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VOICE the georgetown

Breaking the ice The emergence of D.C. hockey

By Kevin Huggard

Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w November 13, 2014 w Volume 47, Issue 13 w georgetownvoice.com

the

Voice

Nov. 13, 2014 This week: Editorial ... GU fails students after ricin incident, pg. 3 News ... Consolidation of cultural centers off table, pg. 4 Sports ... Men’s soccer heads to Big East Semifinals, pg. 6 Feature ... D.C. hockey makes a comeback, pg. 8 Leisure ... GUAA Fotoweek flashes into HFSC , pg. 10 Page 13 ... How to Survive Hell Week, pg. 13 Voices ... Responding to “Take It or Leave It”, pg. 14

Zero to Hero: The D.c. hockey scene The Voice explores the evolution of the D.C. hockey scene.

Last week’s key:

–Leila Lebreton

This Week’s Horoscope

– Ambika Ahuja & Dayana Morales Gomez

Geminis don’t know when to keep their trap shut. Thankfully, this sign is rarely boring (well, most of the time). The “two-faced” sign, they know when and how to adapt— they are neat in the streets and freaks in the sheets. Their double personality, however, sometimes makes them bitchy and overly emotional. Also, since they are constantly evolving and soul-searching, they contradict themselves all of the time (ugh). Good luck tying them down, but if you do, you might find some true puppy love. Geminis are straight up—just make sure you make them swear on the gods of tea and Lululemon.

BLOG

Editor: Ryan Greene

Assistant Editors: Grace Brennan, Marisa Hawley, Kenneth Lee

HALFTIME

Leisure Editor: Daniel Varghese Assistant Leisure Editors: Micaela Beltran, Erika Bullock, Simone Wahnschafft

Sports Editor: Kevin Huggard Assistant Sports Editors: Alex Boyd, Robbie Ponce

VOICES

Editor: Chris Almeida

NEWS

Steven Criss

Assistant Editors: Shalina Chatlani, James Constant, Lara Fishbane

Dayana Morales Gomez

Editor: Julia Jester

PHOTO

Editor: Ambika Ahuja

Assistant Editors: Sabrina Kayser, Gavin Myers, Joshua Raftis

EDITORIAL BOARD Chair: Ian Philbrick

Board: Chris Almeida, Shalina Chatlani, Steven Criss, Lara Fishbane, Ryan Greene, Julia Jester, Caitriona Pagni, Kenneth Lee, Daniel Varghese, James Constant

Editor in Chief

Managing Editor

Mary-Bailey Frank General Manager

Noah Buyon

Technical Director

Tim Annick

Managing Director of Accounting and Sales

Allison Manning

Managing Director of Finance

SPORTS

Editor: Chris Castano Assistant Editors: Joe Pollicino, Max Roberts

LEISURE

Editor: Josh Ward

COVER

Editor: Christina Libre

FEATURE

Editor: Caitriona Pagni

DESIGN

Assistant Editors: Elizabeth Baker, Sam Kleinman, Manuela Tobias

Editors: Pam Shu, Sophia Super

COPY

Staff: Caitlin Garrabrant, Johnny Jung, Erin McClellan, Eleanor Sugrue

Editors: Rachel Greene, Ryan Miller, Dana Suekoff, Lauren Chung, Maddi Kaigh, Andrew Frank, Jupiter El-Asmar, Bianca Clark, Michael Mischke

Editor: Dylan Cutler

Chief: Eleanor Fanto

Assistant Editor: Leila Lebreton

PAGE 13

editorial

georgetownvoice.com

The georgetown voice | 3

cu-RA personalis

GU should reconsider RA treatment in light of ricin mishandling

Daniel Milzman, the then-Georgetown sophomore who pleaded guilty to possessing a deadly amount of ricin in his McCarthy dorm room last spring, was sentenced Monday to a year in prison. An op-ed written

by Thomas Lloyd (SFS ‘15), a Resident Assistant and first responder to the incident, published in The Hoya the following day, described a litany of systemic and incidental hurdles he faced after alerting university officials to the issue on the night of March 17.

These impediments reveal a damning irony about how university officials have approached this case: despite actions taken to protect students from a dangerous situation, the university seems neither willing nor able to protect Lloyd, the student closest to the incident—aside from Milzman himself—and most responsible for ensuring its peaceful resolution.

In his op-ed, Lloyd describes the stress he underwent during and after Milzman’s arrest as both a first responder and student seeking support.

The Voice Editorial Board echoes his criticisms.

In light of these revelations, Georgetown’s emergency response preparedness must be reexam-

ined, and Residential Living should both alter and clarify its RAs’ roles, liabilities, and rights.

Lloyd’s allegations reflect well on none of the administrative entities he interacted with that night.

When he called the Counseling and Psychiatric Services on-call line to inform them that a student had both the means and desire to kill someone, Lloyd waited for over an hour before an unhelpful and dismissive CAPS counselor told him to call someone else. Such unpreparedness and unprofessionalism is inexcusable. The university should have a counselor, easily reachable and prepared to connect students to appropriate resources, available 24 hours of the day to respond to this type of unforeseen situation.

The de facto gag order against Lloyd is also problematic. In the aftermath of Milzman’s arrest, Lloyd wrote that he felt increasingly pressured to avoid the press.

Even members of Residential Living stopped talking to him out of fear of being subpoenaed. Lloyd’s resultant isolation—he was only granted a no-contact order—is unacceptable for one acting as a morally upright member of Georgetown’s community seeking to ensure

that a bad situation did not become a tragedy. Georgetown had an obligation to support Lloyd—its employee, no less—whose courageous actions unintentionally placed him in the media spotlight, and it failed.

The incident makes it clear that the RA role needs clarification. The university’s inconsistent exploitation of Lloyd’s RA status as a way to bar him from speaking to the press and its denial of legal protection based on the fact that he was not acting in his capacity as an RA when he alerted authorities was nothing but a bureaucratic, self-interested feint meant to save Georgetown from media interest in the immediate aftermath of the incident.

There is no surer test of character than the way one behaves in a crisis, and Residential Living’s behavior in the aftermath of the Milzman incident is nothing short of abhorrent. Of all the parties involved, Lloyd embodied the Jesuit values ostensibly prized by this university most. Despite the sensitive nature of the case, Lloyd should be commended for his initial response to the situation and for putting his job at risk to publicize glaring holes in Georgetown’s emergency response capabilities.

calling bullshift

eco-unfriendly

GU’s early applicant pool statistics give racial diversity the short shrift

Inhofe’s appointment threatens nation’s response to climate change

Georgetown bills itself as an institution bent on fostering diversity. It has dedicated substantial resources to the effort, including this week’s Diversity Summit and the longstanding Women’s Center, LGBTQ Resource Center, and Center for Multicultural Equity & Access. GUSA’s new Multicultural Council initiative and numerous cultural extracurricular groups espouse a parallel commitment among students.

But Georgetown’s support for diversity must be questioned. An article in The Hoya last Friday received backlash and ridicule for alleging a “shift” in the racial demographics of the class of 2019 early applicant pool from those of the previous year. As its own comparison showed, labeling such change a shift was an irresponsible exaggeration. But even more egregious was claiming a shift based on the raw numbers of racial minority early applicants, rather than on the percentage of early applicants they represent.

This Editorial Board has done the math, with discouraging results. Data from the 2013 and 2014 early applicant pools provided by Dean of Admissions Charles Deacon as percentages of each early applicant pool reveal a disappointing year-to-year increase in minority representation. For the Class of 2019, African Americans made up 8.5 percent of the total pool, a mere 0.3 percent increase from last year. Asian applicants made up 13.3 percent, up by just 0.2 percent. Hispanic applicants’ representation increased by 3.7 percent up to 11.5 percent, while the proportion of white applicants fell by 3.1 percent to about 65 percent.

The focus on numerical rather than proportional shift also masks the university’s failure to reflect na-

tional trends. The same day The Hoya ran its article, the Atlantic reported that, since 1993, high school graduation rates for minority students have increased at a rate that fast outpaces the increase in Georgetown’s proportional representation of these groups.

Georgetown’s figures also fall short of projections about the changing demographics of prospective college students. While just 8.5 percent of Georgetown’s 2014 early applicant pool is African American, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education projects that African Americans will make up 12.6 percent of the national high school class of 2015 (a 1 percent increase from last year). Asians are projected to make up roughly 5.8 percent (up by 3.9 percent), Hispanics nearly 18 percent (up by 5.7 percent), and whites about 52.4 percent (down by 1.2 percent).

Although the racial diversity of Georgetown’s early applicants does not directly reflect the makeup of the future Class of 2019, it does indicate how accessible the university appears to racial minorities applying to college. Georgetown has not escaped the national trend, documented by Stanford University educational economist Caroline Hoxby, of top-tier universities failing to advertise themselves as financially accessible to minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

Despite its efforts, these shortcomings undermine the university’s prevailing diversity narrative. Students and administrators alike must demand more than these feeble steps forward. If Georgetown is to embody its espoused commitment to inclusiveness, it must turn rhetoric into action and make the benefit of a Georgetown education truly available to all.

Last week, American voters installed the largest Republican majority in both the House and the Senate since the 1950s. Although repercussions are inevitable, most of the consequences of the midterm election will take time to manifest. One that will not is the likely ascension of Oklahoma GOP Sen. Jim Inhofe to the chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, replacing Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Inhofe is notorious for his aggressively skeptical views on climate change—he wrote a book entitled The Greatest Hoax: How Climate Change Threatens Your Future—and his chairmanship would immeasurably undermine the leadership Congress needs to definitively address the very real problem of man-made global warming.

The Environment and Public Works Committee exerts significant control over the government’s stance on environmental protection. As chairman from 2003-2007, Inhofe claimed in a Senate session that global temperature increases will in fact benefit Americans. In 2012, he claimed that only God controls climate change. Most recently, Inhofe lambasted the climate agreement reached Tuesday between the U.S. and China.

Beyond illustrating the consequences of elections often decided based on other issues, Inhofe’s reinstatement echoes a more pernicious trend toward the counterfactual regarding climate change. Despite the the fact that 97.5 percent of climatologists consider the link between human activity and global warming incontrovertible, influential public figures like Inhofe continue to frame the issue as a supposedly debatable controversy.

But the science is in. Opinion will neither change the existence of climate

change nor mitigate its effects. And those effects—irreversible and undesirable impacts on geography, trade, populations, and livelihood—are so well-demonstrated as to be common knowledge.

The inescapable corollary is that climate change should no longer be exploitable as politically contentious. While skepticism is a valid and integral feature of both democratic systems and the scientific method, Congressional Republicans’ selective application of liberal Enlightenment values has forged a party almost universally opposed to addressing climate change. Blatantly ignoring the science behind the need for such policies, incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) has vowed to remove EPA restrictions on power plants’ carbon emissions. As midterm election fever subsides, President Obama will soon face pressure to approve the Keystone XL pipeline, which will carry oil extracted from Canadian tar sands, an energy-intensive and polluting way of producing oil, into the U.S. The contrast between Inhofe’s politics and his new position has given his Democratic opponents their first bit of good news since the midterm. But the ease with which Republicans have wrenched the environmental discussion out of the realm of policy and into the realm of politics—and the readiness with which Democrats have let them in a play for popular support—is good for nobody. The U.S. currently ranks alongside China as one of the top two polluting nations on Earth. As a United Nations report released last week predicts, barring action by national leaders, climate change will soon become irreversible.

