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GUSA RELEASES STUDENT BILL OF RIGHTS PAGE 4
FOOTBALL OPTIMISTIC DESPITE LOSS PAGE 6
SUCKY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS PAGE 11
Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w November 17, 2011 w Volume 45, Issue 13 w georgetownvoice.com
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2 the georgetown voice
november 17, 2011
Looking for a distraction ! “Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z”: a X VO controversial topic from awkward relatives over George Washington medical professor resigns after apparently Thanksgiving not actually teaching classes break?
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Voice Crossword “Construction Issues” by Tyler Pierce
Across 1. Take orders from, with “on” 5. Necklace piece 9. Separated 14. Tudor Boleyn 15. Lip
16. Office documents 17. Jersey ballers 18. 100 kurus once 19. Joad title 20. 2009 Disney/Pixar film
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21. Crossword constructing faux pas seen 6 times in this grid 25. Pop-up, usually 26. Biblical suffix 27. Biblical husband of a pillar of salt 28. Peter’s annoying daughter 31. Piece de resistance? 34. Lay low 36. Toward shelter 38. Moan of pleasure 40. Snack (on) 45. Crossword constructing faux pas seen twice in this grid 46. Akin 47. Wet follower 48. Strongly desires, with “for” 49. Lennon’s partner 50. Constraint 52. Test product of a game 53. The champions 54. Non-official debt 55. Something not free of charge 58. Mini, like a Shih Tzu 59. Crossword constructing faux pas seen throughout this grid 62. Throat dangler 64. Tried 69. Sketchy lodging
answers at georgetownvoice.com 70. Abbr. on a World Series winning team’s scoreboard 71. Kind of pet 72. Scheme 73. Shade 74. Trojan War beauty Down 1. Covet 2. Rejuvenated 3. Infatuated with 4. Type of coil 5. Sing one’s heart out 6. Get to work on Time? 7. Jibe 8. Scarcity 9. BBs, usually 10. Eugene’s daughter 11. My state of being verb 12. Debunk? 13. Recipe abbr. 22. Shogun’s domain 23. Horse sound 24. Perform 28. Marsh follower 29. Jerry’s pal 30. Geico spokesman
32. Lutetium follower 33. Dear sir or ___ 35. Many die 37. Scrape out, as a living 39. Kachina doll maker 41. Tell on 42. Chem lab tool read from the top down 43. Slow, on a music score 44. Part of the SAT writing section 50. Like a dog 51. “i” part 54. Cay or key 56. Lode load 57. Greek nature deity 59. Saturn or Mercury 60. Successful sitcom set in Korea 61. Line addressed to Brute 62. One who calls what is fair and what is foul 63. TV control: Abbr. 65. Urinate 66. Business card abbr. 67. Adam’s madam 68. Animal house?
editorial
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VOICE the georgetown
Volume 45.13 November 17, 2011 Editor-in-Chief: Tim Shine Managing Editor: Sean Quigley Blog Editor: Leigh Finnegan News Editor: Holly Tao Sports Editor: Daniel Kellner Feature Editor: Kara Brandeisky Cover Editor: Iris Kim Leisure Editor: John Sapunor Voices Editor: Kate Imel Photo Editor: Max Blodgett Design Editors: Catherine Johnson, Kathleen Soriano-Taylor Projects Editor: Rob Sapunor Crossword Editor: Scott Fligor Assistant Blog Editor: Ryan Bellmore Assistant News Editor: Neha Ghanshamdas, Vanya Mehta Assistant Sports Editors: Abby Sherburne, Kevin Joseph Assistant Leisure Editors: Mary Borowiec, Heather Regen Assistant Photo Editors: Julianne Deno, Matthew Funk Contributing Editor: Nico Dodd
Staff Writers:
Nick Berti, Geoffrey Bible, Rachel Calvert, Mary Cass, Soo Chae, Patricia Cipollitti, Jane Conroy, Emma Forster, Julia Lloyd-George, Kirill Makarenko, Morgan Manger, Kelsey McCullough, Eileen McFarland, Vanya Mehta, Sadaf Qureshi, Adam Rosenfeld, Jake Schindler, Melissa Sullivan, Fatima Toskomur
Staff Photographers:
Sam Brothers, Julian De La Paz, Abby Greene, Helen Guo, Lucia He, Kirill Makarenko, Tim Markatos, Jackson Perry
Staff Designer: Julia Kwon
Copy Chief: Aodhan Beirne Copy Editors:
Connor Jones, Claire McDaniel, Jordan Moeny, Neil Sood, Kim Tay, Chris Yamada
Editorial Board Chair: Jackson Perry Editorial Board:
Gavin Bade, Tiffany Brown, Rachel Calvert, Ethan Chess, Nicolo Dona Dalle Rose, Julia Jester, Sean Quigley, Julia Tanaka, J. Galen Weber
Head of Business: Keaton Hoffman The Georgetown Voice
The Georgetown Voice is published every Thursday.
the georgetown voice 3 A MODEST PROPOSAL
GU offers Zoning Commission a fair plan Today, after years of planning and negotiating, D.C.’s Zoning Commission will officially begin considering Georgetown’s final 2010 campus plan, the decennial review of plans for expansion and growth that all District universities must submit. In looking at the University’s proposal, the Commission must remember that Georgetown, the District’s largest private employer, has gone to great lengths to consider and address the complaints of the local neighborhood organizations that have spoken out so vehemently against the plan. The District’s interests are inextricably linked with the University’s, especially since Georgetown employs almost 4,000 D.C. residents. If Georgetown’s growth is halted, the city’s economy will suffer. In theory, city officials would want to encourage a large economic engine to grow, but groups like the Advisory Neighborhood Commission have so vocally opposed any expansion that Mayor
Vincent Gray has condemned the proposal. The University has been more than just a stable employer for thousands of D.C. residents. Georgetown students volunteer to tutor the District’s less-privileged students, and countless more volunteer in other roles that serve the city. University students put on concerts and theatrical performances, and many University facilities and areas, including Lauinger Library, are open to all D.C. residents. The positive benefits that Georgetown brings to D.C. aside, the campus plan will simply not harm the surrounding neighborhoods. The campus plan is a reasonable proposal, one that respects the neighbors’ desires by trying to limit student presence off-campus while acknowledging the fact that students need to live somewhere, and the limited space on campus simply is not sufficient The truth is that uncompromising neighborhood groups such as the Burleith Citizens
Association and the Citizens Association of Georgetown will be unsatisfied with any plan that does not move every single undergraduate into on-campus housing. Despite the University’s efforts to mollify neighbors’ concerns—including the nixing of proposed shuttle routes, the elimination of plans for the development of the 1789 housing block, and the abandonment of the environmentally beneficial extension of the power plant smokestack—neighborhood groups have shown no willingness to reciprocate. The University’s efforts to craft a workable campus plan deserve praise, even if the concessions have not changed the opinions of certain neighbors. The Zoning Commission must take note of the University’s reasonable behavior throughout this process, in contrast to the stubborn and insane behavior of the organizations that falsely claim to represent the best interests of Georgetown’s neighbors.
STATE OF THE POTOMAC
Immediate action needed to save our river Last week, the Potomac Conservancy downgraded its rating of the health of the Potomac River from the D+ it received in the land trust’s first report in 2007 to a D. The report on the State of the Nation’s River is a frightening document, citing increases in both human and agricultural waste along with the emergence of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the waterway. These chemicals, though they are linked to a wide-range of biological disruptions, remain largely unregulated. “In essence,” the report said, “we are conducting a grand chemistry experiment on the Potomac; so far, the results don’t seem encouraging.” The river’s condition demands immediate action to prevent further deterioration. The environmental degradation of D.C.’s largest source of drinking water harms not only the District but also the entire Chesapeake watershed, which already
faces tremendous ecological disruptions. Every level of government must protect these waterways that affect the livelihood of millions of citizens. According to the Conservancy, there are already ways for government to begin reducing pollution. Watershed Implementation Plans developed by the surrounding state governments and the Environmental Protection Agency outline specific amounts of yearly chemical reductions necessary to reverse the Potomac’s environmental collapse. The EPA’s final versions of the plans, due out next year, will also detail specific policy steps needed to achieve the abatement goals. The jury is out on whether the pollution targets are ambitious enough to really turn the river’s health around, but they represent realistic goals to aim for. Georgetown has an important role to play in saving the Potomac. There are
many infrastructure upgrades the University can and should make in the coming years to have a positive impact on the river’s ecology. One excellent example is green-roofing systems, which place sod, grass, and gardens on the top of flat-roofed buildings. The plants not only insulate buildings and prevent leaks, but they also absorb harmful runoff that would otherwise enter the river system. It is obvious that our current pattern of environmental neglect of the Potomac is not sustainable, economically or ecologically. It is the explicit role of government to protect its citizens from the toxic byproducts of the industrial and agricultural processes present in our drinking water today. As long as it stands by and does not take meaningful action to clean up this environmental and health tragedy in our backyard, it is abandoning one of its core responsibilities.
SENSELESS ELEPHANTS
This newspaper was made possible with the support of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress, online at CampusProgress.org. Campus Progress works to help young people — advocates, activists, journalists, artists — make their voices heard on issues that matter. Learn more at CampusProgress.org. Mailing Address: Georgetown University The Georgetown Voice Box 571066 Washington, D.C. 20057
Office: Leavey Center Room 424 Georgetown University Washington, D.C. 20057
Email: editor@georgetownvoice.com Advertising: business@georgetownvoice.com Web Site: georgetownvoice.com The opinions expressed in the Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University, unless specifically stated. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the Editorial Board. Columns, advertisements, cartoons and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of the Georgetown Voice. The University subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors. The Georgetown Voice is produced in the Georgetown Voice office and composed on Macintosh computers using the Adobe InDesign publishing system and is printed by Silver Communications. All materials copyright the Georgetown Voice. All rights reserved. On this week’s cover: 2010 Campus Plan Cover Design: Iris Kim
Today’s GOP has succumbed to extremism As Rick Perry struggles to count to three, and Herman Cain is forgetful of both his own sexual wrongdoing and basic facts about Libya, we are reminded yet again of the stunning collapse of the Republican Party as a coherent and mature political entity. The 2012 Republican field is a laughable parody of presidential candidates. Perry and Michelle Bachmann are under-informed extremists, and Cain is an unqualified pizza magnate dogged by sexual harassment allegations. All three have become popular because Republicans can’t stomach the idea that a nominal moderate like Mitt Romney might actually be the nominee. Meanwhile, less than half of Republicans even recognize the name of candidate Jon Huntsman, a successful two-term governor and former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and China.
