Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

Butter has made us fat

In the end, we lamented that we hadn’t just gone to some boring Georgetown party with a boring keg of Rolling Rock and boring plastic cups, where we would have talked to some boring companions. Instead, we got just what we had wished for. One Wednesday evening, my friend Sean Kulkarni entered the New South restroom to wash his hands before dinner.

By the February 28, 2002

Editorials

Equal-opportunity speech

Red Square, Georgetown’s designated free-speech zone, was the center of controversy Friday when two groups of Georgetown students staked out the area. One group chalked up Red Square and posted flyers reading, among other things, “There are Gay Hoyas, too” and “There are Lesbian Hoyas, too.

By the February 28, 2002

Editorials

Every career fair counts

Last Wednesday night, Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez indefinitely postponed a progressive career fair that was scheduled to take place the following day in the Leavey Program Room. The Student Activities Commission-approved fair was organized by GU Pride and H*yas for Choice, a group not recognized by the University, and was to feature organizations such as Catholics for Free Choice, Amnesty International and Choice USA.

By the February 28, 2002

Editorials

Big Brother’s back again

In addition to those currently in use on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, the Metropolitan Police Department has introduced even more security cameras across the city that threaten the rights of District residents. The new Joint Operations Command Center brings together video feeds from the newly-installed and the existing cameras to form the largest network of video surveillance cameras in the United States.

By the February 28, 2002

Voices

An illusory love

I find it unfortunate that in recent issues of this Catholic university’s newsmagazine, the only pieces dealing with Catholic issues have shallowly criticized its teachings. Catholicism has a tremendous amount of truth, peace and splendor to offer. Before going any further, I hope it is not presumptuous to assume that the students and professors that come to study and teach at this Catholic institution of higher education do so voluntarily, much like the adherents of Catholicism freely choose to practice that religion.

By the February 28, 2002

Editorials

Out with the old, in with the new

The Voice traditionally evaluates the performance of the outgoing Georgetown University Student Association executives by comparing their original campaign goals with their actual accomplishments. For former GUSA President Ryan DuBose (CAS ‘02) and former Vice President Brian Walsh (CAS ‘02), however, this kind of comparison would not provide a completely fair assessment of their administration.

By the February 21, 2002

Voices

Eyewitness to persecution

The Chinese government, under the direction of Jiang Zemin, has been persecuting Falung Gong for over two and a half years. Falun Gong practitioners in China are beaten, tortured, raped and slandered by a massive propaganda campaign for following a spiritual practice.

By the February 21, 2002

Voices

Letter to the editor

Ian Bourland’s cynical criticism of the Feb. 9th Cherry Tree festival (“Cherry Tree benefits from ringers,” Feb. 14) relies heavily on faults that are, upon further inspection, hardly faults at all. The annual a capella concert is indeed hosted by the Georgetown Chimes, a group that does, admittedly, have a unique style and repertoire.

By the February 21, 2002

Voices

When tradition and justice clash

As a member of both the Catholic and gay communities, the recent decision announced by Vice President of Student Affairs Juan Gonzales rejecting a center for gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender students has left me perplexed. Learning under the Jesuits since my high school years, I have developed a great admiration for their philosophy and their principles.

By the February 21, 2002

Voices

The law book you’ve always wanted

So I’ve applied to law school. Actually, I’ve already applied to a few?more than two, fewer than 50. All I have to do now is wait.

And wait. And wait. The books say that waiting is the easy part. They’re wrong. Do you see people ever throwing, “I’ve been waiting three months for law school acceptance letters, and, man, this wait just keeps getting better!” parties? If it’s so fun, why don’t we switch places? They can wait; I’ll decide who gets in.

By the February 21, 2002

Editorials

Winning ugly

In an 11th hour effort to sink The Yard referendum, members of the Georgetown University Student Association convened late Sunday night to draft and send out e-mails to students condemning the attempts to create a new undergraduate governing body. The various e-mails, which went out to almost every student University-wide, all used varying language but contained the same message: Don’t vote for the Yard.

By the February 14, 2002

Voices

Finding a way forward

I prayed the other night.

I was lying in bed when it occurred to me how incredibly lucky I am to have a family, a group of friends and a campus community who care about and respect me in my entirety?and could care less if I like guys or girls. So I thanked God for that.

By the February 14, 2002

Editorials

Two pages too little

Following several months of discussion between students and administrators, Vice President for Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez rejected the proposal to create a gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender resource center. Gonzalez, who had remained silent for weeks on the issue, issued a formal written response to GLBT committee members last Tuesday.

By the February 14, 2002

Voices

Te presento mi coochie snorcher

Just off the elevator on the third floor of Leavey, I picked up the audition material for The Vagina Monologues. I took my place amidst a dozen or so girls (women) waiting to be called in and turned my attention to the script. I got to word six. Then I stopped.

By the February 14, 2002

Voices

Sweet as citronella

There was a time in my life when the autumnal shades of melancholia seemed to settle upon my cognizance as if they were the brittle leaves that that sensuous season litters upon the sidewalks and streets of our homes, neighborhoods and parks; and if the degree to which the melancholia weighed upon my mind is at all in proportion to a quantity of those shed leaves, then I would place this cerebral organ in a rich birch forest in the deepest woods of New England (my salutations to the ancestral home of the American fall) in late August, when the winds begin to carry a touch of venom, and the sun grows bashful, subjecting itself to public scrutiny for increasingly shorter and shorter periods of time.

By the February 14, 2002

Voices

Canadian lit. 101

A friend of mine called the other day, just to chat. We talked and gossiped for a while. Then she said, “Well, Jen, the real reason I called is because I was reorganizing my father’s bookshelves this morning, and I realized that when you write a book, I won’t know where to file it.

By the February 14, 2002

Voices

Like a prayer

I prayed the other night.

I was just lying in bed, feeling pretty good, and suddenly I found myself saying the “Hail Mary” in my mind. I’m not sure why. I wasn’t looking for a favor.

Praying might be the kind of thing that some people do all the time, but God and I haven’t been on speaking terms in a few years.

By the February 7, 2002

Editorials

Vote Bridges/Ayer on Feb.11

Students need effective leaders for the Georgetown University Student Association—ones who don’t just promise change, but who can advocate and deliver tangible results. Our most effective advocates next year would be Kaydee Bridges (SFS ‘03) and Mason Ayer (SFS ‘03).

By the February 7, 2002

Voices

Declaring a major

The last time I spoke with Professor Lepgold was about two weeks before Thanksgiving.

It was just around the time that pre-registration was due and I had just gotten an e-mail reminding School of Foreign Service upperclassmen that they needed to have their faculty mentor sign their meeting confirmation slip or they would not be allowed to pre-register.

By the February 7, 2002

Editorials

Don’t play in The Yard

Students will vote Monday for a new student government, the Yard. We cannot endorse it for three reasons.

In the proposed Yard Commons, club leaders would be required to organize themselves into nine clusters, and each cluster would send a representative to the Council.

By the February 7, 2002