Voices

Voices is the Op-Ed and personal essay section of The Georgetown Voice. It features the real narratives of diverse students from nearly every corner on campus, seeking to tell some of the incredibly important and yet oft-unheard stories that affect life in and out of Georgetown.

Voices

Candidates full of hot air and not running out of steam

While watching a recent Republican Presidential debate, I was puzzled by the reaction to Rick Perry’s signing an order that required mandatory vaccination against human papillomavirus for sixth grade girls in Texas—an uncharacteristic move for a staunch social conservative like Perry.

By September 29, 2011

Voices

Smithsonian 9/11 exhibit captures a moment in time

Partially overlooked in the glut of media coverage of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks were two exhibits here in Washington which used artifacts from the three attacks. For just nine days leading upto September 11, the Smithsonian Museum of American History displayed a small collection of visceral reminders of 9/11 that gave viewers an intimate sense of what exactly happened to victims that day.

By September 29, 2011

Voices

Qwikster off to a slow start

Last week I got an email from Reed Hastings, co-founder and CEO of Netflix, that began, “Dear Emma, I messed up. I owe you an explanation.” Well thanks, Mr. Hastings, but … excuse me? I do have a Netflix account, but the letter seemed a little more personal than anything I usually hear from heads of major companies.

By September 29, 2011

Voices

Waking up to the harsh reality of public education

Last year, my mother retired from teaching after 35 years of dedicated service. At her retirement party, I was unable to count the number of former students in attendance. A number of them gave speeches praising her for her talent and her ability to inspire. Now lawyers, doctors, authors, dancers, and musicians, they all recognized her enthusiasm and dedication as the catalyst for their intellectual growth and success.

By September 22, 2011

Voices

This is just the same old story: another Hollywood remake

A few months ago, I found myself tossing back my usual concoction of Sour Patch Kids and popcorn at the K Street Theater while watching the previews before No Strings Attached. The previews, in line with the coming movie, consisted of much of the same repetitive rom-com themes that every girl occasionally indulges. When the preview for Friends with Benefits came on, however, I did a double take—wasn’t that the exact same movie I came to see?

By September 22, 2011

Voices

Injury drives student skeptic to peace of mind at Down Dog

If you live in West Georgetown, chances are that sometime during the day you’ve noticed any number of well-toned young women clad in yoga pants and toting a tightly rolled mat, trooping off to some hidden fountain of youth. It’s a mesmerizing migration, and one that until fairly recently I’d thought to be off limits to the general population. Their destination, Down Dog Yoga —located behind Dean and Deluca off of M street—has in recent years become a staple for both aspiring and established Georgetown yogis.

By September 22, 2011

Voices

Fighting Irish take on Vatican

Studying Irish history is a lot like watching Rocky. As with every Irish hero, Rocky is an underdog with a lot of heart, a lot of will, and an incredible ability to accept a beating. And like every Irish hero, Rocky loses. Unlike Rocky, however, the Irish continue well past six fights. Ireland’s history is marked by rebellion after rebellion. The legacy of the bloodshed and failed freedom fighters belie, by stereotype and by my experience, the true nature of the Irish people: boisterous, but ultimately passive and habitually willing to submit to (Catholic) authority.

By the September 22, 2011

Voices

Aramark panel brings Jesuit values back to the table

“Organizing has opened my eyes, has opened my kids’ eyes...to caring about people who don’t look like you,” Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall worker Tarshea Smith said, holding back tears. Smith, speaking at a celebratory panel discussion Tuesday about Aramark workers’ unionization victory last spring, expressed how the union and student organizers have affected her life and the lives of her two young sons. The audience, comprising students, workers, faculty, and Georgetown community members, was held rapt by her story and the stories of other workers who spoke at the gathering.

By September 15, 2011

Voices

For student, juggling is more than just clowning around

When I go to Yates, you typically won’t find me on the track, treadmills, bikes, or even pumping some iron. No, you will usually find me in one of the racquetball or squash courts—despite the fact that I don’t play either sport. You’ll see me throwing up circular discs continuously into the air, only to catch them and throw them right back up. You will see me juggling, and those rings are just one of the props you can find in my ragged and torn juggling bag.

By September 15, 2011

Voices

Human trafficking jams America’s founding principles

In the summer of 2009, I traveled with my family to the crown jewel of Arab entrepreneurship and advancement, the metropolitan emirate of Dubai. Known for the sudden and explosive expansion of its tourism industry, Dubai has established itself as a prime vacation spot for world travelers within the last couple of decades. As a tourist myself, I was held in rapture by its glittering architecture and record-breaking monuments. The lure of the city veiled my eyes from the corruption of its creation, itself an expression of the failure of humanity to recognize and support the rights of its members.

By September 15, 2011

Voices

Fundamentalist fundamentals

Michelle Bachmann. Republican presidential hopeful. Representative of Minnesota’s 6th congressional district. Federal tax lawyer. Mother to 28 children, five of her own and 23 through the foster-care system. And—most importantly—evangelical Christian. The term makes even the mildest liberal cringe in disdain. Critics of Bachmann and the entire Tea Party movement see evangelicals as bigoted, racist, homophobic, and xenophobic radicals who have hijacked America and seek to limit our freedoms and propagate hate. Growing up in an evangelical household, I can say that this hardly represents the majority of evangelicals.

