GUIDE
NEWS
B2
A7
Amateur Animation
Arrupe Hall COVID Cluster Since 1920 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
THEHOYA.COM
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 103, No. 2, © 2021
Intruder Enters New South Prompting Student Safety Fears
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
At approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 19, an intruder reportedly tailed students and gained entry into first-year dormitory New South, spurring student safety concerns.
Liana Hardy
Hoya Staff Writer
An intruder followed students into New South in the early morning of Sept. 19, prompting a Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) investigation and safety concerns among students. At approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 19, the perpetrator reportedly tailed behind students and gained entry into firstyear dormitory New South. A New South resident assistant reported to GUPD that an unknown individual had entered the dormitory, according to a Sept. 20 email from Jay Gruber, GUPD chief and associate vice president of public safety, to New South residents obtained by The Hoya. While GUPD searched the dormitory for the intruder, an unknown person pulled the fire alarm, prompting an evacuation by all residents.
Officers located a suspect and confiscated a pocket knife from him; however, he fled before he could be apprehended, according to the Sept. 20 email. The next day, GUPD officers detained the suspect and are now working with the Metropolitan Police Department, according to the Sept. 20 email. According to a New South resident who wished to stay anonymous because of safety concerns, the perpetrator entered a women’s bathroom while she was using it. The intruder whispered to her, asking what her name was, and ignored her requests to leave the bathroom before following her back to her room. That same night, at approximately 3 a.m., residents of Copley Hall were evacuated See INTRUDER, A6
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER
Georgetown University Law Center students with young, unvaccinated children or immunocompromised family members are calling for virtual or hybrid options to be mandated for all classes.
Parents at GULC Demand Flexibility Claire Stowe Hoya Staff Writer
G
eorgetown University Law Center students who are parents and guardians of young children are calling on administrators to mandate virtual class attendance options to prevent spreading COVID-19 to their families. Many law students taking care of young children or immunocompromised family members have reported concerns about COVID-19 exposure because Georgetown Law does not require social distancing in
J.D. classes, causing them to fear for their young, unvaccinated children. Students are calling on the Law Center to implement flexible policies, such as virtual options for classes, to support community health. Law students with young children or immunocompromised family members are primarily asking for a virtual or hybrid option for their classes, according to Benjamin Welna (LAW ’22), who has a 6-month-old son. “It’s very hard to engage in class and be focused when I’m concerned about people potentially being sick,”
Welna said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “It’s a horrible prospect, really, coming home after a day of school and thinking I could be transmitting something to my son.” Children under 12 have not been approved to receive COVID-19 vaccines; while Pfizer recently announced it will seek authorization to vaccinate individuals ages 5 to 11, without the vaccine, young children are at a higher risk of severe infection than vaccinated adults. Further, the Food and Drug Administration is prioritizing clearance for children above 5; children
4 years old and younger are not currently being tested for the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Welna, the Law Center should mandate all professors to offer alternative class attendance until young children can be safely vaccinated. “My issue with sort of mandating that every single person returned to the classroom is that not all students at Georgetown are young, single and healthy,” Welna said. “The way that the schools will proceed, particularly with the in-person mandate, puts the risk on See LAW CENTER, A6
MSB Junior Braves the Students Garner Support Elements on ‘Survivor’ For Afghans Fleeing Taliban Emily Langlois Special to The Hoya
CW: This article references violence in Afghanistan. Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources.
@WCCO/TWITTER
Liana Wallace (MSB ‘23) joins 17 other competitors, including a former NFL player, a neurosurgeon and a pastor, on the show’s 41st season, which premiered Sept. 22.
Maya Wendel
Special to The Hoya
Liana Wallace (MSB ’23) first started watching the CBS reality show “Survivor” as a 3-year-old with her mother and older brothers after bathtime. Now, 17 years later, Wallace is set to star on the latest season of the hit
FEATURED
competition series. Wallace, a junior in the McDonough School of Business (MSB) studying international business and finance, was first inspired to apply to the reality competition after she and her mom finished watching the former winners face off during the 40th season of the show, titled “Winners
at War.” Monotonous online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic further cemented her decision to apply. “The world is literally in chaos. I don’t want to be doing school virtually anyway, let me just take this shot and see what happens,” Wallace See SURVIVOR, A6
personal responsibility to help those endangered by the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. “For Afghan Americans, we are so invested because we, at one point in our lives, would like to return there one day,” Nouri said in an interview with The Hoya. “We don’t want to speak from a place of privilege and say, ‘I’m out of the country, I don’t have to live under the Taliban so I won’t think about it until
I choose to go back.’ If you ever want to have a future in a country you have to stay actively invested in it.” NLG board member Carrie McDonald (COL ’24) reported that, while donations were initially slow, the rate picked up throughout September; however, McDonald reported items had been stolen from one donation box
Georgetown University students launched community fundraisers to support activists in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees amid the TaliSee AFGHANISTAN, A6 ban takeover of the country. Afghan activist and poet Zahra Wakilzada (SFS ’23) created a fundraising campaign to raise money for her own family members still in Afghanistan, many of whom are activists for women’s rights, so that they can evacuate the country (Full disclosure: Wakilzada formerly served as a member of The Hoya editorial board.) A group of organizations also formed a donation drive Sept. 3 to support local Afghan refugees, assisted by Georgetown’s chapter of No Lost Generation (NLG), an organization that fundraises and provides resources for refugees. Tens of thousands of Afghans attempted to flee the country after Taliban forces took control of the government Aug. 15, following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. More than 20,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in the United States, with an estimated 2,500 refugees entering through Fort Lee in Virginia. KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA Tara Nouri (SFS ’22), one of Georgetown student activists launch community the Afghan American students that helped organize the drive fundraisers to support vulnerable Afghans still in alongside NLG, says she feels a Afghanistan and refugees resettled in the D.C. area.
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
Not Over Easy New egging incidents puzzle Georgetown students and community members. A5
Mental Health Matters
Flying High
A2
A12
Access Expanded
A New Era
Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., introduces a new initiative.
A8
Published Fridays
GU must expand mental health resources as students return to campus.
The Catholic Church must embrace inclusive reforms for a new generation.
A3
No. 1 Georgetown men’s soccer defeated the Creighton Bluejays in the 90th minute of play.
FEATURES
Dining Discourse
Students on meal plans face health and accessibility issues at Leo’s.
A4
Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com
A2 | THE HOYA
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
OPINION EDITORIAL
IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE
Expand Mental Health Support As students navigate Georgetown University’s rigorous academic environment, readjust to in-person social life and cope with the grief and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, quality mental health care is imperative for maintaining student wellness. Georgetown must ensure students receive comprehensive mental health support by hiring more clinicians, decreasing appointment wait times and providing on-campus options for long-term care rather than operating on its current brief treatment model which relies heavily on off-campus referrals. Recent research shows students’ mental health suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic. One study from the Journal of Medical Internet Research found college students have experienced increased stress, anxiety and depressive thoughts amid pandemic related isolation. The American Psychological Association reports that many students are experiencing similar symptoms as they transition from Zoom screens to traditional classrooms. Additionally, Georgetown’s lack of access to mental health resources will disproportionately impact LGBT students and students of color. In Georgetown’s first cultural climate survey conducted in February 2020, students who identified as Black, Asian, Latinx, Hispanic and multiracial reported significantly lower levels of cultural belonging and support than their white peers. According to research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, LGBT students require more support than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts because of unsafe or unaccepting families and environments. With already existing disparities in responses to the cultural climate survey, it is now more important than ever to ensure that every student can find a support system. Not only are Georgetown students continuing to manage mental health challenges stemming from profound loss brought about by the pandemic, but they also have to face the immense academic and social pressures of the first in-person semester in over a year. With much of the undergraduate student body having little to no experience living on campus, younger Georgetown students are particularly vulnerable to mental health concerns since many have yet to establish personal support systems. Currently, Georgetown’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) refers students seeking long-term care to off-campus providers, posing barriers to students who cannot afford therapy on their own. CAPS argues this model allows for efficiency in meeting the demand they receive, but some students believe that the scheduling system fails to provide accessible service in a timely manner. Counseling services are severely delayed, and multiple students have experienced extended hold times and week- to month-long waitlists, according to Georgetown University Student Association Accessibility Coordinator Gwyneth Murphy (SFS ’23).
“With things like CAPS when you have students’ lives in your hands, not just in an abstract way, but in a real way where a missed 45-minute hold on a call line could be someone’s life, change has to move faster than the politics and the red tape,” Murphy said in an interview with The Hoya. In response to student concerns, the university maintains that it is taking steps to support student well-being. “We are committed to supporting Georgetown’s students as they live meaningful lives, confident in their mental health and wellbeing,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We’ve hired four new staff members already; they will focus on providing direct clinical services to students.” The spokesperson also noted that some of the new hires have expertise working with students of color, immigrant, refugees and survivors of sexual assault. These efforts will hopefully address the disparity in sense of belonging between white students and students of color at Georgetown. Hiring more staff members is a key step in providing the care that students need, but it is unclear if the addition of four new staff members will alleviate the extended wait times, especially considering CAPS’ permanent director position has been vacant since May 2021. Georgetown has provided several email communications publicizing mental health services for faculty, staff and students, but the resources available clearly need drastic improvements. The newly established online resource center, Every Hoya Cares, consolidates information on how to access mental health resources, but it is still difficult to consider it a successful tool for students when Georgetown’s main on-campus mental health resource is difficult to access and does not offer the long-term care many seek. Making available long-term, readily accessible mental health care is crucial to promoting student wellness, according to Maggie Lin (COL ’24), who supports increased on-campus mental health resources. “Struggling with mental issues isn’t an easy thing to talk about,” Lin said in an interview with The Hoya. “Georgetown allocating more resources would indicate to students that their mental health is a priority, which encourages students who might be reluctant to talk about their mental health in the first place to seek help and utilize those resources.” Being a college student can be a stressful, exhausting and isolating experience, and it is critical that Georgetown prioritize student health and ensure there are adequate resources to provide care for every single student who needs it when they need it.
“
More than 60 years after Vatican II, Catholicism finds itself at a turning point, one where the church finds itself needing to recalibrate to better serve and evangelize the world as we know it today.” Eric Bazail-Eimil (SFS ’23)
“Embrace Post-Vatican II Reform” thehoya.com
DEEP DIVE
Regulating Reproductive Rights This week, we’re exploring the history behind Texas Senate Bill 8, which Thalia Zuniga-Davila (COL ’24) discusses in “Oppose Texas Abortion Ban.” On Sept. 1, the bill, also know as the Heartbeat Act, went into effect to prohibit all abortions after six weeks. The law follows Texas’ long history of abortion restrictions: In 2003, Texas passed the “Women’s Right to Know Act,” which allowed medical personnel and physicians to falsely inform patients that abortion increases the probability of breast cancer diagnosis and decreases future fertility. In 2005, Texas banned abortions after 24 weeks and mandated parental consent to an abortion for people under the age of 18. In 2017, Texas lawmakers prevented insurers from including coverage for abortion in health care plans. As Texas abortion laws become in-
creasingly restrictive, people’s ability to seek abortion care legally within Texas is now nearly nonexistent. In addition to Texas anti-abortion laws, the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling that anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers are not required to share abortion resources or divulge that they have no medical licenses further creates unsafe conditions for abortion care. Combatting the overall lack of access to safe abortions in the United States can begin with destigmatizing abortion and improving education about reproductive rights in schools. Zuniga-Davila emphasizes the dangers restrictive abortion laws pose to people’s health and well-being and highlights the role the Georgetown University community can play in advocating for reproductive rights.
EDITORIAL CARTOON by Dominic Pham
The Hoya’s Editorial Board is composed of six students and is chaired by the Opinion editors. Editorials reflect only the beliefs of a majority of the board and are not representative of The Hoya or any individual member of the board.
HOYA HISTORY
GU Proud Football Tradition Turns 60 September 20, 1948 Although Georgetown is battling today in the secondary echelons of national gridiron repute, its history is lined with proud epochs of far-flung fame and sagas of heart-filling glory. The Hoyas reached the pinnacle of their 73-year-old career in the fabulous series of 23 straight wins just one decade ago, in the golden era of the coaching triumvirate of Hagerty, Dubofsky and Murtagh. Its thundering climax erupted in the most memorable game a Georgetown team ever played, when Boston College in the dying minutes ticked off seconds precious to the trailing Hoyas with an intentional safety, frustrated the eleventh-hour Hoya drive and finally pulled the Blue and Gray victory banner from a two-year reign on its proud mast on the Hilltop. The team which compiled this greatest of GU football records numbered on its roster the names immortal in Georgetown lore: Augie Lio, memorable place-kicking guard; fullback Jim Castiglia, gigantic line-cracker last year with the Washington football team; quarterback and field strategist Joe McFadden, still a familiar figure about the yard; Jules Koshlap, the ambidextrous passer; Joe Mellendick, star running, pass-receiving halfback, sent by a knee injury into minor
league baseball; and Al Blozis, before frantic and amazing Hoya the 6-foot-6 tackle enthroned in linemen nailed him for an intenthe loftiest niche of Georgetown’s tional safety. Hall of Fame. Boston still led 19-18. They kicked off from their 20, Famed Boston College and just as the Hoyas completGame ed one desperate play, the gun Georgetown met the class sounded. of the day, Temple, New York’s This game qualified the Eagles mighty Manhattan, Bucknell, — who today hold the record NYU, and beat them all in the 1938 of three wins, one tie and 10 and 1939 seasons. losses against Georgetown — as But then that fatal day arrived the miserable and disconsolate when the slightly overconfident Hoyas’ top foes, and sounded taps Georgetown team faced Boston, one to the era of Georgetown gridiron of the East’s top-ranking gridiron greatness. powers, and, after a neck-and-neck Despite their heart-breaking struggle, went into the last quarter fall, the Hoyas met and fell before behind 19-18. Mississippi State in the Orange So Georgetown pulled from Bowl in Miami. the bottom of its bag of tricks the Football on the Hilltop is a traditional garrison finish it had venerable and traditional affair. used to crush Virginia in 1901, the “Hub” Hart smash to victory Pigskin Here In in the last few minutes of play. Memorable Years And on they rolled toward the When Grover Cleveland was Eagles’ goal posts. finishing up his term in 1887, Georgetown was looking beCharley O’Rourke Foils yond its gates for bigger foes to Hoyas conquer. This year they opened But a skinny passer with an extra-mural football with a amazing talent and shrewd cun- smashing 46-0 defeat of Washning which this year makes him ington’s Emerson Institute, lost a Baltimore Colts’ ace passing one to Alexandria High School, quarter, one Charley O’Rourke, 24-6, and closed the season was quarterbacking for the Eagles with a 12-6 win over Washingthat day. He took the ball from ton High School. center, dashed backward over his own goal line and charged about George E. Burns his end one for too many seconds Hoya Staff Writer
LETTER TO THE EDITOR AND VIEWPOINT POLICIES The Hoya welcomes letters and viewpoints from our readers and will print as many as possible. To be eligible for publication, letters should specifically address a recent campus issue or Hoya story. Letters should not exceed 300 words. Viewpoints are always welcome from all members of the Georgetown community on any topic, but priority will be given to relevant campus issues. Viewpoint submissions should be between 600-700 words. The Hoya retains all rights to all published submissions. Send all submissions to: opinion@thehoya.com. The Hoya reserves the right to reject letters or viewpoints and edit for length, style, clarity and accuracy. The Hoya further reserves the right to write headlines and select illustrations to accompany letters and viewpoints. CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS If you have a comment or question about the fairness or accuracy of a story, contact Executive Editor Clara Grudberg at (917) 715-5754 or Executive Editor Kirsten Garino at (551) 265-1390. Both editors can be reached by email at executive@thehoya.com. NEWS TIPS News Editors Katie Hawkinson and Harrison McBride: Email news@thehoya.com. Guide Editors Mason Leath and Emma Ginsberg: Email guide@thehoya.com. Sports Editors Grace Cohn and Eli Kales: Email sports@ thehoya.com.
