The Georgetown Voice, February 5, 2016

Page 1

VOICE The Georgetown

B-12.00 -- Trim to 10.00Wx11.00D - CMYK - Georgetown

February 5, 2016

1


2

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE Volume 48 • Issue 10

staff editor-in-chief Daniel Varghese Managing editor Kevin huggard news

executive editor Christopher Castano Features editor Graham piro news editor liz teitz assitant news editors lilah burke, caitlyn cobb, thomas stubna

culture

executive editor Joseph pollicino Leisure editor Brian mcMahon assistant leisure editors Tatiana Lebreton, Caitlin Mannering, Maneesha Panja, Sarika Ramaswamy Sports editors Alex boyd, robert ponce Assistant sports editors Santul Nerkar, Tyler pearre, phillip steuber

opinion

Executive editor chris almeida voices editor charles evain assistant voices editor Joseph Dipietro

“Too much tuna” by luke fontana

contents

Editorials

4

Carrying On: Where Are You From? Tatiana Lebreton

5

Drowning in Success Jared Ison

6

A Beginning and an End Fr. Gregory Schenden

7

“Oh, Hello” Again Graham Piro

8

The Shaw Field Six Alex Boyd and Robbie Ponce

11

The Pool Widens: Applicants’ Diversity on the Rise Margaret Gach

14

Et Tu, Brolin? Graham Piro

15

halftime

Leisure editors Mike bergin, jon block assistant leisure editor danielle hewitt Sports editors Jay benjamin, Matt jasko assistant sports editors jonny amon, chris dunn

design

Executive editor megan howell cover editor patricia lin Spread editor johnny jung Photo editor Brooke dudek assistant design editors Emma Francois, Alli Kaufman, abbey Roberts, eleanor sugrue, vance vaughn

copy

copy chief Anna Gloor editors Clara Cecil, Claire Goldberg, Greg Goulding, Laura Isaza, Michelle Kelly, Isabel Lord, Anne Paglia, Kate Phillips, Hanh Nguyen, Greer Richey, Dana Suekoff, Suzanne Trivette, Gabriella Wan

online

online editor sahil nair social media editors naba rahman, tiffany tao

Staff writers

Ben barrett, amanda christovich, brendan crowley, elizabeth cunniff, isabel echarte, rachel eshelman, nicholas gavio, anna gloor, andrew granville, christian hallmark, susanna herrmann, amelia irvine, cassidy jensen, Laura Isaza, noah nelson, brendan pierce, justin plumb, Brendan saunders, isaiah seibert, tyler walsh

staff designers

erin annick, Natalia campos, April hyein choi, samantha lee, Andrea Leng, May li, kyua park, angela qi, Lindsey reilly, morgan trevett

business

editor@georgetownvoice.com Leavey 424 Box 571066 Georgetown University Washington, DC 20057

2

The opinions expressed in The Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University, unless specifically stated. Columns, advertisements, cartoons and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of The Georgetown Voice. The university subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors.

general manager tim annick senior associate, finance and alumni outreach naiara parker senior associate, accounts and sales jessica ho


3

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

read more on georgetownvoice.com The Rise of Leicester City Nick Gavio chronicles the stunning season that perennially mediocre Leicester City has had. The Foxes, who just two years ago were relegated to the second tier of English soccer, now lead the English Premier League over halfway through the season. espn fc

Dabbing All the Way to Disneyland He’s loud, he’s animated, he’s boisterous, and he’s going to the Superbowl. Cam Newton’s exuberant personality has evoked vehement disapproval from swaths of detractors, but that same irrepressible vigor may also propel him to the pinnacle of his sport.

USA TOday

Kehoe Field Closed Bryan Karas and Elizabeth Teitz report on the closure of the field, home to many of Georgetown’s club sports teams, due to ongoing maintenance issues and safety concerns.

Daniel varghese

Bruce Springsteen Triumphs at the Verizon Center Brooke Dudek covers Bruce Springsteen’s recent show at the Verizon Center. The rock legend put on a tremendous performance, with soaring energy and a sincere message. billboard.com

B-12.00 -- Trim to 10.00Wx11.00D - CMYK - Georgetown

3


EDITORIALS

4

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

An Apathetic Effort Young People Fail to Make it to the Polls Young people, it seems, just don’t like to vote. In the 2012 presidential election, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15 percent of voters were young adults aged 18 to 29, despite this age group making up 21 percent of eligible voters. The cause of this disparity is not hard to determine, for only 45 percent of voters between 18 and 29 voted, a rate nearly 15 percentage points lower than that for 30 to 44 year-olds, the demographic with the next-lowest participation rate. This is not only a problem in national elections. At Georgetown, where politics can seem to tinge everything that happens on campus, the student body shows a remarkable degree of apathy toward electing its campus representatives. This past spring, 3,637 students—just under half the undergraduate population—voted in the GUSA presidential election. As the presidential primary season gets underway, and the GUSA Executive election season returns, this Editorial Board asks you, quite simply, to care and to demonstrate that care by voting. Campaign speech is often empty. Incessant appeals for support are annoying. Perfect candidates rarely, if ever, appear. All of this and more can serve to discourage a potential voter, but we do not demand that you fall in

data from the u.s. census bureau

Eleanor Sugrue

love with the messy business of campaigning. Instead, we ask only that you keep yourself informed—even if at a distance—and make your contribution to the ballot box on election day. Here at Georgetown, apathy toward campus politics is easy to come by. And while GUSA, like any institution of its nature, has imperfections, none of its issues will find solutions in an indifferent student body. Instead, this can only serve to weaken the ability of GUSA to affect changes that will benefit Georgetown students. Whatever power GUSA has, it takes directly from its ability to claim the support of the student body. The administration can much more easily disregard the opinions of GUSA—and by extension those of the wider student population—when students tune out the campus decision-making process. On the other hand, when the student body participates and makes its concerns known to the administration, university policy tends to more fully consider student interests. We saw this in action two years ago, when GUSA harnessed student reaction against the idea of creating a satellite campus and push the University to ultimately settle on another option. Given greater backing, GUSA can more forcefully pursue the goals of the student body. If one believes that GUSA does not accomplish enough, then the simplest way to address this problem is by increased engagement, not by neglecting to participate in the campus political process. In this way, students can ensure that the institution designed to amplify their role in deciding campus policy is not pushed aside. But, at the end of the day, we do not vote for institutions, we vote for people. At the national level, our elected officials represent our country to the world. Here on campus, the members of GUSA serve as the focal point of interaction between the administration and the student body. The stakes at play are vastly different in these two spheres, but the principle is the same. Given that these are people who both shape and communicate our interests, it is irresponsible not to consider carefully who we allow

GUSA President Joe Luther, center, in action

Christine xiao

to sit in elected offices, and even more neglectful not to participate at all. The unfortunate reality is that no perfect option is about to emerge. Yet waiting on the sidelines for some impossible ideal seems an impractical way to go about democratic governance, and we find it strange that the youngest group of eligible Americans are the ones who seem to be most disillusioned with the electoral process. There is no arguing with the numbers, however, and some mixture of cynicism and indifference is clearly keeping young people at home on election day. This pattern can only serve to hurt young people, as we risk leaving ourselves underrepresented in national politics due to our lack of involvement. Cynicism is both self-defeating and self-fulfilling, for the less that young people vote, the less that leaders must account for our interests. In a few weeks, Georgetown will decide who will become its next student body president. Then, in less than a year, people across the U.S. will go to the polls to elect the next leader of this country. We will be there on both days to make our concerns known. We hope, for our sake and yours, that you will be too.

