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VOICE the georgetown

spring fashion 2014

Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w March 27, 2014 w Volume 46, Issue 26 w georgetownvoice.com

2 the georgetown voice

march 27, 2014

The Voice’s New Sports and Leisure Blog

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halftime.georgetownvoice.com

Voice Crossword “Spring Fever” by Allison Galezo ever (Hint: Name above

ACROSS 1. Acorn producer 4. Easter flower 8. Valentine flower 12. “Little” suffix 13. Arctic abode, var.

14. Tennessee state flower 15. Keyboard key 16. Onion relative 17. Twist 18. Do this at Yates for

flexibility 20. Butterfly’s ugly cousin 22. High card 24. He humiliated Ken Ham, president of the Creation Museum 25. Exists 27. Bloom 31. Wear down 33. Baseball official 34. Rejections 36. Best crossword maker

puzzle) 37. “Love me (not)” flower 40. X’s in bowling 43. Thus 44. Midwestern soda 46. Poisonous tree 47. Aquatic diving bird 49. Walk through water 52. 1-across, 46-across, 55-across...

55. Tree with clustered needles 57. Massachusetts state tree 59. Hercules’ captive princess 60. Bruins’ school 61. Popular Christmas tree species 62. Plant with fronds 63. Orchard fruit 64. “Your” in Paris DOWN

1. Ontario University Athletics, abbrev.

2. Comrade in arms 3. All fat diet 4. Walt Whitman’s flowers 5. Antibody causing allergies 6. Cartoonist Lazarus;

backwards first name 7. Smallest Canadian territory 8. More wealthy 9. Tulsa sch.

10. BDSM title 11. Language requirement for some international students 19. Fuel 21. Nautical rope 23. Very long time 25. Not active 26. Dos x tres 27. Baby flowers 28. ROFL or LOL alternative 29. Nail polish brand 30. Jan. and Feb. 32. Iowa state tree 35. Pigpen 38. Blood filter organ 39. “___ - hoo!”

41. Recycle an outfit 42. Sustainable water management organization 45. Obnoxious online advert 48. Kind 50. Nimble 51. Author Wiesel 52. JPEG alternative 53. Combined with 49-across, famous court case

54. Cadillac hybrid 56. Major Australian reference library, abbrev.

58. Post-wedding title

Last Week’s Answers:

editorial

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VOICE the georgetown

Volume 46.25 March 27, 2014 Editor-in-Chief: Connor Jones Managing Editor: Julia Tanaka General Manager: Nick Albanese Blog Editor: Isabel Echarte News Editor: Claire Zeng

Sports Editor: Chris Almeida Feature Editor: Lucia He Cover Editors: Noah Buyon, Christina Libre Leisure Editor: Dayana Morales-Gomez Voices Editor: Steven Criss Photo Editor: Ambika Ahuja Design Editors: Pam Shu, Sophia Super Page 13 Editor: Dylan Cutler Creative Directors: Amanda Dominiguez, Kathleen Soriano-Taylor, Madhuri Vairapandi Editors-at-Large: Caitriona Pagni, Ana Smith Assistant Blog Editors: Ryan Greene, Marisa Hawley, Kenneth Lee, Laura Kurek Assistant News Editors: Shalina Chatlani, Lara Fishbane, Manuela Tobias Assistant Sports Editors: Chris Castano, Brendan Crowley, Jeffrey Lin, Joe Pollicino Assistant Cover Editor: Neha Ghanshamdas Assistant Leisure Editors: Emilia Brahm, Daniel Varghese, Joshua Ward Assistant Photo Editors: Gavin Myers, Joshua Raftis Assistant Design Editors: Leila Lebreton, Andie Pine

Staff Writers:

Sourabh Bhat, Max Borowitz, Grace Brennan, John Connor Buckley, James Constant, Alissa Fernandez, Kevin Huggard, Julia LloydGeorge, Jared Kimler, Sam Kleinman, Lucius Lee, Claire McDaniel, Dan Paradis, Kate Riga, Max Roberts, Jackson Sinnenberg, Deborah Sparks

Staff Photographers:

Marla Abdilla, Katherine Landau, Freddy Rosas

Copy Chief: Grace Funsten Copy Editors:

Judy Choi, Lauren Chung, Eleanor Fanto, Allison Galezo, Juan Daniel Gonçalves, Rachel Greene, Sabrina Kayser, Morgan Manger, Ryan Miller, Samantha Mladen, Nicole Steinberg, Dana Suekoff, Suzanne Trivette

Editorial Board Chair: Julia Jester Editorial Board:

Chris Almeida, Gavin Bade, Emilia Brahm, Patricia Cipollitti, Steven Criss, Isabel Echarte, Lara Fishbane, Juan Daniel Gonçalves, Ryan Greene, Lucia He, Connor Jones, Jeffrey Lin, Ian Philbrick, Ryan Shymansky, Ana Smith, Julia Tanaka

Managing Directors: Mary Bailey-Frank, Allison Manning The Georgetown Voice

The Georgetown Voice is published every Thursday.

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

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

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

All materials copyright the Georgetown Voice. All rights reserved.

On this week’s cover: Corinthian, Orange, and Glass Cover Photo: Julia Tanaka

the georgetown voice 3 BROS AND CONS

Tisa/Ramadan leave legacy of active leadership Nate Tisa (SFS ‘14) and Adam Ramadan (SFS ‘14) ended their tenure as GUSA executives on Sunday as Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15) and Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) were sworn in.

Tisa and Ramadan’s term in office leaves a legacy of bold leadership, strong action and recognition of student concerns.

Tisa and Ramadan continued the trend of executive activism shown by their past two predecessors. Their immovable stance against the satellite campus and relentless work toward lifting the keg ban led to positive results from the administration and victories for not only GUSA, but the Georgetown student body as a whole. Other notable feats of their executive team include changes in the sexual assault amnesty policy, the formation of the Georgetown Tenant Student Association that gives valuable advice to student tenants, and the introduction of What’s a Hoya. Even toward the end of their year in office they continued to make significant pushes in the area of free speech at Georgetown.

Yet, though terms do not always involve “Speakergate” scandals, each GUSA executive is not without flaws. The One Georgetown, One Campus initiative was effective in motivating the student body and showing the administration how much students were invested in preventing even the thought of a satellite campus.

Because of the last-resort nature of referendum use, the satellite campus referendum was perhaps a preemptively aggressive move that could have further alienated the administration during the campus plan decision process, as the satellite option was not even a confirmed frontrunner.

Nonetheless, the Tisa/Ramadan executive took the risk and reaffirmed the importance—and persistence—of students’ voices.

Tisa/Ramadan were elected largely in part due to their platform’s strong commitment to free speech and sexual assault reform, and they followed through in fine fashion. What’s a Hoya was a strong idea, though, as seen in critiques from this year’s GUSA campaigns, left more to

be desired from its execution. The last executive, nonetheless, set the foundation for Tezel/Jikaria to improve the incentive system and include more student groups in those conversations. We hope the incoming executive will also prevent us from having to report on a voluntary sexual assault awareness ice cream social and instead ensure that mandatory sexual assault education remains part of the NSO agenda.

In addition to broader problems, the Tisa/ Ramadan executive took decisive action in response to immediate student needs. Regardless of whether one cares about the future of lofty systemic issues within University bureaucracy, it’s safe to say most Georgetown students appreciate being able to drink from kegs at their weekend parties and seek advice on how to decode their off-campus leases. Overall, The Tisa/ Ramadan term gave GUSA the teeth it needs to back student interests. As Tezel and Jikaria gear up to take on the next year, we only hope they will continue in this same tradition.

DOIN’ IT WELLS

Vote Tommy Wells: Integrity, experience for D.C.

For a school that prides itself on taking an active part in local communities through service and activism, Georgetown students show a surprising lack of interest in D.C. politics. Yet, as D.C. residents for at least four years, Georgetown students have a compelling stake in local issues that affect everyone who lives here.

This election year, for those who are registered to vote, the choice is clear. After considering each candidate’s public records and platforms, the Voice decided to endorse Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) for his unrivaled record on ethics, his strong plan for the future of D.C. schools, and his tireless work to curtail the effects of the drug war.

While incumbent Mayor Vincent Gray would otherwise have a strong case for reelection given the city’s steadily improving finances, schools, and employment rate, the mayor’s alleged involvement in multiple instances of corruption casts doubt on his ability to lead. Three of Gray’s campaign officials have pleaded guilty

to charges relating to corruption, bringing to light the existence of an illegal $650,000 “shadow campaign” to elect Gray, funded by Jeffrey Thompson, a prominent businessman with sizable city contracts. Having failed to adequately address the corruption that took part around him—or, more likely, that he organized—Gray is unfit to keep the office he holds. Conversely, Tommy Wells is the only candidate who refuses to take corporate contributions and who has never received money from Jeffrey Thompson.

On education, too, Wells leads the pack.

As a former social worker, Wells understands the problems the D.C. schools face. Serving on the D.C. Board of Education, Wells orchestrated programs that made Capitol Hill area elementary schools some of the best in the District. Asked for specifics on her education plan, leading contender Muriel Bowser only offers vague promises, such as “Alice Deal for all,” referring to one of D.C.’s best middle schools. Wells has rightly labeled such rheto-

ric as a “slogan, not a plan” and would bring oversight of schools into the mayor’s office.