GENERAL INFORMATION The Hoya is published once a week during the academic year with the exception of holiday and exam periods. Address all correspondence to: The Hoya Georgetown University Box 571065 Washington, D.C. 20057-1065 The writing, articles, pictures, layout and format are the responsibility of The Hoya and do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University. Signed columns and cartoons represent the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the editorial position of The Hoya. Unsigned essays that appear on the left side of the editorial page are the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. Georgetown University subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression for student editors. The Hoya does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, color, national or ethnic origin. © 1920-2018. The Hoya, Georgetown University weekly. No part of this publication may be used without the permission of The Hoya Board of Editors. All rights reserved. The Hoya is available free of charge, one copy per reader, at distribution sites on and around the Georgetown University campus. Email: editor@thehoya.com Online at www.thehoya.com Circulation: 4,000
Founded January 14, 1920
Riley Rogerson, Editor in Chief Kirsten Garino, Executive Editor Clara Grudberg, Executive Editor Kiera Martin, Managing Editor Amy Li, Transition Director Allan Navarro, Transition Director Katie Hawkinson, News Editor Harrison McBride, News Editor Hansen Lian, Features Editor Liam Scott, Features Editor Emma Ginsberg, Guide Editor Mason Leath, Guide Editor Erin Casey, Opinion Editor Dalia Liu, Opinion Editor Grace Cohn, Sports Editor Eli Kales, Sports Editor Jason Omori, Design Editor Alex Baker, Photography Editor Sofia Nathoo, Photography Editor Caroline Coggan, Copy Chief Tara Petronio, Copy Chief Daisy Steinthal, Social Media Editor Jon Pejo, Blog Editor Grace Buono, Multimedia Editor Editorial Board Erin Casey and Dalia Liu, Chairs Eric Bazail-Eimil, Lincoln Le, Nicolette Carrion, Jack Childs, Camber Vincent, Bernie Yamakaitis
Emily Wang, General Manager Ali Yusuf, Director of Financial Operations Marissa Nissley, Director of Human Resources
Board of Directors
Katherine DeMatteo, Chair Julia Alvey, Madeline Broderick King, Victoria Lei, Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Dominic Pham, Colby Schmidt, Doris Zhang
Liana Hardy
Student Life Desk Editor
Caitlin McLean
Student Life Desk Editor
Paige Kupas
City Desk Editor
Alicia Novoa
Events Desk Editor
Sam Sinutko
Academics Desk Editor
Claire Stowe
Graduate Desk Editor
Arianne Levine
Deputy Sports Editor
Demi Pappas
Deputy Sports Editor
Saar Shah
Deputy Sports Editor
Maggie McHale
Deputy Guide Editor
Cameron Newman
Deputy Guide Editor
Haley Resnick
Deputy Guide Editor
Maeve Silk
Deputy Guide Editor
Alexandra Alkhayer
Deputy Opinion Editor
John O’Connor
Deputy Opinion Editor
Laura Kapp
Deputy Opinion Editor
Nooran Ahluwalia
Deputy Opinion Editor
Alice Bolandhemat
Deputy Features Editor
Ella Kohler
Deputy Features Editor
Madiha Sohani
Deputy Photography Editor
Anna Yuan
Deputy Photography Editor
Natalie Regan
Deputy Photography Editor
Chris Ha
Deputy Design Editor
Noa Bronicki
Deputy Design Editor
Jimin Lee
Deputy Design Editor
Erica Kim
Deputy Design Editor
Annie Taber
Deputy Copy Editor
Bay Dotson
Deputy Copy Editor
Naomi Greenberg
Deputy Copy Editor
Jo Matta
Deputy Copy Editor
Alex Henn
Deputy Social Media Editor
James Musial
Deputy Social Media Editor
Lizzie Quinlivan
Deputy Social Media Editor
Allison Yingst
Deputy Social Media Editor
Eri Hayakawa
Deputy Blog Editor
Cece Ochoa
Deputy Blog Editor
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM
THE HOYA | A3
OPINION DISTRICT DISCOURSE
Offer Assistance To Afghan Refugees Angela Yu Columnist
W
ith hundreds of Afghan refugees arriving through Dulles International Airport and into the Washington, D.C.-MarylandVirginia area, Georgetown University students have a valuable opportunity to provide assistance amid the emergence of a global issue. The way D.C. residents respond to this crisis has the potential to unite a city known for its divisive politics. In order to extend an open hand to the newest members of the District, residents should engage in a wide variety of relief efforts, from supplying donations to opening their homes for temporary residence. When the evacuation campaign ended Aug. 31, the United States and its coalition partners had flown out over 123,000 civilians from Afghanistan. Afghan refugees were then taken into countries such as Germany, Qatar and the United States. The emergency situation led the U.S. government to authorize $500 million in emergency funds for the needs of migrants. Although those who escaped are safe from immediate danger, they left behind family, friends and personal belongings. Ensuring Afghan refugees find a home in the United States demands more than basic supplies; it requires that U.S. residents reach out to new families and form connections transcending cultural barriers. According to federal officials, more than 31,000 Afghan refugees had arrived in the United States by early September and 50,000 more are expected in the coming month. After passing through the airport, refugees are temporarily housed in facilities such as the Dulles Expo Center and Northern Virginia Community College’s Annandale Campus. The DMV community has not backed down from the urgent situation and quickly responded to calls for aid. Afghan D.C. residents who feel a personal connection with the situation are mobilizing for donations. In addition, nine D.C. chefs organized a fundraiser event to raise money for Homes Not Borders, which provides assistance to refugees in the city. These efforts display immense compassion and provide a scalable model
for what a strong support system can look like. Despite this outpouring of support, refugees still face myriad barriers to building a new life in D.C. Most Afghan refugees receive $1,225 in cash benefits when entering the country, which falls well under the average monthly rent of $2,000 in D.C, and resettlement organizations often rely on public donations to secure basic necessities. To make matters worse, many U.S. interpreters and guides were unable to obtain Special Immigration Visas on short notice, which would have qualified them for employment services and financial assistance. Instead, the refugees’ “humanitarian parolee” status only grants them housing and stipends for 90 days. Refugee organizations are struggling to provide the services the visa would have fulfilled, along with additional resources such as phone calls, mental health support and health care services. Legislative action is necessary to create long-term solutions, but in the meantime, support must primarily come from within the community. Many of the initiatives responding to the crisis are requesting contributions from people across the world. Prominent refugee organizations such as Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services and International Rescue Committee have created Amazon wish lists for supplies, and Airbnb vowed to house more than 20,000 refugees worldwide and are urging host families to sign up for the program. Members of the Georgetown community should take action to continue these organizations’ efforts in welcoming Afghan refugees to the United States. On Georgetown’s campus, students can donate resources as part of the partnership between #NoLostGeneration and Lutheran Social Services, and they can also support Georgetown University Student Association Senators’ recent call for Georgetown to provide student visas for Afghan students. D.C. residents are composed of people of all ethnicities and backgrounds. Let us display our acceptance of all people by donating our time, money or resources to the multitude of organizations and movements responding to the refugee crisis.
ILLUSTRATION BY: NOA BRONICKI/THE HOYA
VIEWPOINT • ZUNIGA-DAVILA
Oppose Punitive Texas Abortion Bill CW: This article references sexual assualt. Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources.
T
exas Senate Bill 8, which prohibits all abortions after six weeks, even for survivors of rape and incest, went into effect Sept. 1. The law also allows private citizens to sue abortion providers, people seeking abortions and anyone who aids in the process of receiving or providing abortion services. This policy is not shocking or unprecedented. States have interfered in abortion health care for decades, and this development is one of many restrictive policies anti-abortion rights activists have pushed for in recent years. The term “Heartbeat Act” is fundamentally misleading; at six weeks, there is no heartbeat in the fetus — only cardiac activity that produces rhythmic electrical impulses sounding similar to a heartbeat. Such fallacious information fortifies the idea that abortion is inherently correlated with the removal of a life. Prohibiting abortion after six weeks is overly restrictive, especially since clinical symptoms of pregnancy occur after this deadline for most people. Angela Yu is a first-year For those with irregular menin the School of Foreign strual cycles, this deadline is Service. District Discourse is even more unreasonable. published every other week. In addition, any lawsuits
over the abortion ban would involve private citizens directly suing each other instead of government officials and agencies. Because the bill allows private citizens to sue people seeking abortions and anyone who may have contributed to the process of an abortion, it is almost impossible for pro-abortion rights activists to challenge legally. Further, this Heartbeat Act continues the harmful governmental history of enacting laws that disproportionately hurt people of color. Implementing yet another restrictive abortion policy will place further burdens on minority communities residing in Texas. For example, the Rio Grande Valley, an area in the state with a large Latinx and immigrant population, is a perfect example of the obstacles in the health care system that the new law will unequivocally worsen. The region only has one abortion center — the Whole Woman’s Health clinic — to serve a population of 1.1 million people. The community also lacks an accessible transportation system, meaning residents must arrange long and difficult transportation to access reproductive services. Long wait periods add complications that further restrict the already narrow window for receiving abortions. Traveling out of state to receive abortion services is also impossible; because the Rio Grande Valley stretches
along the southern border, there are checkpoints that demand proof of citizenship or residence to travel. Even if an individual learns of the pregnancy within the six-week time frame, the law forces undocumented immigrants in this region to carry the pregnancy to term or attempt self-abortion. Texas also has one of the highest maternal mortality rates for Black women in the country. Considering the already high maternal mortality rate, the newly implemented law will only highlight the deep-seated racism that exists in the health care system by making abortion health care inaccessible and more difficult to recieve. Additionally, low-income immigrants and people of color in Texas often work in jobs that lack basic worker protections, including health care. These obstacles create similar circumstances to those in the Rio Grande Valley and force people into potentially fatal dilemmas when they are unable to access abortions and reproductive health care. The reality is that abortion restrictions do not reduce the number of abortions overall. In regions where abortion is limited, the number of unintended pregnancies that end in abortion increase by 39%. Thus, when secure medical abortions are restricted, dangerous abortion alternatives
take their place. Medically unsafe abortions have led to an estimated 23,000 preventable deaths every year. Anti-abortion rights policies lead to preventable and devastating deaths, which is contradictory to the anti-abortion movement’s narrative that banning abortion saves lives. As more states continue to challenge Roe v. Wade, it is more important than ever to highlight just how dangerous it is to undermine a person’s right to choose and bodily autonomy. As members of the Georgetown University community, we are not helpless in the fight against restrictions on reproductive rights. Call representatives to demand their support for The Women’s Health Protection Act, which seeks to protect reproductive rights at the federal level; donate to clinics like Access Esperanza, which provide cheap and free contraceptives to the Rio Grande Valley; and contribute monetary donations to mutual aid funds like Frontera Fund to help low-income Latinx individuals afford abortions in Texas. We can fund community networks that seek to undo the damage that abortion restrictions cause lowincome BIPOC. We can fight for our rights. Thalia Zuniga-Davila is a sophomore in the College.
NEWFOUND NORMS
FLIPPING TABLES
Reject GU Stress Culture
Embrace Post-Vatican II Reform
Liam McGraw Columnist
T
he COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and illuminated some of the country’s most pressing issues, and it has become clear that the future of U.S. labor is uncertain. Over half of U.S. adults are currently considering switching jobs, a trend that indicates workers, particularly young people, are largely dissatisfied with their work lives. This dissatisfaction comes in part from the immense pressure Americans face to be as productive as possible at any cost, a pressure that seeps almost unnoticed into university cultures like Georgetown University’s. The high-stress work environment that many students experience demands our careful consideration. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with working hard for a better future, students should not feel proud of overextending themselves to the point of boasting about how little sleep they got because they were studying for an exam or tallying the meals they’ve neglected while writing an essay. The work-centric worldview that encourages us to grind ourselves into dust in pursuit of better grades and opportunities, and the mental strain that so often accompanies this relentless push for more, must stop. Otherwise, work will utterly hijack our lives. For many of us, though, it
already has. Our summers have been, and will probably continue to be, consumed by resume-building activities aimed at making us appear more well rounded on paper. Then, we’re tossed right back into the school year, where weekly quizzes, tests, papers and projects govern every aspect of our time. When we determine the worth of our actions based on their ability to reach a future goal, we forget the importance of prioritizing our personal fulfillment. Now, I don’t want this to transform into a carpe diem, YOLO, do-what-makes-youhappy, find-your-bliss-and-don’tlook-back call to action that would induce so many eye rolls that you lose your vision for a few minutes. Nevertheless, it’s becoming clearer every day that our generation is lost. From 200818, researchers found rates of anxiety nearly doubled from 7.97% to 14.66% for adults ages 18-25. In that period, depression, loneliness and suicidal thoughts have all increased as well. While many stressors play into these statistics, from social media to political turmoil and most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, 87% of Generation Z college students report that “their education is a significant source of stress.” And that’s simply unconscionable — the purpose of education is not to scare students away from school. It’s to ensure that everyone can live prosperous, fulfilling lives. So, when I have friends who are setting timers to let them know when they can break down and cry for 15 minutes before going back to work, it’s a sign we should scrutinize our approach to school. And when I don’t have enough fingers to count the number of people I personally know who
have experienced panic attacks or suicidal thoughts because of the pressures of schoolwork and college applications, we should immediately begin overhauling our ideas surrounding work and education. Of course this won’t be easy, but this challenge is all the more reason we should take our infatuation with work more seriously. We need an escape from the conditions that make us base our self-worth on our productivity. This doesn’t have to be in the form of a massive social movement; it can be simpler. We can take it upon ourselves to shift our mindsets from productivity to personal well-being and intentionally prioritize our own health over the pressures telling us we need to work until we cannot take it anymore. Instead of taking a break from homework only to return to it, take some time off for the sake of having time off. Let your own goals for your fulfillment dictate your time; stop allowing your work schedule to determine what you expend your energy on. Rather than staying up until 3 a.m. to finish the last pieces of a chemistry problem, we must establish boundaries that ensure our time is our own. Taking the necessary space to reflect and reevaluate can be difficult, especially during stressful moments. I’ll even admit I don’t do this often. But occasionally, it hits me. And maybe it can hit you too. Work has taken over our lives, and it’s up to us to regain control.
Eric Bazail-Eimil Columnist
A
t the close of the Second Vatican Council, Saint Paul VI, remarked, “never before perhaps, so much as on this occasion, has the Church felt the need to know, to draw near to, to understand, to penetrate, serve and evangelize the society in which she lives.” More than sixty years after Vatican II, Catholicism finds itself at a turning point, one where the church finds itself needing to recalibrate to better serve and evangelize the world as we know it today. Vatican II set out to renew and modernize a church that had grown static over centuries and usher in seismic changes for Catholic worship and has undoubtedly made present-day liturgy more accessible. However, the vision of a more modern church at the heart of Vatican II, one that could adeptly adjust to the Christian world’s changing landscape, is far from universally held. Indeed, conflict between reformers and radical traditionalists who reject Vatican II’s reforms is at an alltime high as the church faces a period of decline. In the view of traditionalists, Pope Francis and the reforms his papacy has initiated in extension of Vatican II are an existential threat to the church as they know it. Both sides are right to acknowledge the church’s decline as parishes shrink. However, Catholicism will only experience the renewal it desperately needs if we continue adapting our Liam McGraw is a first-year church in the spirit of Vatican II in the College. Newfound to better meet the demands of Norms is published every the present. Catholics, especially other week. liberal ones, should demand
these continued changes from both their parishes and from Vatican leadership. Unlike what many conservatives in the church believe, easing judgment on divorce, giving communion to pro-abortion rights politicians and promoting inclusivity in the church will not destroy Catholicism. Conversely, returning to Latin Mass and the “smells and bells,” the ornate rituals that feature heavily in traditional high worship, will not once again fill the pews and engender excitement among Catholics. In reality, there are four main areas where the church is still due for growth: the way the church ministers to marginalized communities, the church’s inadequate communication of the social teaching, its theological pronouncements on major societal issues and the role of lay people in the church. All these issues emerge from a fundamental disconnect between the church and the world it aims to serve. Indeed, when the church’s rhetoric contributes to increased suicide rates for LGBTQ+ youth, it becomes evident that the church has lost touch with modern society. Similarly, when the church struggles to communicate its progressive vision for a just society, it relinquishes its power as a force for social change. The exclusion of brilliant lay people from prominent ministerial positions in the church further bodes poorly for the church’s ability to empathetically offer pastoral and spiritual care, especially as the number of priests and nuns declines. Looking at these challenges, my hope for the church’s future lies not in Rome, but rather in the Amazon, where progress has already begun. In 2019, Pope Francis convened the Synod on the Amazon, one of the many decentralized councils
that have defined his papacy. The Synod sought to develop solutions to the Amazonian Church’s challenges, among them the negative impacts of the climate crisis, the well-being of the Amazon’s Indigenous peoples and the decline of the church in the region as Pentecostal and evangelical Christian groups have grown in recent years. To solve these issues, the Synod clarified theological language on climate change, outlined strict prohibitions on initiating first contact with “uncontacted” Indigenous communities and called for increased lay ministry, the possible creation of a female diaconate that would allow women to become ordained preachers and a relaxation of celibacy requirements for priests to address the region’s pronounced clerical shortage. The Synod on the Amazon offers a window into a promising future for the Catholic Church. A church modeled off of the Amazon would embrace cultural dialogue and further empower lay people, including lay women, in ministry. The direction the Synod takes gives me hope that Christianity can live more fully in the merciful and just example Jesus set. If the church can enact continued reforms beyond Vatican II to bring itself into the 21st century, it can become a far more Christly community. Amos 5:24 calls Christians to “Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” I encourage my community, both at Georgetown University and across the globe, to follow suit and continue advocating for justice and righteousness. Eric Bazail-Eimil is a junior in the School of Foreign Service. Flipping Tables is published every other week.
