Students Rally in Red Square to Support `Jena Six’

About 40 students dressed in black gathered in Red Square yesterday for an all-day rally in support of six black teenagers who were initially charged with attempted murder, later reduced to battery for all but one, because they physically attacked a white classmate.

Led by Ellie Gunderson (COL ’10), president of Georgetown’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the students chanted “Free the Jena Six” and “No justice, no peace.” The rally began with Krista Cortes (SFS ’10) reading the Maya Angelou poem “Still I Rise,” followed by Gunderson and Sophia Zeinu (COL ’10) reading Langston Hughes’ “Let America be America Again.”

Dominique Cauley (COL ’09) roused the crowd with an impromptu speech asking them to be aware of injustices in America when there is a crisis.

“There’s inequality in our education system. In our higher education system, there’s inequality every day,” Cauley said.

The NAACP also held a candlelight vigil in Red Square last night.

The six black Jena High School students, all between the ages of 16 and 18 years old, were charged soon after three white Jena High students hung nooses from a tree. Months later, after much racially-charged turmoil, a fight ensued in the school cafeteria where the six black teens beat victim Justin Barker unconscious and his face was left badly swollen.

The members of the NAACP who organized the rally hoped to spread the news of racial injustice to as many people as possible, Cauley explained.

“We need to not only let people in our bubble know about this. We need to leave our safe little bubble and go out there, and let them know what’s happening and what Jena is,” Cauley said.

– Erica Beal

Number of Alcohol Advertisements Directed at Minors Decreased Last Year

Alcohol companies spent less money on advertisements directed at minors in 2006 than in previous years, according to a recent study by the university’s Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth.

Companies dropped their budgets towards younger programs from $138.2 million in 2001 to $86.2 million in 2006, according to the study. The study also found that radio advertisements made up 58 percent of all youth exposure to alcohol ads during 2006.

Some brands – including Yuengling Traditional Lager, Corona Extra Light and Jose Cuervo Especial Tequila – still focused more than 1,000 of their advertisements on youth-oriented programming, which includes any programming with a disproportional audience of children aged 12 to 20. The study defined advertisements focused on minors as programming that is composed disproportionately of people between 12-20 years old.

David Jernigan, executive director of CAMY, described the spending decrease is a positive indication.

“There has been substantial change so far. It shows they can change and will continue to change,” Jernigan said.

Jernigan said that CAMY will continue these studies until their funding runs out at the end of this year, at which point the Department of Health and Human Services will be mandated, as a result of the Sober Truth on Preventing Underage Drinking Act of 2006, to continue to make annual reports on the exposure of youths to alcohol advertisements.

“We’re just going to keep the spotlight on the industry advertisement placement practices and bring attention to the youth’s exposure to these advertisements,” Jernigan said.

– Kaitlyn Gallagher

D.C. Traffic Ranks Second-Worst in U.S.

Urban drivers often feel that traffic gets worse by the hour, but in Washington D.C., the drivers are not falling victims to their imagination.

According to the Urban Mobility Report, released Tuesday by the Texas Transportation Institute, D.C. is in a three-way tie for the second worst traffic nationwide with Atlanta and San Francisco/Oakland., with drivers in all three cities spending on average 60 hours per year stuck in traffic. Los Angeles topped the survey, with drivers begin stuck on average in 72 hours of traffic per year.

Matthew Sharp (SFS ’10), who regularly commuted to Capitol Hill for an internship last academic year, felt the brunt of the traffic problem.

“It took 35 minutes to get to Capitol Hill in a taxi,” Sharp said. “With the Metro, including walking, it took 10 minutes less.”

Astrid Weigert, a professor in the German department, said that the area surrounding the university can be particularly bad in the mornings.

“Even if you live close by, the bridges are always the biggest bottleneck, especially Key Bridge,” Weigert said.

D.C. drivers expended nearly 91 million gallons of fuel while stuck in traffic last year, according to the survey.

– Dina Guenther

In Straw Poll, College Democrats Choose Obama for Presidential Nomination

If the Democratic primary were held at Georgetown, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) would be on the ballot next Election Day. Obama won a straw poll that followed a debate between members of the university’s College Democrats representing the Democratic candidates on Wednesday in the Intercultural Center.

The speakers debated issues ranging from $400 haircuts to the war on terrorism. Prominent issues included the war in Iraq, the state of health care and the candidates’ personalities.

Most of the debaters attempted to distance themselves from the war, as have the candidates. “[The war in Iraq] is not Senator Clinton’s war,” said Rich Luchette (COL ’09), who played Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). “[It] is George Bush’s war.”

Matt Hardin (COL ’10), representing Obama, emphasized the need for continued affirmative action rights. “Many people don’t realize that the civil rights movement is not over; there is still work to do.”

The audience voted after each “candidate” presented a final speech – Obama won the election by collecting 36 votes, followed by Clinton with 20, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) with 15 and former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) with 14. Former Vice President Al Gore, who was not on the ballot, received one vote.

“The point of this evening was not to imitate candidates,” said Hardin said. “It was to educate the students so that they could make informed decisions in their primaries and so that they could get excited about the upcoming elections. The turnout definitely reflects how important this election is, how excited people are and how engaged Georgetown students are about politics.”

– Mack Abbot

Adely Named New Chair in Arab Studies

Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies announced the appointment of Fida Adely as the inaugural holder of the Clovis and Hala Salaam Maksoud Chair in Arab Studies on Wednesday, a position that was created to foster research and teaching about social and economic development in the Arab world.

