F R I DAY, A P R I L 2 7 , 2 0 1 8
ILLUSTRATION BY: GRACE CHUNG AND ANNA KOOKEN/THE HOYA
B2
YEAR IN REVIEW
THE HOYA
friDAY, April 27, 2018
Year in Brief: News That Made Headlines in 2017-2018 August 30, 2017
Georgetown Reaches Agreement With Nike
Georgetown and Nike reached an agreement August 30 requiring the athletic wear giant to allow the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights group, access to supplier factories to ensure they comply with new labor standards. The agreement came as part of a new contract between Nike and Georgetown. The university had let the previous contract expire in December 2016 after students conducted a 35-hour sit-in in University President John J. DeGioia’s suite of offices beginning Dec. 8 to protest Nike’s labor policies.
october 20, 2017
Students Call for Love Saxa to Be Defunded
FILE PHOTO: ALI ENRIGHT/THE HOYA
A group of students presented a petition demanding that Love Saxa, a group that advocates for marriage between a man and a woman, be defunded. The students claimed that the organization holds intolerant beliefs. Love Saxa had spent a year in restoration, a process through which a student organization recovers its benefits, before returning to active status in fall 2017. Following a Nov. 3 hearing, the Student Activities Commission voted not to strip the organization of its funding.
September 7, 2017
Swastikas Found in Residence Halls Three swastikas were found on the walls of two resiFILE PHOTO: WILL CROMARTY/THE HOYA dence hall elevators in the first week of September. The first, found less than a week after the start of classes, was discovered in a Village C West elevator, while the second two were found in LXR Hall. The incidents paralleled a similar bias-related incident that occured in March 2016, in which two swastikas were scratched into a VCW elevator.
november 7, 2017
Clinton Makes Anticipated Return to Hilltop
january 23, 2018
2nd Annual Women’s March Mobilizes Voters Nearly 12,000 protesters convened on the National Mall on Saturday, Jan. 20, 2018, for the second annual Women’s March to rally for social justice causes. The first annual march, which happened Jan. 21, 2017, and drew a crowd of over 725,000 protesters, formed in response to the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, 2017. This year’s march centered on mobilizing protesters to bolster support for women and minorities. Georgetown students were among the protesters in the crowd, including Madeleine Gibbons-Shapiro (COL ’21), who expressed the need for Georgetown to continue to support marginalized communities on campus. “A continued support of ‘Dreamers’ and people who are traditionally discriminated against, especially in our predominantly white institution — it’s important for Georgetown to support all FILE PHOTO: AMBER GILETTE/THE HOYA these different people,” Gibbons-Shapiro said at the march.
February 23, 2018
Nair and Rahman Elected to GUSA Executive Sahil Nair (SFS ’19) and Naba Rahman (SFS ’19) were elected president and vice president of the Georgetown University Student Association Feb. 23, 2018, by a narrow margin of 36 votes. The voting was tight through all rounds; runners-up Josh Sirois (SFS ’20) and Casey Doherty (COL ’20) received the most votes in the first round of voting, but Nair and Rahman narrowly edged out the other candidates in the last round. The election of Nair and Rahman makes 2018 the third consecutive year in which a nonwhite GUSA executive pair FILE PHOTO: SHEEL PATEL/THE HOYA was elected to office. At his election night party, Nair was proud that outsider candidates were able to secure victory. “I’m feeling exhilarated and humbled. I’m at a loss for words,” Nair said. “Georgetown made their voice heard and we proved that every voice matters. We proved that it doesn’t matter if you’re a GUSA outsider.” The pair officially took office March 9.
March 15, 2018
Students Walk Out in Support of Gun Reform On the one-month anniversary of the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., nearly 200 Georgetown students, faculty and staff marched out of class to call for gun violence prevention. The walkout lasted for 17 minutes to honor each of the 17 students who were killed in the shooting. University President John J. DeGioia was in attendance at the walkout, expressing solidarity with the movement. “No student should live in fear of gun violence,” DeGioia said to the crowd. Gun control advocate Sarah Clements (COL ’18) also spoke at the event, recognizing Georgetown’s small participation in the nationwide day of protests. “Thousands and thousands of schools are participating in this event around the country,” Clements said. “We are demandFILE PHOTO: HANNAH LEVINE/THE HOYA ing change from our leaders and politicians.”
FILE PHOTO: STEPHANIE YUAN/THE HOYA
Former President Bill Clinton (SFS ’68) returned to the Hilltop on Nov. 6 for the fourday “Clinton 25: Georgetown Reflects on the Vision of Bill Clinton” symposium, speaking in favor of economic, political and social inclusivity and about the need for cooperation between global leaders.
february 2, 2018
GUSA Initiates Mental Health Stipend Program The Georgetown University Student Association received a grant of $10,000 in early February to support a pilot program for an off-campus mental health stipend for low-income students. The university’s grant became public Feb. 1, at a meeting between the university administration and GUSA executives. The program, which was slated to provide off-campus mental health support for 10 to 20 students with demonstrated financial need, came after months of negotiations between GUSA and the university. Former GUSA President Kamar Mack (COL ’19) appreciated the university’s receptiveness in recognizing an area for change and working with students to implement the policy. Ultimately, the policy was created to make mental health resources more accessible for students, Mack said. “The big-picture conversation of making mental health affordable can be attacked in a number of ways and this is a way that we’re addressing it in spring 2018,” Mack said.
february 25, 2018
Georgetown Supports Gun Control Advocacy The Georgetown University administration announced Feb. 24, 2018, that it would not penalize prospective students for participating in peaceful protests. The announcement came after an uptick in protests and walkouts around the country to press for tighter gun control laws in response to the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which killed 17 people and injured 17 others, many of whom were students. The announcement by the university administration and peer universities around the country was in response to various high school administration punishing students that participated in peaceful protests or walkouts. “We provide applicants an opKEENAN SAMWAY/THE HOYA portunity to elaborate on any disciplinary infraction and carefully consider all context they provide,” the Twitter announcement by the Office of Undergraduate Admission read. “Participation in peaceful protest will not negatively impact admission to Georgetown.”