Additionally, Wells boasts endorsements from the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for his sponsorship of marijuana decriminalization in the Council. He’s further expressed support for enacting a regulatory scheme for recreational cannabis should D.C. vote to legalize it in November—the next step in curtailing the harmful effects of the failed drug war.

The mayoral election presents the most significant opportunity for communities to effect change on a local level. We encourage students to participate in this election if they are registered and strongly consider registering to vote in D.C. for future elections.

On every issue, Wells is passionate, principled, and prepared to lead with an honesty that is uncommon among D.C. politicians.

We urge our readers to cast their ballots for him in the Democratic primary on April 1.

SHOW ME DA MONEY

Financial plan neglects commitment to aid

David Rubenstein, Vice President of Finance and University Treasurer, presented Georgetown University’s financial plan for fiscal years 2015 to 2018 earlier this week. While it is generally comprehensive and plans to increase Georgetown’s endowment and prestige, the plan only pays lip service to one of the most pressing issues facing Georgetown students: the increasing cost of higher education and a lack of sufficient financial aid for many prospective students.

In his email to the Georgetown community, Rubenstein did address the issue of financial aid, writing that the University was making every effort to stand by its need-blind full need admissions and financial aid policy.

The financial plan itself, however, lacks details concerning how Georgetown plans to improve its economic accessibility. In real money terms, the cost of attending Georgetown has risen 22 percent in the last 10 years, which is on par with the average cost of the nation’s private, four-year universities. If Georgetown were to make economic

accessibility one of the school’s highest priorities, it would make more of an effort to lower its costs compared to colleges of its pedigree.

More economic accessibility improves the value of a Georgetown education and makes the school a more attractive option for prospective students—especially students from a range of socioeconomic backgrounds, making Georgetown a more diverse place. High tuition costs and the need to borrow excessive student loans remain two of the most significant factors prospective students use to choose among colleges of equal or similar caliber.

In an interview with the Voice earlier this March, University President John DeGioia said that the university is doing everything it can to meet its fullneed pledge. When asked if he thought Georgetown students had to borrow too much money to attend, he said the formula used to predict how much money students’ families need to contribute asks that they borrow a maximum of $17,500.

In actuality, however, most families borrow roughly an additional $2,000 per year of atten-

dance. DeGioia said that this extra borrowing is unnecessary. Yet, if the average family is taking on this nearly $8,000 of extra debt, however, then the borrowing is clearly necessary.

Georgetown must reconsider the way it calculates how much students and their families are expected to contribute—by using a flawed method for calculating family contributions, the university is unintentionally precluding many prospective students from applying and going to Georgetown, severely limiting this school’s diversity and applicant pool. Going forward, GUSA should make it a top priority to push the University to reexamine the way Georgetown determines student aid and fight economic exclusion at this university.

Georgetown is unfortunately caught between its requirements to build additional on-campus housing while planning an expansion of the endowment, but this must not stop its commitment to a Georgetown for students of all economic backgrounds.

news

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march 27, 2014

On the record with Trevor Tezel and Omika Jikaria

by Noah Buyon After taking a solemn oath late Sunday afternoon to “preserve, protect, and defend the constitution and bylaws of the Student Association,” newly-inaugurated GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15) and Vice-President Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) sat down with the Voice for an interview.

What are you plans for your first 100 days as GUSA Executive and Vice-Executive?

Tezel: If you’ve seen the long platform, you’ll see we have a number of proposals for our first hundred days.

I’ll touch on a few: [first, we’re] really trying to get an administrator-student committee to look at our access-to-ben-

efits policies, including things that affect free speech, and hammer out the MoU [Memorandum of Understanding] with administrators on the Speech and Expression Policy that Nate [Tisa] and Adam [Ramadan] started.

Jikaria: We’re creating a Multicultural Council, and we’re re-instating the Transfer [Student] Council. Right now, we just finished picking out our cabinet and staff, so we’re working closely with them.

Tezel: I think there’s going to be some Code of Conduct stuff that we’re pursuing—hopefully, reexamining the Open Container policy and maybe getting an extension on that before the semester runs out.

Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15) gets sworned in as GUSA president on Sunday.

GAVIN MEYERS

Could you elaborate on what access-to-benefits means?

Tezel: When we talk about “recognized” and “unrecognized” student groups, [we need to understand that] no student groups are actually recognized; there are just certain ones that have access to university benefits...

[The access-to-benefits] policies do not allow access to benefits to groups that might be fraternities or sororities, have secret rituals, make profit, or go against our Roman Catholic or Jesuit values.

These policies are pretty outdated, and, really, what we’re looking to do is sit down with administrators and reevaluate and revise these policies.

If you had to summarize the legacy of Nate and Adam, what do you think it would be, and how do you hope to build, or not build, off of that legacy?

Jikaria: I think they got a lot of good conversations started, and I think they made GUSA seem more inclusive and accepting of all voices, especially when it came to things like sexual assault policies and some Code of Conduct reforms. I think that, obviously, we want to keep on continuing to have those conversations, especially when

it comes to things like free speech. …

I also think that, also, they did a really great job of reaching out to groups that might have been originally involved in GUSA, so we definitely want to keep building on that through different proposals.

One of your biggest bullet points was revising the Speech and Expression Policy. Could you talk about some of your specific steps [in pursuing that proposal], as well as the kind of roadblocks you’re expecting to encounter?

Tezel: During the Free Speech Forum, Dr. [Todd] Olson made a commitment to [come] to a Memorandum of Understanding on the Speech and Expression Policy before the end of the semester. So, we know we’re going to have the document. The question is, what’s going to be in that? I know that some of the things we’re going to be pushing for are things like ensuring that there are no penalties to access-to-benefits groups that co-sponsor [events] with non-access-to-benefits groups, and ensuring that we redefine Red Square as a public forum and understand that all of campus is a Free Speech Zone. I think [the MoU

will involve] laying out specifics what Residence Life, GUPD [Georgetown University Police Department], Student Affairs can and can’t do in their enforcement of policy, and formalizing an appeals process for their work.

Some people have been riled up by the recent revocation of funding for the Collegiate Readership program. Could you speak about your opinions on that?

Jikaria: It’s sad that we no longer have [the Collegiate Readership program] in the budget, because it’s really nice to be able to provide those newspapers to students, and a lot of students read them… but I think the biggest thing for us is having the option to evaluate the program before it gets cut.

Tezel: We had submitted an appeal for the original budget that was created, focusing on three specific areas: our discretionary budget, which was down to $1000, the Turbo-Vote program, and the Collegiate Readership program. We were able to get back some money for in the executive discretionary [budget], but the Collegiate Readership program was still funded at $0. So, at this point, per procedure, it’s going to be debated now by the Senate.

Milzman detention unresolved Provost promotes student research

by Jared Kimler Daniel Milzman (COL ‘16), who was charged with possession of a biological toxin last Friday, appeared before District court on Tuesday for his detention hearing.

Judge John M. Facciola ordered that Milzman be sent to Sibley Memorial Hospital for a 14 day inpatient psychiatric program.

On Wednesday, following a government appeal of Facciola’s decision, Chief Judge W. Roberts postponed the decision on whether to release Milzman to the inpatient program until next Monday.

Milzman’s attorney, David Onorato, addressed his client’s history of mental health issues, which have persisted since high school. “The substance here wasn’t intended for anyone other than himself,” Onorato said. “He was having a hard time in his life. He was a scared 19-year-old kid.”

As prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maia Miller was not certain regarding Milzman’s intentions in possessing the ricin, but said that he “intended to cause harm in the worst way”—referring to his death or the death of another. The prosecution perceived

Milzman as a threat either way and wanted him to remain in prison until later court dates.

The prosecution cited Facebook messages in which the defendant harassed another Georgetown student as well as his conversation with the residence assistant to show that Milzman could be a danger to society if not kept in custody.

Onorato claimed that the messages were part of a larger “two way spat” between Milzman and the other student. He added that Milzman went forward to confide in the RA as a “cry for help,” knowing that the RA would report to authorities.

The defense stated that the ricin was the chosen method for suicide because of the flu-like symptoms it causes. Should Milzman have taken action, his loved ones would not have known his death was suicide.

If Milzman is to be admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital under the supervision of his parents, he will remain there for two weeks and then be released to his parents’ custody in their home.

Milzman has been in solitary confinement and under suicide watch since his arrest on Friday.

by Grace Brennan In an effort to cultivate student interest in undergraduate research, the Walsh Exchange, the Carroll Round, the School of Nursing and Health Studies Undergraduate Research Conference, and the Undergraduate Research Symposium will be consolidated into “Research Week,” which will run from March 29 to April 9.

“We want to celebrate research on campus and build a community,” said co-chair of the Symposium Chandani Desai (COL ’15). “We think it’s a valuable experience to communicate [research] to an audience that isn’t familiar with the topic.”

The NHS Undergraduate Research Conference, now in its twelfth year, invites students to present health and science research. Since its establishment in 2002, the conference has expanded to include research from students in the NHS, the College, the School of Foreign Service, and the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus.

