GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 100, No. 3, © 2018
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018
COFFEE CAPITAL
Find out what’s driving the new generation of coffee shops popping up in Georgetown.
EDITORIAL Following GUSA President Sahil Nair’s (SFS ’19) resignation, the executive must step down.
GU POLITICS ON THE RECORD GU Politics launched is funding a second online student-run publication.
OPINION, A2
NEWS, A4
B SECTION
Resignations Rock GUSA Rahman, Bennett resign following senate demands Nair steps down from presidency amid allegations ERIN DOHERTY AND CHRISTIAN PAZ Hoya Staff Writers
Naba Rahman (SFS ’19), the acting president of the Georgetown University Student Association, and Chief of Staff Aaron Bennett (COL ’19) will resign Friday, effective at 11:59 p.m., according to a draft of a news release provided to The Hoya on Thursday night. Rahman and Bennett’s resignation comes after the GUSA senate demanded Rahman and 10 senior GUSA executive staff resign for failing to disclose to the body and to other executive members allegations of misconduct raised against former GUSA president, Sahil Nair (SFS ’19). The Hoya approached Rahman and Bennett for comments on their resignations. Nair did not respond to requests for comment. Tuesday morning, Rahman and 10 GUSA senior staffers, including Bennett (COL ’19) announced resignations, effective Friday, due to an inability to serve in their roles, given the “present environment within the organization,” according to resignation statements provided to The Hoya. About two hours after the resignations, The Hoya reported the existence of a letter circulating among senior leadership of student organizations that demanded Nair’s resignation and referred to allegations of sexual mis-
conduct. Rahman and senior staffers announced they would rescind their resignations after Nair resigned 10 a.m. Tuesday. The GUSA senate then called an emergency meeting for 10 p.m. Tuesday to
evaluate the transition of power and the news of the allegations. But senators at the meeting said Bennett briefed the senate in a private internal forum before the emerSee RAHMAN, A6
Tuesday, September 12, 2018
8:59 a.m. The Hoya obtains a Georgetown University Student Association news release announcing that Vice President Naba Rahman (SFS ’19) resigns, effective 12:01 AM on Friday, September 14.
7:58 p.m.
ERIN DOHERTY AND MADELINE CHARBONNEAU Hoya Staff Writers
Sahil Nair (SFS ’19), Georgetown University Student Association president, resigned
The Hoya obtains a second news release announcing that 10 members of GUSA senior staff resign, effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 14. The staff state they may reverse their decision should GUSA President Sahil Nair (SFS ’19) resign.
fective immediately. Nair did not include a reason in his resignation statement or respond to multiple requests for comment. See NAIR, A6
GUSA Chief of Staff Aaron Bennett (COL ’19) releases a statement saying that Rahman and the senior staff will formally rescind their resignations in the coming days.
The Ho y a obtains a news release announcing Nair’s resigna tion, effective immedia tely.
9:54 a.m.
9:08 a.m.
A public GUSA emergency sena te meeting begins in White-Gra venor Hall.
11:26 p.m.
10:00 p.m.
10:40 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
The Hoya reports on a letter circulating among senior leadership of student organizations, which calls for Nair’s resignation and mentions allegations of misconduct.
The GUSA senate passes a resolution to demand the resignations of Rahman, Bennett and the other nine staffers who resigned earlier in the day. Multiple senators state they have lost confidence in executive leadership.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018
12:12 p.m.
The Hoya learns that the GUSA senate will convene for an emergency session to discuss continuity of power that night, according to a GUSA senator. The GUSA Fair is postponed. No da te is yet set.
1:35 p.m.
11:36 p.m.
The Hoya reports that Rahman, Bennett and other members of the senior staff allegedly knew during the campaign of allegations of sexual misconduct against Nair, according to several GUSA senators.
The Hoya obtains a statement from the GUSA Election Commission stating that the rescissions are allowed.
Tuesday morning following announcements by then-Vice President Naba Rahman (SFS ’19) and 10 other members of the GUSA executive that they would resign effective Friday. Nair’s resignation was ef-
5:30 p.m.
The Hoya’s editorial board calls for Rahman’s resignation and for all members of the executive to step down.
Cooper Returns, Promotes New Film McCourt Student Launches Election Monitoring Initiative MADELINE CHARBONNEAU Hoya Staff Writer
When it comes to his dreams, Bradley Cooper (COL ’97) doesn’t take no for an answer. The actor and director attributed his success in film and life to hard work, dedication and authenticity at a discussion with Blair Rich (COL ’97), the worldwide di-
rector of marketing for Warner Bros., and Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia on Tuesday evening in a fully packed Gaston Hall. Cooper will make his directorial debut next month with his remake of “A Star Is Born,” in which he also stars, but his dream of directing has been with him as long as he can remember. As an undergraduate, however, he didn’t
disclose his directorial aspirations, saying that expressing his hopes of being an actor seemed more realistic. “I always wanted to be a director,” Cooper said. “But I was so terrified of the prospect that I don’t think I ever even verbally said those words, I said actor instead.” Cooper, whose film is set to release Oct. 5, said when he initially decided to shoot
CAROLINE PAPPAS/THE HOYA
a third remake of the classic 1937 film of the same name, his friends tried to discourage him from doing so. But after attending a Metallica concert and feeling the energy from backstage, Cooper said his vision for the film began to solidify and he felt he had to make it. The film follows seasoned country musician Jackson Maine, played by Cooper, as he discovers and falls in love with a struggling singer named Ally, played by Lady Gaga. “Everybody told me not to make this movie,” Cooper said. “I just didn’t really listen to anyone. I just really kept my head down and focused the way I did when I wanted to come to this university.” Cooper was dead set on transferring to Georgetown from Villanova University for his sophomore year after first being rejected by Georgetown out of high school. Much like his mindset for creating “A Star Is Born,” he said he ignored those who told him he shouldn’t transfer. “The thing I learned from trying to get into this school was never to give up,” Cooper said. “Everybody told me that I couldn’t go here, that I shouldn’t be here, that I don’t deserve to be here. But I had
Actor and director Bradley Cooper (COL ’97), middle, returned to Georgetown on Tuesday to reflect on his new film, “A Star Is Born.” He shared his Georgetown memories.
FEATURED
See COOPER, A6
NOAH BERMAN Hoya Staff Writer
Observe D.C., a nonpartisan initiative started by McCourt School of Public Policy student Ben Mindes (GRD ’19), will pilot a “sample-based” election-day observation program to provide an independent analysis of voting efficiencies in Washington, D.C. Observe D.C. will send volunteer “observers” to 83 of the 143 polling locations throughout the District to create a random sample that will be representative of the district as a whole, according to Mindes. These observers will give reports of any irregularities, imperfections or abnormalities at polling sites, and report their findings to a call center based in the Ethics Lab in Healy Hall. “The idea is to build confidence in elections,” Mindes said. “We provide a level of independent oversight the D.C. BOE [Board of Elections] can’t because they’re the ones administering the election.” All observers and call center operators will be volunteers, but observers will get $50 and
a certificate for being part of the first observer-based statistical analysis in the country, Mindes said. Mindes also said he reached out to leaders from both Georgetown University College Republicans and Georgetown University College Democrats to discuss the initiative. The effort will provide the first independent analysis of how elections are run in the District and offer citizens a way of engaging the election process that isn’t phonebanking, Mindes said. The initiative will primarily look at the accessibility of polling sites, though it will also analyze other aspects of voting precincts, Mindes said in an interview with The Hoya. “I want to make sure that if you need a wheelchair to vote, that voting machine is positioned so you can vote,” Mindes said. “If the door is heavy, it’s propped open.” While charities like Accessibility D.C., a D.C.-based organization that has meetups See ELECTIONS, A6
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
Female Lead Julia Farr (CAS ’88) has been named the Georgetown University Alumni Association’s first female executive director. A5
(Smoked-Filled) Air Jordan Columnist Hannah Urtz (SFS ’20) reflects on a Jordanian smoking culture that defies health statistics. A3
Comeback Victory The Georgetown women’s soccer team scored two second-half goals to beat George Mason 2-1. A12
NEWS Funding Innovators
OPINION Subverting Schedules
SPORTS Home Letdown
Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) launched a fund in partnership with The Marathon Foundation to support minority entrepreneurs. A8 Published Fridays
Georgetown’s planning-based culture loses its muster in France’s holy cities. A3
Georgetown football lost its home opener 13-8 against Campbell last weekend. A12 Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com
A2
OPINION
THE HOYA
friday, september 14, 2018
THE VERDICT
C EDITORIALS For Student Trust, Rebuild GUSA C Founded January 14, 1920
The resignation of Sahil Nair (SFS ’19) from the Georgetown University Student Association presidency has bred distrust in an administration that ran on a promise of representing students effectively. Nair’s departure from GUSA was prompted by the resignation of then-Vice President Naba Rahman (SFS ’19), Chief of Staff Aaron Bennett (COL ’19) and nine other high-ranking officials in his administration. The members of this administration can no longer serve Georgetown as trustworthy and effective advocates. The rest of the executive staff — from senior staff to members of policy teams — must resign immediately, although a new administration could accept currently serving staff. Senior staff members have already tendered their resignations; they must follow through on this offer to secure the trust of the student body. Juan Martinez (SFS ’20), speaker of the GUSA senate, who will become president upon Rahman’s newly reported resignation, should be given the opportunity to build his own staff (“Resignations Rock GUSA,” The Hoya, September 14, 2018, A1). Tuesday morning, a letter written by Ricardo Mondolfi (SFS ’19), chair of Students of Georgetown, Inc., and edited by Rahman and Bennett, among other GUSA officials, claimed that Nair “has faced allegations that he committed assault against several women.” Tuesday night, at an emergency session of the GUSA senate, several senators alleged that Rahman, Bennett and other members of the campaign and administration’s knowledge of these accusations dates as far back as February, during the campaign for the executive. Most concerning, in August, Rahman addressed the welcome session of New Student Orientation — a speech typically given by the GUSA president — after allegations against Nair resurfaced late this summer. Rahman and Bennett were made aware of the situation, but did not disclose the information to anybody outside of their senior staff, according to the GUSA senate and an article published today in The Hoya. GUSA officials in power were in a position to take action last month and made the amoral decision not to. This reality is not only concerning, but it also implies an inability for members of this administration to hold their peers and colleagues accountable.
This editorial board recognizes the frustrations of GUSA staff, especially policy team members, who have been as shocked by recent events as the rest of the Georgetown community. There are no perfect paths forward, only marginally preferred ones; requiring the GUSA executive to begin staffing from scratch will ensure that those entrusted with responsibility are truly deserving of it. Members of the current GUSA staff — particularly policy staffers, who often play important roles in bettering the university — could be welcomed back into future administrations, but their immediate resignations would allow Georgetown students to carefully choose who they want to represent their interests in student government. Trust in the GUSA executive has been seriously compromised, and the branch needs to be temporarily purged. Furthermore, significant unanswered questions about the complicity of high-ranking campaign and administration officials remain. Georgetown’s Title IX office, in consultation with the GUSA senate, Electoral Commission and Constitutional Council, should investigate the degree to which members of the Nair-Rahman campaign were aware of any assault accusations against Nair and take appropriate action. The Georgetown community — particularly survivors of sexual assault, who deserve the university’s especial attention and support — is owed the full truth. This editorial board — like the rest of the Georgetown community — is waiting for answers. Until then, however, the GUSA executive branch has lost too much credibility and trust to effectively govern and represent students.
C C
Content warning: This article discusses sexual assault on campus. Please refer to the end of the article for resources on and off campus.
C
A Ruff Surf — Over 70 dogs and their owners surfed up this weekend for the Helen Woodward Animal Center’s 13th annual Surf Dog Surf-a-Thon. The dogs were rated in a contest based on their shredding skills and “surf spirit.” Did You Guys Hear About Pluto? That’s Messed Up — Research published last week claims that Pluto is in fact a planet. According to the study, the standard used previously to downgrade Pluto’s status as a planet employed outdated rationale. Shoes Were Meant to Fly — Rapper Cardi B threw a shoe at her nemesis Nicki Minaj during an altercation at a New York Fashion Week party this week. According to TMZ, Minaj didn’t even flinch. Trading Recipes — At the Eastern Economic Forum on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping took a break from meetings and cooked traditional Russian pancakes together. This is the second time the two have cooked together: Putin made dumplings for Xi in the summer. Star Boss — Mark Lowe, director of Iowa’s Department of Transportation, dressed up as Captain Jean-Luc Picard from “Star Trek” in a video promoting a leadership conference to his staff. Lowe wants his employees “to boldly go where no DOT has gone before.”
EDITORIAL CARTOON by Adam Semprevivo
Resources: Emergency contraception is available at the CVS located at 1403 Wisconsin Ave NW. If you or anyone you know would like to receive a sexual assault forensic examination or other medical care — including emergency contraception — call the Network for Victim Recovery of D.C. at 202-742-1727. On-campus resources include Health Education Services (202-6878949) and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (202687-7080); additional off-campus resources include the D.C. Rape Crisis Center (202-333-7273) and the D.C. Forensic Nurse Examiner Washington Hospital Center (844-443-5732). To report sexual misconduct, you can contact Georgetown’s interim Title IX coordinator at 202-687-9183 or file an online report here.