Huntsman is a descendant of the classically conservative GOP of Nixon, for which principles guided policy decisions. He upholds conservative economic values and a pragmatic, realist foreign policy perspective. Huntsman should be a viable Republican candidate, yet he has been shunned in favor of the radical circus. He is an example of the moderate conservative voices that the GOP has shoved out of the discourse in favor of a callous, reactionary desire to score cheap points at the expense of the public interest. Today’s Republican elected official flippantly neglects the search for meaningful solutions to America’s woes in favor of indulging his or her crass desire to bring down President Obama. Fringe radicals have hijacked the GOP at the expense of unifying, reasonable figures like Huntsman. One of the most extreme examples of this radicaliza-
tion is the “birther” movement that led to clownish failed real estate magnate Donald Trump’s brief appearance in the field. Republicans today obstruct the political process without principle or alternatives. Instead of defining themselves as a conservative party, Republicans have become the rigidly anti-Obama party. In this time of global economic malaise and mounting societal discontent, America needs two fully-formed ideologies, and two qualified presidential candidates, that together represent the American people and American potential. Instead we are given the politics of personality, not policy. As long as Republicans continue to promote extremist fringe candidates at the expense of politicians who may demonstrate some complexity of opinion, they continue to participate in the gradual destruction of the party and country they claim to love.
news
4 the georgetown voice
november 17, 2011
University, neighbors discuss town-gown tensions by Vanya Mehta and Matt Weinmann Tonight, the D.C. Zoning Commission will begin its final review of Georgetown’s 2010 Campus Plan, the blueprint for the University’s development and growth in the next decade. As neighborhood groups like the Citizens Association of Georgetown and Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E have loudly criticized the plan, the University has stepped up its efforts to assuage residents’ concerns. At the beginning of this school year, the University began several quality of life initiatives such as twice-daily trash collection, a new shuttle to M Street, and an increased partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department. University spokeswoman Stacy Kerr stated that since the beginning of the year, Georgetown has collected around 130 tons of trash. “I think that the facts speak for themselves,” Kerr said. “[Trash collecting] was not anything mandated to us from the city.” If the neighborhood leaders decide trash collecting is not a benefit, they will amend the program accordingly, Kerr added. The ANC also asserts the new M Street Shuttle has done nothing to mitigate the late-night noise complaints. “I just think those facts don’t show that this is a majority of Georgetown students,” Kerr said. In a meeting last week, MPD notified Georgetown that five of six
calls for noise disturbance came from non-student residences. The ANC report marks a desire for all undergraduate students to move on campus. They suggest that Georgetown can accomplish this by creating new student housing or drawing down the number of students enrolled. “We disagree with [that] from a fundamental perspective of how we are as students,” said Kerr. “We think our students are mature, and independent enough … to live off campus. We think that’s an important opportunity.” Kerr cited Georgetown’s recent dropping of a new loop road plan as a clear response to the concerns of its neighbors. “This is not a zero-sum game,” she said. “It’s not that the University is wrong and the neighbors are right, or the neighbors are wrong and the university is right … it’s a false premise and that’s not where dialogue with our neighbors has proven results.” This week, Georgetown will distribute a packet to non-student residents with a letter from President DeGioia and a list of the quality of life investments. The packet provides information on the economic contributions Georgetown makes to the city, including the statistic that 40 percent of the University’s employees are D.C. residents. Several permanent residents in Burleith and in West Georgetown, like Meg Moran, said that the pres-
ence of students was noticeable during the weekends. Moran has a young family, with kids running around the house. But she came to Burleith with full knowledge that she was moving in next to a college. “We knew what we were buying into,” she said. Tim Tinsley, who has lived in Georgetown for three and a half years, said he felt the late night disturbances had decreased over the last year and a half. “Occasionally there is silly damage, usually after Saturday nights,” said Tinsley. “We don’t leave out flower pots.” James Caroll, a former Georgetown professor and resident of Georgetown for 30 years, said he has seen the development of the University’s neighborhood relations. Caroll blamed both the University and the neighbors for the building tension. “The University has seemed blind or incapable of working with people,” he said. He cited programs like the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at American University as examples of a university working constructively with its community. “Georgetown has no similar program or no educational activities geared to the population around the University,” Caroll said. He added that another barrier to community interaction with the school is the difficulty of finding out about events going on around campus.
“My wife and I would like to go to the Davis Center but the website is lousy,” Caroll said. Meanwhile, he said that CAG had become a vehicle for criticizing the University. “I know and you know there is not that much more room on campus,” he said. “[It’s a] political power and human relations problem.” Other universities have fared better in their relationships with neighbors. According to Lauren Marshall, the Public Information Officer at Harvard University, the school has a strong partnership with the city of Cambridge. “[We] are actively engaged with City leaders and our neighbors on
a variety of issues that address our mutual goal of supporting the quality of life in Cambridge,” Marshall wrote in an email. “Our… partnership with Cambridge has served to enhance public education, increase the supply of affordable housing, create and support a vibrant local economy, and support non-profit social service organizations that serve our community.” She also attributes the positive town-gown relations to Harvard’s long history with the community. “Harvard has been a part of the fabric of Cambridge of 375 years,” wrote Marshall. “Our past, as well as our future, are intertwined.”
Neighbors discuss frustrations with the University at ANC meetings.
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GUSA Bill of Rights reforms Student Code of Conduct by Soo Chae On Monday, the Georgetown University Student Association released its proposal for a student bill of rights, an addendum to the Student Code of Conduct that will spell out students’ rights and responsibilities in the University’s judicial process and make revisions to the code itself. According to Michael Barclay (COL ’12), Chief of Staff to the GUSA executive and a member of the Student Code of Conduct Reform Committee, the most ambitious of the proposed reforms is changing the language of burden of proof on the University from “more likely than not” to “clear and convincing.” Charged students would be assumed to be innocent unless the decision-maker is persuaded by “clear and convincing”
evidence, excluding sexual assault cases. GUSA Vice-President Greg Laverriere (COL ’12) said at the GUSA Senate meeting last Sunday that the bill will launch a dialogue aimed at enhancing the current Student Code of Conduct. He said the proposed bill, consisting of “five glaring rights and five glaring responsibilities,” delineates students’ rights while evoking a clear sense of their responsibility as Georgetown students. The Student Code of Conduct Reform Committee was created from the beginning to address recurrent complaints from students. “Students have repeatedly complained about lack of transparency and not having sufficient actions streamlined,” GUSA Student Life Committee Chairwoman Laura Kresse (SFS ‘13) said.
Barclay also drew attention to a hitch in the current Code of Conduct, writing in an email that the code “is not up to date with the needs of students and the university, nor does it unambiguously protect the rights of students.” Duties of students outlined by the bill include responsibility to be aware of the student code, to present identification, to act as good neighbors in and out of Georgetown community, and to curtail risky behavior. The bill also codifies students’ rights to deny unreasonable search and seizure by University officials, and resolves the untimely manner of the judicial process by obliging that the written disclosure of judicial decisions be released within 48 hours of the hearing. In addition, the bill enables charged students to speak with
advisers and also allows the advisers to accompany the student to the hearings. Kresse further explained that the bill states that any kind of disciplinary procedures be streamlined, thereby increasing transparency in the judicial process. The bill also establishes the newly-launched Student Advocacy Office as a resource for students facing disciplinary charges. Laverriere stressed that the current language of the bill is by no means finalized. “There are still conversations that need to be had with key primary stakeholders,” he said. “It would be premature to set a final deadline for these changes.” Down the road, all changes must be voted through the Disciplinary Review Committee before the bill is officially incorporated in the Student Code of Conduct.
The Student Code of Conduct Reform Committee and the Disciplinary Review Committee had its first discourse on the proposed amendments on Tuesday. “We are always interested in thoughtful student proposals,” Associate Vice President of University Student Affairs Jeanne Lord wrote in an email. GUSA is deliberating various ways to gather student input, including a campus-wide referendum and a series of town hall meetings. A pamphlet on students’ rights will be released from the GUSA Executive and Student Life Committee, in conjunction with the Student Advocacy Office. “We hope to solicit input from both students and administrators at every step on the way and already have started to receive feedback,” Barclay wrote.
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the georgetown voice 5
GU student noise violations decrease Solar project starts small by Sankalp Gowda In recent weeks, the Off-Campus Student Life Office informed the University community that students from a neighboring university were arrested for violating the District of Columbia noise ordinance. However, both University police and the Metropolitan Police Department have reported fewer student noise violations in the Georgetown area. According to the November 8 edition of “Rocky’s Report,” a weekly newsletter released by Vice President for University Safety Rocco DelMonaco, there has been an overall decline in noise disturbance calls, a trend that has been corroborated by the Metro Police Department’s records. The past two weekends saw just nine 911 calls for noise disturbances, only three of which pertained to homes owned by Georgetown students. Several other parties were broken up by Student Neighborhood Assistance Program patrols before police involvement was required. “We think this is a sign that our resources are working pretty well,” DelMonaco wrote in the report. In addition to the usual SNAP patrols, the University is increasing coordination with MPD in an effort to further reduce cases where severe consequences may be incurred. This fall, the Department of Public Safety worked with MPD to
hire several extra officers to patrol the streets of West Georgetown and Burlieth at night. It has also held several orientation sessions for the new officers. The noise law, instated last February, prohibits unreasonably loud noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. A violation could lead to a charge of disorderly conduct–a criminal offense in D.C.–and potential consequences that include up to 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. “Our top priority is to help ensure our students are aware of the noise law, and to make sure they know that MPD is enforcing this law,” Stacy Kerr, University vice president of communications, wrote in an email. “MPD’s job is to enforce the law.” Despite these recent developments, students themselves continue to differ in opinion over how much
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Administrators attribute decreased noise violations to resources like SNAP.