The Walsh Exchange also aims to promote underclassman involvement with research in international relations. “We hope that knowledgeable students and scholars will attend our conference ... but our main goal is to get people who are

curious about research but don’t quite know what it entails to come and see what’s it’s all about,” said co-chair of the Walsh Exchange Chloe Krawczyk (SFS ’15).

The Carroll Round focuses on political and international economic research. While the other conferences are geared towards Georgetown undergraduate research, the Carroll Round prioritizes partnering with other universities. This year, the conference will receive students from various schools, including Princeton, Yale, The London School of Economics, and the Stockholm School of Economics.

“I think the Carroll Round is an excellent way for students to be exposed to research on campus, and it is unfortunate that more students do not have the opportunity to get involved,” said chair Heather Hedges (SFS ’15).

The Undergraduate Research Symposium, sponsored by GUSA and the Office of the Provost, was established last year under the Gustafson/Kohnert-Yount GUSA Administration in reaction to the challenges facing undergraduate research such as difficulty recruiting freshmen and sophomores without prior research experience.

The Symposium will include re-

search from all four schools and a variety of disciples in order to appeal to a wider audience.

According to the Provost’s Office, further efforts need to be made to highlight undergraduate research as vital at Georgetown.

“We need to do more to organize, support and promote undergraduate research as a core practice,” wrote Vice Provosts Janet Mann and Randy Bass, and Assistant for Academic Affairs Sonia Jacobson, in an email to the Voice.

“Many students are unaware of how they can become involved. We need to get the word out.”

While the research events aim to promote undergraduate involvement, many challenges remain for students seeking to become involved in the research process.

“I do think that some of the biggest challenges are getting involved and ... actually developing ownership and independence over one’s own research project,” said Victor Wang (SFS ‘15), chair of the Student Planning Committee of the NHS Undergraduate Research Conference. “There are so many opportunities, but students need to simply open their eyes and ears, ask questions and use all available resources at their disposal.”

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the georgetown voice 5

Henle forum promises renovations to eliminate mold

by Manuela Tobias Vice President of Facilities and Management Robin Morey announced the installation of new dehumidifiers to combat mold in Henle Village apartments on Monday night at a forum hosted by Residential Living, InterHall, and Georgetown University Student Association .

“Out of all [housing] last year, we thought Henle had the most significant problems [with mold],” Morey said. He attributed the formation of mold in residences last fall to the fact that the current heating, ventilation and air conditioning system “doesn’t remove enough moisture out of the air,” as well as to leaking windows, ventilation fans, and some “restrooms that don’t work” that contribute to an abundance of moisture.

Facilities tested a dehumidifier to combat these mold issues on Henle 83, a pilot unit renovated this summer. “We liked the way [the dehumidifier] worked, and we didn’t like the particular unit that we bought, it had some control issues, so we sent an order for another unit and we have actually procured a specific dehumidifier unit for every unit in Henle. Coupled with some better inspection on our part as we turn the units and clean them, we think that is going to address the mold issues,” Morey said.

Alongside installations of dehumidifiers in all the rooms, Henle will be going through floor scrubs, staircase renovations, new lighting fixtures, and renewed paint, alongside installations of dehumidifiers in all the rooms this summer, according to Stephanie

University administrators discussed Henle renovations on Monday.

Lynch, the assistant dean for residential living.

The pilot unit that tested the dehumidifiers also had a renovated staircase, newly installed kitchen appliances, paint, and lighting fixtures to test for the feasibility and potential success of future

D.C. needs more public housing

When D.C.’s homeless shelters were overwhelmed this winter, the Gray administration’s first response was to blame the victims.

D.C. General—the defunct hospital used as a homeless shelter since 2007—quickly filled up as the ranks of the homeless swelled. As of January, there were more than double the number of people in shelters as the previous year, according to Aaron Weiner’s recent feature in Washington City Paper.

Since D.C. law requires the city government to house all homeless individuals when the windchill dips below freezing, Gray’s team began placing families in motels. When the number of homeless families continued to climb, the administration concluded the rooms were too enticing for families in need. The homeless chose motels over staying with relatives or friends, they reasoned.

Given that logic, the city began moving homeless families into recreation centers, which offered little in the way of privacy or comfort.

Trouble was, housing people there seemed to violate the Homeless Services Reform Act. Lawsuits mounted, and on Tuesday a D.C. Superior Court Judge ordered the District to stop housing families in rec centers.

Homeless advocates unsurprisingly see the situation differently from Gray’s team, but they can all agree on one thing—the surge in the homeless population blindsided the District, and that led to the piecemeal approach.

attract wealthy individuals seeking tax credits from affordable housing Some of the factors might have construction—all while swimming been averted, like sequestration cuts upstream against skyrocketing land to federal housing programs, but and construction costs.

“Because the financing process there are more entrenched economic issues at play. Put simply, there for affordable housing has become aren’t enough affordable housing so onerous,” Lewis wrote, “it is a disincentive for many housing units in the District.

I’ve written recently about developers who might otherwise possible solutions to gentrifica- undertake affordable housing contion—namely zoning regulations struction.”

There is a more comprehensive and the encouragement of coopersolution to atively-owned houshomelessness ing—but increasand affordable ingly, these policies

by Gavin Bade housing. Unseem insufficient to fortunately, it address the economic A tri-weekly column about D.C. news and politics. is largely tarealities of housing in boo in today’s American cities.

The main reason so many peo- political dialogue. That solution is ple in D.C. cannot find housing is public housing.

That phrase commonly elicits that it is no longer profitable for developers to build for them. As memories of initiatives like Chicaarchitect Roger Lewis explained in go’s Calibri Green—which began the Post, housing construction costs as perhaps the most hopeful public have risen six-fold in the last 30 housing project and ended as the years. Whereas it used to be worth nation’s most infamous. Calibri, like a developer’s money to build low- the vast majority of public housing, and middle-income homes in places was a product of postwar liberalism, like D.C., they now concentrate at a profound extension of the American social contract to include the the top of the market.

At the same time, the past three right to adequate housing.

The good intentions soured decades have played witness to the evisceration of federal housing assis- quickly in Chicago and elsewhere. tance. The Reagan administration all Almost as soon as they were conbut eliminated Section 202 loans— structed, housing projects and their used since the late 50’s to provide surrounding communities saw one-stop financing for developers their budgets and services slashed. building affordable units. Now, Predominantly white officials builders must cobble together loans found it too easy to deprive the from a mishmosh of federal, state, largely black public housing conand local housing programs, plus stituency of police protection and

City on a Hill

MARIA ABADILLA

renovations to the Henle Village apartments.

In the following few years, facilities is planning to prioritize renovated kitchen installations over bathroom reconditioning for Henle Village apartments due to a lack of funding, according to Morey. job training. Especially once crack cocaine hit the streets, housing projects became the stuff of political legend immortalized in heartwrenching non-fiction works like There Are No Children Here.

Given that history, it’s clear not many policymakers are looking at public housing as a possible solution to the housing crisis. What’s also clear, however, is there aren’t other good options. The economics of housing today all but preclude the private sector from building affordable units. That means government is going to have to do it.

Of course, public housing is more complicated than simply buying land and building high-rises. D.C. would have to couple any efforts with enhanced job training opportunities, community policing, and good local schools to prevent a repeat of last century’s mistakes.

That sounds expensive, but D.C. had a $321 million budget surplus last year alone, and millions more could come from a decrease in demand for its horribly inefficient homeless programs.

The difficulties of public housing are more complex than this column can fully explain, but the District cannot continue down its current path. We need a paradigm change when it comes to affordable housing in this city, and that probably means we’re going to have to band together and build something.

Be a roommate with Gavin in public housing once he graduates by contacting him at gbade@georgetownvoice.com.

NEWS HITS

GU considering on-campus housing requirement for juniors The University is considering implementing an on-campus housing requirement for juniors, among other proposals, in an effort to meet the 2010 Campus Plan goal of housing 385 additional students on campus by 2015, according to GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15).

Tezel said the administration presented the option at a focus group meeting with GUSA members. “The University seems to be worried that … enough students are going to opt to live off campus to where they won’t have filled those beds and [won’t be] in compliance with the campus plan,” Tezel said.

The University may also require sophomores to live in dorm or suite-style spaces. Tezel sees the sophomore requirement as somewhat certain, considering the construction of dorms such as the Northeast Triangle.

Tezel says he and Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) will oppose the third-year requirement if the University tries to implement it.

A full report on the University’s proposal to require juniors to live on campus will be posted on Vox Populi.

—Isabel Echarte

Tuition to rise 4.3 percent Tuition is facing a 4.34 percent increase in the 2014-2015 academic year according to the University’s financial plan for fiscal years 2015 to 2018 released on March 19.

Once this change takes effect, tuition will increase from $44,280 to $46,200 per student, bringing in $28 million in additional revenue to the University.

According to the financial plan, Georgetown “lag[s] behind] competitors in the attractiveness of [its] financial aid packages in a rapidly evolving environment.” In response, the amount allocated to need-based financial aid will be increasing by $4.4 million in fiscal year 2015.

The financial plan outlines that despite the Main Campus’s operating surpluses for the past twenty years, the campus still faces financial challenges inhibiting growth.

To continue to address University costs, the financial plan calls for a tuition increase of 4 percent for each year thereafter until the plan expires.

