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As GU Investigates GUCR Post, Community Members Condemn Islamophobia Jacqueline Gordon Academics Desk Editor

Two days after the Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR) deleted a post claiming Muslims are incompatible with a Christian vision of the United States, GUCR members deleted the group’s X account as the club faces a university investigation following widespread community backlash. The now-deleted post on X said “Let’s Be Honest: Muslims have no place in American society.” After the post and the widespread outrage, several GUCR members denounced the post and left the club’s messaging channel, while other student organizations and individuals called for the university to sanction GUCR. After GUCR took down the post early Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for the group said the post did not fully represent the organization’s viewpoint. “We affirm the First Amendment rights of all Americans and we are called to love everyone,” a GUCR spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “Our properly articulated position is that sharia law is incompatible with Western civilization and American society as it seeks to oppress women and persecute religious minorities. This wasn’t expressed in the

original tweet which is why it was promptly deleted.” On March 11, university administrators condemned the post as Islamophobic and said they are investigating the incident. In a subsequent statement on its Instagram page, GUCR said the post did not reflect the organization’s values. “Last night, the Georgetown University College Republicans were made aware of an X post regarding Muslims in the United States,” GUCR wrote on the story post, which expired Thursday. “This post is inconsistent with the values of our organization, and was made without the knowledge of the executive board. It was promptly deleted upon its discovery. Since then, appropriate internal disciplinary action has been taken.” “The executive board has taken appropriate action to ensure posts like these would not be made again,” GUCR added. “We reaffirm our commitment to Georgetown University’s values.” Since then, GUCR has archived its entire X page. In the days leading up to and after the post about Muslim Americans, the account published multiple posts referencing minority groups in the United States, including

MATT GASSOSO/THE HOYA

Georgetown University administrators placed physics professor David Egolf on paid leave in July 2023 after a student accused him of grooming, leading to an IDEAA investigation that is now the subject of a lawsuit against the university.

Professor on Leave for Alleged Misconduct Nora Toscano, Aamir Jamil and Ruth Abramovitz Executive Editors

In July 2023, Georgetown University physics professor See GUCR, A7 David Egolf was accused of an inappropriate relationship with his student. After the student accused Egolf of grooming, the university placed Egolf on paid leave, though he remains listed as an associate professor. Three years later, Egolf is in a legal battle with Georgetown over whether he was wrongfully barred from campus and if the university’s investigation was MAREN FAGAN/THE HOYA improper. The university revealed Georgetown University College Republicans removed an in a countersuit that the 2023 Islamophobic post from X that is now facing university review. accusations came 10 years after a

student alleged sexual misconduct against Egolf in September 2013. After the 2013 allegations, Egolf signed an agreement in October 2015 that required him to receive training and a psychological evaluation, according to university-filed court documents. Before returning to teaching, he also agreed to restrictions on interactions with students. Then, with the 2023 allegations, university-hired independent investigators concluded that Egolf violated the 2015 agreement, as well as the university’s sexual harassment policy and the Faculty Handbook. The Hoya reviewed nearly 250 pages of legal arguments and internal university investigations made public through court filings.

Egolf filed suit against the university on Sept. 26, 2025, alleging Georgetown and four university officials interfered with his financial situation and contractual relations, as well as engaged in civil conspiracy against him. In its response to Egolf’s suit, the university filed a countersuit, which a judge is currently evaluating before the case can proceed. Georgetown’s countersuit states that Egolf violated the 2015 agreement and did not maintain an appropriate relationship with the student, breaching the restrictions imposed on him. In addition to violating the university’s sexual harassment policy, the response accuses Egolf of unprofessional conduct including frequent oneon-one social meetings outside

of an academic context and nonacademic communication. A university spokesperson confirmed Egolf is currently on leave but declined to comment further. The university’s attorney, Henry Platt, also declined to comment. Egolf’s lawyer, Micah Salb, verified Egolf is on paid leave and said the university’s investigation of the incident involving the student, referred to by the pseudonym Robert Roe in the lawsuit, is invalid. “When the university received a complaint from Mr. Roe, it had allegations which did not demonstrate misconduct,” Salb told The Hoya. “Nevertheless, they immediately embarked on a fullscale investigation, and the way See EGOLF, A7

GU Students Leave GU Facility Workers Ratify Final Union Qatar Amid Conflict Contract Following Months of Bargaining Ajani Stella and Nico Abreu Senior News Editors

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) has facilitated the departure of international students from its campus and moved students to a virtual program with a pass/fail option following Iran’s retaliatory strikes on Qatar. Following the United States and Israel’s joint attack on Iran that began Feb. 28, the country has repeatedly launched strikes targeting Qatar and several Gulf countries for their ties to the United States. GU-Q has operated remotely and helped non-resident students leave if they wish to do so, according to communications with students reviewed by The Hoya. On March 2, U.S. Department of State officials began urging U.S. citizens to “depart now” from Gulf countries, including Qatar. Starting March 4, GU-Q chartered buses to drive students from campus through Qatar’s open land border to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where an airport was open; Qatar’s airspace remains mostly closed to commercial travel. The university offered to cover the costs of a Saudi Arabian visa and airfare from Riyadh to the student’s destination. Adeena Hossain (SFS-Q ’27), a GU-Q student who lives on campus in Doha, said students in residential halls stayed together after the government and university warned students about the strikes.

