GU Revises Emergency Notifications Students asleep the night after Georgetown’s first snow of the season received a rude awakening Thursday morning from the University’s Emergency Notification System. The system – instituted this semester – sent phone calls and text messages during early hours of the morning to notify students of the liberal leave policy in place for Thursday’s classes. The 5:40 a.m. wakeup calls and text messages left many students puzzled and annoyed, and prompted Vice President of University Safety Rocco DelMonaco, Jr. to issue a campus-wide e-mail addressing changes the university will make to the notification system. The primary change that will be made to the system is the postponing of school closure notifications until 7:30 a.m. any Georgetown students did not respond well to this early morning wakeup call. “I was frustrated that I got woken up for something that didn’t really affect me,” said Gina Perlite (COL ’11), one of the many Georgetown students who still had class despite receiving the inclement weather notification. Students were not only frustrated by the early call but also confused about its content. “I felt in the dark because I didn’t understand what liberal leave was,” said Bridget Dooley (NHS ’11). The call was intended to inform faculty that they did not need to come to campus if they were unable to do so, but many students were unaware of the “liberal leave” terminology. However, there was some positive feedback from the alert. “I’m reassured that the system works,” said Bridget O’Loughlin (SFS ’11). “People are annoyed with the system, but what if there was a gunman on campus? I think, in that situation, they would definitely be happy that the system worked.” DelMonaco expressed a similar sentiment in his e-mail. While acknowledging the frustration of many in the campus community, he was pleased that the system “worked just as it should.” Students who did not receive phone calls this morning are encouraged to enroll with the emergency notification system through Access+. – Spencer Fertig PD Weekend Show of Force to Skip Georgetown The Metropolitan Police Department’s “All Hands on Deck” effort this weekend will not be stretching to Georgetown’s campus. In the past it was common practice for MPD’s chief of police to declare “crime emergencies,” in which the chief suspended all union contracts, thus making it possible for all members of the police department to work additional shifts and additional hours, which are strictly controlled when union contracts are in effect. PD has recently replaced these “crime emergencies,” with monthly “All Hands on Deck” efforts. For one weekend per month, every MPD officer works on the streets, in uniform, in what MPD Second District Commander Andrew Solberg called a “highly visible, full mobilization.” Solberg said the goal of the initiative is “to make a real, hard impact through a show of strength.” The last “All Hands on Deck” initiative took place last month. While Georgetown saw an increased MPD presence over the Halloween weekend as it does every year, Solberg said “the university will not be much of a focus [of upcoming] `All Hands on Deck’ weekends.” The focus of December’s initiative is on “more heavily-hit crime areas.” – Kathleen Nahill Emily Arndt, Theology Professor, Dies After Battle With Breast Cancer Emily Arndt, assistant professor in the theology department, died on Saturday after a months-long battle with breast cancer. Arndt earned her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, her master’s degree from Fordham University and her PhD from the University of Notre Dame. She is survived by her husband, five-year-old daughter and three-month-old son. She was diagnosed with cancer in the third trimester of her second pregnancy and remained in the hospital after her son’s birth, battling the cancer, which had advanced to Stage IV. Giselle Safazadeh (SFS ’10), a student of Arndt’s in Problem of God class in the fall of 2006, said she enjoyed the class. “She was an amazing professor. She always made class engaging, and I will always remember her,” she said. Kristen Larson (SFS ’10), who was in the same class, agreed, saying, “She was new on the job, but she taught the class in a very approachable way. She was very motherly.” Numerous students commented positively about Arndt on RateMyProfessors.com. “Dr. Arndt was one of my favorite professors freshman year. If the class was easy at times, it was because she was helpful and clear in explaining everything. Highly recommended,” one student wrote. Funeral services were held for Arndt in Dahlgren Chapel on Monday. – Kathleen Nahill ayor Announces Plan to Close 24 Public Schools D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee have proposed the closure of two dozen public schools due to under-enrollment, a proposal that has drawn the ire of parents and D.C. City Council members. Current funding for the 24 schools, which are located throughout the District, will be reallocated to new academic programs, improved technology and programs for special needs students. “We have the resources to offer our students the best programs and services, but we aren’t utilizing those resources as effectively as we should be,” Fenty said in a press release. About 5,300 students would be relocated if all 24 schools were to close, according to The Washington Post. “We say yes to consolidation but not to relocation,” said Lilian Pinneda-Hernandez, parent coordinator of Bruce-Monroe Elementary School, which is scheduled to consolidate with Park View Elementary School next year and possibly be relocated in 2009. “We were not informed properly,” said Ramiro Acsta, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Bruce-Monroe. “We learned [about the plan] through The Washington Post. “Parents are very confused, [and] don’t know what is going to happen.” Hernandez said parents have already started transferring their children to other schools. The proposal could be finalized by the end of January, according to Dena Iverson, a spokesperson for Fenty. – Shoko Tsuruga Panel Discusses Role of Annapolis Conference Five Middle East experts discussed the role of the Annapolis Conference as a stepping stone toward peace in the Middle East during a roundtable forum yesterday in Copley Formal Lounge. On Nov. 27, the United States hosted the Annapolis Conference in Annapolis, Md., between key Middle Eastern political leaders to serve as the first of a series of talks to promote a peaceful resolution of the conflict in the Middle East. In the roundtable, Nathan Guttman, Washington bureau chief of the Jewish Daily Forward, framed the current problems in the Middle East as stemming from the troubling relations and lack of trust between Israel and several Arab countries. “Israelis are not as attached to the West Bank or other issues as people believe. Israelis are very supportive of the two-state solution,” he said. UN World Food Programme Director Outlines Darfur Operations Bringing relief to those suffering in Darfur is a world effort, according to Kenro Oshidari, Sudan regional director for the World Food Programme, who addressed the crisis in Sudan during a discussion Tuesday in the Walsh Building. “Sudan is our biggest operation in the whole world,” he said. “Food is so fundamental. It’s a tremendous amount of resources that go into helping people with food assistance.” Oshidari said that there are currently more than four million refugees stranded in the region and many fragmented rebel groups fighting for power. Many agencies are working in the area, and the total budget for all agencies is around $655 million. The WFP is the single largest humanitarian organization in the region, accounting for 75 percent of all aid in Darfur, he said. Oshidari discussed the aid efforts already underway. “The people of Darfur recognize the international assistance. Generally speaking, they are thankful to the international community,” he said. The WFP has over 400 locations in Darfur where it distributes food, but the job is very dangerous. In 2007, 98 humanitarian vehicles were hijacked, 50 personnel were arrested, and 5 humanitarian workers were killed, according to Oshidari. He believes that aid is critical to alleviating the situation, yet it is never enough. “There’s no light at the other side of the tunnel,” he said. “We don’t see it yet.” The event was sponsored by Georgetown’s chapter of the Student Anti-Genocide Coalition and the Student Movement for Real Change. – Tomi Maxted UN World Food Programme Director Outlines Darfur Operations Philip Wilcox, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace, argued that a policy of non-intervention cannot be effective in creating a workable solution. “A third party is going to have to get involved,” he said. “We cannot just watch and encourage the peace process.” Imad Moustapha, Syrian ambassador to the United States countered by arguing for the worldwide community to treat the Palestinians with respect. “It is time that policymakers get an insight into the Arab people, it is time policymakers get an insight into the humiliation felt by the Palestinian people, it is time that if people resist they are not called terrorists,” he said. Furthermore, Guttman said, the challenge for Annapolis is to overcome the shortcomings of the peace process in the past. “Will Annapolis be another failure or will it surprise us all?” he said. The event was sponsored by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies. – Jamie Halloman