Welcome back, Hoyas.

Photos by Kirill Makarenko

Yesterday evening, in front of a small crowd of students, alumni, and guests in the ICC auditorium, Jack DeGioia received a gift from a company CEO and two international guests. To anyone not aware of the back story, that gift would have seemed somewhat strange—it was a white t-shirt, just like any you can find at the University bookstore, with “Georgetown University” emblazoned in navy blue letters across the front.

This t-shirt, however, is significant not in its appearance, but in its production. It was made by Alta Gracia Apparel, an as-yet-small project started by CEO of Knights Apparel Joe Bovich, the business model for which requires those working in the factories that produce clothing for college bookstores to be paid a living wage. Georgetown is one of over three hundred universities nationwide that carries this line in their bookstores. The event in ICC last night, entitled “The Alta Gracia Project: Continuing Georgetown’s Leadership” and sponsored in part by the Center for Social Justice and Welcome Week, was entirely dedicated to this remarkable project, and the way Georgetown faculty and students can use their buying power to better the lives of factory workers around the world.

“We as a community hold ourselves to the highest standards of community and service,” DeGioia said in his opening remarks, which came before a panel discussion with various people responsible for the presence of Alta Gracia on Georgetown’s campus. He discussed Georgetown’s commitment not just to Alta Gracia but to avoiding any company that does not treat its workers with dignity and offer them the proper wages, which has been University policy since a group of students staged a sit-in for factory workers’s rights in 1999.

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Last night, Gaston Hall saw its second full house of the semester when Duff Goldman, founder of Baltimore’s Charm City Cakes and the star of Food Network’s Ace of Cakes, crafted Jack the Bulldog’s likeness out of vanilla cake and marshmallow fondant.

Promising the captivated audience that “cake decorating is really boring,” Goldman solicited questions from students as he began painting of Jack’s blue and gray cap. Goldman opened with the dangerous question, “What is a Hoya?” to which a large contingent of the audience replied with a glib “Yes!”

After etching a “G” onto the front of the cap, Goldman moved on to an oblong gray mass on the table that turned out to be the already-sculpted face of our favorite Hoya. As he added features such as eyes, ears, and a nose to the cake, Goldman mused on his own college days and answered questions about his cakes and his show.

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If there’s one thing every college student loves, it’s free food. Each week, Vox will highlight a few events to help you survive without a meal plan. Send tips and suggestions to gbible@georgetownvoice.com.

Because it’s the beginning of the semester, student groups are ready to bribe new members with an overabundance of food. Enjoy the free meals while they last, though; it won’t always be this easy.

Welcome Back, Jack! Now eat.

Everyone’s favorite event to fight over a free shirt is back. Following the Mass of the Holy Spirit on Healy Lawn, the ‘Welcome Back Jack BBQ’ is your first official place this year to get food on Georgetown’s dime—unless of course if you’ve been getting your share of the free NSO food.

The lines will be long—make sure you don’t accidentally stand in the wrong line—but there will be enough food to fill everybody up.

[Editor’s note: The Eucharist at the Mass of the Holy Spirit is not free food. God’s wrath might get us if we encourage that.]

Yee Haw! Welcome Week!

Welcome Week should probably rename itself to Free Food Week—every day has at least one event that includes free food.

But, its Western-style theme won’t limit the food offerings. The Program for Jewish Civilization will offer sushi from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday in ICC 305, green tea ice cream will be provided by the Chinese Student Alliance in the Alumni Lounge on Friday between 3 and 5 p.m., and you can get bubble tea on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge compliments of the Taiwanese American Student Association.

(Believe it or not, there’s even more free food out there this week. Check out the Welcome Week schedule for the rest, including a handful of BBQs, a picnic, a s’mores night, and a late night county fair.)

In an effort to reach out to a greater portion of the Georgetown community, the Welcome Week committee jumped onto the social network bandwagon.

Tweeting since June 17, the committee has used the site to promote their meetings—which usually have free cookies!—and to gain input from their followers about proposed events.

In an e-mail conversation with Vox, Welcome Week co-chairs Annie Cruickshank (COL ’11), Danny Fortin (SFS ’12), and Anna Sannes (COL ’11) explained their decision to turn to Twitter. They want to “establish Welcome Week as its own entity on campus, not just a follow-up to NSO or a random mash-up of events following the Welcome Back Jack barbecue.”

Through Twitter, the committee plans to update students on the planning process, while soliciting suggestions about Welcome Week events.

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