ADA Needs a Georgetown Ally Georgetown University is notoriously unfit for individuals with physical disabilities. Elevators break, buttons to open doors are nowhere to be found and students are left searching for university support. Unfortunately, the university has not yet established an effective framework for addressing its accessibility problems, nor has it made the existing resources easy for students to use. To foster an environment where the entire Georgetown community can experience the campus unencumbered, administrators must designate an official to ensure compliance with federal law, in addition to centralizing resources in one office. Georgetown has an unmet obligation — both legal and moral — to address the areas in which it has long fallen short of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the 1990 law, Georgetown is obligated to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities. However, the university has a well-documented history of delaying response to concerns of ADA violations. To prioritize accessibility, the university should assign an official to regularly ensure the compliance of buildings with the ADA. This official should oversee a centralization of existing resources for students with disabilities in one online location, so that students do not have to seek out piecemeal accommodations for each aspect of their lives. Georgetown has a wide array of accessibility issues to address, most notably doors with ineffective — or simply nonexistent — ADA push-to-open buttons. As Anna Landre (SFS ’21), who currently serves as chair of the Georgetown University Student Association accessibility policy team, wrote in a 2017 op-ed in The Hoya, the university’s failure to address this easy-tofix problem left the Healey Family Student Center and Reynolds Hall simply inaccessible for some students (“Address Accessibility Shortcomings,” The Hoya, Nov. 3, 2017, A3). Students in residential living spaces are also regularly confronted by broken elevators and, as reported in The Hoya last week, doors that require more than five pounds of force to open — an obstacle in the path of students wishing only to return to their rooms, and a clear violation of the ADA (“Arrupe Hall Non-Compliant With ADA Requirements,” The Hoya, Sept. 7, 2018, A4). These hindrances are severely restrictive to students,
yet Georgetown has the means to address them. In an April 6 report in The Hoya, Landre, Lydia Brown (COL ’15) and Anastasia Somoza (COL ’07) — student leaders over two decades of accessibility advocacy at Georgetown — lamented the university’s inability and unwillingness to respond to student complaints (“As Accessibility Falls Short, Students Take Charge,” The Hoya, April 6, 2018, A1). “I’m not just going to sit around and complain about it and expect someone else to — because I know that’s not going to happen,” Landre said at the time. Too often, the burden of identifying and highlighting accessibility concerns falls to students with disabilities. Georgetown must bear the responsibility of actively ensuring compliance with the ADA, instead of relying on students to catch the university in its negligence. Under current policy, ADA compliance issues are assigned on a case-by-case basis. Non-discrimination and equitable employment concerns are directed to the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action, while the Academic Resource Center handles academic accommodations and medical housing. The Office of Planning and Facilities Management is tasked with addressing work order requests, such as broken elevators and faulty ADA-compliant buttons on doors, while the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle handles requests related to transportation difficulty. Georgetown’s approach to accessibility is structured to address one-off situations, rather than recognizing the problematic reality that our campus is not designed to meet the needs of all of its students. The university should develop a process of regularly checking buildings, doors, elevators and other areas with histories of inaccessibility, instead of relying on students who report difficulty navigating campus. Furthermore, the university should aggregate all of its accessibility resources — including the coordinator responsible for monitoring campus — under one office, such as the IDEAA. Monitoring ADA compliance must no longer be the responsibility of students with disabilities. Georgetown needs to clearly demarcate an entity responsible for ensuring the campus meets accessibility standards, and represent this group’s efforts clearly and effectively to the university community.
Ian Scoville, Editor-in-Chief Kathryn Baker, Executive Editor Christian Paz, Executive Editor Anna Kovacevich, Managing Editor Madeline Charbonneau, News Editor Erin Doherty, News Editor Ethan Cohn, Sports Editor Mac Dressman, Guide Editor Will Simon, Opinion Editor Maya Gandhi, Features Editor Caroline Pappas, Photography Editor Anna Kooken, Design Editor Cat Kendall, Copy Chief Kate Rose, Social Media Editor Laura Bell, Blog Editor Anne-Isabelle de Bokay, Multimedia Editor
Editorial Board
Will Simon, Chair
Molly Cooke, John Curran, Nabil Kapasi, Erica Lizza, Philip Tsien, Emma Vahey
Will Cassou Deepika Jonnalagadda Sarah Mendelsohn Katrina Schmidt Ben Goodman Matthew Sachs Faris Bseiso Sarah Cammarota Maddie Finn Vera Mastrorilli Julia Yaeger Harrison Hurt Yumna Naqvi Jonathan Wiersema Adam Semprevivo Elizabeth Ash Will Cromarty Amber Gillette Subul Malik Sheel Patel Amanda Van Orden Mina Lee Angela Perez Emily Shambaugh Susanna Blount Sarah Donofrio Robert Treval Barbara McDuffee Lisa Park Isabel Roemer Nora Gaul
Student Life Desk Editor City Desk Editor Events Desk Editor Academics Desk Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Cartoonist Deputy Features Editor Deputy Features Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Blog Editor Deputy Blog Editor Deputy Blog Editor Deputy Multimedia Editor
Contributing Editors
Saavan Chintalacheruvu, Grace Chung, Dean Hampers, Janine Karo, Juliette Leader, Joshua Levy, Meena Raman, Tara Subramaniam, Mitchell Taylor, Stephanie Yuan
Letter to the Editor:
Acknowledging Trauma in GUSA The Hoya’s editorial board recently published an editorial calling for resignation of the entire GUSA executive in light of sexual assault allegations against the former GUSA president. This prescription is based upon limited knowledge of recent events and has exacerbated trauma our community has experienced. As GUSA policy chairs, we would like to share our experiences for the sake of transparency. We were intentionally excluded by senior staff from any knowledge of the allegations, and most of us learned of them from the press. Little to no consideration was given to the sensitive nature of the situation, harming the mental health of many in GUSA and the Georgetown community. We want accountability for those in the executive who acted without transparency. We are also concerned about the future of our policy work, which
has always been far removed from those at the top. We continue this advocacy of a passion for it and because we care. Our accessibility team has held the university accountable to Americans with Disability Act standards and our mental health team has implemented the Off-Campus Therapy Stipend program. Our LGBTQ inclusivity team is working to mandate that professors use students’ preferred pronouns, and our technology team is hoping to bring free printing to campus. Even temporary suspension of our teams due to forced resignations could set this work back significantly. Finally, campus media should know better than anyone that no one holds a moral monopoly in situations like these. The editorial board implied that everyone in the senate is “innocent” and everyone in the executive is “guilty,” but in re-
ality, certain members of both bodies knew to varying degrees while others were excluded entirely. We are prepared to work with the senate to make genuine progress and hope that The Hoya investigates further before making blanket statements moving forward. We are encouraging each other to practice self-care, and to leave GUSA for mental health reasons if necessary. However, because of the editorial board’s statement, any resignations now seem as though they are guilt-driven. Indiscriminately condemning certain groups only serves to further the trauma of this situation for survivors among us and others who need to heal.
By Anna Landre (SFS ’21), Kenna Chick (SFS ’20), Grace Perret (COL ’20), Monica Rivero (COL ’20), Sina Nemazi (COL ’21) and MacKenzie Grimm (COL ’21).
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Marina Tian, Chair Sagar Anne, Aly Pachter, Jesus Rodriguez, Ian Scoville, Emma Wenzinger, William Zhu 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 Kathryn Baker and Executive Editor Christian Paz by email at executive@thehoya.com. Tips News Editors Madeline Charbonneau and Erin Doherty: Email news@thehoya.com. Guide Editor Mac Dressman: Email guide@ thehoya.com. Sports Editor Ethan Cohn: 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
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OPINION
friday, september 14, 2018
THE HOYA
A3
AMMAN IT
Into the Feminine Genius
Madeleine Ostertag
I
Where Planning Fades
’m a planner. I always have — or hope to have — a plan for where I’ll be at a specific time and place. Throughout last year, 10 days — July 13 through July 22 — were marked off in bold, red letters: pilgrimage in France. As I returned home July 23, I realized even the planner in me could never have accounted for what I experienced during those 10 days. This summer, I had the opportunity to pilgrimage in France, visiting the cities of Lisieux and Lourdes. Going on this pilgrimage allowed me to understand what I strive for when I plan: purpose. I find meaning in being able to be convinced of a purpose. This purpose for where I am and what I am doing is found in what, or whom, I am directed toward. For Catholics, this purpose is found in God. Travelling to the boundaries of the spiritual and natural worlds allowed me to perceive purpose more acutely. We come to these places at the invitation to draw closer to God — not only spiritually, but physically. Lisieux is the hometown of one of Catholicism’s greatest contemplative saints, St. Thérese. Lourdes is the site where Mary, the mother of God, appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Lourdes is associated with the spring that Bernadette discovered at Mary’s direction and its miraculous healing waters. The site is home to 70 declared miracles. Each of these miracles underwent rigorous review by a medical committee. For me, realizing the meaning of the present happened at a time that was unplanned and unexpected. Our day in Lisieux originally felt to me like just a stop along the way to Lourdes. I had thought of our day in Lisieux as a checkmark on a journey, instead of the pilgrimage it was.
The morning had been rushed; it was not until we were in the cathedral where Thérèse attended daily mass with her family that I finally had a moment to myself. After a three-hourlong bus ride and a stop at the Basilica of St. Thérèse, I stopped thinking about where we were going — and, more importantly, where I was going — and just was. I was arrested by the purpose of the present. In the opportunity to just be as I was, in preparation for Mass, I began to see the future not as an indefinite behemoth I needed to define, but rather the summation of discrete moments such as this one, where I could know my purpose in the moment. I realized that, in this moment, I was fulfilling my ultimate purpose. I realized that I didn’t need to plan. As a Catholic, I have always believed in a God whose will is greater than my own. Inevitably, something unexpected and contrary to our life plans will arise; we are only able to make sense of the senseless by understanding God’s will. In this sense, my pilgrimage gave me acute awareness of what I should strive for not only during my next three years at Georgetown, but also for a lifetime. In France, I realized that my life’s purpose is not dictated by my own narrow plans for myself. God calls us to so much more. Ultimately, He calls us to encounter Him and to abide eternally in that encounter with Him in Heaven. Pilgrimage shows us the need for purpose in each step we take toward our ultimate goal, whatever it may be. Madeleine Ostertag is a sophomore in the College and the spiritual chair of Catholic Women at Georgetown. INTO THE FEMININE GENIUS appears online every other Wednesday.
Also known as hookah, argileh and hubbly bubbly, the water pipe used to transmit flavored tobacco remains popular among all age groups and social classes around Amman.
Where Cigarettes Are Double-Edged Swords
Hannah Urtz
“M
umkin adhakheen?” Posed less as a question and more as a polite notice for the impending smoke trail, one phrase has pervaded nearly every social interaction I have had since my arrival in Jordan earlier this month. Taxi drivers, lunchtime companions and even my professors have glanced up at me as they light up: “Can I smoke?” I grew up with three different kinds of inhalers: one for daily asthma maintenance, one for emergencies and one for the rare albuterol-fueled sporting endeavor. Yet despite my bad lungs and zeal for fresh mountain air, I most often find myself saying, “tafadel”: Go ahead. Sometimes, even, “ma alesh?” when a burning tip is inevitably proffered in my direction: Why not? It’s the culture. Though only two weeks into my tenure in Jordan, I have already begun to understand the ways in which this activity damages the health, well-being and financial security of many people living in Jordan. My own contradictory relationship with smoking is mir-
rored in many aspects of the Jordanian ambivalence toward this national habit. A new Jordanian friend of mine told me he hated cigarette companies and what they stood for. As he dragged on his third cigarette of the hour, he waxed on about his belief that they are greedy and not regulated strictly enough by the government. Perhaps even more beloved — and socially embraced — than cigarettes in Arab culture is shisha. Also known as hookah, argileh and hubbly bubbly, the water pipe used to transmit flavored tobacco remains popular among all age groups and social classes around Amman. However, its health risks are no less significant than those of cigarettes. In a 60-minute hookah session, smokers are exposed to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Jordan topped Middle Eastern countries with regard to smoking among men and ranked third in female smokers in 2017, according to a global study. Experts expect the percentage of smokers to reach an astonishing 50 percent of the population by 2025 if trends continue as they have. With decades of global information campaigns outing the dangers of tobacco, it feels almost rudimentary to say that smoking damages one’s health, causing fatal diseases such as pneumonia, emphysema and
viewpoint • OLSON & KILKENNY
lung cancer. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health statistics said that smoking is blamed for the death of one in every eight Jordanians. I can only imagine that this number will continue to rise with the trend. However, this habit also disproportionately affects the poor. A study on the economic impact of cigarette smoking on the impoverished in Jordan found that cigarette smoking prevalence is the highest among the poorest. The average adult male cigarette smoker with an income of 100 to 250 Jordanian dinars per month — worth approximately $140 to $350 — spends approximately 25 times more on cigarettes than on health care, approximately 10 times more on cigarettes than on education, approximately 2.5 times more on cigarettes than on housing, and approximately 1.5 times more on cigarettes than on food. Jordan’s Anti-Smoking Society said Jordanians spend around $650 million a year on cigarettes. This is no small amount, least of all for a country already struggling with an approximate $612 million budget deficit and increasingly high rates of inflation on common goods. Not only is the smoking habit dangerous for one’s health, but it is also becoming financially untenable for many citizens who are struggling to make do in the faltering economy. The government of Jordan has made significant efforts in
recent years to deter the sale of tobacco and spread awareness of the risks associated with smoking. Early 2017 saw an increased tax on cigarettes, a move that was praised by the anti-smoking groups. The aim is to monitor the tobacco epidemic through systematic surveillance, offer help to smokers seeking to quit, spread public knowledge through mass media campaigns, and reduce the affordability of tobacco products. These efforts are a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to systematically shift the national smoking identity, beginning with aggressive health campaigns and greater barriers to smoking. A social lubricant of sorts, smoking both cigarettes and hookah in Jordan serves many of the same functions as coffee or alcohol in the West. Hours in cafes fly by as Jordanians connect with one another over a shisha pipe or pack of cigarettes. Each culture has its own way of bringing people together; however, the harms of smoking outweigh the benefit of connection and socialization in this context. Ultimately, the onus for change rests on the shoulders of all the stakeholders involved: the suppliers, the government and, most importantly, the consumer.
hannah urtz is a junior in the School of Foreign Service. AMMAN IT appears online every other Thursday.
