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GU Students Disconcerted By Increasingly Common Political Violence in US Michael Scime Hoya Staff Writer

In the week following the Sept. 10 assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Georgetown University students expressed fear, uncertainty and a renewed commitment to dialogue amid an increasing trend of political violence in the United States. Kirk was fatally shot during a campus event at Utah Valley University while on the first stop of a tour for his political advocacy nonprofit, Turning Point USA. His assassination followed multiple major incidents of political violence in 2025: Minnesota State Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed in their home in June; an arsonist set fire to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s home in April; an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was shot and injured in July; and two Israeli Embassy staffers were killed outside the Capital Jewish Museum in May. As experts become increasingly concerned about political violence across the United States, many Georgetown students have prioritized civil discourse while reckoning with growing hostility and partisanship in U.S. politics. Knox Graham (SFS ’27), who met Kirk while interning at the 2024 Republican National Convention, said that even in a time of fear and violence, he is encouraged by civically minded students around him prepared for change. “We are in a troubled period right now, but I don’t think that is something to be frightful about, because the times that we’re in call for good people, earnest people, enthusiastic people,

public servants to stand up and to contribute to a better country than the one that we’ve been offered,” Graham told The Hoya. “Even in fear, I still see hope, because I see people who are not resigned to what we’re in,” Graham added. “I see people who are eager and willing and desiring to change it.” Katie Taffe (CAS ’27), who is from Minnesota and interested in pursuing a career in government, said that while she has felt safe at on-campus political events, Kirk’s assassination shocked her. “All of the campus events with political speakers I’ve been to have felt incredibly safe,” Taffe wrote to The Hoya. “There have been events where people have expressed their disagreement with speakers in a peaceful manner, even if they were contentious. The shooting in Utah corrupted the nature of free speech, and even though I still feel safe on campus, it definitely will be on my mind when I attend events here at Georgetown in the future.” Georgetown student organizations and academic groups regularly host speakers in Red Square, Gaston Hall and other venues, some of which have invited protest or condemnation. In 2020, students walked out in protest during an event with Kirk and Eric Trump (MSB ’06) hosted by Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR). Georgetown recently received an “F” grade for free speech from the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a nonprofit tracking free speech nationwide, though it jumped 111 spots among universities nationwide overall. See VIOLENCE, A7

ILLUSTRATION BY ARIA ZHU/THE HOYA

Analysis by The Hoya found that Georgetown University has removed language related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on some of the university’s websites, including the School of Foreign Service and McDonough School of Business sites.

GU Removes DEI Language From Websites Evie Steele

Contributing Editor

Since February, Georgetown University has removed or changed diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) language on several university webpages. While most of the university’s DEI webpages remain unchanged, an analysis by The Hoya found multiple altered pages on the sites of affinity houses, university centers and schools — including the School of Foreign Service (SFS), Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) and McDonough School of Business

(MSB). The changes include removing the phrase “DEI,” erasing references to specific groups such as Black, queer or Latinx students and taking down DEI-related websites entirely. Among the unchanged websites are multiple pages on the sites of the College of Arts & Sciences, Berkley School of Nursing, School of Health and Georgetown Athletics, among others. The changes come seven months after a February order from the U.S. Department of Education directed schools receiving federal funding to end diversity initiatives or risk losing

their funding. Since then, multiple leading universities, including two of Georgetown’s peer schools, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania, have removed DEI-related language from many university pages. Throughout his second term, President Donald Trump has pushed back on diversity initiatives. He ended federal DEI programs in January, describing them as “illegal and immoral discrimination.” Since then, the government has taken down DEI-related language from its websites and threatened to sue private companies that maintain

DEI policies — leading hundreds of major companies to scale back or end those policies. Georgetown itself has come under fire for its diversity policies: In March, Ed Martin, a Trump-aligned lawyer then serving as Washington, D.C.’s top federal prosecutor, warned Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) leadership that his office would not hire GULC students unless the university ended its DEI curriculum. The university rejected Martin’s warning. A university spokesperson said Georgetown is committed to its See DEI, A7

New Code of Conduct Updates End to MPD Federalization Fails Citation Process, Definitions To Assuage GU Student Concerns Ajani Stella

Senior News Editor

Georgetown University released its updated student code of conduct for this academic year, detailing a revised citation process for residential living violations and an expanded definition of student organizations. The university revises its code of conduct, which details rules for community members and disciplinary procedures, before the start of each academic year. The 2025-26 code establishes a formal citation process for housing cases, explicitly defines student organizations as any group with two or more Georgetown students and eliminates public records of conduct violations less than suspension or expulsion. A university spokesperson said the code of conduct is an essential part of Georgetown’s mission. “Georgetown’s tradition of Jesuit education honors the worth and dignity of all members of our community,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “An important expression of the values at the heart of this tradition is the Code of Student Conduct.” “It is the responsibility of Georgetown students to know and abide by the Code of Student Conduct,” the spokesperson added. Nicole Abudayeh (SFS ’26) — co-director of the Student Advocacy Office (SAO), which advises students on disciplinary proceedings — said the new code of conduct