March 31, 2017
Acceptance Rate Sees All-Time Low Thanks to record numbers of applicants to Georgetown in this year’s admissions cycle, the university saw its lowest-ever acceptance rate. Georgetown received 22,897 applications for the Class of 2022 and admitted only 3,327 applicants, resulting in an acceptance rate of 14.5 percent. This year marked the second straight admissions cycle that resulted in a record-low acceptance rate.
FILE PHOTO: RICHARD SCHOFIELD/THE HOYA
friday, April 27, 2018
YEAR IN REVIEW
THE HOYA
B3
Negotiations Result in Historic Union Election Agreement Katrina Schmidt Hoya Staff Writer
An agreement to hold an election on graduate student unionization next semester was reached between the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees and the Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences after five months of negotiations. GAGE formally presented its request for recognition and contract negotiations Nov. 1 and the election agreement was not announced until April 2. The proposal to unionize centered on the ability to negotiate better pay, benefits and working conditions for graduate students working as teaching and research assistants. “We call on Georgetown University to live up to its highest Jesuit values of promoting cura personalis and offering dignified work, specifically by respecting the results of these organizing efforts by its employees, voluntarily recognizing a graduate worker union, and beginning to collectively bargain with us,” GAGE’s Nov. 1 letter to University President John J. DeGioia read. GAGE, which first formed in January 2017, had support from nearly 50 percent of graduate workers and designated the American Federation of Teachers as its bargaining agent at the time of its Nov. 1 proposal. The university rejected GAGE’s preliminary efforts to begin collective bargaining in a Dec. 4 letter from Provost Robert Groves. The letter emphasized that graduate students’ primary relationship with Georgetown is an educational one, and therefore student workers are not covered by the univeresity’s Just Employment Policy. The university committed itself to working to enhance graduate student workers’ resources in the letter, although not in the context of unionization. “Our relationship with the students conducting research and doing teaching assistantships is one of faculty and student, mentor and mentee,” Groves wrote in the letter. “This relationship is not, fundamentally, one of employer and employee.” GAGE countered this response in late December. The AFT and GAGE proposed that the university enter into an agreement for an election that would be administered by a neutral third party, rather than by the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB, an independent federal agency, ruled in August 2017 that graduate teaching and research assistants at private universities like Georgetown are employees with the right to unionize. The agency typically conducts unionization elections. After GAGE’s proposal that an election would involve a neutral third party, Groves and Vice President for Health Sciences Edward Healton sent a letter to the Georgetown community Jan. 9 stating that the university would seriously con-
sider the proposal. “I am also heartened that the Georgetown administration opted to follow the path of its Jesuit values and labor fairness rather than pursue the Trumpian low road favored by some of their peers. Together, we can work to make Georgetown an even better institution — and this agreement can stand as a model for graduate labor relations across the country,” AFT President Randi Weingarten said in a statement after the announcement. Following the January announcement that the university would consider the proposal, GAGE, the AFT and Georgetown began negotiating the terms of an election. “We kind of fought for and held out for the best possible agreement that we could get for graduate workers here,” Chad Frazier, a sixth-year doctoral student and a member of the GAGE Election Negotiation Committee, said in an interview with The Hoya. Given the national scope of the issue of graduate student worker unionization, GAGE also recognized the outcome of their negotiations “could become a template” for other universities, Frazier said. After months of discussion, Groves and Healton sent another letter to the university community April 2 announcing that an agreement to hold an election administered by a neutral third party had been reached. “Today’s agreement creates a new framework recognizing that graduate students’ relationship with the University is fundamentally an educational one, while also responding to their desire to have a stronger voice in the terms of their service as teaching assistants, research assistants, and teaching associates,” Groves and Healton wrote in the letter. The agreement between GAGE, the AFT and the university does not only contain the terms for the election. “The other thing that it contains is a legally binding agreement from the university that when we win, they will come to the bargaining table with us,” Frazier said. “Which is very different from what universities like Columbia have been doing with their graduate workers’ unions.” A university spokesperson also emphasized the framework that Georgetown pursued in developing the agreement. Currently, the only private university with a graduate student worker union is New York University, although union representation elections have taken place at Duke University, Harvard University, Yale University and Columbia University, according to the Cornell University Graduate School. The agreement reached aims to preserve the educational relationship between graduate student workers and the university, while respecting workers’ rights, an approach that differs from previous election agreements.
FILE PHOTO: ANNA KOVACEVICH/THE HOYA
Graduate student workers plan to hold a unionization election next semester after months of activism culminated in an agreement with Georgetown University.
B4
THE HOYA
YEAR IN REVIEW
friDAY, april 27, 2018
FILE PHOTO: AMBER GILLETTE/THE HOYA
Multiple anti-Semitic and anti-Palestinian incidents worried student groups, provoked conversations about free speech on campus and prompted universitywide investigations that failed to apprehend most of the perpetrators. Unknown suspects painted swastikas and misogynistic messages in a bathroom and an elevator in the upperclass dorm LXR Hall in early September.