VIEWPOINT • DENG
Committing to Student Safety Learning the ‘Rules of the Game’
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he start of the school year marks an important opportunity for the Georgetown University community to acknowledge our collective responsibility to prevent and appropriately address sexual assault and misconduct. These problems persist on college campuses across the nation, including here on the Hilltop, and we are continuing to step up our efforts to address it. As university leaders responsible for the safety and well-being of our community, we want to underscore our longstanding commitment to this issue and remind students of the resources and information about roles and processes available to them. As a campus, we have made significant progress addressing these issues, but our work is not yet finished. Leaders across our community have stepped up to improve access to and awareness of resources, and the university has implemented new policies to ensure prevention and education efforts are taken seriously. This important work continues, as we are working on hiring our next full-time Title IX coordinator and forming plans to administer a second campus climate survey. Since our 70-member Sexual Assault and Misconduct Task Force concluded its work in 2017, the Sexual Assault and Misconduct Advisory Committee has been overseeing implementation of the task force’s recommendations. SAMAC will continue collaborating with the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action and help build out the Coordinated Community Response Team to further this work. Educating students about sexual misconduct is central to our efforts. This semester, more than 98 percent of first-year undergraduates completed online training modules about sexual misconduct and alcohol issues, and more than 1,700 students have participated or are scheduled to participate in “Bringing in the Bystander,” a comprehensive, in-person training course. Students will be barred from registering for spring semester courses if they fail to complete
these requirements, a new policy based on student input. Student volunteers have also ensured the implementation and success of the “I Am Ready” program during New Student Orientation. Beyond these programs, there is a new optional experience for incoming students, “Introduction to Hoya Studies: Thriving at Georgetown,” a non-credit seminar that offers students valuable tools for making healthy choices and thriving on the Hilltop. We encourage students who want to get involved in this important issue to explore the many opportunities available to them. The task force has also recommended additional programming and training for the broader community. To that end, the Georgetown University Police Department has expanded its Sexual Assault Response Team, which has received enhanced, traumainformed training from on- and off-campus experts. There are now 14 SART officers working with survivors, with a goal of having at least one of these officers on duty 24 hours a day. Health Education Services has also hired an additional full-time staff clinician and sexual assault specialist to expand counseling services and offer more education and training. In addition to prevention, the university’s Title IX coordinators launched an improved sexual misconduct website in January, which highlights on- and off-campus resources and provides information on confidential counseling services. The new online reporting form allows students, faculty and staff to report concerns or incidents related to sexual assault and misconduct. Our work on this issue continued this past summer and will continue throughout the school year. In July, we began a national search for our next full-time Title IX coordinator, immediately after Laura Cutway departed for another position. We are conducting this search with due diligence, ensuring we can recruit a highly qualified and experienced individual to serve our community as soon as possible. We have identified top
candidates and will be welcoming them to campus in the coming weeks to meet with faculty, staff and students who play an active role on campus in preventing and addressing sexual misconduct. While the search is underway, our Title IX investigator, Samantha Berner, is fulfilling the responsibilities of Title IX coordinator. Additionally, during the spring semester, we will administer our second campuswide sexual assault and misconduct climate survey. Students come to Georgetown to learn and grow, and we are committed to preventing sexual assault and misconduct in our classrooms, residence halls and throughout campus. We encourage students to make their voices heard in this survey so we can hear about student experiences, understand what students face, and learn how new resources and programming are serving students. Georgetown is committed to addressing all cases of sexual misconduct, supporting survivors, and ensuring prompt and equitable processes for investigating and responding to complaints of sexual misconduct. If a complaint is filed with the university, we will ensure a full, fair, and impartial investigation. Stopping sexual assault and misconduct is a shared responsibility for which we all have roles to play. In addition to campus policies that protect students and available university resources, student volunteers lead hours of prevention programming and training. Our entire community has the responsibility to know about the resources available to address this issue and hold each other accountable to be active bystanders. As Hoyas for others, we all need to embrace our duty to create a campus community that is respectful and safe for everyone.
Todd olson is the vice president for student affairs, and Rosemary kilkenny is the vice president of institutional diversity and equity, overseeing the Office of Title IX Compliance.
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usiness has historically been dominated by white men who wrote the business world’s rules in ways that left little room for blacks and other people of color. Success in business should be determined by qualities such as the abilities to innovate and generate value; however, entrance into my preferred field can be halted by socioeconomic background, ability to engage in the dialogue of white businesspeople and access to particular resources. The white male gaze creates the criteria for entrance into this world and projects onto colleagues certain stereotypical behaviors of blacks, such as aggressiveness and informal forms of conversation. The pressure I face in the business world as a young black woman is even more intense than that of white women or black men. Because black women are subject to the intersectionality of two marginalized groups, I must deal most directly with the business world’s prejudices against both black people and women. Through the judgment of the white male gaze and domination of business, young black women experience social death. We have to self-police every aspect of our social, professional and academic interactions with others — and ultimately silence our true inner selves. We do it so that we don’t come off as “too aggressive” or “another angry black woman.” We do it to win the acceptance of the white male gaze. I currently attend Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business. I find it an exceptional school in terms of its faculty, deans and programs, but I’ve experienced some devastating encounters with particular groups. My freshman year was intimidating: Everyone in my business school classes seemed to have soaked up industry knowledge from parents who studied business, worked in a business or owned a business.
Because I was new to the field, I often did not recognize the vocabulary used; I put extra pressure on myself to become as jargon-savvy as I could. I was often afraid to raise my hand in class out of the fear of sounding uneducated, but I managed to hold my ground.
Everyone in my business school classes seemed to have soaked up industry knowledge from parents who studied, worked in or owned a business. The social atmosphere was also different, and my classmates hung out exclusively with others they had met through shared business clubs or programs. I struggled with joining clubs such as the Georgetown University Student Investment Fund or Georgetown Ventures, because I feared I wouldn’t fit in: I didn’t have much background in business, and as a black woman, I didn’t want to subject myself to the judgment of white men and fail to pass. I also didn’t know when I was supposed to be looking for internships. I was only a freshman, but the MSB atmosphere pressured me to want to be busy like everyone else. Yet the business school’s environment provided students like me, unfamiliar with the “rules of the game,” with neither the guidance of deans nor the advice of fellow students. The way that my superiors — mostly older white men — interact with me, and the way that they perceive me, forces me to modify my looks and behavior to fit their mold. For example, in my interactions with mainly white recruiters, I have had to change my hair, clothes and speech to seem competent and presentable.
In a recent class, when my peer discussed how businesses can be unethical when supplying drug addicts, the teacher squinted dismissively and then restated what the student had said just using bigger words. He has not used the same tactic with white students in the class. Afterward, my peer kept asking, “Did I not make any sense? Did I sound stupid?” The professor’s different treatment of a black female student led to further insecurities when she should have been lauded for offering a creative, applicable example. Although the white male gaze and domination permeates the business world, harming young black women, the MSB can combat these problems. All business students would benefit from a more diverse curriculum, such as a course on the history of business that seeks to understand the role of the transatlantic slave trade, the genocide of native peoples and the involvement of immigrant labor in building the structures that undergird our current business climate, which mainly profits white people. If the MSB truly wants to foster a diverse environment — one that will make it more competitive, innovative and ethical — it can not only admit “exceptional” black students who have beat the odds and can follow the rules of the game, but also build structures within the school to value qualities that a more diverse student body brings to the table. I bring creativity; the ability to navigate different countries, cultures, languages and socio-economic realities; the sensitivity to support and mentor my peers; and the ability to relate to clients who are different from me. Luckily for you, I’ve brought all this to Georgetown. ALUWET DENG is a sophomore in the McDonough School of Business.
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Alumni discuss the potential for local government to impact welfare of communities on a panel at the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service.
Your news — from every corner of The Hoya.
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IN FOCUS GU REMEMBERS 9/11
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I can easily run into a Red Cross whenever I go back to my hometown. However, blood drives in the D.C. area are less visible.” Hannah Lee (GRD ’19), one of the coorganizers for the Yates blood drive. Story on A9.
from our blog
COLLEGE DEMOCRATS
Georgetown University College Democrats and College Republicans honored those who lost their lives on 9/11 by planting flags on Healy Lawn, an annual collaboration of the two student organizations to commemorate Sept. 11.
A STAR WAS BORN IN 1975 Everyone’s favorite Hoya returned to campus this week — sorry not sorry, John Mulaney. If you are fortunate enough to run into him, 4E has some pressing questions we’d love to get answered! blog.thehoya.com
HFC President Urges Senators to Block SCOTUS Nominee MEENA MORAR Hoya Staff Writer
H*yas for Choice President Angela Maske (NHS ’19) is publicly pressing Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) (CAS ’80) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) in a push to stop Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation by visiting the senators’ offices multiple times a week. Brett Kavanaugh, United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, was nominated July 9 to fill the seat on the Supreme Court of the United States vacated by Justice Anthony Kennedy. Reproductive rights advocates have expressed concern that Kavanaugh will overturn Roe v. Wade, the decision which legalized abortion nationwide, based on his conservative reputation and President Donald Trump’s expressed desire to see the precedent overturned. Maske began visiting the offices of Murkowski and Collins three times a week in July shortly after Kavanaugh was nominated. She said she feels a responsibility to speak out against the nomination. “I’m president of a reproductive justice student organization, and I recognize just how much of a threat his confirmation to the Supreme Court would be, especially for young people all over the country,” Maske said. “I know that if I didn’t do everything I could about the issue, that I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself for it if the outcome is that he is confirmed.” Her attempts have garnered public support from proabortion rights organizations NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood, and both organizations invited her to speak at their rallies. Maske has also been featured in news coverage by Spectrum News and Rewire. Maske said she chose to appeal to Murkowski and Collins because their past voting records indicate they are the two senators most likely to vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation. Maske, a Kentucky native, does not reside in either senator’s constituencies, but she said she did not believe her senators, Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, would fight for reproductive rights. “I’ve been visiting Senators Collins and Murkowski’s offices
because it’s the best way I can find to make my voice heard about Kavanaugh’s nomination, since my own senators won’t stand up for my reproductive rights and health,” Maske said. H*yas for Choice Vice President Kory Stuer (COL ’19), said that Maske’s advocacy serves to remind senators of the citizens who will be affected by Kavanaugh’s addition to the court and shifts the focus away from the politics of the nomination process. “Angela and her work has spoken to a real need to correct the media narrative,” Stuer said. “So often, the media is focused on the political chess, and we aren’t looking at the people that will literally die if this man is confirmed to the Supreme Court. This is literally life or death, and that’s what Angela has been trying to uplift.” HFC is used to battling against great obstacles to spread their message and support reproductive rights, Stuer said. “As a group working at a Catholic and Jesuit University, the idea of defunding a reproductive health organization feels familiar to us,” Stuer said. “As a group who has frequently faced barriers doing the most simple things, the kind of barriers that they are trying to obstruct feels familiar to us.” In addition to the support the group has garnered from other organizations, political student groups on campus have supported her right to free speech. “Even though the Democratic platform is pro-choice and does support women’s bodily autonomy, because we are a funded student group on campus, we do have restrictions as to what kind of stances and what kind of actions we can do around reproductive justice, just because of Georgetown’s criteria,” Georgetown University College Democrats Chair Maria Cornell (SFS ’20) said. “It’s always really great to see H*yas for Choice able to be more vocal about those types of things.” Georgetown University College Republicans President Jake Lyons (COL ’20) also supported H*yas for Choice’s vocal expression, regardless of the club’s collective opinion of Kavanaugh. “Even though we do not agree with H*yas for Choice’s position in opposing Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, we support HFC in freely expressing their
opinions and being active in this nominating process,” Lyons said in an interview with THE HOYA. The activism Maske has participated in has not always felt positive or productive, she said. “I have learned that activism is, at times, exhausting and feels like you’re yelling into the void. I think that, especially when you’re doing things on a day-to-day basis, it can feel very frustrating, especially when you don’t feel like your voice is being heard,” Maske said. “I have seen that a lot of people don’t value the voices of young people.” While Maske recognizes that all of her work from the last two months may not result in the outcome she desires, she said she feels thankful for the experiences of activism. “Whatever the outcome is in this fight, I feel very privileged that I’ve had the opportunity to engage in this work,” Maske said. “Obviously not everyone does have the ability, and so even though it has been really a lot of work, I’m really happy that I’ve been able to work on this issue. Regardless of the outcome, I think I will look back on this and be glad that I did everything I could to make my voice heard.”
TOP: SUBUL MALIK/THE HOYA; BOTTOM: ANGELA MASKE
H*yas for Choice President Angela Maske (NHS ’19) visits Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) (CAS ’80) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to express concerns over Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.
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friday, september 14, 2018
THE HOYA
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Alumni Hired for GUAA Executive Leadership Paula Hong
Hoya Staff Writer
Georgetown University Alumni Association named Julia Farr (CAS ’88) its first female executive director and Paul Lanzone (MSB ’15) associate vice president of alumni engagement in a Sept. 10 announcement. Farr is replacing Executive Director Bill Reynolds (CAS ’79), who served for 17 years and stepped down from his position in June. She previously worked as a corporate securities attorney, fashion designer and entrepreneur. In the years since her graduation, Farr has actively participated in the Georgetown community as a volunteer for the GUAA, including serving as president. Lanzone is coming to Georgetown with 15 years of experience in alumni affairs, according to a Sept. 10 announcement from The Vice President for Advancement R. Bartley Moore. Lanzone previously worked on the alumni relations teams for George Washington University, the University of Rochester and Georgetown.
Founded in 1881, GUAA’s purpose is to build support for the university and connect over 175,000 alumni around the world for social, service and career opportunities, according to the GUAA website. Moore commended Farr, a sixth-generation Washingtonian and third-generation Hoya, for her service to the Georgetown community in his announcement. “Since graduating from Georgetown in 1988, Julie has had an extensive history of volunteerism with the Georgetown University Alumni Association,” Moore wrote in the announcement. “In addition to serving on the GUAA Board of Governors and as a Class Ambassador for many years, she served as President of the Georgetown University Alumni Association from 2010 to 2012.” Farr could not be reached for comment at the time of publication. Moore also highlighted Lanzone’s qualifications to be a leader of GUAA in the announcement. “Paul joined Georgetown in 2010, and in his six years of service he supported Regional Clubs and Reunions, worked
closely with the GUAA Board of Governors, and ultimately grew into a very capable leader as Assistant Vice President of Class Programs & Reunion Campaigns (CPRC) where he oversaw two alumni engagement and fundraising teams,” Moore wrote in the announcement. Lanzone said he looks forward to rejoining the Georgetown community. “Returning to Georgetown feels like coming home,” Lanzone wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I have grown so much professionally, academically and personally here, and the Hoya community is like no other.” Although students may not interact with him on a day-today basis, much of the work that he will do involves the well-being of students, Lanzone said. “In my new role, my primary objective is to partner with the broader Georgetown community to ensure that every student has the opportunity to maintain a positive, meaningful relationship with Georgetown, and its one-of-akind alumni community, for life,” Lanzone said. Top: Jesuit advancement administrators and fordham university; bottom: julie farr llc
Paul Lanzone (MSB ’15) and Julia Farr (CAS ’88) will join the Georgetown University Alumni Association as associate vice president of alumni engagement and executive director, respectively.
