Making the Honor Roll: Georgetown Awarded for Community Service

This year, Georgetown was one of 83 schools to be awarded a spot on the annual President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction.

Kathleen Maas Weigert, executive director of the Center for Social Justice Research, Teaching and Service, called dedication to community service and social justice “one of the hallmarks of Georgetown” and said that it is important “for the nation to understand that schools are places where care for one’s neighbor matters.”

Weigert said that community service and social justice endeavors on all three university campuses – main, law and medical – were considered as part of Georgetown’s qualifications. She added that the university documented both its courses and student activities centered in community engagement when applying for the honor roll.

Speaking on behalf of the Center for Social Justice, which opened in 2001, Weigert said, “It is a great boost for us to say that our part [in the award] is an important part.”

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service Web site, the honor roll award was established in 2006 as the highest federal award for volunteering, community service and civic engagement. Weigert stated that recognition on the Honor Roll affirms Georgetown’s mission statement to educate “women and men to be reflective lifelong learners, to be responsible and active participants in civic life, and to live generously in service to others.”

Howard University was the only other District school named to the honor roll with Distinction, and 653 schools were named to the Honor Roll nationwide.

– Carolyn Shanahan

UDC Tuition to Rise 85 Percent, Students Protest Increased Cost

Next fall, the District’s increased focus on education will come with a hefty price.

Starting next year, students at the University of the District of Columbia will have to pay nearly double their tuition in order to raise funds. According to The Washington Post, University President Allen Sessoms has declared a tuition increase of $3,770 per year to $7,000 per year for D.C. residents seeking a four-year degree.

The new costs will cover plans to create a community college open to all students in D.C., and establish a “flagship” state university in the District, which will have admission processes and innovative programs, including a center for urban education and doctoral research, according to The Post.

Voicing their opposition to the tuition increase, according to ABC News, more than 100 students protested on UDC’s campus on Wednesday. In addition to the protest, an online petition has amassed over 1,300 signatures against the school’s new price.

– Mary McGuire

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