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Women’s Basketball Rallies To Narrow Comeback Victory Over St. John’s Abbey Schiller Sports Staff Writer

HAAN JUN (RYAN) LEE/THE HOYA

Georgetown Students Against Starbucks (GSAS) hosted union workers at a Feb. 22 panel before leading a rally to call on Georgetown University to end Aramark’s contract with Starbucks, which has received criticism for union busting.

Students Rally, Host Anti-Starbucks Event Caroline Rareshide Managing Editor

eorgetown Students Against Starbucks (GSAS) hosted union workers at a Feb. 22 panel followed by a rally in Red Square to call on Georgetown University to end its contract with Aramark, the university’s primary food service provider which has a license agreement with Starbucks. The panel, which took place on the national day of action for college chaptersofStarbucksWorkersUnited, featured union representatives from Starbucks Workers United

(SWU), an organization of Starbucks employees trying to organize unions; Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees (GAGE), the labor union for graduate students at Georgetown; and Unite Here Local 25, a union of hotel, restaurant and casino workers in the Washington, D.C. metro area. After the panel, attendees walked to Red Square, where student organizers projected a 115-slide slideshow against the wall of the Intercultural Center (ICC) listing the labor rights violations that Starbucks has committed. Valli Pendyala (SFS ’27), a member of GSAS who helped organize the panel and rally, said that even though

the university’s contract is with Aramark and not Starbucks, it has the power to decide whether to renew its contract with Aramark based on the food service’s license with Starbucks. “Ultimately Georgetown has the power in this contract,” Pendyala said. “They choose to employ Aramark. It’s not like Aramark just marches onto this campus and decides that they’re going to start feeding us. So even though Aramark technically has the contract with Starbucks, it’s Georgetown that decides it’s with Starbucks.” A university spokesperson said the university does not have a

contract with Starbucks and that employees in the Starbucks in Leavey Center are union-represented Aramark dining employees. “We are continuing to look closely at this important issue,” the spokesperson said. The panelists discussed their union efforts, the influence of other union strikes like SAG-AFTRA and United Auto Workers (UAW) and the role of union contracts in combating wealth disparities. Panelist Meghin Martin, a former partner at Starbucks and member of See STARBUCKS, A7

Following two tough losses to Villanova and the University of Connecticut, the Hoyas secured a clutch victory over the Red Storm, 5143, in an energy-packed homestand at McDonough Arena on Feb. 20. The Georgetown women’s basketball team (17-10, 7-9 Big East) entered its matchup against St. John’s (15-13, 9-7 Big East), looking to regain some momentum as the Big East tournament approaches. Interim Head Coach Darnell Haney said although the team encountered various challenges en route to the win, he feels confident in his team and their brand of basketball heading into the playoffs. “We need to stick to our principles and stick to our guns,” Haney told The Hoya. “I think we kind of got away from Georgetown basketball a little bit. I think we tried to make it harder than it needed to be.We just got to go to who we are and what we do and have done

all season and not try to reinvent the wheel and we’ll be alright.” Georgetown won the tipoff to begin the game, but St. John’s was quick to be the first to score. Although the Hoyas began to settle in offensively toward the middle of the first quarter, turnovers and fouls gave the Red Storm a 13-8 lead by the period’s end. St. John’s kept this lead for the rest of the first half, as the two teams traded baskets back and forth for the entirety of the second quarter. Former Hoya and current Red Storm forward Jillian Archer (COL ’22) proved to be a threat with 6 consecutive points in the period en route to a double-double game. Though a dominant block from graduate forward Mya Bembry shifted the momentum in favor of the Hoyas, the team still trailed by 3 points at the close of the half at 2320 thanks to a last-second layup by senior guard Kelsey Ransom. Georgetown began the second half with a new sense of fight in

GUHOYAS

Strong play from junior forward Brianna Scott and graduate forward Mya Bembry pushed the Hoyas to a comeback victory Feb. 20.