Hurricane Florence Avoids DC Will Cassou Hoya Staff Writer
nasa
Hurricane Florence, previously a Category 4 hurricane expected to bring severe weather to the District, was downgraded to a Category 1, according to the National Weather Service.
The outer bands of Hurricane Florence are expected to pass over Washington, D.C., this weekend, with only some showers and above average breeze expected through Sunday. However, remnants of the storm may return next week, bringing greater rainfall and potential flooding. Hurricane Florence was upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane on Sept. 9 and grew to a Category 4 Hurricane by Monday, according to The New York Times. By Sunday, states of emergency had been declared in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, according to CNN. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) declared a state of emergency the District on Tuesday, according to a news release. In the Carolinas, 1 million people have evacuated in advance of the storm, according to The Times. Florence is expected to make landfall Friday morning, according to the Weather Channel. Warnings of severe weather in the D.C. area also surfaced earlier in the week. Geoffrey Chatas, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Georgetown University, urged students to take precautions before going outside. “In anticipation of possible adverse conditions, the univer-
sity has begun planning to ensure preparedness and is taking steps to prepare the campus for severe weather,” Chatas wrote in a universitywide email Monday. “We ask that students consider conditions before going outside and stay out of restricted areas during a storm, for their safety and the safety of emergency personnel.” Despite early warnings of severe weather, forecasts have downgraded the hurricane to a Category 1, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasts suggest it will now move farther south as storm tracks inland this weekend, sparing the District from the harsher weather expected farther down the coast, Georgetown University Police Department Chief Jay Gruber wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Based on the forecasted track of the storm we will be monitoring the storm closely as its effects close in on the Washington Region,” Gruber wrote. “At this point we are looking at moderate rain and winds arriving early next week.” The storm’s path, however, is expected to reverse and return back north, possibly bringing increased rain next week, according to The Washington Post. The flood risk stems largely from the high levels of rain the region experienced earlier on in the week, according to The Washington Post. Chatas wrote a follow-up email
to the Georgetown community Thursday, updating it on the status of the storm and the university’s expectations for the weekend. “While we do not anticipate any changes to the University operating status, in the event of changes to our regular operations, we will send notification through the HOYAlert emergency notification system,” Chatas wrote. “Because of the lowered expectations for rainfall, most scheduled events will continue as planned throughout the weekend,” Chatas wrote. “At this point, all religious services and athletic events are scheduled to go forward as planned this weekend. Please check with event sponsors and websites regarding the status of any scheduled events for this weekend,” Chatas wrote. Mary Watters (SFS ’21) has tracked the storm’s progress for the past few days because of plans to go home. She said while she is grateful she does not have to change her plans, she does not look forward to classes, which are set to take place as regularly scheduled. “I have been watching the storm this past week because I have travel plans this Friday,” Watters wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I’m so excited to be able to catch my train. However, I’m also a little bummed to be going to my 9:30 Econ Stat class tomorrow. ”
GU Politics Fellows Highlight Value of Civility in Public Service Katrina Schmidt Hoya Staff Writer
The fall 2018 class of fellows for the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service hopes to foster discussions about respect and civility and reflect on their work in politics while on campus. The five fellows, who spoke to The Hoya on Sept. 7, come from diverse backgrounds in politics and public policy, including journalism and political strategy consulting, and will lead discussion groups on topics ranging from digital campaigning to working in government at the state and federal levels. Despite the diverging experiences of Erin Conaton (SFS ’92), a former undersecretary of the Air Force; Ed Goeas, president of the Republican research and strategy firm, The Tarrance Group; Suzanne Kianpour, an Emmynominated foreign affairs and political journalist for the BBC; Tim Lim, CEO of Democratic strategy and marketing firm, Lim Consulting Services LLC; and Josh Pitcock, former chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, they all said they share a passion for politics, which led them to apply to the fellowship. The fellowship will hopefully be an opportunity to take a step back from the frenetic energy of the political arena, the fellows said. Pitcock was encouraged by former Republican fellows to apply because the environment at Georgetown University provides respite from the Washington, D.C., political scene. “What they told me was that I
would enjoy it more than almost any of the other discussions and debates I’ve had in Washington, because the students — whether they’re conservative-leaning, liberal-leaning, in the middle — engage so well and it’s so refreshing,” Pitcock said. “Being here on campus is the biggest breath of fresh air.” Lim sees the fellowship as an opportunity to reset. The 2016 election served as a reckoning moment for many in politics, Lim said, and the fellowship will ideally be a time for him to re-evaluate his approach to political strategy. “As a Democratic operative, as someone who worked on a lot of campaigns, we have to do things differently. We have to change the way we communicate; we have to change the way that we’re engaging, especially the younger voters,” Lim said. “I thought this was a great opportunity to mentor, discuss and get feedback from what I think is going to be the most important generation for American democracy moving forward.” Goeas, a top Republican political strategist, plans to focus his first discussion group on President Donald Trump and whether his presidency is the disease or merely a symptom of the state of American politics. The discussion group, “Civility in Politics,” is focusing on the role of respect and civility in political discourse. Goeas plans to dedicate his discussion series to Sen. John McCain, who was a Republican senator for Arizona from January 1987 until he died at the end of last month. Goeas worked with the late senator and planned the
Republican National Convention in 2008, which saw McCain nominated as the Republican presidential nominee. Goeas, who emphasized that politics is for the greater good, said that McCain’s approach to politics inspired him. “Acting and working in politics is a public service, not a game,” Goeas said. Kianpour applied to the fellowship after the media frenzy surrounding the 2016 election made her consider the ways in which the media could be “part of the problem,” she said. Kianpour is an alumna of The Fund for American Studies Institute of Political Journalism at Georgetown, but she is not the only fellow with Georgetown connections. Conaton is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service and served as under secretary of the Air Force and under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness during the Obama administration. Conaton is leading a discussion group centered on the intersections of politics and national security. Kianpour’s discussion group will focus on media’s responsibility in public service. Like Lim and Goeas, Kianpour sees the current political moment, and particularly McCain’s recent death, as an opportunity for reflection. “It almost seemed like there was this sort of ‘come-to-Jesus moment’ — it really got the country reflecting,” Kianpour said about McCain’s death and funeral. “I think that there couldn’t be a better time to be here and having these discus-
sions than right now when we’re kind of at possibly a turning point.” Feeling jaded can come not only from national politics, but the local political environment as well, Pitcock said. Pitcock is a consultant with Oracle and worked for Vice President Mike Pence from 2005 to 2017 in a range of capacities,
most recently as chief of staff. In 2018, it feels as if the typical rules of politics do not apply anymore, Pitcock said. He looks forward to hearing from students in his discussion group “Working in Government and Politics at All Levels,” and particularly from students from outside the D.C. bubble. “You just talk with people who
don’t live, eat, and breathe politics and the news cycle all day, people who go to a job that doesn’t involve having a TV on the wall in their office with the news channel on all day,” Pitcock said about people from different regions of the country and world. “There’s a different sense I think when you get outside of Washington about how things are going.”
institute of politics and public service
Clockwise from top left: Tim Lim, Josh Pitcock, Suzanne Kianpour, Erin Conaton (SFS ‘92) and Ed Goeas are the fall 2018 fellows for the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service.
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Rahman, Bennett Resign Nair Exits GUSA Presidency, After Senate Protests First Resignation Since 1960 Rahman, from A1 gency session on a timeline of Rahman and Bennett’s knowledge of the allegations made against Nair. At least six senators said Rahman, Bennett and other senior members of the GUSA executive’s staff allegedly knew during the GUSA presidential campaign in February about misconduct accusations against Nair but did not disclose them, as discussed during the senate meeting. In an interview with The Hoya on Wednesday, Rahman said she stands by her course of action. “If this were about a job for me, I wouldn’t have resigned on Tuesday. This was about doing what was right,” Rahman said. “Values are very important to me, whether they be my own religious values, how I feel about being a woman, a woman of color, and so, that drives me every day, especially in times like this. I did what I thought was right.”
Bennett said in an email to The Hoya that he and Rahman both acted to preserve the interests of the student body. Rahman said she will no longer be part of GUSA this year and hopes that the organization continues to advocate for students’ needs. “The important thing to recognize about GUSA is that it is way more than the president and vice president, we are ultimately leaders for an army of students who want to see change,” Rahman said. “I don’t want to see GUSA for the next year miss out on a year of policy, advocacy and student empowerment that it could’ve had. So I implore individuals to do what they can to still make GUSA a place for change.” During the senate meeting Tuesday night, senators said that in the earlier forum, Bennett said Nair denied the first allegations of misconduct raised during the election campaign and that he and
Rahman believed him. Bennett and Rahman confirmed this account in an interview with The Hoya. When the allegations resurfaced at the end of the summer, Rahman delivered a welcome address to new students during the New Student Orientation welcome session instead of Nair, but Rahman and Bennett again did not disclose the allegations to the GUSA senate. Traditionally, the GUSA president delivers a welcome address to new students. At the emergency meeting Tuesday, senators unanimously agreed that Rahman and Bennett should no longer hold positions representing the student body, after failing to disclose allegations to GUSA staff. The senators said the failure to inform the community about the allegations made Rahman and Bennett unfitto advocate for student issues like mental health and sexual assault prevention.
McCourt Student Launches Voting Accessibility Project Elections, from A1 to increase accessibility around the city, have already begun to conduct independent surveys of polling locations to determine their accessibility for people in wheelchairs, these have not been on the same scale as Observe D.C., Mindes said. “There’s a problem if you feel like your vote is not safe or you don’t feel safe going to a polling station,” Mindes said. “We’re trying to set the example for everybody else,” he said. The findings from the sample will allow Mindes and his Observe D.C. team to compare voting across the District’s eight wards and compile reform recommendations that can then be submitted to the D.C. Board of Elections. Leaders of both GUCR and GUCD both said they valued the efforts of Mindes to improve voting systems in D.C. “A nonpartisan initiative like Observe DC is a great way for people fulfill a part of their civic duty and try to help make our democratic system a little better,” GUCR President Jake Lyons (SFS? ‘20) wrote in an email to The Hoya.
“I have heard and read so many stories of people who have been intimidated at the polls, given misinformation regarding their polling station or voter ID requirements, or who have found polling stations to be inaccessible,” GUCD Chair Maria Cornell (SFS ’20) wrote in an email to The Hoya. “This should be unacceptable, and I think Observe D.C. will take us one step closer to ending this type of voter suppression and will revolutionize our electoral processes,” she said. Mindes came up with the idea for Observe D.C. while working for the National Democratic Institute, where he researches international affairs and elections. NDI helped develop sample-based observations that relied on sending observers to random polling locations and acquiring representative data about voting patterns in the country, Mindes said. Mindes hopes the pilot will serve as an example for jurisdictions around the country that may lack trust in electoral processes, so that they will be able to put on similar efforts in future elections. The U.S. has over 10,000 ju-
risdictions each with different voting procedures so the initiative will only be implemented in Washington, as it is tailored to the district’s voting methodology, Mindes said. However, the initiative has the potential to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of such nonpartisan analyses for improving voting across the country, according to Mindes. “The long game is introducing this type of election observation as a new avenue, especially for young people, to engage in the political process and have oversight over elections in their backyard,” Mindes said. The funding for Observe D.C. came from a $20,000 dollar grant from the Baker Center for Leadership and Governance at McCourt. Mindes was one of five recipients of the Baker Innovation Award. “Adding a level of oversight that is citizen-led and independent can help safeguard the institution of elections in the United States,” Mindes said. “For people who care about elections without an avenue to improve the system, this is your opportunity.”
Nair, from A1 Rahman and the 10 senior staff members rescinded their resignations about two hours after Nair announced his resignation. The GUSA Election Commission, the student board charged with running GUSA elections, confirmed Rahman, Chief of Staff Aaron Bennett (COL ’19) and the senior staff members may rescind their resignations and are not violating previous commission decisions on the matter, in a news release obtained by The Hoya. Nair’s resignation is the first presidential resignation since 1960, while Rahman’s is the first vice presidential resignation since 1972, according to former GUSA Historian Ari Goldstein (COL ’18). Rahman’s resignation statement was posted on GUSA’s Facebook page. Following suit, 10 other GUSA executive staffers tendered their resignations through a news release on the GUSA Facebook page. “The Vice President no longer feels she can continue to effectively serve in her role given the present environment within the organization,” Rahman’s resignation statement read. Rahman’s statement did not clarify the “present environment within the organization.” In their statement, the 10 senior staff members said that should leadership change, they would remain in the organization. “Should a change in leadership occur, we would gladly remain in our positions within the organization to continue its important work,” the statement reads. Bennett said in a separate statement following Nair’s resignation that the organization would release further information in the coming days. “GUSA is entering a period of deep introspection and soul-searching,” the statement reads. “We plan on releasing a longer statement to provide the student body further explanation, clarity and direction as soon as we possibly can. Until then, we ask the student body to offer us patience in the short-term to wade through extraordinarily sensitive issues and decide on a path forward.” Earlier Tuesday morning, a letter written by Ricardo Mondolfi (SFS ’19), chair of Students of Georgetown, Inc., and edited by Rahman, Ben-
nett, GUSA Senate Transition Chair Juan Martinez (SFS ’20) and GUSA Senate Transition Vice Chair Eliza Lafferty (COL ’21) was circulated among 20 student group leaders and GUSA senators to pressure Nair to resign. The signatories included senior leadership of The Corp, GUPride, the GUSA senate and the Council of Advisory Boards, all of whom requested Nair’s immediate resignation due to assault allegations. “It has come to our attention that for multiple weeks, Mr. Nair has faced allegations that he committed assault against several women,” the letter reads. “We believe that the safety and privacy of survivors must be respected above all else, including their decision to remain private, to file a formal report through the Title IX system, or to make their accounts public.” The letter urged Nair to resign immediately and would have gone public had he not. “We also believe Mr. Nair and everyone involved maintain their rights to due process and the presumption of innocence,” the letter reads. “However, we are convinced that the only way to protect effective student advocacy and the vital effort that is preserving student interests at our University is to demand he resign immediately.” The Hoya is working to independently verify the allegations and is currently unaware of any Title IX complaints lodged with the university. Todd Olson, vice president for student affairs, said the university is committed to supporting student wellbeing and will support GUSA. “Our elected student leaders are students first and our top priority is their wellbeing. Our
team of student affairs professionals is providing counsel to Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) leaders and we have resources available for all students,” Olson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We are committed to a positive and supportive structure for GUSA and its continued governance according to its bylaws.” Nine GUSA policy chairs released a statement Tuesday morning after Nair’s resignation stating that they will continue their work despite the resignations. “Our priority remains improving the welfare of the student body and the Georgetown community,” the statement reads. “The work that happens within Policy Teams goes beyond any individual or administration, and as such we will do everything in our power to continue serving the needs of the student body during this difficult time.” Resources: Emergency contraception is available at the CVS located at 1403 Wisconsin Ave NW. If you or anyone you know would like to receive a sexual assault forensic examination or other medical care — including emergency contraception — call the Network for Victim Recovery of D.C. at 202-742-1727. On-campus resources include Health Education Services (202-687-8949) and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (202-687-7080); additional off-campus resources include the D.C. Rape Crisis Center (202-333-7273) and the D.C. Forensic Nurse Examiner Washington Hospital Center (844-443-5732). To report sexual misconduct, you can contact Georgetown’s interim Title IX coordinator at 202687-9183 or file an online report here.
