God and Man at Georgetown

God and Man at Georgetown

By Nicholas Johnston A Famous Hoya Columnist

I wasn’t expecting this, but William F. Buckley’s book "God and Man at Yale," is not really about man and is not really about God. It is about economics and communists and alumni and professors. I was looking for something a little weightier, a little more profound, to use as an outline for what will probably be my last column at Georgetown. I had decided a while ago that it should have a nice headline; hence, God and Man at Georgetown.

For my benefit, Mr. Buckley wrote a very long and probably interesting book, with a similar title, about how the economics department — or something — at Yale was filled with agnostic, command economy communists. But don’t quote me on that. I can’t say for sure what it was actually about, having not read the book in its entirety. But I did check it out from the library the other day in order to look for interesting passages that had already been underlined. There were none — underlined paragraphs, not interesting passages — and I find myself pretty much back at square one; a nice title, a return trip to the library and little else.

Well, that’s not entirely true. Aside from lamenting the bastion of Marxism that was Yale’s faculty, Buckley directed a call for change not so much at students or professor communists, but at Yale’s alumni. That revelation, aside from proving that I actually opened the book, caused me to learn that Buckley’s university, apparently, owes it to alumni to teach what fits in best with their worldview. All in all, that seems fair enough, and maybe that can be my connection — if there is one.

As an aspiring Georgetown alum — as many of my biggest fans like you are — maybe it’s time to give some thought to my relationship with Georgetown after I graduate?

In some ways, that relationship is already being formed. I have yet to make one payment on my outstanding college loans, but already this school has asked me for money. And then, in a weird act of selfless giving, I actually violated my credit limit in the act of giving $19.99 to the senior class gift. The $25 violation fee isn’t that bad, however, and I’m sure the seal on Healy Gates will look good. But this image of me as "wallet" and Georgetown as "hand menacingly reaching for wallet to afford wrought iron trinkets" isn’t one that I particularly want to foster. At least not until I have a slightly fatter wallet.

So it looks like this school won’t be getting any more of my money anytime soon. And I’m not exactly motivated to protest — à la Communism at Yale — the academic karma of my Alma Mater. Those two connections with Georgetown excluded, I’m left with maybe sticking around and looking for an editorial position at the Academy. No, that’s not an option. I’m a journalist. So now with nothing, what I am to do?

The easy answer is "nothing," and you’re a bad person for suggesting it. Another easy answer is "everything," but honestly, how many clocks does Red Square need? So in a happy center, within a blissful moderation, I’m going to be philosophical, and leave.

After receiving my diploma, the receipt for a $120,000 college education, I’m going to go out and do my best to look like I deserve it. Which, under the circumstances, is about the most I can do, vague as it is. Even so, leaving Georgetown and looking like maybe this place made a good person out of me would be quite a service to my school, considering what kind of freshman I showed up as. And considering what kind of senior I’m about to leave as, I might have my work cut out for me. Well, it won’t kill me to try.

And in 20 years, if that hasn’t worked, I’ll just come back with a fat wallet and demand that the communists move out of ICC.

A Famous Hoya Columnist appears Fridays in The Hoya.