1 23 14

VOICE the georgetown

SPEAKERGATE RATTLES STUDENT SENATE PAGE 4

BOXING HEADS TO BRITAIN PAGE 6

INDIES & IRAN: AN UNLIKELY COMBINATION PAGE 10

Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w January 23, 2014 w Volume 46, Issue 18 w georgetownvoice.com

Homef ield Disadvantage Why hasn’t Georgetown’s women’s field hockey team had a winning season in over a decade?

2 the georgetown voice

january 23, 2014

Coming Soon ...

The Voice's New Sports Blog

georgetownvoice.com twitter.com/gtownvoice facebook.com/georgetownvoice

Voice Crossword “New Big East, Same Old Beast” by Allison Galezo

DOWN 1. Verizon Center video screen 2. exists 3. DSR

4. home sweet home, abbrev.

5. Hables en español?

6. opposite of DC 7. female Supreme Court justice initials 8. “Jack and the Beanstalk” villain

9. pass’d, jump’d, dunk’d 10. yarn unit 13. backboard attachment 15. gerontologist’s field 18. Adventure is Out There 19. There goes old ____ 20. not the kind of smear they sell at Einstein’s 21. Capone and Pacino 24. mute salute 26. Spongebob’s version of the common cold, singular 29. gorilla 31. Adams, Smith, Ayegba, Hayes 33. tidier 34. chilly 35. Ruthenium symbol 36. whistle blower 37. ____ and 46 across 38. go-kart rental brand 39. Saxa 40. American Society for Virology 43. merry 45. easy peasy, ___ PZ

ACROSS 1. mocked 5. “The True Gentlemen” of Georgetown 8. to chatter 11. “White Collar” network 12. failed freethrow food 14. hi 16. everything 17. Georgetown’s Canis familarus 20. group of experts 22. opposite the editorial page 23. infraction reaction 25. Ethiopian aristocrat 27. I Did It Again 28. one who believes “It’s never NSOver” 30. Starks, Allen, Caprio, Domingo, Trawick, Smith-Rivera 31. DPS 34. white girls’ favorite breakfast 36. recovery of possession of a missed shot 37. two or three pointer 40. not a soprano

41. ref’s call 42. It’s “not master in its own house,” according to Freud 44. soft leather 46. 37 down & ____ 47. ____ Center 48. Earth science unit of time, abbrev.

Are you a logophile?

Share your love of words and help us write crosswords.

Email crossword@ georgetownvoice. com

editorial

georgetownvoice.com

VOICE the georgetown

Volume 46.18 January 16, 2014 Editor-in-Chief: Connor Jones Managing Editor: Julia Tanaka General Manager: Nick Albanese Blog Editor: Isabel Echarte News Editor: Claire Zeng

Sports Editor: Chris Almeida Feature Editor: Lucia He Cover Editors: Noah Buyon, Christina Libre Leisure Editor: Dayana Morales-Gomez Voices Editor: Steven Criss Photo Editor: Ambika Ahuja Design Editors: Pam Shu, Sophia Super Page 13 Editor: Dylan Cutler Back Page Editor: Minali Aggarwal

Creative Directors: Amanda Dominiguez, Kathleen Soriano-Taylor, Madhuri Vairapandi Editors-at-Large: Caitriona Pagni, Ana Smith Assistant Blog Editors: Ryan Greene, Marisa Hawley, Kenneth Lee, Laura Kurek Assistant News Editors: Shalina Chatlani, Lara Fishbane, Manuela Tobias Assistant Sports Editors: Chris Castano, Brendan Crowley, Jeffrey Lin, Joe Pollicino Assistant Cover Editor: Neha Ghanshamdas Assistant Leisure Editors: Emilia Brahm, Daniel Varghese, Joshua Ward Assistant Photo Editors: Gavin Myers, Joshua Raftis Assistant Design Editors: Leila Lebreton, Andie Pine

Staff Writers:

Sourabh Bhat, Max Borowitz, Grace Brennan, Emmy Buck, MaryBailey Frank, Abby Greene, John Guzzetta, Kevin Huggard, Julia Lloyd-George, Claire McDaniel, Dan Paradis, Max Roberts, Abby Sherburne, Jackson Sinnenberg, Deborah Sparks, Chris Wadibia, Annamarie White

Staff Photographers:

Marla Abdilla, Katherine Landau, Alan Liu, Muriel van de Bilt, Annie Wang

Staff Designers:

Katarina Chen, Dylan Cutler, Mike Pacheco, Corrina Di Pirro

Copy Chief: Grace Funsten Copy Editors:

Eleanor Fanto, Sabrina Kayser, Samantha Mladen, Dana Suekoff, Isobel Taylor, Suzanne Trivette

Editorial Board Chair: Julia Jester Editorial Board:

Gavin Bade, Emilia Brahm, Patricia Cipollitti, Lara Fishbane, Juan Daniel Gonçalves, Ryan Greene, Lucia He, Quaila Hugh, Connor Jones, Jeffrey Lin, Ian Philbrick, Ryan Shymansky, Ana Smith, Julia Tanaka

Managing Directors: Mary Bailey-Frank, Mollie Rodgers, Nick Mendiola, Allison Manning The Georgetown Voice

The Georgetown Voice is published every Thursday.

Mailing Address: Georgetown University The Georgetown Voice Box 571066 Washington, D.C. 20057

Office: Leavey Center Room 424 Georgetown University Washington, D.C. 20057

Email: editor@georgetownvoice.com Advertising: business@georgetownvoice.com Website: georgetownvoice.com Vox Populi: blog.georgetownvoice.com The opinions expressed in the Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University, unless specifically stated. Unsigned editorials represent the views of the Editorial Board. Columns, advertisements, cartoons and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of the Georgetown Voice. The University subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors. The Georgetown Voice is produced in the Georgetown Voice office and composed on Macintosh computers using the Adobe InDesign publishing system and is printed by Silver Communications. All materials copyright the Georgetown Voice. All rights reserved.

On this week’s cover: Field Hockey Cover Design: Christina Libre

the georgetown voice 3 SPEAK UP

Free speech code fails to live up to promises GUSA and the Georgetown University Speech and Expression Committee held a free speech forum last Friday titled, “Free Speech in the Digital Age: Are There Boundaries?”

During the question and answer period of the forum, members of GU Pride and H*yas for Choice brought forth concerns about their ability to exercise free speech by tabling and bringing certain speakers to campus.

In response, both GUSA President Nate Tisa (SFS ’16) and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson explained that free speech and protest are not confined to Red Square and that student groups can be kicked out of other spaces only if their speech activity “disrupts or obstructs the functions of the University or imminently threatens such disruption or obstruction,” as written in the Speech and Expression Policy.

With this new information, H*yas for Choice protested and tabled in Healy

Circle on Jan. 20 in response to the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life event in Healy Hall. Despite Olson’s and Tisa’s assurances that the speech code protected such activity, GUPD officers forced H*yas for Choice to move outside the front gates within 18 minutes.

GUPD’s decision to remove H*yas for Choice, which is not recognized by Georgetown University, from Healy Circle to outside the boundaries of University property reveals that, although the administration claims to recognize free speech on campus, it still needs to reconcile its rhetoric with its practices.

H*yas for Choice’s table was completely outside Healy Hall and did not interfere with the Right to Life event in any way, yet GUPD still removed them from campus.

Removing groups from public areas is not the only way the University has attempted to silence certain groups. At the free speech

forum, GU Pride President Thomas Lloyd (SFS ’15) explained that his administrative advisors often warn him against bringing certain speakers to campus or hosting certain events. Lloyd claimed that featuring pro-gay marriage and safe-sex speakers is essential to Pride’s success as a student group, but that he fears backlash from the University if he does choose to host them.

GUPD should formally apologize to H*yas for Choice, especially if the group’s claim that they have been removed from other areas in the past is true, and cannot selectively enforce the speech code against unrecognized student groups like this ever again.

The University must abide by its own speech code and neither formally prevent nor pressure student groups from exercising their free expression. To do otherwise compromises Georgetown’s legitimacy as a University which promotes free-thinking and human rights.

BLAZE IT

D.C. moves closer to marijuana decriminalization

Lawmakers in the District of Columbia made another significant stride toward the decriminalization of marijuana last Wednesday when the Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety of the D.C. Council voted in favor of the Marijuana Possession Decriminalization Act of 2014. If passed by the rest of the Council, the bill would eliminate jail time as a punishment for possession of marijuana and instead impose a $25 fine.

Mayoral candidate and Public Safety Chair Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), author of the bill, led his committee in unanimous support of the decriminalization measure.

Mayor Vincent Gray has spoken out in support of decriminalization, though he has not expressed support for legalization. The D.C. Cannabis Campaign, however, has already proposed a ballot initiative, which, if passed, would legalize the possession of two ounces and three plants by residents age 21 and older. D.C. Council member David P. Grosso (I-At Large) has supported

this initiative with his own bill in favor of the legalization, taxation, and regulation of marijuana.

In a recent interview with The New Yorker, President Obama expressed new, public views on marijuana. While marijuana use is not “something he encourages” and is a “bad idea, a waste of time, [and] not very healthy,” he said that the drug is not more dangerous than alcohol. The president’s statements reflect a common sentiment among Americans, who have taken to the polls in Colorado and Washington to legalize marijuana in those states. And it’s not just younger people behind the push. In an interview with The Daily Beast, a Colorado dispensary owner revealed at least 60 percent of his clientele is above the age of 30.

The continued criminalization of marijuana and the disproportionately harsh penalties these laws entail unfairly target minorities like African Americans. In particular, these policies hurt poorer Americans

who cannot afford the legal resources to save them—and their permanent records— from the severe penalties.

In fact, D.C. leads the country in marijuana arrests per capita, and, though just over half of the District population is black, African-Americans comprise 91 percent of all marijuana arrests. The number of whites arrested for marijuana has remained relatively stable between 2001 and 2010, but the number of blacks arrested jumped by nearly 1,500. Yet, the rate at which people use the substance is nearly equal. 14 percent of blacks and 12 percent of whites reportedly use marijuana.

If successful, weed decriminalization will help rectify the racial bias within D.C. marijuana laws. And, as Obama remarked, “we should not be locking up kids or individual users for long stretches of jail time when some of the folks who are writing those laws have probably done the same thing.”

SPILL THE BEANS

Chemical spill reveals unacceptable neglect

About two weeks ago, a storage tank owned by mining chemical manufacturer Freedom Industries spilled 7,500 gallons of chemicals—4-Methylcyclohexane Methanol (MCHM) and polyglycol ether (PPH)—into the Elk River in Charleston, W.V. These compounds flowed downstream into the West Virginia American Water Company and Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin subsequently ordered nine counties to not drink or shower with their tap water.

The ban on tap water affected 300,000 people, closing schools and businesses in Charleston.

Freedom Industries did not disclose PPH’s presence in the water supply until Jan. 22, over a week after the spill occurred. West Virginia’s Department of Environmental Protection has since ordered Freedom Industries to disclose all substances that were spilled.

This delay highlights the lack of transparency that has become a theme in the chemical manufacturing industry.

Dozens of lawsuits have been filed against Freedom Industries by businesses that lost revenue due to lack of water access. In an attempt to evade these lawsuits, Freedom Industries has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy but has not yet received this freeze due to its failure to disclose enough financial information.

While the EPA has recommended stricter regulation and supervision of companies’ waste discharge into water sources for months, politicians at the state and national level have expressed little concern about the spill and have not called for reform of the industry. Rather, members of Congress have scolded environmental groups who have spoken out about the spill for overreacting.

