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Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 106, No. 10, © 2025
DC Council to Take Up Bill To End Legacy Admissions FollowingStudentAdvocacy Ruth Abramovitz GUSA Desk Editor
The D.C. State Board of Education (SBOE) approved a bill to outlaw legacy and donor admissions preferences at certain private universities in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 19, advancing the bill to the D.C. Council. Over 30 Georgetown University students, many of whom were members of Hoyas Against Legacy Admissions, a student group advocating for the end of legacy admissions at Georgetown, testified at the hearing before the SBOE, an elected body that advises the Washington, D.C. government on educational issues. After the board approved it by a vote of seven yeses to one abstention, the Furthering Admissions Inclusion and Representation (FAIR) Act will next be introduced to the D.C. Council, bringing student efforts to end
legacy admissions at Georgetown University closer to fruition. Felix Rice (CAS ’26), co-founder and a lead organizer of Hoyas Against Legacy Admissions, said such legacy admissions policies produce a student body that is less racially and socioeconomically diverse than the nation. “We have an admissions system that for the past several decades has consistently admitted a group of students that don’t reflect the diversity of our country and legacy is a big part of that,” Rice told The Hoya. If the council passes the FAIR Act, the city would withhold funds and other economic development incentives, such as loans and contracts, from most District universities that practice legacy and donor admissions preferences — including Georgetown, American University, Catholic University and See LEGACY, A7
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
A “Dear Colleague” letter from the Department of Education gave all educational institutions, including Georgetown University, two weeks to end diversity initiatives and race-related programming, creating potential concerns for campus life.
FederalPolicyCouldEndRace-BasedPrograms Maren Fagan and Aamir Jamil Executive Editors
COURTESY OF HOYAS AGAINST LEGACY
The D.C. State Board of Education approved a bill to end legacy admissions after Georgetown University students testified.
The U.S. Department of Education gave educational institutions two weeks to end diversity initiatives or risk losing federal funding, potentially impacting student life and funding on Georgetown University’s campus. In a Feb. 14 letter to all educational institutions, the department ordered schools to comply with the administration’s interpretations of federal law regarding race and end potentially
“discriminatory” programming that involves race. Georgetown may risk its federal funding if the Department of Education finds it is noncompliant with the law. In the letter, Craig Trainor, acting assistant secretary for civil rights in the Department of Education, said federal law prohibits educational institutions from using race in decisions related to any aspect of university administration and student life. “The law is clear: treating students differently on the basis of race to achieve nebulous goals such as diversity, racial balancing, social justice or equity is illegal
under controlling Supreme Court precedent,” Trainor wrote in the letter. “Federal law thus prohibits covered entities from using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies and all other aspects of student, academic and campus life.” While the letter is not binding and does not create any new legal standards, similar letters have often indicated the direction of policy for institutions to follow.
At Georgetown, programming that may be affected by the letter could include the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action (IDEAA), which promotes diversity initiatives through academic and employment measures; the Office of Student Equity and Inclusion (OSEI), which supports diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on campus; or the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access (CMEA), which supports students who have faced historical barriers to education. See EDUCATION, A7
GUInstitutesFileReligiousFreedom Lawsuit Against Government Nora Toscano Senior News Editor
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A vigil and prayer service in Red Square for the Georgetown University community honored the four Israeli hostages whose bodies were returned Feb. 20.
GU Community Grieves Israeli Hostages in Red Square Vigil Ajani Stella
Academics Desk Editor
Georgetown University community members mourned Israeli hostages killed in Gaza in a vigil and prayer service Feb. 20 in Red Square. The vigil included speeches and prayers grieving for the hostages whose bodies Hamas returned to Israel earlier that day, including two young brothers, Ariel and Kfir Bibas, and peace advocate Oded Lifschitz. University senior vice president and chief of staff Joseph A. Ferrara (GRD ’96) and other members of the administration attended the vigil along with around 20 students. Talia Zamir (CAS ’25), co-president of the Jewish Student Association (JSA), a student organization fostering Jewish community, said the vigil provided attendees space for grief and solidarity
in the face of heartbreak. “It’s too much to bear these questions, so we bear them together, and the days tick by and we live in the same nightmare as we have to watch our people return home in boxes,” Zamir said at the vigil. “In the happiest embraces, there are pangs of sorrow, and today the sunlight is saturated in sadness.” Hamas handed over the four hostages’ bodies to Israel as part of a ceasefire agreement in which it pledged to release 33 of the 251 hostages it took during its Oct. 7, 2023 attack — in which its members killed almost 1,200 Israelis — in exchange for Israel freeing about 1,900 prisoners. Hamas has now released 145 hostages since the beginning of the war. Zamir said the vigil was important
because the unity of the Jewish community makes the events in Israel deeply impactful and painful. “We are one people, and even if we don’t live in the same country, we are one and we feel as one,” Zamir told The Hoya. “I don’t feel like I have to deal with these things that I’m feeling alone, because I have a community to lean on, so I think it’s important to share that with other people as well.” Georgetown’s Office of Jewish Life, the Georgetown Israel Alliance (GIA), a student organization celebrating Israeli culture, and Chabad Georgetown, a local Jewish affinity organization, organized the vigil alongside the JSA. AyeletKaplan(CAS’28),whohelped organize the vigil, said the event
Two Georgetown University institutes filed a lawsuit on behalf of 27 religious denominations and associations against the rescission of policies that protected places of worship from immigration raids under the administration of President Donald Trump. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Jan. 20 that immigration officers would be able to enter schools, health care facilities and places of worship to conduct raids, rescinding a policy of the administration of former President Joe Biden which considered these “sensitive locations” as protected from DHS intervention. The suit argues that this repeal impedes worshippers’ right to practice religion without fear, violating the First Amendment and federal law. The two Georgetown institutes involved are the Center for Faith and Justice (CFJ), which centers a religious approach in combating inequality, and the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection (ICAP), a Georgetown University Law Center organization that advocates for individual rights and democracy. Jim Simpson, the executive director of the CFJ who spearheaded the organization’s efforts on the lawsuit, said the policy contradicts the U.S. Constitution.
See GOLDWATER, A7
@GEORGETOWNMCCOURTSCHOOL/INSTAGRAM
Two Georgetown University organizations filed a lawsuit against See RELIGION, A7 federal policies that allow immigration raids in places of worship.
See VIGIL, A7
NEWS
OPINION
GUIDE
SPORTS
BOWSER Act
Search for Student Voices
‘Love Hurts,’ So Does the Movie
Cooley Coming out on Top
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Students expressed concerns over possible repercussions of a bill introduced to abolish the District’s local government.
The Editorial Board urges the presidential search committee to actively involve students in the search process.
Isabelle Cialone (CAS ’27) says “Love Hurts” broke the hearts of romantics and moviegoers alike with the poorly executed storyline.
The Hoyas men’s basketball team defeated Head Coach Ed Cooley’s former school, Providence College, in a redemption game.
Law, Justice and Society
Make Georgetown the Dream
One Acts, Multiple Stars
A Cold, Snowy Wim
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Georgetown University introduced an interdisciplinary legal studies minor for undergraduate students.
Dean Mitch Kaneda argues students must take the initiative in crafting Georgetown into their dream school.
The Donn B. Murphy One Acts Festival brilliantly showcased three student-written, directed and performed one acts.
Published Fridays
Against the No. 13 UPenn Quakers, the Georgetown’s mens lacrosse team produced an 8-6 win despite the bad weather.
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