A4 | THE HOYA
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
FEATURES High Costs, Suspected Food Contamination Diminish Student Trust in Mandated Meal Plans
As the university implements a new meal plan requirement, students highlight health and sustainability concerns with on-campus dining.
HOYA HOSPITALITY
Students have raised complaints over costly meal plans, food contamination and sustainability issues associated with Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall.
Alice Bolandhemat and Ella Kohler Hoya Staff Writers
L
eyla Hagan (SFS ’24) ordered the tofu teriyaki dish at 5Spice, a meal station in Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall, for dinner on Aug. 24. Later that night, she was in the emergency room because of a serious allergic reaction. Hagan has a severe allergy to shrimp, and the wok — previously used to cook a shrimp dish — likely contaminated her meal. “I ingested the shrimp oil, had a reaction, felt better, then got way worse, almost passed out on the floor of VCW, and had to go to the hospital,” Hagan wrote in an email to The Hoya. This experience is indicative of broader issues that dining at Leo’s poses to students with dietary restrictions, according to Hagan, who met with an allergist Sept. 23 to acquire paperwork to exempt herself from the meal plan requirement. “Leo’s has done an extremely poor job accommodating those with dietary restrictions,” Hagan wrote. “I often leave hungry.” But now that all juniors and seniors who live on campus are required to be on a meal plan, few are able to meet the standards for exemption, which has frustrated students who would prefer to cook for themselves. As the university returns to in-person operations, other issues also plague dining
services, including suspect- in an email to The Hoya. “The ed food contamination and a University did not offer a cheap plan for students who lack of sustainability. had a kitchen.” Mandated Meal Plans The least expensive opIn a June 24 email, Provost tion for juniors on campus Robert Groves announced a is $2,978 per semester, while change to the meal plan re- the least expensive option for quirement for the 2021-22 seniors living on campus is academic year. The updated $1,614 per semester. policy requires first-years Meal plan costs are facand sophomores to select tored into financial aid dean all-access option and cisions. However, students mandates that juniors and cannot request a meal plan seniors in on-campus hous- exemption for financial ing have a meal plan. In past reasons, according to the years, juniors and seniors Georgetown University Meal were not required to be on Plan Exemption Policy. any meal plan, and sophoRepresentatives of the mores could opt for a re- Georgetown University Studuced option. dent Association (GUSA) have The decision to introduce the suggested the university offer new meal plan requirement was students the choice to opt out made in the interest of student of the meal plan in exchange health, according to Groves. for a voucher of equal or near“To support and promote equal value, according to a healthy living and learning GUSA Chief of Staff Thomas community where all students Leonard (COL ’22). thrive, we offer a number of “That way students are nutritious, flexible and afford- given their freedom of choice able meal plan options for to eat where they want to eat. students on campus,” Groves They are given their availabilwrote in a June 24 email to the ity of food options that are not Georgetown community. precluded by whatever the For Jack Dunn (COL ’23), the university is offering at the new requirement presents time,” Leonard said in a phone both an unnecessary financial interview with The Hoya. burden and an inconvenience The university’s response living in an apartment-style to GUSA’s suggestion has dorm with a kitchen. been lukewarm, according “There is no logical reason to Leonard, but GUSA plans to force students who have to continue to meet with the full kitchens in their apart- administration officials to ments or townhouses to have advocate for a response to a dining plan,” Dunn wrote this issue.
Poorly Accommodated food served at the allergen cerns and convenience, Leo’s station, she said. should switch to compostable Dietary Restrictions
As students adjust to the new meal plan requirement, there have also been a number of health incidents related to food and dining on campus, especially for students with dietary restrictions. Students with dietary restrictions are not always able to obtain a meal plan exemption. Isabel Janovsky (COL ’23), who is allergic to dairy and keeps kosher, said she felt dining options on campus were limited but that the exemption process was too troublesome to pursue. “What I’ve been doing is buying my own food, which means I’m effectively paying double even though I’m not eating at Georgetown,” Janovsky said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “So while I am eating enough, it rubs me the wrong way.” Students can request an exemption from the meal plan requirement for dietary, medical, religious or other special considerations, according to the Georgetown University Meal Plan Exemption Policy. Medical documentation is required in the case of dietary and medical exemptions. “A meal plan exemption will only be granted if the Dining Services program cannot meet the nutritional needs of the student,” the policy reads. “Before requesting an exemption, students are required to meet with the Dining Services Registered Dietitian to discuss all of the dining options available.” Following her allergic reaction, Hagan is now hesitant to go to Leo’s over anxieties of cross-contamination. “I remain fearful of going to Leo’s in the future,” Hagan said in an interview with The Hoya. Georgetown dining services also present challenges to students with gluten intolerances. On multiple occasions, Chloe Potamianos-Homem (COL ’25), who has celiac disease, has eaten food at Leo’s that was marked as gluten free, only to fall ill shortly after. “It starts with a really bad stomachache and basically just goes downhill from there,” Potamianos-Homem said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I get migraines occasionally along with it, but it’s usually just gastrointestinal symptoms for about 12 hours.” LAUREN SEIBEL FOR THE HOYA The only foods at Leo’s that Students with dietary restrictions face added challenges, including cross- always work for Potamianoscontamination, with Georgetown University’s dining services. Homem are salad and the
“It’s just very frustrating,” Potamianos-Homem said. “Why am I paying for something that’s just going to make me sick and inconvenience me?” In addition, students have become more skeptical of dining at Leo’s because of widespread speculation that a recent outbreak of gastrointestinal illnesses originated from Leo’s. There has been no confirmation linking the outbreak to university dining services, but students have noticed dining halls are emptier since reports of the outbreak surfaced. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Ranit Mishori (MED ’02) wrote in an email to students Sep. 21 that 12 Georgetown students had reported symptoms of severe stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhea. While the cause of the illnesses had not been identified, students should be aware that there is a national outbreak of salmonella, Mishori wrote. The university posted a separate update on Sept. 22 that 42 more students had reported similar symptoms to D.C. Health. Maggie Fan (COL ’25) said she suspected she contracted some form of food poisoning after eating food at Leo’s. “I had the beef tacos at Leo’s and four hours later I started vomiting and getting headaches and not feeling well in general and later that day I started feeling nauseous and I assumed it was probably food poisoning or salmonella,” Fan wrote in a message to The Hoya.
Sacrificing Sustainability
utensils rather than plastic, according to GREEN member Willow Volkert (COL ’25). “GREEN has talked to Leo’s multiple times about trying to get them to compost, and they just refuse. They say that it’s the students’ problem, that the students don’t know what’s compostable and what’s not,” Volkert said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “But if Leo’s switched to all compostable dining-ware, then that wouldn’t be an issue in the first place.” Ultimately, current sustainability efforts at Leo’s do not go far enough, according to JoJo Farina (COL ’23), a leader of the Zero Waste Team of GREEN. As a result, the Zero Waste Team hopes to collaborate with Leo’s to implement more eco-friendly dining programs in the future. “On the plastics side of things, our main program will obviously be working with Leo’s to figure out a solution to get back to reusable dishware both upstairs and downstairs because the current situation is simply not acceptable,” Farina said. Although the university has stopped exclusively offering reusable dining-ware, the university does provide reusable to-go containers in Leo’s, according to a university spokesperson. The Reusable To-Go Program provides students a takeout food container that may be returned to Leo’s after it has been used. When the containers are returned to Leo’s, they are washed so they may be used again. The program, which only operates at Leo’s, is free and open to all students on meal plans. This effort serves as part of the university’s ongoing efforts to reduce singleuse items, according to the Hoya Hospitality website. In addition to sustainability backsliding, students are frustrated that the administration has failed to address students’ other dining concerns, according to Leonard. “People, including myself, on GUSA leadership don’t really see those talking points as adequate solutions to the issues that we’re facing as students,” Leonard said. “We really do believe that a more drastic overhaul or evaluation of the dining situation on campus is necessary.”
In addition to the suspected food contamination, student activists have expressed concern about the environmental impacts of eating at Leo’s, given its lack of sustainable practices. Upstairs Leo’s transitioned to reusable dishes and cutlery in January 2020 after years of activism from student clubs, including the Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network (GREEN). Since the return to campus, the university switched back to using disposable utensils and dishes. The university did not comment when asked on the reasoning behind the switch to single-use utensils and dishes. If the university has to implement single-use products Hoya Staff Writer Liam Scott conbecause of COVID-19 con- tributed reporting.
THE HOYA | A7
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 | THEHOYA.
NEWS
Arrupe COVID-19 Outbreak Prompts Dormwide Testing Giulia Testa
Hoya Staff Writer
Julianne Bruggemann (NHS ’23) was eating at the Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall when she got an email about a cluster of COVID-19 cases in Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall, where she lives. The statement said she needed to get tested within two days. The Sept. 15 email from Dr. Ranit Mishori (MED ’02), Georgetown University’s chief public health officer, notified residents that three students who live together in Arrupe tested positive for COVID-19 within 36 hours. In an abundance of caution, Mishori informed residents they must get tested by Sept. 17; however, students were not required to quarantine unless they received an additional notice from the COVID-19 Care Navigation Team, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Hoya. Bruggemann said that although the email was alarming, she was not overly concerned about it. “I don’t really go into the
Arrupe common spaces with people other than my roommates so I figured it was unlikely that I came into contact with positive cases,” Bruggemann wrote in a statement to The Hoya. Hunter Mellon (COL ’23) was one of the students who tested positive for COVID-19. Mellon tested positive Sept. 15 and officials relocated him to the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center that same evening, around the same time Mishori’s email was sent to Arrupe Hall residents. While it was safer to test everyone in the residence hall, Mellon said it may not have been completely necessary given that not everyone in the building had a high exposure to the virus. “I think it’s a bunch of people who are very well intentioned probably who are trying to do the right thing, and who probably are doing the right thing, but it probably is a little bit of overkill because clearly not everybody in the building had had a high exposure risk,” Mellon said in a phone interview with The Hoya.
Mellon himself had not been in contact with anyone in Arrupe Hall after testing positive, he said. The university tested residents of Arrupe to ensure their safety, according to a university spokesperson. “Out of an abundance of caution and pursuant to CDC guidelines, we asked all residents to get tested for COVID-19 starting the next day, and expedited their results,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. According to Kenneth Boggess (SFS ’24), an Arrupe resident, some residents have shown a disregard for public health safety measures. “I don’t blame the people who tested positive, but there are a lot of people in Arrupe who really don’t wear masks in a lot of common spaces, in the halls. And of course, it’s not just COVID, also the flu,” Boggess said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “There’s a very pervasive sense of almost entitlement, I’d say — of people saying that I don’t really care about public health, in the sense that I’m young, I’m fine.”
NAAZ MODAN/THE HOYA
All students residing in Arrupe Hall were required to be tested for COVID-19 after three residents in the dormitory tested positive. Bruggemann, however, appreciated the university’s proactive approach to the situation. “Testing is an important part of ‘catching’ cases and while it is unlikely that everyone in the building interacted with these positive cases, I don’t think there was any harm in making everyone in the building test,” Bruggemann wrote. The university has not recorded similar outbreaks in on-campus residence halls since the three Arrupe residents, according to a university spokesperson. “We have not observed any further positive test results from Arrupe Hall residents,
Georgetown Hires Inaugural VP Of Sustainability
GU Appoints New Interim Dean To Lead NHS
Andrew Hong and Claire Stowe
Laetitia Haddad
Special to The Hoya and Hoya Staff Writer
Georgetown University hired its first vice president of sustainability in August, furthering the university’s efforts to promote environmental initiatives on campus. In her new role, Meghan Chapple, former sustainability director and senior adviser on sustainability at The George Washington University, will oversee the Office of Sustainability and lead initiatives focusing on the intersection of sustainability and social justice, according to a Sept. 15 university announcement. One of the priorities of the Office of Sustainability will be to approach environmental issues on Georgetown’s campus from diverse perspectives, according to Chapple. “I am personally committed to applying a lens of justice and equity, and will strive to include a diversity of voices in
“Transparency on our progress to meet our sustainability commitments is critical.” MEGHAN CHAPPLE VP of Sustainability
the conversation and the implementation of sustainability at Georgetown,” Chapple wrote in an email to The Hoya. “In order for Georgetown to be effective, our sustainability vision and strategy going forward will be inclusive of a diversity of voices on campus and from the communities that the university impacts.” The new position demonstrates Georgetown’s continued commitment to environmentalism and sustainability, according to Peter Marra, director of the Georgetown Environment Initiative (GEI). “We knew that we needed to move the sustainability piece into a piece that was not just on the operation side, but also on the academic side, because students are so engaged and so excited, and so motivated by aspects of sustainability,” Marra said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “They want to be part of an institution that really prioritizes these things.” Established in 2013, the Office of Sustainability oversees university environmental efforts, including initiatives focused on renewable energy, recycling, sustainable transportation and water conservation. Chapple’s appointment will help the university double down on its commitment to sustainability, according to Marra.
“I think that it was clear that the office needed to be elevated, because we needed much more rigorous and dedicated approaches to thinking about what we were doing on our land here,” Marra said. “That might mean making sure we’re just communicating with students that if you need a pen, you don’t order it from Amazon — you go to the bookstore; you figure out some other way to be more efficient.” In response to news of Chapple’s hiring, some students like Victoria Boatwright (COL ’22), former president of the Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network (GREEN), have expressed hope that Chapple will improve transparency and work with student organizations like GREEN. “I am really hopeful that she will help on student involvement fronts and make the university more transparent on environmental initiatives,” Boatwright said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “Because that is one thing that throughout my career I’ve been frustrated with: Georgetown’s lack of transparency.” Chapple’s hiring follows other university steps to improve sustainability. Georgetown’s board of directors approved a policy to divest from fossil fuel investments in February 2020 following advocacy from student organizations. In November 2020, the university announced it would source two-thirds of its energy needs through off-site solar panels. Chapple’s experience in writing environmental policy will allow her to continue to advance small- and large-scale projects at Georgetown, according to Boatwright. “I guess the main three areas I’m hoping to see her apply her skills are negotiations for overall campus sustainability, involvement with students and finally on accountability for divestment and other atlarge Georgetown university administration-driven initiatives,” Boatwright said. To reach its sustainability goals, the university must be as open as possible, according to Chapple. “Transparency on our progress to meet our sustainability commitments is critical,” Chapple wrote. “We will work across the university to collect baseline data on our sustainability impact, to set goals and targets to meet our commitments, and then publicly report on our progress regularly.” Chapple’s goals for the Office of Sustainability will ensure as many students as possible get involved with sustainability at Georgetown, according to Boatwright. “Central to her image of sustainability would be to make sure everybody at the university is included and everybody is a stakeholder.”
Hoya Staff Writer
Georgetown University’s School of Nursing & Health Studies (NHS) will have a new interim dean by the end of the month. John Monahan (CAS ’83, LAW ’87), who currently serves as a Georgetown University School of Medicine professor, Georgetown University Law Center senior lecturer, McCourt School of Public Policy senior fellow and the global health senior adviser to the university president, will begin his role as the NHS’ interim dean Sept. 26, according to a Sept. 21 universitywide email from the Office of the President. Since 2007, Monahan has taught courses at the NHS, the School of Foreign Service and the Law Center. He also served as the founding director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, a research institute for health policy analysis housed within the Law Center. Monahan is confident his experience in government, philanthropy and academia has prepared him to guide the NHS to success this year as it begins the process of transitioning to two standalone schools, he wrote in an email to The Hoya.
“I will be focused on partnering with faculty, staff, and students to continue the great work at NHS during this academic year,” Monahan wrote. “As an alumnus, I want to pay special attention to the experience for all our students.” In December 2020, the university announced the NHS will split into two separate schools, the Georgetown School of Nursing (GSN) and the Georgetown School of Health (GSH), by July 2022. Monahan will serve as dean until the two schools are established. Selecting Monahan as interim dean reflects the university’s commitment to an efficient transition to the two new schools, according to Edward Healton, Georgetown School of Medicine’s dean. “He embodies the ideals and qualities that NHS faculty and staff shared with me, through meetings and messages, that they felt would be helpful in an interim dean, and I am grateful for their important input,” Healton wrote in an email to the Georgetown University Medical Center community. Carole Roan Gresenz, a professor in the NHS’ department of health systems administration, has served as the NHS’ interim dean since September 2019 and origi-
nor have we seen similar scenarios in other residence halls during this academic year,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. The week of Sept. 12, the university reported 34 positive COVID-19 tests on the main and Georgetown University Medical Center campuses, with a .52% positivity rate. These numbers reflect a .19% decrease from the previous week. Boggess, who has previously lived with both immunocompromised and elderly family members, expressed overall frustration with the outbreak. “Coming as someone who
has an immunocompromised mother, lives with multiple elderly family members, we’ve always been careful about health. Because you know, the flu puts my mother in the hospital, the common cold puts my mother in the hospital,” Boggess said. “To come here and to be met with this kind of indifference from other people is really just frustrating.” According to Bruggemann, the university took appropriate action to address the outbreak. “The university has no way of knowing how we interact with one another, so they are trying to do what makes the most sense,” Bruggemann said.
