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Admissions Office Ends GU Campus Tour Guides’ Land Acknowledgements Ajani Stella and Maren Fagan

“Each guide provides a slightly different tour depending on how they want to discuss their own experiences and Georgetown’s facts, but the acknowledgement explains that as an institution dedicated to Jesuit values, Georgetown recognizes that the land we currently occupy was and still is the homeland of the Nacotchtank and their descendants, the Piscataway Conoy people,” Mason wrote to The Hoya. “We recognize the effect this has on Indigenous communities and emphasize our commitment to continue learning about Indigenous history and culture.” A university spokesperson said the policy change is for consistent messaging. “Each year, representatives of the Admissions office meet with the Blue and Gray club leaders to ensure the tours reflect university practices and deliver a consistent message,” a spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “This was not in

Senior News Editor and Editor in Chief

Georgetown University’s admissions office directed student tour guides to stop giving land acknowledgments during their tours, according to multiple sources and emails obtained by The Hoya. The Blue & Gray Tour Guide Society informed its club membership Oct. 5 that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions required guides to remove a land acknowledgment — a statement recognizing Indigenous peoples’ history in a location — from their tours and tour manuals. Multiple sources told The Hoya that the Office of Undergraduate Admissions did not consult Blue & Gray before issuing the notice, leading the club to solicit feedback from guides on the change. Liam Mason (CAS ’26), Blue & Gray’s president, said tour guides have included land acknowledgments to contextualize Georgetown’s history.

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Georgetown University students, faculty and community members gathered the week of Oct. 6 in a “Week of Rage” to mourn the 67,000 Palestinians killed in the two years since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

GU Community Mourns, Marches for Gaza Nora Toscano and Ruth Abramovitz

Executive Editor and Senior News Editor

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

The Georgetown University Office of Admissions told campus tour guides not to make land acknowledgments during tours.

Georgetown University community members mourned the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinians and called for an end to the violence in Gaza during a “Week of Rage” marking two years since the start of the Israel-Hamas war amid an Oct. 8 ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. About 85 students and faculty members lit candles in Red Square on Oct. 7 while reading the names and testimonies of civilians who

were killed in Gaza. Georgetown’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) also led 60 people in a rally Oct. 9, demanding the university divest from companies associated with Israel and the Israeli military. The demonstration and vigil were part of SJP’s second annual “Week of Rage,” which included a teach-in with Casa Latina, tabling and flyering, a book club event and a general body meeting. Elliott Colla, a Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) member who spoke at the rally, said many Georgetown community members are not doing enough to advocate for Palestinians.

“History is watching us right now,” Colla told The Hoya. “Most people I know at Georgetown imagine that they would oppose the Holocaust and that they might even step in as citizens to stop it. And I have been struck by how many people just accept genocide in their daily life as they pursue their studies or their careers or their retirement packages or their promotions or whatever. It’s been a real lesson to realize this is how things like the Holocaust happen. It’s just deep, deep denial. Genocide denial runs deep.” A growing body of scholars and advocates have accused Israel of genocide in its war against Hamas

in Gaza, including the International Association of Genocide Scholars — made up of the world’s leading experts on genocide and crimes against humanity — and a United Nations commission. Israel has consistently denied claims of genocide, often characterizing such claims as antisemitic or anti-Israel. The International Court of Justice, which adjudicates genocide cases, has not yet made a ruling in a case brought against Israel by South Africa. On Oct. 8, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire and hostage and prisoner exchange deal brokered by President See VIGIL, A7

GU’s Right to Life Club to Lead US Senator Decries Trump, Calls National Anti-Abortion March For Bipartisanship in Congress Ajani Stella

Senior News Editor

Georgetown University Right to Life (RTL), an anti-abortion advocacy club, will lead the national March for Life, the largest annual anti-abortion rally in the United States, in January. RTL members will hold the banner at the front of the march and RTL’s president will speak at the following rally. Each year, the March for Life selects a student group to lead the march, with past leaders including groups from other Catholic universities, such as Notre Dame and Christendom College. Georgetown RTL has previously participated in the march, but this year marks its first time leading it. Matteo Caulfield (CAS ʼ23), former RTL vice president, said he sees the invitation to lead the national march as recognition of RTL’s advocacy. “It’s a huge honor that Georgetown Right to Life would be invited to participate in the march as it is going to this year,” Caulfield told The Hoya. “It’s really a testament to the hard work and determination of pro-life Right to Life and Catholic students over the course of many decades that our work, despite being a small group on campus, would get national recognition this way.” The March for Life, which attracts thousands of people from across the country annually, advocates for the end of abortion access across the United States. The protest began in 1974, one

