by fireworks and lasers. This experience is the reason I thought the entire world spoke English until I was 12.

By April 17, 2008

Voices

Trying to cut down on the costly habit of parking in Georgetown

It’s 6:03. I race past St. Mary’s and down Reservoir Road. I’m stopped by the ridiculously long light on the corner of Reservoir and 37th Street. I check the street for cars as I race across the street. I continue down 37th looking for my car. There it is. Damnit, I’m only three minutes late. I curse loudly while removing the offending leaflet from my windshield—another ticket to add to the ticket wall.

By April 17, 2008

Editorials

Route leaves GU going in circles

During the never-ending parade of GAAP tours last weekend, campus tour guides extolled the virtues of going to school in Washington: internships, proximity to power and cool events in the city. Meanwhile, Georgetown’s administration had already implemented a change that will likely dissuade some students from leaving campus at all: an absurd new route for the Dupont Circle GUTS bus.

By the April 17, 2008

Editorials

For MPD, the eyes don’t have it

Can’t find your wallet? The Metropolitan Police Department and the Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency will soon know exactly where it is, even if you don’t. They’re in the beginning stages of a program to consolidate 5,200 District surveillance cameras into a single network. These cameras will infringe on the privacy of all D.C. residents.

By the April 17, 2008

Editorials

Clearing out schools with cash

For too long, the District of Columbia Public School system has failed to give Washington’s students a decent education. The appointment of new DCPS Chancellor Michelle Rhee was supposed to change that. Rhee has already proposed closing under-enrolled schools and has laid off part of the administration, all in the name of saving money and refocusing efforts. Last Thursday, Rhee announced the latest positive step in her strategy of school reform: offering buyouts for as many as 700 teachers, which will allow the District to cut costs and better serve its students.

By the April 17, 2008

Editorials

The Pope visits D.C.

As part of his first trip to America, the Pope will speak with 200 Catholic university and college presidents today. Since he arrived on Tuesday, Pope Benedict XVI met with President Bush and various Washington dignitaries, celebrated his 81st birthday and held mass at Nationals Park this morning. Prior to tonight’s discussion, at the Catholic University of America, several Georgetown papal experts speculated about what issues the Pope will address during his stay.

By April 17, 2008

Page 13 Cartoons

The refusal to veil religious freedom in the U.S.

My English friends and Dutch cousins are smart, contemporary, educated and enlightened. But over the last few years, whenever we’ve discussed the differences between how Europe and the U.S. have handled Islamic women’s veiling, I’m always somewhat shocked at how, uniformly, my enlightened “Euros” are passionately biased against the veil, saying that they wish Muslim women in Europe would be prohibited from the practice.

By April 10, 2008

Voices

Combatting homelessness and its preconceptions, one paper at a time

How many times have you walked down M Street and carefully averted your eyes, sped up or even crossed the street to avoid someone asking for change on a street corner? Trained from a young age in the philosophy of hard work and self-sufficiency, my own justifications for doing so are almost automatic—“How dare they stir up these feelings of embarrassment and discomfort? Why don’t they get a real job instead of sitting on the corner, or worse—sleeping (even though it’s known that many sleep during the day so they can stay awake at night and guard themselves and their belongings)? Won’t they just use the money for drugs or alcohol? It’s just a scam.”

By April 10, 2008

Voices

The political purgatory of abortion

Assessing my political beliefs is a simple enough task. I am a liberal and a Democrat. I believe in healthcare for the needy, in the critical need for compassionate government and true to my rust belt roots, I believe in the importance of unions. I also believe in gay rights, in the decriminalization of marijuana, the importance of sex education and making birth control available. I am a feminist, and will accept all the bra-burning connotations that come along with that.

By April 10, 2008

Voices

Shattering the myths of recycling on campus

Some people say it with a hint of boastful pride. “Me? No, I never recycle!”

By April 10, 2008

Editorials

GU’s no college of cardinal sins

Another event on the Pope’s schedule is of even greater interest to Georgetown students, Catholic or not: his meeting with the presidents of Catholic universities. While he may be coming to chastise, the Pope could learn from our model of Catholic education.

By the April 10, 2008

Editorials

A prescription for drug disaster

If an Ohio District Court rules in favor of Johnson & Johnson in an upcoming case, it will set the precedent that drug companies are no longer responsible for their medicines’ unadvertised side effects. This legal shield would let drug companies literally get away with murder.

By the April 10, 2008

Editorials

A housing crisis D.C. might solve

Last week, Mayor Adrian Fenty proposed one of the first tactics in his homelessness reduction strategy: the construction of an apartment building to house 400 of the city’s chronically homeless. Unfortunately, the building’s site was originally intended for a homeless shelter. The plan is a bold and commendable move to protect Washington’s most vulnerable citizens, but the Mayor should keep the city’s shelters running until his permanent housing initiative proves successful at reducing homelessness.

By the April 10, 2008

Voices

Pushing papers all around campus

Seeing that The Fire This Time’s latest edition had come out gave me a strange thrill.

By April 3, 2008

Editorials

NCAA fouls out on game tickets

Davidson College students had two reasons to smile during their Elite Eight game: their team had come out of nowhere to beat Georgetown and Wisconsin, and their trip to Detroit was free because Davidson’s administration paid for game tickets, transportation and lodging for students who wanted to go to the game. While Georgetown’s precarious financial state makes such a cushy arrangement unlikely, Davidson has the right idea: giving college basketball back to college students. This is something the NCAA, with its restrictive ticket policy, seems loath to do.

By the April 3, 2008