—Lara Fishbane

sports

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march 27, 2014

Men’s basketball’s mercurial season ends against FSU

by Chris Almeida It seems fitting that the Georgetown men’s basketball team’s season came to a close with little fanfare. On Monday night, he Hoyas fell with a 10190 loss against the first-seeded Florida State Seminoles in the second round of the National Invitation Tournament.

The Blue and Gray, playing in Tallahassee, didn’t find the same support that was in abundance in their final home game at McDonough Arena, and the lack of energy was evident in their play.

After jumping out to an early 11-5 lead, thanks to two threes from senior guard Markel Starks, the Hoyas fell behind around the nine-minute mark in the first half. The Seminoles would close the half with a devestating 15-5 run that put them ahead by 13. The second half was a futile game of catch up for Georgetown, with the Hoyas never cutting the lead to fewer than eight points.

Starks, in his final game as a Hoya, scored a game-high 27 points on 50 percent shooting from the field to go with four assists and four rebounds. The senior also played all 40 minutes, a common occurrence during the 2013-2014 campaign.

“Markel … is the hardest worker that I have coached and it’s just what he has given to try himself better, to try to make his team better. He is someone, as you pointed out, he has had a lot of nice nights where he looked unstoppable,” said Georgetown men’s basketball Head Coach John Thompson III. “He is one of these guys that just wants to win, it’s not about him, it’s about us. … You wish that you had another game to coach him, but that’s life I guess.”

As was the case all season, the Hoya backcourt provided the scoring punch for the Blue and Gray. Sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, after scoring a season-high 32 points against West Virginia, scored 22 points and dished out four assists. Junior guard Jabril Trawick also added 14 points on five of nine shooting.

“We lost because they got the better of us. Our guards had a lot of responsibility, a lot of weight on their shoulders, which they for the most part, most nights, have responded to,” said Thompson. “[For] D’Vauntes and Markel it’s no secret that everybody’s game plan is to take them out of it ... our other guys have done a good job at setting up screens, getting them open and getting them the ball. We went against a crew today that is just as potent as our backcourt.”

The Georgetown frontcourt failed to avoid the foul trouble that has plagued the Hoyas all season. Junior forward Mikael Hopkins, who picked up three fouls by the 14:42 mark in the first half, only played six minutes and managed 0 points on 0 for 1 shooting. Senior forward Nate Lubick, despite playing 23 minutes, only managed three shot attempts and scored five points while picking up four fouls. Sophomore center Bradley Hayes, playing an unusually high 13 minutes, picked up four fouls while senior forward Aaron Bowen scored 10 points before fouling out.

The lack of scoring contributions from the frontcourt combined with the inability to slow down the Seminoles hot shooting proved to be the difference on the day. Florida State shot a white hot 68.2 percent from the

STEVEN CRISS

The Hoyas tried and failed to extend their season against the Florida State Seminoles.

field and 68.8 percent from behind the arc.

“They were making threes no matter what defense we threw at them and that was part of the scout to try to take away the three’s... our guys didn’t do a good job of it today and they hit a couple then they got their rhythm and their confidence,” said Thompson. “We tried to do a little bit of everything. … Nothing was really effective today.”

For the Hoyas, the final loss of the season came character-

istically. The devestating duo of Starks and Smith-Rivera, despite dragging the anemic Hoya frontcourt along with them, could do little to keep up with the Seminoles who made the traditionally stingy Hoya defense look porous, ending their mostly deserved run in the NIT. The final game of the season for the quintet of Hoya seniors was a disappointing end to a disappointing season. Students who have watched Starks and Lubick over the years will agree

that these dorm room names deserved to go out in style. The year began with aspirations to break the rut of postseason pain that has plagued the Blue and Gray since the 2008 NCAA tournament. Instead, Georgetown dropped below even the bar set by last year ’s second round loss. Though Starks and company will be missed, not only for their contirbutions on the court, but their overall demeanor, most Hoya fans will not hesitate to look ahead to next year.

the sports sermon

“I don’t know what I would have did. I was just shocked they tried to get Swaggy yesterday.” Los Angeles Lakers guard NickYoung on the robbery of his home this past Sunday.

by Chris Almeida There is probably a lot of disagreement in the peanut gallery about whether poker is a sport. It may be an activity that involves sitting at a table for hours on end, but, as we see in NASCAR, to be a sport, a competition does not necessarily need to require athletic prowess, just as not all activities that require top-level fitness are sports.

Poker is a unique game. It doesn’t have the image of degenerate gamblers that is attached to slots or the lottery, rather, it is surrounded by an air of cool that is not found in other table games, or even sports like basketball or football. Poker is a game played by rough members of the Old West, by James Bond and crime kingpins in tuxedos, by the number geniuses and the street-smart alike.

But it wasn’t always like this. Before the turn of the millennium, poker games were largely reserved to basements and back rooms. This trend started to change in 1998, where Rounders, a movie starring Matt Damon and John Malkovich, brought poker into the spotlight.

The film, while still possessing dramatic aspects, was a more realistic portrayal of the game than usual. Many modern poker players attribute their start in the poker world to Rounders.

Later, in 2003, the World Series of Poker Main Event, the game’s most prominent tournament, broadcast on ESPN, was won by amatuer Chris Moneymaker. (Yes, Moneymaker is his

actual last name.) Moneymaker found his way into the WSOP by winning a satellite tournament online with a buy-in of $39.

The regular buy-in for The Main Event is $10,000.

This display showed that the everyman was capable of making it big in the poker world, leading to an explosion in not only The Main Event, for which participation increased tenfold over the next three years, but online as well.

The online boom, however, which was responsible for much of the interest in poker that came from the younger generation, was stemmed when PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker were all shut down for money laundering. This was the government’s action against the industry that had long operated on a “don’t ask, don’t tell” basis. With online games out of commission, the multi-tabling youth that grew out of the widely available online sites had nowhere to play.

Regardless of the collapse of online poker, the game is as popular as ever, at least in media. The Main Event is no longer the only World Series event to air on ESPN; higher stakes tournaments like the $50,000 buy-in event, The Poker Player’s Championship, and the $1,000,000 buy-in One for One Drop event that premiered at the 2012 World Series and will be a part of the 2014 World Series. The visibility of the game on television, despite showing only the most exciting hands, provides a good perspective of what poker is re-

ally like: a game of odds and patterns, not tells.

Popular culture would have you believe that the most important part of poker is discovering “tells,” that you’re going to realize that you should raise or fold depending on whether or not your opponent is crying blood or reaching for their oreos.

This portrayal is a long stretch of the truth. Yes, good poker players thrive on getting inside the minds of their opponents, but this is not as one-dimensional as many believe.

Betting patterns, first and foremost, are what determine weakness and strength. Seeing the way a player bets, displaying strength or weakness, is how one manages to understand their situation at the table. If a conservative player is betting, chances are they have a good hand and other players should back off. If an aggressive player is betting, it is more likely that a weaker hand will hold up against a bluff. Of course, better players will vary their style and keep other players off balance.

But, the point is, poker is not the gambler ’s game that it seems to be. It also isn’t the simple story of “tells” that most believe it to be. Poker is a thinking man’s game that has been given a sexy angle

by Hollywood and the rest of the media. Poker is much more than it seems to the average person, but honestly, being oversimplified and glorified is better than it being shamed into the same corner as the rest of our sins.

sports

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the georgetown voice 7

Men’s lax stumbles versus ‘Nova Baseball falls to Towson

by Jeffrey Lin After a 20-hour delay due to an incoming snowstorm, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (3-6, 0-2) faced off against the Villanova Wildcats (3-5, 2-0) at Villanova on Wednesday, eventually falling 13-8.

Freshman midfielder Devon Lewis scored his ninth goal for the season and first points for the game with an assist from junior attacker Bo Stafford, who racked up his tenth assist overall at the 10:19 mark in the first period.

Villanova would respond three minutes and 18 seconds later with a goal from senior attacker Kevin O’Neil, assisted by freshman midfielder Austin Frederick. Even though Georgetown only took three shots compared to Villanova’s 14 in the first period, junior goaltender Jake Haley’s spectacular play in the first half helped Georgetown keep the score tied by making seven of his ten saves in the first period.

The score remained tied into the second period until junior midfielder Reilly O’Connor scored off an assist from junior midfielder Charlie McCormick. This, however, would be the last lead that the Hoyas would have for the entire game. Freshman goalkeeper Dan Willis prevented the Hoyas from scoring much with his four saves in the period, limiting Georgetown to only one point. After O’Connor’s goal, Villanova would respond with a 3-0 run to end the second period, with Villanova up 4-2.

Georgetown would tie up the game 4-4 with two goals from senior attacker John Fountain and O’Connor, but Villanova would then score seven unanswered points until freshman attacker Peter Conley, assisted

by O’Connor, scored with six seconds left in the third period.

The Hoyas attempted to make a run in the fourth with another goal

by Conley and two goals from senior midfielder Fisher Grant, assisted both times by O’Connor. The effort by the

VOICE ARCHIVES

Men’s Lacrosse struggled against Villanova this past Wednesday.