“This is a most welcome addition to our capabilities in Arab studies,” said Michael Hudson, professor of Arab studies and CCAS director, in a university press release. “It gives the opportunity to our faculty and students to confront the myriad challenges facing the Arab societies at these turbulent times.”

According to the university press release, Adely studied gender and education in Jordan as a Fulbright fellow and received her doctorate in comparative education and anthropology and her masters in International and Public affairs, both from Columbia University. Her work in the CCAS will entail teaching courses on development, gender and education in the Arab world as part of the Master of Arts in Arab Studies program.

– Bess Chapman

Panelists Discuss National Security Act on its 60th Anniversary

Five intelligence experts spoke on the history, implications and future of the National Security Act Wednesday afternoon in Copley Formal Lounge as part of a weeklong series of events in honor of the act’s 60th anniversary.

Michael Warner, chief historian of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said the intention of the act was to “get [intelligence agencies] working as a team.”

However, David Gries, executive director of China Vitae, identified multiple shortcomings with the act. “I decided that since I’m retired I could say anything I wanted, and I decided to focus on the negative side of the act,” he said. “If this sounds like sour grapes, it is.” He cited ambiguity in its wording, lack of budgetary authority for the director of the Central Intelligence Agency and lack of congressional oversight as some of the act’s flaws.

Burton Gerber, a professor in the practice of intelligence in Georgetown’s Center for Peace and Security Studies, contrasted his experiences with U.S. intelligence agencies today and a generation ago.

“As a junior guy, I had the opportunity to sit in as smaller than a fly on the wall, as a larva on the wall . on [Office of Policy Coordination] meetings.” There, he found officials “sat around in tweeds smoking pipes debating as professors do.” Later in his career, “it was a much different kind of discussion, and I was heartened by that,” he said.

William Nolte, director of the Center for Intelligence Research and Education at the University of Maryland, said local police departments are “angry as hell about Washington’s lack of inhibition in taking info from them.” He said there is a lack of good communication between government agencies and departments.

John McLaughlin, former deputy director of central intelligence, noted that U.S. intelligence programs are fairly new in comparison to those of other countries.

“Since this is an academic institution, I’ll have to give us a grade,” he said. “I’d say a B+.”

Wednesday’s event was hosted by the Center for Peace and Security Studies, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

– Emily McGinnis

R.U. Ready Highlights Rape, Sexual Assault on College Campuses

The fifth annual R.U. Ready program addressed the issue of sexual assault on campus in a presentation Thursday evening in the Intercultural Center Auditorium.

Keynote speaker Steve O’Leary, of One in Four, an all-male organization focused on reducing cases of rape and sexual assault, said that such cases are rarely clear-cut. He said many students seek his help when they are involved in “gray situations,” such as those involving acquaintances or drugs and alcohol. According to O’Leary, 84 percent of rape victims know their attacker and 90 percent of college assaults involve alcohol or drugs. He cited consent as a decisive factor in determining the nature of an assault.

Flavia Menezes (COL ’08), co-chair of Take Back the Night, a campus organization dedicated to combating gendered violence, said rape and sexual assault affect a significant portion of college students. “One in four women will have survived sexual assault or attempted sexual assault before graduation,” Menezes said. “One in eight men will have survived sexual assault or attempted sexual assault in their lifetime.”

After O’Leary’s speech, those in attendance – about 90 – divided into small groups for a continued dialogue on campus assault. Guided by student leaders, the groups discussed issues from stigma to prevention.

“Based on the conversations we’re having, many people seem to be on the same page. Culpability doesn’t diminish just because you’ve had a few beers,” said David Carr (COL ’09).

The evening’s outcome pleased the event organizers. “Steve did a great job in gauging and relating. He connected with the audience and engaged them in thinking about sexual assault,” said Jen Schweer, sexual assault and health issues coordinator at Health Education Services.

R.U. Ready was sponsored by 17 different student organizations and university departments, including Health Education Services, the Office of Residence Life, the Center for Student Programs, Take Back the Night and the Department of Public Safety.

– Amelia Salutz

Corporate Leaders Reflect on Women in the Workplace

Three women with considerable experience in the corporate world spoke about the challenges women face in the workplace during a panel discussion yesterday in the Robert and Bernice Wagner Alumni House.

The speakers highlighted the importance of projecting a vision and pursuing leadership opportunities.

Cynthia Harlow, managing director of corporate bond research for Citi Investment Research, said women need to adopt a forward-thinking approach and create their own opportunities.

“After waiting a while for someone more competent than my self to take the initiative, I jumped in, and it turned out as the greatest springboard for my career,” she said.

Laura Bouvier, senior vice president of information resources business consultancy for Marriott International, said that women sometimes need to take risks in the workplace.

“Do not turn off your radar system,” she said. “My male superiors told me to change my attitude: There they were, all talking about themselves and having fun, while I would not talk about anything except work. Don’t ever be afraid to be human.”

Catherine Kinney, president and co-chief operating officer of the New York Stock Exchange, said opportunities for women have expanded in the past few decades.

“As long as you’re there to do business, there’s nowhere a woman can’t do business,” she said. “Focus on being part of the team rather than on the fact that you’re a woman.”

Kinney said the main challenge women face in the workplace today is a personal, rather than a professional, one: whether to work or stay home with one’s children.

She and the other speakers emphasized the importance of networking to establish more contacts and connections.

The event was sponsored by the Georgetown University Women’s Leadership Initiative and the Georgetown University Alumni Association with financial support from Citigroup Foundation.

– Maria Kefala and Roxanne Polla