On Injured Reserve The University Closes Kehoe Field It appears that Kehoe Field has sprained its final ankle and torn its last ligament. On Tuesday, Feb. 2, Todd Olson, Vice President for Student Affairs and Robin Morey, Vice President for Planning and Facilities Management, announced the closure of the field atop Yates Field House. Closing the field is a necessary step, although it has taken too many years for the University to show a sense of urgency when it comes to this problem. Kehoe did not experience a sudden death, but rather a long, slow deterioration, and the administration should have dealt with its obvious flaws many years ago. The field has long suffered from a myriad of ailments, ranging from its lack

4

of an effective drainage system, which leaves the turf water-logged for days after a storm, to its thin layer of padding over the concrete base below. As anyone who has had the misfortune of attempting a dive, slide, or tackle on it knows, Kehoe offers about as much cushion in the event of a fall as a patch of pavement covered in a sheet of sandpaper. This Editorial Board would like to commend the administration for seeking out alternatives for students to use while Kehoe is closed. Olson and Morey’s message noted that the school hopes to reach an agreement with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington for use of its field on S Street. Despite its inconvenience, with many

in club sports’ leadership expressing concerns about the impracticality of travel times and carrying equipment such a far distance, this new field should result in many fewer injuries to Georgetown students. Given current state of athletics facilities on campus, we approve of the decision to close Kehoe. Having said that, things should never have been allowed to get this bad. These problems are years, even decades, in the making, and the administration should have undertaken an overhaul of its playing surface long ago. Now, with Kehoe Field reduced to an enormous, unusable patch of ground on a campus in desperate need of space, we hope that its renovation will finally begin.


5

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

Where Are You From?

Carrying On: Voice Staffers Speak

Looking Beyond the Boxes of Cultural Identity “Where are you from?” This question precedes all small talk at orientation, parties, or other inevitable social events (it’s usually quickly followed by “what’s your major?”). This simple question begs a simple answer, and for the vast majority of us, at this stage in our lives, the answer is simple. New York, California, Korea, Ohio, Brazil … the list goes on. Then there are those, myself included, for whom the answer isn’t so simple. The question carries with it a special weight for those of mixed backgrounds or those who grew up in different places. How do we choose which identity to put forth? And why must we choose? Taking myself as an example, how the conversation will proceed is quite different depending on if I answer “England” or “France” (which unfortunately is just the tip of the iceberg in my case). But if “where are you from” is a simple question, why agonize over it at all? Because the answer matters a great deal. There must be a reason for “where are you from” to have earned its spot as the most commonly asked question. Allow me to suggest one reason among many. When people ask where we are from, what they are really asking is who we are. It and “what’s your major,” are a quick way of gauging what type of person you are. Thus it is an undeniable fact that where we are from defines who we are as people—whether we want it to or not—in the eyes of others, but also in our own. “Where are you from?” is an example of the world forcing us to assume a cultural identity. And when we answer, we bring with us all the stereotypes, generalizations, and preconceptions attached to the culture that we choose. This is true for many groups here at Georgetown, particularly the international students (one of whom I am).

Anyone who’s kept half an eye open on campus has noticed that there is a tendency for international students to flock together (usually in groups of others from the same country). Why do they do this? And is there something wrong with it? I personally cannot deny that sticking to your cultural group seems to foster a certain separatist mentality at Georgetown: “us and them,” “my cultural group and the Americans.” I also won’t deny that at times I have found myself judging fellow internationals for it. Why did you even come here if you’re just going to stick with people from the same country? Conversely, I am met with equal judgment when, upon finding out where I am from (wherever that may be) someone asks me if I know someone who’s from there too, and I don’t. “Why not?” their eyes seem to suggest. But I haven’t answered my first question. Why do they—or we—the international students, do this? Why do we all really, as humans, gravitate towards people from the same place as us? Because it is easy, because it is safe. Because for all us, where we are from (our culture) indicates what kind of person we are. And so, we flock towards people of that same place, because we see them as similar souls, who hold with them the promise of all the comfort and familiarity of home. They are people to go to when this new culture (America, the East Coast, college, etc.) becomes too much for us. They just … get it. You know? Everyone does this; international students are just more likely to, because the new culture they confront is so much more different, foreign. Is there something wrong with this? Inherently, no. People are free to associate with whomever they like. You can-

not force anyone to integrate into a culture or be friends with someone they have nothing in common with, if they do not want to. I asked before what the point was of coming to study in the U.S. if you only make friends with people from home. Maybe the point is just that: to study, to learn and nothing more. However there is a different type of learning, other than academic, that studying in a foreign country should give you: cultural learning, which begets understanding and promotes tolerance. And this particular kind of learning can be achieved only through integrating into a group whose culture is not your own. But this is scary; this is hard. And why? Part of the fear is that we will lose our old culture if we go towards a new one. This is false. We do not shed our old skin for a new one; we simply acquire an additional layer. What mainly makes it difficult is that the world can’t grasp the idea of someone having more than one culture. And I should know. I never did understand why I was pressured to choose between my cultural identities. They are all mine, each a part of me that I can never deny or renounce. And choosing seems pointless, since I am always the foreigner, no matter where I go: “The French girl,” “the American,” “the English girl,” or any other label others see fit to place on me. People feel the need to shove me into a cultural box, and I always belong to the one they choose for me (usually different from their own). I won’t deny that being the perpetual foreigner can get lonely. But all of us here will be subject to this dynamic nominalism, international or not. We came to Georgetown because we want to move on to greater things, different places. And all those places will leave their marks on us. It is absurd to think you can escape the culture of the place in which you live. “So, here you are/too foreign for home/ too foreign for here, never enough for both,” writes Ijeoma Umebinyuo. So what? You are enough! Hell, if people can accept the concept of the Holy Trinity, they can damn well accept the concept of multiple cultural identities. Having more than one culture does not leave you with pieces of each; it leaves you with full wholes. You don’t need to be cut up into boxes or forced into an ill-fitting one. At the end of the day, yes, maybe some things will just always be too American, too French, too Chinese for you. But you won’t know until you try them. And so you should not fear becoming complicated. You are still who you were, but think of all that you could be! You do not choose; you do not lose; you just collect in culture. You must leave home and build your own, on the foundations of the old one, but with new bricks that you picked up along the way.

BY TATIANA LEBRETON

SHE is a sophmore in the College. erin annick

B-12.00 -- Trim to 10.00Wx11.00D - CMYK - Georgetown

5


VOICES

6 THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

What happiness can be derived from a shallow success when compared with the joy of a loving friendship?

6

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

Drowning in Success Seeking a New Kind of Excellence Students at Georgetown so often hear their teachers and faculty expounding the merits of cura personalis or being a man or woman for others, but it is often hard to translate this spirit of care and concern once we leave the front gates. As many Hoyas currently find themselves drafting résumés or writing cover letters, they are subconsciously making an assessment of their own success and how to convey it to others. Society tells us that ambition and drive are the marks of successful people, but too often I have found myself reflecting on the content of my résumé rather than the content of my character. Thomas Merton, a Catholic mystic and author concerned with these very habits, wrote, “We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being.” David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times, underscores a dichotomy between resume virtues and eulogy virtues when he says: “external success is achieved through competition with others. But character is built during the confrontation with your own weakness.” I owe a great debt of gratitude to the retreats offered at Georgetown in this regard. Too often I find myself intensely focused on the next step or even the ultimate destination of my life and the plan to get there, but I forget to look down and pay attention to where I am and how I got here. When I was not willing to make the time necessary to confront this weakness, Georgetown Campus Ministry and their retreats provided the time and space necessary to simply stop for a weekend and think. Coming from a Jesuit high school I had always valued such experiences, but it was not until this past weekend that a retreat so perfectly responded to my exact place in life. Known as the “Crossroads,” and grounded in Ignatian spirituality, this retreat helped me and nearly 40 other Georgetown students grapple with questions like, what brings me joy, and what does the world need me to do? Together with this newfound community I spent 24 hours contemplating where I had found true and lasting happiness over the course of my time here and where that might lead me going forward. For me the toughest lesson was learning that there may not be one epiphany moment where I serendipitously discover the job or internship that connects all the dots and gives me the purpose that I have always craved. Instead I learned to trust in the process, continue to live each day as a loving friend, and by finding myself and my success in the remarkable people and experiences that bless each one of my days on the Hilltop. A few weeks ago, I was sitting in a funeral home in Vevay, Indiana, a town of only 1,600, in order to celebrate the life of my great-aunt Louise. While Louise did not have a college degree or many of the things that motivate us on the Hilltop, the pastor at the service continued to reiterate that she was truly a great person. He went on to cite a passage from the Gospel of Luke, which says that the measure of greatness is our care for others. While Louise may not have attended a prestigious university or held a position on the board of a noteworthy student organization, she tirelessly served as a teacher’s aide for over 30 years and touched the lives of thousands of students in the process. That is a life well lived, and that is a model of greatness. When asked to define her measurement of success at Georgetown, a friend said that her goal was to surround herself with diverse and interesting people that improve her life in both tangible and intangible ways. These relationships flourish over the four years at Georgetown as students expand their worldview in the classroom, but arguably more importantly engage with their peers in conversations that challenge their ideas and help them discover their guiding principles. She said, “success, for me, is leaving Georgetown and