Magis Row not at fault On November 8, the Citizens Association of Georgetown and the Burleith Citizens Association jointly filed a supplemental submission to the D.C. Zoning Commission ahead of tonight’s final hearing on the proposed Georgetown Campus Plan. Among the countless complaints about the University, the neighborhood associations continue to rail against the Magis Row townhouses. The Magis Row houses on 36th Street are directly across the street from non-Georgetown residents; the direct neighbors of most other University-owned townhouses are typically students. This has caused increasingly hostile town-gown relations on the street. In their submission, CAG and the BCA wrote, “The undergraduates living off campus in University
Georgetown will be affected by this heightened enforcement, if at all. Some students feel that these developments reflect a changing Georgetown. Remy Wainfeld (COL ’12), who currently lives off campus, said he has noticed a definite evolution of the social scene at Georgetown throughout his time here. “There has definitely been a change in the way parties and events are conducted now,” he said. “People are a lot more careful now.” He attributed the change to University resources like DPS and SNAP that stop events from getting out of hand before Metro has to intervene. Kate Thiemer (NHS ’13) has a straightforward prescription for students. “When you see MPD, turn the music down; when you walk by them, quiet down,” said Thiemer. “Just use common sense.”
owned townhouses on 36th Street in West Georgetown, the so-called Magis Row housing, deserve special mention. As set forth in detail in the prior submissions of CAG/ BCA the 50-60 students living in those townhouses have been a persistent source of loud late night parties, vandalism, and trash violations for a decade.” Like most of their filings and testimony for the Zoning Commission, CAG and the BCA refuse to let facts get in the way of making this claim. While students have lived in these houses on 36th Street for at least a decade, Magis Row is only in its third year of existence. The living and learning community places strict restrictions on the community members. Each household is required to host a minimum of two events per semester based on the theme of their
house and to participate in a community service project as a group. Along with these requirements, Magis Row residents also sign a contract agreeing to host registered parties no later than midnight. The Department of Public Safety and SNAP are quick to enforce this rule. Considering that Magis Row
Saxa Politica by Geoffrey Bible
A bi-weekly column on campus news and politics was created in response to neighborhood complaints a few years ago, this intentionally misleading claim that Magis Row has been a problem for a decade is disheartening. Neighborhood residents also seem to attribute all problems that happen on the street with the residents of Magis Row. Michelle Galler, a resident of 36th Street, wrote in the filing, “The noise
by Morgan Manger On Tuesday, Georgetown Energy student leaders met with administrators to discuss whether the group’s solar panels project would be rolled out to University townhouses all at once or would start with a smaller pilot project. Ultimately, it was decided that the project would begin on a smaller scale, putting solar panels on eight to ten townhouses. According to David Nulsen (SFS ’12), project leader for the solar panels, stability of the townhouse roofs is a big concern. The facilities department “simply does not have a plan or the financial means to replace roofs en masse,” Nulsen wrote in an e-mail. “They replace the roofs as needed year by year, and do not have the money to do the type of roof repairs needed to bring the roofs to a standard needed for panels.” The project will begin on a smaller scale but will still receive the same amount of funding, about $168,000, that it was originally scheduled for. According to Nulsen, any extra money will probably be used for future solar installations or other projects. Still, more details need to be ironed out before the project is ready to go.
violations, vandalism and drunken behavior committed by Georgetown University students, especially those in Magis Row across from the residents on 36th Street, continue to plague my neighbors and me. The police are not protecting us!! We are helplessly being surrounded by callous, entitled students who are NOT BEING SUFFICIENTLY PENALIZED for their bad behavior” (emphasis Galler’s). In an email on November 5 to the Georgetown community email listserv, Galler noted a specific incident the night before in which her front yard was vandalized. Obviously, vandalism is wrong and the students who are responsible for it should be held accountable. However, for Galler and other 36th Street residents to continue to blame Magis Row residents is downright wrong. As a resident of the community, drunken students walking
“There are a lot of little things we need to keep working towards: finding a vendor [and] getting a neighborhood permit. Once we clear these hurdles, we’ll be ready to go,” Nulsen wrote. At this point, a student referendum has been pushed back from early December to January. The referendum will allow students to have the opportunity to vote for or against the solar panel implementation. If all goes according to plan, the leaders expect to begin construction of the solar panels at the beginning of the summer, once students have moved out. Nulsen said that he and others involved in the project had been meeting with employees of Vice President of Facilities and Student Housing Karen Frank throughout the summer and fall. Frank made the ultimate decision to begin the project on a smaller scale. “While we are working very closely with student representatives of Georgetown Energy and GUSA in reviewing and evaluating the components of their proposal, the administration is supporting their efforts, not leading them,” wrote Frank in an email. “We welcome the collaboration to help advance the campus’ environmental efforts and reduce our carbon footprint.”
past my house have woken me up from time to time. Anyone living in the houses on Magis Row— where the paper-thin walls make it easy to hear any noise outside— can commiserate with the neighbors’ complaints about noise and vandalism. However, more often than not, the students who are actually causing these problems for neighbors are not Magis Row occupants. They are simply walking by—either to their privately-owned off campus houses or to their on-campus residences. Hopefully as the Zoning Commission deliberates on the Campus Plan they will realize that Magis Row is not the problem. Eliminating Magis Row would only hurt the Georgetown community. Want to start a row with Geoffrey? Tell him he’s disturbing the peace at gbible@georgetownvoice.com
sports
6 the georgetown voice
november 17, 2011
Football looking up despite missing out on title by Kevin Joseph After witnessing just two wins in 2008, the Georgetown football faithful had to be confident that things could not get any worse in 2009. Then the unthinkable happened: the Hoyas lost every game on the schedule, finishing the season at a hopeless 0-11. At the time, few could have foreseen the turn of fortune that lay ahead. Just two years later, the team is ending its season at 8-3, undefeated at home and in second place in the Patriot League. Using much of the same personnel from the last few seasons, the team put itself in a position to capture the conference title in the last week of the season before losing 34-12 to Lehigh. “They have turned this football program around and they should all be proud of it,” head coach Kevin Kelly said. “This is a special group, and I’m appreciative of these guys because they stuck it out.” Just reaching the de facto Patriot League championship game against Lehigh marked an unbelievable turnaround for a program that had been the laughingstock of the conference. This season was also a vindication of sorts for Kelly, who came into the season with a 9-45 record in his first five seasons as the Hoyas’ coach. But it was not just the Hoyas’ on-field performance that demonstrated a marked change from previous seasons. The team saw the biggest road turnout during Kelly’s tenure at Georgetown, due in large parts to the efforts of Georgetown’s booster organization, the Gridiron Club, and its president, Bruce Simmons (COL ’69).
“We have over 900 alumni football players since 1963, all of whom played football at Georgetown because they loved to play football,” Simmons, a former Hoya quarterback and co-captain, said. “They’re committed to the program because Georgetown allowed them to play four more years of football that they may not have otherwise have had.” According to Simmons, the team’s success is a testament to its teamwork and coaching, which have produced results despite the program’s financial challenges. Multi-Sport Field, he said, is “extremely poor,” and he pointed out that the team has the lowest annual funding of any Patriot League team by a large margin—$1.6 million for Georgetown compared to well over $3 million for every other team. Some key seniors from this season’s team will be sorely missed next season, including star defensive end Andrew Schaetzke. The player Kelly constantly refers to as the best defensive player in the Patriot League will leave the program with 30.5 sacks, putting him second alltime on the Hoyas’ list and third in Patriot League history. Though his last game as a Hoya resulted in a loss, the senior will look back on his and the Class of 2012’s role in turning around Georgetown football. “Coach Kelly told us not to get too down on ourselves,” Schaetzke said. “Every one of these guys put their heart and soul into every play, so we just have to look back and celebrate a great season.” Even without Schaetzke and classmates, the Hoyas will be at the forefront of the Patriot
LUCIA HE
Isaiah Kempf will be one of the many key returning players for the Hoyas in 2012.
League discussion in 2012. With a squad full of young talent ready to grow from this year’s experience, they should be a force to reckon with. With the return of most of their offense, including junior quarterback Isaiah Kempf, and linebacker Rob McCabe and cor-
nerback Jeremy Moore starring on defense, preseason expectations for the team next year will be higher than any in recent memory. But before looking ahead, Kelly encouraged his team to savor this moment. Regardless of what happens next year, putting
together Georgetown’s first winning season since 1999 is an accomplishment that will stand on its own. “No one will ever forget this football team,” Kelly said. “They might not realize it today, but someday they will understand it. We have to celebrate this season.”
the Sports Sermon “Error 404: Basketball Not Found. Please be patient as we work on resolving this. We are sorry for the inconvenience.” – NBA Players’ Association website and the persistence of a soft salary cap. On paper, this CBA represents a resounding success for the players in their negotiations relative to previous offers from the owners. Nevertheless, the deal was axed due to “system” issues that curtails teams’ maneuverability in free-agency if they stray over the cap and into the luxury tax. In other words, the players said “no” to an NBA season because they feared the deal would make it harder for them to be overpaid. Their ignorance jogs memories of retired guard Latrell Sprewell, claiming a three year, $30 million contract offer from Minnesota in 2004 wasn’t enough to feed his family. Irrational player salaries are
this deal, but the negotiation process altogether. Stern has alWhen David Stern proready employed harsh tactics, claims the NBA has entered a presenting the NBAPA with an “nuclear winter,” don’t think he ultimatum explicating that the is exaggerating. His apocalyptic owners’ next proposal would language is a testament to the be less favorable if this one was utter breakdown in communicaturned down. But the players tions between the players and have decided they are no longer owners, resulting in their muinterested in talking. tual destruction. Now 140 days They’ve gone on the ofinto this excruciating lockout fensive against the owners by and nearly one month past the self-destructing, a completely scheduled start of games, we nonsensical and ineffective couldn’t be farther from having strategy, as now there is nothing an NBA season. left for the owners to negotiate The players decertified their with. Stern claims it will take 30 union this week and dissolved days after a deal is reached for the only entity the owners were an NBA season to tip-off, but it willing to negotiate with, optcould be weeks before we even ing instead to put legal pressure have players and owners sitting on the owners through a slew of down together again. lawsuits. Thus, both Early PR camPete Rose Central sides have effectivepaigns succeeded Da bettin’ line ly closed discussions in slandering the for the time being. owners as immoral Dookies Margin Hoyas Like a pair of tycoons, relaxing (underdogs) (duh!) petulant kids still (favorites) in a jacuzzi of cash learning how to while the fans are Dodgers 8 years??? left to freeze out in Kemp share, they would Tebow rather just pester the cold. However, Angry Rex Jets D each other kicking NBA owners NBA players Certification while the owners and screaming than have hardly proven actually work toward a solution. part of the fundamental reason their innocence, we must now All reason and pragmatism has why the league finds itself lost direct our criticisms towards the left the realm of the NBA, once between lawyers and arbitra- players. If there is to be an NBA a model for growth and innova- tors, rather than wondering if season this year or in the years tion in sports. the Mavericks can repeat their to come, there must be a fundaThe potential cancellation of title campaign. The issue needs mental retooling of the negotiatthe NBA season cannot be pinned serious reconsideration on both ing strategy. to just one man or a group of own- sides, yet instead of considerAt this point, the only way ers, as has been the case for much ing the thousands of employees for the lockout to be resolved is of this saga. Especially consider- who depend on the NBA for for both sides to cease to view ing the actions of this week, the their livelihood and the millions themselves as enemies in a zero players and executive director of fans around the world that sum game. They must finally of the Players’ Association Billy take comfort and excitement understand that they are on the Hunter must bear an equal, if not from league during the winter same team and both are essential majority, share of the blame. months, the players have said to the league’s revival and subThe deal the players so ve- that an $8 million average salary sequent survival. Each time they hemently rejected, without even isn’t enough. They want to keep try to undermine each other in putting the agreement to a vote, suckering teams into bad con- the courtroom or at the negotiatwould have seen guaranteed tracts, despite the obvious may- ing table, they dig another hole contracts with an increase in av- hem that attitude has brought in the NBA’s grave. The league erage player salary of around $2 the league. isn’t dead yet, but sadly the winmillion, a 50-50 split of revenue Out of touch with reality, the dow is closing for the players between players and owners, players have not just shunned and owners to set things right.
by Daniel Kellner
sports
georgetownvoice.com
Hoyas prep for Maui Invitational by Tim Shine This year’s men’s basketball recruiting class got a leg up on the nation’s other freshmen by playing several exhibitions in China during the summer. Now, as the Hoyas prepare to traverse the Pacific once again, the readiness of the freshmen may determine whether the trip is a success. Georgetown (2-0) will travel to Hawaii over the weekend to play in the Maui Invitational. The Hoyas will play three games in three days, the first against No. 12 Kansas on Monday. The Hoyas’ involvement in the tournament actually kicked off at home on the mainland this past Monday night, when Georgetown won its “opening round” game against UNC Greensboro, 86-45. The blowout enabled the newcomers to gain plenty of in-game experience ahead of next week’s tests. The Hoyas’ five true freshmen completely subdued the Spartans in the second half, as the starters rested having opened up the early lead.