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Georgetown University’s School of Nursing & Health Studies is set to split into two schools by July 2022. nally planned to serve as dean for only one year. Gresenz will step down from her role as dean Sept. 26 and return to her work as a professor, focusing on mentoring and health economics research, as well as serving as a special adviser for Georgetown’s health and health strategies work. “I stayed on and served an additional year because of all the disruption that COVID caused,” Gresenz wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to lead the school during this unusual and challenging time and I am thankful for the grace and resiliency exhibited in our NHS community.” Gresenz’s strong sense of determination and service to the NHS was necessary to overcome the past year’s challenges, according to Healton. “When she agreed to pause her research to lead NHS, none of us had any idea how
remarkably challenging higher education — or life — would become,” Healton wrote. “Throughout the pandemic, Carole led NHS with clarity and confidence when the unknowns often felt so overwhelming. Simply put, she is one of the most impressive leaders I’ve worked with.” The university is currently in the process of searching for a new dean for the GSN and will begin the search for a new dean for the GSH in the near future, according to Gresenz. “Planning for both schools is now well underway and the new interim dean, John Monahan, has been deeply engaged in planning since January of this year,” Gresenz wrote. “John brings not only a deep familiarity with NHS, but also decades of experience in public service, and tremendous skill in managing and navigating complex organizations.”
DC Set To Evacuate Ward 2, 6 Encampments Paige Kupas
Hoya Staff Writer
Washington, D.C. officials are shutting down three encampments across the District, forcing over 100 people experiencing homelessness to evacuate. Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) launched the encampment pilot program in August to permanently close encampments in Ward 2 and Ward 6 by the end of September. The proposal aims to permanently close encampments at the M and L Street underpasses, New Jersey Avenue and O Street NW, and E and 20th and 21st Streets NW. Displaced residents will have the opportunity to register for a housing assistance program. According to Yannik Omictin, advisory neighborhood commissioner for 2A01, the details of the encampment pilot program are unclear, leaving questions about the temporary housing in which the District plans to place residents who enroll in housing assistance. “It is certainly a good thing that the city appears to have ready-to-move-in units that encampment residents can move into while they wait for permanent housing,” Omictin wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Questions still remain about where those units are, what restric-
tions might be placed on residents in those units, what condition they are in, what services will be provided in conjunction with this housing, and more.” Officials plan to clean the encampment sites after all the residents vacate the properties, after which the District will provide rehousing assistance, according to the encampment pilot press statement. “Residents who agree to participate will be engaged in inten-
“The more important question for me is whether the residents trust this initiative.” YANNIK OMICTIN ANC 2A01 Commissioner
sive case management services which will help them obtain vital documents, complete housing voucher applications, provide housing navigation, and connect them to other vital services,” the statement reads. Neither the Executive Office of the Mayor nor the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services
responded to request for comment from The Hoya. This program is part of a wider range of efforts to permanently close encampments for people experiencing homelessness throughout the District. In January 2020, the District permanently removed people living in an encampment under the K Street overpass. However, the District did not offer a housing assistance program for displaced residents and instead directed them to shelters throughout the area, according to DCist. Many unhoused people have expressed distrust in government initiatives or officials, according to Omictin, and are wary participation in the program may put them in a worse position than before they were evicted from their encampments. “The more important question for me is whether the residents trust this initiative — this remains to be seen,” Omictin wrote. “As of Friday, many had not heard about the program’s housing component, and are naturally wary of new government programs given how often they have been slighted by them in the past.” In 2021, officials recorded 5,111 unhoused individuals and 405 unhoused families living in the District, most of
whom are not eligible for the housing opportunities included in the encampment pilot program because they do not reside in one of the three targeted sites. Of the unhoused population in the District, 47% experienced homelessness that lasted for more than one year, and the number of unhoused adults with mental health conditions rose by 17% between 2020 and 2021. According to Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto (LAW ’17), the encampment pilot program is positively contributing to rehousing efforts in Ward 2. “I am enthusiastic that the launch of this program will include sites in Ward 2. The focus of the pilot is working to achieve the goal we have shared all along: housing,” Pinto wrote in an email to The Hoya. If the District can assist some unhoused people, they should expand the program to everyone, according to Omictin. “If the city truly can buy out leases, place people in temporary housing throughout the city, keep up their access to city services, and shepherd them through the permanent process, as it appears they are proposing to do with this pilot program, then they should be able to do it for every single unhoused person in DC,” Omictin wrote.
A8 | THE HOYA
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
NEWS
Planned Parenthood Expands Former GU Tennis Coach Agrees Abortion Access for DMV Residents To Plead Guilty in Admissions Scandal Julia Kelly
Special to The Hoya
A new Planned Parenthood initative will allow residents of Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia to access abortion medication and services without leaving their homes. The plan, announced by Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C. (PPMW) on Sept. 10, allows patients to receive abortion medication through the mail. PPMW is the second Planned Parenthood branch in the country to provide patients with entirely at-home care and services. The Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts was the first affiliate to join the nationwide TelAbortion study, which provides patients with access to telehealth appointments to receive abortion medication within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. The initiative prioritizes safety and accessibility to expand abortion services for all patients, according to Dr. Serina Floyd, medical director of PPMW. “PPMW is committed to providing safe, accessible, and culturally sensitive care to all of our patients,” Floyd said in the press release. “With this expansion in medication abortion services, patients are able to connect with a provider in ways that are comfortable and convenient. Medication abortion at home provides the same excellent level of care that Planned Parenthood is known for.” According to Chloe Kekedjian (COL ’22), president of H*yas For Choice, a pro-abortion rights student group, this new method will improve access to abortions for Georgetown University community members.
“Planned Parenthood’s program to offer at-home abortion medication will make accessing abortion much easier for residents of DC, including Georgetown students,” Kekedjian wrote in an email to The Hoya. Patients will begin the process by participating in a phone screening and an online meeting with a PPMW patient care provider before either picking up the medication in person or receiving the medication via mail in a discreet package. Afterward, patients must attend another virtual appointment the following week after they have taken the medication. The procedure, meant for early-term abortions, must be completed within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Four weeks after the procedure, patients must take an at-home pregnancy test or receive an ultrasound with a blood test to ensure the procedure was successful. According to Betsy Harned, the vice president of public affairs for PPMW, an at-home abortion option increases access to reproductive healthcare for all individuals. “COVID has made accessing healthcare, including abortion, more urgent and our providers are primed to deliver this service,” Harned wrote in an email to The Hoya. “The flexibility of at-home abortion is particularly helpful to those who might encounter difficulty coming in-person to an appointment at one of our health centers due to obstacles such as difficulties getting time off of work, child care, or reliable transportation.” Low-income individuals, young people and marginalized communities face significantly larger barriers to accessing abortion services because of cost, in-
ability to travel and COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, especially in regions where states are limiting abortion rights. Currently, individuals on D.C. Medicaid cannot use their insurance to cover abortions because of congressional legislation that prevents the District from using local funds to pay for abortion services. According to Harned, this Medicaid ban further contributes to unequal access to abortion services among low-income communities. At-home abortion options are also beneficial to increasing access for the Georgetown community, according to Kekedjian. “College students are a demographic that may have difficulty accessing abortion due to busy schedules or lack of knowledge,” Kekedjian wrote. Abortion access has made national headlines in the last month. On Sept. 1, the state of Texas banned abortions past six weeks of pregnancy, sparking backlash across the country. The law also allows citizens to sue abortion providers or any individual who assists with providing an abortion. If not overturned by the Supreme Court, this law could potentially threaten the precedent for legal access to abortion set by Roe v. Wade. According to Harned, at-home abortions will allow people to continue to access reproductive healthcare amid legal battles regarding abortion. “Now more than ever before, access to critical, time-sensitive care like abortion depends on where you live. So while abortion is currently more protected in the DMV than in other areas of the country, there is still more work needed to protect and maintain care in our region for all,” Harned wrote.
9 Animals at National Zoo Test Positive for COVID-19
@FONZNATIONALZOO/TWITTER
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY/FACEBOOK
Gordon Ernst, a former Georgetown University tennis coach, agreed to plea guilty to charges regarding his involvement in the “Varsity Blues” admissions scandal. Annie Kane
Special to The Hoya
Former Georgetown University tennis Head Coach Gordon Ernst agreed to plead guilty for his involvement in the national college admissions scandal Sept. 15. Ernst, who served as a tennis coach at Georgetown from 2006 to 2017, faced charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, federal programs bribery, filing a false tax return and aiding and abetting money laundering after Ernst reportedly accepted over $3 million in bribes to falsely classify at least 12 students, including some who did not play tennis competitively or at all, as tennis recruits to the Georgetown team between 2012 and 2018. As part of the plea deal, federal prosecutors will recommend Ernst be sentenced to at least one year and up to four years in prison and two years of supervised release, in addition to being required to forfeit over $3.4 million, which includes his home and other assets at a value that authorities say is equal to the sum acquired from his crimes. Prosecutors initially charged Ernst in March 2019 after he reportedly received over $2.7 million in bribes through William Rick Singer, the ringleader of the national college admissions scandal, throughout the course of “Operation Varsity Blues,” the name given by the Department of Justice name to the college admissions scandal. In September 2020, prosecutors handed Ernst additional charges for bribes that reportedly did not go through Singer. Ernst initially pleaded not guilty to all charges against him and was set to stand trial with athletic coaches from other universities who received similar
Special to The Hoya
Nine animals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have tested positive for COVID-19 after displaying symptoms of the virus. Doctors conducted COVID-19 tests on the animals after National Zoo staff members noticed that six African lions, two Amur tigers and a Sumatran tiger were displaying decreased appetites, coughing and lethargy. All nine tests came back positive. While a second test is necessary to confirm that the initial results were not false positives, the animals are still being cared for and treated for COVID-19 symptoms, according to a Sept. 17 press statement from the National Zoo. “Final results are expected in the next few days,” the statement reads. “All lions and tigers are being treated with anti-inflammatories and anti-nausea medication to address discomfort and decreased appetite.” While uncommon, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that animals can get COVID-19 if they come in close contact with a human who has the virus. There is no evidence, however, that animals play a significant role in the spread of COVID-19 to humans, according to the CDC. While the National Zoo has not identified the staff member who transmitted the virus to the animals, the carrier was likely asymptomatic, as National Zoo staff members are required to take COVID-19 safety precautions while around guests and animals, according to Annalisa Meyer, deputy director of communications at the
National Zoo. “Our team has conducted a thorough investigation of all the staff that were in close proximity with the lions and the tigers, and at the moment there is no evidence to pinpoint the exact source,” Meyer said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “So it’s possible that it got transmitted by an asymptomatic carrier, and it’s been standard practice for all of our animal care staff and all of our essential staff to mask indoors and in public and nonpublic areas.” The nine animals were the first to test positive for COVID-19 at the National Zoo. No other animals have displayed symptoms for the virus, and the outbreak is contained to the Great Cats Exhibit, which includes the lions and tigers, according to Meyer. “Our vets and our keeper staff have been watching and looking for symptoms, but no other animals at the zoo have had any signs of infection,” Meyer said. “I’m not aware of any other tests that have happened, but these are the first positive tests, so I would say that you can safely say no other animals at the zoo have shown any signs of infection.” Since COVID-19 first began spreading in the United States in 2020, several zoos have reported outbreaks of the virus among animals. In January, the San Diego Zoo reported eight gorillas had tested positive for the virus. Eighteen gorillas from Zoo Atlanta separately tested positive for the virus Sept. 14. Veterinarians in both outbreaks were able to treat some of the infected gorillas with an experimental COVID-19 vaccine
for animals developed by Zoetis, an animal health company. The vaccine has only received experimental approval on a case-by-case basis from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It is not clear when the USDA will grant official approval for full-scale use. In an effort to work closely with zoos on behalf of the animals, Zoetis announced July 2 that it was donating over 11,000 doses of its vaccine to nearly 70 zoos in 27 states following the successful vaccination of great apes at the San Diego Zoo in January of this year, according to Christina Lood, senior director of sustainability and innovation communications at Zoetis. “Zoetis has a long history of supporting zoo veterinarians, and we are proud to continue to help them provide a high standard of care for the animals living in their zoo communities,” Lood wrote in an email to The Hoya. Despite this, the National Zoo does not yet have access to the vaccine, but the zoo staff plans to vaccinate eligible animals as soon as it becomes available, according to Meyer. “It’s based on availability, so we are ready and are going to jump in and move ahead,” Meyer said. “We’re hoping it’ll be available probably in the coming months.” While the lions and tigers continue to be treated for their symptoms, the animals are in good hands with the National Zoo staff, according to Meyer. “Our team is incredible at what they do,” Meyer said. “They are experts in animal care and experts in veterinary medicine, and they are doing the absolute best to take care of our great cats.”
must perform periodic audits to determine if any recruited student-athletes are no longer on the roster of the sport for which they were recruited. If a student is no longer on the roster, the head coach must provide a written explanation to both departments, according to the policy. The university expressed gratitude for the work of the U.S. Attorney’s Office following the announcement of Ernst’s plea deal, according to a university spokesperson. “We are aware that former Georgetown Tennis Coach Gordon Ernst has entered into a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” the university spokesperson wrote. “Georgetown University fully cooperated with the U.S. Attorney’s Office throughout its investigation and appreciates its work and dedication over the last two and a half years.” Ernst’s guilty plea comes after Elizabeth Kimmel became the ninth former Georgetown parent to plead guilty in the scandal Aug. 16. Kimmel agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, having reportedly paid $275,000 to Ernst through Singer to get her daughter admitted to Georgetown as a false tennis recruit. In addition to Kimmel, nine other former Georgetown parents have been charged in the national college admissions scandal: Amin Khoury, Peter Dameris, Robert Repella, Manuel and Elizabeth Henriquez, Michelle Janavs, Douglas Hodge, Karen Littlefair and Stephen Semprevivo. Of the 10 parents, eight have been charged and sentenced. Repella is awaiting a sentencing hearing scheduled to take place Sept. 21, and Khoury is scheduled to stand trial in April 2022, according to the Department of Justice.
Panel: Human Trafficking Cases Rise Amid Pandemic
The National Zoo is caring for and treating nine animals, including lions and tigers, Joshua Moschetto who have COVID-19 symptoms, according to a Sept. 17 press statement. Special to The Hoya Zoe Winburn
charges in November. A plea hearing has not been scheduled for Ernst after his agreement with prosecutors. Ernst’s defense attorney, Tracy Miner, declined The Hoya’s request for comment. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts also declined The Hoya’s request for comment. Georgetown first became aware of Ernst’s actions in 2017 when the Office of Undergraduate Admissions noticed irregularities in the applications of two students who were being recruited to play tennis. Neither student was admitted, and Ernst was placed on leave while the university conducted an internal investigation, according to a university spokesperson. In 2018, the university was made further aware of Ernst’s actions when the U.S. Attorney’s Office contacted university administrators disclosing the full slate of Ernst’s criminal activities and his acceptance of bribes. Ernst left Georgetown in 2018 once the university’s initial investigation disclosed he had violated the school’s admissions policies, according to a university spokesperson. “Georgetown immediately put former coach Gordon Ernst on leave, initiated an internal investigation, established a new policy concerning the recruitment of student athletes, implemented audits to check whether recruited student athletes are on team rosters, and asked Mr. Ernst to resign,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. In response to the internal investigation. Georgetown implemented the Office of Admissions and Departments of Athletics Policy on Recruitment of Student-Athletes. Under the policy, both athletics and admissions
CW: This article discusses human trafficking. Please refer to this article on thehoya.com for on and off-campus resources. Human trafficking is fundamentally modern slavery and deserves greater public awareness, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates the crisis, panelists said at a Sept. 20 virtual event. At the event, titled “Human Trafficking: The Deafening Silence over Modern Slavery,” human trafficking experts and activists shed light on the current state of human trafficking worldwide. The event was co-hosted by the Free Speech Project, a Georgetown University research initiative that documents threats to free speech, and the Future of the Humanities Project at Georgetown, which gathers scholars to discuss current interdisciplinary issues. The United Nations defines human trafficking as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. In public discourse, human trafficking is widely referred to as “modern slavery.” While some may disagree with this nomenclature, the title of modern slavery is fitting for human trafficking because of the common principle of forced labor, according to panelist EleSondra DeRomano. DeRomano is a sex trafficking survivor and the founder of Standing Together Against Real Slavery (STARS),
an organization dedicated to supporting young women who have experienced or are at high risk for sex trafficking. “To me, it is slavery,” DeRomano said at the event. “It’s slavery. And slavery is supposed to be abolished.” As another parallel, human trafficking patterns are reminiscent of historic slave trade routes, according to panelist Lisa Hsin, an Oxford University researcher. “There’s certainly trade routes for trafficking victims,” Hsin said at the event. “I would say southeast Asia to places like the more affluent Taiwan or China. You can locate how they’re trafficked over there, and you can essentially follow the footsteps of trafficking victims.” In 2020, nearly 25 million people worldwide were estimated to be the victims of human trafficking, according to the U.S. Department of State. However, human trafficking is vastly underreported, and the majority of cases go undetected, according to the National Institute of Justice. Human trafficking is onerous to prosecute because of its international network and underground nature, according to Pippa Hockton, founder of Street Talk, an organization that provides counseling to female victims of human trafficking. “It’s organized crime. It’s all very international. It’s highly organized. It’s very, very difficult to catch,” Hockton said at the event. “They are very well-informed and know the loopholes in the law.” The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of individuals at risk for human
trafficking, according to Christina Bain, the former director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery. “And especially now with the pandemic,” Bain said at the event. “I think there is the fear that this crime has also been exacerbated by certain circumstances around the pandemic including economic vulnerabilities. So, I think we still have a long road ahead.” Reduced wages and job loss during the pandemic have made people more vulnerable to exploitation by human traffickers, according to a 2021 report by the U.S. Department of State. Additionally, COVID-19 stay-at-home orders increased rates of gender-based violence, substance abuse, and mental health issues, all of which put people at greater risk of exploitation, according to the report. Current anti-trafficking programs fall short in ensuring long-term wellbeing for survivors, according to Hockton. “I feel as though there’s a willful neglect on the part of services,” Hockton said. “These people don’t have services. They don’t matter. And services are not for the purpose of looking after these people from childhood on up.” Despite mounting challenges, increased awareness around the issue of human trafficking can help prevent more people from falling victim to human traffickers, according to DeRomano. “I believe that there are changes being made, and I’m very optimistic and happy about that,” DeRomano said. “Even if it’s two lives we save, that’s two lives that we’ve saved.”