A fresh look at the MLB

While many of my fellow Georgetowners escaped to tropical paradises in the Caribbean for spring break, dropping serious coin on beachside resorts and fruity alcoholic drinks, I flew out to the aesthetically bland Phoenix, Arizona. Far from any youthful bacchanalians or scantily-dressed undergrads, Phoenix is not necessarily what most college guys would consider to be the ultimate spring break getaway. But residing in and among the Phoenix area lies a gem that surpasses anything a tropical retreat could possibly offer: Major League Baseball’s spring training.

Spanning a five to six-week period from mid-February to late March, spring training is the portion of preseason when teams flock to their respective warm-weather hubs in either Arizona or Florida to get back into their baseball grooves. For fans, especially those living in the frozen

Northern regions, the opportunity to gulp beer and spit sunflower seeds out under that warm Southern sun while taking in the first swings of a new season is nothing less than a dream come true. With none of the statistics or records counting toward regular season totals, spring training breeds an air of anxiety-free game-viewing as fans can get a first look at their favorite returning stars and exciting new prospects fighting for a spot on the opening day roster.

Yet, despite all of the American glory that converges within those small training stadiums, spring training is not without its criticisms. These exhibition games originated back in the late 1800’s as a pragmatic method of getting players to drop their holiday weight and force themselves back into rhythm before the regular season opened and games began to matter.

These days, though, the games have become a high-grossing commercial

Georgetown men, however, was not enough and the game ended with Villanova winning 13-8.

Even though O’Connor led the team with two goals and three assists with Fisher and Grant scoring two goals each, offensively, Georgetown was never able to match Villanova, who would finish the game attempting 40 shots, 15 more than Georgetown’s 25. Georgetown has now lost all three of its games when it failed to attempt more than 30 shots.

With this loss, Georgetown has now dropped three in a row for a disappointing start in conference play while Villanova has won its first two conference games. The Hoyas will look to end this three game slide when they face the Denver University Pioneers (7-2, 1-0), the nation’s No. 6 ranked team and a new addition to the Big East.

Denver is currently on a four game winning streak of beating its opponents by three or more points, and will prove to be a tough match for Georgetown. High scoring midfielder freshman Tyler Pace and junior Erik Adamson, and freshman attacker Zach Miller have led the way for the Denver offense.

Georgetown will play against Denver this Saturday, March 29, at home on the Multi-Sport Field starting at 11:00 a.m. Unless the weather causes another postponement, Fox College Sports will be broadcasting this game live.

commodity for the MLB and, in the opinion of some players and coaches, have lost their focus on preparation for season play. The main criticism by players and coaches appears to be the length of the spring training period.

Mike Scioscia, manager of the Los

All the Way

by Steven Criss

A bi-weekly column about sports

Angeles Angels, claimed that most of the guys these days come into spring training already in shape for the season and therefore only need a couple weeks to work out the kinks.

“It’s nice to say we have this extra time, but when you get to March 20 these guys have peaked. They want to get out there and play,” Scioscia said.

And he’s right in that respect, but when this issue is put on the table for

by Max Borowitz The Georgetown baseball team fell to 9-12 on the season following a three-game series against Towson that saw the Hoyas lose two out of three.

The Hoyas started their series against Towson on a strong note, taking the first game at home 6-2. Unfortunately, the Hoyas struggled mightily over the next two games, being outscored 18-6. The first of these losses included Georgetown’s first home loss of the season, which saw the Hoyas fall by a score of 10-2. In the final game of the series, the Hoyas’ anemic play away from the security of the Hilltop continued, with Georgetown losing at Towson, this time by a score of 8-4. The defeat was Georgetown’s fifth consecutive defeat in away games.

Sophomore pitcher Matt Smith’s impressive start to the series set a good tone for Georgetown: he threw 7.2 innings, giving up only one earned run. In the next two games, however, Georgetown’s starters were bounced fairly early because they were unable to hold Towson’s offense. Moving forward, Georgetown will have a difficult test ahead of them, as they will try to break their road slump against Coppin State, before heading to a three game series against Grambling State.

Commissioner Bud Selig’s successor next January, he will not and should not downsize spring training. It’s impossible to argue with coaches on what they think is in the best interests of the players, but much of baseball and nearly all of the MLB’s success is built by the fan experience. Admittedly, shortening the length of spring training wouldn’t affect player performance during the regular season much, but these exhibition games have become a valued opportunity for fans to sit closer to the field, watch interleague matchups, and take in an atmosphere wholly different from the regular season.

In many cases in professional sports, the prominence of money on the minds of owners sacrifices some of the authenticity of the sport, but in this case, a money-making mindset actually provides great benefit to the fans, instead of just owners. Performance during spring training may not be an accurate predictor of suc-

Yet, for the men’s baseball team, there is much more to being a team than simply winning or losing. In order to raise money and be in solidarity with the many people who lose their hair because of cancer chemotherapy treatments, each baseball player has promised to shave his head. Following the game against Xavier, many team members have pledged to participate in the event. Senior first baseman Steve Anderson said, “Other than our team, we have a few students who have agreed to shave their heads. …

We have received commitments from our assistant coaches.” He also noted the personal nature of his fight to help end cancer.

“I am doing this event in honor of my mother Kathleen Anderson. I lost my mother when I was eight years old following her battle with multiple myeloma cancer. I have seen firsthand the devastating effects that cancer has.”

As Anderson and his teammates have shown, being a student athlete can be about much more than simply being a team player. They’re asked to attend practice regularly but are still held accountable

by Georgetown academic standards. Georgetown’s student body must certainly know that win or lose, the men’s baseball team is committed to helping those in need.

cess during the regular season and everyday starters may only be playing five innings a game, but these are not aspects that should be dwelled upon. What should be valued most about spring training is that fans are given a unique look at the game.

Pregame ventures into the back-area practice complexes give fans a look at the behindthe-scenes effort being put in by young prospects. Smaller crowds at the spring stadiums means a more comfortable and intimate viewing experience that is impossible to recreate in the mega stadiums back in each team’s home city. Spring training games may not mean much in the eyes of the players, who have their sights set on their Opening Day at-bats, but for the fans, the trips out to Arizona or Florida are a refreshing way to watch the game we love. And for that reason alone, spring training should live on.

8 the georgetown voice

Spring 2014 showcased bright patterns and pop art prints, but don’t let the colors fool you— with longer skirts, traditional cuts, and stark monochrome, this spring we’re going...

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BACK TO BASICS

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Credits photography & styling julia s. tanaka Models leila ali j capecchi saki fujita michael le alanna kappadia additional thanks to ambika ahuja noah buyon steven criss ryan greene caitriona pagni lucia he connor jones leila lebreton christina libre pam shu ana smith sophia super joshua ward claire zeng

leisure

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march 27, 2014

Doubt pushes audience to question the line between truth and lies

by Isabel Echarte Just over a decade ago, The Boston Globe wrote a series of stories about the conviction and sentencing of five Roman Catholic priests for child sex abuse in the Boston area. The paper ’s coverage of the “pedophile priest crisis” forced the widespread issue into the limelight, which led to more victims speaking out and more charges brought against these priests.

The Department of Performing Arts’ Doubt, a Parable, direct-

ed by Professor Maya Roth, uses the possibility of such abuse in a 1964 Catholic school to question the idea of morality and truth.

The audience’s reactions are essential to the play’s function.

Starting with the opening of the play, we are placed in the position of churchgoers during a sermon by Father Flynn, double-cast as Addison Williams (COL ‘14) and Caleb Lewis (COL ‘16). The stage appears like the altar of a Church to the audience—votive candles are on the sides of the stage and a realistic

“Let us all raise our magic sticks in the direction of God.”

JORDAN SMITH

At night, think about our history

“I was a judge at a recent Literary Death Match in Miami. One of my co-judges was [Tina Fey. The other was] Prodigy of Mobb Deep, who was one of my heroes growing up. I used the opportunity to tell him that I’m producing a series of bilingual rap songs with my 8 month old son, Eliseo.”

Daniel Alarcón’s latest novel, At Night We Walk in Circles, is an amateur’s in-depth investigation into the circumstances surrounding his friend’s death. The framing device is unique in a world of third person singular and unidentified narration, but it is just as adept at presenting a provocative, richly colored story without distracting from the narrative.

In fact, the narrator knows nothing of his friend’s life. He, too, must understand what brought (character) with a theater troupe to an Andean village with too little oxygen and [thin air] and tense emotional something or other. His solemn, earnest determination to understand H’s life smooths the sometimes-bumpy

road to the strange, almost mythical moun-tain towns.

In fact, this is Alarcóns hallmark: like the great mythmakers, he presents idiosyncratic and quixotic characters, hints of magical realism and saturated color with a trustworthy tone. Alarcón is a teller of tales. In At Night We Walk in Circles, the act of story-telling forms the plot. Nelson and his theater troupe are performing The Dictator, a political farce popular during the oppressive, violent regime in the unnamed Latin American country where the book is set.

Alarcón was born in Lima, Peru, and was raised in Alabama. He went on to study anthropology. Traces of these studies are evident in his novel, which sometimes feels like a beautifully worded emic ethnology of his native country, albeit focused on a group of artists from the capital city, always in distinct contrast with the villagers of the mountains.

Tradition, village life and themes of coming to America loom large.

Alarcón has said in interviews that

stained glass window at the back of the set.

In Flynn’s opening sermon, he addresses the audience. His direct glare shows us we will be on a journey alongside the characters exploring the idea of doubt.