Sam Lee

knowing that I have set myself up to have those kinds of conversations for the rest of my life.” It was so easy, during freshman year to just experience college and engage in higher level discussions, but that changed quickly. Everything was new and exciting, and each class and experience became a lifelong memory. Upon further reflection I realized that during freshman year I made time for others, whereas during sophomore year I seemed to need more time for myself and my pursuit of new resume items. Freshman year has become a source of unprecedented nostalgia, while sophomore year seems to have simply “been.” What happiness can be derived from a shallow success when compared with the joy of a loving friendship? Retreats are an unparalleled opportunity to step back for a few days with a community of friends and peers in order to wrestle with questions and engage in conversations that require more time than I am often willing to give during a normal week. Even though it is not practical or possible to go on a retreat every weekend, I can bring back the lessons I learned in order to become a more compassionate and present friend that is willing to work on myself and not just my resume. In times of great stress or doubt, I must always remain cognizant that success is not found in the accumulation of accolades, but rather in the moments when we can look inward and find peace with the person that we are and the people that we will become.

BY JARED ISON

He is a junior in the SFS.


7

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

VOICES

A Beginning and an End

Nineteen years of Jesuit Formation Nineteen years. Forty percent of my life here on Planet Earth. That’s how long I’ve been a Jesuit. Nineteen years. It’s not uncommon at significant moments in one’s life to reflect a bit more acutely on where one has been, where one is, and where one is going. So it has been these past weeks leading up to my profession of Final Vows in the Society of Jesus, taking place this Saturday in Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart. To quote the Talking Heads, “Well, how did I get here?” Since family and friends were present when I professed my first vows back in 1999, I’ve been getting countless questions from them as of late regarding my final vows. It was at my first vows after my first two years in the Society of Jesus, that I vowed perpetual chastity, poverty, and obedience in the Society of Jesus … to enter this same Society, and to spend my life in it forever. So, here we are seventeen years later; what more is there to vow? Here’s one way to better understand it. Seventeen years ago I said “yes” to the Society of Jesus—to walk as a companion of Christ for the rest of my life uniquely as a Jesuit. Now, after the various stages of Jesuit formation, the Society of Jesus is saying “yes” in return. Some have likened it to making tenure as a professor, or making partner at a law firm. Given my penchant for Star Wars, I tend to liken it to being invited before the Jedi Council to become a full Jedi Knight (given St. Ignatius of Loyola’s background as a knight, I’m sure he would approve of the analogy). I just wish Jesuits received lightsabers at final vows. In the interim years between first and final vows, throughout my formation as a Jesuit, I have gotten to know and love the Society of Jesus more fully and authentically, and I trust the Society of Jesus has gotten to know and love me more fully and authentically. It is to this spirit of trust in the Society’s “yes” that I profess my final vows. All of this fills me with an incredible wonder and awe. The Society of Jesus knows fully both my gifts as well as my weaknesses. It supported and encouraged me as I wrestled mightily during my philosophy studies at Loyola University Chicago. This same Society bolstered me as I flourished as a high school English and TV Communications teacher at Gonzaga College High School here in Washington, D.C. The Society of Jesus recognized my pastoral gifts and love of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius when missioning me as a newly ordained priest to Holy Trinity parish just down the block and now here as Catholic Chaplain at Georgetown. Just as I said “yes” those years ago at first vows, I am extraordinarily grateful for the countless ways the Society of Jesus has said “yes” to me implicitly throughout my Jesuit formation. Supporting me in my weakness, challenging me to live more fully out of who I uniquely am as a Jesuit, forming me as I lived more and more fully out of my gifts, all for the greater glory of God. From the vantage these days before professing final vows, I recognize that a facet of this grace of gratitude is how humbled I have felt and continue to feel each and every day as a Jesuit. I am humbled by my brother Jesuits—past, present, and future —with whom I walk in this life. From the greats,Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Pedro Arrupe, to the somewhat lesser-known,“the quiet companion” Peter Faber, the brilliant poet Gerard Manley Hopkins, the worker priest and mystic of the everyday Egide van Broeckhoven. From my Jesuit brothers at Wolfington Hall with whom I break bread both at Mass and in the dining room to over 350 of my brother Jesuits buried in our Jesuit cemetery at Georgetown. I am humbled and proud to call each and every one of them my brother. From university presidents to those with deep commitment to the poor and marginalized, those whose names are both remembered fondly and lost to history. I am humbled to be counted amongst them—each understanding themselves and understood by the Society of

Megan Howell

Jesus as a loved sinner —yet each one called to be a companion of Christ as Ignatius of Loyola was himself. I am equally grateful for and humbled by all of the lay women and men with whom I have walked these years as Jesuit. Each one of them has been integral in my formation – students, parishioners, classmates, co-workers. As the poet Hopkins wrote, “for Christ plays in ten thousand places/Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his/To the Father through the features of men’s faces.” Wonder and awe, grateful and humbled. That’s where I find myself these days. So, as many have asked, what next? How does professing final vows change things? Even though my Jesuit formation has formally concluded, that does not mean the journey of being formed concludes. Each of us, each day and every day, if we allow ourselves to be open, mindful, and authentic to who we are, continues to be formed. Formed more fully as to who each uniquely is, so as to be of greater service to God and to one’s neighbor. The great singer-songwriter Joe Strummer once stated that the future is unwritten. Maybe in my hand it’s unwritten, but in God’s hand it is all written. It’s been written for me; it’s a matter of continuing to say “yes” and the ongoing formation that such a “yes” entails. That hand has written a pretty remarkable tale thus far, and I trust it will continue to write it. I am grateful, humbled and filled with wonder and awe with the journey that now has joyously elicited a “yes” from the Society of Jesus. As for now and each day forward, give me God’s love and God’s grace… that’s enough for me.

Even though my Jesuit formation has formally concluded, that does not mean the journey of being formed concludes.

BY FR. GREGORY SCHENDEN, S.J. He is a Jesuit, and a Bad-Ass.