Once it does, even the most environmentally conscious committee chairman will be unable to make a difference.

news

4 | the georgetown voice

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Administration no longer considering consolidation of cultural centers JAMES CONSTANT Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson announced at Tuesday’s diversity town hall meeting that preliminary plans to consolidate the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access, the Women’s Center, and the LGBTQ Center are no longer being considered by Georgetown administration.

“You have my commitment and our commitment that as we talk about the future, that future will include a distinctive, named, identifiable CMEA,Women’s Center, and LGBTQ Center,” said Olson, speaking in the Healey Family Student Center. “Those will not go away. We’ve also heard loudly and clearly the importance of physical safe space for those centers.”

While Olson held the podium for the vast majority of the proceedings, other administrators spoke briefly, including Associate Dean of Student Affairs Dennis Williams, Women’s Center Director Laura Kovach,

HIGHER EDGE:

and Academic Resource Center Director Jane Holahan.

In his opening remarks, Olson also stressed his personal commitment to addressing issues facing disabled students, the validity of which which was repeatedly disputed by Lydia Brown (COL ‘15).

“Why don’t you commit to a firm timeline on any of the issues raised in the disability justice working group?” said Brown. “Not just the disability cultural center, but issues around access to sign language interpreting services, issues around physical accessibility on campus during construction, issues around the curriculum …

We don’t have a concrete timetable on any of these very salient issues, yet you keep reiterating that there’s supposedly some serious commitment.”

“I don’t think I’m going to make you happy,” Olson said in response. “I’m not going to get to a specific commitment of a timeframe on these issues at this meeting tonight.”

Between the rising costs of college tuition and the lingering effects of the recession, it’s no surprise that the specialized training versus liberal arts education debate has yet to be settled. But the truth is, the lofty philosophical debate over whether students should major in engineering or English is both misguided and misdirected.

Rather than chastising graduates for choosing liberal arts majors that won’t lead to six-figure salaries, we need to start looking at the gendered issues within different professional fields that impact career success. Instead of blaming academic disciplines for graduate failure, we need to start challenging universities to provide stronger career services and resources for students.

Looking at wages as the consequence of major alone, without disaggregating by gender, forgets to mind the wage gap.

“A male English major makes the same as a female math major, and a female economics major makes less than

Another student attendee, Zoe Dobkin (SFS ‘16), expressed concern about perceived lack of student inclusion in the university’s handling of the potential consolidation of the cultural centers.

“We’re still struggling through this set of issues,” said Olson, reiterating that the centers would remain independent from one another. “There’s not some crystal clear, even close to final plan.”

Olson also said that the university would be examining the usage of space on the third, fourth, and fifth floors of the Leavey Center,

BY JULIA JESTER

a male history major,” argues Ben Schmidt, a Northeastern University professor specializing in the relationship between history and data. “The next time you see someone arguing that only fools major in art history, remind them that the real thing holding back most English majors in the workplace isn’t their degree, but systemic discrimination against their sex in the American economy.”

Statistically speaking, however, the numbers do look bad for graduates in the humanities. Students who majored in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields are more likely to make the highest salaries both immediately after college and later on, even without a graduate degree. In fact, PayScale’s annual college salary report shows that all but one of this year’s top 20 highest-paying majors are within the STEM fields.

I’m not saying a petroleum engineering major should earn as much money as an early childhood education major.

degrees awarded in the discipline each year. Education majors, on the other hand, have decreased to 6 percent of graduates in 2011 from 22 percent in 1970, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And still we wonder why the American education system is in crisis.

Universities advertise opportunities with TFA, but these are transient job opportunities with a two-year commitment requirement, which most students use as a resume-builder to get into graduate school or land a job in a field unrelated to education. It’s not that universities necessarily value teaching—they value the prestige of the TFA reputation.

As an American Studies major, I’m no stranger to the question, “So what are you going to do with that?” Granted, when choosing an interdisciplinary major, you need to make an extra effort to focus what you want to do with your life. Students need to be proactive in finding job and internship opportunities, but if a university is going to tout the career resources it offers, it must offer them to all types of students.

Just because certain fields pay more doesn’t mean they

are more valuable to society.

Aside from the tired-but-true argument that a college education is invaluable regardless of major, the reality is that society needs a variety of skills, voices, opinions, and passions.

Yes, women should be encouraged to pursue paths in areas traditionally dominated by men, like computer science or business, but they have every right to pursue a sociology major if that’s what they want, and they should never be made to feel inferior for choosing a major deemed useless by societal standards of success.

Just as I could never pass an accounting exam, I have a business school friend who cringes at the prospect of writing a persuasive government policy paper. Both of us are intelligent, and both of us will put our academic interests and skills to use. One of us, however, will have more institutional and societal help along the way than the other.

As Albert Einstein once said, “Everybody is a genius.

But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Universities need to start valuing their fish—or at least start showing it.

STUDEnt activists congregate against consolidation.

MAJOR DECISION, MINOR SUPPORT

a tri-weekly column ABOUT AMERICA’s UNIVERSITIES

but did not divulge any more information on the subject.

Other issues brought up concerned increasing awareness of cultural centers for graduate students, adding programs without increasing budgets, and addressing the unique needs of undocumented students.

The university’s response to issues regarding mental health was also criticized. Michael Raleigh (NHS ‘16) questioned why Georgetown pressured him to take a mental health-related medical leave of absence against his wishes this year.

“They institutionalized it to the point that I had no advocacy in the issue,” Raleigh said.

Olson responded by addressing what he saw as the benefits of a medical leave of absence.

“In many cases, medical leaves of absence are tremendously beneficial,” said Olson. “I have seen that happen many times. But it is not an easy process.”

Olson addressed each question, but did not provide plans for action on any of the issues highlighted.

When addressing a written question critiquing the university’s manner of engaging students on issues surrounding diversity, Olson acknowledged that he does not know what steps the Georgetown administration will take to improve communications in the future.

“I am trying to be transparent and say, ‘I am not certain yet,’” said Olson. “I do care about the issue, and there will be more student engagement … We need to sit down, debrief after this session, and figure that out.”

I’m saying that colleges should value the students studying the latter as much as the former.

Unfortunately, for the most part, they don’t.

Georgetown’s Career Center hosts myriad events, information sessions, and networking opportunities—if you’re interested in finance and consulting. Granted, it sends industry-specific emails to students interested in government or non-profit sectors, marketing and entertainment, and other career categories, but those opportunities are fewer and farther in between.

Among the top 10 employers of 2013 Georgetown grads were Deloitte, J.P. Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Accenture, and Barclays.

The top spot, however, went to Teach for America.

It’s understandable that companies within business sectors would recruit heavily on campuses, particularly at elite academic institutions— business is the most popular major in the U.S., with roughly one in five undergraduate

Taryn Shaw

news

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice | 5

Students Actively Moving Forward advocates university-wide bereavement policy DINAH FARRELL After a nearly six-year hiatus, the founding chapter of Students Actively Moving Forward returned to campus this semester and plans to propose a university-wide bereavement policy. Bereavement policies give uniform guidelines for students, faculty, and administration on the necessary length of a temporary absence and the academic expectations upon a student’s return.

Originally established at Georgetown in 2006, AMF is a support group for students grieving the loss or illness of a loved one with 44 chapters on college campuses across the country.

Jeffrey Lin (SFS ’16), president of the board of AMF, said his own experience grieving a loss inspired him to start up the support group again [Full Disclosure: Lin is former assistant news editor for the Voice]. Additionally, he hopes to work with GUSA on creating a bereavement policy.

“We haven’t had the time yet to come up with what we would want

the nature of the changes to be, but we definitely want to get student input first so we know what they’re thinking,” said Taaha Akhtar (MSB ‘16), treasurer of the board of AMF. “For now, we could say opening up the lines of communication and just having a set procedure.”

Only a few universities have a formal bereavement policy in place, among them are Purdue, Ball State, and Wisconsin at Green Bay. Purdue’s policy states that adjusted lengths of absence time for students depend on whether the departed is an immediate or extended family member, or friend. It also ensures that they have the opportunity to complete missed assignments so they earn credit for them.

Akhtar expressed how a formal bereavement policy can better address students’ accountability and allow for less confusion. “We don’t necessarilyhavetofollow[Purdue’s], but we do want something formal in place so that everyone knows what’s expected and what’s going to happen and when students do take that leave, so they don’t come back and

young Voters aren’t turning out for midterm elections.

JULIAN DE LA PAZ

Election Reflection panel examines midterm elections, low young voter turnout DINAH FARRELL

The McCourt School of Public Policy hosted a bipartisan panel on Tuesday night discussing the 2014 midterm elections. The panel, moderated by Professor E.J. Dionne, featured Clinton administration advisor and Democratic strategist Paul Begala, Republican strategist Ava Navarro, and Politico senior political writer Maggie Haberman.

During the event in Gonda Theatre, the panel discussed key issues regarding the election, which resulted in major wins across the country for Republicans in congressional, gubernatorial, and local elections. The panelists all noted the lowturnout byDemocratvoters.

“On my side, there is real disappointment [in Barack Obama], which drove the collapse in turn-

out and some [voters] to switch,” Begala said during the panel.

The panelists also discussed the implications of the 2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, upholding the right of political action committees to freely fund campaigns without government restriction.

Haberman commented on how negative campaign ads fueled by super PACs became a norm in this election. Georgetown alumnus Nick Troiano (COL ‘11, G ‘13) ran a campaign for Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District that directly opposed those PACs, but lost after securing just 13 percent of the vote.

“I ran as an independent and citizen-funded candidate so that if I was elected I would be beholden only to the people, not the party

are surprised, because, again, we want everyone accountable for a leave of absence,” saidAkhtar.

Georgetown does not currently have a formal bereavement policy mainly because personal leaves of absence are treated on a case-bycase basis. If students need to miss mid-semester classes due to a medical or personal issue, they must coordinate with professors on how to proceedwith making up their work.

Associate Dean Sue Lorenson clarified in an email to the Voice that a leave of absence means a student has withdrawn from all of his or her classes for the semester, not just a temporary period of time.

“Each semester, there are students who need to miss classes for a personal or medical issue. Often, those students are able to make arrangements with their professors for making up missed work, but sometimes the scales tip and a student needs to request a leave,” Lorenson wrote .

Due to the individual nature of each situation, students have the responsibility to share their situation, bosses or special interest campaign contributors,” Troiano wrote in an email to the Voice. “Big money from narrow interest groups is corrupting our political process today, and I believe we need new leadership that is not dependent on these funders while in office.”

