The Georgetown Voice, November 18, 2010

VOICE the georgetown

0

MEDICAL MARIJUANA IN THE DISTANT FUTURE? PAGE 4

GETTING DOWN WITH THE MISSING LINK PAGE 7

HOYAS BENCH READY TO CONTRIBUTE AT CHARLESTON PAGE 11

Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w November 18, 2010 w Volume 43, Issue 14 w georgetownvoice.com

welcome back?

veterans at Georgetown

2 the georgetown voice

november 18, 2010

comments of the week

Haven’t you heard?

“This is possibly one of the most pathetic things I have ever seen. We’ve gone from Shakespeare’s balcony scene to “hey stranger, u r cute lol!”

—Jacob, “Flirting website makes F2F interaction even less necessary”

“Nice article and the Hoyas are ready to roooooooollll out the barrel and keep it moving! What Rocks!”

—Kent, “Backcourt to the Future: 2011 Men’s Season Preview”

“Dear DPS: You suck because there are burglaries in Village A. Dear DPS: You suck because there are too many officers in Village A and you’re only doing it to stop parties.

Dear DPS: You suck because the burglaries might be caused by students, so your efforts are useless ...

Dear DPS: You suck for asking me for ID because I’m not the burglar, someone else is.

Dear DPS: You suck because you don’t challenge suspicious people by asking them for ID.”

Catch the Hilltop’s latest on

Vox Populi

—How the story goes, “Burglary in Village A as DPS increases presence”

“People don’t do stupid things because they drink, they do stupid things because they’re stupid.”

—Soph, “Campus Crime Watch: Pizza car theft, DUI, burglary”

Talk Back

G e o r g e t o w n ’s B l o g O f R e c o r d S i n c e 1969 blog.georgetownvoice.com

blog.georgetownvoice.com || georgetownvoice.com

Voice Crossword “In Sight of Relief” by Scott Fligor

ACROSS 1. Italian-American plumber 6. Opposite of fem.

10. In the middle of 14. A dolphin saved him 15. El rio, por ejemplo

16. ___ Lisa 17. English dramatist Charles 18. International amateur radio org.

19. Not pro 20. Bush’s first secretary of state 23. You, in Marseille 24. New, prefix

answers at georgetownvoice.com 25. Bird colony 27. Half of the academic year 32. Blueprint detail 33. Dined 34. Common throat ailment 36. Crush 39. John Boehner is known for them 41. Mighty Mighty Bosstones song, “___ ___ To Say” 43. Indonesian sailboat 44. Yale of Yale 46. Billionare liberal financier 48. London airport 49. Where to lay an egg 51. Organizational tool 53. Stretch on it 56. ___ de cologne 57. ___-Wan Kenobi 58. Northeastern commercial crop 64. Drunks 66. Russian leader 67. Health insurer from Hartford 68. Next-in-line 69. Cream label 70. Beam emitter 71. Child’s retort (2 words) 72. Magnetic unit 73. Mario’s fraternal twin

DOWN 1. Artist Chagall 2. Mars: Prefix 3. Iranian capital 4. Found in table salt 5. Unity 6. ___ Grosso, Brazillian state 7. Ethiopian People 8. Awesome 9. Venezuelan “Jackal” 10. Doctors’ org.

11. Monaco’s famous for it 12. Between 13. Simple flower 21. First winner of “Britain’s Got Talent” 22. Slices off 26. Dole’s running mate in 1996 27. Satisfy 28. Citation abbr.

29. Inflammation of the meninges 30. Cupid in Greece 31. To lay new ground, per se

35. Lawyer asst.

37. Trendy Manhattan neighborhood 38. “Listen!”

40. Former Mets ballpark 42. Small fabric doll 45. Semper Fi group 47. Splash hot water around 50. Accompanies fried fish 52. Government department 53. Green dinosaur 54. Orchestra tuners 55. Try a food 59. Common salt 60. Theme of the puzzle along with 8-down and 36-across 61. Snooty answer to “Who’s there?”

62. Cartoonist of “Bronze Bomber and “The Spirit” fame 63. Indian draped dress 65. Lttrs. for a hit show

Are you a logophile?

Share your love of words and help us write crosswords.

E-mail crossword@georgetownvoice.com.

editorial

georgetownvoice.com

VOICE the georgetown

Volume 43.14 November 18, 2010 Editor-in-Chief: Juliana Brint Managing Editor: Molly Redden Editor-at-Large: Tim Shine Blog Editor: Chris Heller News Editor: Cole Stangler Sports Editor: Nick Berti Feature Editor: Sean Quigley Cover Editor: Holly Ormseth Leisure Editor: Brendan Baumgardner Voices Editor: Keaton Hoffman Photo Editor: Jackson Perry Design Editors: Megan Berard, Ishita Kohli Literary Editor: James McGrory Crossword Editor: Mary Cass Assistant Blog Editors: Geoffrey Bible, Julie Patterson Assistant News Editors: Emma Forster, Holly Tao Assistant Cover Editor: Marc Fichera Assistant Leisure Editors: Nico Dodd, Leigh Finnegan Assistant Photo Editors: Max Blodgett, Matthew Funk

Associate Editor: Iris Kim Staff Writers:

Thaddeus Bell, Akshay Bhatia, Tom Bosco, Kara Brandeisky, Rachel Calvert, Matthew Collins, Matthew Decker, John Flanagan, Satinder Kaur, Daniel Kellner, Matt Kerwin, Sadaf Qureshi, John Sapunor, Rob Sapunor, Abby Sherburne, Melissa Sullivan, Keenan Timko, Imani Tate, Mark Waterman, J. Galen Weber

Staff Photographers:

Helen Burton, Julianne Deno, Lexie Herman, Hilary Nakasone, Seun Oyewole, Audrey Wilson

Staff Designers:

Richa Goyal, Catherine Johnson, Lauren MacGuidwin, Michelle Pliskin, Nitya Ramlogan, Amber Ren

Copy Chief: Matt Kerwin

Copy Editors: Emily Hessler, Tori Jovanovski, Claire McDaniel, Kim Tay

Editorial Board Chair: Hunter Kaplan Editorial Board:

Gavin Bade, Kara Brandeisky, Ethan Chess, Jackson Perry, Eric Pilch, Molly Redden, J. Galen Weber

Head of Business: Eric Pilch

WHISKY TANGO FOXTROT?

Time to call in support for student veterans For most of us, last Thursday was an ordinary day on the Hilltop. The clock struck 11:11 for two minutes of silence as many of us were walking to class, talking to friends, or catching a quick bite to eat. Few students took the time to notice that last Thursday was Veterans Day, an important holiday for our nation, but even more so for those who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces. Unfortunately, Georgetown University is also failing to notice the challenges its student veterans face on a daily basis by failing to adequately provide the institutional and financial support that they deserve.

The number of student veterans at Georgetown has risen from about 100 to over 250 in the last few years as many soldiers finish enlistments. An increase in student aid in 2008 has made it possible for more veterans to attend college. But currently, there are no full-time University staff members committed to helping veterans

Domestic, year-long: $38 Domestic, semester-long: $27 International, year-long: $52 International, semester-long: $43 Mailing Address:

Georgetown University The Georgetown Voice Box 571066 Washington, D.C. 20057

Office:

Leavey Center Room 413 Georgetown University Washington, D.C. 20057

Newsroom: (202) 687-6780 Fax: (202) 687-6763 E-Mail: 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 ... Student Veterans Cover Illustration: Holly Ormseth

navigate the psychological, academic, and financial hurdles they face every day.

Student veterans need a dedicated staffer to help them navigate the red tape of claiming Veterans Affairs benefits for themselves and their families. Veterans returning from combat are also in need of counseling and psychological resources. A U.S. Army report from 2006 found that up to “30 percent of troops deployed to Iraq suffer from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.” Although Georgetown offers specific resources for victims of other traumas like eating disorders and sexual assault, no one is specifically tasked with reaching out to veterans returning from war and or dealing with extended separation from their families.

To create a reliable structure, Georgetown should model a veterans’ affairs office after successful programs like the Community Scholars Program, Health Education Services, and the LGBTQ resource center—

offices with enthusiastic staffers who can focus their full attention on the communities they serve.

The University should also increase its financial support for Veterans receiving assistance from the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Of the top 25 schools in the nation which participate, Georgetown is the second-lowest contributor to this tuition-matching program, which was created by the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.

For a university that prides itself on a strong connection with government agencies in the nation’s capital, Georgetown should be embarrassed by its woefully under-supported veterans benefits programs.

Providing adequate support for Georgetown’s student veterans would not overly burden its financial resources. Hopefully by next Veterans Day, Georgetown’s commitment to our nation’s servicemen and women will be something worth honoring.

COURT OF APPEALS

Ayegba’s NCAA suspension is a personal foul

While flying halfway across the world from his native Nigeria last fall, Moses Ayegba was probably thinking about pursuing his education in the United States and the excitement of playing Division I College Basketball. He probably never would have guessed that the plane ticket he held in his hand would cost him nine games of eligibility, the bulk of Georgetown’s preconference schedule, after the NCAA discovered that it had been a gift. The severity of his penalty was certainly unfair, but the NCAA’s disregard for Ayegba’s commitment to righting his mistakes during the appeals process was even more disappointing. Going forward, the NCAA must consider the individual circumstances of the students it oversees instead of blindly applying general guidelines to complicated cases of alleged misconduct.

The NCAA handed down Ayegba’s suspension last summer after it discovered that

The Georgetown Voice

The Georgetown Voice is published every Thursday. If you would like to subscribe, make a check or money order payable to the Georgetown Voice and send it to the mailing address listed below. Subscription rates are as follows:

the georgetown voice 3

his caretaker, Joseph Bancore, paid for the $1,400 ticket that brought him to the United States. This violated the pre-enrollment rules that prohibit such gifts to amateur athletes. After the ruling, however, Ayegba quickly took steps to take responsibility for his error and satisfy the conditions for his reinstatement as mandated by the NCAA. Although he is taking a full course load and has a demanding athletic regimen, over the course of the summer and fall semester he worked two jobs to try to earn enough money to donate the cost of the plane ticket to a local charity. Instead of considering his commitment to promptly making sure this condition was being met, the NCAA upheld its ruling to suspend him for a third of the season—the harshest possible penalty for receiving gifts over $1,000.

The effects of Ayegba’s suspension will certainly extend beyond the nine games of his ineligibility. His lack of pre-conference

experience will limit his minutes during the grueling Big East schedule that immediately follows his reinstatement. Because Georgetown head coach, John Thompson III, said he will not redshirt the freshman center this year, Ayegba’s collegiate career and the team at large will effectively be disrupted for an entire season for a relatively minor infraction.