B-12.00 -- Trim to 10.00Wx11.00D - CMYK - Georgetown

7


8

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

Luke Fontano

Georgetown Welcomes Back a Comedic Duo

“Oh, Hello” Again

by Graham Piro

8


9

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

A

t first glance, Bulldog Alley may not seem like much of a performance area. But for comedians John Mulaney (COL ‘04) and Nick Kroll (COL ‘01), this unassuming venue would change their lives. “I saw John audition his freshman year, and was like, this is the funniest guy I’ve ever met,” said Kroll. Kroll was a senior when Mulaney, a freshman, auditioned for the Georgetown Improv Association. Mulaney, for his part, hadn’t planned on focusing on improv in his time at Georgetown. He had acted in theatrical productions in high school, but wasn’t sure if he would continue with acting in college. Originally he had planned on writing, and maybe starting a humor magazine, until a friend dragged him to the improv audition where he would meet Kroll. “I remember very specifically seeing John’s audition with his friend, and they were both funny,” Kroll said. If that first meeting set the stage for a promising future of collaboration for the pair of comedians, an afternoon more than a decade later in New York City secured it. In the eyes of most people, Strand Bookstore, known as the Strand, is a huge, independent bookstore in the heart of downtown Manhattan. It is a trademark of the city, and contains “eighteen miles of books” for avid fans of literature, according to its website. For Mulaney and Kroll, however, the store would provide something else: inspiration. “We were at the Strand one day, and we saw these two older guys buying two copies of Alan Alda’s Never Have Your Dog Stuffed,” Kroll said. “So, we saw these guys, and we just sort of observed them. They both bought their separate copies, and we followed them to a diner where they both sat and read their copies of the book.” These two elderly gentlemen became the inspirations for the protagonists of sketches they performed in comedy clubs, on the Kroll Show, and on and off Broadway. However, the long road to that show, “Oh, Hello”, which is now touring the country, started at the beginning of their freshman years. “I was a freshman, and there was this thing called the Funniest Act on Campus,” Kroll said. “I don’t know if that still exists but I bombed terribly.” Despite his poor audition, Kroll was noticed by Mike Birbiglia (COL ‘00), another successful Georgetown comedian. He was encouraged to audition for a sketch show called the No Show, and thus began his comedic career at Georgetown. “Doing the shows with Improv at Georgetown and Bulldog Alley are by far some of my greatest memories and really propelled me to go want to do comedy,” Kroll said of his time in college. He also discussed several Georgetown staples. “Who can forget all the magical evenings at Rhino and all the classy things that happened there?” he said. “I have to credit Wisemiller’s for instilling in me a lifelong love with what I think is Mexican polka music.” However, above everything else, Kroll valued performing in Bulldog Alley, which he jokingly described as a ghetto, adding that the intimate environment helped the performances. Although they have gone on to achieve enormous popularity, both Kroll and Mulaney relayed stories to which every Georgetown student can relate. Kroll spoke of unsuccessful attempts to sell his textbooks in the Leavey Center and the flavored coffee at Uncommon Grounds. “I mean, you’re never gonna find a better pun coffee name than Uncommon Grounds, I’m telling you.” Mulaney, who described his time at Georgetown as feeling like twenty years instead of four, has, in hindsight, come to appreciate the experience. He described one academic incident as being particularly memorable. “I remember once turning in a paper on Paradise Lost, sprinting … as fast as I could because it was late,” he said. “I just remember I was 19 years old, I was so exhausted, sprinting to turn in a paper on Paradise Lost that no one needed or wanted.” Mulaney experienced another turning point in a place Hoyas know all too well: Lauinger Library. He recalled taking a cigarette break with a group of friends outside of Lau in the early hours of the morning during finals. “[We] just kind of realized that we couldn’t keep taking cigarette breaks,” he said. “Everyone started dipping in the library. I had one of those big tables all to myself because I was chewing tobacco, and I just remember saying to myself, ‘You’ve got to get your life together.’” He also discussed a debate involving writer Christopher Hitchens in 2002 concerning whether or not the United States should invade Iraq. He said that witnessing the crowd getting into the argument by booing and cheering was one of the most intellectually stimulating moments in his time at Georgetown. In the classroom, Mulaney spoke of one experience in particular that shaped his career: Dr. John Glavin’s (COL ‘64) screenwriting class. During one exercise, Dr. Glavin made the class rewrite the lyrics of Cole Porter songs with updated references. The assignment initially seemed useless, but as the semester progressed, Mulaney began to see the value in what Glavin was teaching. “It was about teaching you that the more economical you can make anything, song lyrics, dialogue, jokes, the better it’s going to be,” he said. “I think that’s influenced me the most … It’s rules from Glavin’s class that I think about all the time.” Mulaney majored in English with a Theology minor, which he said he also enjoyed immensely. Outside of the classroom, the pair mostly focused on improv. “That was the biggest thing,” Mulaney said. “I really loved it, and I cared about everything from rehearsals in the group to poster design.”

“I think it was really helpful for us to feel like we were doing something that not everybody was doing on campus,” Kroll said. “It was a real choice to do … I think it just gave us a lot of stage time and allowed us to perform all the time so that when we got to New York we had already logged a lot of hours.” Their experiences were unique because of how small the comedy scene was at Georgetown. “It’s not a school you go to because you’re like ‘Oh, look at that bangin’ comedy scene,’” Mulaney added. But being a part of such a small, tight-knit group helped the duo develop their talents because of how many opportunities they had to perform. Mulaney compared Georgetown’s small comedy scene with the environment at a school like Emerson, which has many more sketch groups, saying that Georgetown offered many opportunities for growth.

“I think there’s a scholarship called the John Mulaney scholarship for anyone on line at Wisemiller’s to shoplift an Arizona Iced Tea.” - John Mulaney Due to their busy careers, the pair have been unable to return to Georgetown to watch the improv group perform. However, the two will return to campus when “Oh, Hello” comes to D.C, and are making an appearance in Gaston Hall at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 16 in an event sponsored by the Lecture Fund. Their impact on Georgetown will be well remembered, both on and off campus. “I’m pretty sure we still have an endowment at Booeymongers,” Kroll said. “And I think there’s a scholarship called the John Mulaney scholarship for anyone on line at Wisemiller’s to shoplift an Arizona Iced Tea,” Mulaney added. After their graduation from Georgetown, the two have followed separate paths into the professional world of comedy. Kroll made guest-starring appearances on such shows as Parks and Recreation, Community, and New Girl, along with appearances in the films I Love You, Man, Date Night, and Dinner for Schmucks. His breakthrough came as fantasy football fanatic Rodney Ruxin on FX’s hit series The League, which recently aired its seventh and final season. In 2013, Kroll also created Kroll Show on Comedy Central, which he starred in with prominent comedians like Bill Burr, Amy Poehler, Fred Armisen, and, of course, Mulaney. Mulaney himself became a writer for Saturday Night Live in 2008 at the height of the election between John McCain and Barack Obama. “That was a second college,” Mulaney said. “Writing late at night with people and everyone laughing ridiculously hard … it was incredibly fun.” During the period, the show was at its most popular. Mulaney and his fellow writers were tasked with producing ten shows in eight weeks, which, according to Mulaney, was the most shows SNL had ever put together in such a condensed time period. “I remember going home in a taxi cab and a bus pulled up next to me and it was an ad with all the guys from SNL,” he said. “Then I looked to the other side to the magazine stand and it was Entertainment Weekly with Seth [Myers] and Amy [Poehler], so it was just like … I couldn’t get away from this. It was everywhere. It was so exciting.” Mulaney has also had huge success as a stand-up comedian. His first stand-up comedy special, New in Town, premiered on Netflix in 2012. his second The Comeback Kid, came in 2015. Mulaney also tried his hand at sitcom television with his semi-autobiographical show, Mulaney, which premiered on Fox in 2014. Unfortunately, Mulaney received poor reviews, and the show was cancelled after thirteen episodes. “I would say having a TV show with my name on it not do well by any standard and get [to] cancelled was hard,” Mulaney admitted. “However, the same year that happened, I got to go on tour and play Carnegie Hall and do this special for Netflix, and it was the same year I got married.” There was a lot going on for the comedian, which he described as both difficult and amazing. Working with the cast of SNL gave both Mulaney and Kroll, who had several of them guest star on his show, invaluable experience. “[As] a comedy writer, purely, you get such an appreciation for writing for other people,” Mulaney said. “As someone who studied writing in school, and took screenwriting and playwriting classes, that was a second appreciation of when performers and actors come in; that’s when things get enhanced and get better.” He added that many writers see writing in comedy as a solitary experience, when in reality, it is a totally collaborative endeavor until the moment it gets put in front of an audience. Kroll said that it is an incredibly exciting time to be working in comedy because