Troiano wrote his Master’s thesis on the underrepresentation of young people in Congress, and he noted the low turnout from this group as well.

“I was disappointed in the lower-than-desired student turnout at the polls,” Troiano wrote. “We still have a lot of work to do to meaningfully engage our generation in traditional politics in untraditional ways.”

Dionne further noted the implications of young voter apathy in this year’s midterm elections.

“Students and young people generally had a big impact on the result by not voting,” Dionne wrote in an email to the Voice. “Young Americans are now a key Democratic constituency. Low turnout among the young helped Republicans win the election[s].”

Navarro claimed that the results of the election reveal America’s discontent with the Congressional gridlock and President Obama.

“People are just sick of the government in general,” Navarro said. “The guy in charge is Obama, and the the buck stops with him, so he has to pay the piper.”

no bereavement happening here.

ANDREW SULLIVAN

request the time away, and agree upon and fulfill the expectations of professors in a timely manner. According to Akhtar, the bereavement policy would aim to alleviate students of this additional stress during the grieving process.

“Professors themselves may have different policies regarding leaves of absence. For example, the work that needs to get done, how much time it takes for an assignment to be due, or if they can give alternate assignments,”Akhtar said.

Last April, Lin had to miss a week of mid-semester classes.

While Lin said that his dean was

helpful in explaining his situation to his professors, he found that when he returned it was up to him to communicate concerns he had about finishing assignments. “Your dean will inform all ofyour professors, but I feel like once you come back from it, that’s when you really have to start working one on one with your professors,” Lin said.

Lin said that students struggle withthe process of taking time away, whether it is for a week or a semester, because of the demanding academic environment. “Even though the deans and professors tellyou not toworry, the pressure is nevergone.”

She also noted that Democrats did not adequately address the attacks that Republicans made on President Obama leading up to the election. Criticizing his own party, Begala agreed with Navarro and stated that Obama’s failure to pass gun control legislation after the Newtown shooting showed Republicans’ strength.

Although the event focused mostly on the ramifications of this year’s midterm elections, panelists speculated on how the results would affect the presidential election in 2016 and provided perspective on both political parties.

“You have two parties trying to figure out where their soul is,” Haberman said. Navarro indicated that Jeb Bush’s decision of whether or not to run will be crucial for the Republican party, while Begala noted that if Hillary Clinton were to run for president, a strong competition during the Democratic primary would ultimately strengthen her campaign.

“I do think that Hillary is going to have to figure out if she is prepared for what a modern campaign looks like—it is so different from what it looked

like seven years ago,” Haberman said.

According to the panel, however, voter turnout will still be the key factor in the 2016 election.

“Turnout in midterms is so different from turnout in Presidential elections that Republicans cannot assume their victory last Tuesday means all that much for 2016,” Dionne wrote. He also pointed out, however, that Democrats will need to regain the support of their voters inordertowinonelectiondayin2016.

The results of the 2014 election show the impact of voter turnout and political participation from Georgetown students and alumni.

The discussion during Tuesday’s Election Reflection: 2014 Midterms event will have real world implications in future elections for members of the Georgetown community, especially young adults.

Troiano hopes that 2016 will bring more young candidates running for office. “We need young blood, new ideas, and a fresh approach to revitalize our governing institutions,” he wrote. “I think our generation has the most to give if we do get involved, and also the most to lose if we don’t.”

• •

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Construction to begin on Southwest Quad sand volleyball court Jon Stewart, Maziar Bahari discuss themes of Rosewater in Gaston Hall

sports

6 | the georgetown voice

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

Basuljevic carries men’s soccer into Big East semifinals ROB PONCE

In his first playoff game for the Hoyas, freshman midfielder Arun Basuljevic propelled the Georgetown University men’s soccer team (12-3-4) past the Marquette University Golden Eagles (8-6-4) and into the Big East Tournament semifinals.

The first half of the contest was hotly contested in the middle of the park as both teams struggled to control the tempo of the game. Senior forward Austin Martz exposed Marquette’s defense down the right wing on several occasions, but the Hoyas weren’t able to connect well in Marquette territory. Near the end of the first half, Head Coach Brian Wiese subbed in sophomore attacking duo Brett Campbell and Jon Azzinnari, who effectively wore down the opposing defenders.

Though no one scored in the first half, the Hoyas put the pressure on early and often for the remainder of the game. In the 48th minute, a strike from Campbell nearly broke the deadlock for the Hoyas, but a sliding deflection from a Marquette defender kept the contest scoreless. On the ensuing corner kick, Campbell headed a strike off the right goalpost, just missing another chance to put the Hoyas on the scoreboard.

In the 58th minute, Wiese brought Basuljevic and junior forward Brandon Allen back onto the pitch. It didn’t take long for the duo to make a difference.

In the 60th minute, junior midfielder Melvin Snoh intercepted a pass and led a counterattack for the Hoyas. Snoh curled a pass from the right wing across the face of the goal to Basuljevic, who smoothly slotted a shot past the Marquette goalkeeper.

The game was far from over, however, as it took less than two minutes for Marquette to respond with a goal of their own. In the 62nd minute, a well-struck cross from the left wing awkwardly deflected off junior center back Cole Seiler and skipped past senior goalkeeper Tomas Gomez, evening the score at 1-1.

The Hoyas’ unlucky concession could have easily deflated the team and changed the momentum of the game, but freshman midfielder Christopher Lema had other ideas. In the 65th minute, Lema controlled the ball in Marquette territory and crossed to Austin Martz who tapped the ball in at the far post.

The Hoyas took control of the game 2-1 and never looked back, punching their ticket to the Big East Tournament semifinals at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. Though Basuljevic may have been nervous, the freshman phenom helped the Hoyas control the tempo of the game from start to finish and gave the Blue and Gray the offensive spark they needed. He was dangerous on the ball, wreaking havoc in the attacking half and breaking down Marquette’s defense with his crafty footwork and agility.

With the recent absence of sophomore Alex Muyl, Basuljevic has been given a chance to shine for the Hoyas. On Friday, the freshman star scored the game-winner against Villanova in Georgetown’s final regular season game. Just hours before Tuesday afternoon’s game, he was informed by a teammate that he had been chosen as the Big East Rookie of the Year. Basuljevic credited his success to the influence of his teammates.

“They give me such confidence every day. I go to practice everyday and they all help me.

Elena Plenefisch

MEN’S SOCCER hopes to drive past xavier and Earn a spot in the Big East Final.

When I came in, it was kind of a reality check,” said Basuljevic. “It took me a while to break in and really have an impact. Since then it’s just been really, really fun playing with these group of guys.”

Wiese, who racked up his 100th career victory on Tuesday, is proud of how the Hoya freshmen dealt with the pressure of the first postseason game.

“Arun’s been doing a terrific job,” said Wiese. “He scored the first goal today, scored the

Chris tano’s Cas

game-winner against Villanova, and he’s very dangerous. Lema is also a very important piece to come on and help in the center of the park. When he was on against Villanova, he made the play to start the sequence for the game-winning goal. They’re really class players and we’re starting to see it as they settle in on the team.

“You, as a team, are defined by how you do in postseason-type environments. Today,

losing that own goal right after you score, that is the moment when you have to ask ‘well, who are we?’ The ability for our guys to turn right around and get the game-winner within a few minutes is a great sign for a potential postseason run.”

The Hoyas will now travel to Chester, Pa. to face second-seeded Xavier (12-4-2) at PPL Park tomorrow in the Big East Tournament semifinals. Kickoff is set for 8:30 p.m.

SPORTS SERMON---

“Yes.”-LeBron James on whether or not football endangers your health What’s in a name? That which we call a team by any other name would play as well...

Sorry, Romeo, but in spite of what Juliet has told you, names are important.

Americans love coming up with fun titles for franchises. Just check out the lower leagues for your favorite sport. Odds are there are more than a few teams with funky, cool, or downright weird names. How we name these teams is not only a reflection of the relationship between the team and its city, but the relationship between America and athletics.

Names can be good for a few different reasons.

If a name truly captures the identity of its hometown perfectly, it works, as it does with the Montreal Canadiens. If a name is alliterative and fits with the cadence of the city name, it’s a decent name, like the Washington Wizards. If it can maintain that cadence and makes a loose amount of sense for the region, it’s good, like the Boston Bruins.

But, if you can check all those boxes, you’ve really hit the jackpot, like the New York Yankees. Two syllables per city and team name, alliterative consonants, and a mascot that accents the city’s importance in American history? Gold. Hats off to whoever thought that one up. Even if they weren’t the most successful team in the history of baseball, I’d still be singing their praises.

Sadly, bad names are a whole lot easier to come by than good ones. A few names are bad thanks to relocation, like the Utah Jazz

(formerly of New Orleans).

Others represent the team’s home, but come out sounding too clunky, like the Portland Trail Blazers. And then, despite whatever reasons a team brings to the table, some team names just suck, like the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks moved to Georgia in 1968 after changing home cities and names 5 times and 3 times, respectively. There’s no representation or creativity there in the least.

These names, good or bad, also play into the greater scheme of defining American athletic identity. Every culture has its own naming customs and America is no different. Unlike European teams, Americans don’t like to make the city itself the rallying point. We want a mascot, something that represents the city to be the fulcrum of the competition.

It’s more cartoony, kitschy even. It is the inclusion of such mascots in names that causes the team to become a part of the city, not for the city to be entirely represented by a team.

The mentality teams foster might be a part of the reason sports games in the U.S. haven’t taken on the cultural significance that competitions in Europe or the Middle East have. Games between Basque soccer teams and teams from the Capital result in fan murders with alarming frequency. Israeli soccer teams Hapoel Tel Aviv and arch-rivals Maccabi had to abandon their derby match this month due to the breakout violence.

Those customs should be respected and applied in

other environments sparingly. The results of mixing and matching feel largely forced. Take a look at America’s very own Major League Soccer. The U.S. straight up cut, copy, and pasted some of the most recognizable naming customs from popular European leagues and tried applying them to their own franchises.

The results sounded absolutely contrived. Washington’s own D.C. United is a clear adaptation of the titles of popular British teams.

The same can be said of Texas club FC Dallas. By far the worst conversion, however, belongs to none other than Real Salt Lake. The title “Real” was given to Spanish teams who received King Alfonso XIII’s patronage at the beginning of the 20th century. I must have missed the part of the textbook that says Alfonso’s reign extended over Utah. The names of Japan’s first baseball teams didn’t sound any better.

The Yomiuri Giants? The Hanshin Tigers? The Tokyo Senators? They’re plain derivative, and a missed opportunity to put their own stamp on a sport, much like the U.S. and soccer.

The next time a business magnate brings an expansion team to your city, and a magazine or newspaper runs a contest letting the public choose the name (the historically preferred method), think very carefully about making a selection. The next time a team moves to a city and wants to keep its old name, take caution in agreeing. These labels might come to define more than ever intended.