Bias-Related Incidents Persist After Swastika Graffiti
deepika jonnalagadda Hoya Staff Writer
At least 14 bias-related incidents across campus were reported to Georgetown University during the 2017-18 academic year, including seven accounts of anti-Semitic graffiti, five occasions of theft of an Israeli flag and two instances of theft of a Palestinian flag. A string of anti-Semitic vandalism incidents took place in two residence halls in early September, with one swastika found carved into the wall of a Village C West elevator and multiple red swastikas later found painted in an LXR Hall elevator. Swastikas were also found inside the stall of a second-floor LXR women’s restroom, next to language threatening violence against women on two separate occasions. The graffiti was reported to the Georgetown University Police Department, which increased security and installed security cameras around LXR. Vice President for Mission and Ministry Rev. Mark Bosco, S.J., and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson sent an email to the Georgetown community Sept. 6 after the incidents that condemned the swastikas carved in VCW. “As a community, we condemn all acts of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism, and any form of hate,” Bosco and Olson wrote in the email to the community. “These acts are antithetical to our values as a Catholic and Jesuit university and our commitment to be inclusive and welcoming to people of all faiths and racial and ethnic backgrounds.” University President John. J. DeGioia also sent an email to the university Sept. 6 in response to the swastikas found in LXR.
“There is never a time or place for these acts, and this incident is even more disturbing during Rosh Hashanah,” DeGioia wrote. “We stand in solidarity with our Jewish community and strongly condemn this act of hate, anti-Semitism and sexism.” DeGioia’s email promised to hold accountable the individuals responsible for the acts of vandalism and reiterated calls for students to report any known information relevant to the incidents to GUPD. The Georgetown student body and administration expressed an outpouring of support toward Jewish students in combatting hate, Jewish Student Association Co-President Aviv Lis (COL ’19) said. “When hate was directed towards us in the form of graffiti, we responded with the opposite, we drew with chalk messages of hope and peace in Red Square,” Lis wrote in an email to The Hoya. “When the graffiti strived to make Jews at Georgetown feel unsafe, the Georgetown community at large did the opposite, they came out in support of us and showed that we will always belong on the hilltop.” Despite failing to identify a suspect, the lengthy investigation sent a message of their commitment to bring justice to the perpetrators, GUPD Chief Jay Gruber wrote in an email to The Hoya on April 25. “Even though we were unable to identify a suspect I feel strongly that we sent a message that we will work as long as it takes to identify and bring to justice those responsible,” Gruber wrote. Former Georgetown Israel Alliance President Tanner Larkin (SFS ’20) expressed his disappointment in the failure of GUPD to apprehend a suspect. “I am disappointed that GUPD never managed to catch the perpetrator of these
seven incidents,” Larkin wrote in an email to The Hoya on April 25. “The swastikas shook the entire Jewish community to its core, and the fact that the perpetrator or perpetrators are still walking around campus continues to upset me.” More recently, an Israeli flag and Palestinian flag, both hung in Red Square during pro-Palestine group Students for Justice in Palestine’s Israel Apartheid Week, were removed several times between April 3 and April 8. Unknown suspects took down a Palestinian flag that was hung April 1. The flags were taken down April 3 and April 6, which led SJP to file two bias-related incident reports to the university. An Israeli flag was taken down on five separate occasions on April 3, April 4, April 6 and twice on April 8; GIA filed bias-related incident reports with GUPD for each theft. Following the conclusion of GUPD’s investigation of the incidents, one of the perpetrators who stole the Israeli flag was apprehended. Larkin said the thefts of the Israeli flag were unacceptable as the incidents targeted students on the basis of nationality. “Even if these incidents were not directly anti-Semitic, hatred on the basis of nationality is as unacceptable as hatred on the basis of religion or ethnicity,” Larkin said. “Whatever you think of any given Israeli policy, the Israeli flag symbolizes a nation that means so much to many Georgetown students.” SJP President Ahmad Al-Husseini (NHS ’20) called for the university to issue a formal statement denouncing the thefts and violation of free speech. “Red Square is such a cherished space because it is central to our campus’s idea
of promoting free speech and I hate to see these type of vandalism on all sides, so I hope to see the campus issue a formal response to these far too common-place incidents,” Al-Husseini wrote in an email to The Hoya on April 10. The university does not tolerate these bias-related incidents and will work to prevent future incidents, Olson wrote in an April 25 email to The Hoya. “Georgetown supports the free and open exchange of ideas, but we do not tolerate bias-related incidents or actions that attempt to silence the speech of our community,” Olson wrote. “During a series of bias-related incidents from this past year, we not only worked to respond to the incidents, but also to prevent future ones through extensive dialogue aimed at fostering an inclusive community.” The university did not officially respond to the incidents or send a campuswide email, as it did earlier in the year, a fact that is worrisome to many students, Larkin wrote in an email to The Hoya. “What worries me is the possibility that there will be further bias incidents in the future, whether against pro-Israel students or anyone else, that the administration may also fail to take seriously,” Larkin wrote. Ultimately, despite the incidents on campus, Gruber emphasized the need for the community to remain unified to combat hate on campus. “There are individuals who have hate in their hearts or who try to sensationalize their causes by creating an environment meant to polarize the university,” Gruber wrote. “Although we cannot change what they think we can marginalize them by coming together as a community.”
friday, april 27, 2018
YEAR IN REVIEW
THE HOYA
B5
FILE PHOTO: WILL CROMARTY/THE HOYA
Students rose up in support of DACA recipients throughout the year, participating in and organizing education and advocacy efforts. Members of the Georgetown community brought strings of cutout butterflies, the symbol of DACA repicients, to Capitol Hill in December to push Congress to pass the Dream Act and enact permanent legislation to protect young immigrants without documentation.
