The D.C. Department of Health has one message for you: Use a rubber, kid.
That’s been the message for years, though now the department is using a glitzier ad campaign to get the idea across to us young folk. In a commercial that premiered last night, a group of elegantly-dressed men and women roll up to a club in a stretch limousine and, through winks and stolen glances, proceed to start hooking up. But they forgot the condoms! Not to worry, they order some fine government-issued durexes with their slick iPhone 5s! (apparently since they couldn’t afford trojans after they bought the limo).
The commercial is part of an effort to reduce the rates of STD infections and unwanted pregnancies. There are four ways to get free condoms: Text DCWRAP to 61827, find a distribution center online, call 311 and ask for free condoms, or use an online form to get condoms delivered. D.C.’s HIV-infection rate remains around 3 percent, which are considered epidemic levels.
Finals week has taken a toll on Vox lately, but Comments of the Week will be running regularly. This past week, we saw the disappearance of the Healy clock hands and the selection of commencement speakers.
Last Monday, Georgetown woke up to a handless Healy clock face, continuing a longstanding prank. Fortunately, according to Benjamin Gates, the heist was only part of a greater storyline:
No current students were involved in the clock hand theft, only a well-meaning alumnus on the hunt for history’s greatest lost treasures. But what do the clock hands have to do with history’s greatest lost treasures?
It all started when a rival treasurehunter accused my great uncle Theodore Gates of that my great uncle Theodore Gates sunk the battleship Maine and started the Spanish-American War. I had to defend my family and find the truth, which somehow led me on a chase for the lost platinum hoard of the Committee of 300. One clue led to another until I discovered that the latitude and longitude coordinates were sealed into the Healy tower clock hands after they survived the British burning of Washington in the War of 1812 and were eventually given to Georgetown as a gift for harboring America’s founding documents during that troubling time. The clock hands form a sort of puzzle that only a master historian/treasure hunter/puzzle enthusiast/Georgetown alumnus/somehow both dashing and approachable man such as myself could figure out.
Maybe Mr. Gates will use Native American gold / Masonic treasure to pay for the repairs. Read the rest of this entry »
For this edition of Prefrosh Preview, we’ll be tackling various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking. As a disclaimer, Vox isn’t advocating underage drinking or the use of illegal drugs, and most of this information comes from outside sources, not firsthand experience.
Drinking
Despite what some tour guides reassured your parents, drinking is a sizeable part of social life at Georgetown for many people. If you look for a party on the weekend, you will always find one.
During New Student Orientation, many freshmen will wander the neighborhood in packs listening for noise that might signal a party. We advise freshmen who find parties to avoid inviting their entire floor or drinking everything as soon as they can.
If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, here are some of the more popular nearby options:
Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and is usually occupied with doctors from the hospital.
Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks, good barbecue; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy, but good wings and a good chance of spotting Real World cast members or Kobe Bryant.
Rugby (1065 Wisconsin Ave): As part of a Ralph Lauren store, very, very preppy.
Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap, lots of dancing; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and filled with students, but also the strictest with IDs.
How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer. Last spring, a number of fake IDs were taken from Third Edition, so be aware that it could happen to you. Generally, Vox would discourage you from trying your fake at Third Edition or Tombs.
Last month, Dr. Hal C. Lawrence, executive vice president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and a University professor, praised the Administration’s decision to require full contraceptive coverage without copay on all new insurance plans.
“The women of this country deserve no less than access to all comprehensive and clinically effective preventive care,” Lawrence said in an ACOG press release.
The Cardinal Newman Society, a conservative non-profit organization that seeks “to help renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education,” is predictably unenthusiastic.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has already criticized what it sees an excessively narrow religious exemption. “Although this new rule gives the agency the discretion to authorize a ‘religious’ exemption, it is so narrow as to exclude most Catholic social service agencies and healthcare providers,” Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, told LifeSiteNews.
The regulation will take effect beginning Aug. 1, 2012. It may include a conscience clause that would allow religious institutions to opt out of the coverage. However, the ACOG press release argued against such an exemption.
“Should a woman choose to use birth control, she should have access to all methods at no cost, as these guidelines insure,” reads the press release. “However, any exemption to religious-affiliated health plans from this contraceptive requirement erodes this right. ACOG recommends that no exemption be allowed and looks forward to resolving these concerns with HHS.”
The new regulation will encompass all Food and Drug Administration-approved contraception – including Plan B – as well as more comprehensive HIV and STI screenings, and domestic violence screening and care.