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the georgetown voice | 7

On the record with Lee Reed JOE POLLICINO

The Voice caught up with Georgetown Athletic Director Lee Reed at Big East Media Day in New York on Oct. 22. Reed is finishing up his fourth year and is overseeing big changes for Hoya athletics.

What was your overall evaluation of the first year of the new Big East Conference and where do you see it going in the future?

I thought [Commissioner Val Ackerman] and the conference office did an amazing job getting us up and running. I thought the teams performed like we would expect them to perform. There were a lot of great storylines last year. It was good to have Creighton in the league, that was a wonderful experience being able to see that part of the country, and that venue, and how passionate that the new members were about being in the Big East.

Do you feel that with the FOX Sports 1 partnership. that the league has lost the exposure it once had with ESPN? Any time you’re involved in a startup, it’s going to take time for

viewers and fans to find out where we are. I think the partnership is where we expected it to be. We knew early on there was going to be some growing pains, but I think we’re right on track. I’m excited about everything that FOX has done, from hiring the talent that we have now doing the games to some of the other inventory that they’ve brought online.

Do you foresee the league adding teams in the future?

Never say never, but right now I think we’re really excited about figuring out 10 and creating and establishing those rivalries. I think we all, at this point, love the natural round robin. It’s good to have Creighton in our building every year, so our fans understand who Creighton is... Right now, I think everybody is satisfied in terms of where we are.

The feeling with the fanbase right now, at least from a student perspective, is that there’s not enough quality home games to attend. What do you say to those concerns?

“We are concerned about that. We want our students—the fans that come out to Verizon Center—to have attractive in-

ventory for them. We want to have games that make sense, on nights that make sense, at times that make sense. It’s a delicate balance between that and the exposure that we get through FOX and our television partners.“ Would you support student athletes being paid to play during your tenure?

“I support us collectively trying to create ways to drive more revenue to our student-athletes’ bottom line. So am I in favor of revenue-sharing with our student-athletes? Absolutely. Am I in favor of four-year scholarships? Yes. Am in favor of cost-of-attendance? Absolutely.

Am I in favor of better, longer coverage in terms of health care? Yes. And a lot of that we already do. But when it gets down to employer-employee relationship, I think that’s when we have to, as a university, as an NCAA, we have to have some conversations around that because that changes the dynamic.”

For the full interview, which includes Reed’s thoughts on football, unionization, the Thompson Center, and more, visit georgetownvoice.com

D.C. United falls in postseason JOE LAPOSATA

D.C. United was eliminated from the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the Major League Soccer Cup playoffs on an aggregate score of 3-2 against the New York Red Bulls this weekend. Although the Black and Reds came out on top in Saturday’s game 2-1, their 2-0 loss on Nov. 2 to New York is what condemned them to a late exit from the playoffs.

United scored a goal in the 37th minute to take a 1-0 lead, as Taylor Kemp floated a cross to left winger Nick DeLeon, who headed it in from 6 yards. The goal gave some much needed momentum to the home squad, who needed to either win with a 2-0 shutout or by three goals to advance.

In the 57th minute, Red Bulls’ striker Thierry Henry aired a cross to Peguy Luyindula, who swiftly volleyed it in to tie the game. This came minutes after D.C. United forward Fabian Espindola missed a clear header for the necessary 2-0 lead and shifted the momentum to New

Chris castano

D.C. United’s promising season ended with a loss to New York in the Mls Playoffs.

York, who were now sitting on a comfortable 3-1 aggregate score.

New York ended the game with 10 men on the field following an excessive high kick

by Red Bulls defender Roy Miller, who was ejected in the 78th minute. Miller’s absence allowed the United squad to get a goal back via a side-footed volley from defender Sean Franklin in the first minute of stoppage time. Following the final whistle, however, Espindola engaged in a heated exchange with assistant referee George Ganser, and received a post-game red card.

The loss strikes D.C. as a disappointment, given that

the club was first in the regular-season tables, but not unexpected. No MLS club has advanced from a playoff game following a multi-goal playoff loss in 10 years. In 2004, the Kansas City Wizards recovered from a 2-0 away loss to the San Jose Earthquakes to win 3-0 at home.

The Red Bulls will face the New England Revolution on Sunday in New York, then again the following Saturday in New England.

The winner will go on to play the victor of the Western Conference championship between the L.A. Galaxy and the Seattle Sounders for the MLS Cup.

– BackdoorCut – Chris Almeida’s TRI-weekly column about sports

The hits just keep on coming I have lived through a strange age of tennis. The parity present on the men’s professional tour over the last 10 years is unparalleled in the history of the sport. While the man standing at world No. 1 has changed a number of times since 2008, one player has been a mainstay on top since the end of the Sampras Era: Roger Federer.

Most casual fans will forget that Federer is the man who quickened Sampras’ fall from grace. At Wimbledon in 2001, the teenaged Swiss slew his American opponent, who was undeniably in the twilight of his career.

Sampras was 32 at the time, one year younger than Federer is now.

Currently the world’s No. 2, Federer can only be described as fading in comparison to his prime. He has won five titles in 2014 alone and is looking to claim a seventh career victory at the year-end championships this week in London.

When a tennis player is 33 years old, he should be outside of contention for major tournaments (forget competing for the world’s top ranking). Tennis players begin their careers early, 18 being an average starting point, with some playing professionally as early as 16.

By the time these athletes are 30, they’ve logged well over a decade on tour, and their bodies are liable to break down. In team sports, it is easy for aging stars to reinvent themselves as role players surrounded by less-experienced but more able bodies. That’s impossible for a tennis player. In singles tennis, there is nothing to propel you to titles aside from your own ability. You can’t grab trophies standing on the shoulders of a young star. That’s why it is astonishing that Federer, who reached the semifinals of both the Australian Open and the U.S. Open, as well as the finals of Wimbledon this year, is knocking on the door at every major despite claiming his last slam two years ago.

Federer is certainly not what he once was, a champion so dominant that his victory on all courts (outside

of Rafa Nadal’s clay) seemed to be assured before every tournament’s first point.

But the Maestro has stuck around in a way that is unprecedented. Yes, Jimmy Connors and Andre Agassi made cultural impacts after the age of 30—Agassi was even able to win majors in his later year—but neither were what Federer is today.

The winner of 17 major titles and the holder of the record for most weeks at world No. 1, Federer has nothing left to prove to fans or pundits.

Nevertheless, he continues to produce more than anyone is expecting.

Even though the Swiss may have passed through his golden age, it may be the most impressive stage of his career.

When a historically transcendent athlete is at the peak of his powers, he gains a psychological hold over his opponents. Just as golfers would crumble as Tiger Woods charged up the leaderboards on the final day of a tournament during the early 2000s, Federer made usually strong opponents like Andy Roddick look like mere qualifiers. That edge is gone. Nobody asks about who’s coming in second place any longer.

Federer’s aura of invincibility has faded as he has gotten older, but that makes his accomplishments all the more impressive. Even when all of the spry members of the top-10 are taking their best shots, fully believing in their ability to win, Federer is able to haul his aging body to the ends of major tournaments on a basis more consistent than most of the all-time greats were able to accomplish in their primes.

The mental game is an essential part of individual sport. But even with the wall of intimidation that once surrounded the Big Four crumbling and his body slowing, Federer has been able to not only avoid the Graveyard of Champions, but also play on Centre Court on Wimbledon’s final Sunday.

Many would say that nothing was more impressive than seeing the former No. 1 roll through all opponents in the mid-2000’s, but what the Maestro is doing now is just as unprecedented.

8 | the georgetown voice

feature

november 13, 2014

BLADES OF GLORY

Hockey in the nation’s capital

By Kevin Huggard D.C. has never been considered a hockey town.

With its mild winters and mid-Atlantic location, the District lacks a long hockey history that cities like Boston, Chicago, and Detroit boast. For a long time, enthusiasm for the sport remained confined to such colder climes.

Slowly, however, that has begun to change, with Washington, D.C. on the leading edge of the game’s expansion. While the winter ice may be thicker in Montreal and Toronto, Canada’s game has arrived in America’s capital, and it does not seem likely to leave.

Before hockey began to gain a foothold in the District during 1980s, only pockets of imported interest allowed the sport to survive in D.C. Newcomers arrived from the Northeast and Midwest, bringing their favorite sport with them. Whatever kind of hockey culture that existed in the city came from outside—from students or professionals who first encountered the game in more traditional hockey hotbeds.

“I’ve been around for a while. And initially, many of the people who got involved in hockey or who got their kids involved in hockey were transplants,” said John Coleman, president of the Potomac Valley Hockey Association.

Hockey’s stunted growth in the District would not be a permanent ailment, though. In 1992, according to USA Hockey, there were only 250 registered youth players in Washington, D.C. By 2010, though, that number had risen to 742. The explosion in hockey’s popularity hasn’t been limited to D.C. proper, however, as Virginia also saw an increase from 1,459 to 7,251 youth players over that same time span. Maryland, for its part in that period, saw its number of youth players increase to 7,326 from 1,951.

Although these increases are promising signs that the sport’s presence in D.C. is becoming stronger, it is still far from the first choice among youths in the area. For example, according to US Youth Soccer, last year 142,260 children played soccer in Virginia and 60,884 played in Maryland.

Dan Litke (SFS ‘15) has witnessed youth hockey’s growth in D.C. as a member and assistant captain of the Georgetown club hockey team. “Formerly, we practiced

in Kettler [Iceplex in Arlington]. But the growth of the sport has been apparent and there are way more kids playing, so we ended up getting kicked out of Kettler because the Little Caps expanded their program,” Litke said.

The foundation of hockey’s rise in the area lie in the recent past, with Washington’s National Hockey League franchise playing a major role. Craig Laughlin is now the color commentator for the Washington Capitals, but in the 1980s, he was a hot-shooting right wing

The arena was only a 30-minute drive from D.C., but the team was far from the minds of most of the city’s residents. Given the Capitals’ weak performances over successive seasons in the late 1970s, few wanted to make the trek to Landover, Md. At that time, Washington played in the NHL’s Patrick Division, along with the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins. From their inception in 1974 through the 19811982 season, the team failed to place higher than fourth in their five-team division.

Georgetown Club Hockey. Photo by the Voice for the team, arriving in 1982 as part of a trade with the Montreal Canadiens—a move that proved crucial to the club’s survival. He remembers the days when his sport and his team hardly registered on the District’s radar. “[The Capitals] weren’t getting fans,” Laughlin said. “I remember my last game with the Montreal Canadiens was at the Cap Centre. It was way out in the middle of nowhere, in this field, and it was in this huge building that looked like a saddle that was out there in Landover. And I remember, we played the last game of the season and there were maybe 7,000 people at the most in the building. At that time, it held 18,000 or so.”

In the three year span beginning in the 1979-1980 campaign and stretching to the 1981-1982 season, the team posted 79 wins, 127 losses, and 54 ties. The Capitals finished last in the division in each of those years. In a league that sent 16 of its 21 teams to the playoffs each year, the team failed to reach postseason play during the first eight years of its existence. If the distance between the city and the arena presented a barrier to the emergence of a fanbase, the distance between the team and the playoffs built a much greater one.

