A compilation of the 15 most prominent students at Georgetown – a judgement the Voice readily admits could never be truly accurate. To select our list, the Voice’s general board sat down and listed more than 50 students who possessed power and personality. But prominence is something much greeter. The individuals we chose are not merely activist, they are figureheads. These are the models ambitious younger student emulate. To preserve a pretense of objectivity – and our own peace of mine – we excluded students from campus publication. Still, we are happy with our list; many communities are glaringly absent from it. But, for better of for worse, we think the list represent the reality of Georgetown dynamics. See if you agree with us.

        Scott Beale (CAS ’98) wants to share his vision of Georgetown with you. For three years a Student Association representative, Beale has long been one of the campus’ most ardent community service advocates. With Paul St. Lawrence (CAS ’99), he devised a pledge program to encourage Georgetown students to dedicate time to charity work. But Beale takes his activities much more seriously than most students. More than anything else he wants to have an influence on younger students.

        "I’ve been so lucky in the upper classman I met at Georgetown," Beale said. "I want to try to be that to underclassman."

        Soft-spoken, Beale nonetheless shows a great fondness for people. He says the best part about running for GUSA as a first-year was the ability to meet 1,200 students. The recipient of university financial aid, Beale says charity projects have been his way to "give back to the school and the community." He says his largest goal is to get as many students as possible to interact with the rest of Washington.

        Religious and politically ambitious, Georgetown was an appropriate pick for the Wilmington, Del., native. Through a Catholic group, Beale went as a an underclassman to Medjugorje, Bosnia, a town where villagers had reported hearing locutions from Mary. Beale returned to Bosnia last semester, registering voters in Mostar as part of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

      Beale was selected by the State Department to work as a an Assistant Core Supervisor for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, an international organization responsible for preparing for the elections in Bosnia.

      Beale is doing most of the preliminary logistical work for the upcoming municipal elections in Mostar, where he traveled with a group of Georgetown students last Easter to do community service work.

      He must find accommodations, drivers, interpreters and cars for the 12 registration supervisors who will soon arrive to register voters and another 30 workers who will arrive in September to monitor the elections.      

Beale said administrators at Georgetown were very helpful in adjusting his class schedule to allow him this unique opportunity to travel to Bosnia.

      He withdrew from three classes and will take incomplete in two, so he can remain a part-time student. He said he plan to incorporate his work in on Bosnia into these two classes and complete them when he returns in May.

      Beale said his experiences with Campaign Georgetown and MTV's Rock the Vote were crucial in obtaining the position. He helped Campaign Georgetown register over 800 Georgetown students last Fall and worked with Rock the Vote last summer.

      The State Department originally notified Beale of the opportunity in Bosnia last October, but the elections that were to be held in November 1996 were postponed.

      Beale was contacted again by the State Department Feb. 25. Twelve days later, he was on a plane to Vienna, where he spent two days before being transferred to Sarajevo for orientation.

      Just days before leaving in March, the 60 volunteers discovered the elections had been postponed a second time. OSCE decided to continue preparing for the voter registration although the election date s still unknown.

      There is also concern that the elections many not go as planed in September.

      "At the moment things don't look very good," said Charles King, assistant professor of government. 'In this climate elections can sometimes underscore divisions that exist, rather than overcome them."

      After a day at the office, Beale spends time at Mladi Most, a youth hose in West Mostar, where he volunteered last year. Mladi Most means "youth bridge" in Serbo-Coratian.

      Although it is popular to consider Bosnia a Third World country full of uncivilized people who have been fighting since the dawn of time, the reality could not be farther from the truth. There are two important facts to keep in mind about Bosnia. The first is that Balkan culture is startlingly similar to our own; the second is that no predicted the conflict that ripped Yugoslavia apart before it was too late. We must remain aware of the history of Bosnia because who know if this type of war could happen in other parts of the world.

      I lived in Bosnia for the past few months and it scares me how uniformed I was about the region and the war. I learned more about religion, politics, people, life and death than I ever could have imagined. I learned about a society recovering from war and living in fear. And I learned more about our own American culture, our own fears and our own potential for conflict. I learned how important a good economy and strong political leadership is to long-term stability of a region. I learned how Bosnia relates to home.

      The most important lesson was that we should not assume that the United States is above such turmoil. Where would we be if our economy was falling apart? Where would we be if our political leaders found it lucrative to exploit the racial difference among citizens rather than our common bonds. American history is not free of internal strife. Only 30 years ago we had the National Guard in the streets of Wilmington during a time of economic prosperity. Less than 10 years ago, young black men were rioting in Los Angeles to protest a system they felt treated them unfairly. If politicians exploited these tears in the American social fabric, and if our economy was failing, could a conflict similar to that in Bosnia happen in America?

      We need to be aware the in Yugoslavia politicians used ethnic difference as a tool to further their own careers, that a poor economy made people desire change, and that fighting happened quicker than anyone had predicted. We need to be aware of history to prepare for the future and realize that today’s situation shapes tomorrow’s. We have an important role to play in Bosnia, so we need to be knowledgeable about the country.

      As citizens of the most powerful country in the world, we have a responsibility to maintain stability around the globe. We live in an increasingly interdependent world, and a high level of global activism is in the best interest of the United States. As individuals, we have a responsibility to be aware of global suffering and to be sympathetic. We also should appreciate how we have been blessed in life and work to make the lives of others better.

      In a city thousands of miles away from Delaware, there are thousands of people who have forgotten what hope means. They fear the knock on the door from an unfriendly neighbor who wants them to move. They fear the gunfire at night from people they used to know on the other side if the city. They fear war could start again with no opportunity to escape. And the fear American and the international community will forget their suffering and go home.

      And I fear that people don’t realize how this city so far away is so very close to home.