THE HOYA | A9
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM
NEWS
Law Center Professor Nominated To Federal Trade Commission Sophie Haleblian Special to The Hoya
President Joe Biden has nominated Georgetown University professor Alvaro Bedoya to be a Democratic commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Bedoya is a visiting professor at the Georgetown University Law Center with expertise in data security and privacy law. He is also the founding director of the Center on Privacy and Technology, a think tank focused on privacy and surveillance law. The White House announced its plan to nominate Bedoya on Sept. 13. Once Bedoya is officially nominated, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will schedule confirmation hearings and hold a vote to confirm him. Bedoya’s work has emphasized his deep belief that privacy is not a luxury, but a fundamental right, according to Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor. “We are extremely proud of the groundbreaking work Professor Bedoya has led as the founding director of our Center
on Privacy and Technology,” Treanor wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We will miss seeing him daily, but I know that in his new role, consumers across the country will benefit from his foresight, integrity and deep understanding of how the government can work to protect and serve the public interest.” Bedoya did not respond to a request for comment from The Hoya. The FTC is composed of five commissioners nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate; no more than three commissioners can be from the same political party. The commission enforces consumer protection laws and federal antitrust laws with the goal of advocating for consumers and encouraging competition. At the Center on Privacy and Technology, Bedoya’s work focused on the disparate effect of tracking software on marginalized groups and included an emphasis on civil rights in privacy questions, according to David Vladeck, the former director of the FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection and a professor at the Law Center. “Along with civil rights co-
alitions, Professor Bedoya was able to persuade some of the major platforms to revise their rules on the advertising of payday loans, and other predatory lending practices,” Vladeck wrote in an email to The Hoya. “He will continue to work on these issues once he is confirmed as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission.” Bedoya also previously served on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law as chief counsel, which was led by former Senator Al Franken (D-MN). On the subcommittee, Bedoya oversaw work that dealt with mobile location privacy and helped draft parts of National Security Agency reform law. As chief counsel, Bedoya worked to safeguard consumer privacy and worked closely with commissioners of the FTC, according to Vladeck. “Under Professor Bedoya’s leadership, the Subcommittee focused on geolocation technology and biometrics, and Professor Bedoya developed a reputation at the Commission for rigor, fairness, and candor,”
LAW CENTER FTC/YOUTUBE
Once Alvaro Bedoya is officially nominated, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation will schedule a confirmation hearing. Vladeck wrote. Bedoya is one of many Georgetown faculty members to be put forward for positions in the Biden administration, including McCourt School of Public Policy professor Adriana Kugler, who was recently nominated as the U.S. executive director of the World Bank. Bedoya graduated summa cum laude from Harvard College. He also holds a JD from Yale Law School, where he
served on the Yale Law Journal. His article “Privacy as Civil Right” was recently added to the latest edition of privacy casebook “Information Privacy Law.” He has also authored works published in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Bedoya’s experience as a leading thinker at the intersection of technology and civil rights makes him extremely qualified for the position, ac-
cording to Treanor. “I know he will do everything he can in his new capacity to make sure that everybody, regardless of their background, is afforded protections from increasing government and corporate surveillance,” Treanor wrote. “I have no doubt that in every area of work he touches at the FTC, he will be extremely mindful of the disparate impact policies can have on marginalized communities.”
New Study Sparks Hope for Georgetown Metro Georgetown Professor Receives Global Health Treaty Grant Laetitia Haddad Hoya Staff Writer
The long-awaited Georgetown Metro station may finally become a reality after the results of a recent Washington, D.C. transportation study. The results of the Blue/Orange/Silver Capacity and Reliability Study, launched in 2019, suggest that the addition of a new Blue line to National Harbor, complete with a tunnel under the Potomac River and a new Metro station in the Georgetown neighborhood may alleviate current traffic issues in the Rosslyn Metro station. These results were discussed Sept. 9 by the Finance and Capital Committee of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). The study aimed to identify and evaluate solutions for transportation challenges in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia area related to reliability, crowding, cost efficiency and long-term sustainability, according to the report. Community members have expressed excitement about the proposed transportation possibilities, according to Rick Murphy, chairperson of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that the neighborhood would love to have a Metro stop as it’s always been a problem for us,” Murphy said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “If you stand in the middle of Georgetown, you’re almost exactly nine-tenths of a mile from three stops, and nine-tenths of a mile is a little bit too far to
walk for a lot of people.” WMATA has been hesitant to build a station in the Georgetown neighborhood because of the difficulty of underground construction on a steep grade. Further, the tunnel would have been too steep or too deep to justify the cost. Currently, WMATA buses connect the residents of Georgetown to surrounding Metro stations. WMATA hosts the free Georgetown circulator, as well as the G2 bus (P StreetLeDroit Park Line).While community members expressed concerns about proposed cuts to the G2 service in March, $1.4 billion from the American Rescue Plan allowed WMATA to avoid such service cuts. While proposals and alternatives are being considered for future Metro projects, it is important to ensure that other transportation options continue, according to a spokesperson for Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto (LAW ’17). “Improving affordable, environmentally friendly, and accessible connectivity in Georgetown and throughout our city is a top priority for Councilmember Pinto,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. Building a new Metro line to form a Blue line to National Harbor would add 180,000 new week daytrips and would cost between $20 billion and $25 billion to construct, according to the study. WMATA receives over half of its funding from federal grants, while taking the rest of its revenue from ridership. Now that the study is
Minoli Ediriweera Special to The Hoya
@WMATA/TWITTER
The reuslts from a new study indicate that the longawaited Georgetown Metro station may become a reality. completed, administrators can pursue federal funding for the project, according to the report. The WMATA board of directors has yet to choose which alternative it will pursue, and federal approval and public suggestions are still needed before any decision is made, according to Sherri Li, WMATA media relations manager. “This is part of the process to advance a regional solution consistent with federal guidelines,” Li wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Metro staff provided an update on the study’s progress to the Board of Directors last week, which will be followed by extensive outreach to the public, stakeholders, and elected officials that will in-
form the Board’s consideration and selection of the region’s locally preferred alternative.” In the meantime, the District is considering other transportation possibilities, such as the Georgetown-Rosslyn Gondola or an electric vehicle charging hub, a project supported by Pinto. Although adding a Metro station in Georgetown would be a long and expensive endeavor, now is the time to pursue the project on behalf of the community, according to Murphy. “This is the time when people begin to build momentum for something like this, because for the first time in a very long time, there’s federal money for doing things like this,” Murphy said.
FutureEd Report Highlights DCPS Hiring Success Brooke DeLucia Special to The Hoya
A new report found that Washington, D.C. public schools have improved hiring practices over the last 12 years thanks to new, innovative hiring practices. According to the report released this month by FutureEd, a think tank at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) has improved its rate of hiring wellqualified teachers over the last 12 years with the help of the Teacher Education and Compensation Helps (TeachDC) hiring system. The “Right From the Start” report shows that TeachDC has allowed DCPS to improve its ability to identify the candidates best suited for its schools and hire them well before the beginning of the school year. In 2009, DCPS launched the TeachDC system, a multi-stage, centralized screening process designed to help schools hire the best candidates. This pilot program replaced a hiring process that focused on teachers’ resume credentials and individual principals’ preferences. The new report from FutureEd suggests TeachDC has delivered on its goals to hire qualified teachers ahead of each new school year. With the TeachDC system,
D.C. schools can fill teaching positions early, avoiding lastminute hires and helping acclimate teachers to schools’ environments earlier, according to FutureEd Associate Director Phyllis Jordan. “Teachers can be hired, and they can spend the summer getting to know their school where they are going to work,” Jordan said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “There are still a lot of school districts out there who are scrambling to get teachers at the last minute. This is particularly a problem in high-need schools.” TeachDC helps DCPS streamline the search for teachers, placing candidates with their “best match” schools through an extensive screening, application and selection process. All candidates are required to submit an online application with several essays, and those who pass the first stage then receive an interview and submit an audition video of their skills in the classroom, according to the FutureEd report. TeachDC also encourages earlier hiring, as DCPS pays up to $2,500 to teachers hired by July 1 in critical shortage areas, including English-as-a-second language, special education, world languages and math, according to the FutureEd report. Theodore Roosevelt Senior High School, D.C.’s third-largest
high school, is currently focused on hiring teachers representative of the entire student body, especially by increasing the number of Latinx teachers, as half of Roosevelt’s student population identifies as Latinx, according to Roosevelt principal Justin Ralston (GRD ’17). “I think from what we have heard from our students, our staff and even data outcomes with how our students are performing, it is absolutely critical that we work to be able to diversify our staff to be representative of our school community,” Ralston said in a phone interview with The Hoya. While TeachDC gives D.C. schools a common starting point for hiring, principals have the flexibility to develop a system that highlights their schools’ priorities, which can range from increasing racial and ethnic diversity to decreasing turnover rates, according to the report. At Roosevelt High School, administrators have focused on staff retention amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ralston. “What I have experienced throughout the pandemic is that we really need to make sure that we are being as supportive as possible to our teachers and staff,” Ralston said. “Retention is always something on top of my mind
because I think it plays a huge role in school performance.” Historically, DCPS teachers have faced a 25% turnover rate, compared to a 16% rate nationwide. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated factors that typically contribute to higher turnover rates, including heavy workloads and lack of professional support, according to the DC Policy Center. The TeachDC model allows the school’s principal to work in conjunction with a hiring committee and other teachers in order to hire candidates that are a best fit for the school, according to Ralston. “I take great pride in the fact that every single hiring decision I’ve made as principal at Roosevelt has been 100 percent the recommendation of what came out of our personnel committee,” Ralson said. In addition to focusing on representation, FutureEd indicates in its report that schools will receive more funding to make changes after the pandemic. This funding should be allocated to refine the teacher hiring system, according to Jordan. “D.C. can continue to refine their process,” Jordan said. “What we are hoping is that other school districts take a look at this and see if they can adopt something similar.”
A Georgetown University Medical Center professor is planning to develop a global health treaty to combat future pandemics after being awarded an international peace and security research grant. Alexandra Phelan, assistant professor in the Microbiology and Immunology Department at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, received a $196,000 award from the Carnegie Corporation of New York, a philanthropic organization supporting educational programs around the world. Phelan also serves as an adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and a member of the Center for Global Health Science and Security. The prize, announced on Sept. 8, was awarded to 10 other winners, with the corporation distributing a total of $3.6 million with the purpose of exploring more equitable solutions to international security issues, including the management of pandemics. In conjunction with the Georgetown University Center for Global Health Science and Security, the project will aim to create a global pandemic treaty, a detailed set of guidelines and preparedness measures for countries across the world to follow in order for a more effective pandemic response in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Phelan. “Now we’ve got lots of these political leaders at the highest levels of government interested in pandemics and international law and we wanted to push this treaty,” Phelan said in a phone interview with The Hoya. Countries across the world have called for codified international cooperation through a global pandemic treaty, which would ensure countries are held accountable to sharing information and technology with one another. One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic was the lack of sharing across borders, according to NPR, making these treaties an important next step in combating future pandemics. For proposal submissions, the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s International Peace and Security program asked for unique management suggestions for future pandemics and their threats to global security after witnessing the difficulties that international relations experts faced with COVID-19. “At the time, the international community was struggling to form a collective response to COVID-19, and the United States was wrestling to
balance its role on the international stage with pressing domestic concerns,” the Carnegie Corporation of New York wrote in a Sept. 8 press release. Out of more than 300 submissions, Phelan’s plan was selected. A central focus of the treaty is preparedness for future pandemics so that a global response can be coordinated quickly and effectively, according to Phelan. “It’s about making sure that whatever pandemic treaty or whatever forms of international law do happen are not just informed by what the law currently is and what the science is, but are also going to make us more prepared for the next pandemic,” Phelan said. According to Phelan, the Center for Global Health Science and Security is focused on building its knowledge with a broad network of experts in areas such as law, international relations, global health security and disease. This project will improve international cooperation towards global health equity, according to Edward B. Healton, executive vice president for health sciences at the Medical Center and executive dean of the School of Medicine. “The pandemic has underscored the interdependence of our nation’s health with the health of nations globally,” Healton wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Sustainable solutions will not come from any one discipline or any one approach, but from a variety of disciplines looking at solutions from all angles.” With its capacity for research and location in the nation’s capital, Georgetown is the ideal institution for Phelan and her team to explore this project, according to Healton. “As history has demonstrated time and again, the academic setting, especially like ours at Georgetown, provides the ideal incubator where meaningful ideas emerge and change occurs,” Healton wrote. According to Phelan, a major achievement of the pandemic treaty would be creating a more equitable forum for countries to develop global health policy. “One of the things we really wanted to make sure was part of this project is that we elevate voices from the Global South in these areas of expertise to bring their perspectives,” Phelan said. “International law has traditionally been very much driven by Western countries, high-income countries, and the pandemic has demonstrated not only the consequences of that but how there’s a lot more nuance to many of these issues, and this big risk that we engage in a form of neo-colonialism with the law-making that occurs out of this.”
A10 | THE HOYA
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
SPORTS
FIELD HOCKEY
VOLLEYBALL
Hoyas Edge Out Lock Haven 1-0 in Overtime Victory
Georgetown Falls to Bellarmine in Rollercoaster 5-Set Match Brendan Quill Hoya Staff Writer
ANNA YUAN/THE HOYA
Senior midfielder Halle Gill, 2, focuses on driving the ball toward the Lock Haven goal. Gill recorded a season-high five shots in Georgetown’s 1-0 victory.
Kate Berkery
Special to The Hoya
After a scoreless regulation period, Georgetown’s women’s field hockey team broke their four game losing streak this weekend in a thrilling 1-0 overtime victory over the Lock Haven Bald Eagles. The stands of Cooper Field were packed on Sept. 19 as the Hoyas (3-4, 0-1 Big East) faced off the Bald Eagles (1-4, 0-1 A-10). The Hoyas set the tone early in the match as they outshot Lock Haven 3-1 in the first half of the game. In a display of strong leadership, fifth-year midfielder Ali Cronin used her swift defensive skills to keep the ball away from the Bald Eagles and out of the Hoyas defensive zone. The Hoyas were relentless in their efforts to find the back of the cage. Georgetown dominated in penalty corners with a tally of 14, and shots taken on most. Conversely, the Bald Eagles notched five corners with hardly any shots on the cage. On each corner, Cronin sent a crisp insert to senior midfielder Isabel Harkins, who used her strong drive to wind up before each corner and attempt to place a shot
in. Although none were successful, all shots were close to finding their way to the back of the net. The score was still 0-0 at the start of the second half, but Georgetown dominated possession to kick off the half. Freshman attacker Sophie Towne shrugged off her defender and broke off with the ball as she stared down the goalie. The Lock Haven keeper, junior Mariana Birdthistle, ran out and blocked Towne from getting a shot off. At this point, the Hoyas were dominant and anxious to put away a goal, as the ball never left the Bald Eagles’ defensive side. Suddenly, the Hoya’s offense exploded and shots were fired one after the other in the fourth quarter. Georgetown put 11 shots on the board and Lock Haven was not able to get off any in the final period. As the fourth quarter came to an end, Georgetown had taken 16 shots on net to Lock Haven’s one. But without any of either team’s attempts seeing the back of the net, regulation ended scoreless, and the game moved into overtime with a score of 0-0. As overtime kicked off, the energy was high amid the buzzer
and roaring fans. Both teams were given 15 minutes to score in this one-goal-wins overtime. With the game becoming sevenon-seven, as opposed to the standard 11, the field opened up. In a back-and-forth duel, the Hoyas and Bald Eagles each had three penalty corner attempts. Despite attempting seven shots, the Hoyas were unable to find the back of the cage. With no time to spare, Cronin took a strong shot on goal that ricocheted off Lock Haven’s keeper. The ball found its way to fifth-year attacker Emma Street, who took control of the ball. Street drove the ball towards the left side of the goal away from Lock Haven’s keeper. The ball slammed into the back of the net as Street scored the golden goal. The team immediately rejoiced into celebration, and players rushed the field. This week, the Hoyas are on the road again for two more away games up in Providence, Rhode Island. They will take on the Providence College Friars (4-4, 0-1 Big East) Friday, Sept. 24, and the Brown University Bears (3-3, 0-0 Ivy League) Sunday, Sept. 26.
