Although it took her long enough to get her act together, Jenna Lowenstein (COL ’09), who represents Georgetown students on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, deserves recognition for finally listening to student demands and reversing her position on an ANC petition to the University to limit student parties off-campus to one keg.
The petition, proposed by the University & Community Relations Committee ,of which Lowenstein is a member, was intended to offset an expected student exodus into the neighborhood to avoid the one-keg limit imposed upon on-campus residences by Todd Olson last month. Lowenstein originally supported the recommendation because she felt it would have little actual effect but would strengthen relations between students and residents, benefiting the University over the long run. She also thought it was unfair to on-campus students.
“I did know it was going to be unpopular,” she said in an interview. “I was thinking about the long term.”
Student Association leaders had conversations with Lowenstein about her decision and they deserve praise for immediately taking steps to change her position.
Matt Stoller (COL’08), Student Association Deputy Chief of Staff, quickly started a facebook.com group that solicited students to support a petition to Todd Olson to not extend the one-keg limit off-campus.
Though Lowenstein was right to change her position and plans to propose a new amendment reversing the original proposal, the chances of it passing are slim since the one-keg recommendation passed unanimously at the last meeting. Especially given her position on the University & Community Relations Committee, Lowenstein should have tried to prevent the recommendation from being written in the first place.
More importantly, she should have solicited student input before supporting something she knew they would object to. We encourage students to contact her in the future, but it’s Lowenstein’s responsibility to seek student opinions before controversial ANC proposals. She failed to do so in this case, and if she wants any credibility with her constituents, she needs to represent them.
THANK GOD someone is calling her out.
I hate this girl, and all of her “team” friends, yes, including the illustrious Georgetown Dems Treasurer, Alex Miller. Perhaps especially her. They are pretentious and incredibly rude. I am tired of being represented by a privileged, snotty fraction of the whole. Where is everyone else, the public-schoolers? Where are the people who can’t afford row houses and daily cab rides? Who don’t drive beamers? Enough is enough.