The spirit of NCAA amateur rules is to promote fairness throughout the recruiting process and to ensure that students remain committed to their development on and off of the court during their time in school. In choosing to attend a school with Georgetown’s rigorous academic standards, Ayegba has proven he is committed to the best qualities of the collegiate student-athlete.

The NCAA should reward this commitment with additional consideration and a focus on the individual students rather than simply relying on inflexible rules.

AT THE BREAKING POINT

GU scheduling gobbles up entire fall semester Next Monday, students at top universities across the country will pack their bags and head home, but many Georgetown students will be stuck on the Hilltop until classes end on Wednesday. In fact, many Hoyas will not even have the opportunity to visit their families this Thanksgiving. And none have had more than a long weekend off from Georgetown’s grueling fall semester. After midterms begin in early October, students face a daunting schedule of group projects and exams without the chance to catch their breath that many friends at peer institution have.

The University should add a fall break to separate these grading periods, and lengthen its Thanksgiving break to better accommodate the increasing geographic diversity of its students. Georgetown gives its students far fewer breaks than peer schools.

Princeton, Harvard, Cornell, and Duke all

have fall breaks in the middle of their semesters. Princeton, Yale and Stanford, to name just a few, also have the entire week off for Thanksgiving. Georgetown students— many of whom cannot even travel home for Thanksgiving if they live far away and have mandatory classes on Wednesday— are burnt-out by this point because of the University’s overlapping and inconsistent grading periods. A student’s exams are often spread across the entire semester, and there is no set period to relax and reflect before finals. A week-long fall break between midterm exams and finals would be a practical way to encourage professors to group larger assignments and give their students a chance to take a much needed break from their studies.

The brevity of Georgetown’s Thanksgiving break is a relic of its days as a regional school—now that Georgetown is a national

institution, there is no longer any practical reason for this schedule. Not as many students at Georgetown come from Mid-Atlantic States as they once did. The University needs to recognize this and extend Thanksgiving break to allow more of its students to return home and spend time with their families.

If it is not willing to make drastic scheduling changes yet, Georgetown can start by cancelling classes on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Not only would a lengthened vacation give students more time with their families, it would improve their focus heading into final exams. Georgetown administrators must realize that overworking students over the course of an entire semester will negatively impact students’ retention of course materials and pressure them to cram more in their studying time. Working this hard during the fall semester is just not working for Georgetown students.

news

4 the georgetown voice

november 18, 2010

Medical marijuana delayed in the District

by Gavin Bade Despite the passage of D.C.’s new medical marijuana law in May, chronically ill patients in the District are likely to see their wait for medicinal cannabis extended even further. The city’s regulations are still in the process of being finalized.

District residents should not expect to start seeing licensed dispensaries until June 2011, according to Alan St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.

D.C voters first approved medical marijuana in a 1998 referendum, but Congress had blocked the city from enacting the referendum until last spring.

St. Pierre thinks that dis-

pensaries in the Georgetown area are likely to appear three to six months after the first licenses are issued in the city.

“The District such as it is, there’s going to be proverbial Ward [2], Georgetown blowback,” St. Pierre said. “There’s going to be some initial resistance to it for sure.”

Andrew Huff, director of communications for Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans, declined to comment, citing Evans’ relative lack of involvement in the issue.

Nonetheless, Georgetown Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Charles Eason said that he saw no reason to oppose the opening of a dispensary.

“It’s legal, and I think any legal business, we would welcome them,” Eason said. “As

to how the Commission would react to an application, I’d say it would depend on the specific case. … With issues that are unique to that business, we would address them as we looked at the application, but that’s what we do when you want to open a bar or keep your bar open until 4 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. I don’t see any reason to put this into a special category.”

In August, the Georgetown Current reported that an anonymous individual was hoping to open a dispensary in Georgetown and had found a willing landlord. But Eason said that there has been no application to open a dispensary in the area.

“The last I’ve heard,” he added, “you’re only talking about five licenses for the

whole city, so the notion that there would be more than one in Georgetown, I think is unrealistic.”

Unlike other states that have legalized medical marijuana, D.C. did not initially give its department of public health jurisdiction over marijuana regulation. The applications for licenses were originally put under the jurisdiction of alcohol regulators by outgoing Mayor Adrian Fenty’s administration.

Due to backlash from medical marijuana activists and potential patients, Fenty announced on Nov. 12 that he would create a new hearing board for the purpose of licensing and regulating medical marijuana facilities separate from but modeled on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Activists still worry that this will further restrict patient access, St. Pierre said. Besides the tighter regulation, he warned that a new bureaucratic department will delay the licensing of cannabis retailers, as it has in New Jersey, where a host of restrictions exist.

“New Jersey law is currently such a malaise of problems getting off the ground that it’s going to be delayed at least a year after it was supposed to come into being,” St Pierre said. “And because the District of Columbia chose that model … they have inherently taken up the same delays.

Arthur Parker, rulemaking chief of the Office of the Attorney General, declined requests to comment because regulations are not yet finalized.

“I think [the IFTJ] was looking for a way to grow, to expand,” said Georgetown campus minister David Monaco, who has worked with the ISN on the school’s behalf for seven years. About 25 Georgetown students participated in this year ’s Teach-In, which Monaco helped coordinate.

“There were so many powerful speakers,” Michelle Haines (SFS ‘14) said. “After they would end we would have group reflections. We really got to know each other well.”

Though Haines is herself a Protestant, she said that she learned a lot about the social justice aspect of the Catholic faith and especially identified with “the challenge of how we as students serve God and justice in our daily lives.”

“It was a powerful weekend,” Haines said.

Though the conference’s three main issues were immigration, climate change, and the School of the Americas, the controversy surrounding Georgetown’s hiring of Álvaro Uribe was an unavoidable topic.

In one of the keynote speeches, Sr. Dianna Ortiz criticized Georgetown for failing to live up to its Jesuit heritage in hiring the ex-Colombian Presi-

dent, who activist groups have accused of numerous human rights violations. After Sunday night’s mass, some conferencegoers participated in a vigil to commemorate Colombian victims of human rights abuses in Red Square organized by the

Adiós Uribe coalition.

Although this year marked a significant shift for the Teach-In, organizers felt it was ultimately for the better. “[We want] to make it more than simply a rally,” Monaco said. “If there is interest

in closing the School of the Americas, that has to happen through Congress.”

Ann Macgovern, executive director of the ISN, agreed.

“If Congress doesn’t hear these messages, then we’re not doing anything,” she said.

Ignatian Family Teach-In talks social justice at GU

by Mark Waterman After ten years of protesting outside the School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Ga., the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice moved to Georgetown University this year.

An estimated 1,200 high school and college students from various Jesuit institutions around the country convened for the Ignatian Solidarity Network-sponsored conference on social justice.

The three main focuses of this year ’s conference were immigration, climate change, and the closure of the School of the Americas.

In years past, IFTJ has held the Teach-In as part of a larger annual protest at the School of Americas, a Department of Defense facility widely criticized for human rights violations that its graduates have perpetrated throughout Latin America.

The shift to D.C., though, allowed conference participants to formally lobby for their issues. Participants called up their congressmen to schedule a meeting before the conference, and after a weekend of speeches and break-out sessions, the participants met with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Courtesy IGNATIAN SOLIDARITY NETWORK

Participants remembered victims of climate change, immigration, and the School of the Americas at a Capitol Hill rally.

news

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 5

GUSA starts gender-neutral housing dialogue

by Rachel Calvert On Sunday, the Georgetown University Student Association Senate passed a resolution calling for a discussion about implementing gender-blind housing at Georgetown. Also referred to as gender-neutral housing, genderblind housing does not restrict students to traditional single-sex dorm pairings.

The legislation, which called for a conversation with administrators and student groups on a potential pilot program for the Gender-Blind Housing Program, was introduced by Senator Josh Mogil (SFS ’11).

Gender-blind housing often serves to accommodate LGBTQ students.

“The reason for this resolution was the shocking suicides in colleges and high schools across America,” Mogil said.

The resolution cited the incidents, which include the suicide of a gay Rutgers University student who was harassed by his roommate for his sexual identity.

Chris Pigott (COL ’12) proposed an amendment that eliminated this reference, which failed by one vote.

Before the final vote, the Senate approved an amend-

ment stating that GUSA will not take an official position in the discussion.

Colton Malkerson (COL ’13) supported the amendment because he said he was concerned the legislation would represent an implicit endorsement of genderblind housing and force GUSA to “pick a side.”

Georgetown receives a small number of requests for special accommodations at the beginning of each school year, Mogil said.

These students are provided a private room and bathroom in one of the dorms. University spokesperson Julie Green-Bataille did not respond to clarify why these students generally request special accommodations.

Mogil said that it is evident the University recognizes that traditional dorms are not ideal for some students.

However, Mogil believes the current policy stigmatizes these students’ situations by isolating them from the traditional freshman experience of having a roommate.

Mogil also emphasized the role that housing plays in student safety, citing physical and verbal abuse.

One of the four senators who abstained from voting, Nathan

Libation regulation When the Georgetown freshmen who are just getting comfortable at off-campus house parties start to explore D.C.’s nightlife scene, they will find subpar bars and exorbitant prices throughout the city. This is largely due to the fact that Georgetown and most of its surrounding neighborhoods have placed strict limits on the number of liquor licenses available for bars and restaurants. The idea is to protect against the type of mass drunkeness and excessive unruliness that dominate Adams Morgan on weekend nights, but the caps send license prices to astonishing levels. An April Washington Post op-ed by local blogger Topher Mathews said that the going rate for a license in Georgetown is about $70,000, a steep investment for any would-be entrepreneur.

As a result, in Georgetown

you mostly find wild bars like Third Edition or Rhino, which pack in as many people into as they can to make the most money per square foot of space. On the opposite side of the spectrum, you can sit down for dinner and a very expensive beer or glass of wine— that is, if you’re comfortable parting with $30 or $40. Those are both profitable business models, but it makes it very difficult to find a place to sit down with friends in an interesting social setting and enjoy a reasonably priced drink.

Mathews suggested one good solution to the ban. Currently, owners can hold onto liquor licenses indefinitely, waiting for their value to appreciate, as long as they pay a small yearly renewal fee. A use-it-or-lose-it policy could prevent owners from keeping an idle license for more than

Tisa (SFS ’14) disagreed with this interpretation.

“If this group is concerned about safety, that’s a separate issue from housing,” Tisa said.

GU Pride was not notified

by Mogil about the resolution, according to the group’s secretary and historian Kevin Mercer (COL ’11), but supports genderneutral housing as a way of including members of the LGBTQ community who do not identify as male, female, or within the gender binary.