“Obviously the trip they took this summer [to China] was really rewarding,” UNC Greensboro head coach Mike Dement said. “The guys that were young are not really young anymore because they had that experience.” Subsequently, the Hoya freshmen were not just confined to mop-up duty. Forwards Otto Porter and Greg Whittington have been the first players off the bench in both of the Hoyas’ games, while fellow freshmen Mikael Hopkins and Jabril Trawick have also seen meaningful minutes. “They’re going to play extended minutes,” head coach John Thompson III said of the freshmen. “And that’s probably going to be regardless of who the opponent is.” Besides Kansas, the field in Maui features No. 6 Duke, No. 10 Memphis, and No. 17 Michigan. Rounding out the tourney are Tennessee and UCLA, along with Division II Chaminade, the host school. Kansas will be looking to bounce back against the Blue and Grey after a disappointing loss
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Otto Porter and the Hoya freshmen have played key roles off the bench this season.
Keep sports in perspective While words struggle to describe the depravity of former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky’s alleged actions, perhaps the most troubling component of the entire case was the lack of perspective employed by those in power to stop him. Coach Joe Paterno, undoubtedly the most heralded casualty of the scandal, was fired last week by the school’s board of trustees, causing an intense uproar in the Penn State community. Although it is easy to sit far from State College and condemn those impassioned protestors who took to the streets in Paterno’s defense, the question must be asked if we would do the same thing on the Hilltop. Would we be enraged over the firing of a historic coach amid
such a scandal, despite the ill-fated consequences this action would have on the program? I hope our response would first include support for the victims and reflection on the circumstances that allowed such crimes to be perpetrated against them. Only after giving them their proper due would we mourn the departure of a beloved coach. The necessary expulsion from the program of the perpetrators and collaborators would not be met with rage and disorder, but rather a regretful understanding that their actions must be publicly and decisively punished. Some have said that the rioting students in State College represented a minority of the Penn State student population. Such an assertion
to No. 2 Kentucky this week. But the Hoyas would have had their hands full even if the Jayhawks didn’t have the extra motivation, facing the dynamic duo of senior point guard Tyshawn Taylor and junior forward Thomas Robinson, a potential NBA lottery pick. Though Georgetown lacks the Jayhawks’ star-power, the Hoyas challenge Kansas with their newfound depth. If the freshmen can effectively spell the starting five in Maui, Georgetown may be able to wear down their opponents and force turnovers like they have so far this season (38 turnovers through two games). Thompson III said being able to go eight or nine deep is a luxury he’s going to take advantage of. “We’re going to have a lot of different combinations. It’s not like we’re going to have a set core necessarily,” Thompson said. “A lot of that’s because of our versatility across the board. Different people are going to play different positions with different groups.” A successful run in Maui could set the tone for the season and thrust the Hoyas into the national conversation (as was the case for defending national champion Connecticut, the 2010 Maui champion). Coming back without a signature win, on the other hand, would be a clear sign that this young Georgetown team still has to develop before contemplating a national ranking. The Hoyas’ upperclassmen, however, think that their younger teammates are ready to play now. “I think we’ve got a solid group of guys all around,” junior forward Hollis Thompson said. “They’re ready to come in and contribute immediately, and I think that makes a big difference to us being a good team.” is fair, as there were only a thousand or so students on the streets out of a school of more than 40,000. However, a Washington Times article from the weekend shows that the hearts of the Penn State faithful were more in line with the angry students. The article tells of a Penn State alum who demonstrated outside the stadium before last Saturday’s game
Double Teamed by Adam Rosenfeld
a rotating column on sports with signs reading “Put abused kids first” and “The kids are what this day is about, not who wins or loses.” Instead of receiving support, the alumni was showered with expletives and had beer thrown at him. Nittany Lions football seemed to trump all moral reason.
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Women’s basketball struggles by Abby Sherburne It certainly wasn’t the start that any of them wanted, but the Georgetown women’s basketball team can’t dwell on its losses to Maryland and LSU, nor its narrow escape against Longwood. It’s not going to get any easier. Although their AP ranking has dropped from 10 to 14, head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy thinks her Hoyas (1-2) are still a high caliber team. “We can be [top ten], but we’ve got some tough opponents,” Williams-Flournoy said. “We’re not playing a sugar-coated schedule, where we can just easily breeze on through and be 15-0 by the time we start the conference.” Their opener at home against the Lancers last Friday wasn’t the cupcake game Hoya fans were anticipating. After last season’s dramatic run to the Sweet 16 and the loss of just one senior, the women were expected to easily handle the unranked squad from Longwood. Although the 56-45 score exemplified the Hoyas’ labored victory, the players still believe the game was helpful for growing the team’s experience and chemistry. “I know [Williams-Flournoy] had a lot of combinations in,” senior Tia Magee said. “Everybody got to play, the freshmen all scored, it was really exciting.” That experience would be important as the Hoyas met Maryland on Sunday, their first ranked opponent of the season. They were thrashed on the Terrapins’ home court 72-53. The Hoyas were outrebounded 42
While again it can be said that those fans are in the minority, it is perhaps more realistic to assert that the anger and sense of injustice over the Paterno firing is widespread among the Penn State faithful, since excessive actions of the student body (e.g. turning over TV vans) has received only modest criticism from these now alienated individuals. It is impossible to come up with a parallel scenario in American sports that would elicit such strong contrasting emotions. Paterno has been the head coach at Penn State since 1966 and is the unquestioned public face of the university. In his last game, he became the winningest coach in Division I football history. Regarding his role in the scandal, Paterno lived up to his legal obligations by passing on what was reported to him to his superiors. When the alleged crimes came to light, he
to 11 and gave up 24 points off turnovers. The Hoyas have struggled in both of these categories in recent years, and Williams-Flournoy is not surprised. “Rebounding has always been our Achilles heel,” she said. “Some things don’t change.” However, some things have changed for the Hoyas. The squad previously known for their trapping press and pestering defense didn’t have the same fire as in years past. Williams-Flournoy said practices will consist of more running and conditioning to get the team back on track with its signature press, which she found unrecognizable at times over the weekend. Magee put forth a standout performance in the loss, leading the team with 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting. Her contribution, however, failed to cover for struggling star Sugar Rodgers, who was just 1-of-12 in one of her worst games as a Hoya. Unfortunately, Rodgers wasn’t able to turn it around against LSU last night. Only 4-of-20 from the field, she still hasn’t stepped up as the leading scorer that the Hoyas need her to be. Magee again led the team with a 12 point effort, but Georgetown fell 51-40 to the Tigers nonetheless. While optimistic, the Hoyas need to buckle down for the next few weeks. The tough nonconference schedule doesn’t end anytime soon, with ranked opponents in Georgia and Miami (FL.) still remaining. The Hoyas know that they have a long way to go before they can even consider the daring trials of the Big East season.
announced his retirement effective at the end of the season, so as not to be a lasting distraction. Hours later, he was fired in a phone call with the school’s board, an impersonal and curt end to a monumental career. With this understanding, perhaps one can begin to enter the mindset of those at Penn State. But then again, when it comes to the sexual abuse of children, going beyond what is legally required to ensure that such abuse ends ought be the expected and required course of action. Sports must be kept in perspective. Hopefully, as a result of this scandal, we will know the proper course of action, but never have to pursue it. Tell Adam what course of action would you pursue with him at arosenfeld@georgetownvoice.com
feature
8 the georgetown voice
november 17, 2011
feature
georgetownvoice.com
the georgetown voice 9
We read the Campus Plan filings, so you don’t have to Today, Georgetown representatives will go before the D.C. Zoning Commission one last time to defend the school’s 2010 Campus Plan, the document that outlines the University’s plans for growth and development over the next decade that must be approved by the city. The plan, which was officially filed last December, has been a source of contention with neighborhood groups since discussions began in late 2008. After poring over the latest filings against the plan– one from Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E and one joint filing from the Citizens Association of Georgetown and Burleith Citizens Association—the Voice has assembled the main points of conflict and provided some history of the negotiations.
HOUSING Frustrated by loud, late-night parties and poorly maintained rental houses, neighborhood leaders have continually pressured the University to provide more on-campus housing for its undergraduates. In the first iterations of the plan, the University proposed building apartment-style housing in the “1789 block,” or the area between Prospect and N Streets and 36th and 37th Streets. In May 2009, the University claimed the development could add up to 250 beds. Under pressure from community leaders who felt the development was too dense and too close to their homes, the University reduced the proposed number of beds to 120 that November, and said that the apartments would only be open to graduate students, not undergraduates. Campus plan opponents were unimpressed. “I think it’s a mistake to assume that graduate students live a monk-like existence,” ANC Chairman Ron Lewis said in a 2009 ANC meeting. Unable to make the 1789 block proposal palatable to neighborhood groups, the University scrapped it. The official filing in December 2010 included no new undergraduate housing plans. In March 2011, under increasing pressure from the ANC, CAG, and BCA, the University proposed converting the Leavey Conference Center into a dorm, adding 250 beds on campus. Georgetown Metropolitan blogger Topher Matthews theorized that the University made this concession in an attempt to win over the D.C. Office of Planning —and, by extension, the Zoning Commission—but the University had no such luck. On May 5, the OP issued a report recommending that the University be required to house 100 percent of its students on-campus. The OP said if the University didn’t have the space to build new dorms, Georgetown should reduce enrollment until it matched the number of on-campus beds. The OP report was a huge win for campus plan opponents, but that was no accident. Over the summer, the Voice and D.C. Students Speak obtained emails via a Freedom of Information Act request that revealed the ANC had extensive influence over the report. In the latest filing from CAG/BCA, the neighborhood leaders again demanded that 100 percent of undergraduate students be housed on campus, but they wrote that Georgetown “again dug in its heels and state [sic] that housing 250 students is all that it is feasible to do.” However, CAG and the BCA have learned a lesson from the three years of negotiations. “When faced with sufficient opposition to its plans GU can discover other feasible solutions,” they wrote. They gave the “controversial loop road proposal” as an example, saying the University eventually abandoned the proposal after sufficient pressure from the community, even though both the University and its consultant initially had insisted that the loop road was “the only feasible solution.”
