Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

Double assault: Losing the battle on rape in the military

The highly publicized The Invisible War, a nominee for Best Documentary Feature for the 85th Academy Awards, is making citizens and military personnel alike painfully aware of the extent of male and female sexual assault in all branches of the military.

By February 13, 2013

Voices

Historic papal resignation opens path to modernity

When Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation I was surprised, to say the least. As most people are aware, the papacy is a modern-day monarchy with its leaders ruling for life.

By February 13, 2013

Voices

99 bottles of beer in Tombs; Carrying on

On Saturday night, I made the bold decision to sign up for the 99 Days Club. Initially, I was not entirely sure why I did it. I might as well have gone up to the bartender and written a check for a few hundred dollars and it would have been the equivalent.

By February 13, 2013

Voices

Dixie vilifiers not ready to make nice with the South

Growing up in a semi-rural town near Richmond, Va., I was constantly bombarded by everything country, from country music on school buses to Confederate flags on every Southern pride shirt.

By February 13, 2013

Editorials

GUSA candidates have a legacy to live up to

Today the tickets for the presidency and vice presidency of the Georgetown University Student Association announced their candidacies and released their platforms. While the Voice Editorial Board will provide an official endorsement before the Feb. 20 presidential elections, we feel it is important to state our priorities prior to selecting the most competent ticket.

By the February 7, 2013

Editorials

Mayor Gray envisions a bigger, better D.C.

This Tuesday District Mayor Vincent Gray addressed city residents in his annual State of the District address. In a speech riddled with sports metaphors, Gray outlined the many successes of his two-year administration and announced his plans for the improvement of this “big-league city.”

By the February 7, 2013

Editorials

A satisfying compromise on contraception

In a meaningful act of compromise last Friday, the Obama administration expanded the number of religiously-affiliated organisations exempt from the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive mandate. Originally the mandate only exempted houses of worship from the act’s requirement for the provision of contraceptive coverage in employee health plans.

By the February 7, 2013

Voices

Lacking in documents, not lacking in American pride

On Monday, Jan. 28 a bipartisan group of senators held a press conference to reveal their plan for comprehensive immigration reform. The key points of their five page plan include... Read more

By February 6, 2013

Voices

A frank portrait of anorexia; carrying on

Those in the medical community will tell you that anorexia nervosa is characterized by depression, a negative self-image, and appearing underweight. I can tell you that there is a paralyzing... Read more

By February 6, 2013

Voices

Part-time professors deserve their full-time rights

Our education shapes us. What we learn and how we learn determines who we are and how we think. And while books, newspapers, and the internet are important sources of... Read more

By February 6, 2013

Voices

“Defenders of the Faith” betray Islamic history in Timbuktu

Around 10 days ago, jihadists of Ansar Dine “Defenders of the Faith” fled from a remote yet remarkable city in West Africa, leaving a smoldering and spiteful legacy in their... Read more

By February 6, 2013

Editorials

MPD’s sexual assault record condemned

According to a report published by Human Rights Watch last week, sexual assault survivors cannot expect anything more than skepticism, dismissal, and victim-blaming when reporting an assault to the District’s Metropolitan Police Department. The report clearly exposes MPD’s mistreatment of survivors as well as their mishandling of sexual assault cases.

By the January 31, 2013

Editorials

Non-English speakers face discrimination

This past week, the all-Republican Board of Commissioners in Carroll County, Md. voted unanimously to make English the official language of government business. The ordinance follows in the footsteps of Frederick County and Queen Anne’s County, making Carroll the third county in Maryland to declare an official language.

By the January 31, 2013

Editorials

DoD’s women in combat decision inadequate

In an announcement last Thursday, outgoing Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta declared that the Pentagon will lift its official ban on women in combat that has been in place since 1994. According to the Department of Defense, this means that the approximately 237,000 positions which women were previously barred from holding will be going under review.

By the January 31, 2013

Voices

Carrying On: In search of lost experience

What I am about to say may shock you and shake your morality down to its very core, so brace yourself: We, as members of the Georgetown student body, are an extremely privileged bunch. I’m not talking about the privilege they hammer into our heads from day one, the kind addressed in the convocation speech.

By January 31, 2013

Voices

In the developing world, contraceptives save lives

I used to consider myself “transiently pro-choice,” mainly because I didn’t know enough about the issue to restrict anyone’s rights, but I certainly wasn’t comfortable with abortion. Then things started to change as I came to college and, through my studies, came to some startling realizations about women’s health.

By January 31, 2013

Voices

Evading etymology eschews the excitement of English

During Senior Disorientation 2.0 the other weekend, I found myself at McFadden’s. As I sipped a rail drink in the roped off, Georgetown-only section of D.C.’s “douchiest” bar, I wondered if my roommates might accompany me to the main area to be among the “hoi polloi,” as I jokingly put it. “The what?” one shot back. While I explained the meaning of the phrase (Greek for “the many” or “the masses”), I was aware that this type of interaction had happened before.

By January 31, 2013

Voices

Scandalous Italian politics must become a thing of the past

We Italians studying in the U.S. are emigrants who have left our country with no fixed date of return. We left looking for a better education and a fresh outlook on life. Unavoidably though, the heart still pounds to the beat of the noise of scooters in the street, the smell of good coffee, and the warmth of our customs. We are not nationalists—we are cultural patriots. Yet, we will probably not be able to vote in the 2013 Italian general election, which will take place starting on Feb. 24, after a dramatic decade of poor administrations and economic stagnation.

By January 31, 2013

Editorials

Divest from fossil fuels to preserve values

Yesterday, a group of students presented a letter to President DeGioia asking the University to freeze all new investments in fossil fuels and divest from current holdings within the next five years. The students, known as GU Fossil Free, also demand that Georgetown increase transparency and accountability in the investment process.

By the January 24, 2013

Editorials

License plates highlight statehood struggle

Two weeks ago, Obama finally announced his decision to use the District’s “taxation without representation” license plates on the presidential limousines in time for last Monday’s inauguration. Although it is a small act, the President’s use of the politically significant plates is a meaningful step forward in the struggle for D.C. statehood.

By the January 24, 2013