FEATURES
SPORTS
Navigating Campus Living
Basketball Edition
A4
B1
Since 1920
THEHOYA.COM
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 107, No. 6, © 2025
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2025
GU Expected to Face Drop In Funds, Graduate Student Enrollment From Abroad Ajani Stella
Senior News Editor
Georgetown University is forecasted to lose $35 million in federal research grants and see a 20% decline in international graduate student enrollment amid federal cuts to higher education funding and changing immigration policy. Interim University President Robert M. Groves announced the updates in an Oct. 28 email to faculty and staff, in which he affirmed April financial measures that cut $100 million from the university’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget and instituted a hiring freeze. Groves also said the university is unsure how long the decline in international student enrollment will last and how it will affect university finances. Groves said the university will continue to assess its financial future as it prepares to reevaluate the hiring freeze and budget cuts in December. “It is now certain that the $100M cut in April was prudent,” Groves wrote in the email. “However, many uncertainties remain. Thus, it’s too early to know the outcome of the December
review — whether we could relieve some of the constraints on spending or whether more cuts will be needed.” Groves said the projected financial loss is higher than the university’s previous estimates, which he did not specify. Gregory Afinogenov, the Georgetown chapter president of the faculty union American Association of University Professors, said the budget cuts have already hit faculty. “There have already been significant sacrifices,” Afinogenov told The Hoya. “This $100 million cut has not come for free. Dozens of classes have already been canceled, cut, especially those taught by adjunct faculty — obviously people have lost money.” Georgetown has faced increasing pressure from the federal government as President Donald Trump ramps up attacks on higher education institutions, including cutting research funding and restricting international students’ visas. See BUDGET, A7
¡ īڑĉƥīڑՄžǕ īՅڑĘ__Սƙ¡_¡ŀǕ
Georgetown University is projected to lose $35 million in grants and see a 20% decline in international graduate student enrollment.
ƙ¡_¡ڑŀǕ ڑÅĘ_ڑŶ¡ŀƙŀƋ
The ongoing shutdown of the federal government has left many Georgetown University students in a state of limbo as they lose professional development opportunities and sources of income. Yet, they welcome free time as internships remain paused.
Shutdown Leaves GU Students in Limbo Ruth Abramovitz Senior News Editor
Georgetown University students pursuing federal internships feel torn between disappointment at losing professional experience and relief at gaining free time as internships are paused during the ongoing federal shutdown. After Congress failed to pass a funding resolution, the federal government shut down Oct. 1, leaving 670,000 workers across the country furloughed and 730,000 working without pay. While some staff and Georgetown student interns in the Senate
have been working without pay, House of Representatives staffers have not been working on Capitol Hill, as the chamber has not been in session in October. Timothy Cole-French (SFS ’26), an intern on Capitol Hill for a member of the Massachusetts delegation, said he sought out his internship to gain experience needed to pursue his career path after graduation. “I want to work as a ‘leg’ aide in either a law firm or a lobbying group, and for those roles you like, explicitly need some form of Hill experience,” Cole-French told The Hoya. “So I realized, if I want to get that sort of job, I have to work on the Hill.”
Cole-French, who is now furloughed, said he was stunned to see his internship stall. “Above all, it was surreal, just because shutdowns are big national news,” Cole-French said. “I would hear about it back in Boston when I was in high school, but then to just be in the midst of it was crazy.” The federal government has been closed for 30 days as of Oct. 31, and if it stays closed through Nov. 5, the shutdown will break the record for the longest government closure, which was 34 days. The Senate has failed 13 votes to pass a continuing resolution funding
the government, with Democrats holding out over the exclusion of an extension of health care tax credits. Anita Tun (MSB, SFS ’27) interned for three weeks in the office of Rep. Lou Correa (D-Calif.) before being forced to stay home. In addition to missing out on mentorship from staffers and the capstone project of her internship, during which she would have researched bills for the representative to cosponsor, Tun said she also lost the educational value of a Congressional internship. “One of my favorite parts about See SHUTDOWN, A7
Record GU Student Turnout Local, State Elections Spark GU Gives Wagner/Missaghi Win Student Mobilization, Voting Sofia Thomas GUSA Desk Editor
Georgetown University students elected the 2026 Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) executive amid concerns over federal intervention in higher education. The GUSA Election Commission announced Oct. 24 that students elected Darius Wagner (CAS ʼ27) and Nazgol Missaghi (CAS ʼ28) as president and vice president. In addition to advocating against crackdowns on student gatherings, Wagner and Missaghi’s campaign centered on encouraging the university to reject federal attacks on higher education, which some Wagner/Missaghi voters said is an important responsibility for a student government in Washington, D.C. Wagner said his GUSA administration will aim to defend academic freedom, which students strongly value. “The student body overwhelmingly supports their freedoms, academic freedoms, their freedoms to exist as college students, their freedoms to talk about whatever they wish to on their college campus without the federal government controlling what, how and where they can learn,” Wagner told The Hoya. Ignacio Loaiza Sandoval (CAS ’28) said he voted Wagner/Missaghi because of their commitment to activism and pushing back against federal intervention. “College students have always been politically active,” Loaiza