Mercer said that gender neutral housing combats the heteronormative thinking implied by the logic behind single-sex dorms.

Matt Cantarino, staff editor of the Georgetown Academy, the University’s only Catholic studentrun newspaper, also said he did not perceive the need for a change in Georgetown’s housing policy.

“I have hard time seeing the urgency of this issue, as I think a lot of Hoyas will,” he said.

Cantarino said that he would participate in the coming dialogue “if it comes down to something that involves the spiritual identity of the students and the University.”

It remains unclear whether that will be the case, but LGTBQ

six months and make the market more fluid, giving smaller establishments a better chance of opening and operating successfully.

But, in addition to the problem of license hoarding, all liquor license regulation occurs at the local Advisory Neighborhood Councils. The commissioners who make up these councils are ultimately

City on a Hill

by Eric Pilch

A bi-weekly column on D.C. news and politics responsive to their constituents--who are generally not the businessmen and women who run the restaurants and bars in their jurisdiction.

Georgetown’s ANC representatives have a well-deserved reputation for using every means to protect residents from unwanted noise or hassle, making it difficult for new bars and restaurants to obtain licenses.

LEXIE HERMAN

Josh Mogil crafted the legislation calling for gender neutral housing at Georgetown.

Resource Center Director Sivagami Subbaraman said the resolution will only begin a dialogue.

“We are just beginning the conversation, and we will have to be thoughtful about … how we can best meet the needs of our students within the larger context of being a Jesuit institution,” Subbaraman said.

Shane Windmeyer, founder and executive director of Campus Pride, an organization that

Liquor licenses recently became big news in the gentrifying neighborhood of Bloomingdale. The popular hangout and coffee shop Big Bear Café was looking to expand and serve alcohol, but ran into opposition from the ANC and local residents who feared that granting a liquor license to a first non-liquor store establishment would lead to a stream of new bars and restaurants.

“One small entity begets another small entity begets another small entity,” a particularly animated resident told Washington City Paper. “And then we end up with the same issues that make you a U Street or an Adams Morgan.”

Big Bear Cafe ultimately got its liquor license, with the strict condition that it could not operate past 11 p.m. on weekdays and 12 a.m. on weekends. However, the coffee shop’s saga reveals the underlying problem with allowing ANCs to regulate liquor

provides information about the LGBTQ environment on college campuses, echoed the importance of dialogue about the broader issues of tolerance, and said it is just one part of the puzzle of what needs to be done in residence halls.

“What will really change Georgetown is the attitudes of students, along with the administration, that accept students for who they are,” Windmeyer said.

licenses. The commissioners with the power over these decisions represent extremely small jurisdictions, and have a strong incentive to prevent the growth of nightlife options.

And thanks to the rancorous Big Bar Café fight, you probably won’t see many entrepreneurs in Bloomingdale looking to open up bars or restaurants in the foreseeable future.

However, with some structural changes, D.C. could see a more rational and effective approach to alcohol regulation.

Gradually shifting regulatory powers away from the ANCs toward the more liberal Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration and ensuring a more fluid market for liquor licenses would be a step in the right direction. And with better choices and lower prices, everybody wins.

Need a friend, an interesting setting, and a drink? Email Eric at epilch@georgetownvoice.com

sports

6 the georgetown voice

november 18, 2010

Hoyas gray-out Terrapins with backcourt barrage

by Adam Rosenfeld While many students know of only one basketball team with dominating guard play, this Tuesday night the Georgetown women’s basketball team showed that there is a plethora of backcourt talent on their squad. Fans were treated to a show on a rainy evening as the No. 13 Hoyas defeated their local rival, the No. 21 Maryland Terrapins 5345, thanks to virtuoso performances from a pair of Georgetown guards.

Junior point guard Rubylee Wright and sophomore guard Sugar Rodgers anchored a monumentous effort from the Hoyas, bringing the team’s record to 2-0 with an impressive early-season win.

The atmosphere on Tuesday was electric, with nearly 2,000 fans packing McDonough Arena to see the much-anticipated matchup.

Even before the game started, the fan presence was palpable, with gray-clad Georgetown students out in force. The many Maryland fans who made the short journey from College Park were seated directly across from the students, creating an electric dynamic that fed the game’s energy.

As the action started, it immediately became clear that defense would rule the day.

After both teams jostled for the lead, the Terps made the first run of the game. Thanks to a huge size advantage inside, Maryland outrebounded the Hoyas early and on both ends of the court, leading to a 21-14 lead with about six minutes to go in the first half.

“It’s no secret, rebounding is going to be our Achilles heel,” head coach Terri WilliamsFlournoy said. “We’re a small team, so we have to play with a lot of defensive intensity.”

The Hoyas took the ball for the last possession of the half with the score tied at 23-23. Sugar Rodgers,

who had already asserted herself in the game as the offensive catalyst behind the tying run, drove the ball to the top of the ark, broke the defender’s ankles with a lightning-quick move, and launched a nothing-but-net three pointer just as time expired. Rodgers held her follow-through for an extra moment as the crowd erupted.

“That was huge for us,” Williams-Flournoy said. “It really gave the girls the confidence and momentum we needed going into the locker room and into the second half.”

The energy from Rodgers’ shot carried over to the start of the second half and the Hoyas played relentless defense. The Terrapins had no answer for Georgetown’s full-court zone press, which resulted in six straight turnovers on their first six possessions.

“They sped us up and got us to take a lot of uncharacteristic shots,” Maryland head coach Brenda Frese said. “That’s a credit to Georgetown’s defense and how hard they come at you.”

The Hoyas were able to parlay the Terrapin turnovers into a 9-0 run to start the half, giving Georgetown a 35-23 lead early in the half.

A crucial moment in the second half came around the 11-minute mark, when Wright came down with a huge rebound, and fell to the floor with a severe hamstring cramp.

Georgetown played without their floor general for the next several minutes, which allowed the Terrapins to bring the score to within one point with just over three minutes remaining.

Although Wright came back into the game, Maryland completed the comeback and took a twopoint lead with just under two minutes to go. With the Maryland fans in a frenzy, the Hoyas took the ball down the court as Wright

JACKSON PERRY

Sugar Rodgers gave the crosstown rivals more than they could handle.

signaled for a sub as her cramp returned. Instead of subbing out of the game, though, a wide-open Wright found the ball at the shoulder of the arc and drained the biggest shot of the game, putting Georgetown back on top.

“When she shot that I was thinking no, no, no,” WilliamsFlournoy said. “She had been cramping so much I didn’t think she had the strength to get the ball to the basket.”

Fortunately, Wright did have the strength the hit the big shot, even though she had been 0-3 from behind the arc in the game.

“Coach always says to be confi-

dent,” Wright said. “I knew I missed some shots early, but I didn’t let that bring me down.”

After forcing a turnover on the defensive end, the Hoyas came back down the floor and slammed the door shut on the Terrapins. with another Rodgers three.

While Rodgers and Wright provided the heroics that won the game, sophomore Sidney Wilson asserted herself down low at crucial points in the game, scoring tough buckets that started runs for the Hoyas and getting important defensive rebounds.

In the end, the Hoyas sent their rivals—and Maryland

fans—home with their first-ever loss to Georgetown.

“We’re gonna enjoy this win,” senior Monica McNutt said. “Maryland brought their crowd into our house. Come on now. We take it a little personal.

It’s a respect issue.”

Recently, the Georgetown women have not taken kindly to any opponent coming into McDonough—the Hoyas now have a 17-game home winning streak. The Blue and Gray will look to extend their home winning streak this Friday when LaSalle University come to town. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at McDonough Arena.

The Sports Sermon

“We are not whores, and you are not our pimps. ...You owe us money ... because you went out there, and you half-assed it.”— Washington D.C. radio personality Chad Dukes on the Redskins number and beat them in all three of their previous matchups.

If the Hoyas can get through the November Madness does first round, it doesn’t get any not have the same ring to it as easier—No. 2 North Carolina is March Madness, and no one has waiting in the wings. ever really thought about the Luckily for the die-hard concept. I’m not talking about sports fan, there is still time to fill Georgetown’s most popular out a bracket for the tournament. sport, basketball. This month, But don’t count on ESPN—you’ll soccer rules the Hilltop: for the have to make your own. Soccer first time ever in the same year, still hasn’t reached the level of both the men’s and women’s basketball, for which “brackesoccer teams are in the NCAA tologist” is an actual tournament.

Pete Rose Central job title at ESPN. But When they beat Da bettin’ line after this summer’s Siena 5-1 on Nov. World Cup, it is ap12, the Georgetown Margin Dookies Hoyas parent that soccer women’s soccer (duh!) (underdogs) does have a place team won its first (favorites) postseason game in Barry Loose ball foul in American sports.

Parker People are willing to program history. In Ear drums Law of Gus Johnson support a team they an even more imBowie Oden Bust-ed knee can relate to, like pressive feat, they their national squad. Similarly, Today, the men’s soccer made it to the Sweet 16 by beatstudents shouldn’t find it difteam kicks off their journey in ing local juggernaut University ficult to get behind their school, the first round against UNC of Maryland on their own turf. especially when they are comGreensboro. It is the third time The Hoyas came out on top afpeting for national recognition in the program’s history that ter the game was decided by they have earned an NCAA on a level they rarely attain. penalty kicks. The instant clasThe excitement level on Tournament berth and the first sic was only the program’s seccampus isn’t as high as it was since 1997. The team is looking ond appearance in the 64-team before March Madness last year, for redemption after they were tournament. but with every step each soccer eliminated in their first game It’s safe to say that after the team takes toward the College of the Big East Tournament by win, no one scrambled to check Cup—Soccer’s version of the Providence. their brackets to see if they Final Four—November will get The loss was a disappointhad predicted the upset, but it a little crazier. Who knows—if ment, considering the success the should have made some noise either of the squads make the team had in the regular season, on campus. March Madness College Cup, which is scheduled which included a nine-game wincan never be duplicated—the for the beginning of next month, ning streak. They are also looking Cinderellas, the buzzer-beatwe might have some December for revenge on the Spartans, who ers, the non-stop action on the Madness on our hands. have always had Georgetown’s first weekend—everything just

by Nick Berti

works. The construction of the tournament leaves just enough room for the Davids and the Goliaths and gives us games for weeks. It’s perfect.

But Hoya fans haven’t had a lot to cheer about in the last three years. While the NCAA soccer tournaments will not heal all wounds, it could provide a lot of excitement. Why wait until March when there is something almost as good going on right now?

sports

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 7

Hoyas reload for Classic weekend Playing three games in four days, as the Hoyas are about to do in the Charleston Classic would tax any team’s depth. So when the team boarded a bus to South Carolina without two of their starters, it was definitely cause for concern.

