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OPINION
THE HOYA
friDAY, march 16, 2012
THE VERDICT Founded January 14, 1920
EDITORIALS
GOCard Update Has Compromised Safety
The Spring Thrill — The Georgetown Program Board announced this week that Wiz Khalifa will be performing in the Spring Concert March 30.
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Clowning Around — The Ringling Brothers arrived in Washington this week, where they will perform a series of weekend shows at Verizon Center.
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Increased vulnerability is not an acceptable price for a community to pay for renovations. During spring break, the university began updating the machines that scan GOCards, which are required for entry to dormitories and various other buildings around campus, with the intent of completing renovations while the majority of students were off campus. But a failure to properly prepare for technological problems during the overhaul reflects a lack of judgment on the university’s part in regard to campus security. The update was incomplete when classes resumed Monday, and GOCard readers across campus began experiencing technical failures Tuesday. GOCard readers in East Campus, Copley Hall and the Southwest Quad remained nonfunctional for more than a day; some continued to experience problems through Thursday. The disorder that ensued was not only confusing and inconvenient for students but, more importantly, emblematic of a university failure to address security needs. Unable to enter dorms, some students resorted to propping doors open with chairs or traffic cones. Such solutions put students at risk — and in areas of campus that have recently experienced crimes. With doors propped open and left that way overnight in some cases, an important layer of campus security was removed. In light of an alleged sexual assault near the intersection of 36th and O Streets last month and recent burglar-
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ies that have been reported in Darnall Hall, White-Gravenor Hall, the Med-Dent Building and student townhouses, the Department of Public Safety should actively be seeking to ramp up security. From Jan. 11 to March 15 of this year, there have been 19 burglaries in total across campus. Eight of the 19 burglaries occurred at the Medical Center alone this year. By comparison, there were three burglaries total last year and five the year before. While DPS is not at fault for the problems with the GOCard readers — that blame lies with University Information Services — it had an opportunity and responsibility to respond to the issue adequately, yet it did not. While it is understandable that officers allowed doors to remain propped open so that students could get into their dorms, the university should have had a plan in place to provide alternative forms of security to buildings that were unable to use GOCard readers during parts of the transition process. Increased presence of DPS officers in areas without functioning GOCard readers would have helped to ensure student safety while that regular layer of security was nonexistent. Such steps, however, were not taken. Thankfully, no incidents were reported in direct correlation with the security lapses, but the university’s negligence is still inexcusable. Technological failures happen, but when those failures threaten student safety, the university should demonstrate more thorough preparedness in its response.
Mariah Byrne, Campus News Editor Sarah Kaplan, City News Editor Pat Curran, Sports Editor Steven Piccione, Guide Editor Katherine Foley, Opinion Editor Chris Bien, Photography Editor Stephen Levy, Online Editor Remy Samuels, Layout Editor Samantha Randazzo, Copy Chief Molly Mitchell, Multimedia Editor Michelle Cassidy, Blog Editor
Contributing Editors Kavya Devarakonda, Kathryn DeVincenzo, Meagan Kelly, Shakti Nochur, Eamon O’Connor, Michael Palmer, Mairead Reilly, Glenn Russo, Lauren Weber
Bulldog Down — Jack the Bulldog will be out of commission for some time after jumping onto a couch and tearing his ACL this week. He will likely need surgery.