“There are those of you in church today who know exactly the crisis of faith I describe. And I want to say to you: doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty. When you are lost, you are not alone.” When he exits the stage after his sermon, all that remains is an illuminated cross-shaped garden in the middle of the stage, an ominous reminder of the Christian moral code. We understand we are here to judge—or at least try to.

Though the audience will try to grasp to the existence of truth, that there is a right and a wrong, we will fail to do so throughout. The actors bring to life the uncertainty in the script, in the characters’ own words. Maddie Kelley’s (COL ‘16) Sister Aloysius, the nun who suspects Flynn’s abuse of the students, holds a permanent frown, loves rules, and despises ballpoint pens more than just about anything.

Flynn, on the other hand, prefers to keep his nails long

and put sugar in his tea. He believes the Church should be more like an open and welcoming family than a stern observer of rules, as Aloysius would prefer it. Do Aloysius’s suspicions of Flynn, then, arise from her philosophical differences on the role of Church and school? Or does his eagerness to be close and friendly with the children at the school arise from a more insidious desire?

While we will never uncover the truth of their motives, the two characters are contrasted by an entirely innocent nun, Sister James, played by Elizabeth-Burton Jones (GRAD ‘14), and the possibly abused child’s mother, Mrs. Muller, played by Marlene Cox (COL ‘16). These characters serve to highlight the fact that truth is entirely subjective: Sister James seeks a truth that which will allow her to return to her joy of teaching, free of worry. Though Jones is somewhat awkward in her stage presence, her facial expressions succeed in portraying a woman tortured by these possible truths.

Mrs. Muller, on the other hand, chooses a truth that will help her son survive until he gets to high school, even if that means the

he encounters criticism for writing about Peru while not living there.

He responds that the criticism is fair. His characters carry with them this feeling of being out of place and overcome it through complete obsession with theater.

Unlike his theater-obsessed characters, Alarcón delves into the greater cultural scene with regularity.

Alarcón has written two novels, one novella, one collection of short stories and graphic novel in collaboration with Peruvian artist Sheila Alvarado. His artistic ability is impressive and translates through all the media he participates in.

At Night We Walk in Circles is intriguing, in particular for its characters. But Alarcón’s radio voice is more compelling, fascinating even. He is a casual personage with floating locks and sleepy eyes, but his incisive ideas translate well into radio production.

Radio Ambulante shows have the lighthearted, musically accentuated flavor of Radio Lab but the clarity in content of an NPR classic like Diane Rehm.

The broadcast from Feb. 9 of this year is a knockout. In it, Alarcón talks to Chilean student Benjamin González, who, at his high school graduation, gave a speech disparaging the famous school’s established list of alumni and attitude of superiority. Among the 18 presidents that were formed at the Instituto Nacional, González reminds the listeners of the less

Under the Covers

by Emilia Brahm A bi-weekly literary column He talks about Radio Ambulante, a podcast telling stories from Latin America. Translated as “Travelling Radio,” the show conducts a literary ethnography of Latin American writers and storytellers. It is concerned with a world of letters decidedly removed from the establishment without losing any of the talent, intelligence or depth. If the establishment is the ivory tower, the story-telling and intellectual spirit of the west coast literary milieu paints the tower red.

possible sexual abuse of her son.

“It’s just ‘til June,” she insists.

Heightening the subjectivity of all this is Roth’s decision to double cast Flynn. While the audience is just as uncertain of the truth with both actors, Williams’s Flynn appears to be (or tries to appear as) a good person in a bad situation. He is much more calm and subtle, while Lewis’s Flynn is mercurial, more forward and didactic, advocating for his truth and morality.

Though Williams’s Flynn is a somewhat more sympathetic character, both actors are able to create that infuriating sense of doubt.

In the end, just as Flynn’s sermon indicates, we are not alone in our uncertainty. As a group, the audience has been led to question its assumptions of the existence of truth and non-subjective morality. We are left with a surprisingly gratifying, though still somewhat maddening, sense of doubt.

Gonda Theatre March 27, 29, April 5, 10 at 8 p.m.

March 30 at 7 p.m.

April 6 at 2 p.m.

April 12 at 1 p.m. $8-18

savory: Pedro Montt Montt and Germán Riesco Errázuriz, who assassinated almost 4,000 Chileans between them. González reveals the truth and Alarcón tells his story—Radio Ambulante broadcasts sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in English, and is supported and promoted by Public Radio International. González’s story is enthralling and deeply affecting, as are all the broadcasts.

Alarcón pulls together compelling material and has the skill, empathy, and intelligence to present it to audiences in many forms.

Find in his novels and stories tales of amnesiacs and play-acting and sword-fighting where nothing seems normal but everything seems true. Look to his radio show for a vivid aural journey of a similar tincture. Alarcón’s written word is exciting on your bedside table at Georgetown, but for sea-water crinkled pages on the beaches of Lima, Radio Ambulante brings Alarcón’s voice to life.

Pretend you know things with Emilia at ebrahm@georgetown.edu

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This Week in Culture

Ballet Folklorico & ABISSA Showcase at Georgetown

by Daniel Varghese Despite the snow on Healy lawn, spring has sprung in Georgetown. With the promise of warm—albeit wet—weather this weekend, two on-campus cultural organizations are seizing the opportunity to strut their stuff.

The events begin on Saturday at 3 p.m. Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Georgetown is a student-run organization that promotes traditional Mexican dance culture with one large event per semester. This spring they present La Plaza Hoya, a large festival to be held on Copley Lawn.

The lineup for La Plaza Hoya includes dances from two different regions of Mexico: Norte and Michoacan. According to Karine Milhomens (MSB ‘15), the Ballet Folklórico’s publicity director, “Norte dances are known for being sassy, energetic, and explosive, while Michoacan [dances] are more representative of ethnic roots and Spanish influence,” and often carry religious undertones. Also set to perform are the Dynami Greek Dancers, the on-campus Greek dancing group.

The free festival will also be host to a large row of booths,

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“Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.” — The Devil Wears Prada

including a booth commemorating Dia de Los Muertos, where students can paint a skull made of sugar, a booth for Loteria, a favorite game among Mexican families that resembles Bingo, and a good old fashioned photo booth, where students can use various props to get in the Ballet Folklórico spirit.

The festival will run until about 6 p.m., leaving you enough time to enjoy the sunset on your walk to Lohrfink auditorium for ABISSA 2014, the annual showcase of the African Society of Georgetown.

The theme for ABISSA this year is “Africa Re-Envisioned,” which is about “changing the way people think of Africa” according to ASG’s community outreach chair Omorinsola Ajayi (NHS ‘16). The festival’s goal is to demonstrate how traditional African practice has influenced modern culture.

The festival’s main event, performances of traditional African dance, will be complemented by performances by Resonant Essence Live, Vivan Ojo, and the University of Maryland’s Afrochique dance team. ABISSA also boasts a large fashion show that will display clothing from many different established and up-and-coming designers.

Exceptional American art at Phillips

by Larissa Ong It’s fitting that America’s first modern art museum, The Phillips Collection, should exhibit Made in the USA, a rich anthology spanning the enormous breadth of American modern art collected by Duncan Phillips. Made in the USA has already traversed the globe, having been viewed by over 300,000 people in Italy, Spain, and Japan.

Phillips’s contributions in the world of art introduced America to modern art. His vision to unite the panoply of eras and styles by displaying representative works in a single space is effectively achieved through the curation of this exhibition.

The first floor showcases the pioneering works of late 19th century

American art. The exhibit then departs from realism, exploring abstract expressionism and Cubism, shown to be instrumental in establishing American artistic relevance. Later on, the exhibit features influences such as Buddhism, thereby exemplifying America’s diverse demographic landscapes.

The specifically sectioned movements facilitated the navigation of the otherwise confusing exhibition, and the full appreciation of the unique features of each piece.

Burial of a Young Man by Rockwell Kent was a particularly striking piece.

Housed within the “Forces of Nature” category, the painting depicts a funerary procession with a stark white corpse being carried in the middle of the landscape. The grandi-

“Lonely... I am so lonely. I have nobody. I’m all on my own.”

phillips collection

ose mountains situated in the background, overhanging dark clouds and somber tones of grey and brown employed all contributed to a sense of deep gravity, as does its historical significance in the First World War. This piece of work was a reject of the 1918 Allied War Salon exhibition but was still treasured and chosen by Philips because it brought him comfort after the death of his brother.

In each piece’s description, there was an explanation of Phillips’ relationship with the artist: how they met, their relationship beyond the collector-artist dynamic, and even why Duncan Phillips appreciated and chose each particular piece.

I definitely sensed his omnipresent spirit within the exhibition space, and far from creeping me out, this made me feel as though I got to personally encounter Phillips’s character simply by viewing the art that he collected.

In Made in the USA, the worlds of art-making and art-collection collide.

What results is a product to be proud of, proving century to century, fad to fad, it’s always a party in the USA. Phillips Collection Tues. thru Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sun. 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Now thru Aug. 31, 2014 phillipscollection.org $10

Smithsonian’s Beyond Bollywood exhibit is not very ambitious

by Shalina Chatlani Bollywood is more than a cheesy, romanticized knockoff of the American film industry. It’s an amazing, albeit often overly romanticized, reflection of Indian society. And, as many young Indian Americans, it’s a reminder of how wonderful traditional Indian society can be, no matter how much we may try to escape it.