Fortunately for head coach John Thompson III and Georgetown fans everywhere, both Julian Vaughn and Jason Clark have arrived in Charleston and are expected to play in the tournament, which begins today at noon against Coastal Carolina.

Clark’s presence was never much in doubt, but the sophomore guard stayed behind temporarily to continue dealing with the death of his grandmother, who passed away on Monday before the Hoyas’ game against Tulane. Clark played that night and had a career game, posting his first-ever double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

“She wanted me to keep playing basketball,” Clark said of his grand-

JACKSON PERRY

The Hoyas will need all hands on deck to win the Charleston Classic.

Play to win the game

As a football fan, few things are more dispiriting than watching your team lose to the Cleveland Browns.

Tying them may be one of them.

I thought I was about to find out what that would feel like this past Sunday afternoon, as I watched the Jets squander a lead late in regulation and then struggle through nearly all of overtime. But somehow, just 24 seconds away from kissing his sister, Mark Sanchez found Santonio Holmes for a game-winning touchdown.

After leading a similarly improbable overtime comeback just a week earlier, I’ve reached a conclusion: Mark Sanchez just wins football games. It’s not always pretty, but he gets the job done.

As a fan, having a “just a winner” on your team is a mixed blessing. On one hand, as Jets fans well know, you play to win the game.

But when your quarterback “just wins” football games, it means he’s not doing it in a way that inspires confidence.

The cliché is most commonly applied to quarterbacks, but the concept easily applies to other sports. And that’s why, two days before Sanchez’s saving play, I was deciding whether or not the same theory applies to Austin Freeman and Chris Wright.

Now, I don’t want to downplay either of the Hoyas’ senior guards’ talents. All-Big East players don’t “just win” bas-

Three games in such rapid succession will test a relatively inexperienced group of reserves, especially in the frontcourt. The backup bigs held their own in Vaughn’s absence against Tulane, but the quality of competition should vastly exceed that of the Green Wave by weekend’s end.

Junior Henry Sims, in his first career start, showed signs of improvement from an inconsistent first two seasons, grabbing five rebounds and altering a number of plays on defense.

The most intriguing frontcourt fill-in, however, was freshman Nate Lubick. The forward didn’t stuff the stat sheet, but over his first two games, he has shown flashes of the player he could become, such as on a pretty give-and-go for his only two points against Tulane. Expect Lubick to take on a bigger role as the season develops, along with classmate Moses Ayegba, who is ineligible for the first nine games of the season.

“I think as the year goes on the whole freshman class, including Moses Ayegba when we get him back, will help add to the depth that we have,” Thompson said.

“They are all going to be players.

They are all going to play a significant role as we go along.”

In the meantime, expect the Hoyas to continue to rely on the backcourt trio of Clark, Austin Freeman, and Chris Wright to carry the team. In Charleston, however, they will undoubtedly need some relief over the course of three games. When that happens, Georgetown’s newfound depth will have to rise to the occasion. ketball games, and both Wright and Freeman have legitimately won games for Georgetown with their individual contributions.

For much of the season opener against ODU, however, they were not those game-saving players.

Freeman couldn’t find his touch

Backdoor Cuts

by Tim Shine

a rotating column on sports behind the arc, and Wright had more than once squandered an easy fast break.

For all their talent and considerable accomplishments, the duo is still not automatic. For every UConn (for Freeman) or Big East Tournament (for Wright) there’s a Rutgers, or USF, or Ohio … you

Charlie Buckingham

What Rocks

by Tim Shine

mother after the game. “She said when this day comes, she wanted me to continue this and she wanted me to succeed. So I knew she would want me to play today.”

Vaughn, who had been hospitalized earlier this week and missed Monday’s game, was a much bigger question mark. On Wednesday, however, Vaughn finally rejoined his teammates, and the Voice received confirmation from Georgetown Sports Information Director Mex Carey that the big man has been medically cleared to play.

The Hoyas will be happy to have their most veteran post presence back on the court with them, but Vaughn will hardly alleviate the need for major contributions from the Georgetown bench.

Georgetown will play three games this weekend no matter what. If the tourney’s implied seeding holds, the Hoyas will face Wofford, a NCAA tournament team last season, and North Carolina State, an ACC dark horse contender.

For senior Charlie Buckingham, the fourth time’s a charm.

Having spent four years sailing on the Hilltop, the senior won the elusive ICSA Men’s Singlehanded National Championship in his final attempt, during the weekend of Nov. 5-7.

“His first three years he did [qualify], he was close: He was one of the favored. …

But he finished sixth (overall) every year,” head coach Mike Callahan said.

While Buckingham was one of the top sailors after the first day of the tournament, Cy Thompson from Roger Williams University was first overall after winning six of the seven races.

On the second day, as he was about to tie with Thompson’s boat, officials made him restart the race; he finished 12th. But he gained ground on the leader after winning the last race.

“I thought there was really

get the idea. Like Sanchez, they are players with considerable potential that is not always realized.

And on those occasions when they weren’t on, Wright and Freeman haven’t shown the capability to “just win” and tap that potential for a few necessary minutes. When they were off, they just lost.

So after trailing for most of the second half against Old Dominion, it was reasonable to expect that the Hoyas were heading for a repeat of last season’s disappointment against the Monarchs. But all of a sudden, down seven with about six minutes to go, Wright and Freeman came alive, raining down threes and scoring 18 of Georgetown’s last 21 points for the win.

Chris Wright and Austin Freeman aren’t the kind of players who

NEWPORT HARBOR SAILING FOUNDATION

nothing to lose at that point,” Buckingham said.

Buckingham entered the final day of racing five points behind the other competitors, but prepared to make a charge for the lead. After winning the first race of the afternoon and finishing third in the next one, he quickly took the overall lead. He won the overall competition after finishing with 69 points.

“After leaving the regatta, I really enjoyed sailing” he said.

“And this regatta has provided me with some of the best competition that I’ve ever had.”

His coach agreed that it was a special accomplishment for Buckingham, especially considering how little time he has left at Georgetown.

“This year was his last year to [win the championship],” Callahan said. “This was something he really wanted to do.”

—Melissa Sullivan

always need to “just win” basketball games, but sometimes they’ll have to. Practicing these escape artist skills in November will pay dividends come March.

Then again, by that point, maybe the rest of the Hoyas will have come along far enough that Wright and Freeman can take their rightful places as the stars at the helm of a Georgetown juggernaut and not face such game-saving burdens in the final minutes. I have the same hopes for Sanchez and the Jets come January. Because as nice as it is to have players who just win games, once the regular season ends, you want to be rooting for teams that just don’t lose.

Show Tim your best Herm Edwards at tshine@georgetownvoice.com

feature

8 the georgetown voice

november 18, 2010

the home front

veterans return to new obstacles by j. galen weber On the Tuesday before Veterans Day, Colby Howard (SFS ’12), a Marine Corps veteran, was struggling to wrap up preparations for the flag raising ceremony on Copley lawn that he had been planning for a week. When he had a spare moment, he sat down to talk with another student veteran who was considering re-enlistment.

Managing to stay casual and friendly despite the seriousness of the topic, Howard, who served eight years in the Marine Corps, including two deployments in Iraq, advised him to stay out.

“You don’t want to do that, man,” he said with a bit of a laugh.

The vice president of Georgetown University Student Veterans of America, Howard performs a multitude of tasks, including organizing the school’s main Veterans Day event, advising fellow student veterans, and even guiding prospective student veterans who are thinking of attending Georgetown.

But at almost any other university in the country, these veteran-related services would be handled by the school’s administration.

Sitting in that day’s makeshift office on the second floor of Lauinger Library, Howard says he is committed to helping Georgetown’s student veterans, but he is frustrated that so many of these responsibilities are on the shoulders of Georgetown students and faculty.

“We’ve been handling issues that are on a university level,” he said. “They should be dealt with on the university level.

God knows they are at other institutions.”

Since 2008, Georgetown has experienced a surge in its student veteran population for which it was not prepared. In the past two years, groups like GUSVA have lobbied the Uni-

versity to increase the support programs it provides for student veterans, but Georgetown has been slow to adopt any of the groups’ proposed changes.

The problems student veterans face while studying at Georgetown range from the financial to the psychological. Whether they are trying

keep track of the number of incoming student veterans each year, the exact increase in student veteran enrollment is hard to measure. But D. Scott Heath, assistant registrar for athletics, veterans affairs, and certifications, estimates that the number has increased by roughly 100 percent, from about 125 stu-

and 2009. The Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 also vastly increased the level of aid that the G.I. bill offers to veterans for private institutions, making it easier for veterans to attend an expensive school like Georgetown.

A report produced by the American Council of Education

MAX BLODGETT

Raising spirits and flags: Georgetown’s veterans lead a flag raising ceremony on Copley lawn on Veterans Day. to contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to receive delayed benefits or struggling with the transition to undergraduate life, Georgetown’s lack of institutional support for veterans means that student-run organizations like GUSVA have to provide basic veteran services.

Since Georgetown does not

dents when he arrived on campus in 2008 to around 250 today.

The growing student veteran population is part of a national increase of veterans in higher education. Many of the thousands of soldiers who joined the military immediately after the attacks on September 11 enrolled in college once they finished their enlistments in 2008

in 2009 warned university administrators across the country that the addition to the G.I. bill would “prompt a significant upturn in the number of veterans and military personnel enrolling in higher education.”

But while other schools made significant changes in 2008 and 2009 to prepare for the impending rise in veteran students,

Georgetown did nothing to increase its veterans services.

George Washington University was one school that did make changes. In 2008, it opened a veteran services office to help veterans navigate financial matters and connect with resources around campus. GWU also signed onto the Yellow Ribbon Program, a component of the new G.I. bill that uses funds from the federal government to match all scholarships and benefits that universities provide to veterans, offering an $18,000 benefit for undergraduate veterans.

In comparison, when Georgetown joined the Yellow Ribbon Program, it only offered a $1,000 benefit.

“George Washington anticipated an influx of student veterans with the Yellow Ribbon Program so they wanted dedicated space for that,” Mary Waring, the veterans services coordinator at George Washington, said.

Partly as a result of its foresight in providing support for incoming student veterans, George Washington was named a “Military Friendly School” by G.I. Jobs magazine and ranked 21st on Military Times magazine’s 100-school “Best for Vets” list. The magazine awarded the school four-and-a-half out of five stars for its financial assistance and support services.