YESTERDAY’S MOST READ
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“Wiz Khalifa to Perform at Spring Concert”
THE WEEK’S MOST COMMENTED “Law Student Mired in Birth Control Debate”
“Jack the Bulldog Injured”
“Georgetown Collapses in Second Half, Falls to Cincy”
“Law Student Mired in Birth Control Debate”
“A Moderate Solution to the Contraception Conflict”
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READER’S RESPONSE
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Georgetown’s president continues to prove that Georgetown is no longer a Catholic university. He feels that it is more appropriate to come to the assistance of a law school student, instead of standing up for Catholic morals ... Ironically, in defending Fluke, Georgetown President John DeGioia, after making uncivil comments about Rush Limbaugh and after failing to stand with the Catholic bishops on this First Amendment violation, said that this is our moment to stand for the values of civility. So Georgetown, civility is now more important than morality. CAS and GULC Grad on “Law Student Mired in Birth Control Debate” Posted March 2, 2012
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THE RAW DEAL by Anthony Mastroianni
er than contraception itself, DeGioia stayed well within Catholic doctrine while addressing the Limbaugh incident. Without taking a stance on whether birth control should be offered or covered by health care providers, he was able to uphold our Jesuit values of civility and thoughtfulness. Any student should expect such highprofile administrators as university presidents to defend them publicly in a situation like Fluke’s. Among the most important responsibilities of a university president is to represent his or her institution to the public, and it would have been unacceptable for DeGioia to let the controversy slide without a response. The law school also released a statement on the issue, signed by more than 100 faculty members and about 50 representatives of other law schools, adding its perspective to DeGioia’s in criticizing Limbaugh’s attacks. While we can and should commend DeGioia for issuing an eloquent response, we also must acknowledge that doing so fulfilled his responsibilities to the university. Through his public response, he defended both a Georgetown student and the values that define our institution.
Connor Gregoire, Editor-in-Chief Upasana Kaku, Executive Editor Suzanne Fonzi, Managing Editor
Full of Hot Air — Facilities agreed to provide temporary air conditioning for East Campus by the middle of week until a new chiller is installed in May.
FROM THEHOYA.COM
Addressing the Real Issue With all the anger, partisanship and misrepresentation that has sprung from the national debate on contraception coverage, students and alumni should be proud that University President John J. DeGioia added a voice of reason to the polarized din. DeGioia’s email to the campus community, which he sent just before spring break, put him in a controversial position in a complicated debate, and his words quickly began to receive attention in the national media. We commend him for walking the tightrope between defending Sandra Fluke (LAW ’12) against slander and upholding the university’s Jesuit heritage. DeGioia must be given credit for standing up for educated discourse amid the ad hominem attacks that have characterized the contraception debate. Rush Limbaugh’s comments about Fluke and Georgetown women can only be characterized as misogynistic; they did not engage the public in thoughtful dialogue and drew attention only for their shock value. While standing up for Fluke and her right to voice her opinions, DeGioia simultaneously shamed Limbaugh for his immature tactics. By focusing on civil discourse rath-
Unleash the Madness — The NCAA men’s basketball tournament began this week, and the third-seeded Hoyas take on Belmont today.
Matthew Strauss Rita Pearson Braden McDonald Jonathan Gillis Evan Hollander Ashwin Wadekar Lawson Ferguson Victoria Edel Bethany Imondi Alex Sanchez Hanaa Khadraoui Leonel De Velez Sari Frankel Christie Shely Zoe Bertrand Jessica Natinsky Emory Wellman Nikita Buley Emily Perkins Kendall Ciesemier Martin Hussey
Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy City News Editor Deputy Features Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Sports Blog Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Multimedia Editor Deputy Blog Editor
Editorial Board
Jonathan Rabar, General Manager Glenn Russo, Director of Corporate Development Kelly Connelly, Director of Finance Claire Willits, Director of Marketing Michael Grasso, Director of Personnel Bryn Hastings, Director of Sales Michael Vu, Director of Technology Caroline Boerwinkle Catherine Hendren Evan Marks Sara Eshleman Shane Sarver Eleonore Durand Kent Carlson Keeley Williams Mary Nancy Walter Michael Lindsay-Bayley Ryan Smith
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Board of Directors
Katherine Foley, Chair
Carolyn Shanahan, Chair
Sidney Chiang, Laura Engshuber, Danny Funt, Alyssa Huberts, Nneka Jackson
Connor Gregoire, Web Leslie, Jonathan Rabar, Sam Schneider, Lauren Weber, Amanda Wynter
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