Rocking to the rhythm of a gospel beat, my voice resonates with messages of love and hope as I sing with members of the Georgetown University Gospel Choir. After singing at choir practice in Dahlgren Chapel, I rush over to THE HOYA office for production night where my pen will churn out stories about issues often neglected in mainstream media coverage. For one semester as a news

The red and white striped walking canes might give it away. Or perhaps the

“skeeeeeee weeeee” calls to ladies in pink and green might let you know.

Whether it’s through the paraphernalia or activity programming, Black Greek Letter Organizations — fraternities specifically tailored to the black community — are alive and thriving at Georgetown.

About a dozen Georgetown students are involved in historically BGLOs for a variety of reasons, even though Georgetown does not officially recognize Greek life on campus.

Mark Jean (NHS ’05) calls his fraternity a place to form “a bond.”

Corporate America could use a makeover. It’s not that it doesn’t have its beauty marks here and there, but the wrinkles of male dominance need to be straightened and patches of white dominance could benefit from more professionals of color. Of course the blemish of greed needs smoothing with a balanced application of responsibility, compassion and giving back.

Sunday morning isn’t the only time to crack open your Bible.

And you don’t have to wait until Shabbat service to hear a lesson from the Torah.

Every day, thousands of students at Georgetown study theology. While it is primarily taught from an academic standpoint, some Georgetown students find it closely related to their personal faith and values.

Theology involves the study of religion and the study of God. But don’t expect there to be a singular definition of the subject.

It varies among professors and students alike, as do their reasons for studying it. While it can be seen as purely academic, for Georgetown students, theology is often a way for students to academically engage in faith and spirituality.

Andreas Jeninga/The Hoya

From the outside, 1410 36th Street looks like any of the surrounding residences — a white, two-story townhouse with a narrow three-step porch.

But to many students at Georgetown, it’s known as the Black House, established 30 years ago after 10 black students protested in then-University President Rev. Robert J. Henle, S.J.’s, office for more minority services.

And with the month of February recognized by many as Black History Month, the house, to many students, stands as a symbol of Georgetown’s black history and will be the sight of celebrations and commemoration activities.

Fr. Patrick Healy, S.J., was Georgetown’s first black president. But the students and school didn’t know it back in the day, explained James M. O’Toole, the author of Passing for White: Race, Religion and the Healy Family, 1820-1920.

O’Toole spoke to an audience of about 50 faculty and staff with few students in a lecture Wednesday in the ICC Auditorium as a part of Jesuit Heritage Week 2004.

O’Toole began his lecture with a brief slide slow of the four Healy brothers, including a portrait of Patrick Healy.

O’Toole asked rhetorically which brother looked most “black,” to illustrate that the Healy family was extremely light-skinned and therefore able to pass as white.

Fifteen credits per semester, five classes, three credits each — it’s the most common student semester course load at Georgetown. But that could change if research on curriculum and schedule changes by a College committee led Georgetown to follow the credit-hour systems in place at some peer institutions.

Under the “four-by-four” system, students would take four classes per semester, each worth four credits. Since the late 1980s, Georgetown has been revising and considering its curriculum and credit-value system, College Associate Dean Hugh Cloke, explained.

RELATED LINKS • Law Students Protest Recruitment Oct. 7, 2003 • Law School Coalition Files Federal Lawsuit Sept. 26, 2003 • Protestors Say Military Violates GU Nondiscrimination Policy Oct. 8, 2002

The lawsuit contends that the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward homosexuals is in violation of the Association of American Law Schools’ bylaw 6-4, which added sexual orientation to the list of protected categories under its non-discrimination provisions. The suit alleges that the Solomon Amendment is unconstitutional because it requires that the military be granted access to campus regardless of a school’s nondiscrimination policies.

A group of young physicians has sued a national medical program and 29 medical schools and teaching hospitals, including Georgetown University Hospital, claiming the program engages in anticompetitive practices that create conditions where residents receive insufficient pay for the long hours they work.

While the suit would affect all 126 medical schools and teaching hospitals if the plaintiffs win the suit, only 29 private schools and related medical entities were named in the suit, one of them being Georgetown. The plaintiffs are seeking money damages caused by the program.

Aaron Terrazas/The Hoya Sellinger Lounge remains filled with students studying and sleeping at all hours. College students often sacrifice sleep while balancing classes, extracurriculars and jobs.

The name of a white chocolate mocha, spiked with four shots of espresso, offered at The Midnight Mug calls to mind the very nature of an all-nighter in Lauinger Library: Crime and Punishment.

To Mark Jean (NHS ’05), the drink is not so bad. He says he needs it to stay awake to study.