GU Plan at Zoning: Who Said What

Georgetown presented what it considers a "modest" proposal in its 10-year campus plan . Officials, including President Jack DeGioia, upheld the right of the University to expand to meet its academic and financial needs and spoke of the positive impact the institution has had on the community in its 222 year existence.

"This is a modest and reasonable plan" that show a "substantial commitment that responds to the community and city's concerns in an open and transparent manner," said DeGioia at one point during the evening.

He went one step further in anticipation of the neighbors' rebuttal, saying "We believe we have gone more than half way in reaching a reasonable accommodation" of the neighbors' concerns.

The Zoning Commissioners each pushed the University about its new methodology for calculating student numbers.

Commissioner Michael Turnbull speculated that some of the frustration by the neighbors may have to do with the University's methodology. "There may be some confusion" he said and the appearance of "smoke and mirrors in the counting."

The University has switched to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Database System (“IPEDS”) system for counting students to make the process more transparent. However, in so doing it affects the overall number of enrolled students and the percentage of students in on-campus housing. The University explained the effects in a pre-hearing submission

"Shifting to the IPEDS methodology, however, initially will result in reported enrollment numbers that appear larger simply because of application of the new IPEDS definitions (which,for example, include part-time students). Additionally, because shifting to the IPEDSmethodology will increase reported enrollment numbers, the reported percentage of University beds provided for IPEDS enrolled students will be lower, even though the number of actual bedshas not changed and even though the actual number of students eligible for housing has not changed."

When the community had its turn to ask questions of the University there were moments of intense cross examination and banality.

At one point when asked what kind of noise the GUTS buses make Maureen Dwyer, attorney for the university, responded with "Traditional noise that buses make."

Then there were harder pressing questions from the attorney for the Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG). Clearly building the case for the community he asked DeGioia how long he had known of neighborhood concerns with students living off campus.

DeGioia said he had known about neighborhood concerns since first working for the University in 1982 and "more acutely" since 1985 as dean of students.

CAG's representative pushed DeGioia on the additions to the SW Quad that were supposed to alleviate the number of students living off-campus, but by neighbors opinions have not. He asked about new buildings that are in the works on campus, asking if instead of academic or athletic uses, had the university ever considered them for residential. DeGioia and other officials did their best to avoid placing any direct blame on GU for any perceived transgression by neighbors.

When pushed about Magis Row, a group of undergraduate dorms on residential streets, officials pointed to the fact that their use actually came out of an earlier campus plan at the request of the community, whether or not they were currently a source of problems.

The questioning will continue May 12. After cross examination wrap up the neighborhood associations will have an hour to present their case in opposition. Stay tuned for more coverage as summer approaches.