SAHIL AND NABA FOR GUSA
Sahil Nair (SFS ’19), resigned as GUSA president Tuesday.
In Return to GU, Cooper Reflects on College, Career cooper, from A1 one of the most incredible experiences of the entirety of my life.” Connection, Cooper said, is something that is vital in making a good film, and something he kept in mind as he was working on his most recent project. “The more personal that I can make something, the better chance I have at affecting you,” Cooper said. “I really do believe in this day
and age, in this dark period in humanity that we really do all have a deep need to connect to each other.” Cooper said he hopes to deeply affect people with “A Star Is Born,” and took time to ensure that the story felt authentic. Of the four years he spent working on the film, Cooper spent a year and a half of that time taking vocal lessons five days per week and learning guitar and piano. Key in ensuring the au-
thenticity of the film was having a female lead who was a singer. Lady Gaga, then, was a clear choice, Cooper said. “There were certain things that I wanted to maintain the integrity of with this property, and there had to be a real singer, a real iconic person in the female role. I had seen Lady Gaga at a cancer benefit the previous night before I met her and she did La Vie En Rose and I was completely f loored by
her energy,” Cooper said. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is gonna be the one.’” In selecting a story for his directorial debut, he was careful to choose one he felt he could relate with so that he could deeply affect the audience, Cooper said. “I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility,” Cooper said. “The best thing I can do is come from a very deep, personal place and have a point of view about the story I want to tell.”
CAROLINE PAPPAS/THE HOYA
Bradley Cooper (COL ’97) returned to the Hilltop Tuesday to discuss his new film, “A Star Is Born,” and reflect on his time at Georgetown as an undergraduate. The last time Cooper was on campus was in 2016. Cooper’s talk, moderated by University President John J. DeGioia, was held in Gaston Hall and students started lining up for the talk as early as 11:30 a.m.
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Students Launch University Allocates Space for On-Campus Political Publication Food Pantry, Aims for Fall Opening joe egler
Hoya Staff Writer
The student-run publication “On the Record” was launched last week to serve as an online forum for political discourse on campus. The Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service is funding the publication. The publication was founded to promote dialogue about a range of political topics, Head Editor Caroline Gardner (COL ’20) said. “We want to increase political dialogue on campus and give students a chance to write about politics, talk about how it’s affecting them in their lives, and give people a platform to start those conversations,” Gardner said. Topics covered by the online publication will include foreign trade policy, environmental protection, the Supreme Court and political internships. The publication publishes event recaps from GU Politics events and opinion pieces written by student writers. The publication seeks to represent ideological diversity in its content, according to General Manager Max Magid (COL ’19). “Obviously, with opinion, we try to keep it diverse,” Magid said. “We have Republican and Democrat editors, and we try to have people talking about issues that are more unique to them and not just left/right. That’s what we’re about, and what got the whole project started.” Members of campus groups across the political spectrum have been invited to share their thoughts on a range of topics, Magid said. “I’ve reached out to [Georgetown University] College Democrats and [Georgetown University] College Republicans and a few other organizations on campus to make sure they’re aware that this exists, so it’s an outlet for their members, who probably have strong feelings about political developments,” Magid said.
Though the site will feature mostly opinion pieces, writers are welcome to submit pieces in a variety of writing styles, Gardner said. “‘On the Record’ is not going to be all opinion-based writing. It’s going to be whatever students want to talk about. So it can be opinionbased writing,” Gardner said. “It can be ‘how this policy is affecting my life as a Georgetown student.’ But it can also be analysis of this policy from a nonpartisan lens.” Despite being a student-led site, the publication also accepts contributions from professors as well as GU Politics fellows, alumni and professionals, Gardner said. “Because it’s made by students, made for students to read, and students are going to be most of the contributors, that’s how we tailor the publication,” Gardner said. “With that being said, we’d love to hear from faculty. We’d love to hear from other members of the community about what they are thinking and about what they are interpreting.” “On the Record” is the second publication sponsored by GU Politics, following the launch of “Fly on the Wall,” a student-run podcast that interviews politicians, journalists and government officials to understand different political decisions. Gardner said she is looking forward to creating a bigger staff that reflects ideological diversity among students. “You look at a political club, and you know it’s going to be virtually all of one opinion, whether that’s College Democrats, College Republicans,” Gardner said. “I think ‘On the Record’ is an integration of both of their ideas and a way to gauge how Georgetown students are thinking about certain issues and what really matters to them. So I’m really looking forward to bringing more writers on board and getting the whole thing started.”
karena landler Hoya Staff Writer
The Hoya Hub, an on-campus food pantry which will offer free food to members of the Georgetown community experiencing food insecurity, is slated to open in early October. The project, which seeks to respond to concerns raised by the results of a 2016 Georgetown University Student Association survey in which 54 percent of respondents reported they were experiencing food insecurity while on campus, is chaired by Caroline Barnes (COL ’19). Sam Dubke (SFS ’21) and Madison Álvarez (SFS ’21) serve as the vice chairs. Assistant Dean for Student Engagement Erika Cohen Derr is working as an adviser on the project. Saxa Fund, a fundraising platform for Georgetown students, will fund the project and now has a page up where donations can be made. Although the project is still a work in progress, the team recently acquired a space on the fourth floor of the Leavey Center, so Barnes is hopeful that the space will be up and running soon. “Finally, we have this space right now, it’s on the fourth floor of Leavey,” Barnes said in an interview with The Hoya. “We don’t have the space right now for refrigerators or a freezer, so we can’t do anything more than nonperishables. But it’s a place to start, and it’s a place that we didn’t have a month ago.” The leadership of the Hoya Hub used food pantries that exist at other universities as a model for the Georgetown pantry. In a system similar to The George Washington University’s “The Store”, where students can fill out a form and use their IDs to enter the pantry, any student will have the ability access to the Hoya Hub. A key difference between the two pantries is the decision to implement an open-door policy for Georgetown’s pantry, where the doors will remain unlocked to allow unfettered access whenever a student needs it. “We just thought that this would be the best way, especially
hoya hub
An on-campus food pantry, set to open in October, will offer free food to students experiencing food insecurity. when we’re getting things off the ground, to have people self-identify [with] an open-door policy,” Barnes said. “For the most part it’s going to be: if you know about it, if you could use it, you access it.” The open-door policy allows for the students who use the pantry to remain anonymous, a plan the three student leaders sought, as students at other universities sometimes resort to drastic measures to protect their privacy because of the stigma attached to experiencing food insecurity, Dubke said. “There were people that would go at three in the morning to avoid being seen, unfortunately, because the stigma is real and people are afraid to be seen accessing that resource,” Dubke said in an interview with The Hoya. The Hoya Hub will not collect data on or information from any of its patrons, but in the future, the team hopes to track the usage of the pantry, Álvarez said. “One day hopefully we’ll be able to track how many people are visit-
ing, when and what days,” Álvarez said. The team working on the pantry, all former or current GUSA senators, found that the release of the 2016 survey findings made their conversations with university administrators easier. The results provided clear evidence to provide to administrators that food insecurity was a campuswide issue, Dubke said. “There were administrators who didn’t believe that it was a problem,” Dubke said. Álvarez said the situation needed to be addressed by the university. “For an institution that tries so hard to meet the needs of all of its students, it can be hard to admit that what it’s providing is imperfect and that students are suffering now,” Álvarez said. A university spokesperson said the university is seriously addressing the issue of food insecurity on its campus. “Georgetown University meets the needs of students who require
financial assistance paying for college, which includes tuition, housing and meal expenses,” Matt Hill, Georgetown’s media relations manager wrote in an email to The Hoya. “After the food pantry opens, we will continue broader dialogue about food insecurity across our campus so we can ensure the university is addressing the needs of community members seeking additional food resources.” The team is hopeful that the project will develop beyond the food pantry, transforming the Hoya Hub into a place where students can raise concerns, bring ideas about food insecurity solutions and host events for students. “Once we’re really up and running, we want there to be programming, we don’t just want this to be a place where you can come to go and get food,” Álvarez said. “The immediate solution that we’ve been spending a lot of time on is creating a food pantry, but we don’t plan on stopping there.”
SHEEL PATEL/THE HOYA
The School of Nursing and Health Studies will be designated as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education for 2018 through 2022. The National League of Nursing recognition is for the NHS’ dedication to enhancing student learning and professional development. The recognition ceremony is Sept. 14 at the NLN’s 2018 Education Summit in Chicago.
NHS Honored as Center of Excellence in Nursing Education katrina schmidt Hoya Staff Writer
The School of Nursing and Health Studies is being recognized as a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing in a ceremony in Chicago on Sept. 14. The departments of advanced nursing practice and professional nursing practice, which are the school’s professional and advanced nursing programs, are both set to receive the designation. Georgetown’s recognition as a Center of Excellence is for 2018 through 2022, and is based on six National League for Nursing criteria: professionalism, values, educational innovations, curriculum, clinical engagement and community collaborations. Patricia Cloonan, dean of the NHS, praised the school’s history
and those in the school who applied for the designation for their success. “This NLN designation shines a bright light on our distinguished history; a collective group of exceptional Georgetown nursing students, faculty, and alumni; and a future oriented toward innovation and enduring values,” Cloonan said in a July 24 news release. “I congratulate my colleagues on this successful application and the broader community for all that it says about them and their dedication.” Edilma Yearwood, chair of the department of professional nursing practice, led the initiative to apply for the designation, working alongside colleagues to complete the application. The almost 95-page application explains how the NHS’s response to the six criteria.
“I thank Dr. Maggie Nolan and Dr. Jane Fall-Dickson who worked tirelessly with me on our application,” Yearwood said in the news release. “I also appreciate the efforts of Dr. Mary Haras, who reviewed the final product and provided suggestions to the team. We are happy to represent Georgetown in Chicago and bring home this prestigious designation.” The NHS is specifically recognized for its achievements in “creating environments that enhance student learning and professional development,” a designation that Chair of the department of advanced nursing practice Mary Haras said is thanks to Georgetown’s Jesuit values. “The National League for Nursing Center of Excellence designation for Creating Environments that Enhance Student Learning and Professional Development
recognition is a testament to NHS’ commitment to our Jesuit values and values-based nursing model,” Haras wrote in an email to The Hoya. “This national recognition highlights the Departments of Nursings’ sustained commitment to creating a learning environment through program innovation in order to develop students’ values through engagement with community partners and faculty.” Jane Fall-Dickson, assistant chair for research in the department of professional nursing practice, sees the value of cura personalis as essential to why the NHS earned the recognition. “Our nursing programs are infused with Jesuit philosophy demonstrated by our students and faculty as they embrace working with vulnerable and underserved populations in local,
national, and global communities informed by the value of cura personalis,” Fall-Dickson wrote in an email to The Hoya. The National League for Nursing is the oldest nursing organization in the United States and was founded in 1893, just 10 years before the NHS was established in 1903. The organization focuses on nursing education and is recognizing 15 other institutions at the Centers of Excellence ceremony during the 2018 National League for Nursing Education Summit. The Centers of Excellence program is designed to create a model for other institutions of nursing education, National League for Nursing CEO Beverly Malone, who holds an honorary doctorate from Georgetown University, said in a news release. “Centers of Excellence help raise the bar for all nursing pro-
grams by role modeling visionary leadership and environments of inclusive excellence that nurture the next generation of a strong and diverse nursing workforce to advance the health of the nation and the global community,” Malone said in the news release. Margaret Nolan, interim program director of the Clinical Nurse Leader Program in the department of professional nursing practice, echoed Malone’s remarks on the significance of building the next generation of the nursing workforce. “The NLN designation of Georgetown’s nursing programs as a Center of Excellence affirms what we have been doing since 1903, educating a world-class nursing workforce,” Nolan wrote in an email to The Hoya. “It both recognizes and advances that tradition of excellence.”
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friday, september 14, 2018
DC Airports to Replace Boarding Passes With Facial Recognition Josh Metzger Hoya Staff Writer
A new facial recognition system at Washington Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will replace boarding passes for all international flights by the end of the year, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority announced Sept. 6. The biometric screening system, known as veriScan, is set to increase both convenience and security, according to a Sept. 6 MWAA news release. All international passengers will be required to stand in front of an iPad for a facial scan rather than have their boarding passes checked by hand. Dulles will join airports in major cities around the country like Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York City, San Diego and Houston in using facial recognition technology. Customs and Border Protection will cross-reference the live photos of travelers with a collection of photos gathered from other government databases of that traveler, CBP said in a Sept. 6 news release.
