Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.



Editorials

Give us a medical explanation

University President John J. DeGioia’s creation of a new executive position in the Medical Center raises several concerns about his decision-making process. DeGioia, who announced his intention to appoint current Executive Vice President Sam Wiesel to the post, has failed to clearly define the responsibilities of the new position and to address faculty concerns about it.

Editorials

Show me the money?please

Georgetown’s undergraduate tuition for the 2001-2002 academic year increased five percent from the previous year?from $23,952 in 2000-2001 to $25,152 this year. Compared to past tuition hikes, this most recent increase is not an outrageous or even out-of-the ordinary one.

Editorials

A lighter way to travel

The federal government has given the District $750,000 in research money to explore the idea of reintroducing light rail transportation into the city. Proponents, who include Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), say that light rail would be an effective alternative to the city’s current bus and Metro systems.

Voices

Idle days in Richmond

Austin Powers: “Two things scare me. One is nuclear war.”

Basil Exposition: “What’s the other?”

Austin Powers: “Excuse me?”

Basil Exposition: “What’s the other thing that scares you?”

Austin Powers: “Carnies. Circus folk. Nomads, you know. Smell like cabbage.

Voices

A new message …

“Writing an article ? “

I just put that away message up.

“Writing an article ? “

That should get a huge response. I mean, the brilliance of it, the sheer splendor of the wit. It’s amazing. It really is. Writing an article ?

It’s got that simplistic beauty to it.

Voices

The gambler

“Writing an article ? “

I just put that away message up.

“Writing an article ? “

That should get a huge response. I mean, the brilliance of it, the sheer splendor of the wit. It’s amazing. It really is. Writing an article ?

It’s got that simplistic beauty to it.

Voices

The smallpox threat

For centuries, the smallpox virus remained one of the most dreaded and deadly diseases to plague mankind. It is a virus that infected and killed the most privileged in society, such as King Louis XV of France, as well as the poorest populations around the globe.

Editorials

One war’s enough

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) stressed in his speech Monday in Gaston Hall that the war on terrorism “will not be over until Saddam Hussein is removed from power.”

Lieberman reminded audience members that Saddam already “has the means?chemical and biological weapons that he hasn’t hesitated to use .

Editorials

Ethics for Life

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) stressed in his speech Monday in Gaston Hall that the war on terrorism “will not be over until Saddam Hussein is removed from power.”

Lieberman reminded audience members that Saddam already “has the means?chemical and biological weapons that he hasn’t hesitated to use .

Editorials

Plagiarism.com

The University announced last week that it will be introducing anti-plagiarism computer software from Turnitin.com. This new software is designed to aid professors in identifying student papers that have been copied or substantially paraphrased from online sources.

Voices

A different holiday homecoming

I think I realized I had changed somewhere outside of Dallas, speeding towards Kansas City about 30,000 feet above the earth. As I sat wedged between a nicely-dressed businessman and a college student from George Washington University, I attempted to sleep but could not avoid overhearing their conversation about this student’s first semester away from home.

Editorials

Voting rights for all

This past March, Senator Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.) and Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) introduced the No Taxation Without Representation Act 2001 in the Senate and the House of Representatives. The bill is designed to gain voting representation for the District of Columbia.

Editorials

We’re watching you?too closely

Over winter break, Big Brother came to Georgetown. After years of discussion between business groups and the Metropolitan Police Department, the first of at least five video surveillance cameras which will be located in the area will be placed on the corner of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue, N.

Editorials

Time to zone out

District taxicab drivers are firmly opposed to Mayor Anthony Williams’ new proposal that would replace the current zone system for calculating fares with a meter system, which is used in other major cities such as New York and Chicago.

Representatives from the D.

Voices

Tommy Girl

I swore off Tommy Girl because the scent caused me great humiliation?romantic humiliation?my sophomore year of high school. It was during the last 10 minutes of a varsity basketball game at my school when the embarrassing incident took place. Knowing that my Romantic Interest had left the gym for a Sprite, I made the stragetic decision to walk across the gym floor, towards the girls’ bathroom?the intersection was precise.

Voices

A dangerous train of thought

I saw them as soon as I sat down. They were just one row in front of me and across the aisle. South Asian, maybe? Pakistani? They spoke in hushed voices in a language I couldn’t readily identify. What I could hear of their whispers didn’t sound like Arabic but might have been Pashto or Dari or Urdu.

Voices

A funny thing happened during finals

Maybe it’s a trite opening, but I’m going to use it anyway. I had an interesting week.

It started last year (OK, so it was in 2001, but I figure it’s a more exciting intro if I say last year?gives it that sort of historical flavor).

I had been dating a girl from Duke, whom I’d met while interning at the State Department over the summer.

Editorials

Gonzalez: take a stand on GLBT

On Nov. 14, a group of students met with Vice President of Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez and presented him with a preliminary proposal for the creation of an on-campus resource center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students. The report included statistics reflecting the problems sexual minorities face as well as information that pointed out that, historically, Catholic Church teachings are not imcompatible with sexual orientation.

Editorials

Affirmative un-action

The current legal challenge to the University of Michigan’s affirmative action policy should force Georgetown to re-evaluate its own murky and unclear policy. Consider what Jamie Briseno, senior associate dean of admissions, said about the School of Foreign Service: “To the extent that the dean’s office .

Editorials

AIDS demands more attention

Despite educational measures, the HIV-AIDS crisis continues to grow. Infection rates for many population groups in the United States are still on the rise. According to a comprehensive study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this summer, HIV infection rates are close to their highest levels ever, particularly for the population between the ages of 18 and 24.