These legislators’ main goals in this region focus on preserving the coal and chemical industries because they are central to West Virginia’s economic prosperity, providing approximately 90,000 jobs. Regardless, plant in-

tegrity and water quality should be held just as high as job security. Congress must add new levels of regulation to coal companies and their storage tanks to prevent these spills in the future.

House Speaker John Boehner, meanwhile, has claimed that existing regulations are adequate and actually is using this environmental disaster as an opportunity to call for less regulation over water quality. In doing so, Boehner ignores the fact that shoddy regulations and oversight caused the chemical spill in the first place.

The public should not misconstrue Freedom Industry’s efforts to avoid bankruptcy and save face as genuine concern for the people of West Virginia. Rather than accept the disregard the chemical and coal industries have shown for human well-being, Congress and the Obama administration should heed the warnings of the EPA and properly enforce its environmental regulations.

news

4 the georgetown voice

Cairo program still closed

by Lucius Lee Due to safety and security concerns, all Georgetown study abroad programs held at the American University in Cairo will be suspended indefinitely, according to the University’s updated international travel policy, which was implemented in September 2012.

“The policy establishes institutional considerations to balance the educational value of participation in international activities with the potential risks,” wrote Craig Rinker, director of overseas studies, in an email to the Voice.

According to Rinker, any decision to reinstate the program will be made by a Travel Review Committee, a group of faculty members under the International Travel Policy that reviews and makes recommendations about student travel to Travel Warning Countries. The committee reviews information from governmental sources, such as the U.S. Department of State and

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and makes recommendations to the provost or appropriate executive vice president, who will decide whether to approve the program.

Daniel Byman, professor of the Security Studies Program in the SFS, affirms that conditions in Egypt could threaten the safety of students.

“The situation in Egypt is troubling and carries the risk of continued violence. So many factors are in play, it is difficult to offer any assurances that the country will become less violent,” he wrote in an email to the Voice.

However, Jenan Sheta (COL ‘15), a native of Egypt, says that concerns of danger are overstated.

“For the 19 years that I lived there, Cairo was safer than any other city I had been to. … The only thing that’s changed now is that certain few areas should at times be avoided, just as a precautionary measure,” she said.

“You should not be deceived by the media.”

Georgetown celebrates MLK

The Let Freedom Ring choir sings at the MLK Concert.

by Lara Fishbane This week, Georgetown University is holding a series of events to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Let Freedom Ring musical celebration, which took place on Monday, included the performance of a tribute to “Mandela and Martin” and featured Grammy Award winning artist Dionne Warwick, who sang a medley of many of her famous songs. At the concert, the 12th John Thompson, Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award was presented to Lecester Johnson, executive director of the Academy of Hope, a school that provides educational opportunities and adult literacy services.

Georgetown University

The celebration of Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy continues through the week with events including a spiritual service at the Saint William Chapel, an art display featuring Life Pieces To Masterpieces in the ICC, and the MLK Reflections Candle Lighting in Healy Circle. The activities can be followed on Twitter through the hashtags #GUreflects50yrs and #MLKatGU. They focus on the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in August.

The week will conclude with the MLK Day of Service hosted by the Center for Social Justice and the DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative, where students will engage in service projects in Ward 7.

january 23, 2014

Constitutional Council sets precedent for speaker confirmation

by Claire Zeng The Georgetown University Student Association Constitutional Council ruled that the Jan. 12 confirmation vote and election for a new speaker of the GUSA Senate violated the organization’s bylaws. The Jan. 19 decision ordered that Sam Greco (SFS ’15) be sworn in speaker of the GUSA Senate “as quickly as possible.”

On Dec. 8, the final Senate meeting of the fall semester, then-Speaker George Spyropoulos (COL ’14) resigned from his position and Vice Speaker Sam Greco (SFS ‘15) was assumed to naturally succeed. While Senate bylaw 2.05(e) states that the vice speaker “[assumes] the role of Speaker should the Speaker resign or be removed,” it does not mention whether the succession requires a confirmation vote.

To some senators’ surprise, however, a confirmation vote for speaker was held at the first Senate meeting of the semester.

Greco was not confirmed after receiving nine yes votes and 13 no votes, with two abstentions. An open election was held, during which Senator Emilie Siegler (SFS ’14) won the speakership over Greco, Senators Robert Shepherd (MSB ‘15), and Abbey McNaughton (COL ’16).

A confirmation vote had been held the previous academic year when then-Speaker Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) resigned to run for GUSA president and then-Vice Speaker Zach Singer (SFS ’15) was confirmed by acclamation to the speakership in the same meeting.

In response to the Jan. 12 election, Ethan Chess (COL ’14), GUSA election commissioner, submitted a petition to the Constitutional Council, claiming that “Greco was rightfully the Speaker of the Senate for over a month.” The Council ruled after four days of deliberation that Greco was indeed speaker and barred future confirmation votes. Several senators had been confused or surprised by the proceedings and were glad for the Council’s clarification.

Ramadan wrote in an email to the Voice that, “People just had very strong opinions about Sam and as the neutral presiding officer I had to follow the procedures of motions.”

Senator Cannon Warren (SFS ‘14), who was not present at the meeting, said the vote clearly violated the bylaws and “I was at home for a funeral when the vote happened, otherwise I would have stopped it.” [Disclosure: Warren is a former Voice staffer.]

On the other hand, Seamus Guerin (COL ’16) thought the procedure was justified. “There was no questioning or debate [during Singer’s confirmation] be-

cause I think people believed in his abilities at that time. This time around, that was not the case,” Guerin said. “Those questions and debate are standard for any kind of election that we have when there are multiple candidates. … I don’t know why anyone thought that there wouldn’t be [questions].”

During the confirmation vote, senators voiced concerns that Greco may be leaving in the middle of his term. “To vote for someone who has alluded to step down in a few weeks, we are voting for the Senate to shut down,” Senator Jimmy Ramirez (COL ’15) added during debate.

When asked why he had originally voted for Sam as vice speaker but not for speaker, Guerin stated that “it means something different in the Senate, the speakership versus the vice speakership.”

In its decision, the Constitutional Council stated that it “received concerns about the separation of powers in student government.” Josh Shinbrot (COL ‘16), Constitutional Council justice, however, clarified that he had “not been presented with any evidence that Adam Ramadan knowingly overstepped his powers.”

The Constitutional Council’s decision also criticized the absence of the public minutes of the Jan. 12 meeting due to the absence of the Senate executive officer, Serena Gobbi (COL ‘16), whose role combines communications director, parliamentarian, and secretary into one position. “[I] was not present at the meeting in question due to a last-minute change in the time of the meeting,” Gobbi wrote in an email to the Voice.

She had not missed any other meeting previously in her term as executive officer.

As a result, the Constitutional Council mandated that any bylaw disputes “must be videotaped or recorded, minutes must be taken and posted, and the Parliamentarian or equivalent officer must be present,” and that the “support staff to the Senate be increased.” The Council also made a nonbinding recommendation that support staff be monetarily compensated.

Greco ultimately sees the entire series of events as evidence that GUSA’s separation of powers works as it should. “Obviously, there were some serious, constitutional questions with what happened,” Greco told the Voice shortly after the Constitutional Council’s hearing.

“Fortunately, our organization has a mechanism, the Constitutional Council, to give a second look to these things, and I’m glad they did.”

News Hits Sexualassaultworkshopopens “Creating a Culture of Consent,” an originally male-exclusive sexual assault prevention workshop organized by Sean Foley (MSB ‘15) and sponsored by anti-violence group Men Can Stop Rape, occurs today and is now open to women also.

The hour-long event, which will focus on creating a healthy culture regarding sexual assault education and prevention, was originally promoted as exclusively for men so that keynote speaker Jared Watkins (COL ‘11), MCSR coordinator, could focus on nonviolent masculinity with a specific audience. Foley has now opened the event to women.

“We think the event will have special impact and meaning for men, but it is absolutely open to women,” he wrote in an email to the Voice. “The culture and environment we are promoting is built on acceptance, respect, and communication.”

Watkins does not think that the mixed gender audience will have a great impact on the effectiveness of the event. “Though there are certainly different dynamics with a mixed gender audience that will affect my facilitation, I don’t expect it to impact the content of my presentation,” he wrote.

—Grace Brennan

Marijuana amendment passes The Marijuana Possession Decriminalization Amendment Act of 2014, which proposes an amendment to Councilmember Tommy Wells’ (D-Ward 6) bill to decriminalize marijuana within the district, unanimously passed the judiciary committee Jan. 15.

Georgetown’s policies on marijuana usage will nevertheless not change, which include suspension and expulsion.

A step towards full decriminalization, the amendment reduces the fine for the civil violation from $100 to $25 for those 18 and older found possessing up to an ounce of marijuana, although those caught smoking in public will have to pay the original fine. Sale of the drug remains a criminal penalty under the amendment.

However, Georgetown University’s current penalties for the possession, transfer, or consumption of marijuana will remain unchanged. “For now, Georgetown will continue its policies on drug use and possession,” wrote Patrick Kilcarr, director at the Center for Personal Development, in an email to the Voice.

—Daniel Paradis

georgetownvoice.com

Corp debuts Hilltoss

by Caitriona Pagni The Corp’s new salad and smoothie shop slated to open in the Healy Student Family Center during the 2015-2016 academic year, The Hilltoss announced its first class of hires Tuesday Night in preparation for its campus debut at the GU Farmers’ Market this spring. Hilltoss employees will prepare custom-made salads, offer a variety of smoothies, and provide a range of other healthy snack and drink options.

The Corp is still in the process of finding a supplier for the location.

Based on input from a campus-wide poll, however, Corp managers have moved forward with developing various aspects of the strategic, operational, and cultural components of the business, in addition to promoting its commitment to overall health and wellness, according to Ellen Wilcox (COL ‘14), director of The Hilltoss.

“One of the ways in which we plan to promote holistic health is through The Hilltoss Scholarship, which will recognize and award a sum total of $2,000 to four deserving Hoyas who— similar to The Hilltoss—embody and promote a commitment to health and happiness in their daily lives,” Wilcox wrote in an email to the Voice.

Moving forward, the Corp expects to face some challenges in terms

of management. “The biggest challenge of The Hilltoss is ... given the nature of The Corp as a student-run business, a large portion of our leadership will graduate this spring,” wrote Wilcox. She is confident though that many of the non-seniors who played prominent roles in the store’s development will bring the vision of The Hilltoss to fruition.

The Corp also plans to take advantage of the HFSC’s eco-friendly resources for the operation of The Hilltoss, which may include water filling stations, a bike repair station, and other features, according to Rachel Pugh, director of media relations.

In addition to the GU Farmers’ Market, The Hilltoss plans to collaborate with other student groups, such as the Georgetown Community Garden, in order to promote environmentally sustainable practices related to urban gardening and student production.

“There has been a lot of talk about front-end composting, so when you get a salad, you should be able to compost the materials yourself ... and they are putting a lot of effort into looking at appliances to make them a little more green,” said Whitney Pratt (COL ‘14) who volunteers at the community garden and served as the vice chair of the Corp’s Green Initiative.

Inclusivity over exclusivity

The average Georgetown student is racing toward middle-aged life. You know the type: in a suit Monday through Friday, half of their net worth is tied up in investments at 19, treats their latest internship like it’s their identity, can’t wait to work for a mega-bank, loves committee structure and flow-charts.