“CBP uses airline manifest data to retrieve existing traveler photographs from government databases, including passports and visas, to build a photo gallery of travelers who are expected to arrive and depart the United States,” the release said. “CBP then compares the ‘live’ photographs of travelers taken with those that are already on file in DHS holdings. No new data is required.” Christina Saull, corporate communications manager at MWAA, said the technology, which was developed in-house at Dulles International Airport, is continuously evolving to become more effective and passengerfriendly. “It’s something that we will continue to see evolve. There could be a future version of this which enables you not to have a boarding pass,” Saull said in an interview with The Hoya. “The basis of this technology certainly can enhance passengers’ experience as our end goal. As an airport, it’s to ensure that our passengers are having the best experience possible as they’re traveling through with us, and if our technology can play a role in that, we’re very happy to do that.” The biometric facial recognitions system will send
encrypted photos of the passengers to the CBP Traveler Verification Service, an online program that stores traveler information that will be used to verify each passenger’s identity, according to a Sept. 6 news release from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. The agency’s database will then analyze the real-time photo for similarities with past portraits of the passenger, according to The Washington Post. CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan highlighted how facial recognition technology will improve both efficiency and security for international flights in the unveiling of the technology. “CBP and our airport and airlines partners are redefining travel by using biometric technology to add convenience, efficiency and security to international arrivals and departures,” McAleenan told The Washington Post. The system can be quickly integrated into all major U.S. airports with little challenge or delay because it is easy to install and only requires a short training session, according to the MWAA. “The veriScan system is uses battery-powered, Wi-Fi / cellular connected tablets that
dulles Airport
Washington, D.C. airports will begin using new facial recognition technology instead of boarding passes to identify passengers of international flights beginning in November 2018. are portable and interchangeable among gates. Because of this, veriScan is easy to install, requiring only a 30-minute training before it can be used by airline gate agents, and costs one-tenth that of other commercially available solutions,” the MWAA news release said. MWAA President and CEO Jack
Potter said he is hopeful that the new technology will increase airport security. “In addition to helping meet the congressional mandate, we hope this technology becomes a useful and cost-effective tool for airports and airlines that process the growing number of travelers entering and leaving the United
States,” Potter said in a CBP statement. The biometric system will also accelerate the entry and exit processes, as the photo verification takes less than two seconds. In the event the system malfunctions, gate agents can manually clear a passenger to the gate.
Innovation Fund to Invest In Minority-Owned DC Businesses Jack Horrigan Special to the Hoya
A new Inclusive Innovation Fund is set to invest in developing Washington, D.C. businesses owned by minority entrepreneurs, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) announced Sept. 5. The fund, which is being organized in partnership with The Marathon Foundation, is meant to benefit people of color, women, members of the LGBTQ community, individuals with disabilities, and members of other minority communities. TMF is set to begin investing in companies by mid2019, planning on raising private capital for the fund over the next few months, according to a Sept. 5 news release. Although TMF will manage the new investment fund and the process of acquiring capital, the city has endowed $1.5 million in seed funding to initiate the program. In addition to raising capital, TMF will be tasked with orchestrating the actual investments in local startups. A local, D.C.-based organization which focuses on helping entrepreneurs gain access to capital, TMF is led by Vernon Lee Jr. and Duane McKnight, experienced investment professionals. The foundation seeks to form strategic relationships consisting of access to capital
and opportunities for developing talent, according to the TMF website. The fund is a step in the process of expanding economic opportunity to D.C. residents, especially those in underrepresented communities, Bowser said. “This partnership will break down financial barriers and move us one step closer to ensuring all Washingtonians, including underrepresented entrepreneurs, are able to share in our city’s continued prosperity,” Bowser said in the Sept. 5 news release. The announcement comes as the newest part of the Bowser Administration’s overarching inclusive innovation strategy entitled Pathways to Inclusion. Released in November 2016, Pathways to Inclusion reiterated Bowser’s commitment to making Washington, D.C., a hub for innovation and technology on the East Coast and a global model for prosperity through diversity. Since the beginning of her term, Bowser has prioritized the technology sector as a driver for future growth, a push that has been seen in numerous instances, including the city’s bid last year to host a new second headquarters for Amazon. Businesses eligible for fund money and assistance must be under the majority ownership of an individual
or individuals from underrepresented groups and be in the pre-seed, seed or preSeries A stages, which refer to young companies who have not entered or just begun entering the first round of venture capital funding, according to the Sept. 5 news release. In addition, the fund will direct its investments toward businesses that have the opportunity to scale. The design of the fund was developed by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, which put out a Request for Information in February. The call for input from Washington, D.C. citizens received over 30 responses which guided the Bowser Administration’s approach in creating the fund. In April, the city began its search for a potential partner. The fund is the next step in creating more economic opportunities for lower-income households in the District, Bowser said. “Together, we will build on our progress in making Washington, DC the capital of inclusive innovation and create more pathways to the middle class for District residents,” Bowser said in the Sept. 5 news release. The Office of the Mayor and The Marathon Fund did not respond to requests for comments.
David grosso
District of Columbia Public Schools released private information about students experiencing homelessness on the D.C. Council’s website, which is associated with Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), above.
Students’ Private Information Published on DC Council Website Elizabeth Douglas Hoya Staff Writer
Ryan Bae/the Hoya
Mayor Muriel Bowser announced Sept. 5 that a new Inclusive Innovation Fund, in partnership with the Marathon Foundation, will invest in minority-owned Washington, D.C. businesses beginning in 2019.
Washington, D.C.’s public school authority mistakenly posted the personal information of 2,000 students experiencing homelessness on a website run by the D.C. Council, where the data remained for seven months before its removal Aug. 9. Posted by District of Columbia Public Schools on Feb. 5, 2018, the information included names, dates of birth, identification numbers, schools, grade levels, attendance history, housing status and eligibility for special education and English Language Learner services, according to the Associated Press. A DCPS spokesperson told The Hoya that DCPS developed a plan to notify all affected families immediately after learning of the unauthorized disclosure. “DCPS takes the safety and security of all student data seriously,” a spokesperson for DCPS wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Immediately after learning of the unauthorized disclosure, we began developing a plan to notify all affected families. Moving forward, DCPS will ensure that our personnel are fully aware of proper protocols around sensitive information so that the privacy of our
students and families is always protected.” The error occurred when DCPS “mistakenly included the student information in a spreadsheet it provided to the Council, which could be accessed on the Council’s website,” according to a letter sent by DCPS Interim Chancellor Amanda Alexander on Aug. 31 to the parents and guardians of the affected students. The website on which the information was posted is specifically linked to Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), according to DCist. School officials provided Grosso’s office with the information in response to questions posed at a performance oversight hearing in the education committee, which Grosso chairs. After the information was discovered and reported by a student, it was removed from the Council’s website. The Council also destroyed all files containing the information. The Council violated federal law in publishing the information, but “authorities are reluctant to impose the penalty of removing federal funding,” according to the Associated Press. The letter from Alexander to affected families included a list of the categories of information shared, an assurance that the information was no longer available, an apology and re-
sources for the families to receive more information. “Protection of student and family privacy is of utmost importance to DCPS and we consider this incident unacceptable,” Alexander wrote. “We apologize for this situation and want to assure you that we are taking steps to ensure a situation like this does not happen again.” DCPS has been dogged by scandals in the last two years. After boasting a record rise in graduation rates and test scores, an internal investigation revealed that several D.C. high schools had granted diplomas to students who should not have received them due to chronic truancy. In one school, investigators uncovered 4,000 alterations to attendance records to falsely mark absent students as present. In light of the new enforcement of truancy rules, the expected graduation rate in Washington, D.C., has dropped to 60 percent. Former DCPS Chancellor Antwan Wilson was forced to resign in February after allegedly using his position to bypass the 600-person waitlist and enroll his daughter in a top-rated District high school. DCPS has also faced problems of residency fraud, losing over $500,000 in tuition collection after failing to follow the proper measures to verify the residency of students.
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Law Center Receives Funds Elizabeth Ash Hoya Staff Writer
Ann and Bruce Blume (LAW ’80) donated $10 million to the Georgetown University Law Center, the largest-ever one-time donation to the Law Center, to create the Blume Public Leadership Institute. The Blume Institute will provide full-tuition scholarships to students who demonstrate public leadership potential, according to a Law Center news report. Bruce said the $10 million gift is an opportunity to serve Law Center students in a way that aligns with Georgetown values. “Ann and I are so honored to be part of the Georgetown Law community. It is such an important global institution, and it is very exciting to be connected to it,” Blume wrote in a Sept. 6 news release. “For Ann and me, the concept of providing scholarships in perpetuity to the top students in the country in public leadership speaks to what we both believe in, our mission in life, and to Georgetown’s ethos of service to others.” Blume is the founder and chief executive officer of Blume Company Real Estate, a real estate development firm based in Seattle. He serves on the University of Washington Foundation’s
board of directors, as well as the Law Center Board of Visitors, which is a group individuals chosen from the public and private sector to offer advice to the dean of the Law School on how to better the program. Ann Blume serves on Seattle University’s Board of Trustees and the Cornell University College of Human Ecology Advisory Council, an outside advisory group for the College. Together, the Blumes founded the Bruce and Ann Blume Fund, which supports public health, educational and environmental projects. The pair has also contributed to SightLife, a global health nonprofit that works to eliminate blindness through corneal transplant tissue recovery. Outside of their fund, the Blumes’ philanthropic work has included hosting fundraising dinners for former President Barack Obama in 2012 and 2014. William Bailey, the senior director of campaign management and Strategic Initiatives at the Law Center, said that selection is underway for eight Blume Scholars this academic year. Ten additional first-year students will receive Blume Scholarships in subsequent years. “Per the Blumes’ gift agreement with Georgetown, selection
is to be done by at the direction of the Dean,” Bailey wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Currently, we are collaborating with colleagues administering the existing Public Interest Law Scholars program. Long term, planning is underway to determine whether a committee will convene to select Blume Scholars.” Though the Blumes’ gift is the largest one-time donation to the Law Center, others have contributed more over many years, according to Bailey. Other donors include alumni Linda and Tim O’Neill, who have donated totals over $20 million, including $12 million to Law Center initiatives, specifically the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, according to Bailey. The Blume Institute furthers Georgetown’s mission of service in leadership, Law Center Dean William Treanor said. “By enabling Georgetown to attract and educate the next generation of public interest leaders, the Blume Institute aligns perfectly with our Jesuit tradition of service,” Treanor wrote in a Sept. 6 news release. “In years to come, I fully expect to see Blume Scholars emerge as leaders in all branches of federal and state government, as well as at major nonprofits, NGOs, and in the business sector.”
ali enright/the hoya
Yates Field House held its first annual blood drive in observance of September. 11. The blood drive included prticipation by 85 students, faculty and members of the administration.
Yates Hosts Blood Drive
Will Cassou Hoya Staff Writer
Georgetown University Law Center
The Georgetown University Law Center recieved its largest one-time donation in its history. It is meant to fund the Blume Public Leadership Institute, which will provide scholarships for students committed to public service.
Alumni Offer Career Advice Emily Leng
Hoya Staff Writer
Local government has the potential to create influential change, panelists at the first Hoyas in Politics and Public Service Career Chat of the year said on Wednesday. The panel, hosted by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service, featured former Nebraska State Sen. Tanya Cook (MSB ’86), Vice Chair of the Arlington County Board Christian Dorsey (SFS ’93) and Managing Director of Georgetown Public Affairs David Catania (SFS ’90, LAW ’94). The event was moderated by Chris Murphy (LAW ’98), the vice president for government relations and community engagement at Georgetown. The Hoyas in Politics and Public Service chats, dubbed HIPPSter Chat by GU Politics, began in 2015 when Dan Pfeiffer (COL ’98), former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, came to a chat. While discussing their own experiences working in government, each panelist touched on the ability of state and local officials to impact the everyday lives of their communities. “I was able to do things that I was very proud of; things like reforming our tax code, incentivizing tech businesses, medical marijuana, minimum wage increases, things you take for granted,” Catania said. “You were able to actually do things and see them.” Dorsey emphasized the efficient nature of local government in its ability to enact change. “I can tell you most assuredly that this is where you get things done,” Dorsey said. “When it comes to the daily gratification of a job done that improves people’s lives, I can’t imagine a better venue than local government.” Dorsey also stressed how fulfilling state and local work can be and the massive potential for impactful societal change. “I can honestly say that there is not a single day, no matter how frustrating or how challenging, where I can’t fundamentally explain to my children at home: here is how I made a positive contribution, and that to me is the world,” Dorsey said. In addition to telling their own stories, the panelists, who are all Hoyas themselves, also took the time to give advice to current students.
Hannah Levine/The hoya
David Catania (SFS ’90, LAW ’94), left, Christian Dorsey (SFS ’93) and Tanya Cook (MSB ’86) discuss the importance of local politics at a panel. “You’re going to exceed expectations and anticipate needs,” Catania said. “There’s no substitute for being the hardest worker in the office.” HIPPSter Chats began in 2015, when the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service was first launched. The purpose of the program is to connect students with successful alumni working in a diverse range of fields in politics and public service, according to Jennie Fay, director of fellows and career programming at GU Politics. Previous HIPPSter events have brought in speakers such as Boris Epshteyn (SFS ’04, LAW ’07), a Republican strategist who worked on President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, as well as Speaker Paul Ryan’s chief of staff, Jonathan Burks (SFS ’99). This year, GU Politics is looking to expand the program further and potentially host up to three events each semester. Ultimately, HIPPSter Chats intend to be a resource for students interested in politics, according to Fay. “The program hopes to accomplish a greater connection with the political and public service community, as well as help open students eyes to the many career paths they can take in those areas,” Fay wrote in an email to The
Hoya. Dorsey remembered her time as an undergraduate and emphasized how important events like these are to students. “The reason I even accepted the invitation was because I thought back and ruminated about how useful this would’ve been when I was a Georgetown senior,” Dorsey said. “This is really what alumni networks should be about.” Cook emphasized the large breadth of experience that alumni have to share with students, which makes the discussions meaningful. “I think the value may really be on the alumni side, because they get to tell the students things that they weren’t able to learn in the classroom, things about how to value their elite education here,” Cook said. Students at the event reiterated the significance of connecting with alumni and learning from their professional experiences. “We students are getting ready to go into the professional world, we are getting ready to have our say,” Joshua Marín-Mora (SFS ’21) said in an interview with The Hoya. “I think it’s important to learn from people who have already been there and by learning this, we are a little bit more prepared for getting out and trying to have our own impact.”
