Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.



Voices

Judge Judy day camp

Halfway through my summer job as a camp counselor for kids between ages 7 and 10, I threw fairness out the window and began acting like Judge Judy: assume both parties are lying and rule against both.

Editorials

Penn who? We’re so hot right now

Money can’t buy us love, but it could buy Georgetown a better U.S. News and World Report ranking. Since 1983, the magazine has published a list of the country’s “best” colleges, fueling college-application fervor nationwide. This month, U.S. News ranked Georgetown 23rd for the second straight year. Whether or not Hoyas admit it, most are dissatisfied with that number. When it comes to college rankings, a school’s financial resources play a big part.But because Georgetown’s endowment and alumni giving trail behind those of other schools, the University lags unfairly behind in the rankings.

Voices

Lost (and injured) in Translation

My plane landed in Tokyo and I was filled with excitement to be in a foreign country for the first time. My previous summer vacations had been limited to Florida and the continental U.S. Almost completely out of the blue, I purchased a ticket to Japan to visit a friend living there, simply for the experience of seeing Japan. Regardless of the fact that I spoke absolutely no Japanese, and knew little about Japanese culture, I felt prepared for my trip—I wasn’t.

Editorials

The greening of the District

Most Georgetown students—and for that matter, many District residents—recognized Earth Day two weeks ago as little more than a chance to snag a free cone at Ben and Jerry’s. But a few hundred miles north of us, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has taken a major step towards making New York environmentally friendly by unveiling a set of new policies that could cut the city’s greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent. Mayor Adrian Fenty should follow his example and develop a concrete long-term plan for reducing D.C.’s negative impact on the environment.

Editorials

Good night, Martha, and good luck

The richness of life on Georgetown’s campus is drawn from its civil society—the clubs and organizations who hold events and speeches, throw parties, raise money and awareness and, yes, publish newspapers. These organizations are our passions, and no one is more passionate about them than Martha Swanson, the outgoing Director of Student Programs.

Voices

A life seen through the lens

Photographs are the standard against which we can measure our eroding memories.

Editorials

Time for the Smithsonian to rebound

Things over at the Smithsonian are about to get a little bit pricier. The Institute has just announced that it will charge visitors five dollars to enter a section of a special butterfly exhibit. This is only the most recent misstep by a prestigious institute recently marred by scandal, most significantly the resignation of its former Secretary, Lawrence Smalls. Instead of changing its commendable and longstanding policy of free admission, the Smithsonian should use this moment to start anew and regain its past reputation as one of D.C.’s most amazing resources, open to all.

Voices

Marking the miles along the road

If I have noticed anything in people, it is that they tend to use relationships and love interests as milestones and reference points when they speak about their pasts.

Voices

Struggling to truly forgive Cho

I hated everything about Seung-Hui Cho, and I finally realized that hatred is what got us here in the first place.

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Rei should not have said what he said; it was insensitive and careless. But it is absurd to suggest that he poses any threat to the students at this school, and we hope he will return next year to a campus that welcomes him home.

Editorials

Students serving students

Last weekend, a Georgetown student reported his roommate to CAPS after he made a threatening remark referring to the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Voices

A lack of Sports Information

What makes a good story? Access.

Editorials

Having ‘the talk’ with Georgetown

Georgetown, why don’t you come sit down for a minute.

Voices

This Georgetown Life: Later, Lassie

This Georgetown Life is a collection of stories by Georgetown students all based on the same theme. We’ll be right back with a cute lil’ David Sedaris story.

Editorials

Helping hemp-growers get jobs

It’s the time of the year when seniors are oft-greeted with the dreaded question: So, what are your plans after graduation?

Voices

Carrying on: NAA: News Addicts Anonymous

Hi. My name is Michael and I’m a news addict.

Voices

Her Adam’s apple gave it away

If I have to suffer through a 14-hour bus ride, I’m willing to talk to whomever fate places in the neighboring seat. When my partner on the ride south from Bangkok happened to be a Thai girl, I was prepared to combat any language barrier that might stand between us. At least I could fill the stale air with my own voice.

Voices

Attention men: will date for food

It started last summer, when I was living in LXR sans meal-plan. My plan to take the GUTS bus to Safeway and cook my own food evaporated the moment I walked into Statistics with Exploratory Data Analysis. From that cursed day on, every spare moment was devoted to plotting regressions while murmuring, “O please dear God, Jesus, Allah, help me not to fail this class,” leaving me no time for my grand culinary plan. For about a week, my diet consisted primarily of microwave popcorn and the occasional Hershey’s bar from the first-floor vending machine.

Editorials

Remembering 33 students

Around midday on Monday, students in the ICC began to overhear trickles of news reports from people who had checked their e-mail or caught CNN.

Voices

Ballin’ on a budget at G’town

April is the cruelest month. Just ask anyone rushing to finish those tax forms. While university undergrads are spared the brunt of this burden (possibly the best perk of not having any real career to speak of), April brings its own annoyance to many of us in the collegiate crowd: it’s when Georgetown wants those financial aid forms.