Amid National Dialogue, Community Supports ‘Dreamers’
sarah mendelsohn Hoya Staff Writer
Last September, Attorney General Jeff Sessions made an announcement long expected by the current administration’s supporters and long feared by many immigrant advocates: The administration of President Donald Trump planned to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an administrative program established by former President Barack Obama that protected about 800,000 immigrants without documentation from deportation. On the same day Sessions made the announcement, Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia pledged that the university would be committed to protecting students without documentation — commonly known as “Dreamers.” He further denounced the rescission of the program as an “unconscionable decision.” Throughout the academic year, university administrators and students have responded to the Trump administration’s moves to rescind the program with programs and educational services, such as letter writing campaigns to senators. DeGioia also advocated for protections for DACA recipients, pushing for the passage of the Dream Act of 2017, a legislative proposal that would provide permanent protection and a path to citizenship for DACA recipients. DeGioia also piloted a letter-writing campaign, “Friends of Dreamers,” which sent letters written by students, faculty, alumni and parents to members of Congress, calling for a permanent legislative replacement for DACA. After announcing the rescission of DACA in September the Trump administration allowed Congress six months to find a permanent replacement for DACA; Congress nevertheless failed to pass legal protections for DACA recipients before
the March 5, 2018, deadline. However, the elimination of DACA protections has faced legal roadblocks: On Tuesday, a third federal court judge ruled that the government must continue to provide protection for and accept new DACA applicants. Georgetown has reiterated its support for students without documentation by filing amicus briefs, documents that provide information and a legal argument for appellate court cases, Associate Vice President for Federal Relations Scott Fleming wrote in a statement to The Hoya. “Our commitment to Dreamers remains unwavering and we will continue working alongside peer institutions, students and policymakers to advocate for policy solutions that protect Dreamers,” Fleming wrote. “While Congress and the White House have been unable to agree on legislation to protect DACA recipients, Georgetown has joined top universities in filing amicus briefs in multiple courts, including, most recently, in the 9th Circuit.” Students also joined the effort to pressure legislators to create a legal path to citizenship for Dreamers. Within days of DACA being rescinded in September, 16 Hoyas without documentation traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin (SFS ’66, LAW ’69) of Illinois to discuss the Dream Act. Juan Martinez (SFS ’20) went to Capitol Hill in September to discuss the Dream Act; after his visit, he emphasized the value of the university coming together to support DACA recipients. “Coming here, I never knew I would receive this much support, and I was surprised,” Martinez said in an April interview with The Hoya. “It just really reassures me and allows me to pursue my studies first because I know that I’m going to be supported and that’s something that a lot of undocumented students haven’t had in the past.”
The Georgetown University Student Association also offered its support for students without documentation by organizing a week-long advocacy and education effort called #GUHereToStay, including of a phone bank, letter-writing campaign and other advocacy efforts aimed at engaging students in advocacy for the Dream Act. Director of the GUSA Federal and D.C. Relations Committee Rebecca Hinkhouse (SFS ’19) said in a December article in The Hoya that the #GUHereToStay campaign was a more aggressive effort by the university to encourage Congress to pass the Dream Act. “We wanted something bigger and better than just letter writing, and we wanted to educate students and engage students, so we came up with this week of activities,” Hinkhouse said. Congress did not pass the Dream Act or any other legislation that would protect DACA recipients before DACA expired, according to Associate Director for Undocumented Student Services Arelis Palacios, who advises and supports students without documentation. “[The] biggest challenge was seeing March 5 come [and] go without a resolution in place,” Palacios wrote in an email to The Hoya. However, the university maintained its support for DACA recipients. After Congress failed to pass legal protections for students without documentation this winter, Senior Director for Strategic Communications Rachel Pugh said that Georgetown would continue to support and advocate for DACA recipients. “Georgetown is deeply disappointed that Congress has not yet passed legislation that protects Dreamers,” Pugh said to The Hoya on Feb. 14. “As the Senate debates immigration legislation this week, we will continue advocating for the Dream Act and efforts to protect our Dreamers. We remain committed to supporting our un-
documented students and will work alongside peers, students and policymakers to protect Dreamers.” This semester, students have demonstrated their support for Dreamers by participating in UndocuWeek in April, a weeklong effort to raise awareness about students without documentation at Georgetown. UndocuWeek events included of educational discussions, movie screenings and community activities designed to dispel common stereotypes about immigrants. Member of UndocuHoyas Mizraim Belman Guerrero (SFS ’20) said that the week played an important role in humanizing the struggles faced by students without documentation. “It’s important to humanize the issue and the people being affected because at the end of the day, we’re humans, we’re students, and we’re really here to try to make the best life that we can,” Belman Guerrero said. Upon reflecting on the events of the past year, Palacios wrote that “seeing the University President and campus community, as well as all graduate campuses rally around in support of undocumented students,” was the highlight of the past year. Palacios wrote that she hopes to see the passage of the Dream Act next year and to provide more expansive services to students without documentation. “We want to continue to expand our services to our community,” Palacios said. Palacios expressed her confidence that the community of students without documentation woukl persist despite the challenges they may face. “‘Dreamers’ is an ever-broadening term, and our students are representative of all walks of life and various life experiences, yet they are resilient, focused and incredibly adept at identifying and creating opportunities when many others perceive for there to be none,” Palacios wrote.