is more transparent than past iterations since the university made explicit policies that were previously implicit. “We are very much happy with that transparency, and that’s in line with what we want for the student body,” Abudayeh told The Hoya. “That’s a large reason why the code seems so much longer and so different.” This year’s code doubles the length of the 2024-25 edition as the university extensively detailed definitions, processes and sanctions in ways it previously did not. With the code of conduct changes, student organizations are defined as any group “in which two or more members are Students enrolled at the University, whether or not the organization is established or recognized as having access to benefits by the University.” The definition appears in the university’s hazing policy. The university formalized the hazing policy in a nine-page document in June, rather than the single webpage addressing it as seen in an archive of the webpage from March. The previous code of conduct referenced the Student Organization Standards, which only refer to recognized organizations, to define student organizations. The new definition seems to apply to independent and informal student organizations, which could subject them to the code of conduct “as it applies to

individual students,” according to a section in the code. Madeleine Callender (CAS ’26), the other SAO co-director, said the new definition will have broad implications for student groups. “An organization, through our understanding, is considered any group, whether recognized or not recognized by Georgetown, that has two or more members that are enrolled as Georgetown students,” Callender told The Hoya. “What organizational misconduct now means is that you can face sanctions as an organization, which are also outlined in the code.” Callender and Abudayeh said that, as they understood the policy, unofficial organizations such as fraternities and sororities, which are not university recognized yet are composed of only students, would fall under the code. The code of conduct also introduced a formalized citation process for housing violations, though there are no changes to what constitutes a violation. The severity of a citation depends on the specific violation, with possible violations including excessive noise, unauthorized guests and unauthorized parties. The new citation process requires residential assistants, community directors or other university employees to submit an incident report for every

Ajani Stella and Nora Toscano

Senior News Editor and Executive Editor

After federal control over the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) expired Sept. 10, Republican lawmakers introduced multiple bills that would give the federal government more authority over the District, reigniting concerns about the city’s political independence. Claiming a crime emergency in D.C., President Donald Trump federalized the MPD Aug. 11, which expired after Congress did not vote to extend the order. Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged to cooperate with the White House and federal agencies, except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), relieving some of the tension between the federal and city governments. Maeve Kramer (CAS ’26), a student who grew up in D.C., said Trump’s moves are incomprehensible, and she is worried how D.C. will cooperate long-term with the federal government. “I get that it’s all political, but I think sometimes I try to rationalize things from the opposing point of view,” Kramer told The Hoya. “And this is just one of those things that I could not figure out any kind of rational argument for the life of me.” “Anything that does something substantial to D.C. as a community and to the people without being voted on by those people is an overreach of federal power,” Kramer added.

See CONDUCT, A7

See TAKEOVER, A7

Georgetown University community members previously condemned the federalization of the MPD and threats to D.C.’s autonomy. Critics of increased federal control cite its implications for the 1973 District of Columbia Home Rule Act, which transferred some powers originally held by the U.S. Congress to the local District government. Two lawmakers joined Georgetown students and faculty at a Sept. 9 walkout protesting the MPD’s federalization and Trump’s other policies. Thousands of D.C. residents also protested the federal takeover in a Sept. 6 march. Colie Long — a program associate at Georgetown’s Prisons and Justice Initiative, a criminal justice reform advocate and a longtime D.C. resident — said Bowser’s decision to collaborate with the federal government and the potential of congressional action threaten the MPD’s ties with local communities.

“It was of no purpose, because historically, the D.C. that I grew up in was always a communitybased area,” Long told The Hoya. “Even though we had problems, it was more community-based policing. Everyone in the neighborhood held each other accountable.” Long added that the federal government engaged in “selective policing” by targeting impoverished areas. “It’s like we’re back in the 1950s and ’60s, where they were enforcing vacancy laws,” Long said. “Police pull up on neighborhoods and you just see them harassing young black and brown individuals.” Joseph Stocker (CAS ’28), who attended high school in D.C., said he worries increased federal control may allow national politics to obscure local needs. “I worry that it’ll leave some politics injected into the D.C. law

HAAN JUN (RYAN) LEE/THE HOYA

Georgetown University community members continue to fear federal involvement despite end to MPD federalization.

NEWS

OPINION

GUIDE

SPORTS

Performative Man Contest

A Duty to Dialogue

Spilling the Chai

Out of Left Field

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Georgetown University students competed in a “Performative Man Contest” Sept. 14 as part of a trend satirizing the stereotype.

The Editorial Board calls on students of all political and ideological affiliations to foster civil dialogue amid increasing violence.

In the newest installation of her column, Anandita Agarwal (SFS ’28) examines South Asian representation in pop music.

Eilat Herman (CAS ’26), in her latest column, wishes the Yankees didn’t put all their baseball eggs in one very young basket.

Iranian Studies Program

Embrace Liberal Arts Education

Only Some Hard Feelings

Men’s Soccer

A12/A11

The Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding announced the launch of an Iranian studies program at a Sept. 15 talk.

David Edelstein, dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, urges students to take advantage of Georgetown’s opportunities for growth.

The Beaches, in their third album “No Hard Feelings,” stick to their energetic and queer guns, says Madeleine Ott (CAS ’26).

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The Georgetown University men’s soccer team delivered a shuttering 4-0 defeat to the Rider University Broncs Sept. 13.

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