Sandoval told The Hoya. “And I think that’s a good thing. I think we all came here to be close to the center of action here in D.C., and I think that as the student association, they have a very unique role to advocate for us and our needs, but also our values.” President Donald Trump has ramped up attacks on higher education institutions, including cutting research funding and restricting international students’ visas. On Sept. 28, Interim University President Robert M. Groves said in an email to faculty and staff that the university is forecasted to lose $35 million and see a 20% decline in international graduate student enrollment as a result of federal actions. Missaghi said she and Wagner will urge the university to push back against federal actions that threaten students, including restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. “We will advocate for the university to take clear, public stances against federal overreach into higher education, particularly around issues like DEI restrictions, threats to international and immigrant students and attacks on reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights,” Missaghi wrote to The Hoya. Wagner and Missaghi advocated for reducing amplified noise policies and reinstating informal warnings from residential assistants (RAs) to
allow student gatherings. Wagner and Missaghi’s campaign also championed ending legacy admissions and increasing funding for financial aid. Loaiza Sandoval said he believes Wagner and Missaghi will be able to follow through on their platform by working directly with the university administration. “I think they outlined many actionable things that they can actually get done through their already-built connections with admin,” Loaiza Sandoval said. Some students worry that Wagner and Missaghi’s plan to oppose the federal government could ultimately negatively affect Georgetown. Patrick van Eyck (SFS ʼ28), who voted against the Wagner/ Missaghi ticket, said GUSA should avoid actions that could draw negative attention from the Trump administration. “I think that when we would be attacking the Trump admin to the detriment of Georgetown, that’s not necessarily a good thing for GUSA to be doing,” Van Eyck told The Hoya. “We should be supporting these groups that are out here protesting the Trump admin heavily and as much as we can, but I would worry about Georgetown coming under direct attack from the Trump admin.” This year’s election recorded 37% voter turnout, with 2,940 students casting valid
Nicolas Abreu Events Desk Editor
As Georgetown University students continue to vote in a series of off-year elections across the United States, many have underscored the impact of local politics while welcoming national engagement with local and state elections. With election day slated for Nov. 4, Georgetown students are voting early, via absentee ballot or in person, for consequential statewide elections in New York, New Jersey, Virginia and California, as well as a slate of local elections across the country. Members of the student body have organized phone-banking and canvassing events surrounding hot-button ballot issues, including the New York City mayoral election and the California Proposition 50 ballot measure. Shay Pratt (CAS ’26), a student from Fairfax, Va., said she feels the national media has paid more attention to electoral politics than the candidates themselves. “I feel like I haven’t seen, ‘This is a vote that matters to me because it’s my state senator,’” Pratt told The Hoya. “It’s more like, ‘This is an election that matters because it’s reflective of larger themes in the U.S. political landscape.’” Katie Rankin (CAS ’28), another Virginia resident and board member of Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR), said she feels the national economy and increasing
ƙ¡_¡ڑŀǕ ڑÅĘ_ڑŶ¡ŀƙŀƋ
Georgetown University students from across the country have See VOTES, A7 voted or are preparing to vote in off-year state and local elections.
See GUSA, A7
NEWS
OPINION
GUIDE
SPORTS
ƥƙƋڑTͅʧΤɤͣͅڑƋ̻ɤǸˋڑŀʹ
Ŷɤ˸Ǹ˓Τɤͅջ ڑ̇ͅ˷̇¡ڑƥڑŶͅʧ˷Ɇʧ̻˓ɤͣ
DžǸ˷ɒɤͅȿʧ˓ʹժͣڑթīͅɤ˰ȿɤͅʊժڑTɤ˓ʧΤɤͣͅ
Lj̇˰ɤ˷ժͣڑAǸͣˋɤʹȿǸ˓˓ڑŶͅɤΤʧɤΨ
A6
A2
A10
AԐ
ƥƋ ڑƋɤ˷Ǹʹɤڑģɤɤʹͣ
ģ̇ͅɤڑƙʔǸ˷ڑŀ˷ɤڑLjǸζڑ̇ʹڑĘɤǸͅ˷
թAʊ̇˷ʧǸժڑAɤͅɤʅʹ̇ڑʅڑȦͅɤɒ̇˰
ģɤ˷ժͣڑAǸͣˋɤʹȿǸ˓˓ڑŶͅɤΤʧɤΨ
A8
A3
ԏԐՍ ԏԏ
AԒ
Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) drivers decried the university’s proposed contracting plan at an Oct. 24 panel.
On Oct. 26, the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate confirmed the results of the Oct. 22-24 elections.
The Editorial Board welcomes Eduardo Peñalver, inviting a renewed relationship with the student body.
Kendan Hopkins (SFS ’29), in his second column, calls on Georgetown students to pursue a multidisciplinary education.
James Vanderbilt’s “Nurember” features a calculated precision that satisfies the average filmgoer but insists upon itself.
In her review Emma Stone’s latest picture, Isabelle Cialone (CAS ’27) praises Lanthimos’ perspicacity and actors’ prowess.
Published Fridays
Despite the loss of star Kelsey Ransom, the Georgetown University women’s basketball team looks to continue reaching greater heights.
With a strong transfer class, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team is prepared for its most competitive season in years.
Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com