The city stayed away from the team, and the team stayed away from the city.

“We were in Landover, in Maryland. Guys lived in Virginia and you would pass by

the District. You would never go to the District. It was never part of the daily routine,” Laughlin said.

This was a critical period for hockey in D.C. “Back in the ‘80s, the Redskins were the team. They had [Joe] Theismann and [John] Riggins,” Laughlin said. “And the Orioles, at that time, were also winning a World Series, so it was a double whammy, with the Orioles winning their championship and the Redskins winning their championship.” Interest in hockey seemed at risk of dying out completely, with the Capitals flailing while the region’s other teams found success.

Then, in 1982, a group of local businesses and fans launched the “Save the Caps” campaign in response to owner Abe Pollin’s threat to move the team to another city. The group rallied support in the city in order to sell tickets, and the first 10 games of the season sold out. The campaign proved successful, and Pollin kept the franchise in Washington.

The 1982-1983 season marked an abrupt change in the course of the Capitals’ history. That season, the Capitals managed to win 39 games and make the playoffs for the first time in their history, despite losing in the first round. As the team improved its play, it also worked to improve engagement with the community, as Capitals management worked to tighten the ties between their franchise and the city that it was supposed to represent.

“You had to do a certain amount of charitable work—a certain amount of getting involved with the fans,” Laughlin said. “It was written in your contract that you had to make a certain amount of appearances. We had to get out into the community to generate the sort of interest that would attract the fans and get the fans to come to our games out in Landover. It was a lot of background work that led to our success.”

Washington finished second in the division during each of the next five seasons before taking the division title in the 1988-1989 season.

As the team improved and became a greater presence in the city, fans took notice. The Capitals’ average home attendance climbed to 17,891 during

feature

georgetownvoice.com the 1990-1991 campaign from 11,377 for the 1981-1982 season.

Throughout the 1990s, both the team’s win and attendance totals saw peaks and droughts, but the franchise survived, with the gap between city and team quickly closing. Nothing symbolized this change better than their 1997 move to the MCI Center, now the Verizon Center, in downtown D.C. “Ultimately, I think the franchises that are successful—and it’s been proven here now—are the teams that win and cultivate a following. [Cultivating] fans ... in turn, leads to more ice rinks and more kids playing, and those kids are the kids coming to Caps games,” Laughlin said.

The Capitals began the push for hockey in D.C. with a top-down approach, as they focused on community outreach efforts and an improved product on the ice. The effort was then taken up by the region’s youth leagues, which formed a mutually-beneficial relationship with the team.

“The popularity of the Capitals over a number of years has helped [to encourage youth hockey],” Coleman said. “I think if they could ever win a Cup it would just be a tremendous boost to area hockey.”

When the team started winning more games, more local kids were inspired to join youth hockey leagues. Growth has continued in this manner for over 20 years, but it has been especially successful since the arrival of one of the most talented players to ever step onto an ice rink.

The Capitals drafted Alexander Ovechkin with the first overall pick of the 2004 draft. He would go on to win the Calder Trophy, an honor awarded to the best rookie, during the 200506 season. Over the next seven years, he would win three Hart trophies, which are given to the league’s most valuable player.

The Russian forward is one of the NHL’s most valuable players on the ice and one of its most visible off of it, pulling in $2.5 million in endorsements during the 2013-14 season, according to Forbes. His deals with Gatorade, Nike, and Bauer, among others, earn him the second highest endorsement total of any NHL player, only earning less than Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby.

“We’re fortunate that we have one of the best players in the league bar none in Ovechkin,” Laughlin said. ‘He’s got a marketing ability that’s second to none. And that translates to the Caps.”

After dropping off somewhat in the early 2000s, Capitals attendance rebounded with the superstar’s arrival. Now, the team boasts a long-running home sellout streak that began during the 2008-09 season and continues today.

Youth hockey popularity also saw a spike in interest after participation had plateaued during the team’s dry spell in the early 2000s. From the 2001-2002 season to the 2006-2007 season, the numbers of PVHA players remained mostly stagnant, increasing to only 12,589 from 12,058. Then, over the next five years, as Ovechkin’s arrival rejuvenated the Capitals, participation jumped to 19,135 by 2011-2012.

With the growth in hockey’s cultural influence coming from newfound popularity of the Capitals and increasing interest in youth hockey, a gap remained between the professional and amateur stages of the game. Once youth players graduated to the high school or college level, they often had to leave D.C. to further their playing careers.

“Certainly in the past we’ve had a number of players who have left to go play in prep schools in New England, or play through the time they’re 15 and then go to play in junior programs both in the area and out of the area. I think that there are more and more ways for them to improve and stay in the area,” Coleman said.

The American Collegiate Hockey Association, the league in which Georgetown’s club hockey program competes, has emerged as an attractive way for students to continue their hockey careers through college, especially in areas which lack major NCAA programs. The ACHA has become a major presence in the area, with programs at Georgetown, George Washington, American, George Mason, and Maryland, among other universities.

“We had 20 teams [in 1993], and they were all over the place, but most of them were in New England and the Midwest,” said Marshall Stevenson, president of the ACHA. “You look at the expansion in the Mid-Atlantic states

Georgetown Club Hockey. Photo by the Voice

the georgetown voice | 9

Georgetown Club Hockey. Photo by theVoice

and in the D.C. area, and that has progressed quite a bit in the past 15 years.”

From the original 20 programs, the organization has expanded to include close to 450 teams. For many colleges, including Georgetown, hockey can help to attract new students to campus. “Some schools use it as a recruiting tool,” Stevenson said.

“Coming from prep school, I was looking at [Division]-3 schools, but none of them were academically what I wanted to do,” Litke said. “The Georgetown club program really caught my eye and was a big draw for me to come.”

Although player participation, both at the youth and collegiate level, has increased in D.C. since the 1980s and Capital crowds continue to hit the sellout mark, among the most daunting challenges to the growth of hockey is the cost of playing.

“You can maybe play soccer for the cost of a pair of cleats, but it’s not quite that way for youth hockey,” Coleman explained.

Litke knows firsthand just how expensive the game of hockey can be.

“I worked at Kettler [Ice Rink] in the pro shop,” Litke said. “Just basic gear, lower-end stuff for a kid, can cost $300 to $400 ... I use a lot of top of line stuff, and skates alone can be 500 bucks. A stick can be $200.”

The Washington metropolitan area is divided into several distinct socioeconomic groups. A 2012 report by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute found that, of the 50 largest cities in America, D.C. had the third highest level of income inequality. Ultimately, hockey may see continued growth in a patchwork pattern across the map, only thriving in those areas in which residents have the means to play.

“We’re trying to look for ways to keep costs down at the younger levels,” Coleman said. “In some areas around here, that may not make a difference. That may not make a difference in Fairfax County or in parts of Montgomery County … but in other areas, the cost of participation in hockey is a major factor.”

F urther limiting hockey’s growth is the cost and difficulty of reserving rink space in the area. At Cabin John Ice, the rink at which the Georgetown club team practices, the rate for ice time is $340 an hour.

“Ice time is super expensive,” Litke said. “It’s expensive to maintain a rink and an ice sheet. We’re lucky we have a good booster club that takes care of a lot of that stuff for us, so our dues are relatively low, but most of our budget goes toward ice time.”

“In some areas we’re pretty limited by facilities, by the number of ice rinks. And places like Ashburn or Reston, they’re maxed out. It’s difficult for them to take a number of kids each year at younger levels to keep the pipeline going,” Coleman said.

These problems of cost check growth at the youth level, and they do not disappear at more advanced stages.

“There are opportunities for growth, but a lot of that has to do with the level of support from the school,” Stevenson said. “Some of that is just a matter of money. There are lots of alternatives to what you can do with your time and money as compared to when I went to school.The schools are fighting for every dollar they’ve got and sometimes they don’t want to fund something like [an ACHA program]. ” Hockey has come a long way in the nation’s capital. It has transformed from a fringe activity to a much more integral part of the city’s sports landscape. Its progress has varied widely over both time and geography, and obstacles remain in its continued rise.

But hockey’s presence in the District can no longer be ignored or dismissed.

The NHL has taken notice, awarding this year’s Winter Classic to Washington, D.C. Hockey’s marquee regular season game will come to Nationals Stadium, when the Capitals host the Chicago Blackhawks. Held outdoors each year on New Year’s Day, the game has been played in familiar hockey cities like Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Buffalo. For Craig Laughlin, the message is clear.

“The Winter Classic means that the NHL—the owners and the board of directors—believe that Washington is a hockey town,” Laughlin said.

“It’s a stamp. Everyone around the NHL, who has hockey in their veins, has said, ‘Washington has arrived, and it’s here to stay.’”

leisure

10 | the georgetown voice

MOVEMBER 13, 2014

Art Aficionados Fotoweek focuses frame on students’ perspective COLLEEN ZORC Fixation, focus, and passion.

These are the three words Georgetown University Art Aficionados chose as prompts for their new photography exhibition, which opened on Monday in the Healey Family Student Center. Coinciding with the D.C.wide Fotoweek, GUAA’s annual photography contest allowed students to submit personal photographs corresponding to the chosen theme. Hundreds of photographs are submitted each year, with roughly a dozen selected for final judgment.

Lauren Ashley Panawa’s “Abyss” may be the most technically sophisticated image of the exhibit [Full Disclosure: Panawa was previously Design Editor of the Voice]. Clearly, she knows her way around Adobe Photoshop well enough to masterfully enhance the colors of the photograph without it appearing to have ever been retouched. She simultaneously captures the rich pink and blue hues of light glaring off the windows, incorporates the shadows of the couple’s double reflections, and balances the tricky exposure of a dimly lit scene. The composition sings the rule of thirds with-

“Lover of the Light” by Matthew L. Howard

UNDERTHECoVERS: A bi-weekly literary column by Micaela Beltran

A book by Ian McEwan is always well-received. Author of several award-winning novels, such as Saturday, Amsterdam, and the popular masterpiece Atonement, McEwan is famous for his harmonious structure and attention to detail. A feature in The New Yorker describes how his “empirical temperament” sets him above other acclaimed contemporary writers because he compiles thorough research for the acute details in his plots.

At 221 pages, The Children Act is McEwan’s shortest novel yet, with a straightforward storyline culminating in a singular climax. Its focus is Fiona Maye, an experienced British High Court judge in the Family Division. Her life revolves on making judgments about familial conflict laced with violence and religious controversy, the tumult of which takes

the place of excitement in her own personal life.

We begin with Maye’s personal life invading her professional life: while trying to resolve a case at home, her prolonged, sexless marriage takes over as her husband argues for an affair with a young statistician already in line, trying to maintain some of his integrity by asking Maye for permission first. “That he had, as far as she knew, always been faithful made his proposition all the more outrageous,” Maye thinks. The disquiet in her once passionate marriage becomes her foremost obstacle, dominating her thoughts when she’s not contemplating a case from her work.