B-12.00 -- Trim to 10.00Wx11.00D - CMYK - Georgetown

9


10

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

of the variety of comedic outlets, from stand-up comedians to news shows like Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. The development of “Oh, Hello” started in the Strand, but it has evolved since. After seeing the two elderly gentlemen in New York City, Mulaney and Kroll wanted to create characters who could resonate in cities around the country. “It just seemed so specific and funny to us … Once you see them, those guys in New York are everywhere,” Kroll said. “Most cities have their kind of old, liberal racist guys, so we saw them, and then we started to create those guys, and we started talking like them.” The pair started by hosting a two-man stand-up show in New York City. Then the characters, named Gil Faison (played by Kroll) and George St. Geegland (played by Mulaney), made their first televised appearance on Kroll Show. “People really liked them,” Kroll said. “You know, we had always been told nobody will get it outside of New York, and then we had like 16-year-old girls from Arizona dressing as them for Halloween.” After the Kroll Show finished, the two did a promotional interview for another comedian in New York City in character as Gil and George. “It was really really fun, and we sort of jokingly said, ‘Oh, George and Gil should go on Broadway,’” Kroll said. “And then, we started to say, ‘Well maybe those guys should write a play.’” “Oh, Hello” opened off-Broadway in the Cherry Lane Theater on Dec. 10 and was very well-received, which led to the pair starting a nationwide tour. “It feels like being back in college where you’re doing this thing because you love to do it, and it doesn’t matter really who sees it or what happens,” Kroll reflected. “It’s just really exciting to be working with your friend and to be doing the show 15 years after meeting him and still feeling the same way.” While the play is scripted, the two make sure to include as much improvisation as possible to make each performance feel fresh. “For us I think it’s the best of both worlds,” Kroll said. “[It is] something that we really like as a written piece and also that has a lot of room for improvisation to keep it fun and loose for us and interesting to do every night.” The show is never played the same way twice, which keeps both the performers and the audience on their toes. “When you’re doing a live show every night, you can keep tweaking and editing and changing jokes,” Kroll continued. “John and I are constantly thinking about a new way to do something, whether we want to change it or not.” Mulaney explained the differences between doing “Oh, Hello” and his other stand-up routines. He said that stand-up is like captaining a ship and entertaining the passengers all at once, which is fun for him, but as one person, keeping the attention of more than 1,000 people for an hour is challenging. Doing a two-man show is even more liberating, relaxing, and fun for both of them. “These characters in particular are so insane sometimes that it’s probably the most liberating thing to do on stage because we can kind of do whatever the hell we want,” Mulaney said. “ It feels like we deeply know the characters and we’re willing to go off in various directions every single night.” Mulaney admitted that he is constantly wondering what the two are going to do during the next performance. Kroll added that the two will adjust the play depending on where they are performing. “We’ll tweak jokes and add jokes to every city that we’re in,” he explained, “but the core of the show will be the same.”

“It’s just really exciting to be working with your friend and to be doing the show 15 years after meeting him and still feeling the same way.” - Nick Kroll Since Georgetown is not considered a prime producer of comedic talent, Mulaney expressed some of the trepidation he felt upon graduation, and he offered some advice for hopeful performers. He said that upon graduation, you would see your friends go into banking, or law, and that is terrifying since you will be an unemployed comedian. “You just went to this great school, and you’re like, ‘What the hell happened? I should be so impressive. I would tell people I went to Georgetown, and they would be so impressed,’” he said. “‘Now I tell people I’m trying to be a comedian, and they look at me like I have the plague.’” Mulaney explained what he sees as the positive of being a comedian. “Being a comedian is incredibly fun; I enjoy it as what you get to do professionally, the types of people you get to meet, and the types of experiences you get to have, both working and/or travelling, and performing for a lot of people,” he said. “It’s an incredibly fun experience. So that’s the good news.” The frustrating news is that it took him years to get to this point. Despite the uncertainty that dominated the early years of his career, Mulaney recommended not having a backup plan when you graduate. “I found people with backup plans tend to go to their backup plan and not see it through,” he said. Looking ahead, both comedians are working on several projects besides “Oh, Hello.” Kroll said that he is developing a few television shows and working on some movies, while Mulaney said that he is writing for Documentary Now, a show created by Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Seth Meyers. For now, however, the two are focused on having the time of their lives with “Oh, Hello.” Looking back on their time at Georgetown, they can both reflect on how memorable their experiences were. “You know you’re always fighting with people or upset, but also having the best time of your life,” Mulaney added. Long in a league of their own, these two will now make a triumphant comeback to the place that started it all. This time, however, they have found a new venue in town, one that should fit their outsized talents a little better than the cramped confines of Bulldog Alley. Additional Reporting by Daniel Varghese John Mulaney and Nick Kroll will be in Gaston Hall on Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 11 a.m. for a special event hosted by the Lecture Fund. “Oh, Hello” is playing at the Warner Theater in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 14, 15, 17, and 18.

Christian Frarey

10

Luke Fontano

Luke Fontano


11

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

The Shaw Field Six

The story behind the most improbable team in the history of Georgetown soccer By Alex Boyd and Robbie Ponce

I

n college sports, a few months is a lifetime. In that time, someone can transform from a nobody to a contender, a frontrunner to a spectator, or a student to a professional. Logic doesn’t always function in college athletics. What should happen rarely does. And what can’t happen often becomes reality. The 2015 Georgetown men’s soccer season registered the longest undefeated and winning streaks in program history, Georgetown’s first ever Big East Tournament Championship, and sent a record-breaking six players to Major League Soccer. However, it also featured perhaps the most heartbreaking loss in recent memory and a premature exit from the NCAA Tournament. Much can be said about the roller coaster season, but one thing is for certain: it doesn’t make a lot of sense. This is how a would-be mechanical engineer led an unlikely group of Hoyas to the most historic season in program history, and why it never should have happened.

The Coach

In 1995, Brian Wiese was an aspiring mechanical engineer. He had just graduated from Dartmouth College with a degree in Product Design and had hung up his cleats after a brief stint as a goalkeeper with the Zimbabwean club Bulawayo Highlanders to move out to California and pursue his master’s at Stanford. In his first year out of Dartmouth, Wiese worked as an engineer in San Diego, but soccer didn’t want to let him go. One day, when Wiese left his apartment to go for a run, fate intervened, and he became the head coach of the Del Mar Tsunami Girls’ Under-17 team after work. “They practiced at a park behind my apartment complex, and I was off on a run,” Wiese explained. “I stopped at the park to stretch and the team manager was standing there and we got into conversation, and next thing you know I’m coaching the team the next week.” When Wiese arrived at Stanford, luck pulled him back into soccer once again. The Stanford men’s soccer team had a vacancy at head coach, and his former coach from Dartmouth, Bobby Clarke, took the position. “He just so happened to be going to Stanford to take over the men’s program at the exact same time as I was going up there to enroll in my Master’s,” said Wiese.” “He was like ‘You know, I’d love to have you help.’ And I said, ‘That sounds like great fun. I’ll do that for free.’ It was one of those things where it probably didn’t help my Master’s Degree, but I had such a fun time coaching in those years.” After completing his studies in 1998, Wiese did not leave Stanford. He stayed on for another three years as Assistant Coach until 2001. “The time came to pick what was I going to do,” said Wiese. “Was I going to try to get into something with product design? I didn’t have the opportunity to do both. One or the other, and it was a non-decision. I knew my heart was always to coach, and I love to coach. Unfortunately for my bank account, it probably wasn’t the best long term decision.” When Clarke left for the head coaching position at Notre Dame in 2001, Wiese followed

Junior Forward Alex Muyl Chases Down the Ball in a game Against Creighton

Georgetown Athletics

him as an assistant. In 2005, Wiese was promoted to Associate Head Coach. In 2006, Wiese received a call from the Hilltop, and he never looked back. “At the end of the day, I love getting up and driving to Georgetown every day,” said Wiese. “I can’t ask for anything more than that.” Since taking his first, and only, head coaching position at Georgetown 10 years ago, Wiese has brought the Hoyas to their first NCAA Tournament since 1997 and has made Georgetown history with five NCAA Tournament appearances in six years. In 2012, Wiese led the Hoyas to the national championship game, where they fell in penalty kicks to the Indiana Hoosiers. In 2013, he was named the NSCAA Division I Coach of the Year.