See WBB, A7

GU, Decision Desk to Partner, Heckler’s ‘Ass Wednesday’ Satire Host Hub Amid 2024 Election In Red Square Draws Pushback Paulina Inglima City Desk Editor

The Georgetown Heckler, a humor and satire magazine based at Georgetown University, has faced criticism after members drew butts on their foreheads in Red Square on Feb. 14, in celebration of what they called “Ass Wednesday.” The Heckler, which is student-run but unaffiliated with Georgetown University, organized the display to satirically commemorate Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, a period of 40 days of reflection and fasting. Many Christians attended

religious services and received ashes on their foreheads to mark the beginning of the Lenten season. The Heckler’s board said they did not intend to insult the spiritual meaning of Ash Wednesday or Christians’ religious practices with the joke. “We think it’s a funny and light-hearted public performance,” The Heckler’s board wrote to The Hoya. “We did not intend to make any statement about the religious significance of Ash Wednesday, or about the character or integrity of people who partake in Ash Wednesday.”

The Heckler board members said they did not feel that their actions were discriminatory toward Catholics. “We don’t really think that Catholicism is seriously threatened by a butt pun made by an university-unrecognized, unfunded club,” The Heckler board said. The Heckler’s “Ass Wednesday” gained traction online after Ashley Hayek, the chief engagement officer at a conservative think tank, the America First Policy Institute, posted a picture of the students with butts drawn on their foreheads on X, formerly known See HECKLER, A7

MCCOURT SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY/LINKEDIN

Students and faculty will now be able to help analyze 2024 election data through a collaboration between election forecaster Decision Desk HQ and the McCourt School of Public Policy.

Aamir Jamil

GUSA Desk Editor

Student interns, faculty members and graduate data fellows will now be able to help analyze the 2024 elections as part of a collaboration between Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy (MPP) and Decision Desk (DDHQ), an election results reporting website and service. As part of the partnership, announced Feb. 12., DDHQ will establish a hub at MPP’s Capitol Campus location before 15 states hold primaries on Super Tuesday, March 5. DDHQ has also hired almost 100 students to join their 2024 election night monitoring team, collecting results of federal, state and local

elections across the United States and analyzing exit polls. Elizabeth Wilner, a board member at DDHQ, said the organization pursued a partnership with MPP to generate more awareness about election processes and address Americans’ growing concerns over election security. “We worry about the growing challenges facing those who administer elections — threats against election officials, threats against poll workers, disregard for the vitally important work that they do,” Wilner wrote to The Hoya. “The point of our partnership with McCourt, and Georgetown more broadly, is to demystify the work and draw more people into it.” Sanha Tahir (GRD ’24) said she is

excited to work with DDHQ to learn more about American elections. “American politics and elections are somewhat new to me, being an international student,” Tahir wrote to The Hoya. “I hope to work in public policy in the future, and I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to rectify this ignorance. What better beginning than being actively involved with the vote counting?” Claire McDowell (CAS ’27), who plans to pursue MPP’s new joint undergraduate degree in public policy, said she hopes to learn more about data through the internship. “As someone who is heavily considering pursuing the new See DECISION, A7

@ASHLEYHAYEK/X

The Georgetown Heckler’s Feb. 14 rendering of the Christian holy day Ash Wednesday as ‘Ass Wednesday’ has drawn criticism from students and online commentators.

NEWS

OPINION

GUIDE

SPORTS

GU Politics Advisors

Resident No. 3

Miyazaki’s Masterpieces

Close, But No Win

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Five new members of the GU Politics advisory board will help oversee the university’s institute for political study.

Inclusive Housing Panel Student organizations hosted a discussion to push for inclusive housing for LGBTQ+ students. A6

Advice columnist Diane Kim (CAS ’26) offers tips for navigating the friendly-orfraught third roommate dynamic.

Fashion Flicks

Kat Mintchev (CAS ’26) describes how expressing self-appreciation through fashion photography uplifts students.

Guide columnist Sophia Lu (SFS ’26) spotlights the artistic visions of Studio Ghibli’s groundbreaking founder.

A Guide to Ghibli

Guide columnist Preston Shirazi (CAS ’27) discusses the directorial, visual and thematic magic of Studio Ghibli.

B7 Published Fridays

Despite a late scoring run, the men’s basketball team fell just short of a narrow victory versus St. John’s, falling 90-85.

Victory Deserts Hoyas

At its first-ever MLB Desert Invitational in Arizona, baseball lost all three games it played against top competition.

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