On Saturday, Sept. 18, Georgetown volleyball dropped a heartbreaking match against the Bellarmine Knights in its last game at the University of Virginia’s annual Jefferson Cup in Charlottesville, Va. This game was the Hoyas’ third in two days, following losses to Fairleigh Dickinson 3-2 and the University of Virginia 3-0 on Friday. These matches were the last of nonconference play for Georgetown before Big East conference play begins this week. The Hoyas (4-7) went down early to the Knights (4-7) by a score of 7-1 in the first set. Despite the initial shock, Georgetown quickly recovered offensively behind the outstanding play of first-year outside hitter Mary Grace Goyena. Goyena recorded six of her team-high 23 kills in the first set to keep the Hoyas afloat. After narrowing the Bellarmine lead down to 8-7, the Hoyas and the Knights went back and forth for the remainder of the first set. Neither team was able to open up more than a three-point lead. Ultimately, the Hoyas were able to string together a 3-0 run down the stretch, winning the first set 25-23. Georgetown came out hot in the second set, opening an early 5-2 lead. Bellarmine fought
back and held a 17-13 lead midway through the set. Just when it looked like the Knights were going to run away with the set, the Hoyas went on a 4-0 run to take a 22-20 lead. Although Bellarmine fought off two straight set points, a combination block by junior right side Peyton Wilhite and sophomore middle blocker Chanelle Smith gave Georgetown a final 26-24 lead and the second set victory. Up two sets after consecutive narrow victories to open the contest, it seemed like Georgetown had all the momentum necessary to win the match. But four Hoya attack errors and one service error propelled the Knights to a 7-0 run early in the third set. The impressive play of firstyear setter Lilly Costigan helped Georgetown keep the rest of the set close, making up for the initially sloppy play. Costigan served as the Hoyas’ floor general, dishing out 12 of her game-high 53 assists in the third set. At one point Costigan assisted on five Hoya points in a row. In spite of Costigan’s performance, Bellarmine ultimately took advantage and won the third set 25-23. With Georgetown leading two sets to one, the fourth set proved to be a true back-andforth affair. Neither team could create more than a three-point lead before the Hoyas went up 22-18. With victory in sight, Georgetown repeated its sloppy play from the third set. Three attack errors and a service er-
ror fueled a 7-1 Bellarmine run down the stretch, giving the Knights a 25-23 victory. Both teams were exhausted after four exhilarating sets, and Bellarmine utilized its momentum to win the fifth set to 15. The Knights went up 6-1 early and Georgetown never recovered, ultimately losing 15-7 and bringing an end to a rollercoaster match. Despite going 0-3 at the Jefferson Cup, one bright spot for the Hoyas was senior libero Jessica Cusi. Cusi was named to the all-tournament team after averaging 4.92 digs per set across the three matches. Georgetown Head Coach David Heller said he viewed the three Jefferson Cup matches as a positive learning experience for a Hoya squad that is playing for the first time in nearly two years. “Taking a year and a half off has had its challenges in regards to training time,” Heller said in an email to The Hoya. “I think that we had some great success in teaching moments for our younger players and allowed our seniors to display leadership at those times too. The Hoyas will now open conference play hoping to find success against Big East rivals. Georgetown opens conference play at home against DePaul (7-5) on Friday at 5 p.m. EDT and Marquette (9-2) on Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT. Both matches will be played at home at McDonough Arena.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
No. 25 GU Dominates William & Mary to Continue Undefeated Season
BEWARE THE HYPE
Barcelona’s Decline Will Ripple Throughout the Soccer World Christian Baldari Columnist
Unfortunately for FC Barcelona fans, the most decorated club in Spain is in serious need of a rebuild, and the club’s next moves could shake up the power balance both in Spain and throughout Europe. Ever since Barcelona legend Lionel Messi left for French club Paris Saint-Germain in August, the Catalan club, once the apex predator of international soccer, is paying the price for its divorce with its former Argentine superstar. They are lavishly spending on other stars, to the point where there was no money left for Messi. In both domestic and European competition, the Blaugrana’s performances to start the season have been concerning when compared to the club’s former glory: two wins and two draws in four LaLiga games is discouraging. In the first gameweek of the UEFA Champions League (UCL), Barça’s 3-0 loss — at home — to German club Bayern Munich was humiliating given the historical prowess of the Catalan club. It begs the question: what’s next for Barcelona? One step should be to prioritize youth. Last season, Messi’s enormous talent managed to cover up the cracks in Barcelona’s lineup, but without him, head coach Ronald Koeman must recognize the deficiencies in his team. The current squad is barely strong enough to compete for the LaLiga title, so its best bet would be to use this LaLiga and UCL season — early returns show the team can’t win these competitions this season, anyway — as a jumping
board for future trophies. That means molding a starting eleven around young players such as Pedro Gonzalez, the 18-year-old midfielder who made his name at this summer’s Euros, Ansu Fati, the 18-year-old forward still recovering from injury and Frenkie de Jong, the 24-year-old playmaker. Veteran players, such as 34-year-old defender Gerard Piqué, 33-year-old midfielder Sergio Busquets and 32-year-old left back Jordi Alba — who have all been at the club for over nine seasons — should also remain in the squad to provide leadership and continuity as Barcelona transitions into life after Messi. Maximizing the young players’ minutes will allow them to evolve into leaders and indispensable contributors for the club. Barcelona’s goal should be to mold the next Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, or, of course, Messi — products of Barcelona’s youth teams who later became club legends. But the club cannot do that if older, high-wage players like Memphis Depay, Martin Braithwaite or Philippe Coutinho — good players but, ultimately, not difference-makers — are commanding the most touches. As a result of Barcelona’s postMessi struggles, the club’s brand has lost its former allure. Not long ago, the Camp Nou was the dream destination for A-List free agents, but without a coherent identity or a roster equipped to win trophies in the immediate future, Barcelona will miss out on many of the world’s best players. Clubs that are prepared to win, such as PSG, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are far more appealing to players looking to sign somewhere. LaLiga also lost entertainment value when its best player,
Messi, left for the French Ligue 1. Without its most marketable player, LaLiga will sell fewer jerseys and command smaller TV audiences, further diminishing its influence on the world stage, even more so after the departure of former Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo in 2018. Barcelona’s Messi-induced restructuring, however, has had the counterintuitive benefit of making LaLiga more competitive. In the 17 seasons since the 20042005 season, Barcelona and Real Madrid have combined to win 15 LaLiga titles — Atlético Madrid won the other two, in the 20132014 and 2020-2021 seasons. In nine seasons since the 2012-2013 season, the top three have consisted exclusively of some combination of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid; clearly, the competition has been predictable and lacking in real parity. With Barcelona failing to dominate in the manner fans are accustomed to, though, another team could challenge for a spot in the top three, cracking nine years of exclusivity. An ascendant team, such as Sevilla, Real Sociedad or Villareal, could supplant the depleted Catalans as a title challenger. If so, the league and fans around the world would be better off, savoring the sight of a smallbut-mighty newcomer potentially throwing a giant off its perch. Barcelona, with its rich history, championship pedigree and financial status, will rebound. But it will take the Catalans at least two or three seasons to assemble a team and identity capable of competing — and winning — LaLiga and the UCL. In the meantime, Barcelona’s rivals will delight in the opportunity to fill the power vacuum — if only a temporary one — the Blaugrana leave behind.
ANNA YUAN/THE HOYA
Junior forward Gia Vicari, 10, concentrates as she dribbles the ball down the field. Vicari logged two goals and an assist in the 6-0 win over the Tribe.
John Whelan
Special to The Hoya
The Georgetown women’s soccer team shone in a dominant 6-0 road triumph on Saturday, Sept. 18 against William & Mary. Under clear skies at AlbertDaly Field in Williamsburg, Va., the Hoyas extended their undefeated season while winning just their second game against the Tribe in 10 matchups all-time. Following three straight draws, the Hoyas seem to have returned to their winning ways with two straight shutout victories. In the first half, No. 25 Georgetown (4-0-4) commanded possession from the opening kickoff, totaling five shots and five corner kicks while shutting out William & Mary (2-5-0) in both categories. However, stout defensive play from both the Hoyas and W&M led to a slow remainder of the first half following Georgetown’s initial offensive attack. The Tribe’s young back line and goalkeeper were no match for the Hoyas. Georgetown’s offense was led by the prolific junior forward Gia Vicari, who logged two goals and an assist. Georgetown recorded 10 total shots on goal, converting 60% into points against the inexperienced defense. Georgetown found the back of the net early when senior midfielder Maya Fernandez-Powell’s well-placed corner kick led to an uncontested header into the goal by graduate midfielder Daisy Cleverley just two minutes into play. The Hoyas con-
tinued to play aggressively on offense, totaling three corners within the opening 15 minutes and consistently using forwards to box out the keeper. Georgetown made few errors during the game and showed great composure both on William & Mary’s side of the pitch and in their own box. The Tribe struggled to find a spark against the Hoyas’ formidable three-defender back line and attempted their only shot on goal in the 80th minute. However, William & Mary did show signs of life soon after Georgetown’s first goal by creating solid spurts of possessions, yet they struggled to convert passes into shot opportunities. The Tribe’s most threatening possession of the first half came from forward Gabriella Kurtas’ dangerous through-ball twenty minutes into play, but textbook tackling from Hoya graduate defender Sydney Cummings returned the ball back to Georgetown. The Hoyas capped off a controlled first half with a ground shot slotted to the corner by sophomore midfielder Tatum Lenain, which was assisted by a pass through traffic from firstyear midfielder Eliza Turner. William & Mary, down a surmountable two goals, went into the second half with a desperate need to create offensive opportunities after logging no shots through the first 45 minutes. Early in the second half, Vicari quickly quieted hopes of a William & Mary comeback. Assisted by senior midfielder
Devon Lis, Vicari slipped past a napping Tribe defense and capitalized with a masterful right-footed ground shot slotted to the far post. From there, William & Mary struggled to put up much of a fight, allowing another Georgetown goal just five minutes later. With 33 minutes left in regulation time, Vicari again outran a Tribe defender to score a controlled left-footed shot off an assist from junior midfielder Julia Leas. The Hoyas continued to capitalize and wear down a lethargic and fatigued William & Mary defense. A bright spot for the Tribe defense was a tremendous jumping save from goalkeeper Grace Lemely to deny a goal from Turner. Georgetown’s most impressive goal came in the 63rd minute, when a precision cross from senior defender Jenna Royson and a touch from Vicari set up first-year defender Cyanne Doyle for an easy tap-in. The Hoyas showed chemistry in their threeon-two attack, culminating in their fifth goal of the match. Fernandez-Powell clinched the six-goal victory with a penalty kick to secure her second goal of the night, striking the ball toward the right post as the keeper dove toward the left. The Hoyas look to their first Big East matchup on the road against Creighton (6-2-1) in Omaha, Neb., on Sept. 23. The Bluejays are coming off a loss against Iowa State and will look to bounce back against a disciplined and talented Georgetown team.
THE HOYA | A5
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM
NEWS IN FOCUS
Inside Look at The Parks at Walter Reed
PAGE FIVE
Your news — from every corner of The Hoya
VERBATIM
INSIDE THE ISSUE
And of course, it’s not just COVID, also the flu.”
WALTER REED MEDICAL CENTER
Neighborhood development efforts continue at the old Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where developers are repurposing old buildings and facilities to complete a redevelopment project.
Kenneth Boggess (SFS ’24) DMV Residents can now access at-home abortion on the Arrupe Hall COVID-19 medication. Story on A8. outbreak. Story on A7.
GUSA Senate Demands Greater Wedding Party Hit in Latest Transparency After Break-In String of Georgetown Eggings Uri Guttman
Special to The Hoya
The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate unanimously passed a resolution Sept. 19 demanding more information from the university about a break-in early Sunday morning in the New South dormitory. The resolution alleges the university did not provide enough communication to students when an unknown individual entered New South, armed with a knife and following students, around 1 a.m. Sept. 19. An unknown person pulled a fire alarm, prompting students to evacuate the building. Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) searched the crowd and eventually found the perpetrator; the suspect fled the area, however, before GUPD could detain the perpetrator. GUPD Chief and Associate Vice President of Public Safety Jay Gruber announced Sept. 20 that GUPD officers had detained the suspected intruder, according to a Sept. 20 email to New South residents obtained by The Hoya. GUPD first contacted New South residents about the breakin at 9 p.m. Sept. 19, around 20 hours after the incident was first reported. The lack of immediate communication from GUPD or the university left students in the dark about the situation, according to the resolution. “Little information about the incident is publicly known beyond rumors,” the resolution reads. “The University has not sufficiently communicated with students, both those living in New South and not, about the incident.” The break-in should have
warranted a HOYAlert, a message sent to all Georgetown students and faculty during emergency situations, to provide immediate information and instruction to Georgetown students, according to GUSA Senator Zev Burton (COL ’22), who introduced the legislation. “For the amount of HOYAlerts that we get, I feel like an intruder into a dorm would be at the top of the list,” Burton said during the GUSA meeting. “I’ve been at Georgetown for three years now, and I’ve never heard of an
“The University has not sufficiently communicated with students, both those living in New South and not, about the incident.” GUSA RESOLUTION
intruder entering into a dorm before. That is more of a reason to get a HOYAlert, not less.” In addition to better communication, the university needs to provide more robust safety measures for students going forward, according to GUSA Senator Sam Li (SFS ’24). “I believe that the university definitely has work to do in terms of keeping students safe,” Li wrote in an email to The Hoya. “While I am not sure additional security measures uniformly applied across campus is the best
idea, I do believe heightened security in targeted areas/potential security training sessions for students could be helpful.” When contacted for comment, a university spokesperson referred The Hoya to the two emails sent from Gruber to New South residents Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. GUPD Chief Gruber did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Hoya. As part of the resolution, the GUSA Senate signed on to an open letter urging the university to improve communication with students during emergency situations. As of Sept. 21, 325 students have signed on to the letter. During the Sept. 22 Student Safety Advisory Board meeting, a biweekly forum between GUPD officials and student leaders to provide feedback on GUPD policies and practices, members of GUSA joined other attendees and Gruber to discuss strengthening university safety protocols in light of the New South incident. The university aims to create quicker and more frequent communication from GUPD to students during emergency situations, according to GUSA Senate Speaker Leo Rassieur (COL ’22). “From meeting with GUPD Chief Gruber, we know that the University is working to improve their threat response system by putting out communication faster moving forward,” Rassieur wrote in an email to The Hoya. “My hope is that the University focuses on improving GUPD’s procedures.” Above all, students should be informed of campus security issues in a timely and direct fashion, according to Burton. “All we need is recognition and the assurance from the university that a freshman dorm will not be broken into,” Burton said.
Liam Scott
Hoya Staff Writer
Before he arrived in Georgetown last weekend for his Sept. 18 wedding in Dahlgren Chapel, Tim Huether (COL ’10, LAW ’17) already knew about the eggings that had been taking place in the neighborhood. So when Huether, two of his groomsmen and his sister, were egged repeatedly on the eve of his wedding while they were having a drink outside Martin’s Tavern on Wisconsin Avenue, he was shocked it happened to him. Huether said that around 10:15 p.m. that night, someone in a black car threw an egg at the group, the shell landing in between his feet. “A little piece of eggshell ended up on my lap,” Huether said in a phone interview with The Hoya. The same car returned about 15 minutes later, throwing another egg at the group. By the time the car returned for a third time, Huether had left, but his friends told him the perpetrator again threw an egg at them. In one of those incidents, an egg splattered all over one of his groomsmen’s jackets, Huether said. Martin’s Tavern was unable to provide The Hoya with security footage by the time of publication. This incident is not the only one that has occurred since The Hoya last reported on six separate eggings in the neighborhood. Since Sept. 10, The Hoya has confirmed at least nine more egging incidents in and around the Georgetown neighborhood, including one that took place before Sept. 10.