B6
THE HOYA
YEAR IN REVIEW
friDAY, april 27, 2018
Multiple DCPS Scandals Mark Bowser’s Term Will cassou Hoya Staff Writer
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) faces little competition in this year’s mayoral election, despite a number of scandals concerning the D.C. Public School system that have dogged her administration. Washington public schools experienced prominent scandals this year, with multiple members of Bowser’s cabinet, including former Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles and former DCPS Chancellor Antwan Wilson, resigning under mounting pressure from the public and the D.C. Council after notable ethics violations. In November 2017, NPR and WAMU, a public radio station owned by American University, reported that dozens of students in D.C. public high schools had been allowed to graduate despite failing to meet attendance requirements. The report prompted further investigation by Alvarez and Marsal, a global professional services firm that works to improve companies’ efficiency. Alvarez and Marsal released a report in January 2018, revealing that most public schools in the District awarded credit to students who had missed more than the allowed 30 days of classes, inappropriately offered credit recovery opportunities and graduated students against DCPS standards. The report also uncovered systematic failures on the part of the DCPS central
office. “A lack of support and oversight from DCPS Central Office contributed significantly to policy violations system-wide related to grading, credit recovery, excessive absences, and graduation of ineligible students. Specifically, training, communication, tools, and monitoring were inadequate,” the report read. In February, Wilson used his relationship with Niles to circumvent the competitive lottery system used to place D.C. students in schools outside of their home district to secure his daughter a seat at Woodrow Wilson High School. Both resigned after an investigation conducted by the D.C. inspector general was made public and revealed Wilson and Niles’ improper conduct. This action was in direct violation of official mayor’s orders 2017-125 and 2017158, which prohibit the deputy mayor of education from granting discretionary transfers to the children of other public officials. Wilson moved to create the guidelines he eventually violated, after the D.C. Office of the Inspector General reprimanded his predecessor, Kaya Henderson, in April 2017 for the same offense. Both Wilson and Niles resigned amidst the scandal, Niles on Feb. 16 and Wilson on Feb. 20. Niles’ former chief of staff, Ahnna Smith, is now serving as the interim deputy mayor for education in Niles’ stead, and
Amanda Alexander is serving as the interim D.C. Public Schools Chancellor. Although initially reluctant to dismiss Wilson, Bowser eventually yielded to public pressure and called for his resignation. “It became very clear to me over the last several days that Chancellor Wilson would be unable to successfully lead the schools, having not been able to regain the community’s trust,” Bowser said at a Feb. 20 news conference. “There are too many tough decisions in the coming months to have any distractions.” However, Wilson said he had been in communication with Bowser the entire time, which she refuted, according to a March 5 Washington Post article. “I’m not here to comment on whether Mayor Bowser should be trusted or not. I will say that the idea that I kept a secret from her is inaccurate,” Wilson told Fox News. The ethics violations committed by Bowser’s cabinet members and her response to them will hurt her in the coming elections, mayoral candidate James Butler, who serves as an advisory neighborhood commissioner, told The Hoya in February. “The people will see that the platform that Bowser ran on, a platform of transparency, she’s been the least and her administration has been the least of transparent administrations,” Butler said. “We’ve had controversy after controversy, and it’s pri-
marily involved a lack of transparency.” DCPS faced further troubles as the year continued. There has been widespread fraud in enrollment at Duke Ellington School of the Arts, a campus in northwest D.C., where several families have falsely claimed residency to avoid paying an annual tuition fee to the school, according to a Feb. 28 Washington Post article. On April 17, the inspector general released a report detailing the broad scope of enrollment fraud at public schools across the District, with losses in tuition from non-resident students totaling nearly $170,000. Additionally, DCPS announced that graduation rates are anticipated to fall in 2018. Bowser is the only candidate with any experience working in government besides Butler. Among those she is contending against are a George Washington University student and a disbarred lawyer. Bowser is heading into the Democratic Primary on June 19 with several important advantages over her opponents entering the 2018 election. Her campaign war chest has over $2 million in funding, according to a March 4 Washington Post article, vastly outstripping those of her competitors. In the summer of 2017, Bowser had a 67 percent approval rating. If she wins re-election this year, Bowser would be the first D.C. mayor to win re-election since Anthony Williams in 2002.
Left: ballou senior high school, right: file photo: spencer cook/the hoya
Former Washington, D.C. Deputy Mayor for Education Jennifer Niles and former DCPS Chancellor Antwan Wilson resigned after scandals surrounding alleged unethical practices in managing and regulating the D.C. public education system. Despite criticism, Bowser is still expected to win the next D.C. mayoral election.
YEAR IN REVIEW
friDAY, APRIL 27, 2018
THE HOYA
B7
In Case You Missed Them: 2017-18 Speakers Megan twohey, pulitzer prize winner on april 11
Ruth Bader ginsburg, Supreme Court Justice on september 20
“It’s so important, especially when you’re doing investigative journalism, to move beyond the individual predator to the institution and the individuals who enabled that to happen. As we’re learning more about that — the failed HR departments and these flawed settlements that locked women into silence so they could never, ever say what happened to them — I think that we’re starting to see some of the systemic failures that occurred.”
“The contrast is gigantic. My entering class at Harvard included over 500 students. Nine of us were women. So we were strange, a curiosity.”
hillary clinton, 2016 presidential candidate on february 5
peche di, transgender activist
“No one should ever underestimate the power of women and girls not only to improve their own lives, but to lift up their families, communities and entire nations. Through it all, I have seen that women are not only victims of war and conflict, but agents of change, makers of peace and drivers of progress.”
on february 27
“Whether you’re trans or homosexual, our society, current day, tries to attack us and tell us that we have to fix it. We can use those messages from ancient history and religion to inspire and to tell young kids that this type of gender has been celebrated for so many years.”
Madeleine albright, former sec. of state on february 12
cathy O’Neil, Best-selling author
“Instead of rebutting and challenging anti-democratic forces across the globe, we now have a president who has become a source of comfort to them. His administration has also simultaneously expressed disdain for diplomacy and seems content for the United States to take a back seat in international affairs, which has worried our allies and delighted our competitors.”
on february 1
“An algorithm is the product of the human being that built it. It is a lot about power, as well as math.”
colin powell, former sec. of state
ellen johnson sirleaf, president of Liberia
on september 27
on december 6
“Right now we’re having some diversity problems because of certain political issues we can go into, but we’ll come through tha. We are a nation of immigrants. We are a nation of diversity. And we’ve had trouble with diversity over the years, and we still have trouble.”
“I’m glad that a little girl can challenge her marginalization, pointing out that a woman is president. We must reach beyond counting and analyzing the few women at the highest level of politics and transition into building and sustaining a well-resourced horizontal bench for the next generation of leaders.”