Maye’s sole failing is that she cares too much about the people who come before her, and her personal problems only make it more difficult for her to maintain

in the interior space, making it among the most eye-catching and well executed submissions.

The next attention-grabbing phot was the black-and-white portrait of an older woman by Taylor Tobin entitled “Unfiltered Joy.” The woman in the photo has her head thrown back in a moment of obvious delight. The photograph was deeply touching, encouraging contemplation of the intimate moment preserved in Tobin’s image. Tobin transforms the woman’s wrinkles into a beautiful testament to a fulfilled and joyous life.

Meltem Yilmaz’s “Indifferent Family” begs a laugh. It comically depicts a man and woman staring confusedly at a city map, ignoring the child in the stroller before them. Yilzman instills a kind of authenticity in this candid photo that can’t be overlooked. The man, woman, and child are vulnerable, subjected to our prying eyes and judgment. The couple, lost in a new city—perhaps in a foreign country—struggle with both a foldout map and an iPad. The child uses the map in a more practical way, holding it over her head to shade herself from the glare of the sun, making for a hilarious portrait of a traveling family.

“Abyss” by Lauren Ashley Panawa

Professor Osborn, invited

by GUAA to pick the contest winners, admits that he was a reluctant juror of photography.

As there were more images taken in the year 2012 alone than in the entire history of photography, he contends, how are you supposed to judge one against all others? Osborn then said that he naturally took interest in the pieces submitted by his students because he understood their place within a series of other photographs and the intentions of the photographer. Professor Osborn chose winners in four different categories: “Abyss” by

Emotion muddles the water of McEwan’s latest endeavor effective distance. The story of Maye’s professional life follows a 17 year-old boy with plum features, Adam Henry, a Jehovah’s Witness with leukemia who needs a blood transfusion in order to live but refuses it because of his religious beliefs.

This quandary constitutes the conflict between the sanctity of life and lawful personal autonomy that Maye must resolve by the end of the novel. McEwan has been an outspoken proponent of secularism in the past, which becomes evident in his handling of this unoriginal case.

Elements present in all of McEwan’s novels are found here as well: the mellifluous shapeliness of the book, the perfected sentences, the polemical themes.

Although his prose flows strikingly and sweetly throughout the novel, he fails to meld it adequately with Maye’s voice. Also

problematic, the narrator’s descriptions of her thoughts feel rote, humming like a diary entry after a dull day.

Then there’s the story itself, which is just not that interesting. For an author who made his mark by writing an emotionally vivid, violently romantic best seller, McEwan disappoints his readers with this bland exhibition of a topic that actually has high potential to excite. Proving that authors can have more than enough support but, without sufficient care for the creative process, can still fail to impress.

In Conversations with Picasso, a volume presenting the 30year long interview series with Picasso performed by Hungarian photographer Brassaï, Picasso talks about his long and intensive creative process, which encourages following intuitive inclinations and learning through

Lauren Ashley Panawa in the interior space category, “Lover of the Light” by Matthew L. Howard in the street category, “Emmanual” by Amalia Coyle in the studio category, and “As my future comes” by María Gracia Naranjo for portraiture.

These photographs offer glimpses into the lives of fellow Hoyas. Picture that with a Kodak. Or, better yet, go to the HFSC and take a picture of me with a Kodak.

GUAA Fotoweek Healey Family Student Center Through Nov. 14

experimentation, a different kind of empirical approach than McEwan’s. And plenty of studies support Picasso’s claims.

We rarely hear about the uninspiring failures of successful people who lose their groove for a time. We favor citing stories of those who achieve success after feeling the sting of failure—people like Bill Gates, Abraham Lincoln, and Michael Jordan. But success is rarely a one-shot-done-deal; realizing its challenging lifetime journey is perhaps essential for future fulfillment.

The Children Act is not an accurate representation of McEwan’s skill. His contention and personal feelings about the novel’s themes seem to have been placed before the essential quality of the novel itself. Although there’s merit in its smooth prose and confrontation of religious beliefs in a secular world, readers should look at McEwan’s past works to understand the acclaim.

Ask Micaela for permission at mfb61@georgetown.edu

georgetownvoice.com

“I believe diversity is an old, old wooden ship that was used during the Civil War Era” — Anchorman

the georgetown voice | 11

No new tricks at Bulldog Tavern’s debut DANIEL VARGHESE

“Emmanuel” By Amalia Coyle

“As my future comes” by Maria garcia Naranjo

“Traditions have to start somewhere,” reads the slogan on the back of Bulldog Tavern’s staff t-shirts.

Every college has its iconic restaurant. For Georgetown, this has been The Tombs, where students, faculty, and administrators have gathered for over 50 years to celebrate the happy and drink away the sad. The opening of Bulldog Tavern in the Healey Family Student Center sought to change that.

As part of the university’s charge to bring students back to campus, the conveniently-located pub was meant to be the new, premiere haunt of the campus community. Unfortunately, despite a menu tailored to Georgetown students and faculty alike, generally competitive prices, and a pleasant dining atmosphere, the new restaurant and bar misses its mark.

Though the restaurant’s entrance seems haphazardly sidelined, attention to detail is evident in the pub’s interior design. Reclaimed light fixtures from Dahlgren Chapel provide gentle, dim lighting to create a relaxed environment. The physical layout of the dining floor incorporates ample seating in the form of booths, tables, and bar stools—the last two are not fixed, leaving room for potential weekend shenanigans.

This layout, however, is hindered by the massive wall of kegs that divide the restaurant, isolating a portion of the floor from the rest of the tavern. Though this design may create a rowdier bar section and a calmer restaurant section to its side, it remains to be seen whether this was a prudent choice. For now, the wall detracts from the open feel of the rest of the pub.

For those rowdy weekend nights, though, Bulldog Tavern packs a wide selection of beers, wines, and mixed drinks, including craft and local brews. The cocktail menu includes options like the Archer Martini that were clearly envisioned with students in mind. This level of foresight was also employed in the creation of the menu, which contains options like “The Hoya Burger,” to entice residents of the Hilltop to the pub.

The intersection of these meticulously planned elements should lend itself to an enjoyable dining experience. But even the best laid plans are void when executed poorly, which seems to have been the case on Bulldog Tavern’s opening weekend.

In almost all metrics to judge a dining experience, Bulldog Tavern was nothing more than average. The service was slow and disorganized, appetizers and

drinks arriving well after our entrees. The dishes were missing ingredients—the “Farm Burger” did not contain any bacon as had been promised—and meat in these dishes was over cooked—a medium-rare burger was beyond well-done.

Some of the mistakes could have been easily avoided by more communication between servers, managers, and customers to ensure an efficient and enjoyable dining experience. The Tavern was cognizant, at least, of its poor service, offering us extra appetizers as an apology for the delay.

Ultimately, Bulldog Tavern bears much comparison to its bare beige walls. In its current state, despite all of the planning committees, student input, and administrative work, the pub is simply unexciting. Thankfully, the Tavern has ample time to improve and, like many restaurants, eventually develop its own individual identity to decorate its walls. Until then, The Tombs, bedecked with centuries of history, will be the only place anyone would ever consider going for 100 days straight.

Bulldog Tavern Healey Family Student Center Sun.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-1 a.m.

Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-3 a.m.

Stewart’s Rosewater shows daily struggle of Bahari’s incarceration BRIAN MCMAHON Jon Stewart usually flaunts his wit in front of the camera for all to see, but he has now demonstrated an ability to do the same without showing his face.

Stewart’s directorial and screenwriting debut, Rosewater, boasts a strong script balancing humor and deeper contemplations of modern media. The story, adapted from Maziar Bahari’s memoir Then They Came for Me, tracks the uproar surrounding Iran’s 2009 presidential elections and journalist Bahari’s subsequent imprisonment for suspicion of being a spy. Gael García Bernal plays Bahari, shifting from an energetic, hopeful reporter to a submissive prisoner as the Iranian regime seizes control of his life.

Stewart has a closet full of Emmys because of his sharp, poignant tongue, and he uses this film as a platform to mock everything from Newsweek to New Jersey

and erotic massage parlors. More than that, though, he unravels distinctions between the eastern and western worlds through Bahari’s inner and outer dialogues. Bahari’s voice stands out in the context of 2009 Iran, intellectual like the oppressive leaders but skeptical like the oppressed, and Stewart capitalizes on this to make the character’s language simultaneously amusing and incisive.

While he clearly has potential behind the camera, at times it feels like Stewart could do more. Once Bahari enters the government’s prison, the story largely focuses on his interrogation sessions with the volatile Rosewater played by Kim Bodnia in a standout supporting role. There’s only so much for a director to do within the barren walls of this confinement, but nevertheless Stewart allows Bahari’s suffering to feel redundant.

That being said, Bahari’s transition from outsider to prisoner remains striking. Early in the film,

he is simply a visitor in his ancestral homeland. Stewart makes this clear in one of his best shots: Bahari fixes his camera by the side of the road in advance of the election, while his acquaintance Davood prays prostrated next to him. .

With Stewart controlling the pen and camera, one had to expect fascinating takes on the western media and its appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.

Bahari’s interest in cameras and their power goes all the way back to his childhood relationship with his sister–a political prisoner since deceased–who begged him to consume as many movies and albums as possible so that he might see beyond the rigid structures of Tehran. By the time he’s grown, he’s utilizing his camera as a weapon. When his captors seize this tool, Stewart uses his own in the same manner, compelling his audience to witness the desperate atrocities of a failing regime.

Armed with a captivating story and dynamic script, Stewart did not need to do much with his lensed weapon. García Benal’s versatile performance does more than enough to make up for the intermittent blandness of Stewart’s direction. Like Bahari in the chaos following the corrupt election, Stewart simply lets the striking scenes do the talking, rendering artistic cinematography unnecessary for much of the film’s bulk.

Rosewater relays a story more than it tells one, using ever-present media to reveal a harrowing tale. Other projects may allow Stewart to explore further with his camera, but here the device simply serves its basic purpose. Everyone is used to seeing and hearing Stewart’s daily commentary, but with this film we have to look and listen more closely. His vision may still be murky, but his voice rings out loud and clear.

“Yes, we want five pizzas, extra mushrooms, with a side of ranch.”

IMDB

leisure

12 | the georgetown voice

CRITICAL VOICES

Pink Floyd, The Endless River, Parlophone With its unique flavor of psychedelic rock, Pink Floyd has shone for decades as one of the craziest diamonds in the history of pop music.

The band’s latest and final offering, The Endless River, is an incredibly ambitious album that rewards the committed listener and hearkens back to its best hits of the past. Compiled from over 20 hours of unreleased music written and recorded by the band for their

Damien Rice, My Favorite Faded Fantasy, Damien Rice Music “I have an allergic reaction to expectations,” said Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice, in a video for the music blog The Line of Best Fit. After quietly fading out of the public eye nearly seven years ago, Rice returns with his new album, My Favourite Faded Fantasy.

