File Photo: Chris Bien/The Hoya
by Beth Garbitelli
You can’t watch the NFL Playoffs every night, I guess. The State of the Union address provided some quality primetime viewing on the otherwise non-event Tuesday night television schedule and we hope you tuned in. Why? Well, because it kinda sorta might have been the most important speech Mr. Prez has given in quite some time.
by Erin Collins
Earlier today we posted about how to deal with the current lack of winter, but the second anniversary of Snowpocalypse is quickly approaching, and who doesn’t wish that another snowstorm would hit D.C. to relieve us of classes? We all fall asleep hoping to wake up to an email informing us that Georgetown has closed due to the District’s lack of snowplows. But honestly, when do we get to see Healy buried in white again?
Recent Georgetown graduates Brandon Brauer (MSB ’10), Ben Zeidler (COL ’09) and Mike McCormick (MSB ’11) have developed an app that calculates your school’s probability of a snow day. The “sNOw School” app predicts the likelihood of a snow day by combining an original algorithm, local weather forecasts and your school’s snow day history. It is now available at the Apple, Kindle Fire and Android stores.
This app serves high schools and universities in the D.C., Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore areas, so Georgetown students are in luck. After purchasing this app, students select their school, and then the app displays the forecast and snowfall in their area.
Besides the mini-snow storm Georgetown experienced last Friday, chances of a snow day at Georgetown appear grim. But don’t lose hope just yet – even when the skies are clear, this app provides the chances of a snowstorm in your area. And for all you optimists out there, the app allows you to manually adjust the forecast to see how more snow at different times can affect the chances of a snow day.
We no longer have to rely on wearing our pajamas inside out, sleeping with a spoon under our pillow, or snow dances. Thanks to our fellow Hoya’s hard work, snow days are no longer just a guessing game.
So, for all of you “sNOw school” users, when will we get our next snow day? (Ed. note: feel free to place bets in the comments. Anyone who guesses correctly wins a prize!)
Check out the app at https://www.snowschoolapp.com/
by Michelle Cassidy
It seems that we’re facing a fairly mild winter in D.C. – despite this past weekend’s snowy excitement, temperatures are predicted to be in the 40’s and 50’s for the rest of the week. Walking around in a t-shirt and shorts in late January is kind of fun, we admit it. But we also miss some of the qualities of a real East coast winter. Here are a few strategies to help you cope with the unseasonable warmth.
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by Michelle Cassidy
Today marked Georgetown’s 223rd birthday (we don’t even want to imagine the fire hazard posed by the candles on that cake), and the Campaign for Georgetown released a couple of commemorative treats online . There’s a tumblr where you can post notes and photos to the school on her special day; we’ve featured a few of our favorites here. An interactive timeline is also up over at the Campaign for Georgetown website. There are a few fun pieces of Georgetown history in the timeline, like President George Washington’s visit to Old North, a photo of our very first basketball team in 1907 (and our NCAA win 77 years later) and the conversion of the Hilltop Café into The Tombs. If only the Healy Pub were around today – we would love to share a celebratory drink with Georgetown tonight!
by Martin Hussey
We’re all used to the ubiquitous sightings of Chihuahua-sized rats crossing our paths late at night, but Georgetown’s continuing rat problem — a population increasing since at least 2010 — is, for the moment, being eclipsed by a growing political crisis for the District fueled by surging rat populations at the Occupy D.C. protests and by statements that Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli made to Rush Limbaugh on his conservative radio show.
Cuccinelli sparked a firestorm of conservative blog activity after he alleged on Limbaugh’s Jan. 12 radio show that the District’s 2010 Wildlife Protection Act would lead to D.C. rats being exported to Virginia. Limbaugh repeated the claim last week, prompting national scrutiny about the D.C. policy enacted to treat the pesky animals humanely. (The law, in fact, does exempt rats, meaning that pest controllers can still kill them.) In response to the claims, Maryland Del. Pat McDonough plans to introduce a law to protect Maryland from any future imports of D.C. rats into the state. However, all of the recent chatter may be for naught, as The Washington Post reports that there have been no documented cases of rat-smuggling from D.C. into either Virginia or Maryland.
While the District fights off Cuccinelli’s and Limbaugh’s false claims of rat-smuggling, the D.C. Department of Health is starting a new battle against the rats occupying Occupy D.C. downtown. Last week, Mayor Vincent Gray asked the National Park Service to remove the encampments at McPherson Square and Freedom Plaza due to exploding rat populations near the sites. Protestors’ response to the threat of eviction? Georgetown rats are bigger than Occupy rats, and there is no plan to evict Georgetown residents.