Reince priebus, Former White house chief of staff
alaa murabit, UN commissioner
on april 10
on march 15
“President Trump’s been very good for the party in the sense that it’s returned to the idea that the American workers are worth fighting for. That we’re not about Wall Street — we’re about people that are making tools and working with their hands and have been forgotten.”
“I told my mom that I wanted to go to the moon, and she said, ‘Great, I’ll pack you a lunch.’ I was never told I couldn’t do anything, and gender was never brought up in my childhood. So when I saw the global policy data, I didn’t need to be convinced — it made the case for women’s rights for me.”
B8
THE HOYA
YEAR IN REVIEW
friDAY, april 27, 2018
FILE PHOTO: SUBUL MALIK/THE HOYA
The Sex Issue covered the ongoing campus debate about contraception, free speech and LGBTQ rights, presenting perspectives from across the ideological spectrum such as the views of proabortion rights group H*yas for Choice and anti-abortion group Love Saxa. The Drug Issue investigated substance use at Georgetown, while the Art and Politics Issue examined activism in art.
A Year in Special Issues: Sex, Drugs, Art and Politics Arden Fitzpatrick Hoya Staff Writer
THE DRUG ISSUE From electronic cigarettes to the opioid epidemic, The Guide’s spring 2018 Drug Issue investigated drug use and drug culture at Georgetown University and in Washington, D.C. The cover story, “Despite Pushback, Student Drug Use Continues,” focused on Georgetown’s policies regarding drugs and alcohol. The article emphasized the university’s strict attitude toward drugs and alcohol, citing the 1988 closing of Healy Pub on campus and the Code of Student Conduct’s lack of distinction between marijuana and other hard drugs. Despite the university’s harsh policies, Georgetown’s intense stress culture may lead students to not just abuse party drugs like marijuana and alcohol but also to become dependent on performance-enhancing drugs. The most common performance-enhancing drug used on campus is caffeine, which is followed by pills like Ritalin and Adderall, according to Dr. Vince Winkler Prins, MD, assistant vice president of student health. Stepping off campus and into the District, “Chronicling the Grass-Roots Fight for Legal Pot in DC” detailed the timeline of marijuana legalization in D.C. The article highlighted DCMJ, an organization dedicated to fighting for equal rights for marijuana users and growers in the District and will also be holding demonstrations specifically targeting college students later in the year. The Guide’s collection of varied
perspectives paints a complex picture of the university and the District’s challenges and successes on drug issues. MAKING A STATEMENT: THE ART AND POLITICS ISSUE The fall 2017 Art and Politics Issue explored the intersections of activism and expression, focusing on the potential for political messages in art and its presence both on and around Georgetown’s campus. “Theater Sparks Dialogue on and off Stage” explored the role of theater in instigating social change through the testimony of students and professors who had taken part in campus theater productions. The article cited the performance “Stupid F—king Bird,” which explored the phenomenon of fake news, and referenced the Black Theater Ensemble’s tackling of police brutality in “The Hand That Feeds You.” By touching upon difficult issues, theater has the power to spark conversations and, in turn, social change. On a different note, “Making Them Laugh: Comedy and Politics” delved into the D.C. comedy scene and how different comedy groups choose to engage with politics. Sean Lerner (SFS ’20), a member of The Georgetown Improv Association, said that the group intentionally avoids political topics because members want their show to be a break from the constant political dialogue of the District. By contrast, Mark Chalfant, artistic and executive director of Washington Improv Theater, said his group does an improvisational presiden-
tial debate around the same time as the national presidential elections. However, performing arts are only one aspect of culture as activism. “Being a Conscious Consumer in the District” profiled local businesses that promoted sustainability like the Farmers Restaurant Group, which owns the Farmers Fishers Bakers restaurant on Georgetown’s waterfront. The Farmers Restaurant Group’s chairs are made from sustainable materials; it composts its food and promotes locally produced goods by using honey from The George Washington University’s bee-keeping colony. Since Georgetown and D.C. are the center of the U.S. political world, it is no surprise that the food and art of the District reflect a passionate response to current events. The Art and Politics issue took a sharp look at regional artists’ use of self-expression to foment change. THE SEX ISSUE The Guide’s fall 2017 Sex Issue dove headfirst into how Georgetown’s administration and students navigate sex and sexuality on campus, discussing the tension that can exist between Georgetown’s Jesuit identity and modern sexuality. The cover story, “Toeing the Line: Free Speech and Sex on Campus,” detailed Georgetown’s complicated relationship with unrecognized clubs like H*yas for Choice, a pro-reproductive rights student group, and the troubles that the club’s leadership runs into when trying to make their voices heard. H*yas for Choice Co-Presidents Michaela Lewis (COL ’18) and Annie Mason
(COL ’18) shared that institutional problems keep the club from reaching its full potential, though they are able to make their voices heard. In response, Amelia Irvine (COL ’20), president of Love Saxa and former president of GU Right To Life, said H*yas for Choice cannot be recognized, in order to uphold the university’s Catholic teachings. Bringing a third perspective, Chad Gasman (COL ’20), president of GU Pride, views Love Saxa as a hate group that promotes a homophobic agenda. The plethora of opinions on campus showcases the complexity of the intersection between free speech and sex. “Contraception 101: Better Safe Than Sorry” again touched upon the divisions on campus regarding sexual autonomy and contraception, mainly focusing on the different forms of contraception available to students. The article cited a study by the Guttmacher Institute, which revealed that only 60 percent of young women and 55 percent of young men have been given “formal instruction about methods of birth control.” To increase awareness of birth control methods, the article discussed the effectiveness and price of different forms of birth control, from the pill to the diaphragm. “Debunking Common College Sex Myths” used data to dispel frequent misconceptions about sex, revealing, for example, that the withdrawal method is only effective 78 percent of the time and that 24.5 percent of women aged 18 to 24 masturbate a few times per month to weekly. Overall, the Sex Issue sought to untangle the sensitive issues surrounding sex at Georgetown.