Georgetown did not earn a spot on either list. Matthew Pavelek, a senior editor at G.I. Jobs, said that the magazine sent two surveys for the list to Georgetown, but the school did not return either one of them.

An editor at Military Times said that Georgetown never responded to its survey, either.

Georgetown’s failure to respond to the surveys may be due to the fact that no single University employee deals solely with veterans affairs. The

feature

georgetownvoice.com only person at Georgetown who comes close is Heath, who must also serve as registrar for athletics and certifications. Heath’s veteran-related responsibilities are not meant to extend beyond confirming their enrollment at Georgetown with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs so that they can receive their federal benefits.

Until last year, Georgetown’s website had no information about support for veterans, so the many student veterans who saw Heath as their main contact in the University called him with questions about their benefits and other financial issues.

Veterans say Heath has helped them as well as he can, but that he lacks the time and the expertise to help them with all their financial ques-

tions and problems.

“Because he had the word ‘veteran’ in his title, people would gravitate towards him with questions that he wasn’t necessarily in a position to answer,” Erik Brine said. Brine is president of GUSVA and a graduate student who served 11 years of active duty in the Air Force.

The few changes Georgetown has made in the way it handles student veterans since 2008 have largely been the result of hard work by a small number of dedicated students and faculty, like Alan Ardelean (SFS’11), who enlisted with the Marine Corps on Sept. 12, 2001 and served in Iraq and at embassies in Africa and the Middle East.

When he arrived on campus in 2008, he said he was shocked by the lack of support

MAX BLODGETT

Perfectly practiced: The Navy drill team performs at the Veterans Day ceremony.

MAX BLODGETT

Standing by: the Navy drill team rests stone-faced and motionless.

MAX BLODGETT

All they can be: Members of Georgetown ROTC stand at attention.

for veterans at Georgetown and began contacting people within the administration in hopes of increasing financial assistance and improving the University’s communication with veterans.

“Georgetown did not have any establishment set up for veterans,” Ardelean said. “They were late to catch the train.”

Ardelean also began working with Georgetown’s nascent University Military Association to promote a positive military environment on campus and establish a support group for veterans.

Meanwhile, Howard began working with Brine and Georgetown Spanish Professor Barbara Mujica to establish GUSVA. But it was Heath, the accidental focal point for veterans issues at Georgetown, who brought Brine and Mujica together.

“One of the many times that I came to ask him for help he mentioned that ‘hey there’s a professor trying to do the same things you are,’” Brine said. “It turns out we were already moving down the same track, and it was immediately clear that [Mujica and I] needed to get onboard together and work towards some of these common goals.”

Mujica, a novelist and expert on 16th-century Spanish literature, does not necessarily seem like the type of professor who would have a great interest in the military, but she has done more to improve veterans affairs on campus than perhaps anyone else at Georgetown.

“My son came back from Iraq after doing two tours; he’s a captain in the Marines. I was very grateful that he had returned safe and sound and I felt like I had to give back,” Mujica said. “He’s a graduate student now and I wanted to help all veterans make the same transition he was making.”

Surprised at how little Georgetown was doing for veterans, Mujica became the faculty advisor for GUSVA and started organizing meetings with as many administrators as she could, bringing Brine with her whenever possible.

After a couple months, the group had put together a webpage that directed student veterans to the various resources around campus and was recognized as an official student group.

Meanwhile, Ardelean and the UMA had successfully increased health care coverage for student veterans at Georgetown, and through lobbying by both the UMA

the georgetown voice 9 and GUSVA persuaded the University to increase its Yellow Ribbon benefit for undergraduates from $1,000 to $5,000.

The University’s financial commitment to the Yellow Ribbon Program remains relatively lower than other schools’. But Scott Fleming, Georgetown’s vice president of federal relations, says that he and District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton are lobbying congress to revise the G.I. bill to improve the basic scholarship given to veterans studying in D.C., which currently the lowest in the nation.

After repeated requests

by Brine, the University has started to establish an institutional framework for the support of veterans, too. Last spring, under the direction of Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson, University administrators from financial affairs to admissions formed a veterans support team to talk about how Georgetown can improve the way it handles its veterans.

Both Brine and Howard are critical of the absence of a veteran presence at many of the team’s meetings and of the University’s reluctance to establish institutional support for veterans, but they said that the support team is an important first step. They also agree that resources for veterans have improved since 2008.

“Today, compared to when I came to Georgetown, it’s a world of difference,” Ardelean said.

Despite these gains, the consensus among student veterans and those who work with them is that Georgetown could be doing a lot more.

They are glad the administration has made progress on issues like financial benefits and services for veterans, but add that Georgetown’s late start on the issue means it still has a lot of ground to make up.

“We’ve done the easy things,” Howard said. “The harder steps are next. The harder steps are institutionalizing the veterans’ presence on campus, and that’s going to require the school to step up.”

For Mujica and Howard, this means the creation of a full-time veterans resource coordinator position similar to the one at George Washington.

“We can’t actually keep on doing this,” Mujica said, referring to GUSVA’s role in reaching out to prospective students and coordinating resources for current student veterans. “It’s very important for us to get a person who can take all these

MAX BLODGETT

Colby Howard (SFS ‘12)

MAX BLODGETT

Erik Brine, President of GUSVA

responsibilities over.”

Mary Dluhy, director of special programs and group initiatives for Student Affairs, said the veterans support team is currently evaluating whether there is sufficient cause to hire a full-time veterans resource coordinator.

“We’re exploring all the options, [but] the group is now seen as an ongoing thing,” Dluhy said. “We want to help support their community. …

This is a group that is doing all the right things toward getting the help they need.”

To Ardelean, the University’s lethargic response to the new G.I. bill is inconsistent with its past and its Jesuit identity. St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, is the foremost patron saint of soldiers, and some of Georgetown’s most prominent alumni have been veterans, including Secretary of Defense Robert Gates (COL ’74) and Joint Chief of Staff James L. Jones (SFS ’66).

“It’s not about us,” he said.

“It’s Georgetown’s legacy that’s at stake here.”

leisure

10 the georgetown voice

november 18, 2010

Post-Dramatic Stress Disorder in the Gonda

by Leigh Finnegan Educational video games suck. Even if the kid with the controller doesn’t realize that the “game” he’s playing is actually edutainment and demands higher mental functioning, it’s a pretty safe bet that he’d still rather be blowing up heads in Gears of War than hopping to the next lily pad with a prime number on it. But what happens when the violent, war-driven video games are the educational ones? How are people—particularly soldiers—affected when they’re taught to kill in a virtual world, and expected to translate that into reality?

That very dilemma prompted playwright Christine Evans to write The Underpass, a workin-progress play that will run on Friday, Nov. 19 and Saturday, Nov. 20 in the Davis Center.

“I became very interested in this question of what happens to the bodies,” Evans said. “[Military training] uses virtual violence to model war, but human bodies have to go there and be involved in war. What is the relationship between the virtual

lez’hur ledger

by Jackson Perry

As a dozen other people and I watched a woman have sex with an ape-man, I thought to myself, “This is not your grandmother’s Washington D.C.” It was a rainy November night, and I had slipped into The Passenger—a lonely 7th Street bar a few blocks north of Chinatown—edged past the Tuesday night crowd of 20-somethings, walked through an unpainted door at the quiet end of the bar, and entered the sketchy, sawdust-scented world of psychotronic film.

The night’s main feature was the 1979 film Mistress of the Apes. An American woman goes to Africa, discovers a lost society of Homo habilis, and of course, takes the only logical next step—becomes its dominatrix. She introduces herself to the ape-men by nursing an ape-child, and then obscenely and exaggeratedly downing a

world of the training … and the physical experience of the human body in war?”

The play discusses this question through the experiences of Michael, a homeless veteran suf-

the people he killed in battle were not the soulless cartoons of his video game training. Originally commissioned by director Joseph Megel as one of six short works involving technology for

it [just] being about that technology,” Megel said.

But although it is no longer a short, festival piece, The Underpass is not yet a full-length play. It has been performed nu-

Courtesy Department of Performing Arts

Here lies Jimmy, better known to his clanmates as xXn00bPwner27Xx. He died in a tragic flame war. fering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, as he interacts with his fellow homeless people, and through the use of video screens showing a series of game-like sequences. It demonstrates the haunting, detrimental effect of war on Michael’s psyche, which worsened when he realized that

last February’s Collaborations: Humanities Arts and Technologies Festival in North Carolina, this “ghost story for the digital war age” became a feature when Megel saw its innovative use of technology. “[Evans] made technology a character in the play, rather than

merous times since the festival, but oddly enough, the play itself is not actually finished yet.

Evans and Megel consider each rehearsal and performance a “workshop,” where different episodes of the plot’s memorydriven structure are reworked and rewritten.

“We have a sense of where we’re coming from and where we’re going, but it’s the journey itself that feels like it still has a lot more design to be done,” Megel said.

After initial audience reactions which Evans described as “intrigued and fascinated,” the next stop for the play’s development is Georgetown. Working in the Gonda Theater, Evans and Megel collaborated with multimedia designer Jared Mezzocchi and a cast including Professor Nadia Mahdi and student Nikki Massoud (COL ’11). Contrary to how most see the arts at Georgetown, Megel praised the University’s theater facilities and resources, hailing it as “the perfect place for incubating this new work.”

Evans is optimistic that the play will benefit from a Georgetown audience.

“I’m very open,” she said.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

She hopes that the work-inprogress play will get a push towards completion from wargame-loving students—or at least the ones who have already beaten the new Call of Duty.

The missing link between porn and monkeys

banana. Meanwhile, a memorable song in the background declares, “She went lookin’ for a mate/ But she didn’t find a man/ So she found herself an ape!” Then she fucks the Homo habilis.

What kind of people would watch a movie like this? The Washington Psychotronic Film Society, that’s who. The Society screens lots of different kinds of film, from contemporary underground productions to Z-movies from the ‘60s—but avoids anything that might be disparaged as “normal.” The term “psychotronic” refers to any film that is obscure, quirky, and underappreciated. On this particular night, the audience had come to see the stars of the hit films Pretty Maids All in a Row and If You Don’t Stop It… You’ll Go Blind!!! team up for a blockbuster anthropological masterpiece.

The host of every show is The Incorrigible Dr. Schlock,

a lovably enthusiastic dude in a white lab coat. Having talked shop with an independent movie producer from New York before the show, the good doctor was clearly in his element.

It’s easy to caricature the people who gather weekly to watch these movies. I did not expect to see anyone normal at a film society dedicated to the very opposite of normalcy, but from the chuckling young professional, to the tipsy graduate students, to the old couple enjoying a night out, that’s whom I found. We’re all the same.

The same desire that sustains the Society drives millions to watch hilarious YouTube videos of The Room.

Although Mistress of the Apes, a weird combination of the life of Jane Goodall and Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, is more grandly terrible than The Room. I never thought I’d hear someone seducively say, as one of the arrogant poachers does

in the film, “Why don’t you just shut up and…function.” Maybe the Society is better at finding the funny than the rest of us.

In two weeks, the Washington Psychotronic Film Society will watch the 1973 film Let’s Visit the World of the Future, in which an elite ruling class of clown-human crossbreeds

called Bozos attacks anyone who displays any humanity.

While I’m toiling away on a research paper about ninthcentury Islamic Spain, I hope that some other college student will stumble into the Society’s midst, see a fantastically horrible movie, and enjoy a normal evening of insanity.

Hey, isn’t that Kokayi? No wait, its just Dr. Schlock...

jackson perry

georgetownvoice.com

“now i’m gonna spin-a-dry you!”—faster, pussycat! kill! kill!

the georgetown voice 11

Gtown shows off its GAMS Reviews, Haiku’d

by Nico Dodd Mentioning on-campus concerts often churns up memories of the “The Coolio Incident,” when in 2007, the crazy-haired rapper gave an acoustically disastrous performance in Georgetown’s gangster ’s paradise, or Leo J. O’Donovan Hall.

But now, Georgetown students have a reason to thank the University for its mediocre concerts of yesteryear, because they inspired Daniel Alexander (MSB ’11) to give Georgetown a better show, in the form of the Georgetown Alernative Music Series.

“There was a lot of money and effort going into these concerts,” Alexander said. “But I just didn’t think the product was up to par with what could be done with a much smaller budget.”

His disappointment drove him to apply for last year ’s Reimagine Georgetown Grant, a program run by The Corp, Georgetown University Alumni and Student Federal Credit Union, and the Hoya that grants between $500 and $10,000 to students with creative ideas to improve the undergraduate Georgetown experience. After he was awarded the year ’s highest grant of $5,000 last November, Alexander ’s idea came to fruition last Friday, when GAMS put on its first show.

The free show, which was held in Bulldog Alley, featured District hip-hop artist Kokayi and D.C.-area student groups

The Rising Suns and Sea Dog. Kokayi, a past Grammy-nominee, performed with a fivepiece band that included Twink, drummer for the notable DC gogo group Mambo Sauce. This concert met all the goals Alexander had set for GAMS. It offered free admission, brought the D.C. music scene to Georgetown, and student groups performed as openers.

These goals were a big part of what put Alexander above his competition for the grant.

According to GUASFCU CEO Arjun Mehta (SFS ‘11), successful proposals usually have the possibility of eventually functioning independently. Past winning proposals include Run For Rigby and Harakat, Georgetown’s Arab culture showcase.

Alexander hopes that GAMS will grow enough to continue after he graduates in June, and will partner with other student

Faster Smell what he’s cooking?

Faster, Billybob! Kill! Kill!

The Rock’s gon’ getcha.

Love and Other Drugs Given the choice of Love and Other Drugs...and drugs I’d rather OD. Black Swan Hey Aronofsky, My mom made me do ballet...

Sadder than your film Burlesque Think burlesque is hot?

Cher is pushing 65. ... Think I might be sick.

The Next Three Days Australian strong man He’s good now, but remember: Beware flying phones Tron Legacy Trapped in the arcade.

Jeff Bridges. Neon spandex.

Daft Punk can’t save you.

The Tourist Angelina’s hot.

Depp plays himself. Can you say: Bankably vacant?

jackson perry

Hey, isn’t that the guy from the Psychotron- no wait, it’s Kokayi.

Ironically intellectual

The youthful American literary journal n+1 is known for its social, literary, and political commentary, with a particularly keen eye for theoretical musings. The editors claim to embrace theory, but also reject the way academia prostitutes and exploits worthwhile ideas, and criticize the commodification of culture.

It seems only fitting, then, that n+1 would be responsible for initiating a highbrow discourse on the social role of the hipster. A panel discussion they held in April of last year at the New School in New York City was recently transcribed

groups to fund and organize concerts.

With one concert under his belt, Alexander said he plans to put on two more shows in the spring, hopefully in Black Box Theater. With the experience he’s gained from putting on his first show, he feels that he will be able to plan and promote GAMS concerts more effectively next semester.

“I want to create more interest, attract bigger bands and bigger crowds, and grow the series,” Alexander added.

If Friday’s concert is any indication, Georgetown should have high hopes for the next two. Kokayi put on an engaging set that was more enjoyable than any mismanaged shitshow in McDonough.

“It was a success in that there was great music and a lot of people were able to enjoy it,” he said.

and released as What Was The Hipster?: A Sociological Investigation, along with a handful of critical responses to the panel and other essays on the issue, including but not limited to topics like Hasidism versus Hipsterdom and the Hipster Feminine.

What?

But seriously, this could not have come at a more appropriate time. The text claims that the term “hipster” came back from the dead in 1999, having previously been used to as synonymous with “hepcat” back when the Beats were at the top of the elitism food chain.

With blogs like Look at This Fucking Hipster and Stuff Hipsters Hate getting recent attention from more than just the

Literary tools

by James McGrory

a bi-weekly column about literature Urban Outfitters crowd (both have released books within the past year), the hipster has found its way into the public eye again, despite having become little more than a broad pejorative lately.

What Was The Hipster? investigates the history of the culture to address its more confusing aspects. You’ll see

—Leigh Finnegan, Brendan Baumgardner, and Matthew Decker

an attempt at understanding the positive and negative relations of the term itself, an argument for multiple coexisting definitions, and the debate on who is free enough of the hipster blemish to write about the subculture’s history without contempt or nostalgia.

The essays and transcript also touch on the more recent developments of the contemporary hipster, managing to make reference to “chillwave” and… technological reductivism?

While it may seem outright laughable to have a conversation about the “hipster Other,” this is a cultural phenomenon that is impossible to ignore and is often shrouded in such

elitism or pretentiousness that it manages to forcibly drench itself in mystery. Conversations on the topic have often reached stasis due to a lack of serious etiquette in the discourse.

The question we must face is, are these guys not just some of the biggest hipsters yet? The pocket-sized text is now available in the online store at nplusonemag.com. And naturally, it’s also available at select stores in New York and LA. Are you post-hipster? Share your opinion on the geopolitical ramifications of skinny jeans with Jim at jmcgrory@georgetownvoice.com

leisure

12 the georgetown voice

november 18, 2010

C r i t i c a l V o i ces

Girls, Broken Dreams Club, True Panther Sounds Next Monday, indie band Girls will release Broken Dreams Club, their first offering since 2009’s creatively titled Album. The EP’s overarching theme is singer Christopher Owen’s unconventional childhood in the Children of God cult—a group that, according to Owens in FAQ magazine, tried “to raise a generation of kids that were not spoiled at all by the world.”

Thankfully, his attempts to reconcile his unconventional childhood and present situation come in the form of beautifully constructed songs like “Thee O So Protective One.” The simple, arpeggiofilled number is reminiscent of the Temptations’ “Earth Angel,” but distinguishes itself from other Doo-Wop imitations by combining excellent technique with Owens’ deeply personal lyrics.

Much of the album is dedicated to Owens’ transition from

childhood in a secluded and sheltered sub-culture to jaded but independent adulthood. On “Broken Dreams Club,” Owens plaintively sings “But I just don’t understand/How the world keeps going nowhere … Can’t get my head around these wars/All the senselessness.” The lyrics on most tracks give a subtle but potent glimpse into Owens’ emotional reckoning, and together tell a story about family, confusion, separation, and disappointment.

The lyrics aren’t the only album’s only strong point either. The skill of all of Girls’ musicians is obvious in the album’s tight, clean sound. As Owens claims in a letter that accompanies the album’s release, “all great art is inspiration and then just a lot of hard work.”

Owens’s work especially paid off on “Substance,” where chorusand reverb-drenched rhythm combine with smooth-as-glass leads and slow-building progressions to produce a sound unlike any other on the EP. The retro sounds, intelligent lyrics, and emotional narrative combine to make a great album with a unifying theme that resonates even with those of us who weren’t raised in cults.

Voice’s Choices: “Thee O So Protective One,” “Heartbreaker” —Sam Harman

No more knockoff knickers

Times may get a little tougher for quick-to-market fashion designers this January. Under a new Congress, legislation on unethical practices in the fashion industry might get a second wind, and plagiarists have every reason to be shivering in their knockoff Lanvin boots.

Last year, Senator Charles Schumer (D—N.Y.)—yes, the same senator trying to ban our beloved Four Loko!—proposed legislation aimed at stopping fashion plagiarism.

The Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act will make it illegal to copy the work of another designer for three years after the design goes public.

Case-in-point of Schumer’s argument is Chelsea Clinton’s

wedding dress. Her July wedding created a media frenzy, and newly-engaged women across the country saw pictures of her stunning Vera Wang gown and moaned, “I have to have that dress!” Unfortunately, unless those women or their hubbies-to-be work at an international hedge fund or at the private equity group that just bought out Burger King in a multi-billion dollar deal, that gown is going to be a little out of their price range.

The solution to the Paper Bag Princess nightmare? Companies like ABS have already copied the dress stitch-for-stitch with less expensive materials and will sell it for a fraction of Vera’s price. This leaves Vera pissed as hell because she might

Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Roc-A-Fella Records Back in high school, my precocious self had an idea. I was going to write—for Rolling Stone, no less!—an article on Kanye West and his role as “This Generation’s Beatles.” Although most aspects of the story—which never did get farther than the design phase—make 2010 me cringe, I’ve got to hand it to myself: 14-year-old me sure had foresight. I mainly discussed how “post-racial” Kanye was, with some convoluted thoughts on the Beatles’ thievery of African-American music thrown in with delicious irony.

Little did I realize just how well Kanye would age; not since the ‘60s have we seen an artist so popular be as daring as West has so far—with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy being perhaps his most daring move yet. be losing sales to brides-to-be who can foot the bill. The Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Act would block production of knock-offs for three years to protect sales until they safely go out of style. “Safely,” because who wants to wear Chelsea’s dress from three years

suffer for fashion

by Keenan Sheridan Timko a bi-weekly column about fashion ago when Michelle Obama is attending state dinners in newer, fresher ensembles?

The idea certainly has its merits. Protecting the creative work of fashion houses allows them to recoup production costs, establish their brand, and receive recognition for their design. Haute couture designers

The first thing you’ll notice about MBDTF is its tracklist—it may be the shortest mainstream rap album since the turn of the century. Despite clocking in at just 13 songs (and mercifully doing away with the skits that have bogged down hip-hop albums for years), it is an hour-long affair. What West delivers, then, is a new kind of rap album: as much of an odyssey as ever, but remarkably well-paced and delightfully focused.