Building a Program

From coaching a youth club team in San Diego to building one of the premier soccer programs in Division 1 athletics in the nation’s capital, Wiese’s focus over his time at Georgetown has been on recruiting the right players for the right system. “I don’t think you recruit any of the players thinking, ‘well, this guy’s going to be a pro,’” Wiese said. “I think all the kids you recruit, you like for a reason, and they have traits that you really like, but there’s just so many things that have to happen, and there are so many variables, that you just don’t know what will end up happening.” Though some of the most high profile prospects in club soccer receive a continual barrage of recruitment emails, phone calls from coaches and invitations to visit universities, Wiese’s vision for the future of Georgetown soccer didn’t include a star-studded roster of the most highly touted high school players in the country; instead, he hoped to find the right blend of personalities and players who were self-driven and confident on and off the pitch. In the 2012 recruitment cycle, Wiese brought in three players—forward Brandon Allen and defenders Cole Seiler and Keegan Rosenberry—who would make an instant impact as starters on Georgetown’s 2012 College Cup Runner-Up team. Defender Josh Turnley would become the team’s starting fullback in his sophomore year, and midfielders Melvin Snoh and David Witkoff would be key energy players coming off of Wiese’s bench over their four years with the Hoyas. Rosenberry, who has had some of the most success out of the bunch, was not a highly-recruited high school superstar. “He wasn’t overly fast,” Wiese explained. “And we’re sitting here with other coaches and they’re looking at us kinda scratching their heads and saying, ‘Well I don’t know if we like him that much, or as much as you guys,’ … A lot of coaches out there were like, ‘I don’t know if it’s worth us pursuing him.’” Wiese and the Hoya coaching staff did pursue him, and it paid off for the team, as well as its future captain. After the team was defeated in the 2012 College Cup final, Wiese and the Georgetown staff were able to bring in two of the most prized prospects in the nation going into 2013: forward Alex Muyl, who had been a part of the U.S. National Team Regency Program, and Ghanaian


12

FEBRUARY 5, 2016

defender Joshua Yaro, whose athleticism and skill helped him thrive in West Africa’s Right to Dream program. At the beginning of the 2013 season, Yaro found himself anchoring the Georgetown defense alongside Seiler, Rosenberry, and Turnley. This Georgetown back line soon became one of the most successful in the country. During their 2013 campaign, the Hoyas surrendered just eight goals in 21 games and led the nation in shutout percentage (.607). In his freshman year, the scrappy Muyl was inserted into Wiese’s starting 11, where he began a three-year partnership with Allen up top, and quickly became the team’s primary playmaker. The attacking duo of Allen and Muyl registered 15 goals and 14 assists in 21 games on the season. The team finished at 14-5-2 on the year after dropping their Third Round matchup against the Michigan State Spartans. With the same offensive and defensive core, the 2014 season was promising for Wiese’s Hoyas, who won 14 games for their second straight season before falling in penalty kicks to Virginia in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Along the way, Yaro, a soft-spoken and dedicated student with aspirations for a future in diplomacy for his home country, broke out as the Big East Defensive Player of the Year and one of college soccer’s most celebrated MLS prospects. After months of speculation, Yaro decided to pass up a surefire MLS SuperDraft selection to come back for another year at Georgetown. With another season under their belts, Wiese named each member of his defensive tandem— Yaro, Rosenberry, Seiler and Turnley—captains for the 2015 season.

A Bumpy Start

Three games into the season, Georgetown had one tie, two losses, and zero goals scored. The team uncharacteristically struggled offensively, and the defense missed the presence of Yaro, who was injured in the opening road trip. Through three games, the Hoyas had drastically underperformed after being ranked the No. 3 team in the nation in the NSCAA Preseason Poll. To make matters worse, the Hoyas were carrying their slump into a meeting with the then-No. 1 team in the country, the UCLA Bruins, and Yaro was still unable to play. The Hoyas had already plummeted in the rankings to No. 25. Yet somehow, some way, they won. The Hoyas upset the Bruins 3-1, notching the first three goals of the game, and most importantly, their first win of the season.

The Streak

“There was one of those things where you beat UCLA and the guys are saying we don’t lose again this year,” said Wiese.” “And I remember that vividly from the guys and I remember saying ‘Well, wouldn’t that be nice,’ but they were right, they didn’t. They didn’t lose again.” After a 5-2 rout of Radford and an overtime draw against VCU, Yaro returned to help the Hoyas to a 3-1 win over West Virginia. After Yaro rejoined the lineup, the Hoyas won every game. Georgetown did not dominate most games during the streak, which included four overtime wins. The Hoyas were not technically flashy. Instead, many of the wins came off hustle and grit. As the leaves fell from the trees in the fall, so did the best competition that the Big East had to offer. Yaro’s return to the lineup brought the back line back to its previously dominant form. Through the veteran leadership of the Georgetown captains and the combination play between Muyl and Allen up top, Georgetown streaked to a perfect 9-0 in Big East play, including a

Summer 1995 Brian Wiese’s run

Fall 1995 Wiese becomes Stanford Assistant Coach

March 2006 Wiese hired as Georgetown Head Coach

“With the schedule we play, to

go undefeated in the Big East 9-0, first time in program history we did that, win the Big East tournament, first time in program history we’ve done that, to realize those goals, and to do it the way we did it …. that was really special. -Head Coach Brian Wiese

win over the then-No. 2 Creighton Bluejays, a team projected not only as a Big East contender but as a College Cup contender as well, before entering the Big East Tournament with the No.1 seed. In the final game of the tournament, the Hoyas drew Creighton once again, providing the Bluejays an opportunity for revenge. The teams were deadlocked 1-1 after regulation, but in the 107th minute, Muyl struck a shot inside the far post and locked up Georgetown’s first ever Big East Tournament championship. “To be the first team in history to do it is obviously going to cement our program and that year in the history books,” said Rosenberry. “I think with the type of closely-knit group we had, it means even more.” “With the schedule we play,” added Wiese, “to go undefeated in the Big East 9-0, first time in program history we did that, win the Big East tournament, first time in program history we’ve done that, to realize those goals, and to do it the way we did it … that was really special.” It had been 16 games since the loss to Akron, and the Hoyas had not lost one. The last 13 were all wins. Over those 16 games, Yaro, Rosenberry, and the rest of the Hoya defense allowed only 12 goals, including six straight shutouts. It was already the longest undefeated and winning streak in program history. The stars seemed to be aligning for the Hoyas, whose senior core of Seiler, Rosenberry, Allen and Turnley had one final chance at an elusive College Cup. The Hoyas received the third overall seed, and were fully expected to make a deep run, if not go all the way. The Hoyas drew Hofstra in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after a first-round bye, and cruised past the Pride 3-0.