Youthful exuberance has been replaced by learned, hardened pragmatism on Georgetown’s campus. Instead of using college as a time to practice needless rebellion and make questionable decisions, the applicants the admissions office accepts use Georgetown as a yuppie finishing school. And every aspect of student life has been affected.

Georgetown markets itself as a place where people can go to figure out what they want to do with their lives and decide how they want to change themselves and the world. You know, Jesuit ideals and stuff. Many students

are naive enough to believe the whole spiel.

When those students get here, they see that their peers are filling out stacks of applications for student groups and stalking recruiters from Goldman Sachs within two weeks of arriving. In this culture, every second you wait is another second that your peers gain relative to you. So your only choice is to apply for every last group you’re marginally interested in joining, in the hope that you can do something for at least one of them.

The end result is making it harder and harder for students to get involved. Now, a majority of organizations require students to apply. Even first-semester freshmen have to apply to join most clubs. No one else seems to think that’s a crazy idea. These students have just arrived. These students were already among the 16 percent of the students that the admissions office decided to let in. Only minute differences exist between

news

the georgetown voice 5

Alum pilots class participation smartphone app

by Kenneth Lee Many courses at Georgetown University and other D.C. schools are piloting nClass, a smartphone app, developed by Georgetown alumnus Gaurav Malik (MBA ‘12), that aims to encourage classroom participation and help instructors log student attendance in class.

The app allows professors to give in-class quizzes, collect anonymous comprehension feedback, and organize classroom participation using a virtual hand-raise feature. Students can either indicate that they want to say something in the app, or write a comment or question in the app for the professor or their classmates to see. nClass uses a smartphone’s GPS to track student attendance. Malik dismissed the possible privacy concerns such a function might have.

“We are not following you around or tracking you,” he said. “If a particular student had concerns, they can not allow nClass access to GPS on their phone.” Professors can also choose to forgo the use of GPS to keep attendance in nClass.

Malik says that nClass is more than a competitor to devices such as the iClicker, which is used in many large introductory lecture classes at Georgetown. “Why should students carry that remote control-looking dethem. But even given the high number of interested students, these groups engage in marketing tactics to get mores students to apply. The goal becomes exclusivity instead of inclusivity.

And with each year, each club becomes more exclusive, which, in turn, inflates club leaders’ egos.

I’ve heard more than a few other student leaders boast about how

Saxa Politica

by Connor Jones

A bi-weekly column about campus news and politics the admissions rate for their club is lower than Georgetown’s overall admit rate. This attitude carries the negative effect of encouraging more snobbery and elitism.

Yet the conversation about improving on-campus life revolves around club space and funding. Georgetown’s corporate student culture is ignored as a problem altogether. Such an outlook ignores the largest obstacle to enjoying student

nClass is currently being piloted in classrooms. vice in their backpack?” he said. “We are not just a clicker device; [quizzing] is one feature that we have.”

The app runs on the iOS and Android operating systems. Students without such smartphones can still use a web version of nClass to participate in classes using the app.

Malik says that because students do not need to buy proprietary hardware, nClass is a more economical solution. “Right now we are in pilot mode, so the app is free,” he said.

“We would like to keep the app free for students and have the school pay a lump sum [for the service].”

Rachel Barr, associate professor at Georgetown, participated in nClass’ pilot program last semester. “[Students] can use [their] laptop or cell phone and so are less likely to forget these items when they come

life—having to compete just to get involved.

Sure, certain organizations require specialized experience and a certain predisposition for the activity to operate at a high level.

Groups like the International Relations Club and Mock Trial come to mind. But there are almost certainly ways to get more people involved while still competing at a high level. For example, instead of having just one team, you could have two. And the second one could be instructed by a smaller group of senior members—another way to increase participation.

If students have to already be qualified before they try to join a club, how are they supposed to explore new interests? Such a requirement runs contrary to Georgetown’s mission of educating the whole person.

The editorial side of the Voice has long eschewed requiring an application to join the paper. Instead of demanding that recruits already be qualified, we request that they show up to meetings and

JORDAN SMITH

to class,” she wrote in an email to the Voice. nClass helps Barr formulate participation grades and facilitate discussions in her General Psychology class. “If students choose to post a photo [onto nClass], it helps me learn student names a bit more easily,” she said. “This is something that I find hard to do.”

In return, nClass collects feedback about their app. “The students and I requested things like longer text lines for longer questions and responses, summary reports of quiz answers, [the] ability to use a laptop [to] login [to nClass], which [they] built, and better online instructions and directions,” she wrote.

Barr plans to continue participating in the pilot program this semester.

turn in their small assignments before moving on to bigger assignments. Inevitably, our meetings are packed at the beginning of the year, but we figure out something for each person to do—at least for those who want to do something.

As the weeks pass, people stop showing up and we’re left with those who really want to be there, not the people who want to join because it’s hard to get in.

If we start to change the culture of Georgetown’s student groups to make them more inclusive, other aspects of student life will begin to improve as well. With fewer students applying for positions they only want because it’s prestigious, more students who actually care will be able to join. Without so much competition in the realm of extracurricular groups, students’ stress loads will diminish. Maybe, after that, fewer people will feel the need to act like 40-year-olds-intraining.

Be exclusive with Connor at cjones@georgetownvoice.com

sports

6 the georgetown voice

january 23, 2014

Boxing ready to knock out competiton in England

by Chris Castano Georgetown Boxing Club practices aren’t easy places to enter.

Opening the doors of their practice space in Leavey and walking in is akin to walking blindfolded in Red Square between classes.

There’s no clear path to your destination, bodies are flying around every which way, and if you’re not careful, someone will accidentally throw an elbow your way.

Last week, one man sat at the center of it all with a smile on his face and a stopwatch in his hand.

Intercollegiate boxing champion and co-president of the Georgetown Boxing Club, Adan Gonzalez (COL’ 15) sat in his sweats and cheered on the two girls sparring in front of him. Gonzalez managed to keep his cool while encouraging his teammates despite being in the process of preparing a group of his peers for what will most likely be the largest fight of their entire lives.

Six members of the Hoya Boxing Club (four men and two women) travelled to England this past week to compete in a boxing showcase to be staged on Jan. 25. The Hoyas will be fighting in front of a crowd of 500 at a boxing-specific stadium in the city of Portsmouth. “We’ll be representing the United States Intercollegiate boxing team, and obviously we’ll be fighting against the U.K. collegiate boxing team,” Gonzalez said. None of the words that came out of his mouth fazed him.

Luckily for Adan’s teammates, this event won’t be the first time their captain has competed overseas. During his freshman year, Gonzalez took a similar trip across the Atlantic. He boxed and won against the then intercollegiate U.K. champion, (so he’s seen a punch or two.) His fellow fighters, on the other hand, don’t share

Gonzalez believes that Vania Silva (COL ‘16), one his level of experience. They’ll be to do and they do go out of their fighting in the competition’s nov- way to make us feel comfortable,” of the women competing in the bringing women to fight in an showcase’s exhibition match, exhibition match in a male-oriice tier, while Gonzalez competes said Gonzalez.

While the team is sure to feel could help develop that pursuit ented sporting environment in the “elite” category.

This opportunity for the Hoya relaxed during its stay, there will be in the realm of female boxing. Sil- fits right into the mission of boxers has been born out of hard a bit of culture shock for the wom- va says that fighting in England the boxing club and the Uniwork both in and out of the ring. en competing in the ring. England won’t be different from fighting versity. “I think that we have “The [United States Boxing Asso- lags behind the United States in its anywhere else because women’s an opportunity to lead by exciation] contacted us and want- efforts to encourage female athlet- boxing is so under the radar. ample. It’s an excellent oppored Georgetown to represent the ics, especially in the realm of box- “People usually don’t believe me tunity for Georgetown to be a U.S.,” Gonzalez said. “Coach- ing. It’s not all doom and gloom on when I tell them that I box, so vehicle of change as a leading es from other schools chose ... the British Isles as the U.K. begins going abroad and fighting in En- institution. We do represent [which] boxers were ready and ... to introduce new initiatives to help gland adds a little bit of pressure. moral values, but we have the deserved the opportunity to com- females not only on the field or in We want to show that women can opportunity to lead with acthe ring, but those who work for box. Hopefully we can open the tion. This is an incredible oppete at this elite level.” portunity to do so.” sport up a bit.”

“Right now it’s all about get- sporting organizations as well. ting them focused and getting them ready mentally. You have to understand that you’re not just representing not just George- “We know that man is well-adapted to exercising in the heat. If you take us back a few thousand years, we evolved on the high plains of Africa chasing antelope for eight hours under these conditions.”-Australian Open doctor Tim Wood town, not just the country, but col to credit your teammates and angry? If you were to watch boxing you’re representing yourself. At by Chris Almeida go into the locker room. After the today, you would see these same the end of the day, having the NFC Divisional game where Colin techniques employed before most big “Well, I’m the best corner in the courage to put those gloves on Kaepernick mocked Cam Newton’s fights, and if you believe that all these game!

When you try me with a sorspeaks volumes about the charendzone celebration, when he was boxers actually hate each other, you ry receiver like Crabtree, that’s the acter of a person,” said Gonzalez. asked about who the gesture was might be better off just watching the result you gonna get!

Don’t you ever “First thing we’re doing when we directed toward, Kaepernick said WWE. Yes, it is possible that Sherman talk about me!” get off the plane? We’re going to that it was “just a little shout out.” Of is building a persona, but if he is goThis postgame outburst from the hostel. Second thing we’re docourse, this was not the most respect- ing to continue to represent the SeaSeattle Seahawks cornerback Riching? Heading straight to the gym. ful thing to do, but there was no “I’m hawks, it’s not his place to do so. ard Sherman has been the talk of the We’ll still have two days to work This is not Sherman’s first inthe best quarterback in the game! sports world in the few days since out and practice!” cident on the field. He has found Cam Newton can’t touch me!”

Why the end of the NFC Championship Thankfully for the Hoyas, not himself in physical altercations with not?

Because that’s not how you act Game.

The majority of responses every moment of their time in the opponents in more than once, most after you clinch a victory. have labeled Sherman a thug and United Kingdom will be spent in notably taunting Patriots quarterA lot of people have tried to make chastised him for his behavior.

A the pursuit of sport. Just as Gonback Tom Brady after a close win in this incident and its aftermath an surprisingly large faction, however, zalez and co. did their best to 2012, calling the team a “gimmick” issue of race, either attacking Sherhas come out in his defense, saymake the U.K. team feel at home and posting a picture on Twitter man or attacking those who reacted ing that Sherman simply plays the when they came to the Hilltop last after the game depicting Sherman strongly against him.

But, just to evgame with a “warrior mentality,” year for the Annual Boxing Showyelling at Brady with the words “U erybody: It’s not a race issue.

Black or and is passionate on the field. case, the Brits will try their best mad bro?” superimposed on the white, almost all top players underI don’t believe in any way that to immerse the Hoyas in English Sherman is a thug. In fact, if you do stand the responsibility that comes image. Sherman later removed the culture. your research, you’ll see that he’s with being an All-Pro and being a image from his account, but clearly “My freshman year, the team exactly the opposite: he graduated consistent winner. You would never has not learned his lesson. from the U.K. hosted us really Yes, Sherman is a great player, as his high school class salutatori- see LeBron James or Peyton Manning well,” Gonzalez says. “This last and his play on Sunday was nothing give an interview like Sherman’s. an and attended Stanford, where year when we hosted them at the short of spectacular, but he needs to Kevin Garnett of the Brooklyn Nets is he graduated before leaving for the Georgetown Boxing Showcase, learn how to be a great player off the the personification of a “warrior menNFL. Sherman has given very arwe didn’t just have a party for field as well.

