Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Lauinger, Reimagined

When Reimagine Georgetown was established in 2003, hopes were high that three of the university’s largest student organizations — the Georgetown University Alumni and Student Federal Credit Union, Students of Georgetown Inc. and The Hoya — would be able to provide high-impact, high-quality improvements to campus life.

Although the program was regrettably discontinued last year, some of the program’s money — contributed by The Corp and GUASFCU — remained, and it had been unclear how it would be used.

This semester, The Corp and GUASFCU announced that murals would be created in Lauinger Library with the remaining funds, a final application of the program’s money that is worthy of its initial standards.

It is no stretch to argue that most Georgetown students, if given the chance to reimagine any physical space on the Hilltop, would set their sights on Lauinger, most recently maligned as “soul-crushing” in The Atlantic. No matter how strongly one might wish, Lauinger is not going away any time soon, and so long as it is a central building on our campus, the community is correct to take action to brighten it up. In this way, the final act of Reimagine Georgetown is living up to its title.

Particularly appropriate is that these funds are going toward a physical improvement of a space and not an event within one. Any individual event, by nature, is fleeting, and a trend toward using funding for permanent improvements is a positive one. Murals in Lauinger — even if they provide minimal improvement to such a disheartening structure — will nonetheless be relatively permanent, an alternative that compares favorably to any onetime, ephemeral expenditure.

When tasked with reimagining anything, lasting change is undoubtedly the goal. Artistic additions to Lauinger will succeed in this regard. In its final hurrah, therefore, Reimagine Georgetown will serve its purpose of reimagination after all.

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