Yates Field House held its first annual Red Cross blood drive Tuesday to observe the 17th anniversary of Sept. 11. Yates collaborated with the Student Health Advisory Board, Georgetown University’s Veterans Office and the McDonough School of Business MBA program to organize and host the event. Dog Tag Bakery served as an official sponsor and donated baked goods. With a capacity of 85 students, faculty and members of the administration, the blood drive registration reached capacity well before the actual day of the drive, according to Yates Field House Director Meghan Dimsa. Hoyas turned up in such high volumes to donate blood that the Red Cross’ registration server crashed and many donors had to be turned away. “We had one complication that I am extremely proud to share,” Dimsa wrote in an email to The Hoya. “The interest from the Georgetown University Community completely crashed the American Red Cross registration site. Our students, faculty, and staff truly stepped up, and we are grateful!” Though not all were able to donate today, there will be another blood drive this fall taking place in the Leavey Center, according to Hannah Lee (GRD ’19), one of the organizers of the blood drive. Lee added that many of the donation slots would be filled with the donors who had to be turned away from Tuesday’s blood drive. According to her, the unexpectedly high turnout has sparked discussions to add more blood drives to the calendar for this year. “Due to the massive success of this drive, the Yates team and I
are discussing making this event biannual and combining forces for a spring blood drive,” Lee wrote in an email to The Hoya. SHAB began to look into the possibility of holding a large blood drive on campus last spring because they thought there were large numbers of students and faculty that wanted to donate, according to the Assistant Vice President of Student HealthVince Winkler Prins. “Blood donation on campus has been going on for a long time, some of it organized on main campus through the Hoya Blood Donors student group and some of it on the medical campus,” Winkler Prins wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We felt that we could go bigger with events targeting faculty, staff and students and a communications campaign to support it.” The SHAB selected Yates to host the blood drive because Yates Fieldhouse Director Meghan Dimsa sits on the advisory board and offered for it as a possible location for the event. Though SHAB initially conceived the idea, Winkler Prins said Yates’ staff contributed significantly to the actual development of the project. “The student health advisory board developed the vision and the good people at Yates were responsible for developing the partnership with the business school and the veterans’ office,” Winkler Prins wrote. When considering possible dates for the blood drive, Assistant Director of Yates Field House Bethany Bower suggested Sept. 11 due to the day’s historical significance. “[Bower] noted that 9/11 was a day of service and rightly suggested that Yates would be honored to bring this day of service and memory for students to easily access while on campus,” Dimsa
wrote. Lee wrote that she wanted to provide a venue for Hoyas who wanted to donate blood, but may have had trouble finding one. “I just wanted an easy way to donate. In Florida, I can easily run into a Red Cross whenever I go back to my hometown. However, blood drives in the D.C. area are less visible,” Lee wrote. Blood drives used to occur twice a month in Bulldog Alley due to the efforts of Georgetown student group Hoya Blood Donors, an organization established to promote blood drives on campus. However, since the organization’s dissolution last year, blood drives no longer occur with such frequency. The group suffered greatly from its inability to recruit new donors, Maria Jose Rivera (COL ’19), a former member of Hoya Blood Donors, wrote in an email to The Hoya. “In the most recent years, the organization began to rely on these ‘regulars’ rather than try to incorporate more new donors by reaching out to the undergrad community. As a result, many people just never really knew that the drives were going on,” Rivera wrote. Rivera wrote that the blood drive today benefited from the large coalition that supported it, and added that she hopes blood drives will start to occur more often again. “I am very glad that a blood drive was held today, and that it was so successful in terms of recruiting donors. It also benefitted from lots of faculty support and outreach to the grad community,” Rivera wrote. “I would love to be able to coordinate blood drives more than once a year, as I think the Georgetown campus is a great place to find donors and volunteers.”
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THE HOYA
Men's sOCCER
GOLF
Second-Half Surge Propels Hoyas Drew Sewall Hoya Staff Writer
GUHOYAS
Senior Pendleton Bogache tied for 48th place at the Cougar Classic, finishing at 4-over par 148. Bogache carded 74s on both days and birdied two of the final four holes to round out her tournament.
Big East Champions Defend Titles J.P. Harrison Hoya Staff Writer
Last weekend the Georgetown men’s and women’s golf teams competed in their first fall tournament of the season. The men’s team travelled to Henryville, Ind., for the Fuzzy Zoeller Invitational hosted by Indiana University at Champions Point Golf Club. Men’s Head Coach Tommy Hunter was optimistic about playing in the competition. “This is our first time competing in the Fuzzy Zoeller Invitational, and we are excited and honored to be a part of the field,” Hunter said in an interview with GUHoyas. “We had solid scoring in our qualifier, which builds confidence as we begin the fall season.” The Hoyas sat in eighth place following the first round of the tournament with a five-over par 293. Junior Eduardo Blochtein led the team in the first round, shooting a two-under par 70. Because of inclement weather, the tournament’s schedule was re-
arranged, leaving Georgetown unable to play the third round. They posted a two-round score of 593 over the weekend. Southern Illinois finished at the top of the leaderboard with a 28-under par team record of 836. Blochtein shot an even par 72 in the second round while sophomore Will Rand carded a 73. Freshman Will O'Neill finished with a 76, junior Patrick DiPasquale shot an 80 and junior Hardin Councill shot 79. The Blue and Gray return to competition Sept. 28 and 29 at the Villanova Invitational in White Manor, Pa. The women’s golf team finished 18th last weekend at College of Charleston’s Cougar Classic in Hanahan, S.C. The 19-team field included eight teams that finished inside the NCAA Top 25 last season and 11 teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament. The top five finishers of the tournament were Florida (546), Vanderbilt (549), Arkansas (560), Furman (565) and Florida State
(568). Senior Pendleton Bogache carded 74s in both rounds to finish at 4-over par 148. Bogache birdied two of the final four holes on Monday to enter a tie for 48th place. Senior Christina Parsells, senior Alexa Popowitz, and junior Ashley Fitzgibbons finished 59th, 83rd, and 88th respectively. Before the season, Parsells praised the camaraderie of the women’s team. “Our schedule for the fall is great, we're playing in some really good events,” Parsells said in an interview with GUHoyas. “Being a senior is bittersweet because I know the year will fly by, but I'm hoping the seniority will allow me to be a little more relaxed on the course and just have fun and enjoy playing. Our team is very supportive of each other and as a senior, I'm excited to help lead us to hopefully some more wins.” The next test for women’s golf comes Sept. 22 and 23 at the Nittany Lion Invitational hosted by Penn State.
FREE KICK
La Liga Sacrifices Tradition Patrick McNamara
I
n a move that could fundamentally alter the European soccer landscape, La Liga, Spain’s top league, recently announced its plan to play one game per season in the United States. The announcement of the deal between La Liga and Relevent, the organizers of the annual International Champions Cup of preseason friendlies between Europe’s elite clubs, has been met with significant opposition from Spanish players and fans. However, the move fits into a wider question in European soccer: whether the biggest European leagues and major clubs may soon push for drastic changes that alter the over 100-year league systems of single nationbased soccer leagues. Players from each club met to discuss the plan and issued a statement opposing the move, while the players’ union is “united” against the proposal. The athletes are wary of travelling across the Atlantic for a simple league fixture that would add to the strain of a nine-monthlong season. Players and clubs have also discussed potential issues regarding fairness. All the major European leagues operate under a system in which each club plays one home and away fixture against every other team. In the Spanish league, clubs play 19 home and 19 away league fixtures, providing each team an equal chance of success — financial disparities notwithstanding. If, however, a team has
a “home” fixture taken from it to be played abroad, this fundamental principle of the procedural fairness of a league is undermined. The league has already confirmed that the first match will not be “El Clásico,” the name given to the fixture between Real Madrid and Barcelona that is watched by hundreds of millions worldwide. Given that any American game is likely to need the involvement one of these two clubs, or at the very least the 2014 champions Atlético Madrid to appeal to foreign fans, La Liga will most likely choose the home match of a smaller Spanish club against one of these three large opponents. La Liga’s smaller clubs would thus face the prospect of forfeiting one of their home games to cater to American fans who are more likely to support the globally established team, turning a crucial home fixture into a de facto away game. When we consider that the larger clubs in Spain already receive a much higher proportion of TV revenue — unlike in England where the revenue is equally shared — the deal would represent a further undermining of the idea of fairness in a league long dominated by Real Madrid and Barcelona. More important, however, is the significant effect Spain’s decision could have on other leagues. Nearly a decade ago the English Premier League, long at the vanguard of European soccer’s globalization, sought to play games abroad. Termed the “39th game,” the league was meant to play a full round of additional fixtures abroad. In the face of overwhelming media and fan protest, the plan was abandoned in 2010. So far the 39th game proposal has not been revived, but if the Spanish model proves a success,
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it may be reopened, especially if the Premier League decides its commercial primacy is being jeopardized by playing games solely in the U.K. The decision marks another risky step toward the end of the historic network of national soccer leagues anchored in one country. It has long been projected that the elite clubs of Europe’s five or six biggest leagues will one day seek to break away from their domestic leagues. The rumored plan would involve the formation a European Super League of 16 or so elite clubs, creating a closed, American-style league without relegation in which games can be played abroad, owners’ profits are guaranteed and the primacy of the national leagues is lost. Arsène Wenger, the former Arsenal manager, mused last spring that it was simply a matter of time before this Super League was created. He added that he believed it would take place on weekends with the national leagues relegated to midweek with a similar prestige to that currently enjoyed by the domestic cup competitions. In this context, La Liga’s decision could mark a decisive moment of the European game unmooring itself from the confines of its homeland. However, as the vocal opposition from Spanish fans and previously their English counterparts shows, these clubs should be careful not to pursue profits and global brand enhancement at the expense of the very fans who have enabled them to become what they are today. Part of European soccer’s global appeal comes from its rich history and fan tradition. The sacrifice of this, in the pursuit of transient and fickle global audiences, should be approached only with the utmost caution. Patrick mcnamara is a master's
student in the SFS.
Playing at The George Washington University’s Charles E. Smith Center due to heavy rain Sunday, the Georgetown men’s soccer team hosted Yale University in Washington, D.C., and emerged with a 3-1 win. The Hoyas (3-1-1) were unaffected by the adverse weather as they scored less than three minutes into the game. Senior midfielder Kyle Zajec received the ball at the top of the box following a rebound and buried the chance into the left corner to give the Hoyas an early 1-0 lead. With the goal, Zajec now has four points on the season. Less than a minute later the Bulldogs (1-2) struck back. Yale midfielder Nicky Downs struck a shot from the left side of the box that beat senior goalkeeper Maurice Coyle and levelled the score at 1-1. Head Coach Brian Wiese discussed the quick response from the Bulldogs. “We scored early. Life is great. This is going to be a fun game. We're scoring all these goals. And then they score within 30 seconds,” Coach Wiese said in an interview with The Hoya. “So, you are always really curious to see how that turns a game.” After conceding the goal, the Hoyas showed resilience and were the better team for the remainder of the first half. They outshot the Bulldogs 14-6 and generated multiple chances off seven corners. Georgetown has recovered well after falling behind this season, Coach Wiese explained. “The positive out of the last two games was that the guys responded to conceding goals really well. So hopefully that continues through the sea-
son,” Wiese said. Despite Georgetown‘s remaining on the front foot for the majority of the first half, the game was deadlocked heading into the break. The Hoyas continued to push for the win in the second half through their prolific attack, led by sophomore forward Derek Dodson and junior forward Achara. Coach Wiese was impressed with the performance of his two forwards. “I think we have a pair of guys up there that when you're sitting here and thinking about the team all offseason and prepping for your fall, you're thinking that you may have the best pair of forwards in the country,” Wiese said. Just over six minutes into the half, senior midfielder Ethan Lochner found Dodson with a ball over the top of the Bulldogs’ defense. Dodson collected it and deftly placed a shot past Yale’s goalkeeper to break the tie and give Georgetown a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute. The two players have excelled early this season. Lochner’s assist marked his third point of the week and helped him earn the Big East Offensive Player of the week award. Dodson’s leads the Hoyas with four goals. Following Dodson’s goal, the Hoyas continued to dominate possession, searching for a pivotal third goal. Sophomore midfielder Jacob Montes collected the ball in the middle of the field and played a through ball into the path of junior forward Achara, who buried the ball in the right corner to give the Hoyas a 3-1 lead. Coach Wiese emphasized how the chemistry between Achara and Dodson has continued to grow this season. “The last couple games, against Stanford and Yale,
you start seeing what [Achara and Dodson] can be as a pair. They have wonderful individual talent and ability, but they also have the ability to make each other a lot better,” Wiese said. Following Achara’s goal, the Hoyas held the Bulldogs scoreless and secured a 3-1 victory, building on their impressive start to the season. The Blue and Gray controlled the game in all aspects as it outshot the Bulldogs 218. Maurice Coyle earned the win in net for Georgetown. Following the victory against Yale, Georgetown will begin its Big East campaign with a home game against the Xavier Musketeers (2-0-3). Despite the Hoyas’ success in the Big East last season, Wiese is cautious about underestimating any opponent in the conference. “It doesn't matter who you're playing [in the Big East]. It doesn't matter where you're playing or how well that team is doing on the year, the trick is making sure that you're ready for each game and finding your way through each of those challenges,” Wiese said. In 2017, the Hoyas finished second in the regular season standings and won the Big East Tournament in a double overtime victory over Xavier. Coach Wiese praised the ability of the Musketeers’ squad. “I think Xavier is one of the best teams in the country with the players they have coming back. They're really organized. They're very motivated,” Coach Wiese said. “When you open up your league play like that, if you make a mistake and don't get the win, you may not be able to catch them.” The game against Xavier is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, September 15th at Shaw Field and will be broadcasted on the Big East Digital Network.
