Culture at Georgetown - Jesuit values?

dzleprechaun
Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:34:30 +0000

I would say that Georgetown managed, to a remarkable degree, to make people with a very wide range of views feel welcome and accepted.

Officially, the University cannot have a formal position that goes against the stated doctrine of the Catholic Church. Unofficially, Jesuits are known as the most liberal of the Catholic orders, and Georgetown is considered by many to be the most liberal of the American Jesuit colleges. The faculty and staff generally lean to the left (see e.g. [GU Employees Donate to Campaigns - The Hoya](GU Employees Donate to Campaigns) ) but are committed to an open exchange of ideas and are not dogmatic (there are always a few exceptions).

Given its location and reputation, Georgetown draws a lot of people who are very serious about politics and have very strongly held views, as our dueling friends hotair and Hoyagolfer apparently do. However, in my experience, this does not hamper the collegial atmosphere among students - most people have friends from all across the political spectrum, something that is increasingly a rarity among members of Congress, it seems.

In terms of ‘what it really means for students,’ there’s only a few areas where this has any direct and broad impact on student life, some of which hotair touched on (although you cannot actually walk to Target, of which there is only 1 in DC, up in Columbia Heights )

My personal take is that until you have a Richard Dawkins-esque fundamental dislike of any sort of religious atmosphere, you will not find Georgetown to be disagreeable. Your mileage may vary, of course, but I know enough people from all around the political and religious spectrum (including the ardent non-believer end) who enjoyed there time on the Hilltop to convince me of this.