For Rice, the making of music is honest, and it is from this honesty that the intrinsic value of his music emerges. It’s something we are all

penultimate album, this last LP is a clear reflection of the band’s timeless legacy.

Never a band for conformity, this album mostly eschews lyrics and instead presents a series of instrumental songs. The resulting unconventional approach allows for an excellent mixture of styles. Highlights include “Things Left Unsaid,” whose psychedelic tunes provide a marked contrast to the later, more guitar-heavy “Allons-y (1).”

The only song to have lyrics, “Louder Than Words,” comes at the end of the album and blends the instrumental feel of The Endless River with the familiar lyrical quality of past offerings such as The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.

The Endless River constitutes a continual listening experience, divided into four “sides,” each of which is complemented by an assortment of styles. Unfortunately, the varying lengths of the sides cause the album’s energy to loll, particularly

on songs like Side Three’s “Talkin’ Hawkin,” which results in an unsatisfying conclusion to the album.

The album is quite long, and its focus on instrumental rather than lyrical music may be off-putting to casual listeners. Nonetheless, the LP demands repeat listenings, as the mixing and matching of various electronic instruments result in subtleties that are a joy to discover and a contemporary nod to Pink Floyd’s iconic sound.

The Endless River will prove to be a satisfying experience for diehard Pink Floyd fans. The new album is also likely to attract more listeners who are in the mood for a psychedelic trip through Floyd’s instrumental musings. The Endless River leaves us lost for words as Pink Floyd completes the final brick in their wall.

free to experience differently. However different our personal experience with the album may be, there is an intractable intimacy to My Favourite Faded Fantasy.

This intimacy starts with the album opener and title-track, “My Favourite Faded Fantasy.” It is a song both raw and wrought with nostalgia. This retrospective theme is carried through the album on Rice’s powerful lyrics, returning in nuanced ways in songs like “I Don’t Want to Change You” and “Colour Me In.” Over the course of 50 minutes and eight songs, Rice takes his listeners to the cool dark spaces where careful dreams and circumspect imaginings can take hold. In these introspective spaces, light and dark converse with eddies of piano, violin, and guitar, all twining around Rice’s lulling voice.

On “The Greatest Bastard,” Rice’s voice softly describes a predictable lost romance in his unique

way with the simple accompaniment of an acoustic guitar. As the emotional tale gains momentum, the instrumentation swells to match the emphatic crescendo of the passionate lyrics. The violin and piano eventually overtake the vocals, vehemently expressing the weight of this personal story.

Rice’s style has not changed much from his previous albums, but that’s not to say this album is in any way disappointing. It’s simply a broadening of an already beautiful repertoire of songs written and performed by the Irish musician.

For those of us who had high expectations, the album won’t disappoint. On My Favourite Faded Fantasy, Rice paints dark, cool spaces, imparting not only his fantasy, but a collective nostalgia for all to share.

Voice’s Choices: “Louder Than Words”

“Allons-y,” —GRAHAM PIRO

Voice’s Choices: “My Favorite Faded Fantasy,” “The Greatest Bastard” —CAITLIN CAIN

CONCERT CALENDAR THURSDAY 11/13 Electric Youth Black Cat, 8 p.m., $15

WEDNESDAY 11/19 Ryan Hemsworth Black Cat, 10 p.m., $18

WEDNESDAY 11/19 GU Jaxx Ensemble Gonda Theatre, 8 p.m., free

SATURDAY 11/15 Coco Montoya Gypsy Sally’s, 9 p.m., $20

WEDNESDAY 11/19 GU Concert Choir Dahlgren Chapel, 7 p.m., free

SATURDAY 11/23 GU Orchestra Gaston Hall, 5 p.m., free

REELTALK:

Movember 13, 2014

‘I beat Meryl!’

A bi-weekly column about movies by Dayana Morales Gomez

In a few short weeks, actors, directors, producers, and film crews will be tuning in to hear their names presented as nominees for major accolades in next year’s awards season.

The need for validation isn’t exclusive to Hollywood, though—I wanted to win awards in grade school as much as the next guy. But the Oscars, Golden Globes, and even the Razzies aren’t some measly certificate printed on fancy paper. They are the ultimate sign of innovation and success in filmmaking.

The industry is notoriously difficult to break into. Like in Capitol Hill’s dynastic industry, legacies prove to be invaluable in Hollywood. Though Nicolas Cage would have you think that changing his name from Nicolas Coppola makes him a self-made national treasure, the connections he has through his relatives have made huge contributions to his success. One of the earliest films he starred in under the name Nicolas Cage was directed by his revered uncle, Francis Ford Coppola.

Cage aside, one of the major debates in the awards community is whether or not to nominate young persons for awards.

Quvenzhane Wallis became the youngest actress ever to be nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress, recognized for her beautiful portrayal of Hushpuppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild. Not everyone was happy to hear about her nomination for one of the biggest awards in the industry.

In an article for The Atlantic, Scott MacDonald, chief film critic at The Toronto Standard, criticized the possibility of Wallis being nominated. “Acting requires some intentionality on the part of the actor, some conscious effort to adopt a persona other than his or her own.”

During much of the filming of Beasts of the Southern Wild, Wallis was only 6 years old.

“Wallis is hugely magnetic, but what she does in Beasts is not acting. She’s a kid, and she just ‘is,’” MacDonald said.

In the battle for the Oscar, Wallis was up against 22 yearold Jennifer Lawrence, 35 yearold Jessica Chastain, 44 year-old Naomi Watts, and 85 year-old

Emmanuelle Riva. Ultimately, Silver Linings Playbook’s Lawrence took home the award.

Lawrence was no stranger to the awards, having been active since 2008. She had already been nominated for one award before—in 2010 for her role in Winter’s Bone. But did she deserve the Oscar as much as Emmanuelle Riva, who has been on screen since 1959?

The debate MacDonald raised was not about experience, but rather about age itself.

In his view, Wallis was not acting by mere virtue of her age. At 6, there is no such thing as acting, only being.

Initially, I agreed with MacDonald. The amount of energy that Lawrence, Chastain, Watts, and Riva have put into their film repertoire is certainly one that cannot be matched by Wallis in one film. Certainly, Wallis had a different experience putting herself into the role of Hushpuppy.

Perhaps her imagination gave her an edge in putting herself into this role. But that isn’t what these awards are about at all.

Just because you flip a coin once and get heads doesn’t mean that the next time it’s going to be tails—the odds are reset every time. Similarly, just because Wallis wasn’t as established as her older peers doesn’t mean that she wasn’t as capable of acting or deserving of awards.

I wasn’t angry or upset to find out that Wallis had not won the Best Actress award. Giving her the award because of her age would completely invalidate her nomination. But even if she had won, it would be hard to play it off as a mere handout. Her natural gestures and perfectly delivered dialogue were unquestionably better than the kind of acting we’ve seen by stars like Adam Sandler, a guy who has been in the industry since 1989.

Though not everyone will give her the credit she deserves, there is a sense of accomplishment in Wallis’ nomination. In spite of the backlash, at least Hushpuppy knows her own worth. “They gonna know, once there was a Hushpuppy, and she live with her daddy in the Bathtub.”

Make Dayana your prize at dim23@georgetown.edu

georgetownvoice.com

PAGE THIRTEEN

the georgetown voice |13

– Dylan Cutler

voices

14 | the georgetown voice

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

A response to ‘Take It or Leave It’ and its portrayal of medical leave BEN SAUNDERS AND JACK SCHMITT Medical leaves of absence remain an inappropriately quiet topic among both students and administrators, and it is encouraging to see the attention addressed in the Voice editorial board’s piece arguing for greater support to returning students.

For this, we would like to express our appreciation for the Voice in its ambitious tackling of this subject. We feel the article “Take It or Leave It: Does a medical leave of absence help or harm?” however, ultimately strays from this question, instead leaning toward more of a critique or advocacy piece.

Furthermore, we feel that the experiences shared in the article are relatively one-sided with negative portrayals or, at the very least, portrayals that are not balanced by a discussion of the potential benefits of a leave of absence. We fear that this limited coverage may discourage students from reaching out to CAPS or deans for counseling in this matter, arguably prevent-

ing students from pursuing the options most conducive to their flourishing and well-being. We understand that articles are limited in their scope given length constraints, and so we offer our own experiences in expansion on those already shared. * * * Ben Saunders (SFS ‘15) – On “Leaving It” I was quoted in the recent Voice article as citing my “own ambitious nature” as the driving reason behind deciding to stay at school. This statement is partially true, but it problematically assigns a false normative value to the decision to remain on campus. I felt I was best served staying engaged with the Georgetown community and my roles while addressing my depression with the support of my friends and counselors, but this was my individual decision.

My considerations regarding a leave of absence began once my depression began to severely hinder my memory, from names of European philosophers to close friends. I’m glad for the support of

my dean and for the information on the MLOA process and the unbiased counsel CAPS provided me. The decision was mine to make, right down to the deadline.

I can’t speak to the experiences of others, but after deciding to remain on campus, their support was essential in addressing my depression head on. * * * Jack Schmitt (COL ‘15) – On “Taking It” Last fall at Georgetown, I fell into a deep depression. I felt more alone than ever before—facing thoughts of death and suicide— and I struggled on a daily basis with finding the motivation to stick to my commitments. When others inquired, I denied the trouble I was facing, as accepting it would make it real. But due to this avoidance, when the time came to discuss my options, a MLOA became the only realistic choice.

My leave, however, provided me with an ease and opportunities that would be nearly inaccessible at Georgetown. I began to regularly see a therapist, taking the time to sort through

underlying fears I never had the chance to unpack. I also worked full-time at a data entry position, which offered a slower pace than the rigor expected of me at Georgetown and became an almost therapeutic engagement.

During my leave, I realized taking one semester or even a year off from school to obtain a better grasp of my mental health was a better option for me than trying to struggle through it with added pressures at school. Although there are plenty of resources available at Georgetown, I believe my decision to take a medical leave was the best one for me. * * * These are just two experiences of the many who take or consider taking leaves of absence.

Despite different choices, we both made out alright. Staying isn’t better than taking leave, it is simply taking a different course of action.

There is no prescribed formula for success, but the following quote

by Mark Caine provides some instruction on where it could start: “The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to

be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.”

This “environment” is not Georgetown, but rather our relation to Georgetown and the perceived norm. Both courses of action require a willingness to reach out and accept help, and both require courage to take agency. We must commit ourselves to fostering an environment that supports those who choose to “take it” and return, but one that also equally supports those who decide to “leave it.” We encourage the reader to live actively and not resign themselves to this position of captive, to decide which course of action is best for them and follow through with confidence, and to leave Georgetown after four years not as survivors of college, but as beneficiaries of the personal and intellectual development this institution fosters.

BEN SAUNDERS SFS ‘15 AND JACK SCHMITT COL ‘15

Forgetting the resume: Serving the community for the good of others CAITRIONA PAGNI I went to Mass once. It wasn’t that bad.