By acting out in his posttality.”

He has had his feuds, but not ticulate interviews, his well-wordthem, but we took them around game interview, Sherman did not just usually while on-camera, and certained but unnecessarily aggressive the city. When we go there, we’ll embarrass himself, but also took the ly not after winning a big game.

He dismantling of Skip Bayless is the go to Stonehenge and London. attention away from Russell Wilson, has had his passionate moments, the most notable, and defended his They have lots of fun stuff for us post-championship interview in a “anything is possible” interview after Marshawn Lynch, and the rest of his well-written, if misguided, column he won the NBA title with the Celtics defensive line. Sherman has chosen to on the The MMQB. I have no ques- stands in the foreground, but it was be Darrelle Revis rather than Champ tion that Sherman is a smart and not a taunt or an expression of per- Bailey and, in my books, that isn’t the well-educated man, and to accuse sonal superiority, but rather, pure joy. side of history you want to be on.

I hope Sherman can learn to monSome point to Muhammad Ali, him of being a “thug” is just as misguided as Sherman’s own postgame who was famous for his trash talking itor himself, because there is nothing quote. As a friend said just after the and self-promotion. But this compar- more impressive than a star that ungame, nonetheless, if Sherman has ison displays a lack of understanding derstands the entirety of his impact. shown us anything, it’s that “there is of the clear differences between the For now, I hope that Peyton embarassa difference between being well-ed- two sports. Boxing is centered around es Sherman on Super Bowl Sunday, personal feuds. The event is literally and the “best corner in the game” ucated and being intelligent.”

It is simple sporting etiquette a fight, and what better way to sell has to hear “U mad bro?” shouted to be humble after a win, or at the a fight than to create characters that at him from every end of the world very least, respectful. It is proto- seem to be arrogant and constantly from now until September.

the sports sermon

ANDRES RENGIFO

Club Boxing looks forward to the challenges their overseas trip presents.

sports

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 7

Men’s basketball looking for answers Women’s hoops struggles

by Brendan Crowley Only six seconds separated the Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team (11-7, 3-4) from a crucial win against the slumping Golden Eagles of Marquette (11-8, 3-3) at the end of an uncharacteristic losing streak in Big East Conference play. Leading by three points, the Hoyas surrendered a fatal three-pointer to Marquette guard Todd Mayo, sending the game into overtime, where Georgetown was outworked and outscored, losing their third straight game 80-72.

“We’re not making winning plays at the end,” said visibly dejected Head Coach John Thompson III at the press conference after the game.

“Once again, we’re giving up threes at key times.”

Despite 28 points from Georgetown senior guard Markel Starks and 24 points from sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, the rest of the Hoyas managed only 20 points, a growing concern for Thompson, especially in the frontcourt.

“That’s who we are. I’m disappointed,” said Thompson. “The way teams are playing us … whoever gets the ball in the paint has three guys standing in his lap. … And the guys we are throwing it out to aren’t putting it in the basket except for Markel Starks and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera.”

Quite the opposite was true for Marquette, whose balanced scoring propelled them to victory. Senior forward Davante Gardner led five players in double digits, scoring 20 points to go along with four rebounds and five assists. The Golden Eagles scored the first seven points in overtime, a lead the Hoyas couldn’t cut down.

“I thought our poise down the stretch and playing from behind... was really good, maybe as good as it’s been all year for us,” said Marquette Head Coach Buzz Williams. “You don’t have to have a three or a two in that situation when you’re down multiple possessions. You do need to play with efficiency and ... I thought our guys were able to execute and make big shots.”

For Georgetown, the loss to Marquette is their third straight defeat in Big East Conference play and their second consecutive at home. In each loss, the Hoyas held at least a seven-point lead in the second half before faltering.

“We are seven games into an 18-game season,” Thompson said. “There is a lot of season to be played. Are we in a funk right now? Absolutely. We have to make the right plays at the right time, that’s what we have not been doing. This group has shown that we can play with everybody.”

A positive outlook will be crucial over the next two weeks, as the Hoyas prepare to face their hardest stretch of the season. Matchups at Creighton, home versus No. 4 Villanova, and at Madison Square Garden in New York City against No. 3 Michigan State, will be key for preserving any hope the Hoyas still have for a 2014 postseason appearance. Additionally, it appears Georgetown will still be without starters Josh Smith and Jabril Trawick, who remain sidelined indefinitely with academic issues and a broken jaw, respectively. Regardless, Thompson and his team are ready for the challenge.

“We have to figure it out,” Thompson explained. “We have a couple of days here. This program was not built to feel sorry for itself, so we have go back and we have to fight.”

by Max Roberts Even the new, diminished Big East has been cruel to the Georgetown women’s basketball team (712, 1-6 Big East) who lost to Seton Hall (11-5, 2-3 Big East) 73-62 this past Saturday. All five Seton Hall starters tallied double-digit point totals including a game-high 22 points from sophomore forward Tabatha Richardson-Smith.

“We played tough and with good effort, but not for long enough and that made the difference,” Head Coach Jim Lewis said.

The Hoyas started well, taking a three point lead, 14-11, midway through the first half. However, Seton Hall stormed back in the remaining time, and went into halftime with a comfortable 34-25 lead. Seton Hall continued to pull away right out of the break, pushing the lead to 14 points.

The Hoyas attempted to adapt, feeding freshman center Natalie Butler and senior forward Andrea White, who led scoring for the Hoyas with 16 and 17 points, respectively. Butler and White’s offense helped the Hoyas cut their deficit in half in about 3 minutes, but Seton Hall was en route to the victory.

Seton Hall was able to make free throws down the stretch to extend their lead to the final tally, as they shot an impressive

79 percent from the line while Georgetown struggled, shooting only 56 percent.

Coach Lewis also stressed another area where his team struggled. “When we take care of the ball, we have the chance to reach the excellence within our group,” he said. Georgetown was crushed in the battle for turnovers, turning the ball over 29 times compared to 11 times by Seton Hall. Georgetown actually shot a higher percentage from the field than Seton Hall, at 41 percent to 34 percent, but Seton Hall took advantage of Georgetown’s turnovers. The Hoyas were particularly sloppy when dribbling the ball, as Seton Hall had an astounding 14 steals in the game.

Georgetown did, however, soundly out-rebound Seton Hall, pulling down 50 boards compared to just 37 rebounds

by Seton Hall. Butler and White both pulled in double digit rebounds which gave them both double-doubles for the game, the fourteenth and ninth of the season, respectively.

After a 92-69 loss to Depaul on Wednesday night, the women’s basketball team’s next contest is this Sunday when the Hoyas will travel to face St. John’s (13-5, 6-1 Big East) at 6:00p.m.

JOSHUA RAFTIS

Men’s hoops was unable to hold onto a late lead against Marquette.

The right man for the job

The last nine months have not been kind to the Georgetown men’s basketball team, especially Head Coach John Thompson III. After clinching the Big East regular season title against longtime rival Syracuse, the Hoyas surged into the postseason with an apparent date with destiny in the Final Four, possibly even the National Championship.

Fast forward to last Monday night. Following their fourth loss in five games, the depleted Hoyas now find themselves fighting for their tournament lives, in probably the most frustrating nine-month span of Thompson’s decade-long tenure on the Hilltop. This stretch included an embarassing loss to Florida Gulf Coast, Otto Porter’s departure to the NBA, and Greg Whittington’s dismissal from the team.

And now, without a viable

third scoring option due to the vacancies left by junior center Joshua Smith and junior forward Trawick, the Hoyas have struggled to clinch close games, surrendering lategame leads in their last three games.

Thompson has juggled a myriad of lineups in an effort to find some success. But, as Rick Pitino might say, “Patrick Ewing isn’t walking through that door” for them in the closing stretch of this disheartening season.

Unfortunately for Thompson, the brunt of the blame for these past nine months has fallen on his shoulders. Among the cacophony of fans departing the Verizon Center Monday night after another gut-wrenching loss, murmurs of firing Thompson could easily be heard.

It’s easy for Georgetown fans to grow increasingly agitated by the team’s recent play and our apparent perpetual entrenchment in the first

round of the NCAA Tournament over the past few years. But with that in mind, I ask the most diehard of Georgetown fans a simple question: Over the past ten years, which current Big East program would you like to trade places with?

Full Court Press

by Joe Pollicino A bi-weekly column about sports

It’s not a trick question. During Thompson’s tenure, the Hoyas have made the tournament seven out of nine seasons, five of which seeded the Hoyas No. 3 or higher.

Thompson-coached teams have won three Big East regular season titles, appeared in three Big East Tournament Championship game appearances, and most importantly, one Final Four in 2007. The last ten years have seen some of college basketball’s best don the Blue and Gray

uniform including Big East Players of the Year Jeff Green and Otto Porter Jr., as well as NBA stars Roy Hibbert and Greg Monroe. By the way, none of these players, aside from Monroe, was highly touted coming out of high school, a testament to Thompson’s ability as a teacher.

And lastly, in the last seven seasons, excluding this dreadful one we find ourselves in, Georgetown is one of only four schools (Duke, Michigan State, and UNC being the others) to have been nationally ranked in the Associated Press Top 10, a statistic which soldifies Georgetown as the flagship basketball program in the retooled Big East.

But Thompson’s fiercest critics point to his team’s shortcomings in the NCAA Tournament as the justification of their burgeoning demands for a new head coach. So the next logical question for those clamoring for a change in direction is simply,“Who?” Who will you get that will make things that much

better? Who will come and coach at a school with a dramatically weakened conference, an obsolete practice facility, and a cavernous and underwhelming Verizon Center, and attract the talent necessary to further the successes the program has had under Thompson’s leadership?

Following his team’s win against Georgetown, Marquette Head Coach Buzz Williams said, “I think God gives you the same test over and over and over again until you pass it. … You can either respond to that at some point in time, or you can give in.”

Ultimately, although maybe not this year, I’m confident that Georgetown will finally pass their NCAA Tournament test as well, and that Thompson should and will be the coach who earns the grade.

Discuss with Joe at jpollicino@ georgetownvoice.com.

feature

8 the georgetown voice

january 23, 2014

Skirting the Issue: How Georgetown measures up in the Big East

dent-athletes to excel both athletically and academically,” Lee Reed, director of athletics at Georgetown University, wrote in an email to the Voice.

Simone also highlights a deficiency in staff as one of the main problems with the field hockey program. “Our coaching team is understaffed; most teams have three or four coaches and we only have two,” she wrote.

Big East schools such as University of Connecticut and Rutgers both are led by at least three coaches. Old Dominion’s field hockey is trained by three coaches and a volunteer assistant coach. After former Head Coach Tiffany Marsh left the program last week to pursue another coaching opportunity, the Hoyas are down to one coach.

In addition, another weakness of the program that Simone points out is the lack of international players due to weak recruiting power.

“Our resources for recruiting are minimal and thus our scouting is not as intensive as other schools. Field hockey is a sport played globally and most teams we play against have a slew of international players, whereas we have none,” Simone wrote. The University of North Carolina field hockey team, for instance, has recruited six international players from countries such as Zimbabwe and Germany.

by Chris Castano

Two years ago, Hannah Carey (COL ‘16) was facing one of the hardest decisions she had ever had to make. She had an offer from Harvard, where she could have played field hockey for the Crimson. However, she also had an offer from Georgetown, her mother’s alma mater. Even though Georgetown’s field hockey team was not ranked as highly by the NCAA as Harvard’s, the promise of a team in a competitive environment on the rise convinced her to join the Hoyas. A year after playing for the team, however, Carey’s experience with the field hockey program has led her to drop the sport completely.