Photo: Rita Pearson/The Hoya
by Rita Pearson
Text Message, an indie rock band made up of Georgetown students Joe Romano (COL ’12), John Romano (COL ’14) and Mike Jaroski (COL ’12) kicked off Saturday night’s show at the Rock N Roll Hotel. They opened for local bands the Electric 11’s and Blue Pintowith songs from their upcoming sophomore album, called Lake Opposite. They’re influenced primarily by alternative rock bands, such as Sonic Youth and the D.C.-based Fugazi.
“We’re trying to hit the right spots,” John Romano said. “There are a handful of music venues in D.C., like the Rock N Roll Hotel, that we try to play in. Unfortunately there aren’t many places around campus.”
“The D.C. music scene is nothing like the late 80’s or early 90’s, but I wouldn’t say it’s dead,” Joe said. “However, D.C. is transient – a lot of the bands are on tour, so people are always coming in and out.”
In the 1980’s and 90’s, D.C. was home to a thriving and influential punk scene. Venues like the 9:30 Club, Madam’s Organ, and The Bayou (a Georgetown nightclub that has since been replaced by the Loews Cinema on K Street) were central to the punk community. The U Street/Shaw neighborhood in particular played an important role in the burgeoning D.C. music scene. The Black Cat, a U Street club co-founded by Dave Grohl in 1993, has hosted bands like Arcade Fire, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and Death Cab for Cutie. Text Message will be taking the stage at The Black Cat this Sunday.
Photo via Flickr user ep_jhu
by Bethany Imondi
In case you’ve been hiding in Lau for the past two days or are just starting to make sense of things again after a few wild nights, here’s what you missed this weekend:
by Michelle Cassidy
The team over at GUSA has released a series of videos advertising the SAFE Referendum, voting for which takes place January 24-26 (in those polling booths they’re setting up in Leo’s). The videos feature interviews with student leaders from Georgetown Energy, the SIPS Fund and the New South Student Center Plans.
Changes to the plans for the New South Student Center (video featured above) include a new terrace on the south side and changes to the first floor, funded by a $2.05 million gift. Design plans for this terrace included in the video show everything from a game room, dance studios, fire pits and “possibly a pub,” according to Taylor Price (MSB ’10) who is featured in the video. Construction is scheduled to be completed by August 2014, according to GUSA. If this student center turns out to be as exciting as this video makes it seem, we might consider sticking around for a couple of years to take advantage of it.
Georgetown Energy’s part of the referendum would allocate $250,000 towards making our campus just a little more green via the addition of solar panels to 37th St townhouses and the creation of a “Green Revolving Loan Fund” that would support eco-friendly projects. Their video features Issei Nino (COL ’12) in his breakthrough role as a dancing sun (check out the video at 0:54 if you don’t believe us).
The SIPS Fund, according to their website, wants to use the SAFE money as “an innovative use of our collective resources to help improve our community and world by investing in … our fellow Hoyas.” With a $1.25 million endowment, SIPS would student projects based on Jesuit ideals. Their video outlines the possibilities for social change via student and alumni projects that could be funded by SIPS.
Links to the full text of the proposals are available on bettergeorgetown.com.
Photo via flickr user Carly & Art
by Gillian Evans
Not all froyo is created equal. Georgetown’s frozen dairy options are, in fact, incredibly unequal. When you have a hankering for something cold and sweet (that you can still sort of pretend is healthy), you have to know your way around Georgetown froyo. So we’ve assembled a cheat sheet to help you through the winter months, when clearly all you want is some nice cold frozen yogurt.
The Hoya is now accepting applications for new members. No matter what you’re interested in, we have a spot for you.
The Hoya has jobs in writing, photography, design, copyediting, marketing, sales, and finance. No prior experience needed! Because 4E is new on the scene, we’re looking to build a brand new staff full of smart, interested writers. If you like what you’ve seen so far, and want to get involved, contact me at [email protected].
Joining The Hoya is a great way to make friends, explore the city, and learn how a newspaper operates. The best way to get to know the business of journalism is to dive straight in, and The Hoya has been providing that opportunity at Georgetown for more than 90 years. With a current staff of over 100 students, we’re one of the biggest and best ways to get involved on campus.
Applications can be found at thehoya.com/contact/work-for-the-hoya and will remain open until January 25, 2012. If you have any questions for specific sections, feel free to contact them.