YEAR IN REVIEW
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Underrepresented Voices Resonate in Arts and Culture THEATER
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Fall 2017 and spring 2018 were milestones for minority representation in art and entertainment, with creatives from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, genders, sexual identities and upbringings making their voices heard. Here, The Guide takes a look at some of the year’s best pieces of art and entertainment from diverse viewpoints.
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MASTER OF NONE The second season of “Master of None,” Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang’s award-winning comedic drama, was released in summer 2017 to widespread acclaim. Revolving primarily around the joys and pains of love and relationships, the episodes also touch on the experiences of Asian immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community in the United States.
Texas rap group BROCKHAMPTON took the internet by storm in 2017 with its intricate production, diverse array of lyrical styles and bold assertions of black and LGBTQ pride. BROCKHAMPTON member Kevin Abstract owned the stage at his Jan. 28 appearance at the Fillmore Silver Spring, confidently proclaiming that “not enough n----s rappin’ be gay.”
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FILE PHOTO: WILL CROMARTY/THE HOYA
LATHE OF HEAVEN Written first as a novel by Ursula Le Guin and adapted for the theater by Natsu Onoda Power, a professor in Georgetown’s theater and performance studies program, “Lathe of Heaven” tackles topics of race, gender and political instability. The production was featured in the D.C. Women’s Voices Theater Festival this winter.
SCOTT RUDIN PRODUCTIONS
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“Lady Bird” highlights the teenage years of a young woman named Lady Bird. The film is the directorial debut of Greta Gerwig, and her masterpiece garnered her two Academy Award nominations, including one for best director, making her the fifth female director in history to be nominated. The recognition of women both on screen and behind the scenes of “Lady Bird” was refreshing in an Oscar’s season during the prominent #MeToo movement, which empowers women to speak up against discrimination and sexual misconduct.
Released this spring, “I Don’t Run,” the second album by Madrid-based indie rock girl group Hinds, dwells in irony, managing to be simultaneously fun, serious, guarded, sensitive, confident and insecure. The album is packed with airy guitar riffs and echoing vocals, and its closing track, “Ma Nuit,” is written in Spanish, French and English.
FILE PHOTO: RYAN BAE/THE HOYA
DIAMANTE FASHION SHOW Gaston Hall hosted a celebration of fashion and art in the form of the Diamante Fashion Show on Feb. 23. Under the premise “diamonds are formed under pressure,” the show encouraged the audience to consider the various divides that society creates and the ways in which art can unify the human experience through expression of ethnic identity and feminist ideals.
FILE PHOTO: ANNA KOVACEVICH/THE HOYA
FILE PHOTO: DANI GUERRERO FOR THE HOYA
EXODUS After the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., the directors of Black Movement Dance Theatre were inspired to begin planning “Exodus,” which used dance to depict the experiences of displaced people throughout the history of the United States. The Feb. 16 and 17 performances highlighted the tumultuous emotions of both historic oppression of black people and the marginalization taking place in the present day.
BEFORE THE 45TH
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WONDER “Wonder” depicts the story of Auggie Pullman, a boy with craniofacial differences, as he begins fifth grade after years of home schooling. Confronted with bullying, Pullman presents an inspiring picture of resilience in the face of adversity.
“Before the 45th: Action/Reaction in Chicano and Latino Art” was an art exhibition at the Mexican Cultural Institute that looked at the last 40 years of Chicanx and Latinx sociological, educational and financial experiences. The exhibit introduced the District to a new perspective on the lives of these groups. Symbols, stereotypes and satire exist in the exhibit to depict the Chicanx and Latinx experiences from a fresh perspective.
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ILLUSTRATION BY ANGELA PEREZ/THE HOYA
senior feature
Senior Closer Swad Reflects on College Career thomas simonetti Special to The Hoya
It takes a special kind of athlete to be a closing pitcher. The position is arguably the toughest in baseball, not only because of its physical demands but also because of the mental fortitude required to succeed at a high level. Closers are often placed in high-stress situations and required to enter tight games with a fierce and competitive mindset to seal victories for their team. Over the course of the past four seasons, senior reliever Jimmy Swad has been consistently able to do exactly that for the Georgetown Hoyas baseball team: save games. “You’ve got to be the guy that wants the ball when the game is close,” Swad said in an interview with the Hoya. “That’s always been my mentality.” Swad has demonstrated this demeanor through his consistent work out of the bullpen this season, putting together arguably his best season on the Hilltop. He leads all Georgetown
pitchers with 18 appearances, has the third lowest ERA on the team, allowing a mere 2.56 runs per nine innings, and leads all Hoyas in saves, with seven this season Asked what led him to choose the Hoyas out of high school, Swad alluded to Georgetown’s proximity to his home and his close connection with his family. “I went to high school right down the road at St. Albans, and that helped because Coach Pete Wilk was able to come out to a lot of games to see me pitch,” Swad said. “My older brother actually transferred here during my junior year of high school, and once he made that decision I committed immediately after.” If his baseball career at Georgetown is any indication, Swad definitely made the right decision. Over the course of his first three years as a Hoya, he has compiled a total of 12 wins. In his junior season, Swad struck out 42 batters and finished the year with an astounding 2.51 ERA as a reliever. This season has proved to be no different for the senior right-hander; his numbers
have been as impressive as ever. Reflecting on his four-year career at Georgetown, Swad noted this season’s series win over Xavier as his most memorable feat on the field. “We took two out of three, and both of the games we won were in extra innings. I closed both of those games and they were absolute dogfights. How we played in those games is going to be big for us down the road so I think that’s definitely one of my best memories here,” Swad said. Swad’s efforts in the Xavier series certainly did not go unnoticed; he was named the Big East Pitcher of the Week for his consistent performance. He went 2-0 and struck out five batters over two appearances in the series. The entire Georgetown baseball team has admired Swad for his conduct as a student, an athlete, and a teammate. When asked to name what he would miss most about the Hilltop, Swad simply said being part of a team. “Having 35 guys that are pretty much best friends is unique to a sports
team and finding that elsewhere is going to be tough,” Swad said. For more senior features, visit www.thehoya. com/category/sports
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Senior Jimmy Swad has a 2.56 ERA this season to go along with his seven saves.