Georgetown’s 23 varsity teams are part of the NCAA’s Division I and participate in the Big East Conference. Unlike the University’s renowned basketball program, however, the field hockey team has not had a winning season since 2002, and the lack of resources allocated to the team has created great discontent between players, alumni, and parents related to the team, who decided to mobilize against the University in the fall of 2013. * * * Annette Ballou, mother of one of the players on the field hockey team, has seen her daughter struggle through her college career, together with the rest of the team, due to a lack of adequate resources.

“As you watch a person grow up and pursue their goals and work very hard to perfect their sport or whatever it is they do, and it comes around time for college when they are recruited, you want them to wind up in a good place,” Ballou said.

Her daughter had several offers to play at other institutions of higher education, all Division I, but chose Georgetown because of its high aca-

Georgetown f ield hockey has plummeted through years: 2002 - 2013

demic level, and the promise that the team was rebuilding and would be competitive in the years to come.

“They were sold on a program that is perhaps not the best program that an offer was given for, but it’s the program where an athlete feels like they can make the most difference,” Ballou said.

Carey shared this initial enthusiasm about being able to make a difference on the team, but quickly realized that playing for a team that couldn’t even practice on its own campus was a drain on her time on the Hilltop.

“I stopped playing because, essentially, I didn’t think the program was what it was going to be,” Carey said. “I wanted to do more at Georgetown and field hockey was a huge time restraint.”

Even though Carey was cognizant of the challenges the field hockey team was facing when she committed to play at Georgetown, she wasn’t discouraged by them initially. “Coming in, I knew we didn’t have our own field and I knew we didn’t have the best team. I still thought I’d get a lot out of it. I still love my teammates.

For me, it’s just that we don’t get any attention on campus,” Carey said. * * * The field hockey team has not been offered an on-campus space to practice or host games since 2006.

Instead, the team has been traveling between College Park, Md. and the American University field to play.

This, naturally, leads to a decrease in the popularity of the team and student attendance at games.

“On average, we have maybe two Georgetown students attending each game, in addition to some parents. It is disheartening to play for a crowd smaller than many of us had at our high school games,” Brooke Simone

(SFS ‘15), a junior defender for the field hockey program, wrote in an email to the Voice.

Several players and parents believe the lack of an on-campus practicing space represents a larger problem of the athletics department keeping the field hockey team on the periphery of its priorities.

Whether the lack of attention to the field hockey program is due to an apathetic office or the need to comply with the standards of Title IX, absence of resources has left a large number of problems within the program unaddressed, which in turn has upset its participants.

“We do believe that the team and administration [should] create a strategic plan for the future. We feel that we are forgotten sport, created for the sake of Title IX,” said Georgetown field hockey mother Beth Murphy.

“We believe there needs to be more training and coaching. We are one of the few schools that has never had a spring season.”

Title IX is a law that was enacted as a part of the Education Amendments of 1972. The code requires that schools allocate education programs and extracurricular participation opportunities in a non-discriminatory manner. Schools with sports teams can comply in one of three ways: match the percentages of male and female athletes with the percentages of male and female students; expand athletic opportunities for the under-represented sex; or fully and effectively accommodate the interests and abilities of said sex.

“The seniors in the program when I was a freshman really did not like the program,” Carey said. “When you have leaders who don’t like the program, then no one is going to like the program. And there were ten of them, so that caused a lot of tension.”

In addition, the distant training loca-

feature

georgetownvoice.com

tions makes it difficult for the players to also function as students. “Having practice from 12 until four, as a student, you can’t take any classes from that time period, which is incredibly hard. I essentially couldn’t take a class from 12:00 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.,” Carey said.

While the academic stresses weigh heavily on the minds of the members of the field hockey team, so do the monetary concerns facing their program. “A lot of the money goes to transportation. We have to get a bus to every game whether it is home or away. We have to drive to practice,” Carey said. * * *

The lack of a home field isn’t the only difference between Georgetown’s field hockey program and those of its competitors in the Big East.

“Compared to our competitors, Georgetown field hockey is under-resourced. … We only have two scholarships compared to fully funded Big East programs that we play against,” Simone wrote.

The NCAA caps the number of full field hockey scholarships at 12 per school. It’s even possible for a school to offer 24 half-scholarships to its players if it can. According to players and parents, however, Georgetown is falling behind this imposed limit.

After several emails sent through the span of 13 days, the University Sports Information department declined to offer any comment on the budget of the field hockey team and any of the claims made by players and parents interviewed for this article.

“We sponsor a broad-based athletics program that supports each of our 29 varsity sports and 750 student athletes. We are committed to strategic excellence that focuses on providing the opportunity for our stu-

* * *

The field hockey team hasn’t had a winning season since 2002. In 2008, the program didn’t win a single game. To many incoming families and players, this wouldn’t have been a problem if they had seen the change that they were promised when offered a spot on the team. “We all understood the losing record,” said Ballou. “But we were promised that this was a building program. So it’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch when there isn’t enough attention being paid for it to build.”

Murphy believes that Georgetown’s promise goes deeper than words exchanged between coaches and potential players.

“The promise is a commitment to excellence. As a Jesuit institution, we’re all supposed to be committed to excellence through sports and academics. Student athletes are the epitome if they are able to achieve

the georgetown voice 9

we’re going to help this field hockey program.’ We said, ‘we’re going to put our money where our mouth is.’ It wasn’t a ton of money, but we raised around $45,000 through family donations,” Ballou said.

••••••••••••••••

“On average, we have maybe two Georgetown students attending each game, in addition to some parents. It is disheartening to play for a crowd smaller than many of us had at our high school games.” both. We don’t believe that the commitment to excellence has been practiced,” Murphy said.

The lack of attention from the athletics department galvanized Ballou, Murphy, and other parents, players, and alumni into action, and, in the fall of 2013, they decided to try and make an organized effort to mitigate the situation.

“There was a parent meeting, and the general thought was that we will do anything to improve this field hockey team because it’s absolutely heartbreaking to watch this.

Every single week it’s another loss,” Ballou said.

The parents first began by trying to address problems with the amount of money allocated to the team. So far, however, the athletics department still has not allowed this coalition to view the budget numbers. This action incentivized Ballou and other parents to find their own ways to raise funds for the team.

“The first thing we did was raise a bunch of money and said, ‘Ok

The group has also began a petition to be signed by parents and alumni to convince the University to take a look at the treatment of the program.

In addition, field hockey supporters began lobbying the president’s office for a meeting before the end of 2013. The parents and alumni involved had already contacted the athletics department multiple times with their concerns but didn’t feel like their voices had been heard due to a perceived lack of changes. They instead tried to contact President DeGioia directly with little success.

“On November 17, we drafted the first letter requesting a meeting with the president. Brooke, Callie, and Maria walked it in. From that point on we have been sending e-mails, sending letters, having phone conversations with [Joseph Ferrara, the Chief of Staff ],” Ballou said.

A group of three field hockey players finally had a chance to sit down with a member of the president’s office last Thursday when they

walked in and managed to have an impromptu meeting with Ferrara.

“The girls did go in on Thursday to once again try and get a meeting with the president. They actually sat down with Mr. Ferrara for about 45 minutes and were able to tell him a little bit more about field hockey and the issues as the team perceives them.

He seemed to be engaged and he seemed to be on it,” Ballou said. “It looks like perhaps, given some attention, things are looking a little more positive now.”

According to Ballou, Ferrara is due to update the three players who met with him on his progress in addressing the issues presented to him by this Friday, Jan. 24.

However, even after the meeting last Thursday, Simone believes there are still major steps to take. “We want Georgetown to uphold its promise, explained in its Athletic Core Values, of a ‘commitment to excellence’ and ‘exceptional competitive success,’ and to do so by better supporting Georgetown field hockey.”

According to Ballou and Simone, both the parents and the players are invested in working with the University towards a stronger program, “Really we want to work in a partnership.” They’re working hard and want the athletics department right alongside them. “We have a huge group of supporters and that’s our message to the University. You listen to what we have to say, we’ll listen to what you have to say, and we’ll move forward.” * * *

It has been a year since Carey has left the field hockey team, but the bonds she shares with the other players transcend the challenges the program faces. “You get incredibly close with your teammates, being together that much. I still love my team. My best friends are on the team.”

To the players, the field hockey team is stronger than the problems that they face. “You stick around for each other,” Carey said.

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

9W—8L Home Field: Kehoe

6 W — 12 L Home Field: Kehoe

3 W — 15 L Home Field: Kehoe

3 W — 14 L Home Field: Kehoe

5 W — 12 L Home Field: Kehoe

2 W — 15 L Home Field: Maryland

0 W — 17 L Home Field: Maryland

2 W — 18 L Home Field: AU

6 W — 13 L Home Field: AU

3 W — 15 L Home Field: AU

2 W — 17 L Home Field: Maryland

2 W — 16 L Home Field: Maryland

leisure

10 the georgetown voice

january 23, 2014

Iranian festival gives Persian films exposure they deserve

by Emilia Brahm The Iranian Moral Police scan the crowds for inappropriate glimpses of skin or too much hair showing under a woman’s corruptingly colorful scarf.

To elude their gaze, people wait until 2 or 3 a.m. to practice another form of rebellion: taking their dogs for a walk.

Since 2009, dogs as pets have been illegal in the Islamic Republic. The list of arbitrary restrictions imposed on Iranian citizens seems endless.

Speaking to The Guardian about legal strictures, 30-year-old Tehrani musician Amir said Iran felt more like “a country without laws. Everybody just does whatever they want and sees if they can get away with it.”

The Iranian government aims for complete control and order, forming instead a surreal, disjointed society where art has become the primary means of self-expression. Ever since A Separation won last year’s Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, Iranian cinema has been getting a sliver of the attention it deserves for its success in the face of restriction, which begs the question: what does a repressed society portray in a censored cinema?

The last five films of the 18th Iranian Film Festival, sponsored by the Ilex Foundation, non-governmental organization promoting academia around Mediterranean and near Eastern civilizations, answer this question in distinct ways.

At the Meyer Auditorium at the Freer and Stackler Gallery, the film festival shows films every Friday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. for one week each. The festival runs through the end of February and entry is free.

This coming weekend, The Patience Stone, directed by Atiq Rahimi,

is playing. It is a seamlessly crafted film about a woman, played by Golshifteh Farahani, caring for her comatose husband during wartime. He is unresponsive, so the wife can freely express herself while tending to him.

The film is set in an unnamed land and shows a marriage failing as the world falls apart around them. Like most Iranian cinema, it exposes the cracks in a foundation of personal relationships and society, and examines the missteps of life.

On Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, Fat Shaker, directed by Mohammed Shirvani, is showing. The opening scene is grotesque, showing the protagonist, portrayed by Levon Haftvan, with cups suctioned to his fat back, like leeches. Fat Shaker develops, intense and volatile with clamorous colors and smooth cinematography. The imagery is later less disturbing, but the subject matter is just as perversely engrossing. Fat Shaker is billed as an attack on the patriarchal system in Iran—both political and social. More enthralling is the topsy-turvy cinematography that shows the dream- and nightmare-like state of daily life. It makes sense that inspiration for the plot came to Shirvani during sleep.