Dec. 9, 2012 Georgetown falls in College Cup finals to Indiana

Fall 2012 Allen, Rosenberry, Seiler and Turnley begin freshman year at Georgetown

Sep. 4, 2015 Hoyas start the season 0-2-1, Yaro is injured

Fall 2013 Yaro and Muyl begin freshman year at Georgetown


13

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

The Heartbreaker

By the time the lesser-known Boston College Eagles journeyed down to Washington for the third round of the tournament, the Hoyas boasted the best defense in the country and were the hottest team in the tournament. Once again, the Hoyas didn’t lose in regulation. Except this time, not losing in regulation wasn’t enough. Rosenberry scored the Hoyas’ only goal in the contest, and after two overtime periods, both teams were still tied at one apiece. Rosenberry uncharacteristically missed the third Georgetown penalty kick, but the Eagles didn’t miss any, advancing 5-4 after the 1-1 draw. In a little over two hours, the Hoyas’ streak and season had vanished. “I’ll always have that little thing that’s nagging at us, I wish we had gone further in the NCAA tournament. I feel that it was really a special team,” said Wiese. “If there’s ever a team that could have won the whole thing, that I’ve ever been around, it was last year’s group for sure.” With their early exit, the Hoyas extended their undefeated streak to 18, a streak that, according to Wiese, is technically still alive. But just as much as the 2015 season will be remembered by the streak, it will always be marred by the disappointment of the early tournament exit. The 2015 campaign featured upsets and thrilling overtime victories. But in one of the few games the Hoyas were expected to win, the most important game of the season, they slipped.

The Draft

Within the month after the Hoyas had their College Cup hopes spoiled by Boston College, the dominos began to fall. Allen was the first of the Hoyas to sign a professional contract when the New York Red Bulls announced that he’d be joining the club as a Homegrown Player. The next day, the club announced that Muyl had decided to forego his last year of eligibility in favor of joining Allen and the Red Bulls as well. The Hoya attacking partners will stay intact, at least for the time being. Three weeks later, when most Georgetown students returned to the Hilltop to begin another semester, the 2016 MLS Superdraft held the hopes and dreams of several Georgetown athletes in the balance. With the second pick of the draft, the Philadelphia Union traded up to select Yaro, the Big East Defensive Player of the Year yet again, who, a week earlier, was announced as a member of the 2016 Generation Adidas class. “Georgetown as an institution challenges us in the classroom and on the field,” said Yaro. “I think that those challenges helped me as a person to really know my strengths and weaknesses and help me to work to overcome every obstacle that comes my way. My time at Georgetown has contributed to that a lot and has built me and prepared me for my next step.” Philadelphia had the third pick as well, and selected Yaro’s backline partner Rosenberry—a Pennsylvania native who had grown up playing within the Union academy. Just like Allen and Muyl, Yaro and Rosenberry will continue to play alongside one another at the next level an opportunity that neither of them take lightly.

Nov. 15, 2015 Georgetown defeats Creighton again to win first ever Big East Tournament

Sep. 7, 2015 Georgetown defeats No.1 UCLA— The undefeated streak begins

“I think the media does a great job of capturing how good of a player [Yaro] is and what kind of a talent he has,” said Rosenberry. “But sometimes what isn’t captured is just what type of kid he is. Not to say the media does a bad job or anything like that but he’s such a good kid, he’s got a great heart, and he works his butt off whether he’s on the field or in the classroom.” “We’ve known each other for a long time, not only as players, but as humans and as friends,” added Yaro. “We’ve grown to really getting along well. I’m really looking forward to my time with him playing on the same team.” Seiler was the next Hoya defender taken off the draft board, when Vancouver Whitecaps FC selected him with the 16th pick overall. Turnley was the last to go, taken five days later in the third round of the draft by the LA Galaxy. With Turnley’s selection, all four Hoya starting defenders became professionals. The six Hoyas to turn pro broke the Georgetown school record, as did Yaro individually as the university’s highest ever pick. “Six of those walking out the door is something that just doesn’t happen very often on any team around the country,” said Wiese. “You know how hard they worked to get to Georgetown, and you know how hard they worked while they were at Georgetown, with the hope of this kind of opportunity. And the fact that I think all six are really wanted at the places they were taken is exciting, and we’re hopeful that it’s the start of a long career for each of them.” “I think you have to look at the coaching staff, and I certainly credit them,” added Rosenberry. “The type of guys and the type of group they’re able to put together year-in year-out, certainly over my four years, it’s very rare that you find a similar type of kid that wants to play for the same program across the whole country. We have a pretty unique environment and unique culture and guys want to get better and they want to be pros.”

Looking Ahead

Within this calendar year, six former Hoyas from the 2015 squad will have the opportunity to take the field with some of the most renowned stars in international soccer: David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Kaká. While the six former Hoyas were playing in front of 3,000 fans Shaw Field only three months ago, they’ll soon be featured at Yankee Stadium, Talen Energy Stadium, and the StubHub Center. If anything, the 2015 season—the most historic season in the history of Georgetown soccer—was improbable. Brian Wiese could have become an engineer and never decided to coach. Keegan Rosenberry might never have become a Hoya. The team never should have beaten UCLA without Yaro, and they shouldn’t have beaten Creighton with him. In the end, most believed they would advance past Boston College. Entering the 2016 season, the Hoyas will be without six of their starting 11, including the entire back line. Though the Georgetown reser ves have plenty of practice experience against MLS talent, practice is one thing, and the College Cup is another. “We got a lot of work to do,” said an optimistic Wiese. “This is where we’ll earn our coaching badges. Its an interesting time because there is such a big turnover all at once, but there’s kids that are going to get their opportunities now. I think that’s the fun of being a college coach.”Wiese and his coaching staff now only have six months to replace the best core in program history. But if this season has taught them anything, it’s that six months is more than enough time for the unimaginable to happen.

Jan. 19, 2016 Turnley selected in Third Round of MLS Superdraft

Nov. 29, 2015 Georgetown loses to Boston College in Third Round of NCAA Tournament

Jan. 14, 2016 Yaro, Rosenberry, and Seiler selected in First Round of MLS Superdraft

Dec. 21 and 22, 2015 Allen and Muyl sign with New York Red Bulls

Jan. 19, 2016 Turnley selected in Third Round of MLS Superdraft


FEBRUARY 5, 2016

14

The Pool Widens

Applicant Diversity on the Rise

S

tatistics from the 2016 first-year and transfer student applications show that Georgetown’s applicant pool increased by a little more than two percent this year, and over the past five years has become more diverse and of higher academic quality. Georgetown Dean of Admissions Charles Deacon said that the university has already received around 19,935 applications this year. However, with the submission of late applications, that number is expected to reach about 19,950 total, the second-largest pool in the university’s history behind that of 2012. Compared to last year, the Office of Admissions will receive approximately 472 more applications for the Class of 2020, a bump of almost two percent. Following a trend that began in 2013, this year “multicultural” applicants—domestic and international students who self-identify as at least one non-Caucasian race— account for more than half of submissions. Of American applicants, the 1,958 applications from black students constituted almost one-tenth of the total applicant pool, the same percentage as 2015. With 3,295 applicants, Asian-American students make up approximately 17 percent of the total pool. The 2,465 applications from Hispanic students equal 12 percent of the total, showing a one-year plateau for that group. Georgetown received only 55 more applications from white Americans than last year. However, Deacon observes that even this small growth shows the university’s overall success. Despite the national rate of white high school graduates decreasing by nine percent, Georgetown’s white applicants have actually increased by two percent from 2011 to 2016. Deacon remarked that these numbers reflect a greater pattern of trends from 2011 to 2016 that show a steady growth in the total number of applications to Georgetown, as well as shifting demographics in the ethnic and cultural mix of applicants. “It’s very hard to make a big comparison from one year to the next,” said Deacon. “So we like to look at

