Opinion

Thoughts from the Georgetown community.

Voices

Hitting the G-20 spot in Pittsburgh

The list of the host cities of the G-20 Leaders Summits for this year has a bit of a jarring finish: D.C., London, and … Pittsburgh? New York City, or... Read more

By September 24, 2009

Voices

A teacher, mentor and friend: Thomas M. King, S.J.

When I was a senior, my sister Colleen (SFS ’86) was a freshman.  As a dutiful older brother, I did my best to offer tidbits of advice that would ease... Read more

By September 24, 2009

Voices

Don’t let yourself get lost in the Haze

There are some days, like when the planes hit the World Trade Center or when President Kennedy was assassinated, that people will always remember exactly where they were. September 17,... Read more

By September 24, 2009

Editorials

Keep the Circulator on Wisconsin Ave.

In less than two weeks, the cheapest, most reliable, and most convenient transportation option serving West Georgetown will cease to exist. The Georgetown-Union Station circulator will no longer turn north up Wisconsin Avenue after slogging through the congestion of K and M Streets. A victim of short-sighted budget cuts, the Circulator extension was a boon to Georgetown residents and students alike.

By the September 24, 2009

Editorials

Give the SFS’s Map class a chance

While it is understandable that many SFS students feel strongly about this issue––Map is a universal experience for SFS students––it is not wise to protest the changes without giving them a try first. The new course is looking to address Map of the Modern World in a more holistic manner than it had previously; the least we can do is wait for a semester to see if it succeeds.

By the September 24, 2009

Editorials

Senate must pass Student Aid bill

Most vitally, this bill will retool the federal student loan system. Right now, taxpayers subsidize student loans made by private moneylenders, who are subject to the rise and fall of the market. If the bill passes the Senate, all federal lending will come from the Direct Loan program, in which the federal government lends directly to the student and cuts out the unnecessary middleman. By overhauling this over-complicated system, the government stands to save $87 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

By the September 23, 2009

Page 13 Cartoons

Hey, wanna make out? Oh … a handshake is cool too

Inhabiting a campus as culturally eclectic as Georgetown, I often find myself unsure of the proper way to greet someone. Should I give a hug, a kiss on the cheek,... Read more

By September 17, 2009

Voices

Let’s talk about sex (columns), baby

Am I really “insecure and therefore date a myriad of boys to fuel [my] self-esteem”? Am I engaging in “sloppy dance floor make-outs, desperate dating habits and countless relationships that... Read more

By September 17, 2009

Voices

Supernatural effect of a 13 year-old’s first album

Until I was thirteen, I never owned a CD. Or a cassette tape. Not even an old eight-track. The only vinyl in my life was a yellow rain coat. The... Read more

By September 17, 2009

Page 13 Cartoons

Identity crisis? Hong Kong’s unique cultural fusion

When asked, I say that I am from Hong Kong. People always ask me why I don’t say that I am from China. Never have I denied that I am... Read more

By September 17, 2009

Editorials

GUSA reduces size, ups efficiency

By the end of last year, ten Senate seats had been effectively vacated by elected students who no longer wished to be members. GUSA, in response, delayed expelling the senators and holding the necessary special elections until April, leaving too many students without representation for months. The elimination of some Senate seats seems like an ideal way to nip this problem in the bud because it will invariably cut back on the number of students who can successfully get elected on a whim. Additionally, the cuts tended to be made in the most effective places: among underclassmen, whose representatives had some of the worst attendance.

By the September 16, 2009

Editorials

Campus bike racks deserve some TLC

On any given bike rack around campus, skeletons of bicycles past remain chained up––metal frames, wheels and seats long gone, rusting away. These abandoned bikes take up much-needed space on the bike racks around campus, and should be dealt with by the Department of Public Service. Failing to act and get rid of these visual reminders of neglect and theft sends a message that the University doesn’t care about its space or its students’ attempts to get around campus.

By the September 16, 2009

Editorials

Students need more room of their own

Although the University has made plans for increased student space in its upcoming 10 Year Plan, current students deserve some sort of change while they’re still on campus. While it is commendable that administrators are regularly meeting with the working group to eventually improve the situation, study space, social space, meeting space, and athletic space are all areas in dire need of expansion right now.

By the September 16, 2009

Voices

Transparency needed on student-centric plans

In the coming months, students will have their say on the University’s Ten Year Plan, according to Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, who said that the administration would... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Voices

9/11 remembered: a ringing phone and rising smoke

I don’t like to answer the phone. Even when my caller ID tells me who is calling, my throat still tightens and a small pit forms in my stomach. The... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Voices

Healthcare, money, and you

Here’s an oft-cited figure in the debate over health care reform: U.S. health care expenditures—16 percent of gross domestic product in 2007—are outpacing GDP growth by so much that the... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Voices

U.S. past point of no return in Afghanistan

In an editorial last Tuesday, Washington Post columnist George Will, a prominent conservative voice, called for “rapidly reversing the trajectory of America’s involvement in Afghanistan.”  The piece was plainly titled:... Read more

By September 10, 2009

Editorials

Baseball’s errors can’t be repeated

Although the assistant coach who told his players that they could report a set number hours each week is most to blame, we must question the competence of an athletic director who allowed seven years of such dishonesty to occur unnoticed. We hope that the interim athletic director, Daniel R. Porterfield, will no longer hire coaches who actively go against the often-quoted moral ideals of the University.

By the September 10, 2009

Editorials

Healthcare reform, at any cost

Among the options presented to Congress for making effective, affordable healthcare available to every American is the creation of a self-sustaining public option to compete with the insurance companies. A public option undoubtedly lies at the heart of any substantive healthcare reform package. Nonetheless, at this point in Obama’s presidency, it would be nothing short of an absolute disaster for the President (and future efforts at healthcare reform) if he were to fail to accomplish any reform at all.

By the September 10, 2009

Editorials

GU needs The Hoya’s independence

As one of only three top 25 universities without an independent paper, Georgetown deserves an autonomous news source. Once the suspension period ends, the University should allow The Hoya to go independent and should extend to it the same conditions stipulated in last year’s agreement. The paper should be allowed to keep its name and be distributed on campus, as it would have if it had been permitted to go independent this year.

By the September 10, 2009