As an Indian-American who was fascinated with but never fully appreciated the value of Indian culture, I was excited to hear that the Smithsonian Natural History Museum would be featuring an exhibit called “Beyond Bollywood: Indian Americans Shape the Nation.” I was eager to see it and expand my knowledge.

The exhibit, although widely advertised, was unfortunately tucked

away in a small corner of the museum and difficult to find. Despite its location, the exhibit’s entrance did not fail to impress. My friend and I were greeted by a wall of unique vintage photographs of Indian families, featuring some images I’d never seen before, and a track of traditional ghazals, old Indian ballads.

Our enthusiasm did not last long, however. While the exhibit offered

Contary to popular belief, Indians own cars and do regular things in addition to winning spelling bees.

smithsonian

several interesting pieces of information and diagrams on Indian immigrants and their history in the United States, I felt as though it only granted a cursory glance into what it’s really like to be Indian-American.

Yes, the exhibit had a few laudable characteristics. The area with Indian music is great, the data on how many Indian-Americans were denied citizenship until the mid 1900’s is really informative, and the section about Indian cuisine with a traditional masala dabba is actually really cool.

I felt, nonetheless, as though too much emphasis was placed on aspects of Indian-American culture that in the grand scheme of things aren’t all that important. Three very large sections were dedicated to how many Indians in the United States are cab drivers, how many have won the national spelling bee, and how many Indians own motels.

I left the museum feeling slightly offended, not so much because

it chose to include those displays.

Perhaps I just misinterpreted the museum’s true intentions. But there wasn’t really too much focus on what it’s like for young Indian-Americans that are confronting modern day issues, nor a full representation of the colorful, flamboyant nature of the culture. To make matters worse, the ghazal that initially made me feel so excited was actually just one track that was played over and over again.

For those who don’t really know that much about Indian-American culture, this exhibit is worth visiting. Although it didn’t really resonate with me that much, the exhibit does offer some noteworthy presentations that could potentially leave a lasting impression on some visitors.

Natural History Museum 10 a.m.–5:30 p.m. daily Now thru Aug. 16, 2015 sites.si.edu

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march 27, 2014

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

Tycho, Awake, Ghostly International Imagine a stroll through a perfectly manicured garden, Versailles or Dumbarton Oaks, on a sun-soaked day. It is an experience––grass artfully cropped, Baroque nudes selected with precision. Turn that into music and you’ve got down-tempo DJ Tycho’s new album Awake.

Though still introspective, Awake departs from Tycho’s previously somber soundscapes in favor of something exactly that: awake and energetic. The album opens with reverb-laden beats in the eponymous “Awake.” If there’s a track to narrate awaking for an 8 a.m. class as the sunrise sneaks through your bedroom blinds, this is it.

Impressively, Awake was recorded with instruments rather than

produced electronically, a first for Tycho. In many ways, this shift makes the album feel more authentic, more visceral, as it veers closer to the cymbal-clashing crescendos of post-rock greats like Do Make Say Think or Explosions in the Sky. But Awake takes a break from creative curation in its third track, “L.” It opens disconcertingly off-pitch, and it takes a couple minutes for it to correct itself from whiny back to Awake’s thematic ebullience. For a 30-minute album that is best enjoyed without interruption, that’s a long time.

On the whole, Tycho creates a musical experience that is both contemplative and highly danceable.

“Apogee,” for example, switches between busy breakbeats heavy with bass and synthy piano stabs, pitting two musical themes against each other. The presence of these two conflicting motifs can be frustrating, though. Should this be an album for a hipster-chic hotel bar during happy hour, or is this best left for the after-after party?

What’s more, like Versailles or Dumbarton Oaks, Awake feels a little too carefully curated. I can’t help but wonder whether I’m listening to little more than easily digestible IDM meant to be the banal motel prints of the trip-hop music scene. Perhaps

Lost in temptation

The best time of year for gossips and story-lovers are the days after Hoyas have returned to the Hilltop from vacation. People share fabulous tales of their adventures— beaches, gourmet buffets, gondola rides, you name it.

I especially love hearing classmates’ stories of people they met while traveling. The new friends made on the bus and that nice older lady from Germany are lovely, but once romance comes into the picture, I’m hooked.

Obviously, not all tales of intimacy can be glamorous or “aww”-inspiring.

Creepy club hook-ups fall into that category. I still don’t know how to feel about a brief encounter with a dentist, who told me I “sparked a storm” in his heart and got in contact with me by calling a classmate five times a day.

Then there are the super sappy tales, though, that draw out “ooh’s” and “ahh’s” no matter how you look

at them—the kind where someone met the most suave Australian at a hostel in Lima or fell head-overheels for Pierre in France.

The only catch is that deciding whether or how to pursue a connection once the trip is over presents a huge challenge.

For a few weeks, you might exchange the occasional email, maybe even chat on Skype. And yet, there’s something lacking. The “how are you”s and “what did you do today”s feel contrived when compared to the giddiness you felt dancing tipsy that night in Bucharest.

When we meet someone while traveling and share an intense connection, there’s a temptation to promise to pick things up when both parties are together again.

But sometimes, you have to let the moment stand on its own.

On the 3 a.m. recommendation of a friend, I watched Lost in Translation for the first time this weekend. I had put off watching the

that’s the problem of the sub-genre in general, but Tycho’s soundscapes strike me as repetitive—too easily enjoyed. It’s like I’m seeing the Versailles that’s the subject of consumerist hour-long tours, not the substantive Versailles of the history books.

Though it’s not quite something you can pin down, Awake hides behind this sort of facade of authenticity. A great hors d’oeuvre perhaps, but look elsewhere for the entrée.

Voice’s Choices: “Montana,” “Apogee” —Sam Kleinman

Shakira, Shakira, Ace Entertainment On her tenth album, Shakira, the Latina superstar has relinquished her throne. For the first time, the movie until now because I thought the plot surrounding lecherous Bill Murray falling for a young Scarlett Johansson lacked pizzazz—don’t ask me why. That said, I was pleasantly surprised.

Bob and Charlotte are played

by Murray and Johansson respectively. Despite being displaced from their normal surroundings, and feeling lonely and vulnerable,

Day Tripper

by Colleen Wood A bi-weekly column about travel they share intimate moments and find a true, human connection.

Some viewers are bothered by the ambiguity of their relationship, but we’re not supposed to know exactly how they feel about each other or whether they have another encounter in the future.

The film captures well my conception of flings had abroad. The ephemerality of their connection is perfect.

songwriter and producer has disappointed.

The eponymous album was initially set to be released in 2012, but was delayed two years due to her pregnancy. It features collaborations with artists such as Rihanna, Magic!, and Blake Shelton, all mixed into the array of upbeat pop songs, country-esque ballads and simple acoustic tunes.

“Can’t Remember to Forget You,” the highly anticipated joint-effort between two of the biggest names in pop: Rihanna and Shakira, has a memorable beat but possesses little else. The track checks off as Shakira’s annual smash hit, rising to the top of the charts for a few weeks before fading into the background of a crowded nightclub. In classic Shakira tradition, she sings of an unsatisfying love story with a sexy twist.

“You Don’t Love Me” reveals an elementary beat coupled with vacuous lyrics that tire the ears with repetitions of unrequited, and trite devotion. The listener is left feeling like Shakira could do better than repeat the rhythmically oversimple and lyrically rudimentary “You don’t care about me / If you did you would love me.”

Watching the movie, all I could think of was the week I spent in the Balkans. While there, I met an American guy, we really hit it off, and that was that.

On a train to Bulgaria, we stood with our necks hanging out the window, feeling the wind and the sun. The train wasn’t moving fast enough for it to be dangerous, but we were still scolded by the compartment attendant. We told stories of autumn at home and listened to songs on repeat, sharing headphones, humming, and laughing for hours.

Even though our hair was dirty and we didn’t know where we were going, the moment was perfect in my mind.

At the end of the week, a long hug and whispered messages sufficed. There didn’t need to be any teary-eyed promises for something more in the future—we were both able to respect and appreciate the moment for what it was. Brief romances occupy such a beautiful part of our memory—one

The album includes the 2014 World Cup’s official song, “La La La,” which, albeit reminiscent of “Waka Waka,” energetically conquers the spirits of passionate soccer fans during the World Cup. Presenting a change of pace, country ballad “Medicine” once again reveals her lovable voice and demonstrates the versatility of Shakira’s genre, though it bores with plain lyrics claiming love is sufficient medicine.

Alongside pleasing acoustic love song “23,” “Loca Por Ti,” is as raw and beautiful as her original music, providing a glimmering window into Shakira’s timeless artistic potential.

Ultimately, Shakira’s fleeting attempts to recall the emotional profundity summoned by her original albums don’t measure up. Though her modern pop songs disappoint in their loud, commandeering emotional premise, her melodious, raspy voice shines through her acoustic numbers and Spanish lyrics. On the whole, Shakira provides a nostalgic look at her past and leaves optimism for her future music.

Voice’s Choices: “23,” “Loca Por Ti” —Manuela Tobias which we only see through rosetinted glasses.

