Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

The secret life of an Am-Stud Major

Much to the dismay of my father, a computer scientist, all three of his children pursued majors in the humanities. When my twin brother shared with us that the engineering and pre —med majors at Johns Hopkins, who make up roughly 75 percent of the undergraduate class, call history classes and the like “arts-and–crafts time,” my dad chortled in tacit agreement.

By January 28, 2010

Voices

Lessons learned between a rock and a hard place

I’d been living by the motto “work smarter, not harder” for a long time. Why walk across the Key Bridge, for example, when you could stand outside the Southwest Quad and catch a GUTS bus that’ll get you to Rosslyn at the same time? But as I reflected on the old sermon I realized that the point of the priest’s story was that the existence of a shortcut isn’t always enough to make taking that shortcut worthwhile.

By January 28, 2010

Voices

Logistical fault lines, too, run under Port-au-Prince

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Port-au-Prince on January 12 affected three million people—killing over 100,000, about 80 percent of whom had to be buried in mass graves. Thousands still require medical attention, millions are homeless, and many lack necessities as basic as water and food.

By January 28, 2010

Editorials

Residents’ demands must be reasonable

Anyone following ongoing discussions between neighbors and the University about Georgetown’s 2010 Campus Plan has heard the overwhelming negative response to the plan from the locals. While many of their specific criticisms of the plan may seem nitpicky or nonsensical, most students have been willing to admit that permanent residents deserve a say in the future of their neighborhood.

By the January 21, 2010

Editorials

D.C. makes the right move on bag tax

While Georgetown students were away on winter break, a new tax approved by the D.C. Council over the summer came into effect, levying five cents on every disposable bag. The Council should be commended for taking the lead on environmental issues with this progressive tax that will help reduce the overabundance of filmy plastic bags that so frequently end up on the sides of roads, in trees, and floating in lakes and rivers.

By the January 21, 2010

Editorials

Time for leadership change at Metro

Given the series of worker and passenger deaths, train crashes, and other mishaps marring John Catoe’s three year tenure as Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority General Manager, many Metro riders understandably saw his recently-announced resignation as cause for celebration. But as the WMATA Board of Directors moves to appoint his replacement, the need for urgent reform has not dissipated.

By the January 21, 2010

Voices

‘Roids are all the rage in the baseball world

The biggest sports story over Christmas break was hardly even news: Mark McGwire used steroids for most of his fifteen years of baseball-crushing. But the consequences of this admission are less readily apparent. McGwire had been left out of Major League Baseball’s prestigious Hall of Fame for suspected steroid use.

By January 21, 2010

Voices

The arts at Georgetown: a work in progress

I almost didn’t come to Georgetown because I thought the arts program was so bad. In my family, art was more important than friends, schoolwork, and sometimes physical health. After I finished my freshman year of high school with a very strong GPA, my mother took me aside with a worried look and asked me, “But what are you doing to be creative?”

By January 21, 2010

Voices

No end in sight for the floundering “War on Terror”

With General David Petraeus, the architect of the surge in Iraq, speaking in Gaston Hall today, questions about the rise of American militarism and misguided nation-building projects loom larger than ever. In replicating the Patraeus strategy in Afghanistan, Obama ignored the lessons of history, the advice of foreign policy experts, and the views of the many Americans and Afghans who are tired of war and foreign intervention. Instead, our president urged U.S. forces to intensify their efforts in Afghanistan as a necessary step in the vague and unending “War on Terror.”

By January 21, 2010

Voices

Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Cali anymore

I’ve gotten paler and seem to walk faster. Flip-flops have been replaced by rainboots and Chipotle or Qdoba is really the closest thing to Mexican food I can find. I’m starting to think J.Crew is more of a cult than a clothing store, and I’ve accepted that people actually walk on escalators. I attribute every brain malfunction to frost bite and check the weather report on a freakish basis. I’m from California, and over winter break, I realized just how different my life is on the East Coast.

By January 21, 2010

Voices

In defense of satire

I’ve watched the mounting anger over the alleged racism of the Georgetown Heckler with no small amount of concern. As a recent Georgetown graduate and a longtime contributor to the... Read more

By December 16, 2009

Editorials

Free papers return

The Collegiate Readership Program, which provided free daily newspapers to Georgetown students last year, is scheduled to restart in January after being cancelled this semester due to a lack of... Read more

By December 3, 2009

Editorials

Low Black Friday turnout on M St.

Both customers and store owners in Georgetown reported smaller than expected crowds this Black Friday.

By December 3, 2009

Editorials

Administration needs to focus on aid

The Admissions and Recruitment Working Group, one of three diversity working groups commissioned by President DeGioia in April, released a series of promising but imperfect recommendations to the student body... Read more

By the December 3, 2009

Editorials

Obama’s surge: New era for Afghanistan

Taliban fighters have a phrase that they have used to describe their strategy in Afghanistan: the Americans have the watches, but we have the time. They do not need to... Read more

By the December 3, 2009

Editorials

GUSA shouldn’t control student fees

Between finals, basketball season, and impending holiday vacations, Georgetown students would be forgiven for missing the ongoing dispute between the Georgetown University Student Association and club funding boards. But if... Read more

By the December 3, 2009

Voices

Pimpin’ (yourself) ain’t easy, but is it necessary?

The news all this weekend revolved around Tareq and Michaele Salahi crashing the first state dinner of the Obama Presidency. The couple managed to be photographed with Vice President Joe... Read more

By December 3, 2009

Voices

Winless football season leaves one fan with the blues

Georgetown football made history this year by recording its first winless season since the program began in 1874. This unfortunate milestone won’t come as a shock to anyone on campus—members... Read more

By December 3, 2009

Voices

The Universal Life Church: When “mister” just won’t do

No one is ever going to address me as Dr. Baumgardner. This is not a surprise, as I have never planned on being a doctor. I don’t have a mind... Read more

By December 3, 2009

Voices

Trading candy and costumes for Gatorade and tiny shorts

A child’s greatest nightmare is that Christmas (or whatever respective holiday he celebrates) will somehow be stolen. The fear of losing Christmas compels normally delinquent children to behave kindly during... Read more

By December 3, 2009