The following weekend features Parviz, directed by Majid Barzegar, also starring Levon Haftvan in a disturbing rollick through present-day Iran. “Parviz is a bitter film,” Barzegar said in a press release. “I wanted to bring to the screen this feeling of bitterness, especially in our present-day situation.” The title character becomes redundant and disintegrates.

He breaks with acceptable social conventions, while, ironically, often staying within bounds of the Iranian law. But eventually, he devolves into

FREER AND STACKLER GALLERY

“This film festival is the bomb dot com.”

utter sociopathy. The bitterness is obvious thanks to gloomy aesthetics and slow-moving camera work. This is a film that only select palates will appreciate.

On Valentine’s Day, find some much-needed relief thanks to Director Kamran Heydari’s documentary titled My Name is Negahdar Jamali and I Make Westerns. It follows an amateur filmmaker who, for 35 years, used home video equipment and friends as actors to recreate American Westerns, despite friction with those

around him who bore the burden of funding his obsession. It may not be complete comic relief, but it promises bittersweet laughs and a charming story. The scenery—colorful cowboys and Native Americans against the backdrop of the ancient city of Shiraz—is the perfect getaway from snowy, dreary D.C. The festival closes on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. with A Cinema of Discontent and a talk by Director Jamsheed Akrami. This documentary delves into the suppression and

Narcoland prosecutes drug war

Early in January, 20 men dressed in uniforms of the Mexican Federal Police force and armed with AK-47s blocked off Anabel Hernández’s street in a quiet neighborhood of Mexico City. After scaring and bullying her neighbors into submission, they broke into her home. Mercifully, she wasn’t there.

This incident was not the first attempt on Anabel Hernández’s life.

I wish I were enticing you to read a fun, fictional political thriller, but these assassination attempts are real. Hernández has faced countless threats and multiple attacks in response to the argument she makes in her book Narcoland.

Political accounts on the drug trade abound, and it’s no surprise, given its volatile history and entanglement with government corruption. During the 1980s, the U.S. funded “contras”—guerilla groups in Latin America fighting leftist regimes and potential Communist influence. Among the groups they armed and supported were Mexican drug cartels, then small-scale and happy for cash and arms to bulk up power.

When the Managua accords were signed in 1989, ending the war and sufficiently suppressing Latin American leftists, the cartels lost their main benefactor, Uncle Sam. The sudden withdrawal of funds of this stabilizing factor spurred war for market dominance and power.

With meticulous research, including first-hand accounts, government documents, and confessions to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Hernández argues that the Mexican government is essentially acting as the armed wing of the Sinaloa cartel. Their battle to the top of the business has left 70,000 dead and counting.

The Sinaloa cartel controls 60 percent of all drugs trafficked

into the United States. Behind this empire is a man listed on both the Fortune 500 and Chicago’s Most Wanted—one Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán.

El Chapo ran his cartel from Puente Grande Maximum Security Men’s Prison for 11 years. He had a cell phone, visits from his employees, conjugal visits from an array of women, days-long Christmas parties with his family, and innumerable other benefits uncovered by Hernández’s investigation.

Then, in March 2003, El Chapo escaped. Supposedly, he was smuggled in a laundry basket, bypassing an all kinds of security, including heat-sensors and x-ray detectors.

Under the Covers

by Emilia Brahm

A bi-weekly literary column Subverting the narrative released by the government and spread by the media, Hernández has uncovered that El Chapo walked out with the direct aid of a number of government officials. Hernández is adamant and complete in emphasizing the collusion of the then-leader of the Federal Investigation Agency, Genaro García Luna.

One of the informants that Hernández cites said, “during the [Vincente] Fox administration [2000-2006], the public officials became employees of the drug traffickers and their armed wing,” especially the AFI, headed by García Luna, one of whose first hires—the head of Civilian Forces, Gerardo Garay—was caught on video taking instructions from El Chapo’s men.

Now, Fox’s successor teaches at Harvard, García Luna is relaxing in Miami, and, as for the leaders of the CIA during the Iran-Contra

censorship of Iranian cinema through interviews with 12 acclaimed filmmakers, including Asghar Farhadi, director of Oscar-winning A Separation. If it does nothing else, this series speaks to the fact that, weighed down by discontent as they are, Iranian directors have still been able to make beauty out of an unjust reality. The craze for Iranian cinema speaks more to a cinema of creativity, of passion, of reaching the universal in a different way—and being braver and more creative in its pursuit. affair? Not one of them served jail time, and most were pardoned by President H.W. Bush before they even had to appear in court. Where the U.S. government left the explosives, Mexican corruption detonated the bomb.

Hernández’s book is the first to have such a comprehensive vision of the depth of the Mexican government’s corruption from the 1960’s through today. Narcoland is unique in its thesis—never before has the Mexican Government been shown to be so deeply entrenched in criminal activity. Hernández’s historicist, proof-oriented approach and shocking content make Narcoland a story too awesome to put down.

Hernández herself is inspiring, tenacious, and a veritable bad-ass, but she is first and foremost an outstanding journalist. She inserts none of her personal narrative into the book, focusing on facts and presentation in a clear and correct way.

Her story is just as telling as the broader narrative of the drug war she presents in Narcoland. Hernández started her career as a journalist in the 1990s after her father was mysteriously kidnapped and killed. The police refused to take on the case unless Hernández’s family paid them a bribe. Since then, she has been at the forefront of a group of brave truth-tellers who are continually persecuted by the cartels and the government. Journalists are found dismembered or hung with warning signs: “Stop snooping, or you’re next.”

What book is so powerful that it has the government and their supposed foes attacking its author in speech and action? It is sobering, shocking, striking—and a reminder that we are playing with lives when we buy drugs, as petty an action as that might seem.

Get high on knowledge with Emilia at ebrahm@georgetownvoice.com

georgetownvoice.com

“My balls are freezing! I never thought I’d say that with a smile on my face.” — Jack Frost

the georgetown voice 11

New restaurant Silo teases the taste buds Reviews, Haiku’d

by Heather Regen The Scotch Striptease cocktail makes a playful nod to the past tenants of the space Silo now inhabits.

Before Reza Akhavan opened the restaurant in Mount Vernon, the industrial building was an adult video store. Though the alliterative drink stands on its own—a strip of bacon and a smoked apple cider ice cube liven straight scotch—the entire cocktail menu begs to be tasted.

Served in a delicate martini glass with a curved lip, the Chai Manhattan reimagines the classic drink with a softer personality. Chai liqueur eases the bourbon’s bite with a spice-lit aftertaste. Still, the Manhattan packs more punch than the Lemon and Rosemary Old Fashioned. Sweet and refreshing, the Old Fashioned is one of the bar’s mellower offerings.

Of course, Silo serves more than cocktails, but the three-Chile syrup, sage, and cacao that pepper the rest of

the drinks menu all point to the restaurant’s larger theme: there lies a certain warmth beneath Silo’s cold concrete and iron exterior. The atmosphere is a study in contrasts—red bricks peek out from swaths of white plaster on the walls and soft lights with exposed filaments glow off metal tubing.

“Lighting is very important,” Akhavan said when he sat down with me. “Picking the lights was tough. If you have an unlimited budget, you can do whatever you want. But if you don’t, then you have to get very creative,” he said. Silo is housed in a historical building, so construction regulations on the space are tight. But small touches—a candle here and there, jars of herbs lined up on the bar—liven the otherwise spartan decor.

While the menu appears minimalist, the food is anything but. With only seven entrees and a few more appetizers, Silo’s offerings are short and sweet. “I always wanted to have a small menu that we can change

Once home to an adult bookstore, this site continues to service D.C.

Silo

by season,” Akhavan said, “and our kitchen is not that big.”

Despite its brevity, the menu manages to explore both avant-garde dishes and more approachable foods.

Vanilla-braised frog legs with garlic risotto sit next to mac and cheese.

Yet, truffles and a creamy white wine cheese sauce differentiate the macaroni and make it one of the most enjoyable plates at Silo.

While the bar menu, appetizers, and vegetarian options run at about eight dollars, the meat-heavy main dishes are all at least double that price.

Thankfully, both the smaller-portioned comfort food and the more adventurous entrees prove filling. Even the garden salad feels like a full meal, while a tiny quail egg nested in a crispy cheese nest adds to the presentation, the salad’s unassuming marinated tomatoes are what really make the appetizer.

Early on a Sunday night, Silo was fairly quiet, just like the neighborhood around it. “I live in the area,” Akhavan says. “It’s changing, up and coming. There’s still not much going on right around these few blocks.”

Rather than sleepy, the atmosphere at Silo was relaxed, if slow paced. It is a place where you can accidentally get caught up in hours-long conversation over hearty food and good drinks.

Silo 919 5th St, N.W. silodc.com

The Lego Movie Just a normal guy (Who is made out of lego) Finds super powers?

The Awkward Moment Zefron nudity Heard about a sad giraffe The bromance is strong 300: Rise of an Empire Three hundred shirts off Lots of war, in boats this time This is still Sparta Best Night Ever Wild night in Vegas The Hangover, but with girls Too familiar

RoboCop Rebooted classic The first one was so awesome I ain’t havin’ this Monuments Men So artsy-fartsy Saving some stuff from Nazis Clooney is still hot —Emilia Brahm, Dayana Morales, Daniel Varghese, and Josh Ward

Sackler Gallery’s photo exhibition proves a Turkish delight

by Tim Annick Shoved into a tiny gallery in the sublevel of the Freer & Sackler Galleries, 24 photographs by photojournalist Ara Güler are on display in an exhibit titled “In Focus: Ara Güler’s Anatolia,” curated by students at Johns Hopkins University.

Güler is widely considered to be Turkey’s most prominent and internationally acclaimed photographer.

His work has been featured in Time and Life magazines, the London Sunday Times, as well as the Turkish magazine Hayat.

In spite of all of his success, Güler maintains that photography is not art. Squeezing one’s way around this tiny gallery proves otherwise. The dark gray walls in the space served to brilliantly highlight the photographs. The overhead lighting was focused on

the walls, cutting out all other distractions.

The exhibit, composed of photographs from the early 1960’s, documents the historical architecture of Anatolia, the central region of Asian Turkey. This area has historically changed hands multiple times, from the Hittites to the Ottomans to the Byzantine Empire.

An East-West dichotomy is present in Güler’s exquisite work.

The exhibit is replete with centrally-planned churches, spires, and impressive domes. The photographs seem to have been taken on another planet. Images of incredible structures, covered in stylized bas-reliefs, are juxtaposed against arid and mountainous landscapes.

The exhibit is organized around themes that the Hopkins students felt categorized the bodies of work, from “magic” to “change” to

ages from a renowned photographer, undoubtedly showcasing substance and art. His images of cultural monuments in Turkey aren’t static. They create an experience.

With only 24 photographs, the exhibit is small, and you are guaranteed to leave wanting more. Güler’s work makes the viewer uncom-

fortable, challenging typical understandings of architecture, setting, and human impermanence, just as incredible art should.

Full disclosure: Turkey here refers to the country in Europe, not the animal.

Freer sackler

“truth,” among others. The labels throughout the exhibit were patronizing and unnecessary.

Given all of these elements, the question remains whether these photographs are art or, rather, artifacts and records of history. From the perspective of a viewer decades after the fact, the photographs seem iconic im-

Sackler Gallery 1050 Independence Ave., S.W. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. daily asia.si.edu

leisure

12 the georgetown voice

january 23, 2014

C r i t i c a l V o i c es

Young the Giant, Mind over Matter, Fueled by Ramen “It’s about time,” Sameer Gadhia screams in the lead single of Young the Giant’s new work, Mind Over Matter, reflecting my thoughts regarding the lack of new music from one of my favorite bands.

