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

All Hands on Deck

On Nov. 3, University President John J. DeGioia sent a plea to students, asking them to sign a petition showing their support for the Campus Plan. His email marked the first time the university had asked for formal backing from campus residents, faculty, staff and alums. But the university must do more, to assemble support from students and local businesses if it hopes to see the plan through to completion.

University administrators have been more than accommodating of neighborhood concerns throughout this long saga, scrapping plans for a dorm on the block that houses 1789 Restaurant and The Tombs, agreeing to an enrollment cap and considering a transformation of the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center into on-campus housing for students. Neighbors, on the other hand, have been consistently unreasonable and have filed even more complaints ahead of Thursday’s meeting.

While the university has admirably tried to appease various neighborhood groups up to this point, what it has failed to do — and something its opposition has done well — is recruit sufficient support from its allies. At previous Zoning Commission meetings, vitriolic neighbors have been present in spades, but only a handful of students have come to speak on behalf of the Campus Plan. If the Zoning Commission hears only the opinions of vocal neighbors, the university cannot expect a favorable decision.

Students have every reason to respond to a heightened push for support from the university. After all, we would suffer most if we are no longer able to live off campus. The restriction of Georgetown University Transportation System buses would be a huge inconvenience to us — and all other Georgetown personnel. While DeGioia’s blast request was a positive step toward centralizing student support, administrators should not hesitate to ask for more.

In addition to calling for an increased student presence at Thursday’s hearing, the university should look outside its gates and ask local business owners to display their support for the Campus Plan. They, too, have a vested interest in the discussion because students — particularly those living off campus — provide a steady stream of revenue for businesses on M Street, Wisconsin Avenue and beyond.

Rather than facing the Zoning Commission alone again on Thursday, university officials should call on students and local business owners to help make the plan a reality. Contrary to popular perception, the university does have allies in the 2010 Campus Plan process. It just needs to rally them.

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