TRANSPORTATION
TRASH
Neighbors stepped up their complaints about student trash in spring 2009 by asking the city’s trash inspector to investigate student homes. In response, the University introduced stricter trash policies for on-campus townhouses and offcampus houses in August 2009. The Office of Residence Life instituted “on-going walkthroughs” to inspect the trash situation at each house. The first violation is a $50 fine and five work sanction hours per resident, the second violation is a $100 fine and 10 work sanction hours per resident, plus housing probation, and the third violation is a $150 fine per resident and an apartment living suspension. The University also introduced a twice-daily trash pick-up on “neighborhood streets.” According to the latest BCA/CAG filing, the neighborhood association leaders think this solution has been inadequate, and even counterproductive. “The GU trash collection efforts (1.5 tons of trash per day, according to GU!) has perversely lead to even greater student disregard for trash collection times and container requirements,” the report said. “They just toss their trash on the sidewalks at whatever time is convenient. As a result, Georgetown streets are still littered with trash most hours of the day and night.” Ken Archer, a member of the CAG Beautification Committee, said in the filing, “GU’s twice-per-day pickup of uncanned trash has shown no signs of reducing rat infestations and is probably attracting more rats by inducing students to throw trash on their lawn daily with no fines and undermining CAG’s efforts to reduce rats.” The ANC included a photo gallery of student trash in its filing.
PARTIES
In early Campus Plan discussions, neighborhood leaders complained that Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle buses to Dupont Circle rattled their houses. Some neighbors asked that the University reroute the buses to avoid Reservoir and Q Streets. The University agreed to route all of its buses out of the Canal Road entrance. But to do so, the University needed to build a “loop road” where the buses could turn around. The ANC still criticized the loop road, citing environmental concerns and the length of construction time. However, the University got even more pushback from the Foxhall Community Citizens Association, which feared the noise pollution the buses might cause for their community. This September, the University eliminated the loop road in favor of a turnaround location near Harbin Hall. In February, the ANC also called for a late-night shuttle to M Street to reduce transient noise in the neighborhood. But although the University created the M Street shuttle after the District Department of Transportation also recommended it, in its latest filing, the ANC said the M Street shuttle was of “only of marginal value.” The ANC said the shuttle can only serve 400 to 500 students per night, and students still “continue to travel on foot noisily and disruptively through our entire community in West Georgetown and Burleith during the same late-night hours, to and from the group houses as well as on foot to and from campus, often impaired by alcohol.” In the BCA/CAG joint filing, the association leaders referred to the M Street shuttle as the “drunk bus.” At the same time, the ANC repeated its request that the University discontinue “its separate late-night shuttle van through the residential streets,” also known as SafeRides, which students can call if they feel unsafe. The filing said students waiting for SafeRides are loud getting on and off the bus and socializing while they wait for the bus to arrive.
by Kara Brandeisky and Rachel Calvert
OTHER COMPLAINTS Instant text messages and social media “In numerous ways, the situation has actually become worse than it was 10 years ago. For example … The huge growth in use by students of instant text messages and social media to notify large numbers of people immediately of the locations of parties and other gatherings. This has increased disruption with larger, faster gatherings and increased noise.” —ANC filing, page 14
SNAP/DPS In 2000, the University implemented the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program in response to neighborhood complaints. Though similar programs operated throughout the 1990s, SNAP was instituted during the debate surrounding the 2000 Campus Plan. The University encourages neighbors to call the SNAP neighborhood hotline, rather than calling the Metropolitan Police Department, in response to loud parties. However, the ANC and the neighborhood associations insist that SNAP has had little to no effect on student “misconduct.” The University characterizes the program as an attempt to educate, rather than punish, students. Responding to such descriptions, the ANC writes, “GU cannot realistically ‘educate’ its off-campus students to, for example, go to bed earlier, or not speak in groups or on cell phones at two or three a.m. so that neighbors hear it from the sidewalk or from the house next door through the town-house walls.” In an effort to police late-night student behavior in response to neighbor complaints, the University also began employing reimbursable details in fall 2010. These off-duty MPD officers patrol the Georgetown and Burleith neighborhoods and are endowed with full powers of arrest and citation. The neighborhood associations think that, like SNAP, these details have done nothing to quell student noise. They write that both “typically sit in their cars and do nothing to deal with noise and student misconduct until a complaint is filed.” Although the University has hinted that it might further increase the number of reimbursable details it employs, the ANC writes that this effort will be ineffective, pointing to the scarcity of available officers, as well as their general ineffectiveness. Also, these officers are aware that they are employed by the University, “an institution that has demonstrated a disturbing lack of enthusiasm for effective MPD enforcement against student misconduct and noise,” they wrote. Ultimately, the neighborhood associations conclude that no amount of policing or enforcement can solve the problems caused by students living together, including “vulgar language, loud late night conversations, slamming doors and running up and down the stairs at all hours of the night.”
Earlier this year, the City Council altered a noise ordinance, now prohibiting any noise that is “likely to annoy or disturb one or more persons in their residences” between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. The arrestable offense can lead to 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. However, the joint filing from the BCA and CAG said, “Loud parties in group houses and other late night noise—disregarding D.C. laws and basic rules of civility—remain the norm.” According to the ANC 2E filing, the discrepancy in the University’s on-campus versus off-campus party regulations pushes parties off campus. Rules such as the single-keg limit and the party registration system, implemented in May 2007, encourage students to host parties in off-campus homes. The ANC 2E filing cites several Commissioners’ personal observations of disruptive student behavior. Jim Jones, Ed Solomon, and Ron Lewis all detail their experiences with off-campus parties in West Georgetown and Burleith. “The objectionable impact includes both parties and outdoor noise as students move in groups through Burleith very late at night,” wrote Solomon. “Large groups of students still consistently make disruptions of late-night noise and commotion traveling through the neighborhood on their way to or from parties.” The filing from the BCA and CAG suggests that housing all undergraduate students on campus would not only tamp down on the house party scene, but would also mitigate the transient noise issue. Their filing predicts that the so-called “Undergraduate Solution” would eliminate transient noise in Burleith, allowing SNAP and MPD to focus on the small number of routes to and from bars on M Street and Wisconsin Avenue. Their filing states that “enhanced enforcement of noise violations, along with the decline in undergraduate off-campus group houses, should bring the transient noise problem down to manageable proportions.”
Animated cell-phone conversations “The sound of someone talking on a cell phone carries late at night and wakes residents up – for example, even when a single student, engaged in an animated cell-phone conversation, is standing or traveling on foot on the sidewalk by residents’ bedrooms at 3:00 a.m. This happens over and over again. It is not illegal, but it is highly objectionable.” —ANC filing, page 14 Loud afternoon parties “As I write (at 4:30 p.m. in the afternoon!) my student neighbors at [address deleted] 37th Street are starting a very loud party in their backyard with extremely loud music. If it continues late I will call the police and send you another email. Not sure what the rules are about afternoon parties!!“ —Burleith resident, CAG/BCA filing, page 11 Insincere concessions “GU reserves the right to modify any and all of its student conduct measures at any time. (GU’s proposed Campus Plan dated December 30, 2010, sec. 3.3, p. 14.) And GU certainly cannot expect us to believe that any 11th-hour clamp-down it may have attempted over the past several months – in the spotlight of an impending Zoning Commission decision – will or could be sustained by GU over the long run.” —ANC filing, page 5
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10 the georgetown voice
november 17, 2011
Clooney ascends in The Descendants by Henry Thaler Another excellent addition from the master chronicler of middle aged men in crisis, Alexander Payne’s The Descendants sweeps the viewer away with its beautiful Hawaiian vistas and playful ukulele music, all the while breaking our heart with the sad situation of the King family. A grittier—and probably more realistic—version of Hawaii is presented, with frequently cloudy skies,
dirty pools, and fake smiles. This is no Mary-Kate and Ashley’s Hawaiian Beach Party. Watching the film, for the first time in my life I felt sorry for George Clooney. He plays Matt King, a man whose life is absolutely perfect—at least from a bird’s-eye-view. He’s a successful lawyer, a family man, and the sole trustee of a parcel of much-desired tropical property that could replenish his family’s coffers several hundred million times over.
But dig a little deeper and everything around him is falling apart. His wife was in a boating accident and is now in a coma. His youngest daughter, Scottie (Amara Miller) is a foulmouthed and impressionable bully. His oldest daughter, Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) is an institutionalized drug addict with a thing for dumb older men, especially a friend named Sid (Nick Krause). If his immediate family wasn’t trouble enough, King’s
George Clooney is about to beat the shit out of the paparazzi who was trying to hide in the back seat.
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extended family has been giving him grief about the sale of their family land, from which they stand to profit greatly. The revelation that his now-comatose wife was cheating on him sets King off on a cross-island journey to confront the home-wrecker and bring a sense of closure to his overlapping crises. Clooney is remarkable playing a man trying his best despite being totally ill-equipped and unprepared for the hellstorm he inherits. He is a man who never wanted responsibility, either for his kids or for the large amount of land he is entrusted with. But through the course of the movie he grows from being a terrible father to being someone in control of his emotions and his destiny. The children are breakthroughs. King’s two daughters and Sid are all deeply flawed human beings, but they have wonderful moments where both their hurt and steely resolve shine through. Woodley’s take on Alexandra is especially impressive—as the teenager who, despite her own problems, holds her family together,
she is the true moral center of the film. Sid also stands out as someone whose political incorrectness is both hilarious and appalling. But a nighttime chat with Clooney reveals his own struggles, proving that it never hurts to be a little empathetic. Payne is a natural at chronicling older men in crisis. In movies like Election, About Schmidt, and now The Descendants, characters who have tried to do the right thing all their lives are confronted with the stark reality that the world is a little bit more cynical than they had imagined, and it comes time for them to cope. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a mid-life Bar Mitzvah, and Payne captures the struggles, transformations, and oftentimes near transformations very well. Without spoiling too much, The Descendants can be viewed as a softening of Payne’s sharp bite, as Clooney’s character has his heart in the right place. In the end, the film is an extremely satisfying depiction of heartfelt, well-written characters struggling with the weightiest issues of all: death, family, and prime real estate.
thos and hard-edged drama, and Dunst deservedly won the Best Actress Award at Cannes for her role. The film only really lags at the start, where the large wedding ceremony is sprinkled with too many familiar faces— Stellan Skarsgard, John Hurt, and Udo Kier—that their appearances feel more like cameos than supporting roles. Lars von Trier clearly has some issues, but the way he’s
able to project his disturbing mind onto the big screen makes Melancholia truly unique in the supposedly overdone genre of apocalyptic movies. If you’re thinking twice about seeing pretentious art house films, Melancholia will, at the very least, keep you entertained. And if you have a crush on Mary Jane from the Spiderman series, you may even find the film a little titillating too.