Field Hockey
Hoyas Shut Out Blackbirds Ethan cohn
Hoya Staff Writer
With its fifth consecutive victory to start the season, the Georgetown field hockey team remains on top of the Big East standings. For the fourth time in five games, the Hoyas (5-0) recorded a shutout, defeating LIU Brooklyn 7-0 last Friday. Georgetown allowed three shots all game and not one hit the target. The Hoyas improved on their already-impressive defensive statistics. Before the game, Georgetown was ranked second in save percentage and third in goals against average in the nation. With their performance against the Blackbirds, the Hoyas now lead the nation in in goals against average (0.43) and save percentage (0.92). Freshman goalkeeper Ciara Weets and senior goalkeeper Chloe Verwiel both played in the contest, but neither was tested by the LIU Brooklyn attack. Coming into the season, Head Coach Christy Longacre was optimistic about her squad’s ability. "We have an exciting schedule this year that will be
tough, but could also be very rewarding. With some great additions and returners this fall, we are pumped to see what this team can achieve," Longacre said in an interview with GUHoyas. In addition to the strong defense, Georgetown also recorded its highest total shots on target so far this season. With 31 total shots and 18 on target, Georgetown remained on the offensive throughout the match. The Hoyas started the scoring early with a goal by junior Lindsay Getz just 1:54 minutes into the match. Senior forward Helena Masiello added the second and final goal of the half 25 minutes into the contest. Senior Katie Maransky and sophomore Ali Cronin recorded assists on the goal, which resulted from a penalty corner. Getz was named to the Big East Weekly Honor roll for her performance last Friday. She now ranks second on the team with six points. Multiple members of the team contributed to Georgetown’s win, with six different players scoring against LIU Brooklyn. Before the season, Longacre discussed the strong culture
of the field hockey program and looked forward to welcoming six freshmen to the squad. “We are beyond excited to welcome the 2018 signees to our Hoya field hockey family," Longacre said in an interview with GUHoyas. "They are a disciplined group and each of them has a strong desire to excel on and off the field. We can't wait to see what each young woman will bring to this team as we continue to build on the culture of the program." In the second half, the team continued to work well together, scoring five goals in a 15-minute span. Getz netted her second goal of the game, assisted by sophomore Cami Osborne. Just over one minute later, Kylee Cunningham extended the Hoyas’ lead to 4-0. After junior Emily Fraser scored her first goal of the season, Osborne notched her teamleading fourth goal of the season to raise the score to 6-0. Junior Michaela Bruno rounded out the scoring with a goal from the top of the circle 55 minutes into the game. Georgetown will open its conference schedule this Friday in Philadelphia against Villanova.
HANNAH LEVINE FOR THE HOYA
Sophomore midfielder Grace English, left, has started five games this season, recording three shots. The unbeaten field hockey team leads the nation in goals against average and save percentage.
SPORTS
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THE HOYA
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Women’s Soccer
New York Capitalizes on Tipped Play Calls CHRISTOVICH, from A12
manufactured many of these plays themselves. The Jets’ defense claimed that one reason they were so successful was because the Lions were tipping their plays. “We were calling out their plays as [Stafford] was getting up to the line,” Jets’ linebacker Darron Lee said via ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Lee then explained that the Jets’ defense could anticipate Stafford’s plays based on “preparation,” saying that the defense deeply studied the Lions’ offensive cues leading up to the game and that this is how they got in Stafford’s head. This situation is a perfect il-
lustration of if the Jets won or if the Lions simply lost: If the Jets were truly able to decipher the Lions’ tendencies with their pregame studies, then they likely won the game. However, if the Lions obviously tipped their plays, they likely caused themselves to lose the season opener. Thus, the Jets won the game with a tactic that they could replicate against other teams — preparation — rather than simply reacting to the Lions’ poor concealment of play-calling, which would have been the Lions’ fault for failing to hide. Of course, if the Jets picked up cues like a Boston sports team — Applegate or Spygate, anyone? — once did, the game does not at all indicate the po-
tential success of either team. Rookie quarterback Sam Darnold contributed to the win with a rather brilliant performance, except for his first Jetslike pass that resulted in a picksix. However, according to Lee’s comments, the Jets’ defense really won themselves the game. Does the Jets winning the game on their own merits guarantee they will finally enjoy a winning season? No. But does Week One win bode well for New York and its fan base on life support? Yes. Regardless, one thing is for sure: The question of whether the Jets won themselves a game — or lost it — will persist throughout the season given the team’s tumultuous his-
tory in recent years. If the Jets can consistently win games through November, however, they may quiet their doubters. As a New Orleans Saints’ fan who has suffered through many instances where the team’s lamentable defense has singlehandedly lost games -- i.e. Sunday, when the Saints’ defense made Ryan Fitzpatrick look like the best versions of Tom Brady and Cam Newton combined -some teams exercise incredible agency over their own destinies, whether they win or lose a game.
Amanda Christovich is a senior in the College. Helmet To Helmet appears every other week.
Cross country
GU Sets Sights on Postseason Success PENN STATE, from A12
Aisha malhas/the Hoya
Sophomore defender Kelly Ann Livingstone has started all eight matches this season for the Hoyas, who have four shutouts.
Hoyas Earn Comeback Victory Against Patriots GEORGE MASON, from A12
and it’s the second time this year we have come from behind, a good sign,” Nolan said. The Hoyas responded shortly after the break, led by graduate student Kyra Carusa and senior Caitlin Farrell. Carusa forced a save from George Mason’s goalkeeper Morgan Symmers, but Symmers was unable to corral the rebound. Farrell followed up the shot to even the score at the 58-minute mark. Carusa created multiple chances in the match, registering six shots and forcing four saves from George Mason’s goalkeeper. Carusa broke through in the 72nd minute, scoring the gamewinning goal and propelling the Hoyas to their fourth straight victory. Georgetown outshot George Mason 23-8. The Hoyas’ defense held strong in the sec-
ond half and did not allow a shot on target. George Mason also committed 12 fouls to Georgetown’s six and had two players booked for yellow cards, while Georgetown’s yellow card was booked to the team. Nolan is looking forward to continuing Georgetown’s winning run. “Credit to George Mason for graciously hosting us on the day and their team has been on a good run of late so we were happy to get out of there with a win,” Nolan said. “Now we have to try to prepare for two tough opponents next week at Princeton on Thursday and at home against Columbia next Sunday to finish out our non-conference schedule.” The Hoyas will try to remain undefeated as they travel down to Princeton on Thursday night, before hosting Columbia on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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she pulled several of our freshmen in tow, including Kate Modrall and Katie Dammer,” Culley said in an interview with The Hoya. “Margie Cullen will continue to move up in races as the season progresses and we look forward to putting most of the lineup together in a few weeks in
Wisconsin.” Culley predicted an improvement in performance with a larger roster down the road. “I’m pleased with this finish based on several of our women resting this first weekend. We are confident the team will be further up in races once we return our full squad,” Culley said. The Hoyas are looking for-
ward to competing at the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational. “We’d like to race really well as a team and mix it up with some of the best programs in the country,” Culley said. “We are looking forward to getting acclimated to the course in Wisconsin and gaining confidence heading into October.”
GUHOYAS
The Georgetown women’s cross country team finished third behind Penn State and Syracuse at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in State College, Pa., recording 73 points.
The men’s performance was also notable as the team finished in fifth place with 128 points. Four Hoyas crossed the finish line in under 27 minutes in the 5.2-mile race. Sophomore Ty Brownlow’s time of 26:31 was the 17th-fastest time overall, while junior Eion Nohilly’s finished 23rd with a time of 26:47. Junior Joshua Bell completed the race on Nohilly’s heels, finishing one second behind his teammate. Junior Dylan Scarsone marked the fourth Hoya runner in the top 30, placing 28th with a time of 26:53. Seven Hoyas placed in the top 50 in the 5.2-mile race. Brandon Bonsey, the head men’s cross country coach, stressed the bigger picture as the season progresses. “I thought it was a good, solid start; it’s been so hot and humid here that doing much quality work at race pace has kind of been difficult,” Bonsey said. “We want to be a good team in September, but they don’t give trophies out in September. We’re still training really hard right now, and our sights are definitely set on those postseason meets.” Both teams will compete at the Wisconsin Nuttycombe Invitational on Sept. 28.
football
Georgetown Falters in Low-Scoring Contest Campbell, from A12
picked off the Campbell quarterback late in the first half and returned the ball to the 12-yard line. Georgetown added a field goal off the interception. Later in the game, sophomore defensive lineman Duval Paul stripped the Campbell quarterback, forcing and then recovering a fumble.
Kessler and Paul each contributed six tackles. On offense, the Hoyas failed to capture key opportunities. Junior quarterback Gunther Johnson connected on 17-of-34 passes for 201 yards. Junior tight end Isaac Schley grabbed a team-high four catches, while junior wide receiver Michael Dereus hauled in three receptions for 76 yards.
Sophomore running back Jackson Saffold led Georgetown’s rushing attack with 49 yards on seven carries. “Gunther has done a good job of embracing Coach Spencer’s philosophy,” Sgarlata said. “I’m excited to see what he has in store.” Special teams made a major impact on the game as well. Junior placekicker Brad Hurst sent two field goals
through the uprights, the first of which was a careerlong 45-yarder. Georgetown’s other two points resulted from a high snap that sailed over the Campbell punter’s head for a safety. The Hoyas will go on the road to face Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H., this Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
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Junior placekicker Brad Hurst hit two field goals against Campbell University on Saturday, including a career-long 45-yard field goal. Last season, Hurst converted 12-of-16 extra point attempts and 5-of-9 field goal attempts. Hurst also averaged 41.5 yards per punt.
Sports
Men’s Soccer Georgetown (3-1-1) vs. Xavier (2-0-3) Saturday, Sept. 15, 1 p.m. Shaw Field
friday, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018
NUMBERS GAME
talkING POINTS
Field Hockey The Georgetown field hockey team extended its winning streak to five with a win over LIU Brooklyn.
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We want to be a good team in September, but they don’t give out trophies in September.”
Men’s Cross Country Coach Brandon Bonsey
The number of shots graduate student forward Kyra Carusa recorded against George Mason.
women’S SOCCER
cross country
Georgetown Continues Unbeaten Run Vikram Sud
Hoya Staff Writer
On Sunday, the Georgetown women’s soccer team travelled to Fairfax, Va., and erased a 1-0 halftime deficit to defeat George Mason by a score of 2-1. Going into the half down 1-0, Head Coach Dave Nolan
discussed the team’s difficulties falling behind and playing in rainy conditions. “This game was always going to be a test for the team today -- plenty of distractions including a late change of venue and also a heavy rain for the entire game,” Nolan said in an interview with GUHoyas. “When we gave up
a goal on their only effort in the first half, it certainly had the feel of a banana skin game.” Georgetown (5-0-2) was on the front foot in the first 45 minutes and recorded 12 total shots. While George Mason (43-0) had four fewer shots in the half, the team opened the scoring with a 39th-minute
goal off a header from a free kick. At the break, Nolan told his squad to stick with its approach. “We spoke at the half about continuing to do what we do well, and we would be fine. Thankfully, we got two goals See George Mason, A11
guHoyas
The Georgetown men’s cross country team finished fifth at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational last weekend.
Teams Start Fall Season With Top5 Finishes Brendan dolan Hoya Staff Writer
The Georgetown men’s and women’s cross country teams travelled to State College, Pa., for the first meet of the 2018 fall campaign last weekend. The Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational produced a number of noteworthy individual performances for both teams. The women’s team clinched a third-place finish behind host Penn State and perennial rival Syracuse, tallying 73 total points. Junior Paige Hofstad clocked a time of 21:01 in the 6000-meter race and finished
third overall, while freshman Katherine Modrall grabbed eighth place in 21:19. Junior Margie Cullen and freshman Katie Dammer finished 13th and 17th, respectively, in a pool of nearly 130 competitors. Both runners completed the race in under 22 minutes. Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Julie Culley was impressed with the team’s performance. “We had a great outing for our freshmen and sophomores in particular. Paige Hofstad had a solid race and See penn state, A11
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Junior midfielder/forward Paula Germino-Watnick registered four shots in Georgetown’s 2-1 win against George Mason last Sunday. Germino-Watnick scored four goals in 2017 and has three career assists for the women’s soccer team.
Helmet to helmet
FOOTBALL
Hoyas Cannot Find Endzone in Loss danny mccooey Hoya Staff Writer
In front of a sold-out crowd Saturday, the Georgetown football team dropped its home opener in a tight contest against the Campbell Camels 13-8. With the loss, the Hoyas
now sit at 1-1 on the year. The rainy, wet conditions made for a low-scoring game with plenty of big hits and defensive plays. Sophomore linebacker Wes Bowers led the Hoyas with 18 tackles — the third most by a player in program history. He also added a sack and three tackles for
loss on the day. Georgetown’s defensive captains came to play as well. Senior defensive backs Ramon Lyons and Blaise Brown locked down the Campbell receivers, recording eight tackles each. “They’ve been through the wars. They have been through
good times here and some of the toughest times on and off the field as a program,” Georgetown Head Coach Rob Sgarlata said. The Hoyas generated two turnovers in the game. Sophomore linebacker Owen Kessler See Campbell, A11
Richard schofield/the hoya
The Georgetown football team lost its first game of the season last Saturday against Campbell University. Junior quarterback Gunther Johnson completed 17-of-34 passes for 201 yards in the Hoyas’ home opener, while Georgetown’s defense recorded a safety in the fourth quarter. Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports
Amanda Christovich
After Hot Start, Jets Might Prove Surprise Contenders In utter disbelief, my roommate and I sat on our couch Monday night contemplating whether everything we knew about football was a lie. We were watching this week’s “Monday Night Football” game between the Detroit Lions and the New York Jets, and we could not believe our eyes. Sometime during the third quarter, my roommate turned to me and asked just how bad the Lions were this year. “Or,” she postulated, eyes widening, “are the Jets actually good?” The Jets’ dominating 48-17 win against the Lions this week sparked the age-old question: Did the winning team actually win, or did its opponent simply lose? After all, the Jets have only had one winning season since Mark Sanchez’s infamous butt fumble in 2012 and have posted five wins in each of the last two seasons. Despite multiple high first-round draft picks and coaching changes, the organization of the team has been, for lack of a better phrase, laughable. As a result, many Jets fans with whom I have close relationships had all but given up
on their team, growing cynical and bitter with each passing pathetic season. It is in this climate that New York stepped onto the MNF stage against the respectable Detroit — which has sported winning records in three of its last four seasons — and absolutely demolished them. Based on both teams’ recent histories, the need to ask whether the Jets’ Week One win indicates a season in which they will rise from the ashes or simply how terrible the Lions will be this year is understandable. The answer to this question lies in whether the Jets won based on their own controllable tactics, which they could repeat, or based on the unprompted miscues from the Lions. Consider the Jets defense, which recorded five interceptions: four off Stafford and one off backup quarterback Matt Cassel. While many critics would attribute these interceptions to fallacies on the part of the respective quarterbacks or new Head Coach Matt Patricia, it seems that the Jets’ defense See Christovich, A11