trend data to make inferences over a long period, and you can see a significant change over that period of time [2011 to 2016].” The total number of applications has grown by four percent, from 19,228 in 2011 to this year’s 19,950, despite a four percent national decrease in the number of high school graduates within the same time period. However, Deacon commented that it is not so much the raw increase, but rather the pool’s breakdown that makes up the growth that is important to him. “Total multicultural applicants—this is excluding white students—actually increased 13 percent during this five year period,” said Deacon. “So to the extent that people say, ‘are you becoming more diverse?’ the answer is ‘yes.’” From 2011 to 2016, the gross number of black applicants has grown by nine percent, while the Asian-American pool saw a rise of 18 percent. The biggest growth has been the Hispanic applicant pool, as 426 more Hispanic students applied in 2016 than in 2011, an increase of 21 percent. However, racial and ethnic diversity are not the only measures Deacon takes into consideration. “The one area that we’ve been aggressively working at is diversifying the socioeconomic mix of the pool,” Deacon said. “This is the one area that we’ve been most handicapped because of the limit of our financial aid. If we were able to be more generous, that would be the hole that needs filling up in terms of the mix of students. We’re naturally, like Harvard and the rest [of top universities], reflecting a disproportionately large percentage from the highest [economic] tier.” “[The rates are] going down faster in what most people might think of as Georgetown’s traditional markets,” said Deacon. “So we say, relative to just what the raw numbers would say, we have done relatively better, but when you look at the internals, we’ve done a lot better, considering that what many consider our largest markets have been going down.” Applications from international students have had a

the biggest growth

4%

E IN S S A N RE INC ICATIO L APP

19,228 19,950 APPS IN 2011

APPS IN 2016

By Margaret Gach

21%

com

par

ed

to:

18%

NIC ISPA H SE IN OOL A E P R INC ICANT L APP

INCREASE IN ASIAN-AMERICAN APPLICANT POOL

8%

INCREASE IN BLACK APPLICANT POOL

marginal increase of three percent over the past five years. Deacon remarked that the growth of international students had reached a peak and then stabilized at around 11 percent of the total applicant pool. Besides the increasing proportionality of cultural and ethnic diversity, the quality of the applicant pool has also been shifting. Over the five-year period, the number of applicants in the top ten percent of their graduating class has grown by six percent, and the number of applicants scoring above a 750 on the SAT Critical Reading test has increased by 44 percent. Deacon believes this increase in quality is a result of how Georgetown has positioned itself as a national and international brand over the past few decades. With a higher prestige, Georgetown is able to attract dedicated applicants willing to go through the separate application process. “Georgetown has all of the ingredients of a great national brand, and you have to bring attention to it,” said Deacon. “Over the last 20, 30 years, Georgetown has become the place to go in Washington. And not only that, but it’s at the level of the Harvards, Princetons, and Stanfords and that’s after a long position of marketing and positioning.” Despite admitting that Georgetown does not have as high application numbers or as low of an admission rate as Harvard, Princeton, or Stanford, Deacon has defended his commitment to keep Georgetown off the Common Application. The dean believes that Georgetown’s application numbers reflect reality, whereas an inevitable boost in numbers from accepting the Common Application would put undue, artificial pressure on applicants and hide those who have a genuine interest in the school. “For Georgetown, it’s not so much whether we get our admit rate down to 5.22 percent or we up our applicant pool to 40,000,” said Deacon. “It’s that we get a talented group of students that reflect the diversity of the country.”

10,395 ...m

ean

ing

AL” R U T CUL NS... I T L “MU LICATIO APP

domestic and international students who self-identify as at least one nonCaucasian race

count for more than

HALF

of all 19,950 applications

DATA FROM THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS

14


15

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

LEISURE

Et Tu, Brolin? IMDB

An Ensemble Cast Carries the Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! By Graham Piro

T

he Coen Brothers have become cinematic chameleons. Over the course of their career, they have moved from the absurdly comical, The Big Lebowski, to the darkly comical, Fargo, to the simply dark, No Country For Old Men. While No Country For Old Men and 2013’s Inside Llewyn Davis were far more serious works, the norm for the duo has been a uniquely over-the-top filming style that favors eccentric characters and snappy, eminently quotable dialogue. Their latest offering, Hail, Caesar!, is a return to the absurdity that made the two memorable, even if the formula has begun to wear a little thin. Make no mistake, Hail, Caesar! does not have any pretenses about trying to be a critical masterpiece. The story is nonsensical, difficult to follow, and does not have a conclusion. The film feels more similar to The Big Lebowski than any other Coen Brothers movie, as much of the film is composed of short vignettes tied together loosely by an overarching story (a story that, like Lebowski, involves a briefcase full of money). The digressions are aplenty: the entire subplot with Scarlett Johansson’s character is wrapped up half-heartedly by the end of the film, Ralph Fiennes’ overworked director disappears from the film, and stars like Tilda Swinton, Jonah Hill, and Frances McDormand are reduced to mere cameos. The central story revolves around the abduction of Baird Whitlock, a movie star playing the titular role in a Ben Hur-inspired film, Hail, Caesar!. Clooney’s performance is not quite as over-the-top as the trailers have indicated, but it is obvious that Clooney has an absolute blast with the role. The trailers marketed the film as an adventurous caper, but in reality the film feels more like a character study of one character: Eddie Mannix, played by Josh Brolin. Mannix is an all too sane film producer who tries to keep his productions afloat amidst the chaos of 1950s Hollywood. All of the scenes in the film have some sort of connection to Mannix. He is the only character with whom the audience actually feels a connection. The film opens with him in a confessional, where he bares his soul to a priest. After that introduction, he is forced to run off and deal with crisis after crisis. The audience gets an idea of the toll the job takes on him as the film progresses, and yet Brolin’s performance never seems too melodramatic. His character is also the only one to actually recieve a completed character

arc in the film. The Coen Brothers wanted the film to function as a character study, and chose to make the story and other characters as scattered as they did in order to amplify Brolin’s character arc. That is not to say that the other actors are slouches either. Every performance hits the mark, highlighted by Fiennes, who plays frustrated director Laurence Laurentz. Fiennes’ deadpan delivery of his lines make for some of the film’s funniest scenes. A particular treat is an exchange between him and an inexperienced actor, played by Alden Ehrenrich, concerning the pronunciation of a certain line of dialogue. Although this digression does not affect the main story, it provides a setup for one of the best punch lines in the movie. The cameo performers all do their part, with a great gag involving Frances McDormand and a projector being a highlight. Channing Tatum also delivers the most unusual performance of his career as actor Burt Gurney. To say any more would be to give away what is a stupefying twist involving his character towards the end of the film, but a musical number involving Tatum’s character is a pleasure to behold. The film is also visually stimulating, shot by veteran Coen Brothers cinematographer Roger Deakins, of The Shawshank Redemption and Skyfall fame. Deakins and the Coen Brothers shoot the film in such a way that simultaneously mocks and embraces the over-the-top style of 1950s Hollywood. They also make creative use of matte paintings, which were a staple for backgrounds in movies at that time. The paintings are obvious when the characters are on the fake sets of the movies that exist in the film, but they are also cleverly used in scenes outside the production studios. Hail, Caesar!, in many ways, is an extremely frustrating movie. It clocks in at a lean hour and forty minutes, and it is a rare film that demands to be twenty to thirty minutes longer in order to flush out some of the more confusing subplots. If the audience is familiar with the Coen Brothers and likes their style, then Hail, Caesar! will be a hit. If the audience is unfamiliar with some of the brothers’ old work, they will leave the theater underwhelmed and confused. But on the whole, if nothing else, the film is uproariously funny and pokes fun at the Hollywood machine. Then again, well, that’s just, like, my opinion, man.

B-12.00 -- Trim to 10.00Wx11.00D - CMYK - Georgetown

15


Turn on the

boob tube

Up next . . . Oh, Hello with Mulaney and Kroll!

PB


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.