The apocalypse has never looked this good by John Sapunor Lars von Trier is no stranger to the grotesque. His 2009 film Antichrist, an antidote to his debilitating period of depression, featured talking animals, the selfmutilation of body parts you’d rather not know, and, quite unexpectedly, gorgeous cinematography. In Melancholia, the director introduces a lavish wedding party-gone-wrong in the context of the imminent destruction of the earth in his typically provocative fashion. Yet to lead actress Kirsten Dunst’s credit, the film is able to explore unsettling themes without gratuitous gore in its presentation of picturesque, slow-motion imagery, Wagnerian opera, and genuinely erratic characters. The film is set in an extravagant mansion on the wedding night of Justine (Dunst), a bi-polar beauty, and Michael (Alexander Skarsgard), a feeble-minded hunk who, not surprisingly, has trouble figuring out what makes Justine tick. As the burdensome wedding drama plays out, the selfish,
mentally deranged Justine throws tantrums, screws a stranger, and urinates on the mansion’s golf course—all with her wedding dress on. Clearly, there’s something wrong with this woman. The wedding acts as a sort of introduction to the film’s second half, a grim countdown to Earth’s collision with Melancholia, a much larger planet that—as Justine’s brother-in-law John (Kiefer Sutherland) observes with his telescope—is inching its way towards our planet. Meanwhile, Justine’s sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg) takes the still mentally ill bride to live with John and their son in the mansion. As this cast of characters waits for the coming of Melancholia, they react quite differently. John, who displays a vast knowledge of astronomy, is confident Melancholia will pass by harmlessly, Justine welcomes Earth’s destruction with her miserable outlook on life, and Claire is torn—hopeful at times, yet doubtful at her core. While Justine has the marks of von Trier’s morbid take on hu-
manity, Claire balances out this negativity, if for no reason other than to shelter her young son from the terror of the situation. But as Claire’s hope fades and anxiety sets in, the film begins a ride toward a climax that is as terrifying as it is stunning. Some of the slow-motion images von Trier conjures seem so anachronistic or selfindulgent that it’s almost as if he thought them up and said “put them in the movie” without consideration of the plot. But then there’s a shot of Dunst’s naked, moonlit body lying next to a mossy river—a beautiful rendition of Justine’s surrender to nature. Does it sound like bullshit pretending to be art? Well, it might be, but it looks so damn good that going over-the-top feels like the right thing to do. And let’s face it: who wouldn’t lie naked in the moonlight in the face of the apocalypse? Gainsbourg, Dunst, and Sutherland handle their parts with a careful balance of pa-
Row, row, row your Dunst, gently down the stream.
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the georgetown voice 11
“margaritas and cock.” —The matador
These are some bad balls Reviews, Haiku’d by Mary Borowiec Outside of Penn Quarter’s newest eatery, passers-by cannot help but do a double take at the window front of 626 E Street NW, which exclaims “BALLS” in bold-set type. It is only clear on second glance that in fact, “Meatballs,” the restaurant’s actual name, is printed above. If nothing else, Meatballs, the latest venture from Michel Richards, the master chef behind Georgetown’s Citronelle and Penn Quarter’s Central, has an eye-catching advertising strategy. However, beyond its cheeky storefront, Meatballs falls flat in every dimension, from quality to service. Established to mimic the successful New York City-based restaurant The Meatball Shop, Meatballs attempts to bring simplicity and ease back to the classic Italian dish, which Richards calls “the ultimate happy food.” Meatballs’ menu is based off five meatball variations: Classic, Chicken, Lamb, Crab, and Lentil (and yes, I know, a lentil meatball
is an oxymoron). While seemingly a creative way to capitalize on this Italian staple, between Meatballs’ food court aura and airplane-meal dishes, Italian influence is nowhere to be found. Upon stepping up to the counter, dining at Meatballs becomes more like a throwback to one’s middle school cafeteria days. Served on pasta, a sub, or, puzzlingly, a salad, the meatballs’ largest issue is, well, everything—quality, taste, and texture are all lacking. The Classic is decent, though neither delicious nor worth returning for. Meanwhile, the Chicken and Lamb are both overwhelming dry and lacking in flavor. Doused in marinara sauce, these three are tolerable, but combined with the unusually chewy pasta, Meatballs’ dishes are nothing short of an awful, unsatisfying Italian meal. You know it’s questionable when Leo’s pasta bar starts to look promising. Perhaps the quick service style is to blame. Pasta, after all, shouldn’t be served in a congealed mass after being cooked early in the morning
In Amsterdam, this window would not be referring to food.
mARY bOROWiEC
Parks and defecation As far as television goes, last night was pretty unremarkable— just your regular Wednesday night fare, plus a season finale or two, given the time of year. So it’s funny to think that just a few months ago, people all over the Internet were predicting that November 16 would bring the apocalypse of the televised world: the end of South Park. It’s a fact of life that all TV shows, except maybe soap operas, must eventually meet an end. South Park’s 15-season run, which has included one Oscar-nominated feature film, has been impressive for its staying power alone. But after the success of The Book of Mormon, the multiple-Tony-winning Broadway musical created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the guys who have brought the primitively-animated
adventures of Kenny, Kyle, Eric, and Stan to the small screen since 1997, the rumors started. All across the world, South Park fans thought that this crossover success meant the impending doom of this offensive, comedic mainstay. That offensiveness is not what makes South Park so unique. Nominally, the show is just one of many in the growing genre of off-color animated comedies for adults, a group which has been bolstered in recent years by hits like FX’s Archer and the rotating series that air during the wee hours on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. But even Family Guy, which has drawn the most comparisons with South Park (a parallel which Parker and Stone parodied in the two-part episode “Cartoon Wars”) and has been on the air for
and sitting out all day. You don’t have to be a master chef, or one of the little old pasta ladies at Filomena’s, to come to this conclusion. Likewise, the Crab and Lentil options, though admirable in their vegetarian-friendly nature, also disappoint. Meatballs ought to take a note from Maryland’s crab fame, as poor quality crabmeat cannot be covered by lumping it into a round ball. The Lentil is not as deplorable, but the savory lentil and bean flavors don’t jibe well with the complimentary marinara or alfredo sauces. On top of the mediocre offerings on Meatballs’ menu, the restaurant’s poor décor adds to the subpar dining experience. The restaurant gets caught somewhere between the prototypical Italian family eatery— red checkered table cloths and wine served in pitchers—and a bad mall food court. The trendy, exposed brick in the entrance initially gives the feel of a homey and quaint Italian joint, but this vision is quickly negated by everything from the poor customer service to the crappy cardboard dishes and cutlery. Though Richards proved his culinary expertise at Citronelle, a pillar of class and fine dining in the District, his sublime taste got lost in translation with Meatballs’ quickserve Italian. While Meatballs strives for an admirable goal—serving Italian classics, in a friendly, fast-paced atmosphere—it fails to meet every expectation built up by that ballsy window display. a comparably long time, wouldn’t rock the TV world with rumored cancellation in the same way. The reason is the highly clever way that South Park dips its cultural criticism and satire in the most inappropriate, offensive, and sometimes outright disgusting ways they can. Nothing is sacred, and Parker and
idiot box
by Leigh Finnegan a bi-weekly column about television Stone have gotten themselves into hot water on numerous occasions for taking their ridicule too far— that same “Cartoon Wars” episode featured an image of Muhammad that Comedy Central refused to air, and Isaac Hayes, who voiced the character of Chef, quit after a Scientology episode lampooned his religion a little too much. But obvi-
A Dangerous Method Freud and Carl Jung Get along really well here Friends with benefits Jack and Jill Rob Schneider should get An Oscar for this movie You can do it Rob
J. Edgar Leo really wants An Oscar for this movie But he’ll lose to Rob The Muppets This film has that guy Who showed his dick to the world Watch out Miss Piggy
Tower Heist Pluto Fucking Nash Meet Dave, Nutty Professor And now Tower Heist... Being Elmo Elmo tickled me And I’m not going to lie I really liked it
—John Sapunor
ously, religious spoofs are one of the duo’s biggest strengths, as the success of Book of Mormon clearly proves. Despite all the protests, the show has remained on air for 15 seasons, and that’s largely because of the genius behind each episode. The show is up-to-the-minute with its cultural relevance, and no big event gets by unscathed. Among the media circus that has surrounded the Occupy Wall Street movement, no critic has made it seem sillier than South Park’s recent episode “1%,” with “full-on class warfare” breaking out between the fourth and fifth graders of South Park elementary. Watch the show for long enough, and you’ll lose your convictions for just about everything. But the show never clobbers its viewers over the head with its satire, and that’s because it’s so heavily coated with insensitivity, vulgarity
(The South Park Movie earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for “Most Swearing in an Animated Film”), and flat-out grossness. This combination is what makes it so unique among both animated and live-action shows. Sure, it makes you look at the absurdity of the modern world through a different lens. But it has also featured a highvoiced, anthropomorphic hunk of human excrement wearing a Santa hat. No other show dares to walk that line, and any that did would not only feel like a cheap imitation, but would be hard-pressed to execute it as perfectly as Parker and Stone have. Lucky for us, the rumors were false, and we don’t have to worry about a world without South Park just yet. Hook Leigh up with Book of Mormon tickets at lfinnegan@georgetownvoice.com
leisure
12 the georgetown voice
november 17, 2011
C r i t i c a l V o i ces
Los Campesinos!, Hello Sadness, Wichita Welsh indie-pop band Los Campesinos! has just put out their fourth album in four years. While some artists choose to evolve their sound dramatically between each release, Los Campesinos! have opted to stay more or less the same. Hello Sadness is in many ways the same album as the band’s first effort, Hold on Now Youngster—lead singer Gareth Campesinos! is still rambling through eclectic lyrics about love and loss. Reportedly written after a breakup, Hello Sadness finds Gareth putting his angst and despair into his songwriting. The maturity of the lyrics yields to the classic Campesinos penchant for failing to stick to one topic—on any given Campesinos song, interjections amidst the main message of the song are expected.
