GUSA Candidates Disqualified
Three sophomore assembly candidates in the GUSA elections were disqualified by the Election Commission for soliciting support through an e-mail message. Khalil Hibri (SFS ’07), Julia de Araujo (SFS ’07) and Salik Ishtiaq (SFS ’07) were disqualified for violating the campaign bylaws, making incumbent Ed Duffy (SFS ’07) the only representative-elect for next year’s junior class delegation. Hibri, de Araujo and Ishtiaq appealed the ruling, claiming they were not involved in the decision to send the e-mail. The Election Commission denied the appeal on the grounds that the e-mail had been sent by a member of their campaign staff. The three candidates appealed the Commission’s decision to the GUSA Elections Appeals Board but were denied. An election in the fall will be held to determine who will fill the open positions.
Georgetown Mourns John Paul II
Georgetown students, faculty and administrators gathered together in Gaston Hall to mourn the death of Pope John Paul II, who passed away in Vatican City on April 2, and to celebrate his life and contributions to the Catholic community and Georgetown University. Catholic student organizations like the Catholic Daughters also held special prayer meetings on campus. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany was chosen to succeed the former pope, taking the name Pope Benedict XVI.
Southwest Quad Evacuated
Students were forced to evacuate the Southwest Quadrangle after a series of bomb threats were made early one Sunday morning. Residents of Reynolds and Kennedy were evacuated for about 90 minutes, and residents of McCarthy remained in the ICC and the Village C Alumni lounge for over three hours. The Department of Public Safety and the Metropolitan Police Department conducted a room-by-room search and found no explosives. Police said that they have no leads in the case.
Students Petition for Professor’s Return
Students petitioned for the reinstatement of Colman McCarthy, an adjunct professor in Georgetown’s Justice and Peace program, who teaches the popular course Literature of Peace.
McCarthy, an adjunct professor, did not have his contract renewed for the fall. University officials cited a “curricular review” as the reason.
William Hahn, a dean in the College said, “Professor cCarthy is employed as an adjunct and unfortunately adjuncts do not always have a large margin of job security. There are a wide number of reasons that classes can come and go.” McCarthy is a self-described pacifist and anarchist, but the university denied that politics had anything to do with the decision. He said that the university first said that his class was being canceled due to a lack of money, a charge that university officials denied.
Alumni Donate to New Aid Program
Charles Deacon, the dean of undergraduate admissions, introduced an innovative effort that could change the way universities fundraise. Last summer, he launched the Georgetown Scholarship Program which allows alumni to sponsor a specific student’s studies with an annual commitment of $15,000. Groups of alumni can join together to sponsor a single student. So far, $750,000 has been raised and 50 students will be receiving the scholarships for fall 2005.
Applications Increase
Applications for the fall 2005 semester increased 3 percent from the previous year, making 2005 the most competitive year yet for admission to Georgetown University. The average SAT score ranged from 1340-1520. According to the Office of Undergraduate Admission, a total of 20.9 percent of the applicants were admitted. Every school except the School of Nursing saw an increase in applications, and the School of Foreign Service saw a 10 percent increase in applicants. The McDonough School of Business saw a 6 percent increase in applications. The College bounced back from a 5 percent decrease in applications last year, which the admissions office attributed to schools like Harvard, Yale and Stanford switching to a single-choice early action application process.
Georgetown Runs for Rigby
About 500 members of the Georgetown community participated in the inaugural Run for Rigby to raise money for a fund to promote off-campus fire safety. The event was held in memory of Daniel Rigby (MSB ’05) who died in a house fire on Prospect Street last fall. The fire prompted a series of townhouse inspections that ultimately evicted dozens of students from residences that did not meet District fire safety standards. An investigation determined that faulty wiring was at fault for the blaze. The run was the brainchild of Ben Purcell (NHS ’05), a friend of Rigby’s who organized the event with funding from a $1,500 Re-Imagining Georgetown Grant, which is sponsored by The Corp and THE HOYA.
DPS Rolls Out New `Chariot’ Vehicles
The Department of Public Safety introduced its newest crime-fighting tool, battery-powered Segway-like vehicles that have a top speed of 20 mph. DPS purchased three vehicles from the California-based American Chariot Company last August and has been training 12 officers to ride them. The base price to each vehicle is $4,500, less than for a motorcycle. Although the chariots are approved for use indoors, DPS Director Darryl Harrison said that it will be DPS policy not to allow officers to ride them in buildings or elevators. They also will not be used after dusk and during inclement weather, such as rain or snow.