Georgetown University students and other community members have been the targets of these attacks. At around 9:15 p.m. on Sept. 13, Galen Vandergriff and his wife, residents of the nearby McLean Gardens neighborhood, were walking on Reno Road when someone in a black car threw an egg at them. The egger missed, according to Vandergriff. “It’s a little upsetting. You’re just out for an evening stroll, and somebody is trying to ruin your evening,” Vandergriff said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “It’s cowardly.” About 45 minutes later, someone threw an egg at Ravi Mistry (MBA ’23), narrowly missing his face. Mistry was walking by the Russian Embassy on Wisconsin Avenue. The perpetrator threw the egg from a black car, Mistry told The Hoya in a phone interview. Mistry called the nonemergency police line to notify authorities of what happened. On Sept. 14, Julie Chung, a first-year law student at American University, was walking with her boyfriend Katin Perez (GRD ’23) across Key Bridge at around 10 p.m. when she said she was egged by someone in a red car. “I was very confused,” Chung said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I was like, ‘What? What’s happening? What did I just get hit with?’ And I was looking at it, and I could see the egg shell on the floor. I was like, ‘Oh my god. I got hit by an egg.’” The egg hit Chung’s arm with enough force that, when it cracked on her, the shell drew blood, she said. A moment later, the un-
identified perpetrator threw an egg at another couple on the bridge, according to Chung, who then decided to call the nonemergency police line to notify authorities of what happened. Later that night, a group of Georgetown undergraduates were egged outside the CVS on Wisconsin Avenue, according to Alexander Gough (COL ’23), who got hit in the chest with a raw egg. Gough also reported seeing a red car. This matches the vehicle description provided by the egging victims of early September. Anyone who is a victim of an egging should report the incident to the Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) or the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), according to a university spokesperson, who added that GUPD is not actively investigating the eggings. “The university constantly monitors the safety of its campuses and surrounding neighborhoods,” the university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We do take these reports very seriously.” MPD is not currently investigating any eggings as no victims have filed reports, according to Sean Hickman, MPD officer. “There have been no reports located in reference to egging offenses,” Hickman wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Unfortunately, if there has not been a report filed then there is no victim or offense to investigate.” Going up and down the same street is an intentionally brazen choice, according to Huether. “It’s the Joker mindset of just sowing chaos,” Huether said.
GU Mutual Aid Faces Operational Challenges as Donation Rates Decline Julia Kelly
Special to the Hoya
After 13 months of operations, the Georgetown University Mutual Aid Network has struggled to keep its request form available as campus opened fully for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Megan Huynh (NHS ’22) and Binqi Chen (NHS ’22) created the GU Mutual Aid Network in August 2020 to provide grassroots financial assistance for members of the Georgetown community amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Since its founding, the program has redistributed over $130,000 to community members. Yet as the organization fundraises for the first time in a fully in-person campus environment, its request form has closed repeatedly because of a lack of community donations. A decrease in donations is typical for the start of a new semester, according to Huynh. “As we’ve typically seen with the start of a new semester, this fall, we have seen increased demand for requests and have seen less and less donations from students, which has caused us to have to close our request form several times because we do not have enough funds to fulfill everyone’s needs,” Huynh wrote in an email to The Hoya.
Closing the form is concerning for the community’s well being, since GU Mutual Aid provides students with necessities, according to Huynh. “Many students rely on Georgetown Mutual Aid’s funds to support their basic needs like groceries, textbook costs, and transportation. The longer the form stays closed, the more students do not have their needs met,” Huynh wrote. During the pandemic, the presence of mutual aid networks has increased throughout the country. However, these grassroots newsworks have existed for centuries, originating from communities of color seeking to pool resources for community support. Huynh said the $130,000 milestone shows how community collaboration can help alleviate wealth inequality at Georgetown. “Being able to serve as a source of support for Georgetown students throughout these difficult times has been such an impactful experience, and reaching such a large amount raised has shown that community care can and does work as we continue practicing wealth and resource redistribution in a student body with so much wealth inequality,” Huynh wrote. In 2017, Georgetown
ranked 12th out of 38 schools in a study detailing wealth inequality, with more students coming from the top 1% of the income scale than the bottom 60%. The median household income from Georgetown’s class of 2013 was $229,100, while the national median income for a household in 2013 was $51,939. Students with the means to do so should donate to the fund, according to Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senator Brett Guessford (COL ’23), who organized a social media fundraiser for GU Mutual Aid in April. “I will continue to support Mutual Aid whenever I can, as I know that, despite my own hardships, I am in a better position than some of my peers, but I would still like to see more participation in Mutual Aid among the more elite sections of the Georgetown community,” Guessford wrote in an email to The Hoya. “There is a lot of untapped potential and good work that could be done if (even marginally) more wealth from upper class students were shared in solidarity with their less fortunate peers.” Last spring, GU Mutual Aid collaborated with The Corp to help provide students with greater food options on campus by reallo-
cating student Flex dollars, which can be used at many Georgetown dining services, to students in need. While The Corp is not currently accepting Flex dollar donations, it periodically opens the donation form when Mutual Aid funds dip below $1,000 and during the final week of the semester before Flex dollars expire, according to Rose Dallimore (SFS ’22), community engagement chair and board member at The Corp. Dallimore said that as of Sept. 20, The Corp had redistributed $2,362.99 Flex dollars and had $4,160.34 left to redistribute. The Corp supports GU Mutual Aid’s commitment to the Georgetown community and values the opportunity to help the organization achieve its goals, according to Dallimore. “We love GU Mutual Aid’s infrastructure and the support they provide to the community, and this was a way for us to use our services and flex collection abilities to help students support eachother,” Dallimore wrote. Huynh said she is grateful for the support of students over the last year. “We could not exist without the support of the student body, so we are so grateful to everyone who has ever donatKIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA ed or shared our posts in helpGU Mutual Aid struggles to keep its request form open ing us raise $130,000 in a little over a year,” Huynh wrote. amid a drop in donations from community members.
THE HOYA | A11
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM
SPORTS FOOTBALL
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY
Crimson Offense Overwhelms GU HARVARD, from A12
@PFF/TWITTER
No. 1 draft pick Trevor Lawrence has struggled in his first two games for Jacksonville, throwing five interceptions.
No Need To Panic About Rookie QB Growing Pains BRENNAN, from A12
two games, but he also hasn’t made big mistakes, with zero interceptions. Unlike the other four quarterbacks in this class, though, Jones’s ceiling is not much higher than how he’s playing right now. He’s great at making reads and being accurate, but he does not have the skills you can’t teach, like size, speed or arm strength. Even so, Jones is the most likely to be successful because of his brain and his situation. While some of the others will become stars and surpass him because of their physical gifts, Jones really is a sure thing. And despite his low ceiling, that’s high praise for a rookie. The verdict here is simple — most of these guys will be fine. They don’t look bad because they shouldn’t be in the NFL; they look bad because they’re rookies, and most of them don’t have a great supporting cast around them. Like any good coach would say, just give them time. Rookie quarterbacks aren’t supposed to be good.
against the Carolina Panthers. Wilson showcased why he was the second pick in the draft, moving around the pocket like a veteran and hitting offplatform throws that make up highlight reels. Even after his horrible Week 2 performance, I still have faith Wilson can flourish in the league. While Trey Lance and Justin Fields were picked in between Wilson and Mac Jones, neither of the two have started a game yet. Fields was forced into emergency duty this past week when Andy Dalton went down with an injury and did not look great — but like Lawrence and Wilson, he’ll likely be fine eventually. Lance has played just four snaps, although he converted one into his first career touchdown, a promising sign. The Patriots took Jones 15th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, and so far, he’s looked like the most professional quarterback of the bunch. This was expected. Unlike the Jets and Jaguars, the Patriots have a top-tier head coach and a solid offensive line and supporting cast. All Jones has had to do is find the open receiver in a timely fashion and he’s been doing that well. He only has one touchdown through
Tim Brennan is a sophomore in the McDonough School of Business. Any Given Sunday appears online and in print every other week.
SUDOKU 8 3
5 4
3
1 4
9 4
6
7
9
1
5 1
7
5 4
6 8
1
4
5
3
out. Campbell grabbed the ball and returned it to the endzone, putting up two points on the board with a safety for the Hoyas. Gaining some momentum, the Hoyas made steady advances on their next drive, pushing their way to the Crimson 15-yard line. On third-and-10, Brunell passed to Tomas for Georgetown’s first touchdown of the game. Harvard running back Aaron Shampklin quickly responded with a 36-yard rushing touchdown. Shampklin’s drive ended the first quarter with a score of 20-9, with Georgetown down. The second quarter proved to be slower than the first. On the opening drive, the Hoya defense kept Harvard from scoring a touchdown. On fourth-and-9, Harvard kicker Jonah Lipel made a 42-yard field goal. Senior running back Herman Moultrie III made small advances on Georgetown’s next drive, but the Hoyas were still forced to punt. Harvard took advantage of this opportunity and completed a 59-yard touchdown run, increasing its lead to 30-9. Attempting to put some points up, Brunell hit senior wide receiver Cameron Crayton for 33 yards to the Harvard 31yard line. The Harvard defense stood strong, thwarting Georgetown’s 13-play attempt to score. Though they had some good looks in the first half, the second half of the game saw the Hoyas struggle to keep up with Harvard’s running game. The beginning of the third quarter didn’t see much action, with a series of back-and-forth drives between the two teams.
ANNA YUAN/THE HOYA
Senior wide reciever Cameron Crayton is tackled by a Harvard defender after catching a pass. Crayton led all players with seven receptions for 115 yards. While Brunell and the Hoyas added many passing yards with a continual effort, they failed to convert any into touchdowns. Picking up the pace later in the third quarter, Harvard saw two back-to-back touchdowns. On third-and-nine, Brunell’s pass was intercepted. Harvard Quarterback Charlie Dean passed to tight end Adam West for a 5-yard touchdown. With Georgetown’s subsequent four-play drive, the ball returned to Harvard hands. The Hoyas’ defense resisted Harvard’s touchdown attempt toward the end of the third quarter, taking the 12-play drive into the fourth quarter. But this effort proved insufficient. Capitalizing on Shampklin’s successful runs that helped bring the Crimson to Georgetown’s 6-yard line, quarterback Luke Emge, who entered the game in
the third quarter, made a short run into the endzone for the last touchdown of the game. Emge’s touchdown secured the Harvard win, putting the final score at 44-9. Georgetown junior quarterback Tyler Knoop saw some playing time toward the latter half of the fourth quarter. He was sacked in the backfield but weathered through it. With the exception of the rushing yards from Moultrie and first-year running back Naieem Kearney, the Hoyas mainly played a passing game led by Brunell and Crayton. But Georgetown’s effort was no match for Harvard’s runningoriented strategy, as the Crimson accumulated a total of 335 rushing yards. Georgetown football Head Coach Rob Sgarlata said Harvard’s running game was the
most challenging aspect of the Georgetown-Harvard match. “Their two running backs were really good players,” Sgarlata said in a postgame interview with The Hoya. “Our defense isn’t used to giving up big runs like that, so we’ll go back and take a look and regroup.” Sgarlata said that even in a loss, the game was a good starting point to look for improvements for the rest of the season. “This is a good gauge for us,” Sgarlata said. “I wish we played a bit better in some of the crunch time moments, but our kids kept coming back. I was proud of the effort overall.” The Hoyas are not letting this defeat put them down as they continue their season. They prepare to travel to New York City to face off against the Columbia Lions (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) on Saturday, Sept. 25 at 1:00 p.m.
NEWS
DC Seeks To Welcome World Cup in 2026 DC2026, from A12
“Today we have the opportunity to create new memories as part of the historic multinational bid,” Moctezuma said in a Sept. 19 press conference at the International Spy Museum in D.C. The District is a storied American soccer region. It has hosted matches at three prior FIFA World Cups — the 1994 men’s World Cup and the 1999 and 2003 women’s World Cups, as well as 1996 Olympic soccer. Mark Ein, DC2026 advisory board co-chair, noted D.C. has hosted more U.S. national team matches than any other city in the world. D.C. is both the nation’s official capital and its soccer capital. The 1994 tournament was a catalyst for changing attitudes toward the sport in the country. The combination of urban growth in D.C., as well as the rise of the most exciting iteration of young players the United States men’s national soccer team has ever witnessed, means the 2026 World Cup could be the perfect storm for the world’s greatest sport to explode domestically. With any luck, the District hopes to find itself right in the eye of that storm. D.C. boasts many opportunities as a potential host city, according to Gina Adams, corporate vice president for government and regulatory affairs at FedEx and honorary chair of
COURTESY MIKE B PHOTOGRAPHY
CONCACAF President Victor Montaglini (left) and Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) (right) celebrate D.C. as a potential host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. the DC2026 advisory board. “Where else can soccer fans watch the world’s most popular game while also enjoying experiences brought from everywhere the game is played?” Adams said at the press conference. Bowser emphasized the World Cup will coincide with the United States’ 250th birthday. The four-week festival of football is a party in itself, and the combination of these events would precipitate fireworks of the best kind. “We think it’s the perfect marriage to bring the world’s greatest sporting event to the nation’s capital on the Fourth of July for the nation’s birthday,” Bowser said at the press conference. In its proposal, the DC2026
team unveiled its vision for the 2026 FIFA Fan Fest on the National Mall. The press release for the event noted that it would be the largest Fan Fest by size and that a combined celebration would be “expected to draw more than one million attendees, which would make it the largest attended single event in FIFA history.” While the event celebrated hopes to bring the World Cup to D.C., the effort may fail because of lackluster stadium conditions in the area. The 82,000seat FedEx Field in Landover, Md., is 24 years old and would need to have its seating altered slightly to accommodate the yardage of a soccer field. It was of utmost importance
to FIFA’s primary tournaments and events officer Colin Smith that FIFA provide the best playing surfaces and facilities in the world. There are a plethora of other training facilities in D.C. that were considered suitable, including Audi Field, Segra Field and Georgetown University’s Shaw Field. Bowser spotlighted D.C.’s unique ability to bring sports fans together, vocalizing hopes to bring World Cup matches to the district in 2026. “There’s no better place to be than the sports capital, the District of champions — Washington, D.C.,” Bowser said. “And after this weekend’s visit, we can count on FIFA to make the right choice, to see that it is obviously D.C.”
Last issue’s solutions
2
9
6
3
4
5
8
7
1
5
8
1
7
2
6
3
4
9
7
4
3
8
9
1
2
5
6
6
5
8
9
1
3
4
2
7
4
3
2
6
8
7
9
1
5
9
1
7
2
5
4
6
8
3
8
6
5
4
7
9
1
3
2
3
7
4
1
6
2
5
9
8
1
2
9
5
3
8
7
6
4
MEN’S SOCCER
No. 1 Hoyas Remain Undefeated CREIGHTON, from A12
a controversial call by referees. Video replays indicate that there was contact on the play, which would have given Creighton a penalty kick. Creighton Head Coach Johnny Torres repeatedly pointed to the other side of the field, reminding the officials of two earlier plays where the Bluejays felt they were fouled, yet the referees had swallowed their whistles.
However, the Bluejays got their penalty kick opportunity minutes later as Georgetown junior defender Daniel Wu slide tackled a Creighton attackman in the penalty box. Creighton selected reigning Big East Offensive Player of the Year Diego Gutierrez for the penalty kick. Gutierrez launched the ball through the top left corner to tie the game at 1. The last 10 minutes of the game appeared to be a stalemate, with fans antici-
pating overtime play until Georgetown’s Tabora stole the ball from a Creighton defender. He passed it to the right, dumping the ball off to sophomore midfielder John Franks, whose shot on goal was deflected by the Creighton goalie. But with 56 seconds left, the rebound went directly back to Tabora, who rocketed the ball to the back of the net, saving the day for the Hoyas. The image of the night was Tabora sprinting in celebra-
tion to the right corner flag, jubilant teammates cheering in pursuit. Georgetown closed the game with a memorable 2-1 victory. Creighton arguably put up the toughest fight against the undefeated Hoyas this season, who secured a 6-0-0 record. Georgetown looks to continue its undefeated streak against Dartmouth (0-30) on Saturday, Sept. 25 at home. The match is set to begin at 1 p.m.
