2008 Woodie Awards
Home sweet home
Kelsey Shannon
Issue date: 9/25/02 Section: Commentary
Instead, what everyone needs to do is stop acting like belligerent idiots. This applies equally to a minority of residents as it does to a minority of students. Even more, the University has to act as an effective resource for both sides.
In this, Georgetown University is stuck in a very tough position, forced to adjudicate between two groups with a strong dislike for the mediators. Students, as a body, generally abhor the administration even more than residents. Don’t believe this? One issue of The Hoya has a recent alumnus taking the administration to task for “ruin[ing] the quality of student life here at Georgetown,” and quotes the current GUSA president saying the University “completely stunts the growth of campus.” Sure, these are out-of-context. But they are not isolated complaints. The administration holds precious little political capital with students.
The same is true with residents. Decisions (often good decisions) necessarily strain the relationship between the University and locals. Many residents see the administration as responsible for every fault of every student, fairly or otherwise.
As a result, students see the school as acting for residents, while residents perceive exactly the opposite. The University is not seen as a neutral party by either side, which makes it very difficult to enforce or even suggest potential solutions.
Certainly, Georgetown has had some success. Programs that can be presented as beneficial to both sides, such as the SNAP program, have gained traction. But, for the most part, the school is hamstrung by the lack of trust.
So the students distrust the residents who doubt the administration that suspects the students. It is a chain going nowhere fast.
To make matters worse, the groups themselves are divided. Students are the most obvious example of this. Though some administrators and residents tend to lump all undergraduates into one catchall category, this is clearly unfair and incorrect. Most obviously and relevantly, some students cause problems while others do not. Some students drink excessively, most do not. Some students go out five days a week, the majority does not. This is unquestionably a very diverse group.
In this, Georgetown University is stuck in a very tough position, forced to adjudicate between two groups with a strong dislike for the mediators. Students, as a body, generally abhor the administration even more than residents. Don’t believe this? One issue of The Hoya has a recent alumnus taking the administration to task for “ruin[ing] the quality of student life here at Georgetown,” and quotes the current GUSA president saying the University “completely stunts the growth of campus.” Sure, these are out-of-context. But they are not isolated complaints. The administration holds precious little political capital with students.
The same is true with residents. Decisions (often good decisions) necessarily strain the relationship between the University and locals. Many residents see the administration as responsible for every fault of every student, fairly or otherwise.
As a result, students see the school as acting for residents, while residents perceive exactly the opposite. The University is not seen as a neutral party by either side, which makes it very difficult to enforce or even suggest potential solutions.
Certainly, Georgetown has had some success. Programs that can be presented as beneficial to both sides, such as the SNAP program, have gained traction. But, for the most part, the school is hamstrung by the lack of trust.
So the students distrust the residents who doubt the administration that suspects the students. It is a chain going nowhere fast.
To make matters worse, the groups themselves are divided. Students are the most obvious example of this. Though some administrators and residents tend to lump all undergraduates into one catchall category, this is clearly unfair and incorrect. Most obviously and relevantly, some students cause problems while others do not. Some students drink excessively, most do not. Some students go out five days a week, the majority does not. This is unquestionably a very diverse group.