WE STARTED
SMALL IN 1972.
During the heat of the Vietnam War, large-scale May Day protests took place throughout Washington, DC, ending in clashes between protesters and police. Protesters sought refuge from the Metropolitan Police Department by coming to Georgetown University’s campus where, on May 3, 1971, Rev. Robert J. Henle, S.J, the university’s president, authorized the police department to use tear gas to disperse and remove the visitors. Many students were caught in the middle of the violence and injured.
This prompted then-student body President and Vice President Roger Cochetti and Nancy Kent to create a non-profit organization, The Students of Georgetown, Inc., “to assert and protect the inherent rights of its members [students] and the community.”
TO BEST SERVE STUDENTS, WE ARE
ALWAYS EVOLVING.
The members of this new organization, which became known around campus as “The Corp,” began selling yogurt and Coca-Cola on Healy Lawn to fund their efforts. Originally called the Food Co-op, in 1974 this small service soon evolved into Vital Vittles, The Corp’s flagship storefront and only grocery store.
In 1977, The Corp began Summer Storage, a service that provided storage space for students to leave their belongings during the summer break. The service continues today as Corp Storage, servicing thousands of students and community members year-round.
Throughout the years, services have opened and closed, but The Corp remembers and is proud of all of its services that helped get it off the ground. These include ventures such as the Book Co-op, Furniture Co-op, Audio Co-op, and Corp Shuttles, which was absorbed by the University and later became the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS), which operates five bus circuits in the Washington Metropolitan area.
WE ARE
INDEPENDENT.
Up until the 1990s, the Corp’s myriad services were an extension of the Georgetown University Student Government. In fact, the student body president was also recognized as the Chairman of the Board for the Students of Georgetown, Inc. However, these close ties made it difficult for The Corp to operate independently from the University’s administration, causing a persistent strain on the two organizations’ relationship. This eventually prompted The Corp’s board of directors to break from the student government, making The Students of Georgetown, Inc., a fully independent, autonomous company.
Today, the Corp builds on a proud tradition of independence to best represent and serve student interests on the Hilltop. We serve in the spirit and tradition of Corp activism, philanthropy, and ‘Students Serving Students’.
WE ARE
REINVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
The Corp Philanthropy Committee (CPC) fulfills our driving mission as a nonprofit: “students serving students.” The CPC is composed of the Philanthropy Chair and Corpies across all services dedicated to supporting the Corp’s philanthropic endeavors. Together, with the Marketing department, the CPC plans, finances, and executes The Corp’s student initiatives across campus. Since our founding, the CPC has funded hundreds of thousands of dollars in student scholarships, campus initiatives, and nonprofit projects.