A6 | THE HOYA
THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021
NEWS
Latest Season of ‘Survivor’ Features Georgetown Junior
Law Students Urge Professors To Offer Virtual Attendance Options LAW CENTER, from A1
the most vulnerable. It puts the risk on our children and puts the risk on families who are living with illnesses.” The Law Center has policies in place to protect against COVID-19 transmission in the classroom, including requiring that students wear masks indoors and fill out a COVID-19 daily check-in to obtain a green GOCard badge for entrance to campus buildings. While most students have been cooperative with university mask requirements, students expressed discomfort after an individual entered a Student Bar Association (SBA) meeting Sept. 15 without a mask and spoke out against mask mandates, according to tweets from Law Center students and SBA delegates. Jade Baker (LAW ’22), president of the SBA, declined to comment on the incident when contacted by The Hoya. While administrators committed to enforcing COVID-19 masking and testing policies in an Aug. 30 email to Law Center students, Welna said officials have placed too heavy a burden on students and faculty to enforce @SURVIVORCBS/TWITTER rules themselves. Liana Wallace (MSB ‘23) (right) is studying international business and finance. “Unfortunately, what reWallace started watching “Survivor” when she was 3 years old. ally happens in these situa-
SURVIVOR, from A1 said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “If I had the opportunity to go, I was going to do it.” This season, Wallace joins 17 other competitors, including a former NFL player, a neurosurgeon and a pastor, on the 41st season, which is set to premiere Sept. 22. During the competition, contestants are split into competing tribes and must navigate physical conditions, difficult team and individual challenges, elimination rounds and social maneuvering in order to win the grand prize of $1 million. This year’s competition also features some changes to the game’s format, including reducing the length of the game from 39 to 26 days, as well as a new “Game Within the Game,” where viewers can solve puzzles while the show is happening for a chance to win a prize at the end of the season. Despite the changes, the game is still expected to be both physically and mentally taxing. Once Wallace was accepted to the competition, she began mentally and physically training for the competition in anticipation of the grueling conditions. She focused on nutrition, meditation and weightlifting to build muscle before the show. “I really just tried to think about the best way that I could just stay in touch with
myself, so meditation was something I thought about,” Wallace said. “I write poetry and spoken word. So I believe writing things down is important to me. And I knew I wouldn’t be able to do that out there. So I needed something else.” While Wallace’s individual physical and mental training were helpful during the game, her experiences as a Black woman in the MSB also informed her “Survivor” strategy. “Being a woman of color in the business school, where it’s predominantly white and predominantly male, I’ve had to find my own community as a minority in that space,” Wallace said. “Oftentimes there’s this dynamic where if I raise my hand in a class, I have to be right because people are questioning: Why am I there as a woman? Why am I there as a Black person? And so, there’s that constant pressure. I’m used to performing under pressure because of Georgetown and because of the business school.” The new season of the show, which was filmed in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji from April 15 to May 10 of this year, also features a new casting initiative incorporated by CBS. Under the initiative, all reality shows on the network must have 50% of cast members identify as BIPOC. In July 2020, a group of former Black contestants spoke out about their experiences
with the show, citing white production personnel’s amplification of racist storylines and mishandling of racist incidents. In response, executives from CBS met with several of the former contestants to discuss reforming the show. The new casting initiative will bring about positive changes to the game, according to Wallace. “I think it’s incredibly important because it reflects what the real world looks like, to have that in the game, and then to make the game a bit more of an equal footing,” Wallace said. “Everyone comes with these preconceived notions, and that is not going to change, but to have other people that look like you out there I think is really important. So, I am really glad CBS did make that change and I hope that more changes like that continue.” Still, Wallace sought to make the most of her “Survivor” experience by staying positive and pursuing happiness. Many Georgetown University students should similarly learn to seek joy, according to Wallace. “I think, especially as Georgetown students, we’re oftentimes fed lots of things you should be doing or do this to check off this box. But I think it’s important that people take the time to pursue things that make you really happy and things that you would never consider yourself doing,” Wallace said.
Students Organize Donation Drives, Fundraise for Afghan Refugees AFGHANISTAN, from A1 (Full disclosure: McDonald is a Sports staff writer for The Hoya). “We had an instance where two blankets went missing, which is very concerning to me, but they were returned,” McDonald said in an interview with The Hoya. No Lost Generation is a part of a broader initiative by Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA), a large refugee resettlement agency operating in Washington, D.C. NLG Georgetown plans to send all collected items to LSSNCA’s own donation drive, which is currently taking place. Activists in Afghanistan are particularly vulnerable to violence amid the Taliban conflict; Wakilzada expressed concerns about her relatives’ safety in light of the crisis. Wakilzada aims to raise $15,000 to help her family navigate U.S. visa applications and lawyer fees; as of Sept. 22, the fundraiser has reached $3,151. Wakilzada hopes that the Georgetown community will support her and her family as they confront danger from the Taliban. “I do not want to tell my
children about how my loved ones were massacred by the Taliban & how I was not able to help,” Wakilzada wrote on her fundraising page. “I want the cycle to end with me. I’m burnout & so exhausted from knocking on every door & being turned away. So, I’m turning to you. As a first-generation low-income student, I cannot sponsor my family nor can I pay for their visas/app.”
“For Afghan Americans, we are so invested because we, at one point in our lives, would like to return there one day.” TARA NOURI (SFS ‘22) Donation Drive Organizer
Wakilzada was herself a refugee to the United States as a teenager in 2015, and she said her experience as a refugee has given her a deep understanding of the situations of thousands of Afghans trying to flee the country.
“Seeing what’s happening in Afghanistan has personally impacted me, not only because I have family in Afghanistan but also because I see myself in every person in Afghanistan, and I can see how I could be one of those individuals if I didn’t become a refugee,” Wakilzada said in an interview with The Hoya. The U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, a nonpartisan partnership based out of Georgetown University, has partnered with several fundraisers for women and children in Afghanistan. Many Georgetown students also attended the March for Afghan Women on Aug. 29, a protest held by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security along with other advocacy groups, to demand the evacuation of vulnerable women in Afghanistan. As media attention dies down, Georgetown cannot look away from the continuing needs of Afghans and Afghan refugees, according to Wakilzada. “When it comes to activism and advocacy and creating safe spaces there will never be a point where we can say we have done enough and our work is done,” Wakilzada said.
tions is the onus it puts on students like myself, who are particularly vulnerable, to have to speak up and say something if we see students who are not wearing masks,” Welna said. According to Karl Hudspith (LAW ’23), who cares for a 21-month-old child, the university has not adequate-
“It’s very hard to engage in class and be focused when I’m concerned about people potentially being sick.” BENJAMIN WELNA (LAW ‘22) Parent of 6-month-old
ly enforced COVID-19 safety policies. “We’ve had three weeks of classes and I’ve had yet to show my green badge once, and I’ve entered all three of the law campus buildings multiple times,” Hudspith said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “So that is a 100% failure rate on that specific policy.” The university has instructed faculty members to make
course materials available to students who miss classes because of COVID-19 infection or exposure, but the Law Center has not mandated a virtual attendance option, according to William Treanor, dean of Georgetown Law. “Faculty members are prepared to make course materials available to students missing classes due ot COVID-19 related isolation or quarantine, or other symptoms and illnesses, based upon course content and pedagogy,” Treanor wrote in an email to The Hoya. The Law Center has worked with public health experts to follow COVID-19 safety guidelines, such as changing the ventilation system, mandating masks and vaccines and implementing a system for testing, contact tracing and quarantine, according to Treanor. The most important priority for all law students who are parents is the health of their families, and that health should not be compromised for in-person learning, according to Hudspith. “The real concern is not so much myself, it’s actually the unvaccinated kid I have and the university is not allowing that to be taken into consideration at all,” Hudspith said.
Students Express Concern For Safety After Intruder Enters New South
JULIA ALVEY/THE HOYA
GUPD Chief Jay Gruber announced in a Sept. 20 email to New South residents that officers had detained the intruder, after the suspect fled campus the night before. INTRUDER, from A1 from the building after the fire alarm went off. According to a university spokesperson, the incident was unrelated to the break-in at New South and was instead caused by a smoke detector going off. GUPD also stated that there is no evidence the New South intruder entered any other buildings on campus. There is no ongoing safety threat to students, according to the Sept. 20 email. Additionally, in response to the events, GUPD has increased its presence in campus residence halls and urged students to take caution while entering and exiting dormitories to prevent tailgating, according to the same email. Some students, however, have expressed frustration that neither GUPD nor university administration alerted students of the situation through an email or text message alert. GUPD first addressed the incident at 9 p.m. on Sept. 19 in an email to New South residents, nearly 20 hours after the incident took place. After news of the breakin spread around campus and social media, Caleb Richmond (SFS ’25) began circulating an open letter demanding improved uni-
versity communication during emergency situations. As of Sept. 22, 328 students have signed on to the petition. When contacted for comment, a university spokesperson referred The Hoya to the two emails sent from Gruber to New South residents Sept. 19 and Sept. 20. Gruber did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Hoya. The Georgetown University Student Association Senate also passed a resolution Sept. 19 calling on the university to provide more communication and security measures for students during emergency situations. The university should have done more to alert students about the situation, according to the anonymous New South resident. “I know that they sent an email to all New South residents, but I feel like they should have done that for the other residence halls and for every student on campus, because this was somewhat of a security threat, and all students should be aware to be vigilant and know that this happened on campus and that they should watch out.” The lack of immediate communication from the university or GUPD worsened the situation for stu-
dents, according to Richmond, who was visiting friends in New South when the fire alarm went off. “While transparency is a more long-term goal, I wish the university had told us anything during the events last night (i.e. shelter in place or something of the sort) as opposed to letting confusion spread through their silence,” Richmond wrote in an email to The Hoya. Student Aiden Gillies (SFS ’25), who said he interacted with the intruder in New South, felt differently. Gillies said that despite confusion among students over what was happening, GUPD was able to do its job effectively. “All of the GUPD officers were very prompt with the information that they were given at the time,” Gillies said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “They were very good about interviewing myself and all of the others who were present during the situation, so I would say on that side they handled things very well, very professionally.” Knowing the suspect was detained has been a relief, according to Gillies. “I’m just glad that he’s been in custody now and that he was arrested — I’m just happy about that,” Gillies said.
Sports
MEN’S SOCCER No. 1 Georgetown (6-0) vs. Dartmouth (0-4) Saturday, 1 p.m. Shaw Field
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 TALKING POINTS
VOLLEYBALL
NUMBERS GAME
Georgetown volleyball lost a five-
I wish we played a bit better in
set thriller to Bellarmine to cap off
some of the crunch time moments,
nonconference play on Saturday.
but our kids kept coming back.”
See A10
Football Head Coach Rob Sgarlata
6
Georgetown women’s soccer scored a season-high six goals in a dominant shutout victory over William & Mary.
FOOTBALL
GU Suffers Crushing Home Loss To Harvard Ritika Mandavilli Special to The Hoya
With roaring crowds in a fan-filled stadium on Saturday, Georgetown football hosted its first home game at Cooper Field since 2019. Coming off of an overtime win against the Delaware State Hornets (1-2, 0-0 MidEastern), the Hoyas suffered a tough 44-9 loss to the Harvard Crimson. In the first minutes of the game, the Georgetown (1-1, 0-0 Patriot League) defense held Harvard (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) to its 44-yard line before giving up a 56-yard touchdown from running back Aidan Borguet on a three-play drive. The Hoyas looked to recover from this rough start for the rest of the game but ultimately proved unsuccessful. In Georgetown’s first drive, fifth-year quarterback Joseph Brunell connected several times with senior wide receiver Joshua Tomas. The Hoyas made some yardage gains but failed to enter Crimson territory and instead punted the ball off. On the next drive, Harvard ended with another touchdown to set the score to 13-0, forcing Georgetownto step up its game. As the Crimson made an attempt for the extra point kick, senior defensive lineman Isaiah Byrd made a well-timed leap to block the kick. A frenzy of Harvard and Georgetown players fought for possession, but junior defensive back Jovone Campbell won See HARVARD, A11
ANNA YUAN/THE HOYA
Sophomore forward Marlon Tabora dribbles in a Sept. 11 game. This weekend, Tabora scored a heroic game-winning goal against Creighton.
MEN’S SOCCER
Hoyas Saved by Tabora’s 90th-Minute Goal Conor Geelan
Special to The Hoya
The No. 1 Georgetown men’s soccer team kicked off Big East play last Saturday with a nail-biting 2-1 victory over a scrappy Creighton squad, thanks to a clutch go-ahead goal by sophomore forward Marlon Tabora in the 90th minute. A record 6,577 fans filled the seats in Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Neb., on Sept. 18 to watch the Georgetown Hoyas (6-0-0, 1-0-0 Big East) and Creighton Bluejays (1-3-1, 0-10 Big East) clash in Creigh-
ton’s annual Socctoberfest event. It was the largest crowd at a college soccer game in the country this season. The Omaha crowd wasn’t alone in its excitement. Georgetown Head Coach Brian Wiese also had high expectations leading up to the match. “This should be a good advertisement for college soccer,” Wiese said in a pregame press conference. A scoreless first half featured a plethora of missed opportunities for both teams. A Creighton corner kick arced across the pitch,
only to be intercepted by the Hoyas’ senior goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis, who then collided hard with the opposing attacker. Nikopolidis had three impressive saves in the match, including an acrobatic block to his lower left in the eighth minute. The Bluejays kept pressure on the steady Hoya defense. Fans jeered as Creighton forward Diego Gutierrez juked a Georgetown defender, but then a pack of gray jerseys rotated to stifle the attack. Later on, a Bluejay cross led to a point-blank shot from forward Manu Toledano,
NEWS
which sailed high over the Hoya goalpost. In the second half, both sides picked up the pace of play. Three minutes in, a Creighton defender turned the ball over, leading to a Hoya offensive advantage. Capitalizing on the sloppy play, junior forward Stefan Stojanovic ripped the ball into the lower left corner of the net, putting Georgetown up 1-0. The Creighton squad became more aggressive to try to tie up the game. The team’s most notable effort came in the 61st minute, when a long
strike from defender Miguel Ventura rimmed off the right goalpost. If the ball had been six inches to the left, this effort would have been the equalizer. The sweltering humidity of the Nebraska night must have seeped onto the pitch because as the match progressed, tempers began to boil. Creighton’s Callum Watson received a yellow card for protesting what he thought was a missed foul call. Soon after, the Bluejay sideline was up in arms after See CREIGHTON, A11
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY
DC2026 Attempts To Get the Ball Rolling Cut Rookie QBs Some Slack Jack Lonergan Special to The Hoya
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup host city selection nears, a dedicated team of Washington, D.C. officials is determined to bring the tournament back to the nation’s capital, which is no stranger to the beautiful game. On Sept. 19, 24 delegates from FIFA and US soccer toured various sites around the city where prospective events would be hosted, including FedEx Field and the National Mall. They were joined by FIFA’s Colin Smith; Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football President Victor Montagliani; D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D); and Mexican Ambassador to the United States Esteban Moctezuma, as well as members of DC2026, the organization spearheading efforts to make D.C. a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be hosted in three countries: the United States, Mexico and Canada. The District is one of 17 cities in contention for 11 venues in these three nations. The importance of the united bid by the three North American nations was emphasized by Moctezuma.
Tim Brennan Columnist
The 2021 rookie class of quarterbacks was lauded as potentially having five future superstars. Some expected these rookies to step in and look the part right away. Yet, so far, the young prospects have failed to live up to the hype. It seems like every year people forget that rookie quarterbacks just aren’t that good. And that’s not quite an issue — at least not yet. Quarterback is the most important position on the field, mainly because it’s also the hardest position to play. All rookies have growing pains, but rookie quarterbacks? Theirs are amplified and put ovwn the biggest stage. All five of these quarterbacks will have moments this season when they look completely lost. A few of them will probably never put it all together. But I can assure you: some of them will find success, even if it’s not this year. Let’s go through the flaws and promising signs each quarterback has shown thus far. ILLUSTRATION BY: NATASHA LEONG/THE HOYA No. 1 overall pick Trevor LawAs FIFA and US Soccer Federation look to narrow down potential host cities for the 2026 rence has all the tools you want in a quarterback. He’s huge, at See DC2026, A11 World Cup, Washington, D.C. officials look to state their case for The District.
Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports
6’6” and 220 lbs., has a cannon for an arm, and is mobile. Like other rookies, though, he’s still figuring out how to read NFL defenses and make the right decisions. He’s already thrown five picks this season. But a lot of that also has to do with his situation. This season, Lawrence’s Jacksonville Jaguars finished 1-15 last year and is coached by NFL newcomer Urban Meyer. Lawrence has thrown for four touchdowns against five interceptions and has shown off his arm strength as well, so he will be fine. New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is coming off a horrific outing against the New England Patriots where he threw four interceptions in his first 10 pass attempts. Each one was worse than the next. Like Lawrence, though, Wilson is not in the best situation. The Jets are better constructed around him than they ever were around previous firstround pick Sam Darnold, but they have a rookie head coach and offensive coordinator. Even while his last game was brutal, his Week 1 performance was very encouraging. He led the Jets on two touchdown drives in the second half and almost pulled off a comeback See BRENNAN, A11