The band also continues to use (or overuse) dissonant sounds. The combination of these elements creates a jarring sound that separates Los Campesinos! from the more cheery British indie pop of Belle & Sebastian or The Kooks. However, in this case, it is a deviation for the worse. Hello Sadness is old fare. From the opening vocal harmonies of “By Your Hand” to the album closer “Light Leaves, Dark Sees Pt. 2,” there’s minimal evidence of musical progress. If anything, the story of Hello Sadness is of a prolific band putting out albums annually when they should be refining and fine-tuning. But to fans’ dismay, Los Campesinos! treats us to an album we’ve already heard. Any attempts to break out from their signature style fall flat. Los Campesinos!’s inability to nail anything other than meandering lyrics over guitar riffs probably explains the lack of creativity. However, it fails to explain why they’re still putting music out. The real tragedy of Hello Sadness is not Gareth’s lady troubles, but rather that of a band that seems to be stuck in a Groundhog Day-esque cycle of musical output. If, for some reason, Los Campesinos! leave you want-
When students had it maid
As CHARMS surveys and roommate agreements attest, a major factor in creating harmonious living arrangements is a mutually agreeable cleaning regimen. Nowadays, who cleans what and when is an issue that students must work out among themselves, but for Hoyas of the 1950s and ‘60s, roommates never needed to quarrel over cleaning duties. They had maids. And when the maids stopped coming, they rallied together and quarreled with University administrators. According to a 1966 letter to the editor in The Hoya, maid service was included in student housing fees (which, at $136 per month, were purportedly the second highest on the East coast). According to the letter, the maids were expected to clean each individual dorm room
and change the bed linen once a week. This student complained that his room was only being cleaned once every three weeks, while the housemaster, the equivalent of an RA, had his room cleaned and his bed made every day, even though he paid no rent. In a 1967 Hoya article, the administration responded to student demands for an explanation on the cut back in service. According to Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald, academic vice president, the issue was a financial one. The University was attempting to reduce costs in order to raise the wages of the non-academic staff based on recommendations from a firm that had looked over the University’s pay scales for the previous year. According to another 1967 article in The Hoya, minimum wage had increased, forcing
ing more of the exact same, then Hello Sadness will satisfy. But for everyone else, do yourself a favor and just say goodbye. Voice’s Choices: “By Your Hand” —Michael Mouch
Childish Gambino, Glassnote Records
Camp,
After putting out several free mixtapes in the past two years, comedian-cum-rapper Donald Glover is releasing his debut album, Camp, under the moniker Childish Gambino. Glover’s intelligent and creative lyrics are often as hilarious as his stand-up comedy and as crowd-pleasing as his character Troy on the NBC comedy Community. “Outside” is a captivating opening track. Gambino starts off emotionally, rhyming over a choral background and piano beat. Bemoaning the suburban lifestyle the University to pay each of the 73 members of the cleaning staff at least $1.60 an hour. The New South House Council unanimously signed a petition that year which included the statement that they had not been notified about whether housing fees would be raised for next year. Accord-
Throwback Jack by Sadaf Qureshi
a bi-weekly column about Hoya history ing to a Hoya article, Fr. Fitzgerald said he was “astonished” by this, since an announcement had been posted stating that fees would not increase. He warned the student body that “you can hinder our efforts to discover where economies can be made most reasonably … if you demand, before we are in the position to do so, that we spell out
that “forced” him from selling crack like his cousin, Glover sucks the listener into his emotional uncertainty. Moments later, he takes the trust he’s established and shreds it to pieces on lead single “Bonfire,” which blasts sirens and muddy bass lines as Gambino nearly screams his lines over the violent backdrop. It’s a furious attack on his critics who claim he isn’t good enough or black enough for hiphop. But he also makes comic references to his eclectic tastes, jumping from The Human Centipede to Casey Anthony to Invader Zim. Throughout the album Glover’s humor is biting yet self-deprecating, and his social commentary on stereotypical hip hop is provocative without being the focus of his attack. And obviously, the comedian is quick to make a deft one-liner (“I’ve seen it all, like I’m John Mayer’s penis hole”). Gambino is undoubtedly unique. He displays versatility, switching effortlessly between tender, high-pitched singing and a cracking and aggressive voice— not unlike Lil Wayne’s—when he raps. His schizophrenic approach to this album doesn’t detract from its flow. Songs like “All The Shine” and “Heartbeat” feature his soft voice one moment and dick jokes and sex stories the next. His brutally honest approach to talking how the dorms are going to be run next year.” In 1973, the University made the final switch to a system in which “instead of cleaning each room and changing linen in all the male dorms, the maids [would] clean bathrooms, showers, and common areas.” By that time, the University had gone co-ed, and maids have never been responsible for cleaning rooms in any of the women’s dorms (primarily located in Darnall and St. Mary’s). Apparently, male students had been blaming maids for the disappearance of their belongings, since the residence life administrator who was interviewed for the article had to say that the change in housekeeping duties was not connected to these unproven accusations. In a 1974 article in The Hoya, a student complained that “the principal tasks of the maids and janitors
about women and emotions seems absurd, but Glover explains his insanity: “I know it’s dumb, that’s the fucking reason I’m doing it/So why does everyone have a problem with talking stupid shit?” Fusing technical ability with a crazed production, Childish Gambino spits lines that could draw comparisons to College Dropoutera Kanye West, although that may be a generous comparison— Glover isn’t on Kanye’s level in terms of charisma or production skill. One thing that Glover does without fear is spill his heart into each line that he writes. He talks about having a true relationship with the girl of his dreams on “Kids,” the track where his singing is at its best and most poignant. Album closer “That Power” communicates in spoken form one of the fears that Glover and his audience have in common: rejection. Glover sets himself apart with an honesty and commitment that is not often seen in rap. The myth that his television fame has given him an unfair edge can quickly be dispelled after listening to the powerful Camp. It’s an album fraught with emotion, meaning, and, Glover’s specialty, comedy. Voice’s Choices: “Outside,” “Kids” —Matt Pacana are to show total inconsideration towards the students by noisily waking them up in the morning and then by loafing for the remainder of the day on salaries we are supporting with our room rates.” Long after full maid service had ceased, complaints about cleaning inadequacies persisted. According to a 1979 article in The Hoya, two residents of the fifth floor of Copley filed a law suit against Georgetown for failing to clean the bathrooms, which was part of the “implied contract.” Next time your parents call you spoiled, lazy, or indecisive, simply look to these shining examples from Hoya history. You can say that you merely inherited those traits from previous generations. Help Sadaf clean her dorm at squreshi@georgetownvoice.com
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the georgetown voice 13
BY JACKSON PERRY, ROB SAPUNOR, AND MADHURI VAIRAPANDI
voices
14 the georgetown voice
november 17, 2011
We’ve got 99 problems, but income inequality ain’t one by Evan Tarte Everyone is painfully aware that the proportionate income of the richest Americans is growing. Like a cancerous tumor, the wealth of America’s elite threatens to envelop us all. As their collective fortunes reach critical mass, the moral fabric of our society will tear apart, fire and brimstone will fall from the sky, machines will rise up against the human race, and Nicki Minaj will be the last cultural legacy of humanity. Or maybe not. Unfortunately, the dystopian visions enthusiastically broadcast from Zuccotti Park by the Occupy Wall Street movement present a distorted picture of this economic trend. True, the income of the top one percent has increased steadily from roughly 10 percent of the total national income in 1985 to 17 percent in 2009. This is hardly an apocalyptic development. Shockingly, that 99 percent we keep hearing about still retains over 80 percent of our total national
income, and by most measures their purchasing power has actually risen over that period. Contrary to popular belief, the trend in economic disparity has been primarily driven by two interrelated factors. Since the 1970s, demand for innovation and highly skilled labor (CEOs, people with technical skills, etc.) has dramatically increased. Conversely, demand for less skilled labor has steadily declined. The flattening of the world markets combined with advances in computing and technology has created broad and systemic efficiencies. The byproducts of those efficiencies are the real issue, not corporate greed or tax loopholes for the rich, as the OWS protesters would have us believe. In spite of this decline in demand for traditional labor, the real income of all Americans, including the “99 percent,” has steadily increased. In the last 30 years, the real median household income has increased by approximately $5,000, and the material quality of life for most
Americans has dramatically improved. The real-life differences between high earners today and middle to lower income Americans has narrowed considerably over the course of this century, mostly in ways not reflected in terms of real income. Rapid improvements in the quality of cheap goods in comparison to expensive goods have been the greatest factor in improving the lives of the masses. In the early 1900s, income disparity may have meant the difference between owning a horse or a car. Today, the issue is whether you drive a five-year-old Toyota or a twoyear-old Mercedes. 70 percent of Americans living below the poverty line own automobiles, and a greater percentage have personal computers and smartphones. The more we examine inequality through the lens of real quality of living, the less divergence we see. That is not to say there aren’t excesses in the system or its better for the rich to have more, or that there aren’t
plenty of people in real need, but it is important to view the issue of income inequality in a broader historic and economic context. On a related note, the same segment of the population lamenting the plight of the 99 percent is also incensed that the wealthy are not paying their fair share of taxes. While the word “fair” is subjective, by most definitions the top earners are paying considerably more than their fair share. In 2009, the top one percent of income earners paid over 36 percent of all federal income taxes and the top 10 percent of income earners paid over 70 percent of all income taxes. Such complaints seem especially incongruent since roughly half of all Americans pay no federal income tax at all. The real victims of Occupy Wall Street, aside from the residents and small business owners of lower Manhattan, are the iPhone-wielding, twenty-something protesters themselves. These would-be leaders are blinded by 1960s
strangers, the feeling was very much mutual. Worm’s new RenRen friends appreciated graduates from top-flight institutions in China and America who were spending two years of their professional lives at rural schools in the Teach for China program. To say that China has an educational equity gap does not do justice to the severity of the situation. Even as the country turns away from the growth-at-all costs model to one of “inclusive growth,” almost 190 million rural children will be deprived the quality of education available to their counterparts in coastal cities. In the two provinces in which Teach
for China currently operates, only 1.7 percent of students will go on to achieve any sort of higher education. Recognizing the need for quality instructors in the system, the central and provincial governments have engaged NGOs like Teach for China, a three-year old Beijing-based organization independently affiliated with Teach for America through the global Teach for All network. The vision of its founders, Andrea Pasinetti and Rachel Wasser, is to address educational inequality in China by enlisting the most promising future leaders in both countries in the effort. By working in cross-cultural teams in China’s most under-resourced schools, Teach for China fellows are creating a new model for U.S.-China relations. Last year, Teach for China’s first year of operation at Georgetown, students answered the call in an unprecedented manner. Seven recent graduates were accepted into the new class of fellows—the largest group out of the 25 U.S. schools where Teach for China recruits. They face a daunting task: the fellows teach English to classes of 50-60 students in rural middle schools, with the kids walking up to six hours on Sundays from nearby farming communities to come to school, where they stay from Monday through Friday. According to Andrew Coflan (COL ’11),
some children only have one set of clothes for the entire week, and often sleep two to a bunk bed. “They don’t usually have any real possessions,” he said. The reality of the situation has forced these former Georgetown students to make the rapid transition from self-focused high-achievers to being responsible for many other lives. “Being here made me realize that because these kids basically live at school, teachers have to be more than teachers—they have to step into a kind of parental role, and that’s very new for me,” Caitlin Moss (COL ’11) said. But there is support, and it comes in different ways. New fellows have access to intensive Chinese and cultural training, both before and during their fellowship, with second-year fellows at their school and area program managers assigned to them to be mentors to focus on their development as teachers. Each fellow is also part of a larger team, working closely with other fellows, local teachers, community leaders, and parents. The fellows were attracted by the once-in-a-career chance to transform the lives of students, communities, a country, international affairs, and in turn themselves. “When I was looking at other opportunities abroad, I thought
nostalgia as they look for excuses in a world that is admittedly a bit tougher to navigate than it was a few years ago. The greatest threat to their future is not the one percent, but the 22 percent, or 79 million people projected to be on Medicare in 2030. That same great generation that helped run up $14 trillion of national debt expects to enjoy a retirement package with $45 trillion plus of unfunded liability. If the OWS youth were smart, they would channel their outrage 230 miles south in D.C., and do it through social media and grassroots fundraising rather than tents and placards. Really, if you still think that tents and placards are the keys to affecting change in the 21st century, maybe there is a reason why your lot in life is lower than those greedy bankers.
