Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Editorials

Pushing campus toward green roofing

An environmentally friendly roofing method that is catching on across the nation should have Georgetown University thinking about using its many flat-topped roofs for more than parties and gravel. Green roofing, which retrofits existing roofs to support the growth of grasses and shrubs grown in sod over a waterproof membrane, carries with it serious environmental and financial benefits, making it well worth the University’s consideration.

By the September 9, 2010

Editorials

D.C. schools recieve much-needed cash

In late August, Mayor Adrian Fenty announced that the District, along with nine states, had won the second round of the Race to the Top grant competition, earning $75 million to invest in D.C.’s dismal public school system. This is a huge victory for the District’s struggling public school system, which badly needs the funds, and more proof that Fenty has capably managed education reform over the last four years.

By the September 9, 2010

Voices

Prevent sexual assault by blaming the perpetrator

When we make jokes about “The Cuddler” or suggest that girls who wear “slutty” clothing should expect sexual assault, we are telling any rapists or would-be rapists in our midst that we don’t take these crimes seriously. When we imply that victims are responsible for preventing their own assaults, we give perpetrators the green light to keep assaulting.

By September 9, 2010

Voices

American public apathetic to Afghan War brutality

This October, the United States will enter its 10th consecutive year of war in Afghanistan. When you come to terms with what this reckless and increasingly desperate military adventure really means—especially considering the 50,000 troops still stationed in Iraq and the hundreds of American military bases abroad—it is reasonable to ask whether the United States is managing an empire.

By September 9, 2010

Voices

Contemplation in action star: Ethics at Georgetown

Bradley Cooper’s (COL ’97) appearance at Georgetown was one of the liveliest and most popular on-campus speeches in recent memory. The A-list alum discussed topics ranging from college advice to underwear preferences. But one serious inquiry stood out from the otherwise light-hearted question-and-answer session.

By September 9, 2010

Voices

Carrying On: “Jai No” for this Hoya

I am a failed Indian. At least, that’s what another Indian girl clearly thought when she told me I was saying my own name wrong. “No, no—it’s pronounced ‘Sath-in-derr, not ‘Sat-in-dur.’ You have to soften the ‘t’ and roll the ‘r’ more,” she explained. There I was, a freshman sitting in my common room, seething with rage. Who the hell did she think she was, being that abbrasive when I had merely introduced myself out of politeness?

By September 9, 2010

Editorials

Blaming the victim is not good police work

Early last Sunday morning a woman was raped in her home in Burleith. The crime itself is horrifying. Unfortunately, the misleading responses issued by both Georgetown and the Metropolitan Police Department are seriously dismaying and raise questions about how both organizations treat sexual assault.

By the September 2, 2010

Editorials

SmartBike expands, DDOT spins it wheels

Over the next two weeks, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation will extend and rebrand SmartBike, the local bike sharing pilot program. Dubbed “Capital Bikeshare,” the new program may improve bike sharing’s visibility in new neighborhoods. It will do little, however, to combat the larger problems of traffic and congestion plaguing D.C.

By the September 2, 2010

Voices

Polarization at Georgetown kindles political fire

The second week of my freshman year at Georgetown, I talked my roommate into attending a H*yas for Choice meeting with me. Not for political reasons, but, clever freshman that I was, so he and I could “meet girls who will remember to take their birth control.”

By September 2, 2010

Voices

The 27 levels of compatibility I’m not looking for

The perfect man is out there. He’s dating your best friend. Or maybe they hooked up at Thirds last March and now he’s off-limits. He’s your boyfriend’s much older brother. He’s not your boyfriend. Perfect guys are out there, but for whatever reason, you’ve never actually met one who’s perfect for you.

By September 2, 2010

Voices

Power comes from within … the Earth’s crust

I’m a believer in climate change, but I can see why skeptics are hesitant to embrace the science behind it. But climate change or no, one thing about the way we produce energy in the U.S. is certain: all of our major energy resources are non-renewable.

By September 2, 2010

Voices

Carrying On: Bringing down a cult of personality

Ayn Rand’s works encourage everyone to act in their own self-interest. Her ideology is a reaction against the statist control of the economy that fascism and communism sought in 1920s and ‘30s Europe. But the American welfare state is far from the totalitarian state of Atlas Shrugged, Nazi Germany, or Soviet Russia.

By September 2, 2010

Editorials

Catholics for Equality deserves GU’s pride

Georgetown University has a long history of being at the forefront of progressive Catholicism. In January 2010, Joseph Palacios, a Georgetown professor and openly gay priest, continued this tradition by helping to found Catholics for Equality, a group dedicated to “empowering pro-equality Catholics to [support] LGBT community and their families.”

By the September 2, 2010

Voices

Going from ghastly to gourmet at Leo O’Donovan Hall

Many freshmen find the dining hall experience is a source of anxiety that frustrates smooth transitions to college life. Here at Georgetown, that anxiety manifests itself in a single institution: the Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall. Upon arriving, most freshmen flock to Leo’s with family in tow, nervous about the quality and diversity of the food available.

By August 27, 2010

Voices

Freshman again: The trials of a transfer student

Think about how you felt when you first moved to college. Think about all of your anxieties, hopes, and expectations. Think about how you thought it would be perfect. Now imagine you hated it and left. That’s what it’s like to be a transfer student at a new school.

By August 27, 2010

Voices

Carrying On: Sperm: It’s all about the potency, baby

What am I worth? This is a question that is difficult for almost anyone to answer off the cuff. If you want to answer that question in its literal sense, you might calculate the net value of your expected lifetime earnings or assets. But how do you really calculate the value of a person?

By August 27, 2010

Editorials

Re-elect Mayor Adrian Fenty this September

From the city’s dropping crime rates to the impressive development that the District of Columbia has experienced over the last four years, Mayor Adrian Fenty’s government has vastly improved the quality of life in D.C. and demonstrated a commitment to tackling some of the city’s most daunting problems.

By the August 27, 2010

Editorials

Oppose! Neighborhood association hysteria

This semester, Georgetown University will take its 2010 Campus Plan to the District of Columbia Zoning Commission. Unfortunately, the University’s neighbors—unhappy that the plan, in their view, will exacerbate what they see as overcrowding in their neighborhoods—have started a full-fledged misinformation campaign in an attempt to force the University to accept more of their demands.

By the August 27, 2010

Editorials

Down to the wire: UIS finally upgrades

Almost a decade after wireless Internet was first installed on Georgetown’s campus, University Information Systems has finally announced that it will make wireless access a reality in all of Georgetown’s residence halls by the end of the 2010-11 academic year. This has been a long time coming for Georgetown, and UIS deserves praise. Now, however, UIS must follow through.

By the August 27, 2010

Voices

Summer’s Calling

Earlier this month, I had an interview for a summer job. Walking into the lobby of the building, I was apprehensive about what awaited me beyond the elevator doors. It wasn’t the interview itself that worried me—thanks to the experience I had last summer, I just wanted to see what the place looked like.

By April 29, 2010