In fact, aside from the tedious group prayers that harken to memories of my 6 year-old self squirming in a pew in the back of the church every Sunday, I really enjoyed the service. If you ever find yourself at a Catholic service on campus, make sure you don’t space out during the homily because if you pay close enough attention, you could stumble upon a detail as minuscule as a mere word or a phrase that redefines

your life. At least that’s what happened to me.

During that particular 7:30 a.m. Sunday service, Fr. O’Brien was the priest who offered Mass—it must have been his turn in the rotation. I don’t remember exactly what his homily was about, but something he said, almost in passing, reminded me of the most important characteristic of a Georgetown education. He said, “The way I serve this community and how you all serve this community...”

The idea of service was so clearly integrated into the way he lives his life that it even permeated the lan-

RIVER DAVIS

“BUT, IF I CAN’T TALK ABOUT IT IN AN INTERVIEW, WHY WOULD I DO IT?”

guage of his homily. His use of the word “serve” electrified the air. It hung there and wouldn’t leave my head. It challenged me to rethink the way I saw the world and my place in it.

The word “serve” has something about it that draws me to it. Perhaps it’s the kryptonite to my cynical soul.

Behind this word lies an earnestness that can be hard to find in the world, even on this campus. Many Georgetown students spend their four years running from commitment to commitment, almost blindly, trying to meet the next deadline, to boost our GPAs, or to arrive at the next big resume-building achievement that will get us that coveted internship at the State Department or Morgan Stanley. Each task we undertake is just one more stop on the rat race to our lofty aspirations.

Throughout my two and a half years at Georgetown I have had countless conversations with my peers about our goals for the future. Sometimes I find these conversations enlightening and inspiring, but most of the time I become unnerved about the way some of my peers conceptualize their futures.

One student I had a conversation with informed me:

“I could see myself being happy once I make $800,000 per year.” When I asked him how he planned on achieving such a salary, he said he would look for jobs that would let him follow the money. I left that conversation very disheartened, asking myself, “what is the point?” Is an arbitrary salary a meaningful marker of a successful life?

As much as I wince when I encounter people who have no discernible goals beyond a number in a bank account, I also struggle to find meaning beyond ambition in my future. Nevertheless, that one phrase in the one homily of the hundreds of Masses I have been to in my life somehow gave me a new grounding as I grapple with these questions.

I have found a way to cancel out the blind ambition that can lurk behind my aspirations by reevaluating them using the service of others as my top priority. I never consciously tried to live a self-centered life, but once I took the time to critically examine myself, I discovered that selfishness found small, indiscernible ways to creep into my outlook and my actions. Instead of asking what I want to be or what I want to have in the future, I now ask myself, “how do I want to serve?”

I try to pose this reawakened ethic of service as a challenge by constantly asking, “am I living my life with the needs of other in mind?

Do I do the things that I do in life to serve others?” Sometimes the answer is yes, but I am not perfect. It is through tirelessly posing this question to myself that I have found a way to keep myself accountable, and the results have been amazing.

Once I reframed my actions to emphasize service, I found a new meaning in both my goals for the future and in my daily life. The interactions I have with others have taken on a new meaning because they are no longer primarily for my benefit. I have found that living for others gives life a meaning that never goes away.

I can’t change what our society values in a person’s life, but I refuse to let the value of my life amount to nothing more than a title or a salary. I want my life to matter beyond the scope of myself. I want to serve.

CAITRIONA PAGNI SFS ‘16 won’t listen at mass until she sees somebody walk on water

voices

georgetownvoice.com

THE GEORGETOWN VOICe | 15

Saying no to the dress: Sweatpants not a default, but a statement JULIA HUBBELL A good friend of mine once told me that she enjoyed visiting Georgetown, but she was glad to leave because the lack of sweatpants on campus made her feel uncomfortable.

I could not agree more. On days I dare to wear sweatpants, I get asked by people whether I’m okay, whether I’m sick or if I pulled an all-nighter. Other days, I manage to make it through unscathed until I pick up a campus newspaper and find myself told that I should dress like Deloitte’s watching.

Yes, I’m alright. No, I’m not sick. I slept seven hours last night, thank you. And

I HATE PANTS. I HATE EVERY KIND OF PANTS.

heaven help me—heaven help us all—if I ever end up working at Deloitte.

My sweatpants are a political statement. Next to my “This is What a Feminist Looks Like” t-shirt, they might be the most politically charged item of clothing I own. Over three years of being ground down

by Georgetown’s culture of “Western Business Attire” and “Appropriate Dress Required,” my sweatpants have slowly become a two-fold symbol of protest.

To begin with, most women’s clothing does not have pockets. My favorite pair of jeans has stitching along my hip to suggest room for a phone, but it is a bald-faced lie: there

ELIZABETH BLUMBERG

CARRYING ON

is no capacity to hold more than a fuzz of lint. The fashion industry long ago decided that pockets on women’s clothing are unflattering and unfeminine. Extra fabric around your thighs? But it would ruin your figure, darling! I am supposed to care more about my status as a woman than my iPhone accessibility.

This is wildly impractical.

It means I cannot leave the house without my purse, ever, because I have nowhere else to put my things. To quote a recent article by Tanya Basu, “A man can simply swipe up his keys and iPhone on the way to a rendezvous with co-workers and slip them into his pocket.

A woman on the way to that same meeting has to either carry those items in her hand, or bring a whole purse with her—a definitive, silent sign that she is a woman.”

I cannot escape the purse and its connotations. People assume that women carry purses because ladies are so much less practical than men and want all sorts of unnecessary, hyper-feminine, frivolous things: lipstick, blush, eyeliner, nail-file, hand-sanitizer, bobby pins, hair bands, aspirin, gum, etc. I won’t deny that sometimes I need an extra hair band, but on the whole my

Education more involved beyond American borders

BY LAURA KUREK

A rotating column by senior Voice staffers

Academics is the aspect of a semester abroad that is remembered least.

If you read the above statement and agreed with it, you may want to reconsider.

Though perhaps not the zenith of one’s college career academically, studying abroad can offer much in the way of one’s higher learning experience.

Among these is the opportunity to understand how American universities differ from those in other countries.

After three months in Moscow, I have come to know and appreciate the differences between American and Russian classrooms at the university level.

“You do not look well. You should get more sleep.”

When spoken by a professor, especially early in the semester, such advice would strike the American student as extremely forward. I received this exact advice from my language professor on day two of our acquaintance.

The teacher-student relationship is much more personal in Russia than the in the States.

Professors assume a more parental role. Most make it to be their business to know more than simply how their students learn, taking an interest in and concerning themselves with life outside the classroom.

In this way, professor-student interactions are less transactional than in the U.S. The American norm could be described as such: show up, do the work, receive a grade. Rather, the Russian professor is often a figure which students more than simply respect: many regard her or him as a mentor, and in some cases, as a friend.

Moreover, a Russian professor considers a student’s success in the course reflective of her success as a teacher. Likewise, a failure indicates some failure on her part. Because of this, Russian professors tailor lesson plans to their students, discerning each of

purse contains my keys, wallet, phone, and old receipts. Not that anyone will ask what’s in my purse, of course. Society has already told them, and I have already been judged.

My sweatpants, gently gender-neutral and—unlike my jeans, dresses, leggings, and skirts—have gloriously large pockets. They are recklessly extravagant in their use of fabric.

I can fit an entire coffee mug inside them. Freedom! Beautiful freedom! Leaving the house with nothing in my hands, no purse strap chaining me to the patriarchy. My phone in one pocket, wallet and keys in another, I can speed-walk without my purse bumping against my thigh or hitching my left my shoulder so the strap won’t fall off.

The days that I wear sweatpants are often days I need or desire this freedom of mobility. So if you think I look like I’m not trying or don’t care, I can only say that I put more thought into my choice of pants than the guy wearing a black-suit-bluetie combo around campus.That said, sometimes I wake up in the morning and decide, “Wow! I feel like not trying. I don’t care.”

And on those days, too, I wear my sweatpants.

And no matter what I am wearing, I expect to be listened to in class. After all, I listen to

their starting levels and working from there. The accountability Russian professors assume for their students translates into better results for all in the classroom.

“

T he soccer game re-

vealed a part of the culture that I rarely come in contact with.

”

Another unique difference is that the typical Russian university course does not adhere to a strict syllabus. Professors are not constrained by predetermined expectations of what to accomplish. Rather, they decide what to cover based on students’ interest as well as their own inclinations.

Thus, the progression of the course takes a more organic and democratic path.

When my literature professor first asked what I wanted to

read, I was surprised by the question. Throughout the semester, this question and others like it have given me a sense of ownership in my studies.

Classroom dynamics between students also differ from those in the U.S. After two years on the Hilltop, I am accustomed to competition and zero tolerance for cheating.

Needless to say, I was mildly amused during the language placement at the start of the semester. The proctor handed out the exam and promptly left the room, not to return.

Talking with classmates during exams is encouraged in Russia, rather than forbidden. Russians do not consider students assisting one as unfair or self-defeating. On the contrary, when students discuss an exam together, each is able to best demonstrate his true grasp of the material, regardless of testday conditions.

Georgetown folk despite the boat shoes and Nantucket Reds. I simply ask for the same courtesy.

I demand to be taken seriously regardless of the clothes I wear or the clothes I can afford, regardless of anyone who thinks my clothes are respectable or whether I’ve decided today is a perfect day to wear my spaceship earrings. I demand to be taken seriously because I am a human, and if my sweatpants affect how you treat me, I do not think the problem is on my end.

To every Georgetown student who has worn their sweats as a celebration of their magnificent pockets, or because of their outstanding level of comfort, or because they woke up and just don’t care: onwards, my friends. Let us not be deterred by Deloitte’s watchful eye from across the Potomac. We wait patiently for the day that all clothing decisions are equally respected, but until then, stay strong. You are not alone.

JULIA HUBBELL COL ‘15 is still undecided on jeggings

For the Americans scratching their heads, by relaxing the definition of cheating, having a bad day no longer constitutes a reason for tanking an exam.

Classmates may help to jog any lapses in memory or catch senseless mistakes. With this approach, either the class together learns the material well and collectively exhibits such, or the lack of comprehension is demonstrated in everyone’s grade.

Recently, a professor of mine noticed I was not feeling well and placed her hand on my forehead to assess my condition. Another relayed to me the benefits of green cabbage in staving off a cold. Small acts such as these reveal my teachers’ sincere care for me and my education—a sincerity I believe I will miss once I return stateside.

For those who feel they didn’t learn anything inside the classroom during study abroad, consider this: the essence of education is to better comprehend our diverse world and then improve how we exist within it. You could try to learn that in the U.S. from a book, sure, but it won’t have the same effect as a hand on your forehead or a suggestion of cabbage.

the spread ’em

the tickler

the let-it-grow

the Duck Dynasty

no shave november a gentleman's guide to growing and grooming

the Civil War

the ya-missed-a-spot

the Brazillian wax

the almost-there

the Van Dyke

the pornstache

the DalĂ­

the old Dutchman Illustrated by Megan Howell