“Jacob” doesn’t care for Venus Fly Trap:

Vox,

Despite my frequent bursts of bile, I have always considered you as a playful adversary and was forced to concede the fact you are the best damn publication on this campus. That you would stoop this low by hiring a perverted attention whore makes me not so much angry, but disappointed.

“Not Jason Clark” was a bit more excited:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHh0rf0ojEc&feature=related

My reaction to this news was the exact opposite of that.

Read the rest of this entry »

Just like last year, Vox has compiled a guide to “news you can use”, or in other words, an excessively comprehensive review of last year’s important news stories. Today, we cover the off-campus issues that made headlines.

Georgetown’s 2010 Campus Plan

Every ten years, the University has to submit a campus plan to the D.C. Zoning Commission, detailing its construction plans for the next decade. University administrators hosted a series of meetings to present the plan to the neighborhood and ask for feedback, but Georgetown residents have been unsupportive, to say the least.

Their main complaint: the University has no plans to add new undergraduate housing on campus, which means upperclassmen will continue to live in West Georgetown (the neighborhood east of the front gates) and Burleith (the neighborhood northwest of the hospital). The neighborhood associations have launched fundraising campaigns, circulated a petition, and put up lawn signs to oppose the 2010 Campus Plan.

While the plan has some initiatives to benefit undergraduates, such as a New South student center, Voice writers have expressed concern about circuitous free shuttle bus routes and overcrowding from increased graduate student enrollment.

But, you still might ask—why should you care?

Read the rest of this entry »

GUSA will not stand for these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane campus

GUSA FUND: The big news from this week’s meeting was that the Senate passed the long-debated GUSA Fund, which will allow them to fund clubs directly. For more information, check out Vox‘s post from earlier this morning.

HATE CRIMES: GUSA passed a revised version of Senator Josh Mogil‘s (SFS ’11—Off Campus) changes to the Student Code of Conduct regarding hate crimes on a vote of 16 to two, with one abstention.

The new version of the resolution adds Hate-Crimes as a Category C violation, but keeps bias as a “parameter” for other violations that are not “criminal acts of hate,” but are motivated by the aggravating factor of bias.

Mogil said he decided to leave in the section on “bias-related incidents” after speaking with Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson about the resolution.

Senator Nick Troiano (COL ’11—Village A, A-D) still had doubts about the necessity of the resolution.

“There’s no practical difference between someone who’s adjudicated based on a criminal act that would otherwise fall under Category C violations and those that would now fall under the sub-category,” Troiano said.

Read the rest of this entry »

Last Thursday, the Burleith Citizens’ Association held its annual meeting.  Yes, annual.

“One per year? I love it!” exclaimed guest of honor Mayor Adrian Fenty (D). “That’s unprecedented, at least in D.C.”

With only one meeting per year, the agenda was pretty packed, with Burleithers (Burleithians?) discussing everything from 61-D citations to the University’s ten-year plan, parking changes, D.C. Public Schools and cracking down on neglectful landlords.

MPD and 61-Ds: Lieutenant John Hedgecock, who has been in charge of West Georgetown and Burleith since early August, talked about the neighborhood’s crime stats and how the Metropolitan Police Department has been using 61-D citations.

When Hedgecock announced that issuing 61-Ds has been “very effective in quelling parties,” the crowd broke out in applause.  According to Hedgecock, once MPD receives a call, they assume that there’s been a breach of the peace.  If they observe a party and the noise “is too much for a residential area,” they will issue a 61-D citation to the person on the lease of the house or in charge of the party.

Hedgecock says while last year there were six “problem houses” in the area (four in West Georgetown and two in Burleith), this year there is only one.

“When we see a party starting, we put an end to it or advise them what will happen,” Hedgecock said.

One neighbor voiced concerns about the citations saddling students with a criminal record; Hedgecock replied that those who receive 61-Ds can contest them in court.

Read the rest of this entry »