Evan Tarte is a sophomore in the College. Evan lives up to his name working the corner of OWS in Zuccotti Park.
Teach for China crosses the Pacific, chalk in hand by Nirjhor Rahman At first the books came individually, and then there was a flood of them. After Tim Worm (SFS ’10) posted a message on RenRen, China’s equivalent of Facebook, pleading for help in procuring English-toChinese dictionaries for his class of more than 50 students in rural China, the result was a deluge of packages and messages. “I got a bunch of friend requests, with everyone saying ‘Thank you so much for helping us out,’” he said. While he and his fellow teachers at the middle school were amazed at the kindness and generosity of
“Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?”
FLICKR
‘It’s two years … it’s too rural … I can’t do it.’ But when I compared it to other programs, Teach for China was really the only one where my efforts on a daily basis could help someone,” Moss said. That effort is now being amplified throughout her adopted community; a group of local teachers recently observed her class, eager to adapt the methods of the young Americans who are introducing new ways of learning in their sleepy rural enclave in Southeast China. The challenges the Teach for China fellows face are great. They must address the vast educational gap in the country and help countless kids become proficient in English, not mention overcome the challenges of transplanting into a new environment. But they’re not just ready for it—they’re excited. “You can’t spend two years here and not believe in what you’re doing and not having that change you,” Coflan said. “I’m thankful every day for the opportunities I have here, even the challenges—especially the challenges.”
Nirjhor Rahman is a senior in the SFS. Next year Nirjhor plans to open a school for kids who can’t read good.
voices
georgetownvoice.com
the georgetown voice
15
Respectful mayhem: a night at the helm of SafeRides by Tom Bosco John briskly stopped the van in the middle of the road, allowing me to swiftly unbuckle my seatbelt and exit the passenger-side door of the vehicle. I raced out of the van toward the two huddled bodies lying on top of each other in the middle of the black concrete on P Street and screamed, “Is everything alright?” The first body looked up and made eye contact with me. “Yeah, he’s my roommate,” he responded. “We’re just … uh … wrestling.” The roommate verified the claim. It’s not every night I witness an impromptu drunken wrestling
match in the middle of the streets of Georgetown. Then again, it’s not every night I volunteer in the SafeRides van. Last Friday, John Morris (COL ’13) and I spent our night roaming the streets of Georgetown, picking up students and delivering them to their desired destinations. Armed with the knowledge that I once crashed my Volvo into a parked car in rural New Jersey, Morris decided to spend the duration of the night—seven hours— driving the van, a task he did with exceptional poise. I sat in the passenger seat, fiddled with the iPod, and responded to the command station for pick up requests via radio.
FLICKR
This is what SafeRides looked like Saturday morning after Tom took the wheel.
Occupy Towne Whipped cream-flavored Burnett’s vodka in hand, two Jane Hoyas approach the cashier at Towne Wine and Liquor on Wisconsin Avenue and engage in familiar debate about splitting the bill—“I’m out of money … Buy you a froyo at Sweet Green tomorrow?” “Perf!” Unfortunately, the situation was not perfect. With $13 in hand, the thirsty ladies thought they had enough cash to pay for the vodka, but they forgot about one of D.C.’s more sinister institutions—alcohol taxes. In response to the District’s grim financial outlook, Mayor Vincent Gray signed the FY 2012 Emergency Budget Support Act on June 29, 2011. In addition to altering municipal property and income tax
rates in an effort to boost city revenue, Gray approved an increase in the tax on the sale of alcohol for off-premises consumption (e.g. buying Natty at Towne) from 9 to 10 percent. D.C. is known for high taxes, and alcohol is no exception. When you account for the fact that D.C. has a patchwork of taxes on both production and sales, D.C. has one of the highest liquor taxes in the nation. Though seemingly negligible, the tax hike is estimated to bring in an additional $2.9 million annually. While austerity and fiscal responsibility have been an unfortunate but necessary response to deficits from Birmingham, Ala. to Athens, Ga., alcohol taxes are an unjust and unethical way to get budgets back in the black. Like any other excise tax,
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Over the course of the night, we saw both the mundane and the amusing. We drove a few wonderfully polite students to Safeway. Ten minutes later, a few friends had to carry a girl who was too drunk to walk into the van in order to get her home safely. Later in the night, we picked up people at the Emergency Room and brought them home, on our way passing two students lying down on the 35th Street sidewalk, casually texting. Students didn’t make up the entirety of our interactions. In Burleith, an eight-point buck stared head-on at the van as we dropped a passenger off at home, only to sprint away moments later. Throughout the experience, my perceptions of the Georgetown’s neighborhood relations changed. Georgetown students, on the whole, were respectful of the service. Those who used the service to travel to parties and bars were traveling a long distance and benefited from a ride. The drunken students—who I had been most excited to pick up because of the amusement they would provide—were respectful of the vehicle and grateful for the lift. alcohol taxes are inherently regressive; they place a greater financial burden on the poor than the rich. But this assumes that the rich and the poor consume alcohol at similar rates. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be the case. Despite a lack of hard data, both personal experience and common sense suggest that,
Carrying On by Keaton Hoffman A rotating column by Voice senior staffers
in terms of off-premises consumption, students purchase alcohol at a much greater rate than adults. These same students, on average, have much more limited incomes than the adult population. So alcohol taxes, more so than any other tax, place an unfair burden on American youth. Add this to the dire problems of youth unemployment, ever increasing student indebtedness, and the fact that, particularly in D.C., students are not registered to vote in the districts where they go to school, and alcohol taxes seem less like a quick fix for sagging budgets and more
Over the course of a sevenhour period, only one student was disrespectful to the service, and that’s because he knew Morris and me and wanted to act like an idiot. (On Monday, when I told him I was writing about how respectful Georgetown students had been, he responded, “Seriously? I humped your van.”) The most striking thing I realized was how quiet Georgetown students are on the streets late at night—with the obvious exception of the area outside Tuscany Café at 2 a.m. The aforementioned kids wrestling, lying down and texting, and going to parties were all virtually silent in the streets when they were walking or when we were picking them up. Still, while we may be well behaved, we are a presence late at night and a large number of residents in the community put up with us. Time and time again, our neighbors vilify Georgetown students for causing a ruckus at night, making noise, and improperly disposing of trash. Maybe one Friday night is too small of a sample size to come to a reasonable conclusion, but in my limited experience at Georgetown, it’s evident that even late at night, students are well like a serious injustice against students. Fundamental to modern democracies is the idea that states exist to secure liberties, not act as a moral compass and take them away. Historically this has not been the case, and states have imposed numerous restrictions on the consumption of goods deemed harmful to society. But while precedent may be on the side of prohibiting “sinful” vices like prostitution or cocaine, the values of modern democracies are not. Assuming that individual alcohol consumption in itself does not harm others (a claim that Mothers Against Drunk Driving and other groups would dispute) a truly liberal state would allow its citizens to be free to consume it. We can look to the ban on the controversial ingredients of caffeine, taurine, and guarana in Four Loko as a failure of the state to protect our freedom. But is targeted taxation of alcohol on par with an outright ban? In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill argued that “to tax stimulants for the sole purpose of making them more difficult to be obtained, is a measure
behaved. Yes, some students may cause a disruption once in a while, but a few sour apples should not ruin the whole batch. And if I’m going to give a benefit of the doubt to the students, I have to give the same to the neighbors—the vocal minority of the neighbors has a problem with us, not the indifferent majority. Riding around in SafeRides for a night reminded me that I live in a shared community. For the most part, Georgetown students respect and understand where the neighbors stand, and the neighbors understand they live in the midst of a college community. We shouldn’t be absolutist when saying the “neighbors” hate us or “Georgetown students” are misbehaved. That’s not true. A large portion of the neighbors has learned to live with a bunch of well-behaved college students. A few neighbors hate Georgetown students like my friend, who go around late at night, and hump vans. Sorry buddy, I still love you.
Tom Bosco is a senior in the MSB. On Saturday nights Tom roams the streets looking for lonely kids ready to wrestle. differing only in degree from their entire prohibition; and would be justifiable only if that were justifiable.” For example, imagine the individual too poor to afford alcohol under a new tax. To her, the government might as well reinstitute prohibition, because a tax eliminates her ability to buy alcohol. Though somewhat extreme, this case illustrates the assault on liberty inherent in any targeted taxation. When those targeted taxes that seek to control public behavior by appealing to general notions of morality, affectionately labeled “sin” taxes, the state oversteps its role. It’s time for students to express their concerns over rising liquor taxes and not allow the tax burden to be unfairly shifted. In 2010, with support from breweries, economists, and drinkers (students), a Massachusetts initiative did just that, eliminating liquor taxes altogether. Cheers to that.
Keaton Hoffman is a junior in the SFS. Unfortunately he won’t be particpating in Occupy Towne, they have a ban on hipster glasses.
H AP PY G H A G I K I T N S V N !
JULIA KWON