year after the Supreme Court enshrined the right to abortion in Roe v. Wade, but continued after the court overturned its ruling in 2022. The march’s 2026 theme is “Life is a Gift,” which organizers said focuses on upholding the dignity of human life. The march will also focus on how the antiabortion movement can evolve after the constitutional right to abortion was abolished. The 27th annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life (OCC), the largest student-led anti-abortion conference in the United States, will take place at Georgetown the next day, Jan. 24. Elizabeth Oliver (CAS ’26), RTL president, said she believes RTL’s participation in the march demonstrates campus support for anti-abortion students. “It is national news, the fact that Georgetown, a school that some people don’t necessarily think of as pro-life, is leading the march,” Oliver told The Hoya. “And I think that’s a great reminder to show people that there is still a very strong pro-life presence here at Georgetown, a Jesuit Catholic University, and that the pro-life club is supported.” Dean Rosamilia (CAS ’27), RTL’s current vice president, said he was excited to represent the Georgetown community at the March for Life and credited Oliver with coordinating with the march organizers. “This is such a huge opportunity for Right to Life

because in the 50-plus years that the march has been going on, Georgetown’s never led the march,” Rosamilia told The Hoya. “So, to have this privilege and honor to do so is just such a big deal for the club.” “Elizabeth was able to speak to the president of the march, and she did a great job conveying all of the things that we do as a club, and she was able to get this deal,” Rosamilia added. In the lead-up to the march, RTL will garner momentum by canvassing, encouraging Georgetown students to attend and reaching out to graduates of the organization. Katie Liberatore (CAS ’28), RTL’s social chair, said RTL is proud to increase its stature on anti-abortion advocacy nationally amid increasing political controversy surrounding abortion. “We understand that it’s a controversial topic, but we’re there, ready to proclaim the truth,” Liberatore told The Hoya. “We’re not afraid to take a stance, and we think it’s our purpose and intention to go out and just show that we’re here together as a cohort of students at this university who care about protecting life.” Abortion is banned in 12 states and partially restricted in 29 as of Sept. 2, according to the nonprofit research group KFF. Abortion access was a major campaign issue in the 2024

Noah De Haan

Special to The Hoya

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is stepping down at his term’s end next year, defended his stances against President Donald Trump and called for increased bipartisanship during a Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) event Oct. 7. Tillis, who has held his seat for two terms, announced his retirement earlier this year after a series of attacks from Trump over his bipartisan voting record and recent splits with the Republican Party over the nomination of Ed Martin as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and support for same-sex marriage. At the event, moderated by GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee (SFS ’94), Tillis stood firmly for his controversial moderate beliefs and called for politicians to be bipartisan amid increasing political polarization. Tillis said he encourages leaders to speak their minds and refrain from falling into the expectations of a certain party, noting when he was censured by the Republican Party of North Carolina in 2023 for violating their platform. “What we need from our leaders is to be who you are, not who your party wants you to be,” Tillis said. “That’s why I got in trouble with my base from

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At an Oct. 7 GU Politics event, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) defended See TILLIS, A7 his criticisms of President Donald Trump and called for unity.

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NEWS

OPINION

GUIDE

SPORTS

M Street Starbucks Closes

Develop AI Policy

The Quirky Dead Rise

Out of Left Field

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The Georgetown neighborhood Starbucks on M and 34th streets closed Sept. 27, prompting disappointment from students.

The Editorial Board calls on the Georgetown administration to establish clear guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms.

In her review of 2004’s “Shaun of the Dead,” Grace Ko (CAS ’27) praises director Edgar Wright’s balance of comedy and quality.

In her latest column, Eilat Herman (CAS ’26) recaps the New York Yankees’ Oct. 2 defeat of the Boston Red Sox.

Magis Prizes

Go Green

‘Scary Movie’ Doesn’t Scare

Women’s Soccer

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Three Georgetown University professors were awarded the annual Magis Prize, including a $100,000 grant and dedicated research time.

Cameron Lane (CAS ’28) urges the university to shift its cannabis policy from punishment to harm reduction.

Isabelle Cialone (CAS ’27) finds “Scary Movie” to be a disappointing spoof that isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

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The Georgetown women’s soccer team handily defeated St. John’s University Oct. 4 in a 4-0 shutout.

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