Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

Carrying On: Believing in disbelief

Last semester, I found myself surrounded by waves of nonbelievers at the Reason Rally, a forum for secular thought held at the National Mall. As the virulent freethinkers indulged themselves... Read more

By September 5, 2012

Editorials

Capitol Hemp raid indicates drug policy flaws

On Oct. 26, 2011, Capitol Hemp, one of D.C.’s best-known vendors of industrial hemp products, buckled in its legal battle with the District, leading to its closure effective Sep. 7... Read more

By the August 30, 2012

Editorials

Bag tax study ignores environmental benefits

Americans for Tax Reform recently commissioned a study on the now-two-year-old D.C. bag tax. The verdict: an utter failure with extensive economic consequences. These conclusions ignore the intent of the... Read more

By the August 30, 2012

Editorials

Court opinion ignores Clean Air precedent

On Aug. 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit threw out one of the Obama administration’s landmark environmental regulations. In a 2-1 opinion, the court... Read more

By the August 30, 2012

Voices

The hair-raising tale of a razor-averse Hoya woman

During recent years, I’ve been called many things.  I’ve been called a boy, a dirty hippie, a hairy mountain woman, a bearded lady, and, most affectionately by my parents, a... Read more

By August 30, 2012

Voices

Confessions of a library junkie: I just can’t get enough

On a whim this summer, I bought the newest Game of Thrones book. 35 dollars later, I was sitting in my apartment staring at the cover and debating how to... Read more

By August 30, 2012

Voices

Poverty is everywhere, except on the campaign trail

American elections suffer from a number of sad realities, but few are as disheartening as the absence of poverty from the mainstream political discourse. For how little the two main... Read more

By August 30, 2012

Voices

Study Abroad in Dupont

It’s strange coming back to a place I’ve called “home” for the past two years, only to feel like a freshman all over again. I don’t know or recognize anyone... Read more

By August 30, 2012

Voices

New South, old memories

Due to a slight Housing Office mix-up, when I arrived on campus for early move-in a few days ago I was informed that my apartment was not quite ready, and... Read more

By August 24, 2012

Voices

Pre-med devotee adjusts to life after organic chemistry

This summer was the worst of my life. No one I know died, I didn’t contract the Black Death, and America kicked ass at the Olympics, but something far worse... Read more

By August 24, 2012

Voices

Where are the jobs? Ask the Republican legislatures

If you want to find the single biggest drag on job growth in the United States, don’t look to the president. Don’t look to Congress, or at least not directly.... Read more

By August 24, 2012

Editorials

New DPS chief should change safety priorities

Earlier this summer, Jay Gruber replaced Rocco DelMonaco as Georgetown’s newest Department of Public Safety chief. Gruber has been nationally recognized for his proficiency in emergency management and communication on... Read more

By the August 24, 2012

Editorials

Corporate donation petition overly scrutinized

The D.C. Board of Elections is throwing out almost one-third of the signatures collected by the D.C. Committee to Restore Public Trust in favor of a ballot initiative that, if... Read more

By the August 24, 2012

Editorials

Public schools more deserving of city funding

It’s back to school time in the District, and that means charter school advocates are again clamoring for more money. As they see it, charters are relegated to a second-class... Read more

By the August 24, 2012

Voices

Hunger Games obsession helps ease post-graduation fears

Sophomore year is coming to an end, and the dreaded slump has set in. Combined with the recent streak of bad weather, this has lead to a complete and utter lack of desire to do anything. I’ve found other ways to occupy my time, like thinking about how I’m pursuing a degree that, especially in these tough economic times, isn’t exactly practical—it’s sometimes pretty difficult to see how the skills the SFS has taught me can translate into a career. Still, one cannot spend hours dwelling on insecurities without going insane, so I have turned to my favorite fictional world for solace—Panem.

By April 26, 2012

Voices

Religious plurality at Georgetown inspires contemplation

At Georgetown, religion is everywhere. And for me, whose only religious experience pre-college was a third-grade Christmas gift exchange in which I gave a teacher a Barbie I didn’t like, a Jesuit university was quite the jump. And while my Catholic friends here might remind me that this is “barely Catholic” in comparison to their private high schools, I feel the strength of faith everywhere I go.

By April 26, 2012

Voices

Carrying On: Down, but never out

It’s an all too common conversation opener at NSO: “Well, my dad’s from Singapore, my mom is French and Japanese, but I grew up in South Africa and then went to high school in New York City…” In these situations, quite a few Georgetown students can rattle off impressive and exotic responses about their own backgrounds, very often in several languages. I’m not one of them. After the cosmopolitan Hoya has recited a laundry list of enviable places of origin, it’s my turn to declare that I hail from Michigan—more specifically, from the Detroit area. My interlocutor usually responds with something to the effect of, “Ouch,” or “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

By April 26, 2012

Voices

Gay-dar culture doesn’t encompass range of sexuality

About 16 months ago, Michael, my best friend since age six, told me that he was gay. He knew I had no problem with gay people in the abstract, but he also knew that I, 16 years old and from Georgia, had scarcely interacted with anyone of alternate sexual orientations. Nothing changed; Michael is still my best friend. What troubled me, however, were the stories of bigotry he experienced growing up, of which I had only been peripherally aware. Only with his reminder did I realize just how liberally the word “faggot” was used all throughout elementary and middle school. In eighth grade, our health teacher basically told us that LSD would turn you gay, as it would make you suddenly want to make out with other men. The class responded with the requisite disgust and mutterings of “so gross,” thoroughly alienating the kids who might actually be attracted to the same sex.

By April 26, 2012

Editorials

Conscious consumerism proves detrimental

Last Sunday marked Earth Day, an occasion meant to raise awareness of environmental issues. The holiday usually produces a number of environmental rallies, film screenings, recycling raids, and other eco-friendly... Read more

By the April 26, 2012

Editorials

Relay for Life not the most worthwhile charity

On April 20, a crowd of 1,732 students, staff, and cancer survivors gathered on Multi-Sport Field to celebrate Georgetown’s 2012 Relay for Life, the primary fundraising arm for the American... Read more

By the April 26, 2012