GUSA Bylaw Reforms Passed

As first semester classes drew to a close at the beginning of December, GUSA made headlines after approving an overhaul of its election bylaws, seen as the Student Association’s top priority after the disputed 2004 executive election.

Representative Drew Rau (COL ’06), who chaired the committee that wrote the reform proposal, had hoped to have it passed before Thanksgiving, but found some opposition in the assembly.

Representative Sam Hill (SFS ’05) criticized the new bylaws for automatically disqualifying any candidate found in violation, and was the only member to vote against the resolution.

Corp Turns First Profit in Half Decade

In late November, The Corp announced in its annual report that it had turned a profit for the first time in five years, making more than $70,000 in the 2003-04 fiscal year.

It was the first time The Corp had posted financial gains since an expansion project, which began in April 1999. Since that time, The Corp has opened More Uncommon Grounds, Full Exposure, Midnight UG and Hoya Snaxa. The Corp closed Full Exposure in May 2004 after it recorded a $54,000 deficit during the 2002-03 fiscal year.

The largest student-owned corporation in the country, The Corp continued its tradition of giving back to the Georgetown student community, awarding $8,000 in scholarships to 10 Georgetown students.

Red Square Menorah Stolen

The university community rallied in support of the Jewish Student Association after DPS officers apprehended two students attempting to steal the menorah from Red Square on Dec. 11.

Patty Carroll (COL ’08) and Sean Bailey (MSB ’08) said that they stole the menorah as an ill-conceived prank and did not mean to offend the community. But JSA President Benjamin Bixby (SFS ’05) called the theft “disrespectful.” The incident was the fourth act of vandalism against Jewish symbols at Georgetown since 1998.

The menorah was returned to Red Square and rededicated in a special ceremony on Dec. 14. Students, faculty and administrators gathered to hear speeches from various student leaders pledging to ensure that no similar incident would occur in the future.

Alumni Square Shooting

Students were shaken when a sophomore was shot in an Alumni Square apartment on Jan. 21.

When an unidentified man appeared at a party being held at the apartment, residents asked him to leave. The man refused, leading to an altercation during which he punched Daniel Kenny (MSB ’07), drew a weapon and fired a shot that grazed Peter Fisher’s (COL ’07) head.

Neither student was critically injured. Fisher’s wound required five staples to close. Kenny suffered several broken fingers and a shattered nose and required extensive surgery on his hands.

University safety officials held meetings over the following weeks to try and ease student concerns about campus safety. The assailant in the Alumni Square shooting has not been found.

Violations Discovered in GU Food Services

The D.C. Department of Health’s first-semester inspection of Georgetown’s food services found health code violations in several on-campus dining facilities.

The violations detailed in the inspection reports included excessive mold on the nozzles of soda dispensers in Darnall Dining Hall, a fruit fly infestation in O’Donovan Dining Hall and a lack of certified food supervisors in three food establishments run by The Corp.

Health inspector Ronny Taylor said the fruit fly infestation was an especially serious violation because of its potential to spread disease. The lack of certified food supervisors at The Corp’s facilities was also serious, and could lead to those establishments being shut down if not corrected by the next inspection, he said.

Officials at both Marriot and The Corp assured students that the violations cited by the health department had been corrected.

GUSA Executives Push New Constitution

As January wound down, GUSA was again in the news when President Kelly Hampton (SFS ’05) and Vice President Luis Torres (COL ’05) unveiled their proposal for a new Student Association constitution.

The proposal, presented to other members of GUSA and various other student leaders in the Village C Alumni Lounge, called for the creation of a Student Council that gave votes to different student organizations grouped by common interest.

The proposed overhaul was roundly criticized by students who said it was too reminiscent of Georgetown’s former student association, the Yard, which passed out of existence in 1969.

Hampton and Torres defended the proposal and originally planned to seek the necessary 1,500 signatures to have it placed on the same ballot as the presidential election. Ultimately, the two withdrew the constitution due to lack of support from within the student body.