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The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Redistricting Debate Continues

DATA: anc2e.com, Georgetown Patch; KaVYA DEVARAKONDA/The Hoya ANC Commissioner Tom Birch’s redistricting plan met mixed reviews from students.
DATA: anc2e.com, Georgetown Patch; KaVYA DEVARAKONDA/The Hoya
ANC Commissioner Tom Birch’s redistricting plan met mixed reviews from students.

Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Tom Birch’s proposal of a second alternative to the redistricting of ANC 2E last Thursday has failed to assuage some Georgetown students’ representation concerns.

ANC 2E’s initial redistricting proposal, which would have grouped 2,581 students into each of two single member districts, provoked student accusations of gerrymandering last month. Birch’s new plan would bring the number of students contained in the SMDs down to 2,096 and 2,061 individuals, closer to the 2,000-person limit recommended by District law. The proposal would also group students living in LXR and Darnall Hall into adjacent SMDs alongside permanent residents in the areas near those residences.

Though student leaders applauded Birch’s efforts to bring the two districts closer into line with the legal limit, they remain concerned that those grouped into districts composed mostly of permanent residents would not be fairly represented.

“LXR is being grouped in with a primarily non-student district,” said ANC 2E commissioner Jake Sticka (COL ’13). “Even if every student in LXR registers a vote, they will never be properly represented.”

This summer, five students on a working group composed of students and neighbors assigned by D.C. councilmember Jack Evans to design a new redistricting proposal this summer suggested an alternative to the co-chairs’ initial proposal. The plan, which was drawn up by working group member John Flanagan (SFS ’14), included two Georgetown districts containing about 2,000 students, each with a third district composed of about 50 percent students living in LXR, Nevils and several nearby townhouses.

Though the plan was outvoted by the proposal ultimately put forth by the working group, Sticka said he stands behind the Flanagan plan.

“[The] plan was better,” Sticka said. “It would provide real incentive for whoever represented the third district to balance the interests of students and residents, which is only fair considering the numbers. That’s how the democratic process should work. We need elections that can be competitive.”

Commissioner Ron Lewis, who opposed the Flanagan plan, said that a mixed district would essentially guarantee a third student seat.

“His third district would have 1200 students in it. Add that to a district that already has several hundred students living in houses … and it would pretty much be a guaranteed student seat. He knows that,” Lewis said.

Alykhan Merali (SFS ’13), spokesperson for the student advocacy group DC Students Speak, said that while Birch’s plan is a step in the right direction, it does not fairly represent Georgetown students.

“It’s great that we’ll get two districts, but at the same time, the plan still isn’t completely representative of the student population. Students make up approximately 45 percent of the population of Georgetown,” Merali said.

Like Sticka, Birch believes that mixing students and permanent residents in a district has merit, but does he not believe that his plan will drown out the student voice in mixed districts.

“It’s good public policy to look toward attempting to create districts where there will be contests [between students and permanent residents]. There’s more and more tendency in redistricting to put all the republicans in one box and democrats in another, and I think that’s what the plans that came before mine were looking more like,” he said. “My plan still provides opportunities for contests.”

Birch noted that LXR is already located in an adjacent district that includes permanent residents and is represented by Commissioner Bill Starrels.

“The point is [that] there are issues that are important to students living on and off campus that all of us are concerned about. I think that it’s worthwhile to recognize that,” Birch said.

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