Yesterday, Georgetown’s pro-Israel student group, Georgetown Israel Alliance, stirred controversy when they posted on Twitter about the race riots in Israel targeted at Sudanese and Somalian asylum seekers. In their Twitter, @Hoyas4Israel, the group said: “Israel! Be nicer to those Africans we’re murdering, maiming, and raping in Somalia and Sudan. Yours always, the freedom-loving Arab world.” Within the next few hours, several students reacted on Facebook and Twitter condemning the inappropriate nature of the post. The group took down the post shortly thereafter.

Initially, GIA responded indignantly. About an hour later the group tweeted: “Slightly surprised at the backlash from pointing out the irony in Al-Jazeera’s damning coverage of African refugees of Arab states in Israel.” The group did not initially feel the comment merited an apology.

Later that night at around 10pm, the group apologized, explained and defended their post in a subsequent five tweets.

Read the rest of this entry »

Did you hear a ridiculous conversation on campus today?

If so, now you can share them with the Georgetown Twitterverse via the new Twitter account @OHGeorgetown.

@OHGeorgetown, or as it’s better known Overheard in Georgetown, began tweeting on Friday and already has several gems.

Here are some of the highlights so far:

Jane Hoya on a Saturday night: I freaked out when I saw him cuz I was sober. I am reaaally lame when I’m not drunk!”

Jane Hoya: “Jewish people are just catholics who just haven’t realised how awesome Jesus is yet.”

Joe Hoya in Leo’s: “Dude..no planned parenthood, no Chadwicks.”

If you overhear a funny, ridiculous, insane, gut-busting, or interesting conversation, you can let Overheard in Georgetown know by tweeting at @OHGeorgetown or using the hashtag #ohgeorgetown.

This morning, the University posted its first message on the official Georgetown Day Twitter account, @GUDay2011.

Is it too early to think about Georgetown Day? Maybe. Are we bitter because D.C. is on the verge of a cold, gray winter? Probably. Are we afraid we’ll be assigned to the dunk tank? Absolutely.

Georgetown Day—only seven months away!

Although our Prefrosh Preview series is over, we still have one more thing to share with Georgetown’s newest students—Twitter.

While plenty of stories end up on Vox, we cover even more through our Twitter account. So, follow us. You might even end up on Twuesday Tweetacular.

To help the social-media inclined get adjusted to Georgetown campus life, we also made a few nifty lists that cover as many Georgetown-related accounts as we could find. (If we missed anything, be sure to let us know in the comments.)

If you’re interested in student groups, sports, academics, student media, grad programs, University services, or the professors who use Twitter, we’ve got you covered. (And we made a list of our favorites too.)

Did he lose a bet? Get hacked? See the light? Vox doesn’t know, but whatever is happening over at Hoya Suxa, a Syracuse fan’s blog dedicated to hating on the Hoyas (and occasional Cuse basketball coverage), we’re seriously amused.

Following today’s Hoya win over the Orange in New York City, Hoya Suxa began tweeting and blogging in praise of Georgetown. “ALL YOUR HOYA SUXA’ NOW BELONG TO US!!!” he tweeted. “GEORGETOWN IS A FINE UNIVERSITY!” “PATRICK EWING FOR LIFE! HIS SWEAT CURES CANCER AND IS CURRENCY IN INDONESIA!”

Then this showed up on the Hoya Suxa blog:

This isn’t the first time that a Georgetown-Syracuse matchup has resulted in internet fun. In the past, a Georgetown loss has resulted in an ode to Jim Boeheim Gerry MacNamara appearing on Casual Hoya. But this is a little extreme.

Hoya Suxa and Casual Hoya had an agreement before today’s game to allow the other to humiliate him if his team lost, but the terms of the agreement on Suxa‘s end don’t say anything about giving up the rights to his blog or Twitter account:

“Should Georgetown University — an institution that believes in the nutritional value of urinal cakes — engage in patent treachery and bamboozle the Orange Empire of a victory, Hoya Suxa will “release a video chronicling the pain and emotion following a Syracuse loss to Georgetown.””

Vox guesses the bet expanded? We’ll let you know what happened when we figure it out, but we’re gonna take our sweet time. Reading tweets about sad Otto is more important to us right now.

Looks like everyone’s favorite royal Twitter personality is getting a retinue. Yesterday, HeraldofGtown announced himself to the tworld as herald for the King of Georgetown:

That’s the only Tweet The King’s Herald has treated us to so far, but here’s hoping he engages in some delightful repartee with the King, and doesn’t fall victim to one-Tweet syndrome.

Twitter gets its academics on

While anyone who has interacted with UIS knows technology isn’t exactly Georgetown’s strong suit, the University has been exploring this newfangled social media thing, even setting up its own Twitter account.

But how does Georgetown’s Twitter usage stack up with other top universities?  UniversitiesAndColleges.org recently crunched the numbers to find out which schools in the top 100 of U.S. News and World Report‘s college rankings are doing, and Georgetown is in the middle of the pack.

Besides the main @Georgetown account, the University runs 8 other Twitter accounts, earning them a 36th place showing in the Number of Accounts ranking.  On average, Georgetown-affiliated Twitter accounts produce 16.3 tweets per day, earning us 52nd place showing on the Total Tweets Per Day ranking.

With those accounts following 1,143 other users, Georgetown came 43rd on the Number of Users Following list.  Our real weak point is how many other Twitter users are following Georgetown-affiliated accounts.  With only 2,038 followers, Georgetown came in 64th on the Number of Followers ranking.

Vox says Georgetown would probably be doing much better if the administration had allowed the @JackDeGioia account to survive…

On Monday at about 5 p.m. two Red Line trains crashed into each other near the Fort Totten station, resulting in the deadliest crash in Metro’s 33 year history.  Nine people died, including Jeanice McMillan, the operator of one of the trains, Ana Fernandez, a mother of six, and Retired Major General David Wherely, Jr. who led the D.C. National Guard and his wife Ann.  Although investigations are ongoing, it’s looking like the accident was probably caused by a malfunction of the computerized control system.

D.C.’s Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi announced that his office is projecting a $340 million budget shortfall over the next two years due to the recession.  In light of the dire news, Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) discretely ordered 40 government agencies—including the police department—to cut more than $35 million from their budgets.  It probably doesn’t help that the city can’t find thousands of dollars it collected in fines from misdemeanor cases..

On Thursday, June 18th, a gunman opened fire outside the Columbia Heights Metro station, shooting and injuring two.  This week it was revealed that the gunman was actually working as an intern for a D.C. Councilmember, Jim Graham (D—Ward 1).  Graham himself took the young man, Devyn Black, to the police station to turn himself in.

After the jump: taxi fare increases, how Twitter can help you get fired from your D.C. government job and more!
Read the rest of this entry »

Want a shot at your own 15 seconds of internet micro-micro-fame?  Start following us on Twitter (GtownVoxPop) and, if you’re connected to Georgetown, we’ll return the favor and you’ll automatically be in the running!

Leslie Gordon found that the prep follows you wherever you go.

Alexa Rozell reunited with an old foe.

Read the rest of this entry »

The end has come for @JackDeGioia, our humdrum president’s hilarious Twitter doppleganger.  Things began to look grim when the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the University of Texas at Austin’s president’s pseudo-Twitter was shut down last Thursday. According to a tweet from the man behind @JackDeGioia, Georgetown Heckler Editor Jack Stuef, Twitter sent him an email notifying him of the account removal yesterday.

Luckily, Vox was able to get some screenshots of the account so at least the final tweets can be enjoyed in perpetuity:

More after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »