Don’t Be Hatin’

“Hate Free Georgetown”—a week of events intended to bring different groups on campus together in response to bias related incidents this past Fall, will run March 15 through March 20 and is sponsored by a variety of campus groups, including GUGS, Hoya Blue, The Corp, Groove Theory, GU Pride, nomadictheatre, and campus a capella groups.

Events include a “Dance Day” on Monday from 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in Red Square, GUGS burgers in Red Square from 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. on Thursday, a “Field day” on Healy lawn on Friday from 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. with games like capture the flag and tag, and a “Performance Festival” Saturday from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. in McNeir auditorium featuring nomadictheatre and a capella performances, and student-written scenes about non-violence.

HFG will be tabling in Red Square Monday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. where students can sign pledges of support and get HFG Georgetown buttons, allowing entry into the events later in the week. See the full list of HFG events.

The Business of Happiness

Join President DeGioia and Washington, D.C. business leaders Monday at 4:30 p.m for a panel discussion on the “Double-Bottom Line”—the concept that success in business is driven by both fiscal results and a positive impact to people and society. Panelists include Ted Leonsis, former AOL vice chairman and author of The Business of Happiness; Tom Adams, founder and CEO of Rosetta Stone; Donald Graham, chairman of the Washington Post Company; Sheila Johnson, co-founder of BET; and Joseph Robert, chairman and CEO of J.E. Robert Companies, Inc.

The event will be held in the Lohrfink Auditorium in the Rafik B. Harari Building. Space is limited and students should RSVP to attend. For those unable to attend, the MSB will also have a webcast of the event.

Study for midterms got you down? The College Dems and Republicans bring you a bipartisan lineup of Congressmen to distract you from your Econ textbook—unless you’re a government major, in which case attending these events might actually be considered studying. Win-win.

Republicans – Schock-ingly Good Looking?

The Georgetown College Republicans are hosting U.S. Representative Aaron Schock (R—Ill.) on Wednesday, March 3 from 7:10 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in ICC 105. Schock, at 28 years old, is the youngest member of the House of Representatives, and has been known to be mooned over by Congressional interns on both sides of the aisle. I hope someone at the event will bring Schock the tough questions, like this reporter from TMZ.

Democrats – Hoya, Hoya Saxa

Though he was not voted “the hottest freshmen Congressman” by the Huffington Post, Representative Henry Cuellar (TX-28) is a Georgetown grad (SFS’78) and holds more degrees—five—than any other congressman.  He represents a border district in Texas and will speak about the prospects of immigration reform in Congress. The event will be held Monday, March 1 in the Gervase Conference Room from 5:45 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. After 7:00 p.m, the College Dems will host a game watch for the GU/WVU basketball in the Alumni Lounge.

We’ve heard the sons of Harvard…

…are gonna play the 13th-ranked Hoyas in men’s lacrosse on Wednesday, March 3 at 3:30 p.m. on the Multi-Sport field. The 12th-ranked Crimson are fresh off a victory in their tune-up season opener vs. Canisius College. The Hoyas, who fell in a hard-fought loss to No. 7 Maryland, will be looking for a win before opening up Big-East Conference play on Saturday against St. John’s. Come out and support the Hoyas!

Photo from Flickr user republicanconference used under a Creative Commons license

Let’s talk security

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen (what a mouthful!) will be speaking today at 1:00 p.m. in Gaston Hall. The lecture, ‘’NATO—Delivering Real Security in an Age of Uncertainty,” will also feature former Secretary of State and Georgetown Professor Madeleine Albright. Attendance is open to current GU students, faculty, and staff and will be on a first-come, first-serve basis. The doors will open at 12:00 p.m. but no bags, briefcases, or backpacks will be allowed inside.

We vaguely remember a failed filibuster and his mustache

Also speaking on campus Monday is former U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Bolton, who will give a lecture from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mortara building. Bolton had some tough words for President Obama in a speech Saturday at CPAC, saying that the president “does not care about foreign policy” and “is not ready to be president.” His lecture, “The Current State of Foreign Affairs and Policy,” will be moderated by Republican strategist Bradley Blakeman. There will also be a Q&A session following the lecture. Students wishing to attend the event should RSVP.

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It’s a big week at Georgetown.

Ralph Nader and Bruce Fein will be speaking on campus Wednesday, and for the half-dozen non-political Hoyas out there, there are entertainment options aplenty. I’ve also heard that Georgetown plans to hold classes for a full week—good luck with that.

Corporate Control, Official Lawlessness and What’s Left of Democracy’

Ralph Nader—consumer advocate, journalist, attorney, and perennial presidential candidate—and Bruce Fein, former associate deputy attorney general under President Reagan, will be giving a lecture on the Supreme Court case (pdf) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

The lecture will take place Wednesday, February 17, in Gaston Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and will be followed by a Q & A session. Any students thinking about protesting the lecture should be advised that Mr. Nader, a political activist and consumer rights advocate, might in fact encourage such protests.

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Think You Know Your Harry Potter?

Melissa Anelli, a Georgetown alumna and ‘webmistress’ of top Harry Potter fansite The Leaky Cauldron, is giving Georgetown a behind-the-scenes look into her career as a fan turned author. This Wednesday, she’s speaking at Georgtown about topics ranging from the outing of Professor Dumbledore, to Harry Potter’s cultural impact, to her time spent with J.K. Rowling herself. Anelli will be speaking Wednesday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hariri Building’s Lohrfink Auditorium.

