Students just got an email (after the jump) from Provost James O’Donnell about Banner Blue and Gray, the system that’s supposed to replace Student Access and Faculty Access. This is a wise move on Georgetown’s part, as Student Access was so old and pop-uppy:
In the next several months we plan to “go-live” with the components necessary to support creation of the schedule of classes, registration, financial aid processing, student billing, grading, and production of transcripts for all three campuses, planning to be in full operation by fall 2009.
The Student Activities Commission has shaken off GUSA’s checks on its power, so last week GUSA was trying to reassert one of those checks–its right to appoint SAC’s chairperson. Instead of the ad hoc system where the outgoing chair chooses their successor, the chair would be selected by some commissioners, GUSA members, and members of student groups.Everyone loved this idea, including the Voice’s Ed Board and SAC chair Sophia Behnia herself. But Monday night, in a mindblowing power grab, Behnia said JK to all that. Here’s the way Behnia says it’s actually going to be:
The new SAC chairperson will be appointed by the outgoing one, not GUSA.
Votes are now secret! Non-commissioners who attend SAC meetings will have to leave before votes.
SAC no longer will tell GUSA what happens at its meetings.
Hurray. The Washington Post’s education columnist says Georgetown’s streets could soon be a little more choked with black SUVs:
The Post’s education columnist, Jay Mathews, is betting on Georgetown Day School as the Obamas’ likely choice. Mathews says this is fitting on two fronts: Georgetown Day School was the first racially integrated school in D.C., and it is similar to the academically rigorous University of Chicago Laboratory Schools that Malia, a fifth grader, and Sasha, a second grader, currently attend. Several key Obama advisers send their children there.
Sidwell Friends, that crazy Quaker school, is also in consideration. But why would Sasha and Malia want to go there? It’s crazy.
Photo from Flickr user Barack Obama used under a Creative Commons license
If it seems like there have been more thefts on campus this year than usual, that’s because there have been. As of last Wednesday, there had been 229 thefts on campus this year, as opposed to 213 and 225 in all of 2007 and 2006, respectively.
This information comes from a lot of quality time with the Department of Public Safety crime log and past crime reports. The numbers don’t include thefts committed off-campus and reported to DPS.
While it would be easy and fun to blame the upward crime trend on DPS Director Jeffrey Van Slyke, a good portion of the thefts happened before he got here, and his bike protection program, at least, is doing well.
While trying to celebrate at the White House Tuesday night, Zack Pesavento and Steve Kensinger, two 2008 Georgetown graduates, say they were attacked for carrying a rainbow flag. Part of the attack is in the above video.
The twist is that the assault happened near the Republican National Committee election party. Sore loser?
Update: At last, Tuesday afternoon, it’s fixed. Rest, weary Corpsmen.
Update: 10 AM the next day, and still no decent main page. I can’t wonder why people wouldn’t trust the Corp with their club’s page.
Update: 4 hours after this post originally went up, Hoyapedia’s main page is still a mess.
Corp CEO Jesse Scharff sent out an email (after the jump) to a bunch of student groups today promoting the Corp’s latest venture, Hoyapedia, a sort of Wikipedia for Georgetown. Alas, Scharff ignored the first rule of a roll-out: make sure your website doesn’t look terrible. Right now it’s a mess of tags, so use this archived page to navigate.
The Corp seems focused on making Hoyapedia a home for student clubs, touting the site’s possibilities for recruitment and advertising. What they don’t tell you about is the honesty of their thrown-together entries. See Healthy Wisey’s:
So, like, the Wisey’s owner dude I guess thought it would be a good idea to open up another shop. Healthy Wisey’s is good because it delivers. But it is nowhere near as good as the original Wisemiller’s Deli.
At least that’s original content. A lot elsewhere is just lifted from other websites, like the description of the seal, which lifts from the University’s own page on it.
On Sunday, November 9, 2008 at approximately 4:50 a.m., a student reported to MPD that she was sexually assaulted by an unknown black male in a residence located in the 1400 block of Wisconsin Avenue.
…. The victim’s shoulder was broken during the assault. MPD responded to the scene.
Sad stuff. We’ll have more on Georgetown crimes on the blog tomorrow and in the paper Thursday.
Washingtonian has a great profile on DC’s new mayor-for-life (knock on wood) Adrian Fenty. He’s basically incredible: running laps before dawn, then bouncing around town with his head sticking out of his Smart car. How does Fenty do it all?
What’s the source of his energy?
“People, especially kids,” says Phil. “He grabs their energy, stores it, uses it.”
Creepy! Almost makes you long for days when DC mayors got their energy in less sinister ways.
Photo from Flickr user KCIvey used under a Creative Commons license
Lost in Migration from Omar Khalifa on Vimeo.
Couldn’t get enough of last week’s cover story about Qatari immigrant workers? Via Jeff Reger, that article’s writer, here’s a documentary about some Nepalese workers who came to Qatar for a better life but just ended up trapped in the airport.
Vox Populi is the staff blog of the Georgetown Voice, Georgetown University's preeminent newsmagazine since 1969. The opinions expressed in Vox Populi are those of their authors unless specifically stated.
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