Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

DEARING & WEISS: Calling for More Voices at the Table

For our last column this semester, we had originally planned to propose cutting administrators from the Center for Social Justice and channeling the money saved from their salaries into more funding for CSJ organizations and events. We delved into hours of research on salaries, budgets, trend and funding, feeling rather utilitarian in our pursuits. But then, at a late hour of the night, a friend posed to us a rather stark question: To whom would we propose this change? Neither of us has ever held high-up positions in the CSJ or in university administration. Regardless of how much research we do, there is no quantity of information on the Internet that would make us more informed than the students working with these administrators on a daily basis or many of the men and women who have devoted their lives to enriching the experiences for students on college campuses. While we still agree with many of the conclusions we reached, we decided that we could not, in good conscience, argue that point in our final column.

This decision led us to a broader realization: A small minority of students controls the vast majority of public dialogue at Georgetown. It is only students like us – students who are uninhibited enough to voice their opinions – who have their voices heard, regardless of their lack of expertise on or previous knowledge of the topic at hand. From columns to viewpoints to Facebook statuses, there are perhaps only several dozen students who consistently insert their opinions into the public domain of the Hilltop. Because this ability correlates little to personal expertise, it leaves our campus operating far below its potential in terms of new or groundbreaking ideas.

We need to hear the atypical voices, the innovative ideas and the unexpressed thoughts. There needs to be a public dialogue, an educated exchange of ideas. If you have an extraordinary experience at Georgetown or in your life, you need to share it so that schmucks like us don’t make assumptions instead. If there is an issue that you feel passionate about, it is your responsibility to do more than just complain about it or post it on Georgetown Confessions. A well-detailed argument with specific and practicable prescriptions would do a much greater service to this school. We deserve a true marketplace of ideas – a place where detailed ideas are put forth, no matter how unpopular they are. Even someone else’s argument that you strongly disagree with will allow you to strengthen your own viewpoint.

And to put the abstract idea into the concrete, here are four legitimate ways for your voice to be heard. While certainly not an exhaustive list, it is a good place to start:

Write a letter-to-the editor under 400 words or a viewpoint of 600 to 800 words about a recent campus issue, article or something you care deeply about and send it to [email protected].

Or do the same thing with the Voice. The Voice welcomes letters to the editor under 300 words and op-eds between 700 to 800 words from all members of the campus community. Send it to [email protected].

Contribute to feminists-at-large or any other blog on campus.

Self-publish a note on Facebook or on another social media platform.

As much as we’ve enjoyed writing this column all fall, we are perhaps even more excited for the opportunity to read what others have to say. To truly be a university for others, we must foster an open environment. Georgetown is a place where starry-eyed teenagers enter and impassioned world leaders emerge. Our experiences at this school will shape what we do and who we are. The ideas we are exposed to, the ways in which we express ourselves and the people with whom we surround ourselves will undisputedly change the course of our lives. Now is the time for you to step up and contribute your voice to the conversation, to put forward the radical ideas that may inspire your fellow Georgetown students. Your thoughts could change the course of your classmates’ lives – and maybe even change the course of the world. We can’t wait to hear them.

Benjamin Weiss and Philip Dearing are juniors in the College. This is the final appearance of A University for Others this semester.

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