The Vagina Monologues

Sponsored by Take Back the Night and hosted in conjunction with V-Day 2010, The Vagina Monologues is a no-holds-barred performance featuring the empowering stories of women and girls from around the world. Tickets are $10 for students ($12 General Admission) at the Davis Center box office for shows Thursday through Saturday (February 11-13) at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, February 14 at 2:00 p.m.

Careers for the Common Good

The fourth Annual Careers for the Common Good features more than 40 alumni and networking opportunities in the fields of Education, International Development, Health, Human Rights, Environment, Government, and the arts. The event will be help Tuesday, February 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Fisher Colloquium at the Hariri Building. Students must RSVP with the Center for Social Justice to attend.

Cherry Tree Massacre

One of the biggest a capella festivals of the year kicks off this weekend—the Cherry Tree Massacre makes its debut in Gaston Hall on Friday. The Georgetown Chimes host a performance that features Georgetown’s various a capella groups as well as acts from other campuses. Now in its 37th year, Cherry Tree Massacre has the Phantoms, Gracenotes, and Saxatones in its lineup along with groups from Fordham University, James Madison University, and Tufts. Tickets for the Friday performance are sold out, but students may still reserve tickets for February 5, 6, 19, or 27 at georgetownchimes.org for $10 each. The show will be held at 7:30 p.m. each night.

From Death Row to Freedom

Shujaa Graham, a wrongly convicted individual who spent five years on death row, will be sharing his perspective on the death penalty on Tuesday, February 2, in a lecture hosted by the Georgetown University Lecture Fund. At 8:00 p.m., “From Death Row to Freedom,” an event co-sponsored by Witness to Innocence and GU Right to Life along with the Lecture Fund will discuss the dilemma behind the wrongful conviction of 139 American citizens who have been on death row. The event will take place from 8:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. in White Gravenor 201B.

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Creator of Sporcle Visits Georgetown

Yet another web genius who has come up with a way for college students to waste hours on end using the Internet is coming to Georgetown to tell us more about how he did it. Matt Ramme, the creator of Sporcle, a website with hundreds of online timed trivia quizzes on every subject from television shows to geography.

Ramme has said that it has fulfilled a need for learning trivia he felt was missing in on the internet, and has since become a unique phenomenon on the web. He will be giving a lecture hosted by the Georgetown University Lecture Fund on January 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. in Reiss 103.

Italian Embassy Dinner

Although this event is not technically on-campus, it’s the closest you can get to Europe without having to catch a flight anywhere. The European Club is sponsoring a dinner party at the Italian Embassy on Friday, January 29 at 7:00 p.m. There will be food from Café Milano and a chance to enjoy it in the Italian Embassy located at 3000 Whitehaven Street NW. Tickets are $25, and will be sold in Red Square from Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

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“Let Freedom Ring!”

One of the biggest concerts of the year is set to be performed this evening at an event hosted by Georgetown University and the Kennedy Center. The annual MLK Day “Let Freedom Ring!” concert for Georgetown University students, faculty, and staff will feature India.Arie, the winner of two Grammy Awards and the voice behind hits like “Video” and “I Am Not My Hair.”

Although the chance to obtain a ticket through the online lottery has passed, a live simulcast of the concert will be shown live at The Kennedy Center website. The “Let Freedom Ring!” Choir will also be performing, and The John Thompson, Jr. “Legacy of a Dream” Award will be presented to Dikembe Mutombo, the humanitarian, NBA player, and Georgetown alum. In the past, the concert has brought well known artists like Aretha Franklin, and it has always been an amazing opportunity to engage in both historic and fulfilling entertainment.

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A different kind of holiday music

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Excursion

The Georgetown Program Board is sponsoring a trip to the Verizon Center to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a band famous for its unique take on Christmas songs. They typically perform their music, a fusion of rock and classical, in front of a fascinating set, with multi-colored lights and other special effects.

The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be playing on December 9th at 8:00 p.m. in the Verizon Center. This concert is extremely popular, so each student can only buy two extra tickets. Tickets will go for $20 starting Monday, December 7th, at 10:00 a.m. in Red Square.

Posada

Georgetown students will be able to experience a taste of what Christmas in Mexico is like at Posada, the annual winter performance in Walsh Black Box Theater this Tuesday, December 8. Each winter, Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Georgetown presents a performance featuring traditional folkloric Mexican dances. Ritmo y Sabor will provide a guest performance, and also collaborate with Ballet Folklorico Mexicano for part of the show. The concert is at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $3 for students, and $4 general admission and can be bought online or at the Davis Center Box Office.

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Annual Christmas Tree Lighting

Christmas at Georgetown will be marked by the Annual Christmas Tree Lighting (which is marked by the Annual Christmas Appearance of President John DeGioia). On Friday, December 4, at 5:00 p.m. in Dahlgren Quad, students, faculty, and neighbors will gather together around Georgetown’s Christmas tree. Holiday music will be performed by on-campus groups, and after the lighting, The Mask and Bauble Dramatic Society will perform their interpretation of “A Christmas Carol.” Hot cocoa and other refreshments will be available, as well as free ice skating.

Award-Winning CBS Correspondent, Byron Pitts Presentation

Byron Pitts, the chief national correspondent for The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, and a contributor to 60 minutes, is speaking in Riggs Library on Thursday from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This is part of a Newsmaker Lecture Series hosted by NAACP, GU Women of Color, and the School of Continuing Studies. Pitts is a noted journalist also known for his interview with Tyler Perry that discussed Spike Lee’s criticism of Perry’s work. He has received national Emmy awards for his coverage on the September 11 attacks and the 1999 Chicago train crash. Pitts will discuss his current career, what he thinks about the future of journalism, and his latest book.

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