The album still has its share of “bits,” but the interlude before “All of the Lights” is necessary to soften the transition from the militant “POWER.” And one-minute album closer “Who Will Survive in America” is the only way West could have appropriately tied up this record. That’s to say nothing of how the three minutes tacked onto “Runaway” elevate it from a solid, radio-worthy single to the centerpiece of 2010’s most exciting release.

Although MBDTF’s structure is its most trendsetting element, the singularity of the album’s sound is also noteworthy. Though this was supposed to be West’s return to traditional “boom bap” rap, the old school style only informs the songs’ free-flow structures. Otherwise, we see songs built on things as also claim that their innovation will come to a screeching halt unless their hard work and creativity are protected.

That argument, however, is as nonsensical as saying, “He’s copying my exam, so I’m just going to stop filling in the answers.” In reality, the drawbacks of the bill outweigh the benefits by a lot. For one, the fashion industry will struggle financially if Congress passes this bill. Lesser designers will be unable to generate desirable new looks every season, and sales will plummet.

Companies like H&M and Zara that deliver fresh fads to fashion laypeople at affordable prices would go out of business if their runwayto-rack business model were ruled illegal. And if you think that $30 Urban Outfitters tank

diverse as a King Crimson guitar sample (“POWER”), blownout synth sounds (“Hell of a Life”), and a John Legend piano line (“Blame Game”), all united by the album’s bittersweet minor keys.

There’s only one complaint to lob at MBDTF: we’ve already heard it. West released five of its tracks through the G.O.O.D. Fridays free download series, with only two of them notably different from their counterparts on the album (“POWER,” which appears here without guests, and the extended cut of “Runaway”).

But it’s hard to complain about an album because the artist already gave us the songs for free. (A better complaint might be what it left out—G.O.O.D. Friday standout “Christian Dior Denim Flow,” which would have nestled nicely in the album’s back half, is nowhere to be found.) West could have just grabbed the hottest G.O.O.D. Friday tracks and still put out one of the best albums of the year. Instead, he crafted another album that redefines the rap game. Your turn, everyone else.

Voice’s Choices: “All of the Lights,” “Runaway,” “Monster” —Matthew Collins top already oversteps your budget, wait until you add a licensing fee.

Creativity is the son of imitation. Think about music mash-ups (Girl Talk is H&M in this scenario)—a lot of contemporary art is just a reworking of something you’ve seen (or heard) before. We wouldn’t have Ray Charles’ “What I’d Say” if there were a copyright on the twelve-bar blues.

The United States is currently the undisputed fashion leader of the world. So why change now? The logic behind Schumer’s bill doesn’t add up, but that doesn’t mean it won’t pass. In the meantime, I’ll be loading up on cheap H&M knockoffs and chugging Four Lokos.

Rip off Keenan’s clothing at ktimko@georgetownvoice.com

fiction

georgetownvoice.com

Gauze Look at yourself.

Look at who you have been.

Better yet, look at who you can be.

No. That’s not better. Look at who you will be. But how could you possibly be expected to know what that would look like? How could I possibly be expected to know what that would look like? Then look at who you will not be. For better or worse? What does that matter? It does not seem to pertain to you either way.

At least look at who you have not been.

I have not been many things, though I have been quite a few.

Well, what are you looking at?

Looking at myself now I remember that I have sometimes heard the mirror called a leak (or maybe that is one of those things which I did not hear), a place where two parallel worlds collide, a moment of interaction between the seemed reflection of oneself and oneself themselves. I say hello. He looks very much like he says hello. He moves his right hand and I only see it fitting to respond in accordance with some pseudo-dimensional symmetry and follow suit with my left.

I stand there and I wonder if our brainwaves leak in any way like our physical form.

I stand there and I wonder if he thinks he has the power to control my hands.

No. That burden has been bestowed upon me for my own entertainment only.

He can no less control my hands than anyone else.

Would it be expected for anyone else to want to? Is not the physical form and the sensation of touch a gift unique to me alone? Is not the physical form and sensation of touch a detriment to me alone?

I am aware that the use of my hands is a learned skill, and certainly he has no power to overcome my strength in my own affairs. I move my right hand and he sees it only fitting to respond in accordance with some pseudodimensional symmetry and follow suit

the georgetown voice 13

by James McGrory

with his left.

He does not have the power to control my hands, but I wonder if he thinks he has the power to control my hands. Mustn’t he know I have the power to control his?

Wait. My trust fund is waning. No. Hold on. It is gone. I need a drink. But I am far too preoccupied with this whole situation to worry about an occupation. You should pay rent in my mind. I told him this the other day, but he seemed too caught up in reflection to pay me much attention.

Luckily I have been managing to find a way to make ends meet since I realized they

were foreign to each other.

This stream-of-consciousness is now subsidized by funding acquired from the subsequent advertisements of two men who stand before mirrors elsewhere. I bet they try to sell you something. Look at how they try to sell you something.

We will return to the regularly scheduled programming after a brief moment of losing my train of thought.

Here I need you to follow very closely so that you can understand this all as I see fit, which is more or less the only way I have of understanding it. Or at least that’s what I’ve taught myself to understand about it, and regardless, the limitation is self-fulfilling so I guess that’s just where I stand.

Full disclosure is a post-modernism.

Onwards.

Earlier I was of sound mind, but then

I stepped in one direction or another and those moments gradually and continuously moved into the past at a rate relative to however you want to look at it.

I strive towards self-actualization with the intent of indoctrinating the convictions of a concrete character. But can I ever hope to stand amongst the ultimate? I can not be positive that my mindset has the power to transcend the passing of time. But I have always wanted to believe that I mean what I say. Only time will tell. But it keeps me waiting and I do not how much longer it will keep putting the whole thing off for.

Non-profit, don’t worry about buying it.

Onwards.

Life continues as it normally would outside this little complex of mine. I find ways to force it inside this little complex of mine. The next passage is about how it started raining.

Chattering rain drops buzz like the clatter of a thousand tin cans being gently thrown into the distance. clap, clap, clap. What distance? Listen closely.

Clattering rain drops buzz like the chatter of a thousand clattering tin-canned rain drops, buzzing, buzzing, buzzing with that obnoxious clatter! Rising clap, clap, Clap with that obnoxious chatter! The chatter! It’s obnoxious! Now the street below is filled with them. Let them drain into the sewers! I could not care less.

Sunrise.

I think I can see it more clearly now.

Life is a catalogue, pick and choose.

Sale items proceed with more haste into the humble abysses of destiny.

I buy into the scheme. I buy the scheme.

I grow bored. I must have misplaced my receipt.

Store credit.

Mirrors, aisle five.

Life is a catalogue and I want nothing to do with it. How to pick and choose the destiny from your choices predetermined?

Rather choose with determination to undermine destiny with disregard.

Bon soir regret a demain.

Look elsewhere.

voices

14 the georgetown voice

november 18, 2010

Bulking up, SAC looks to improve allocation procedures

by Sofia Navia Most people would call me crazy for spending six hours of my Monday nights in a room with 13 other people discussing student activities. If I were to think about it logically, I would probably agree with them. However, this is part of the job of a Student Activities Commission Chair. And there is something about being on SAC that makes the routine Monday night meeting OK and even at times, enjoyable. I love my role of contributing to student activities and seeing groups come out with great programming.

When I tell people that I am on SAC, I usually get one of two responses. Some students, with their preconceived notions about SAC, dismiss me as a person who only knows how to say “no.” Others stare at me for a second as they search their mind and then blurt out, “Oh, like SAC Fair?” Unless I am feeling

overly ambitious, I smile and respond, “Yeah, kind of.”

But SAC Fair, though a large program, is only a small part of what we do. The Student Activities Commission is a funding and advisory board for approximately 100 student organizations. We are responsible for allocating about $200,000 to them every year. It advises and funds groups of all different sizes, interests, and causes.

Currently, SAC is composed of 13 commissioners who are each responsible for working with six to seven groups. Every Monday, groups present events with specific budgets and SAC votes to approve the events and their budgets.

But after an internal review prompted by the Georgetown University Students Association’s demand for advisory board reforms, SAC has undergone a major facelift. Our biggest change that will be put into effect in the spring of 2011 is a move from event-by-event allocation to bulk allocation. No longer will groups

have to come to SAC every Monday with their events and specific event budgets; groups will now get an allocation of money before the semester starts for their programming.

This is a reform for SAC that will fundamentally change the way SAC and student groups operate, one that is a truly positive change for both parties. Bulk allocation funding enables groups to plan out their own budgets and prioritize their own programming. They will be able to fund important events for their group at a higher level if they set up their budget appropriately. It empowers group leaders to take a more active role in controlling the finances of their group and allows them to plan out their semester with greater certainty. With fewer steps in event programming, group leaders will have more time to concentrate on programming, which will open up opportunities for groups to create new, creative events in the future.

The student body will benefit from this change, too. Campus programming will become more focused and smaller groups will have a larger programming presence. I think the changes that will come about will benefit the student body and improve campus life on the whole.

This change also affects SAC positively because we will be able to act more in an advisory capacity rather than concentrating on specific event budgets.

Commissioners will have more time to work with their groups on event planning and advising clubs on how to effectively spend their funds and host successful programs. SAC will be able to grow in this role and become a greater advisory resource for student groups.

The changes will also give SAC more time to concentrate on issues that are important to student groups and advocate for them. This has been a very busy semester for both SAC and

student groups as we developed bulk allocation procedures and began to implement them, but it will be worth it.

Although I am sad that my term on SAC ends this semester and that I won’t get to see exactly how this new system will evolve, I know that SAC will be under great leadership next semester. I also know that SAC will carry out the changes and continue to help student groups. I look forward to seeing what great programming groups come up with next semester and learning what a normal Monday feels like. At the end of the day, bulking up the funding process will strengthen both SAC and student activities programming.

Sofia Navia is a sophomore in the SFS. As a SAC Chair, her job is to provide support for GU’s heavy programming load.

Wingardium Leviosa: Pottermania continues to reach new heights

by Andrew Duverney There’s magic in the air as fans all over the world are preparing themselves for the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, set to arrive in theaters tonight at midnight. The buzz surrounding the film is by no means temporary—readers and critics have been raving about the Harry Potter series for over a decade. This film is part of a larger cultural phenomenon that has taken our generation by storm. As the movie series comes to an end, one wonders what the future holds for Harry Potter.