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FILE PHOTO: AISHA MALHAS/THE HOYA
Senior midfielder Christopher Lema, right, recorded four goals and four assists this season for the men’s soccer team, which won the Big East Championship. The men’s and women’s soccer team both earned Big East Championship titles this fall, with the women’s team winning the tournament for the second year in a row.
In Year of Successes, Hoyas Win 3 Big East Titles
eTHAN COHN
Hoya Staff Writer
The Hoyas enjoyed team and individual successes in a variety of sports this year and won three Big East Championships throughout the 2017-18 season. Two Georgetown alumni, Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) and Daphne Corboz (COL ’15), have represented the school well both on and off campus, and incoming recruits will hope to continue the school’s success starting next fall. Team Successes On the soccer field last fall, the men’s and women’s soccer teams both earned Big East Championship titles. The Georgetown men’s soccer team defeated conference rival Xavier in double overtime during the Big East Championship final November 17. In one of the most exciting games of the year for any Georgetown sports team, the Hoyas erased a onegoal deficit, had two goals disallowed and scored from a free kick. After going down a goal just after the start of the second half, the Hoyas tied the game with freshman forward Derek Dodson’s goal in the 62nd minute. The game remained tied until the second half of overtime; in one of his final games as a Hoya, senior forward Declan McCabe scored the winning goal with a free kick from outside the box. The Hoyas have now won the men’s tournament twice in the past three years. The women’s soccer team also saw success this year, winning the Big East Championship for the second year in a row. The Georgetown women’s soccer team
defeated Butler 3-0 on November 5 to win the Big East Championship, marking the first time in school history that both soccer teams have won the championship in the same season. The Hoyas put three goals past the Bulldogs, who had only conceded four goals the entire season, to claim a 3-0 victory. Senior defender Taylor Pak started the scoring for the Hoyas in the seventh minute, and senior midfielder Rachel Corboz put the game out of the Bulldogs’ reach with an 88th-minute goal. The women’s golf team won its second consecutive Big East Championship on April 22. Jacquelyn Eleey won her second Big East individual title at the competition. The senior bookended her career with Big East individual titles after having won her first title in her freshman season. Eleey is the first golfer in Big East history to record two individual victories. Records Broken Several Hoyas on the women’s volleyball, men’s basketball and men’s track and field etched their names into Georgetown’s history books, accumulating accolades that few Hoya alumni have received before them. Two women’s volleyball stars made history this year for the Hoyas. Senior setter Alyssa Sinnette notched her 1,000th career kill November 12, becoming the 15th player in school history to reach that mark. She joined junior blocker Symone Speech, who recorded her 1000th kill one week earlier, in the record books. Georgetown is currently one of the few Division I schools to have two players with 1,000 career kills. The Hoyas men’s track team nearly
broke two records this winter, posting the second-fastest distance medley relay and mile times in school history. On February 16, four middle-distance runners — junior Spencer Brown, sophomore Kenny Rowe, freshman Rey Rivera and graduate student Amos Bartelsmeyer — recorded a time of 9:28.21 in the distance medley relay at the JDL Fast Track Last Chance Invitational. On February 10, Bartelsmeyer recorded the second-fastest mile time in Georgetown history, finishing the race with a time of 3:57.53. The men’s basketball team also had a standout season. On February 6 against Providence, junior center Jessie Govan scored his 1,000th point. Govan, who has also recorded 500 rebounds with the Hoyas, joined Head Coach Patrick Ewing in an exclusive club. Only 20 players in Georgetown basketball history have 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Alumni, Seniors and Looking Forward The 2017-18 year proved to be an eventful year for two Georgetown alumni as well. Georgetown women’s soccer alumna Daphne Corboz received a call up to the French women’s national team, and the Georgetown basketball team welcomed legend Patrick Ewing back to the hilltop. Corboz, who graduated in 2015 and is the older sister of senior Rachel Corboz, was called up to France’s women’s national soccer team in January. While with the Hoyas, Corboz received two All-American honors and is the all-time leading goal scorer in Georgetown history with 47 goals. Corboz had played professionally in France for half of a season before receiving a call up. She has also spent time in
the National Women’s Soccer League for Sky Blue FC and played two seasons for Manchester City in the FA Women’s Super League. Ewing, who led the Hoyas to their first men’s basketball national championship in 1984 as a player, coached Georgetown to a 15-15 overall record and a 5-13 Big East record. Next season looks promising, as two four-star recruits will arrive on the Hilltop in the fall. Point guard James Akinjo, a top-100 prospect, recently signed a letter of intent with Georgetown. Junior center Omer Yurtseven will also join the Hoyas after transferring from North Carolina State. The Hoyas will welcome freshman recruits across a number of sports next fall. Goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis will join the men’s soccer team along with four other freshmen recruits. The women’s soccer team will also add seven members to the roster next season. The Georgetown football team will have a large freshman class of 28 next year, including 25 multi-sport athletes. The Hoyas still have the opportunity to add more trophies this spring; the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams have secured spots in their respective Big East tournaments. Senior athletes exhibited strong leadership for the Hoyas this year, namely in men’s and women’s soccer, women’s golf and men’s track and field. Those seniors scored championship-winning goals, broke records and captained their teams to Big East Championships. With promising freshmen joining Georgetown’s programs next year, the Hoyas will look to build upon this year’s achievements.
Illustration BY: anna kooken and sam nelson/THE HOYA