Below, we’ve republished Juliana Brint’s August 2009 post about “all the various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking.” And here’s our disclaimer: Vox isn’t endorsing any of these activities. (And most of the advice and information came from outside sources.)
Alcohol
Georgetown is definitely a drinking school, and on weekends you can almost always find a party somewhere on or near campus. When going out, there’s no quicker way to be identified as a somewhat obnoxious freshman than to travel with the entirety of your floor. It’s also seen as particularly poor form to crash a party, drain the booze and leave.
At Georgetown, people generally don’t charge guests admittance to parties (a fact that will doubtlessly shock your friends who visit). However, if you find kindly upperclassmen who frequently supply you with liquor, it’s generally a good idea to reimburse them.
If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, you have plenty of nearby options. Here’s the run-down:
Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and you really can’t beat it for convenience.
Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
Rhino (3295 M Street): Sketchy and crowded on weekends, but sells good wings
Smith Point (1338 Wisconsin Avenue): Bastion of prep that prides itself on having a guest list; Late Night Shots central.
Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and almost exclusively for students, but also the strictest with IDs.
How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer, but generally avoid trying your fake at Smith Point, Third Edition and Tombs.
If you’re looking to procure your own spirits, the best bets are Towne (1326 Wisconsin Avenue), Wagner’s (1717 Wisconsin Avenue) and Dixie (3429 M Street; but don’t even think about using a fake at Dixie). Wisey‘s also sells beer and wine.
If you’re tired of jostling at the bar for a watered-down rum and coke or an overpriced draft beer, Booey’s is also a good bet. Its pitchers are among the cheapest around, and it is open until midnight. Read the rest of this entry »
Members of Plan A Hoyas met with administrators on Tuesday to discuss Georgetown’s sexual health policies. Although they promised to meet with Plan A again, the Georgetown administrators who were present at the meeting do not seem to have committed to altering any University policies in response to pressure from the group.
Plan A members have not responded to several requests for comments about the meeting, but Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson described the meeting in an e-mail to Vox:
“We had a productive and frank conversation with the students, and we plan to meet with them again in the near future. I reiterated to them that as a Catholic and Jesuit university, we hold fast to our core values, and we remain committed to policies and approaches that reflect our identity.”
The University had agreed to this meeting following two high-profile GAAP weekend protests on Friday and Saturday where members of Plan A and other groups protested for student access to contraceptives on campus, changes to the University’s student insurance plan, and expanded space for dialogue about positions that the University considers antithetical to its Catholic identity.
The group netted especially strong coverage from their protest on Saturday, where three Plan A members chained themselves to the statue of Georgetown Founder John Carroll, which any number of outlets from the local NBC network to Feministing picked up.
We’ve seen what Georgetown University President looks like as a Jack-o-lantern—but what if he were a leprechaun?
Seems he’d be sporting a green fedora and prancing around Red Square, telling passersby and angry members of Plan A Hoyas, “You’ll never get my pot of condoms!”
At least that’s how members of Plan A Hoyas, the controversial group pressuring the University to provide contraceptives, comprehensive sex education, and expanded free speech about sexuality on campus, chose to interpret his Irish side. Frustrated that DeGioia has not responded to the letter they delivered to his office on March 4 following a rally in Red Square, which Plan A Hoya leader Marion Cory (COL ’10) said asked him to respond by March 15 to their demands, members of Plan A Hoyas turned today to ‘guerrilla theater.’
Their brief performance around 1 p.m. featured students mimicking ineffective contraceptive methods, like pulling out, as a student dressed as ‘Jack O’Gioia’ hugged a pot of condoms and played keep-away, condemning heterosexual and gay sex. Plan A Hoya members circulated a petition for their demands to students who were watching.
The scene concluded when a Plan A member snatched away O’Gioia’s cache and held it up triumphantly. “Condoms!” he exclaimed, before showering Red Square in prophylactics.
H*yas for Choice and United Feminists have partnered up in a new campaign that’s demanding substantial change in Georgetown’s reproductive rights policies. The latter being a University-recognized group, the new movement has the potential to endanger UF’s funding and legitimacy.
Through the campaign, called “Plan A: Hoyas for Reproductive Justice,” the coalition is making demands for access to material benefits, like contraceptives on campus and rape kits at the Georgetown University Hospital, greater free speech allowances for groups like H*yas for Choice, and “comprehensive health education.”
