Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Editorials

Gun control bills founder on student security

Last Thursday, Maryland’s legislature successfully passed one of the nation’s strictest gun control bills. When it is signed into law in the coming weeks, it will be an encouraging sequel to a similarly tough state bill signed into law in Connecticut last Thursday and certainly, a preview for serious gun control legislation at the federal level.

By the April 11, 2013

Editorials

An inhumane immigration deal is no deal at all

It’s no secret that one of the federal government’s priorities this year is overhauling the immigration system. And rightly so—as over 200 Georgetown students who demonstrated outside the Capitol Wednesday showed, our broken system is an issue that affects border states and Latino communities as well as bastions of relative privilege like the Hilltop.

By the April 11, 2013

Voices

Pope Francis poised to add to the fabric of the Church

It has been nearly one month since the stunning announcement of the election of Pope Francis to the head of the Catholic Church, the first Jesuit and first Latin American... Read more

By April 10, 2013

Voices

Foxfield more than big Derby hats and mint juleps

For a typical steeplechase race of any significant size or importance, the focus of the day is on the horses and the results. The spring Foxfield Races, however, is not... Read more

By April 10, 2013

Editorials

Adjunct unionization efforts deserve support

In the coming weeks, Georgetown’s adjunct faculty members will vote to decide whether they should form a union. The election has been scheduled thanks to the efforts of the SEIU-Local 500, which, in conjunction with advocacy organization New Faculty Majority, has lobbied for the unionization of adjuncts in universities throughout the District.

By the April 4, 2013

Editorials

Facebook confessions reveal campus tensions

The Georgetown Confessions Facebook page has garnered a huge following in recent weeks, with 1,144 likes at the time of publication. The page allows users to submit anonymous “confessions,” which are then posted for public consumption. Far from a harmless Internet fad, Georgetown Confessions has become the latest forum for debate concerning race and class issues.

By the April 4, 2013

Editorials

The Hill protects Monsanto, undermines justice

Last Tuesday, President Obama signed HR 933 into law with little fanfare. A continuing resolution designed to provide stopgap funding to the government for the next six months, the spending bill managed to include an unjust provision that protects biotech companies in the event that their genetically engineered (GE) crops are found to be harmful.

By the April 4, 2013

Voices

SCOTUS hearing, but not listening, on same-sex marriage

Last week, the Supreme Court herd oral arguments in two gay rights cases involving Proposition 8 (which banned same-sex marriage in California) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, which... Read more

By April 3, 2013

Voices

Justices ignore historical context in aff. action cases

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear Schuette v. Michigan Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, after hearing Fisher v. University of Texas earlier this term. “Another affirmative action case?”... Read more

By April 3, 2013

Voices

NCAA culture of impunity a threat to university life

In March 2010, LaMichael James was charged with menacing, strangulation, and assault of his ex-girlfriend. In February 2011, Darrell Williams was charged with rape and sexual battery. In December 2012,... Read more

By April 3, 2013

Voices

Carrying on: Sexism in science sucks

Sitting in a large intro science class in Reiss 103 last year, I was struggling to keep my eyes open. The lights had been dimmed for the PowerPoint presentation, and... Read more

By April 3, 2013

Editorials

Unpaid internships unlawfully exploit Hoyas

The season of applying for summer internships is upon us, and with it come questions about the legality of these positions. Many will be unpaid, forcing cash-strapped students to choose between valuable work experience and making enough money to pay rent. Considering the legal, economic, and ethical status of unpaid internships, the consensus is clear: Pay your interns.

By the March 21, 2013

Editorials

District living wage legislation shows promise

This Wednesday, businesspeople and activists crowded into City Hall for the D.C. Council’s public hearing for the Large Retailer Accountability Act. This groundbreaking piece of legislation would require large retailers, or firms with stores larger than 75,000 square feet whose corporate parent rakes in profits upwards of $1 billion, to pay their D.C. workers a living wage.

By the March 21, 2013

Editorials

President disappoints on environmental front

In February, President Barack Obama forcefully declared that the U.S. government can no longer afford to ignore key environmental issues. Unfortunately, EPA insiders have made public that his administration is looking not only to delay implementing clean energy regulation, but also to reduce restrictions and allow for more lenient greenhouse gas emission standards.

By the March 21, 2013

Voices

Foreclosure a reminder that four walls do not make a home

We have to be out of our house by August 1. The word “foreclosure” sounds so foreign—it brings to mind images of credit rating agencies and the “millions of Americans”... Read more

By March 20, 2013

Voices

Transparency of social media puts rapists on the record

On Aug. 12, 2012, a 16-year-old girl named Jane Doe woke up naked in a Steubenville, Ohio basement she didn’t recognize. From what I can imagine, she felt shame and... Read more

By March 20, 2013

Voices

Angels of the desert illuminate humanity of immigrants

Walking solemnly into the courtroom on a warm Arizona day, I’m immediately confronted with the smell of sweat and the sight of 40 migrants seated in the rows to my... Read more

By March 20, 2013

Voices

Carrying on: Insecurity of the unknown

Among Georgetown seniors, the conversations tend to get a little repetitive—who did what with whom at Tombs last night, who’s going to Tombs tonight, how awesome it is to be... Read more

By March 20, 2013

Editorials

Gtown should pursue serious housing reform

On Feb. 24, GUSA passed a resolution introduced by Sen. Abigail Cooner (SFS ‘16) to increase the transparency of Housing Services' room change policy. While the bill successfully identifies an issue that continues to plague students—the lack of a clear operating procedure for filling housing vacancies—it is limited in scope and effect.

By the March 14, 2013

Editorials

Tougher stance required to prevent wage theft

Worker rights activists gathered at City Hall on Monday, March 4 in a display of support and solidarity for workers testifying about their experience with wage theft in the District. The Wage Theft Coalition presented the D.C. Council with wage claims amounting to $260,000 owed to a group of forty workers.

By the March 14, 2013