The success of the series is clearly visible in the effect it has had on our generation. The International Confederation of Wizards would have a heart attack if they knew how the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was being treated nowadays. This last weekend, hundreds of avid fans took to New York to participate in the Quidditch World Cup (Middlebury College pulled out a big win in the finals). With the impending release of the movie, Harry Potter parties are a new trend, featuring muggle versions of butterbeer and firewhiskey.

Before Harry Potter midnight release parties at Barnes and Noble, the thought of donning

riddikulus costumes to go wait in line to read a book at midnight was … well, ridiculous. Now, attending book releases is a key part of being a true Potter fan.

What is it about the series, though, that makes it so popular and successful? The devotion to these novels stems from much more than an innovative plot or the compelling scenery that Rowling develops. There are themes in Harry Potter to which we can all relate. The events in the novels aren’t all otherworldly. Making new friends, the awkwardness of the first date, and the loss of a loved one are experiences we’ve all had, and the novels’ deep exploration of

Hopefully Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I will be absolutely stunning. Harry’s stupefy spell certainly is.

IMDB

these themes helps make them so successful. The characters face day-to-day life just as we do, and we can see ourselves in them and relate to them.

We here at Georgetown have an especially strong connection to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Healy’s many turrets and towers are reminiscent of Hogwarts’s architecture. The eerie tunnels under Healy mimic the secret corridors that weave through Hogwarts. And am I the only one who thinks that the first floor of Lauinger bears an odd resemblance to Snape’s cold, dark potions dungeon? However, these similarities are not only architectural, they’re also institutional. At the behest of the student body, Professor Carol Dover has even developed a Harry Potter class that dives into the significant themes of the book, exploring the inspiration behind important aspects of the series.

Now that the series’ movie franchise is reaching its end, will Harry Potter’s spell over our everyday lives be broken? By the power of the Elder Wand, no.

What made the books so great for our generation is that we grew up with these characters.

They aged with us, facing the same awkward teen problems we faced (though curiously this did not include acne … must be the magic). Now, with the novels finished and the movie franchise coming to a close, the question remains whether future genera-

tions will be able to enjoy Harry Potter as much as we have.

I think that Harry Potter, like Tupac, will live forever. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, J. K. Rowling hinted that there could be more Harry Potter books in the future, saying, “I think I am done, but you never know.” Rowling has already released minibooks, like Quidditch Through the Ages and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and there are countless other Harry Potterthemed novels which she could write—I, for one, would love to see Hogwarts, A History.

The Harry Potter World theme park in Florida has already been a huge success, so much so that there are already plans to expand it, ensuring that the magic of Harry Potter will continue to charm generations to come. If nothing else, Harry Potter presents, at its most basic level, the age-old, timeless battle of good versus evil, a message that could keep its popularity alive for a long time hereafter.

But for now, I am currently re-reading the seventh book to prepare for the film premiering tonight. At midnight, I will have a date with destiny, popcorn, and my wand.

Andrew Duverney is a sophomore in the SFS. From Azkaban to Zonko’s Joke Shop, he loves getting lost in the world of Harry Potter.

voices

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice

15

Sports fanatics drowning in unlimited Internet streams

by Tim Shine On Monday night, for the first time in my two-plus years at Georgetown, school was in session and I was not at the Verizon Center for a men’s basketball game. When the Hoyas played Tulane, I had plans I couldn’t change, so I missed my first home game while school was in session.

Of course, I was hardly going to let the fact that I was somewhere else from 7 to 9 p.m. on Monday prevent me from watching the

game. As soon as I got home, I turned on my television, fired up my Xbox, opened the ESPN app, and streamed the Hoyas’ 69-53 victory in its entirety.

I took all of this, more or less, for granted.

The vast majority of the time, I find it totally normal that a relatively obscure college basketball game is being nationally televised exclusively over the Internet and that I can pull it up any time after the fact on a video game console to watch from my couch. It is 2010, after all.

You can watch sports anytime, anywhere. Tim prefers a comfy park bench.

AMBER REN

But in those few moments where I do pause and consider how I’m accessing that game, my level of awe is roughly equivalent to the Insane Clown Posse’s in “Miracles.” Maybe it’s not on the level of long-necked giraffes or magnets, but the way I watch sports now is mind-blowing.

Even compared to how many options I had a few years ago, the near limitless choice and availability of sporting events to watch is absurd.

ESPN and its online streaming service, ESPN3.com, is only a small part of that. Sure, it gives me more access to Russian-league hockey and top-flight international cricket than I ever wanted (and, of course, it has the Hoyas). But ESPN3 seems like a logical extension for the everexpanding sports monolith in Bristol. We’re getting dangerously close to Dodgeball’s ESPN8 “The Ocho” at this point.

More revolutionary are online portals like ATDHE.net that aggregate a near-comprehensive list of the day’s sporting events, complete with links to (almost definitely illegal) streams of their broadcast channels.

I don’t know who is setting up an illicit stream for a basketball game between the Citadel and Charleston Southern, or how they broadcast the JumboTron feed for Georgetown’s season opener at Old Dominion, but I thank them.

The taxes are too damn high Imagine that one day you unintentionally discover a very simple cure for the common cold. With few side effects and relatively cheap ingredients, this cure is a miracle drug. You make the first several doses yourself in a makeshift kitchen laboratory, but soon realize that you’re going to need more money, more capital, and some highly skilled employees to really take your miracle cure mainstream. You need to form a company.

Looking for sound advice, you talk to your business-savvy uncle in Ireland, who tells you that you’d be foolish to start your company in the United States.

He advises you to return to your roots and come to Ireland, where the corporate tax rates are only 12.5 percent. Because Irish corporate tax rates are lower than the

current American rate of 35 percent, if your company is based in Ireland, you can pay your employees better and hire more of them, while still making more money than if you had founded your company in America.

While this story is imaginary and oversimplified, it adds something to the current tax debate in American political circles.

Politicians and their constituents are up in arms about allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire, which would raise personal income taxes on households earning over $250,000 from 35 percent to 39 percent. Conservatives claim that the four percent hike in rates would give high earners less incentive to work, while also taking out of their pockets the money that they use to create jobs. While high-earners do

Let the Voice be your voice. We accept opinions, letters to the editor, personal experiences, and creative writing that are exclusive to the Voice. Submissions do not express the opinion of the board of the Voice. The Voice reserves the right to edit submissions for accuracy, length, and clarity. To submit, email voices@georgetownvoice.com or come to the Voice office in Leavey 413.

Opinions expressed in the Voices section do not necessarily reflect the views of the General Board of the Voice.

create jobs, most of them do it through the corporations where they work. The top earners don’t pay salaries out of their personal income—the corporation pays it out of its coffers.

At 35 percent for corporations earning over $18,333,333, the U.S. corporate tax rate is the

Carrying On

by George D’Angelo A rotating column by Voice senior staffers

second highest in the world, after Japan’s, which rests at 41 percent. (Even socialist countries like Denmark and Sweden have lower corporate tax rates than our free market empire). While the $18 million threshold doesn’t affect small businesses, it does mean that big businesses are paying a lot more of their revenue to taxes in the United States than they would almost anywhere else in the world.

The impact this high corporate tax rate has on employment is very problematic. What’s most important in the short

At least I think I do. This kind of access is what I’ve always assumed I wanted. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been frustrated by the inexplicable choices the wizards at ESPN make about programming or the authoritarian broadcast restrictions on NFL games. Sites like ATDHE offer NFL Sunday Ticket, NBA League Pass, and pretty much every other sports package for free anywhere there’s an Internet connection.

That’s unquestionably a good thing.

(I’ll ignore the obvious ethical and legal concerns until the offseason).

There is a problem though, and it’s me. I’m simply not equipped to deal with this bounty. All I need to do is click a few buttons and I can watch any game that I find even remotely interesting. Why not pull up the games of every one of my fantasy players? Do I need to watch the four concurrent March Madness games simultaneously? Does it matter? I can, so I will. After all, it’s just another window open, easy enough to throw in the background while I do something else.

The more I watch sports in this way, however, the more I see how detrimental it can be. Not to my productivity or anything—I don’t need online sports to ruin that—but to the actual experience of being a spectator. It’s convenient that I can time-shift the Georgetown game to

term is job creation. High-paid individuals may do the hiring and decision making at their company, but if the company is doling out a large chunk of its profits in taxes, there’s not going to be enough cash left to hire new workers. So your fluvaccine company may create 500 new, high-paying, privatesector jobs, but because of the high corporate tax rate, those jobs might be located in Dublin instead of Boston.

You also may wonder if personal income tax rates are raised in the United States, won’t that make people leave for other countries where the rate is lower? Yes, a few extremely wealthy financiers have been known to move to the Bahamas or Cayman Islands to save millions of dollars a year in income taxes.

However, these cases are few and far between—most people are not going to move over a few percentage points in the income tax rate. That would mean selling their houses, formally renouncing their nationality, and moving far from their family and friends. Most people are not that money-oriented. However, unlike individuals, the whole purpose of a corporation is making money.

whenever I want to watch it, but its value is diminished by the fact that the game ended an hour earlier and I know the final score. I love being able to track whether Carmelo Anthony scores the 20 points I need him to while doing ten other things online, but that same multitasking mentality starts creeping into games I actually care about.

I’m sure I’ll manage to adjust.

After all, it’s not like I haven’t done it before. Sports is just the latest domino to fall in the never-ending digital revolution. As with television on Hulu and YouTube, and with music long before that, this explosion of sports content will eventually shift from awe-inspiring and overwhelming to commonplace and manageable.

In the meantime, I’m going to try to keep my sports consumption from becoming too much. Just because I can watch it doesn’t mean I’m going to. But I am grateful for it. After all, without ESPN3, how will I be able to enjoy it again and again when the Hoyas knock off Syracuse?

Tim Shine is a junior in the MSB. He is still waiting for ESPN to begin broadcasting his absolute favorite professional sport: midget tossing.

Big, multinational corporations don’t have citizenships, houses, or emotional ties to their home nations. A recent Bloomberg article illuminated the fact that Google, whose European headquarters are in Dublin, is able to save about $3.1 billion in taxes by basing its European operations in Ireland instead of in the United States. Other companies like Facebook are following suit, with similar plans to move operations overseas.

Congress should let the Bush tax cuts for individuals expire, but lower corporate tax rates. In the short term this might lead to decreased government revenue, but in the long run it will create jobs and spur business growth.

The implications of inaction are serious—a high corporate tax rate will push innovative companies abroad, where they can take advantage of lower tax rates.

Unless American corporate tax rates are cut, it’s quite possible that your dream job at Google or Facebook might require you to head overseas.

George D’Angelo is a junior in the MSB. He agrees with Jimmy McMillan that the rent is too damn high, too.