“These are really rational demands broadly supported by the Georgetown community,” Marion Cory (COL ’10), a board member of United Feminists, told Vox. “It boils down to basic rights, student safety, and student needs.”
Acknowledging that their campaign must adapt to the fact that its advocacy will take place on a Catholic campus, Cory explained that she felt confident their efforts could be successful because their demands were in fact in keeping with Jesuit ideals.
“We don’t see [this campaign] as overcoming Jesuit values, we see it more as asking for Georgetown to consider these issues in their true form, not just the narrows lens it uses now.” she said. “There are a lot of pieces to this issue, like social justice and providing for the health and safety of all people equally.”
She pointed to an open letter the two groups have already written to President John DeGioia on their coalitions’ blog, which she said used a lot of the University’s own language to speak to their demands:
“Issues related to reproductive justice disproportionately affect the lives of people in historically marginalized communities, such as women, people of color, and the economically disadvantaged– the very communities for which Georgetown professes to advocate.
“In addition, the approach Georgetown has taken with regard to discourse around these same issues has been anything but dialogue-promoting. Rather than allow students to openly engage with and discuss issues of choice, sexual health, and contraception, which undeniably shape the society we inhabit, university policies stifle and even prohibit this important exchange of ideas.”
After the jump, the full letter and what this may mean for UF’s Access to University Benefits.
Trojan just released its annual Sexual Health Report Card for colleges and universities and once again Georgetown is near the bottom of the pack. This year we received a “GPA” of 2.13 and we’re ranked 121 out of 141 schools that participated, up three from last year.
The rankings measure the “access and availability of sexual health information and resources.” They are based on student opinion, health center policies, availability of contraceptives and STD testing, presence of advising and support resources.
Although Georgetown is lagging in the overall rankings, our standing improves when you look at how we’re doing compared to other religious schools. Of the 14 religiously affiliated colleges and universities that were ranked, Georgetown was the 4th highest ranked. We are also the high ranked Catholic school on the list.
For the penultimate Prefrosh Preview, we’ll be tackling all the various vices you might be interested in engaging in during college: drinking, drugs, sex and smoking. As a disclaimer: Vox isn’t advocating underage drinking or the use of illegal drugs, and most of this information comes from outside sources, not firsthand experience.
Alcohol
Georgetown is definitely a drinking school, and on weekends you can almost always find a party somewhere on or near campus. When going out, there’s no quicker way to be identified as a somewhat obnoxious freshman than to travel with the entirety of your floor. It’s also seen as particularly poor form to crash a party, drain the booze and leave.
At Georgetown, people generally don’t charge guests admittance to parties (a fact your visiting friends will doubtlessly be shocked by). However, if you find a a kindly upperclassmen who frequently supplies you with liquor, it’s nice to reimburse them.
If you’re over 21 (or have an ID that says you are) and prefer bars, here are some of the more popular nearby options:
Chadwicks (3205 K Street): Good happy hours and champagne brunches.
Champions (1206 Wisconsin Avenue): A favorite among the underage crowd (although it has something of a checkered past).
Epicurean (On campus, under Darnall): Offers karaoke, and you really can’t beat it for convenience.
Old Glory (3139 M Street): Strong drinks; the covered back porch with a bar makes it convenient for smokers.
Smith Point (1338 Wisconsin Avenue): Bastion of prep that prides itself on having a guest list; Late Night Shots central.
Third Edition (1218 Wisconsin Ave): Relatively cheap; famous for having its exterior used in St. Elmo’s Fire.
Tombs (1226 36th Street): The closest bar to campus and thus almost exclusively for students, but also the strictest with IDs.
How strict a given bar is with accepting fake IDs varies from bouncer to bouncer, but generally Vox would discourage you from trying your fake at Smith Point, Third Edition and Tombs.
If you’re looking to procure your own spirits, the best bets are Towne (1326 Wisconsin Avenue), Wagner’s (1717 Wisconsin Avenue) and Dixie (3429 M Street; you shouldn’t even think about attempting to use a fake at Dixie, though). Wisey‘s also sells beer and wine.
If you’re tired of jostling at the bar for a watered-down rum and coke or an overpriced draft beer, Booey’s is a good bet. Its pitchers are among the cheapest around, and it is open until midnight.
More fun stuff likes drugs, sex and smoking after the jump!
Vox Populi is the staff blog of the Georgetown Voice, Georgetown University's weekly newsmagazine. Opinions expressed in posts are those of their author alone unless otherwise stated.
Trojan just released its annual Sexual Health Report Card for colleges and universities and once again 
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