Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

Oh Columbus Day, Columbus Day, why do you exist?

When I first saw Columbus Day on the Registrar’s calendar as a freshman last year, I was amused to find that we had the day off. For many students in this country, Columbus Day is just a novelty, and many states and school districts have never used it as an excuse to cancel school. Students, however, really shouldn’t just dismiss Columbus Day out of hand.

By October 7, 2010

Voices

Silencing a mute: RJC ends, student rights stay the same

As a second-year member of the Residential Judicial Council, I could not be happier with the Office of Residential Life’s recent decision to suspend and restructure the council during the 2010-11 academic year. Some students have complained that they have lost a voice in the University’s judicial process, but the truth is they never really had one in the first place.

By October 7, 2010

Voices

Corporal punishment, my daily dose of café-au-hell

The Corp is the single worst organization at Georgetown University. It operates in a fantasy land where bad business practices can still yield a profit, where employees face virtually no risk of being fired short of stealing from the company, where employers provide rivers of free alcohol, and where customers continue to patronize businesses that provide terrible service and sell goods at inflated prices.

By October 7, 2010

Voices

Carrying On: Some like it flat

About a month ago, in an orientation speech for my study abroad program in Copenhagen, a Danish government official explained to my fellow Americans and me how expensive it would be for us to live in Denmark. Thanks to an unfortunate exchange rate, it costs about 5.5 kroner to purchase $1 dollar. Here, a cheap cup of coffee costs about 22 kroner. Smirking, the speaker said, “Don’t blame us—blame your parents.

By October 7, 2010

Editorials

GU finds just enough rope to hang themselves

The University’s false announcement last Thursday that a noose had been found in the basement of Healy Hall was foolish and careless. Administrators were rash in announcing that a troubling crime had occurred on campus before they knew the facts of the case. But just as troubling was how the administrators responded to what they believed was yet another hate crime on campus.

By the October 6, 2010

Editorials

Low voter turnout signals loss of faith in GUSA

Last week’s Georgetown University Student Association Senate elections were a disappointment. With just 1,006 students voting, this year’s senate elections had a 14 percent voter turnout. Only eight out of the 20 elections were contested. Three of the candidates who ran unchallenged didn’t even win with a majority of votes—more people voted for write-in candidates.

By the October 6, 2010

Editorials

RJC receives suspension, possible work hours

The Residential Judicial Council was created as a way for students encourage their peers to uphold community standards. However, for the past decade, the council has been a weak and poorly publicized disciplinary body adjudicating only the Code of Conduct violations that hall directors chose to forward to it. When it returns next year, the council should be independent of hall directors and have a broader purview.

By the October 6, 2010

Voices

Scoring a goal: African citizens beaming with pride

“When I get older, I will be stronger, they’ll call me freedom, just like a waving flag! And then it goes back, and then it goes back, and then it goes back, oh!” This summer little kids ran through the streets and waved their Ghanaian flag to the rhythm of that K’naan song whenever Ghana, or any African country, was playing in the World Cup, which was unique in how successful it was in bringing people together.

By September 30, 2010

Voices

OCSL and SNAP stuck in logistical and ideological snafu

Life on the Village A rooftops last year was a good time. Every weekend, the parties made the week worth wading through. I figured it was only going to get better when my friends and I decided to move into an off-campus townhouse for our senior year. Unfortunately, that is not exactly what happened. In reality, leaving campus doesn’t actually mean you’re free from Big Brother’s scrutiny.

By September 30, 2010

Voices

Congress is our name and procrastination is our game

I love American politics. I love it because it mirrors the way I think and live as a typical college student. Congressmen and college students alike sit in large lecture rooms and ignore what the speaker is saying. Both Congressmen and college students fail to complete crucial readings, forcing themselves to bullshit their way through the relevant sessions.

By September 30, 2010

Voices

Carrying On: Stars unaligned for GU Observatory

Every time I tell people I’m the President of Georgetown’s Astronomical Society, two things happen. First, they laugh. Then, they ask me if I can give them a tour of Georgetown’s Heyden Observatory. The observatory never fails to intrigue people, but this universal fascination makes the current state of the observatory all the more pitiful.

By September 30, 2010

Editorials

Bed bugs at GU: Insects of mass destruction

It was only a matter of time before bedbugs came to Georgetown. If Georgetown wants to stop further infestations, it must communicate with students effectively and spare no expense in treating the few infested areas on campus.Otherwise a few isolated cases can quickly spread to become a campus-wide problem.

By the September 30, 2010

Editorials

Soda Tax a sweet deal for District residents

Government revenue has to come from somewhere, so it is valuable when the government can levy taxes that have societal benefits, too. So as the local government faces an increasingly dire fiscal situation, the District of Columbia’s policymakers made a sound decision in turning to an unconventional tax on sugary drinks for spare change.

By the September 30, 2010

Editorials

Appalachia Rising to stop surface coal mining

This weekend, more than 700 Appalachian residents, retired coal miners, and students held a three-day conference at Georgetown to protest the practice of mountaintop coal removal. The group, Appalachia Rising, unites residents from West Virginia, Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee, states whose streams and mountains have been negatively affected by this harmful mining practice.

By the September 30, 2010

Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor – 9.23.2010

In the Voice’s Sept. 16 article “On the Record: Álvaro Uribe,” the former President of Colombia said that I am “completely wrong” for suggesting that he has shown contempt for... Read more

By September 23, 2010

Voices

Fellow Hoyas, you have the right to remain silent

It’s been a long week and you’re at a friend’s townhouse, apartment, or dorm room. Music is playing loudly, conversation is even louder, and people are imbibing. Suddenly, three loud bangs on the door. Then, silence. Someone rushes to turn off the music.

By September 23, 2010

Voices

ESPN’s bias boosts Northeast, bullies the rest

With the San Diego Padres vying for the lead in baseball’s tightest division contest, every game is a big deal. And since I’m away from home, I have to rely on national broadcasting, largely ESPN, for any coverage of the team that I’ve loved since childhood. But there’s a problem.

By September 23, 2010

Voices

Logophile gives cruciverbialism a try, and she likes it

Crosswords are a dying art. There are some word puzzle enthusiasts at schools like Georgetown, but the truth is, this classic time-waster simply doesn’t get the kind of attention it used to, thanks to the vast catalog of computer and video games we can procrastinate with instead.

By September 23, 2010

Voices

Carrying On: GU should prioritize poverty studies

In 1919, Georgetown recognized the United States’s rapidly expanding role in global affairs and established the SFS to train young diplomats. Predating the establishment of the U.S. Foreign Service by six years, the SFS has arguably become Georgetown’s most prestigious institution, and its alumni have affected the course of history.

By September 23, 2010

Editorials

Leo’s changes, like its food, are hard to swallow

Complaining about Leo’s is a Georgetown tradition, and not without good reason. The management of the University’s dining hall and meal system needs change. Unfortunately, the changes that have been made to Leo’s this fall were a step in the wrong direction. Over the summer, the dining hall was rearranged and restructured. The upstairs salad and fruit bar as well as the “weekly wrap” disappeared, and bagels and muffins vanished from Late Night.

By the September 23, 2010