Musically, the album feels slightly different from Young the Giant’s previous work. The double-tracked guitars and Gadhia’s rich vocals remain the base for musical development, but are often supplemented here with the increased role of the synthesizer.

Occasionally, this technique works well. The second single, “Crystallized,” features heavy, layered electric guitars underneath a gorgeous, synthetic melody which fades away as the verses begin. “Is the house we’ve built still here?” Gadhia sings as an

accented, staccato guitar line keeps time with a substantial drum line.

The chorus emerges from this cadence without warning, as Gadhia’s voice soars: “This is where I come from, this is where I belong.”

The track indicates a new sense of self-awareness, who were criticized in their first album for a lack of substance and meaning in their lyrics.

But here, the lyrics address themes of adulthood and the continual search for your place in the world.

The best song on the album, though, does not seem to concern itself with themes. In “Firelight,” Young the Giant chooses instead to speak directly to an object of affection with vivid, passionate images.

The vocals are soft, yet confident, with slight breaking and sliding. The lyrics are gentle and suspend the listener from a state of consciousness.

“I’m in a parachute. Falling in a deep, sleep” Gadhia croons over the dazzling texture, which includes nuanced, ambient synth tones for added depth.

Unfortunately, the rest of album fails to even approach the beauty captured in this one song. This downfall can be attributed to the musical layering, which is not as refined in the rest of the album as it is in “Firelight,” or in Young the Giant’s previous work.

Ah, she’s got a ticket to ride

Travel. Traveling. Traveler.

The word and its variations conjure up images of exploration, adventure, boundless personal growth. Marco Polo—now he was a traveler! That lady who wrote Eat, Pray, Love—she did it right, didn’t she?

Transportation, crossing space to reach a destination, is often not easy, and certainly not glamorous.

This difficulty is not only the case in trips to exotic lands, but even in and around the district. We moan when the GUTS bus takes the “long way” to Dupont and fret when NextBus provides us with misinformation about the G2.

When friends return from abroad and recount their travel experiences, their stories of transportation are generally positive.

“The buses there are so nice!

They give you cookies for free!”

“I met this really nice lady on my overnight train, and now we’re best friends!”

While I’m sure the free baked goods were delicious and that lady from the train was very kind, it’s important to keep in mind that overland travel does require some planning in advance. These tips should help make the best of your bus or train experience.

First, suspend disbelief. Even if the bus company you booked markets itself as a luxury line, your bus seat will not be lined with rose petals. It might get smelly, it might get awkward. To enjoy it, you’ve got to overlook the uncomfortable. Focus on the comedy of the moment.

I once found myself sharing the back of a minibus with some chickens while traveling through Georgia. The smell was unpleasant, and I realized the risk of contracting an avian disease was high. But by the end of those four hours, I had made friends with all the passengers on board and even helped get the birds out of the back seat once we reached our destination.

A prime example of this problem lies in “Anagram,” the cumbersome song that serves as the album’s opener is uncomfortably busy, with too many concurrent musical elements.

The synthesizer is heavily distorted and pervasive, and generally unpleasant.

Ultimately, Mind Over Matter is lackluster. It presents some important themes and a couple of standout compositions, but something in “my body tells me no.”

Voice’s Choices: “Firelight,” “Crystallized” —Daniel Varghese

Bruce Springsteen, High Hopes, Columbia Records In his new LP High Hopes, Bruce Springsteen continues his It may make you uneasy to think about what you might encounter. Forget your American sanitation codes and learn to live like the locals.

On a separate occasion, as I was traveling through the Ukraine, I purchased a bus ticket I thought was a “kupé” ticket, the Ukrainian equivalent to business class. A kupé ticket will get you a spot in a fourbed carriage with a door that locks.

Day Tripper

by Colleen Wood A bi-weekly column about travel I just nodded when the cashier asked, “Platzkart?” and assumed it meant something about the blanket I would receive.

It came as a shock when I found myself in a compartment not with three, but 53 people. Beds were stacked three high. Small children immediately flung away their clothes and were running naked up and down the aisle. With

role in being a recorder of the bleak and the joyous moments of life in America. Springsteen’s albums since the turn of the millennium have, for the most part, served as his own State of the Union address. From seedy, underground alleys and bars to celebrations in small towns—some of the images that fill High Hopes—Springsteen shows us his real America.

The narrative and musical threads of High Hopes sound familiar to long-time Springsteen fans, as much of the album consists of unused songs from the past twelve years of Springsteen’s recording career. In spite of this, High Hopes flows and feels like one of Springsteen’s standard studio LPs, proving his masterful skill in constructing an album. Springsteen and producer Ron Aniello take the highly differing threads of Springsteen’s recent past and weave them into a magnificent tapestry.

The album also makes use of the full power of the new, 18-piece E Street Band to add potency to the tracks. The horn section adds melodic lines that pack walloping punches to the title track, while the background singers—dubbed “The E Street Chorale”—add irreplaceable harmonies, notably to no windows in the compartment, I’m positive temperatures reached above the boiling point.

I would have preferred to spend the night in kupé-class, but the real reason I was upset about my fate in platzkart was not my physical discomfort. It was that the experience took me by surprise, which could have been avoided if I had put a little more effort into the language.

It’s crucial that you know what you’re buying at the ticket counter at the bus or train station.

Putting in the extra ounce of effort will save you an uncomfortable misadventure.

Another time, I was visiting a friend who was studying abroad in Pamplona, Spain. She organized the bus tickets for a trip to Madrid, where we were supposed to catch a budget flight to London for New Year’s. We located the bus at the station, dumped our bags below, and climbed on board. What could possibly go wrong?

the biblically-influenced “Heaven’s Wall.”

High Hopes specifically spotlights the newest member of the band, Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. Morello’s presence is unmistakable throughout the record as he uses his signature guitar power to create new dimensions in Springsteen’s already rich musical landscape. Morello also contributes vocals to the reimagining of “The Ghost of Tom Joad” which, despite being released nearly 20 years ago, still is a poignant reflection on American life.

Even with the shiny new lineup, Springsteen and the E Street Band are clearly still rooted within their definitive and distinctive sound.“Frankie Fell In Love” is classic Springsteen, containing subtle harmonies from Steve Van Zandt that work in tandem with the lyrics.

High Hopes confirms the vitality and relevance of Bruce Springsteen as an artist in 2014 and gives ravenous fans a great new record to keep on repeat.

Voice’s Choices: “Frankie Fell In Love,” “The Ghost of Tom Joad” —Jackson Sinnenberg You can imagine that we were upset when we were dropped off in San Sebastian several hours later.

There were no more buses until six the following morning. We spent the night wandering around the city and lurking outside a nice hotel until the first bus arrived the next day.

Though amusing in retrospect, we could have saved ourselves a lot of stress by just double-checking the bus’s destination or asking our fellow passengers.

It is crucial to know where you’re going. If you think that impedes on your spirit of adventure, then at least know where your bus is going.

Simply put, drop your pride.

Don’t be afraid to look or sound foolish—it’s worth it to avoid transportation pitfalls.

In a weird situation, remember that you’ll eventually cherish the memory; it just takes a little mental readjustment.

Go for a spin with Colleen at cwood@georgetownvoice.com

georgetownvoice.com

page thirteen

the georgetown voice 13

voices

14 the georgetown voice

january 23, 2014

American immigration policies draining young talent

by Sara Ainsworth The cliques have started to form.

With just one last short semester lying between seniors and graduation, the future has been heavy on everyone’s minds. Seniors are scouring their friend groups to find who will be joining them in their new city post-grad. The future New Yorkers, Bostonians, and San Franciscans are packing together to discuss housing and late-night eateries. It’s the quiet comfort of knowing that in the next phase of life, you won’t be alone.

I, unfortunately, am relatively assured to be alone. No matter where I go to law school, I know that the majority of my friends will not be in the same city. Before this turns into a couple hundred words of self-pity, it’s important to note that I am an American passport-wielding international student. This status means that when the majority of my class was doing last-minute shopping at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, I was sitting in a semi-

nar called “How to live with Americans,” along with over a hundred other international freshmen. And so my group of close friends for the past three years has largely consisted of these international individuals.

Unlike me, most of my friends do not have American passports and are instead on F-1 visas to study here.

The American politics of immigration are at the root of my friendless future.

My friends are intelligent, Georgetown-educated individuals of whom quite a number would like to remain in the United States after graduation.

For many of them, however, this outcome will not be possible.

The current student visa laws are as such that, upon graduation, each student on an F-1 visa has 90 days to find employment before they are required to leave the country, at which point it becomes very difficult to obtain a long-term visa to return. Three months is too short a period of time to find employment, especially considering that most of them don’t have

living quarters in the United States after graduation.

Post-grad employment can come in one of two forms: optional practical training, which lasts for a year, granted they are hired in a field related to their studies, or an H-1B visa, which lasts for maximum three years. OPT is really meant to be a training program, which the student must pay for, after which an employer may choose whether or not to continue to employ the individual. If employment is continued, the individual would then apply for an H-1B visa. Acquiring the H-1B visa then requires a “sponsorship” fee, which is upwards of $5,000 in costs for the employer, a significant portion of most starting salaries. For many firms, this cost is simply too high, and a few of my friends have been told, “You’re what we’re looking for, but we don’t do sponsorship.”

In dealing with the potential brain drain of foreign graduates from American four-year universities, the

government has extended OPT for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics majors from one year to 29 months. Students that study outside of these fields, however, are at a considerable disadvantage. In most cases, the firms that are willing to sponsor are large consulting firms, large technology firms, and large financial firms. It is therefore very difficult for those who want to work outside of these fields to find potential employers. Even those who do want to work within those fields have the added obstacle of proving that their undergraduate programs of study relate to their employment.

It is an understandable response from American citizens to say that youth unemployment currently stands at around 16 percent, and as such we should focus on employing Americans. H-1B visas, however, make up such a small percentage of the economy, with the number of H-1B visas being as low as 65,000 per year, and although the Senate passed

a bill in June 2013 that would increase this number to 110,000 per year, this argument is still unjustifiable. For the nearly 800,000 foreign students that graduate from U.S. undergraduate colleges per year, there is currently less than a ten percent chance of obtaining a long term work visa.

For many foreign students, particularly those that attended U.S. boarding schools for high school, the United States is their home. Refusing to allow them to stay post-grad because of immigration laws forces the U.S. to lose educated, intelligent, and often bilingual workers. Foreign graduates of U.S. colleges bring the education that our schools pride themselves on with the diversity that made this nation exceptional. It’s time we welcome them with open arms.

Sara Ainsworth is a senior in the SFS. Hoya basketball has caused her to tumble into a fit of despair only Otto Porter can rescue her from.

Domesticity that even our feminists friends will approve of

by Isabel Echarte I’m going to tell you something I don’t readily admit to many people: I knit, I bake, I cook, and I make jams and chutneys and butter from scratch.

I pretty much do everything except clean. (You should see my apartment.) You’re either thinking, “Wow, that girl’s domestic,” or “She reminds me of my grandma.” And you know what? I don’t mind that.

I love all those hobbies, and I don’t think they get in the way of my being a feminist.

I was telling my friend about all of these hobbies, and he said, “Don’t do that, fuck the patriarchy! Be a feminist!” He was joking, but I still got pretty defensive. I am a feminist, and I wouldn’t want to do anything that would undermine my own rights as a woman.

