The impractical and the political

What is lost in Georgetown’s education?

Many on the left reacted with surprise to the recent Planned Parenthood-abortion-budget fiasco, not because of the sheer zaniness of the Republicans (old news), but even more because we were supposed to be over feminism. Women have legal equality and formal anti-discrimination protection.  You might say gender has been taken care of, and it’s time to move on. While the reason why this particular issue came back with a vengeance can be debated, I would like to suggest a major one: an excessively narrow understanding of politics. (more…)

Latin American Board looking for fundraising manager

Georgetown is seeking a fund-raising manager for the Latin American Board and its initiatives, according to a job posted on March 23 on the University’s employment website. The job description for Director of Development for Latin America reads, “This position exists to drive fundraising activity in one of Georgetown’s strategic markets ensuring strong pipeline development from discovery to solicitation to gift closing to collaboration with ongoing efforts of the Latin America Board.” (more…)

Alvaro Uribe to leave Georgetown at the end of the semester

Former President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe will not be returning to Georgetown as a Distinguished Scholar in the Practice of Global Leadership after the spring semester, according to University spokesperson Julie Bataille.

“President Uribe’s engagement at Georgetown was for one academic year and that will be complete later this semester,” Bataille wrote in an email on March 7. (more…)

Georgetown’s Latin American Board

Training the new face of the right

There are three natural states in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to a promotional video made in 2007 for Georgetown’s Global Competitiveness Leadership Program.

The first of them is the mythical “El Dorado,” a female voice says in Spanish, as the video shows stunning images of forests, lakes, and beaches. Next comes a second state, characterized by the “vendors of dreams,” who use the “populist” promise of El Dorado to sustain their power. (more…)

Out to be the same

Georgetown's gay community has gained a lot—but what has it lost?

After a spate of hate crimes in 2007, the fall of my freshman year, many LGBTQ students organized the “Out for Change” campaign, which successfully demanded more support for and recognition of sexual and gender minorities on campus. These students fought for, and won, a full-time LGBTQ Resource Center and changes in policies regarding discrimination. Ever since, there has been a vast change in the gay life at Georgetown: many more people are out, there are gay leaders of student groups and there are gay members of all different types of organizations and teams. Furthermore, it has become a priority for many different organizations and institutions on campus to make the Hilltop a more welcoming place for gays and lesbians. (more…)