By September 15, 2011

Voices

A child’s vocabulary of terror from ground zero

I remember hearing the words vividly, sitting in the cafeteria of my Chappaqua, NY, middle school: “Planes have crashed into the World Trade Center. We don’t know much else right now, but we believe it to be the work of terrorists.” As time went on, hysterics escalated. When we returned to our classroom, one kid broke down in nervous, hiccupping tears. His mother worked on one of the top floors of one of the towers. We didn’t know what to say. We were kids. We tried to grasp the situation and assure ourselves everything would be okay. I remember feeling helpless and having no idea how to feel, what to think, or what to expect.

By September 8, 2011

Voices

Crew coach sets sail, rower lays anchor with a new one

When we come to this lovely institution of higher learning, no matter if we shuffled straight out of boarding school or have never spent more than a few nights away from home, we all look for someone to replace the comfort and sense of calm our parents instill in us. Your parents may drive you up the wall, but I have never come across anyone who was not thrilled at the thought of having a home-cooked dinner with a family member they love after months of nothing but Leo’s. For the past three years, my sense of calm has always come from my coach, Glenn Putyrae.

By September 8, 2011

Voices

Great Chinese Takeout: Sub-Saharan Africa’s misfortune

By now we’ve probably all heard how China is taking over Africa. But it’s one thing to read about it, and another thing to have your water shut off for three months in your dorm in Botswana as a Chinese firm diverts all of the town’s water to its construction site. Everywhere I went in sub-Saharan Africa, the phantom of China followed me. Scuba diving in Mozambique, I was told illegal Chinese fishing boats had overfished the last tiger shark in the area four months before my arrival. The Chinese-made truck I was hitchhiking in the back of broke down two hours after we crossed the border back into Botswana.

By September 8, 2011

Voices

Carrying on: She doesn’t even go here

My name is Emma and I am an overachiever. Last week I went out for dinner with a mixed group: some friends, some acquaintances, and a couple of total strangers. During the chips and salsa course, I was chatting with one of the unfamiliars, following the standard get-to-know-you protocol of a first encounter: who are you, what do you do, etc. I think I was explaining one of my extracurricular activities, when one of my friends at the table butted in, “Yeah, Emma is pretty much that kid Max Fischer in Rushmore.”

By September 8, 2011

Voices

Fight for your rights before labor unions unravel

When I told my boss about my father’s position as the leader of a prominent labor union, he responded the way a lot of people do: “Your dad, he must be a real legbreaker.” My father, a legbreaker? My dad is a sweet man who plants the daisies in our family’s front yard and bought me my senior prom dress. He’s a foodie who has taken me to every quality pizza joint in the tri-state area. “Legbreaker” would not make the list of adjectives I’d use to describe him. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first time I’ve heard the term in reference to my dad, and it wouldn’t be the last.

By August 26, 2011

Voices

Multiculturalism shouldn’t take a beating even if players do

The shocking headline appeared all over the country last week: “Wild brawl ends Georgetown’s exhibition game in China early.” Some combination of the words China, Georgetown, and brawl appeared in each of the numerous emails, Facebook messages, and tweets I received this summer from friends and family eager to break the news to their Georgetown friend about our basketball team’s on-court battle with their Chinese counterparts. Their descriptions—spectators hurling chairs and water bottles, players throwing punches at their opponents, and foul play all around—portrayed scenes of utter chaos on the court. The incident, which unfortunately coincided with Vice President Biden’s visit to China, was labeled by many major news agencies as a diplomatic disaster.

By August 26, 2011

Voices

From Hoosier to Hoya: a guide to incoming transfers

During my first few weeks at Georgetown, I was asked the question approximately 343 times: “So, why did you transfer?” At first, I would give long-winded explanations, getting tangled in my own reasons and excuses to explain why I decided to leave Indiana University. I learned to avoid this. There are tons of reasons I could list: desire for a strong international relations program, longing to explore a world outside of the Midwest, hopes for a challenge. Or even the more candid responses: a disappointing Greek system, regrets of choosing the safe option, following a boyfriend. Eventually I learned that I really didn’t need an excuse to offer other people. Just knowing that my first year wasn’t just right is reason enough.

By August 26, 2011

Voices

Carrying On: Check me out

Though most of my West Coast-bred friends scoffed, Tuesday’s 5.8-magnitude earthquake really upset me—mostly because I didn’t feel it at all. As my Facebook news feed blew up with first hand accounts of the quake, I sat at my desk with an acute sense of disappointment. Somehow I had missed what would surely become one of the biggest news stories of the end of the summer. I had to disappoint the family members who had emailed me asking for an eyewitness report. Worst of all, I had to come home from work and listen to everyone telling me how cool it was to feel an earthquake as if I hadn’t been in DC at all.

By the August 26, 2011

Voices

Carrying On: A colorful past

When I heard that Sean Penn had won the Academy Award for best actor for his role in Milk, I was curious to see how Penn’s portrayal of a dairy farmer garnered the attention of the Academy. It was only later that I learned that Milk, contrary to my assumption, is a biographical film detailing the life and struggles of Harvey Milk, a gay rights advocate and the first openly gay person to be elected to public office. Call me ignorant, but how was I supposed to know that?

By April 28, 2011