So I thought, well, maybe I should cook less. Maybe I should

LEILA LEBRETON

Combining domesticity and feminism, Grandma would indeed be proud.

spend my time doing things other than knitting, despite how much I love it (it gives me an excuse to binge-watch Netflix and still feel productive). I mean, I don’t want to be labeled as “domestic.” But watching Netflix without knitting made me feel guilty, and my diet of Wisey’s and scrambled eggs pales in comparison to my Cuban food or tofu scramble with some homemade chutney. So I decided: I’ll just be a domestic feminist.

It didn’t take me long to understand something that’s relatively simple: doing something I love doesn’t undermine my own rights. I mean, I haven’t taken any classes in gender theory and I wouldn’t say I have an academic grasp of feminism, but it would be silly to sacrifice the things I love to do for feminism’s sake.

Wouldn’t forgoing what I enjoy for the sake of appearing “feminist” actually go against all the progress feminism has made?

Feminism, for me at least, isn’t just about destroying the patriarchy or bucking gender norms. Feminism exists so I can be independent and have the freedom to make my own choices according to my own desires.

And what I want is to be able

to make some pretty awesome food and knit while I watch TV. It’s important to note that feminism is what gives me the ability to choose to knit and clean. Domesticity is no longer a trap for women and it no longer defines their role in society. The second I want to, I can watch action movies or argue about meaningless stuff like politics (but I’ll just leave that one to the kids in GUSA).

Being able to make a lot of what I use myself makes me even more independent. I don’t have to buy scarves and I don’t have to swipe the terror that is Leo’s twice a day just so I won’t starve. So I guess my domesticity is actually kind of feminist.

The only thing I still can’t control is how some people view all of this. After my mom taught me to cook Cuban food this summer, she said, “Every Cuban woman wants to know how to cook dinner for her husband.” And commenting on my new interest in knitting, she said something about how I’ll make a good wife. My mom was raised by a conservative Cuban family in the 50’s and 60’s, so I can’t blame her for those opinions. But some people will always see this

domesticity in that kind of light.

My friends will always make fun of me for acting like their grandmother. I even walk slowly and complain about my back; but whatever, I have better scarves than they do. And I’m sure that not-so-deep down they really like this about me, considering the fact that I make them one-of-a-kind headbands, scarves, jams, butter, delicious Cuban coffee, and dinner.

So, anytime you disparage a girl, or anyone, for that matter, as “domestic,” just think about how much better her homecooked dinner is than your Eat & Joy or how much nicer her hand-made knitwear is than your over-priced Urban Outfitters scarf. Then you might not question whether that domesticity (or as I like to call it, talent mixed with good taste) contradicts her feminism or somehow harms her identity as a woman. If you’re not careful, she probably won’t make you any delicious food or beautiful scarves either.

Isabel Echarte is a sophomore in the College. Her Cuban coffee is so good that she will run every corp service out of business.

voices

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 15

New video replay technology in MLB takes hit at tradition

by Sourabh Bhat On Jan. 16, Major League Baseball finally announced that it would be expanding replay technology.

Casual observers may question why the decision took so long when other sports leagues have very successfully integrated this technology, such as the National Football League in 1999.

They were relatively simple changes: managers will be able to trigger reviews up to two times a game, and after the seventh inning, umpires will be able to initiate a review on their own. While there are some excep-

tions to the rule, according to Tony La Russa, a former manager in the MLB, the replay rules will cover 90 percent of plays. Yet, baseball fans, players, and officials have been and continue to be divided on the issue of replay technology. The divide is not over the utility of the technology, but over the break away from the traditions of baseball.

To those who oppose instant replay, umpires and their imperfect calls reflect the tradition of baseball, as well as the culture surrounding the game. Human error is an integral part of the history of baseball.

LEILA LEBRETON

Human aspect of the game not a main concern for Major League Baseball.

You do you, and I’ll do me

“You do you.” It’s a phrase I hear often at Georgetown, as students acknowledge and encourage each other in their quirky idiosyncrasies. When my classmate declares that she wants to start a full-fledged vegetable garden in her dorm room, the appropriate response is, “You do you, girl.” When my friend’s roommate decides to spend her summer hiking the Appalachian Trail, I supportively respond, “You do you!”

Though it gets thrown around a lot for a wide range of behaviors and attitudes, I don’t deny that “you do you” expresses a liberating ideal of authenticity, or of being true to oneself, that is very important to pursue in a world in which we are constant-

ly pushed into a limited number of acceptable life paths.

At a social level, “you do you” celebrates a form of resistance to conforming to the norm. This attitude inspires us to take on the wonderful wealth of lifestyles and experiences available to us as humans and for that reason should be promoted. It also figures into social progress, as individuals empowered to be different break the bars of the prisons we’ve constructed for ourselves. But I fear that sometimes, at the individual level “doing me” becomes my way of publicly—and privately— asserting my difference from others in a contrarian way, rather than me simply living as I am.

Let the Voice be your voice. We accept opinions, letters to the editor, personal experiences, and creative writing that are exclusive to the Voice. Submissions do not express the opinion of the board of the Voice. The Voice reserves the right to edit submissions for accuracy, length, and clarity. To submit, email voices@georgetownvoice.com or come to the Voice office in Leavey 424.

Opinions expressed in the Voices section do not necessarily reflect the views of the General Board of the Voice.

While there is no denying the importance of tradition in baseball, it is frankly shocking that there has been so much reluctance surrounding the incorporation of instant replay.

Baseball has changed in the past—for instance, when the height of pitchers’ mounds were lowered in the 1960’s—and it should be able to change again. Changing the game to increase fairness is not a break from tradition, but a way to improve the game. While umpires are important, they are not players in the game, and their job is to accurately call the game, which isn’t always possible, because of human error.

One clear instance of the need for instant replay was shown in June of the 2010 season when former Detroit Tigers’ pitcher, Armando Galarraga was denied a perfect game, which occurs when the opposing team is kept from reaching base during the game. On what should have been the last batter of the game, first baseman Miguel Cabrera fielded a ground ball from the Cleveland Indians’ Jason Donald and tossed it to Galarraga covering first, clearly beating the runner to the bag. Galarraga had retired every single batter prior to that at-bat and was one out away from a perfect game, but first base umpire Jim Joyce called Donald safe.

After the game, not only were fans in an uproar, but even the umpire, in tears, apologized for his mistake. The “Galarraga Incident,” as it is known, could have easily been prevented using instant replay. The reactions to the incident, both from the fans and the umpire, show that not incorporating technology until now has had clear negative consequences. These replay rules are a step in the right direction because they finally serve, in La Russa’s own words, to “target the dramatic miss, not all misses”.

The idea that this technology is not intended to stop all possible miscues could be surprising to the casual observer, but in reality it is the best policy for baseball in its current state. While the tradition and history surrounding baseball are certainly great, today’s fans are much more interested in the result on the field.

With these new replay rules, teams are for the first time allowed to show replays in the stadium. This shift means that fans who attend games are no longer prevented from understanding a call.

As a fan of baseball, I recognize that one of the key problems is the length of individual games. While going to a baseball game in person is not cheapened by the length, it is

As we present ourselves to the world, we construct a personality.

This personality is informed not only by who we perceive ourselves to be, but also who we aspire to become. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this construction, because it helps us navigate the geography of our social lives and live fruitfully in a social world. However, this con-

Discerning the naked self from the jazzy, complex outerwear is difficult. This is especially true at Georgetown, where we tend to define ourselves on multiple, very specific metrics with very specific expectations. Sometimes, these expectations are predominantly externally-imposed (“I’m a Philosophy major.” “I’m a Carroll Fellow.”), and other times, internally-imposed (“I’m an alternative musician.” “I want to be thin.”) Though it’s not easy to step out of these elaborately built identities to recognize who one really is.

The importance of being myself, and of being comfortable with who I am, hit me straight on last semester. I hadn’t realized before that time that my close friends heavily influenced the idea I had of myself: as funny, as intelligent, as enjoyable to be around, for example. Being one of the few in my group of friends that stayed at Georgetown while everyone else went abroad, I felt lost. Moreover, I began an intellectually transformative period, realizing that my true interests strayed far from the academic path I had

Carrying On

by Patricia Cipollitti A rotating column by senior Voice staffers

structed self becomes problematic when it becomes no more than an empty shell, “No more,” as punk rocker Penny Rimbaud puts it, “than a costume of ideas.”

To really live up to the ideal of authenticity, then, “doing you” requires a more fundamental act: “being you.” To extend Rimbaud’s metaphor, to be oneself is to be she who dons the costume of ideas while remaining aware that she, herself, is not defined by or restricted to her current outfit.

a fact that these days, the only way a sport can increase or even maintain its popularity is to attract as many TV viewers as possible. As a result, the MLB will have to thoroughly test how the replay system affects the length of games and judge whether the improvements in accuracy outweigh the extra time it takes to review. The MLB has set the goal of perfecting the replay system in three years, which may be too generous of an estimate considering that the NFL has been trying to decide upon a final replay system since its modern inception in 1999.

On the whole, the new replay system does not change baseball beyond recognition like many anti-replay advocates fear. What it does provide to baseball fans is a sign that the MLB can change with the times and move past the notion that it is dominated by those still living in a bygone era. The instant replay system helps ensure that the MLB will continue to improve its accuracy in making on-field calls and therefore remain true to the integrity of the game.

Sourabh Bhat is a freshman in the MSB. He still believes that Mark “Butt Fumble” Sanchez could win the Jets a ring.

chosen to pursue. I felt as if many of the things that made my life worthwhile in my previous years at Georgetown were no longer present. I couldn’t “do me” as I had in the past, because my costume had suddenly become more threadbare, and the audience had changed.

So I began to reflect. I reflected on what I really wanted to study, on who I really wanted to be and on what it meant for me to be Patricia in this world. And radically new interests, like expressionist art and opera music. In fact, in this sense, performing new ideas became a way of testing the boundaries of who I am—defining myself negatively, if you will.

But unlike before, these performances were carried out with a deep level of self-awareness that brought my life closer to the ideal of authenticity.

I’m still in the process of searching, understanding, and cultivating myself. Perpetually searching for the best answers to this type of question is one of the qualities that makes us human, I think. And that’s why, as I continue to “do me” and encourage others to “do them,” I’ll try not to forget to be myself.

Delicious Dishes

Veggie Quesad

illa

getting creative at Leo's

Ice Cream Sa

n

h c i dw

Downstairs Ingredients: Chocolate chip cookies, ice cream Directions: Toast two cookies and let cool for 30 seconds.

Put ice cream (or frozen yogurt) in between the cookies.

Garnish with oreos, sprinkles, or anything that suits your fancy.

- Allison Marco, Leo's Dietician

Thai Pe an

e Sauc

- Allison Marco

Downstairs Ingredients: Peanut butter, vinegar, soy sauce, Szechwan sauce, honey Directions: Mix all ingredients together Add honey last to taste.

Microwave for 20 seconds.

Eat with grilled chickens, carrots, or celery sticks.

“Try to ‘healthify.’”

ut

“It's all about making good choices."

Upstairs panini station Ingredients: Spinach tortilla, swiss cheese, bean sprouts, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, guacamole Directions: Put all the ingredients on a plate.

Fold and grill your quesadilla.

Garnish with salsa and basil mayonnaise.

“Don’t deprive yourself.”

- Carol Day, Director of Health Education Services

Share your creations with us and they could be featured in the next edition of Delicious Dishes! Email recipes to design@georgetownvoice.com.