On Tuesday, THE HOYA published its annual April Fools’ humor issue. As usual, it was full of jokes that were crude, but in some cases, it crossed the line. The issue has spurned campus-wide opposition: in a Facebook group with over 200 members, in a town hall meeting, and in a sit-in at THE HOYA office late last night. Flawed as it may have been, we only intended parody. We only intended to indiscriminately “go overboard” and satirize all of the news that has happened this year.

However, intent does not change reality. To those whom this issue has offended and even to those it hasn’t, I deeply apologize. A campus newspaper should never be something that alienates part of the community. It provides a picture of campus life – and yes, sometimes that includes poking a bit of fun – but if any group of students is offended by this picture or feels left out of it, then we may very well be failing in our mission.

What we did underscores a broader problem at THE HOYA and at Georgetown. We recognize that we are not as diverse as we can be, and it is something we need to work on. Certain insensitive jokes only further reveal that we are to some extent out of touch with many students’ real-life experiences, and the ways in which these jokes could cause pain.

If we are to be the newspaper that we truly want to be, we need to talk. Now more than ever, THE HOYA needs to be a part of a constructive dialogue on improving race relations at Georgetown. I hope to engage, and listen to, anyone who wants to join the conversation. We value your input through letters and viewpoints, and also encourage students to get involved in our journalistic mission. You may reach me at any time at editorthehoya.com.

Andrew Dwulet (COL ’10)

Editor in Chief

To send a letter to the editor on a recent campus issue or Hoya story or a viewpoint on any topic, contact opinionthehoya.com. Letters should not exceed 300 words, and viewpoints should be between 600 to 800 words.

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