“It was scary because, as students, we all live in the dorms, especially since I’m an international student, so we were all gathered together,” Hossain told The Hoya. “We were all watching the news and we heard the initial strikes — or the interceptions — and we were just kind of all watching them.” Qatar has intercepted most incoming missiles with its defense system and has not reported any deaths, according to the country’s defense ministry. Hossain said she took the university’s departure option because she lives in Saudi Arabia. “My parents live in Saudi Arabia, which is relatively close by, so they wanted me back home, and I know a lot of my friends also decided to leave just because Qatar’s only way out was through land — through the Saudi border,” Hossain said. “So a lot of people wanted to get out just as a precautionary measure.” Sama Alissa (SFS-Q ’27), who is a U.S. citizen living abroad, said she chose to seek help with evacuation from Georgetown administrators because she saw others’ negative experiences with U.S. officials. “I decided to take the help of my university instead of even thinking about taking the help of the embassy because I knew from the stories that I had been seeing on social media, from people that have tried to get in touch with the embassy, everyone’s See IRAN, A7

Noah De Haan and Ajani Stella

Campus Life Desk Editor and Senior News Editor

Georgetown University’s facilities workers voted to approve a new contract March 10 following negotiations between the facilities workers’ union, 1199SEIU, and the university. The 30-month contract, which went into effect immediately following the vote, includes an overall 15% pay increase compounded across five 6-month segments, a $6 increase in meal vouchers and minimum starting salary increases. Although they hoped for a greater raise, facilities workers praised the contract, which covers employees across a variety of departments, including bus drivers, sanitation workers, housekeepers, maintenance staff and landscapers. Michael Fleming, a Georgetown University Transportation System (GUTS) driver, said the workers wanted the union to begin negotiations with an 18% increase, rather than the initial demand of 16%, but are satisfied with the finalized 15% raise. “I think what I wanted — what a lot of us wanted — was 18%, to start there and then work our way down a little bit, because we knew they weren’t going to give us 18%, but it was worth a try,” Fleming told The

Hoya. “But they started off at 16%. I was a little upset with that part of it, but getting 15% is cool, and I have no problem with it.” Charles Gore, a facilities worker on the bargaining team, said workers were anxious to finalize a contract. “They’ve been waiting too long for it — since June,” Gore told The Hoya. “I think that’s what the university was counting on, as far as the impatience of employees wanting to get the contract over with so they can get their first raise.” During negotiations in February, a university spokesperson said Georgetown respects the bargaining process, citing the university’s Just Employment Policy, which guarantees fair and competitive compensation for all fulltime employees and contractors. The previous contract expired in January, but was extended indefinitely until the Tuesday vote, according to Carrietta Hiers, the vice president of 1199SEIU’s Washington, D.C. branch. The new contract applied retroactively to January, giving employees an immediate 5% raise with backpay. Hiers said university administrators listened to workers’ demands amid Georgetown’s ongoing financial restrictions. “They respected what workers were saying at the table,” Hiers told The Hoya on Monday, in advance of the vote. “They heard us. Even though they’re in a financial

bind, things are going on, they came in ready to bargain with our members. And they listened.” The Georgetown Coalition for Workers’ Rights (GCWR), a student group advocating for labor rights, supported facilities workers through the negotiation process. The organization delivered a petition to the university calling for fair wages before a February bargaining session. Elinor Clark (CAS ’27), GCWR’s facilities team lead, said the university still undervalues facilities workers and that students must continue advocating for them. “We commend Georgetown’s verbal commitment to bargaining in good faith, but when the payment of workers is undervalued and their work is under-appreciated, we as students need to step in and stand up for the community members who make this campus run,” Clark told The Hoya. “We hope that this contract can serve as a catalyst for further organizing within our Georgetown community to stand up for the needs and rights of our facilities workers,” Clark added. Fleming said he is glad the negotiation process concluded quickly and that he views the contract’s benefits as offsetting the lowerthan-hoped-for pay increase. “I was happy for it because I wanted them to hurry up and get this thing done and signed so we can move on,” Fleming

said. “A lot of people weren’t happy with the money part of it. Like I said earlier, you have to look at the bigger picture of the contract. If they give you more, you’re going to lose more in certain areas where you don’t want to lose in — like health care, 401(k), sick and vacation leave.” Most of the previous contract will remain unchanged, including health insurance premiums and parking vouchers. The pay increase is also greater than the 12% raise workers received throughout the previous contract period, according to Hiers. Gore said he hopes to work with the union to encourage the university to improve communication with workers. “Once this contract is done, there’s not much more that can be done besides changing some of the policies that the university has,” Gore said. “Those policies are hard to follow or to try and get everybody to understand when most of the employees aren’t even interested in finding out what they are.” Fleming said he hopes to see Georgetown support facilities workers into the future, citing GUTS drivers’ ongoing fight with the university over labor practices. “What I’m looking for with Georgetown is stability,” Fleming said. “Everyone around here is on pins and needles looking for Georgetown to get back to what Georgetown used to be.”

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Georgetown University suspended Fall 2026 admissions for the environmental metrology and policy (EMAP) master’s program.

The Editorial Board condemns Islamophobia on campus and calls upon the university to initiate appropriate disciplinary actions.

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Georgetown University students expressed support for the D.C. Living Wage for All Amendment Act.

Faisal Cheema denounces GUCR’s Islamophobic post, calling on community members to cultivate interfaith values.

“Don’t Look Up” reminds us to reject anti-truth propaganda and fight against our current politics, writes Penelope Snoep (CAS ’29).

Published Fridays

Eilat Herman’s (CAS ’26) spring break lands her at the World Baseball Classic, leaving her torn with her Yankees baseball identity.

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