In our mundane reality, relationships are complicated, with fights, misunderstandings, jealousy. We resent those with whom we part. The messiness of romantic relationships is necessary for growth, but there’s a certain value in keeping some encounters simple and innocent.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve heard success stories. Friends of mine have met their partners while traveling, and the sagas are truly fascinating.

Not all romantic encounters should have to end in a years-long relationship, though.

In some cases, we just need to respect the brevity of the romance.

To borrow from the brilliant Hilary Duff, to find the love of your life in every foreign romance is “like trying to fit a square into a circle.”

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a Gordo fall in love with them in Italy.

Ride Colleen’s train at cwood@ georgetownvoice.com

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— Dylan Cutler

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America unique in its perpetuation of crime and injustice

by Alexandra Foley The U.S. prison system is like no other prison system in the world. This statement is not meant to praise our system for its uniqueness, rather, it is meant to criticize our system for its ineffectiveness and injustice, exemplified by the fact that no other country has tried to imitate our system. The United States holds 25 percent of the world’s prison population, yet only has about 5 percent of the world’s total population. We are the world’s leading jailer. We are a prison nation.

Over the past couple of decades, the prison-industrial complex in this country has risen dramatically.

During this time, there has also been an absurd increase in the number of Americans incarcerated, allowing us to surpass every other country in terms of the percentage of population that is in jail at any given time. This increase in the number of Americans in jail has not been coupled with a proportionate increase in the number of crimes committed.

Instead, this surge in the rate of incarceration has been coupled with a

LEILA LEBRETON

Please keep your arms and legs away from the cages at all times.

change in crime categorization and in the sentencing process.

Now, because of a shift in how certain crimes are categorized and punished, what were previously considered misdemeanors are now considered felonies. Drug use has not seen a radical increase, yet there are now more drug convictions and longer sentences for these convictions.

Additionally, the three strike policy that has been implemented in many places in our country means that people convicted of three felonies face life in prison, regardless of how minor these felonies are.

All of this has contributed to the epidemic of jail overcrowding in this country, to the point where prisons have become comparable to zoos. According to an article in the Huffington Post, there are today more than 215,000 inmates in federal prisons, an increase of almost 790 percent since 1980. This overcrowding is dangerous both for the inmates and for the correction officers. Common sense would tell us that this overcrowding is, therefore, inhumane and unjust—however, it is just what the companies who manage these prisons want.

Since 1983, management of prisons has been outsourced to the private sector, transforming the prison

system into a for-profit industry.

This privatization of prisons creates a demand for prisoners because the companies managing the prisons are trying to make a profit. The prisoners have, therefore, become commodities in this system. They are no longer humans who deserve just treatment— they are goods that can create a profit. These managing companies have found that they can cut their costs by overcrowding jails, and so lobby to perpetuate the trends that lead to this overcrowding of jails, namely the changes in crime categorization and sentencing practices. Thus, the privatization of the prison industry and the commodification of prisoners have led to the absurd and inhumane prison system that defines us as the prison nation.

Not only does the system not treat the prisoners considerately, but it also has nothing to do with justice for the victims of these crimes. The victims have no say in what happens to the offenders, nor do they have the ability to address the offenders if they want to. The victims do not receive justice or closure in this system, all they receive is the ability to see the lives of their offenders ruined, regardless of what crime they committed or why they committed it.

This system would at least be justifiable if it actually worked in preventing these criminals from committing crimes again in the future, but this is not the case. There is approximately a 67 percent recidivism rate within one to three years after offenders are released from prison, and this extremely high rate can be seen as a product of the imprisonment system itself. The system undermines families, suppresses positive rehabilitative growth, and is the principal recruitment location for gangs, all of which help to guarantee more crime.

Not only does our prison-industrial system treat prisoners as commodities, but it also does not achieve justice, nor does it prevent more crime from happening in the future.

A criminal justice system should be about the people involved, both the victims and the offenders. We need to change our system so that it is about the people and their justice and rehabilitation, rather than injustice and the perpetuation of crime.

Alexandra Foley is a freshman in the College. She is also unsurprisingly not the biggest fan of spending an evening at the zoo.

Time for a new spokesman for atheism: Enter Neil deGrasse Tyson

by Ian Philbrick Last month, The New Yorker ran a profile by Rebecca Mead of notable astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson in light of his new series, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, which airs Sunday nights on Fox. In what has become par for the course for any scientist who lingers in the public eye, Mead addressed Tyson’s views on atheism. She cites a 2012 Big Think interview, which has received over 1.4 million views on YouTube, in which Tyson dubs himself a scientist above all. He describes himself as an agnostic ,rationally “prepared to embrace the evidence” of God but rejecting any perspective for which credible proof does not exist.

The relationship between science and faith has been made increasingly more volatile by both active atheists like scientist Richard Dawkins and what Slate writer Mark Joseph Stern has dubbed “futile” engagements, like the recent debate between popular scientist Bill Nye and Answers in Genesis president Ken Ham. Tyson’s response prescribes a course that not only better reflects American public opinion and allows faith and science to coexist, but also returns science to its better nature.

Tyson’s remarks first make a critical point about agnosticism, which is too often maligned as individual indecisiveness between atheism and religion. Agnosticism instead represents a legitimate perspective open to evidentiary belief. The re-assertion of a middle road between atheism and religion symbolizes a much-needed functional and philosophical preference for malleability of opinion over certitude.

Rather than bearing out preconceived notions, agnostics display a formational perspective, subject to change based on proof. Tyson’s circumspection reflects a wider trend in American society away from the radicalization of either strict atheism or religion.

A 2011 Gallup Poll shows the percentage of the American public who say they believe in God—still a dominant 90 percent—has declined from 96 percent when the question was first posed in 1944. While self-described atheists or agnostics represent only about 1.6 percent of the population, according to a 2009 American Religious Identification Survey, 12 percent of Americans rejected “God” in favor of a generalized “universal spirit or higher power” in a re-

cent Gallup poll. These shifting sands strongly recommend a Tysonian reappraisal.

Tyson’s perspective is even more relevant to the increasingly antagonistic relationship between science and faith. Perhaps first popularized in American public discourse by the 1925 Scopes so-called “Monkey Trial,” modern “active atheists” (in Tyson’s words) have elevated acrimony to new levels. This activism has been spurred by the emergence of science intellectuals, including Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins, whose vociferous atheism is inextricably wedded to their public personas.

While campaigns, petitions, and protests are certainly the prerogative of individuals, they become dangerous when applied wholesale to a discipline like science that derives its foundational credo and central legitimacy from objective inquiry.

While dogma and impartiality can certainly exist as facets of an individual (as can religious belief and scientific rationality), the two are less easily reconciled on an institutional scale. Reconciling active atheism and science becomes a problem of participation and fundamentally conflicting ideology. Science, which

must resist pigeonholing and generalization by its skeptical nature, is inherently incompatible with an activist movement that brands all faith practices invalid.

Tyson’s critique extends to the linguistic realm as well. “It’s odd that the word ‘atheist’ even exists,” he says in the Big Think interview cited in Mead’s article. “I don’t play golf. Is there a word for non-golf players?

Do non-golf players gather and strategize?”

This inherent irony, Tyson’s quip suggests, is easily manipulated into polarizing factionalism and combativeness. This has been the failed and frustrated approach of the atheistic Dawkins and the disappointing Nye-Ham debate. The latter displayed the irreconcilability of employing logical argumentation against an opposition that twists logic to support a preordained worldview.

Rationality has little hope of changing these behaviors. Argument, however, turns what should be a vibrant public dialogue into a spectacle in which winners and losers may be proclaimed by both sides because neither will—or can—debate on the other ’s terms. Rather

than furthering discourse in a meaningful way, it instead buries issues that require social discourse. By eschewing active atheism’s combativeness, Tyson acknowledges this fact without admitting defeat or further embroiling scientists in a war of attrition against stoic religionists.

For Tyson, being a scientist means releasing any aspirations to prematurely conclude, win debates, or even have a debate at all. A strict reliance on evidentiary proof, without advancing premature conclusions, proclaims an openness of perspective that remains refreshingly above the fray and above reproach.

Ultimately, science continues to work regardless of the number of debates waged or religious Americans. It works best, however, when those who aspire to communicate its work to the public operate by its central principles. Every so often we need a Neil deGrasse Tyson to remind us.

Ian Philbrick is a freshman in the College. Watching Cosmos not only inspired his thoughts on atheism, but also led him to propose an outer space feature for next week’s issue.

voices

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The ‘reverse racism’ fallacy: I know you’re not all like that

by Elizabeth Mitchell During a recent discussion, a classmate mentioned an opinion piece published last week in the Voice. “Racism: A sinister instrument that cuts both ways” was cited as an example of people who claim “reverse racism,” the idea that marginalized groups can commit racist acts against the majority group. It was rejected as uninformed and laughable.

Admittedly, I should never have read the piece. I’ve been down this road before, and I knew that it would upset me. As expected, the piece expressed ideas that have been thoroughly discredited. “Reverse racism” and other fraught concepts have been addressed across the realms of academia and the blogosphere.

I cannot address the problems with Pagni’s piece better than thousands already have. (Perhaps if Georgetown could do better than “Pluralism in Action,” Pagni would never have written such a painfully misguided article.) I cannot undo the harmfulness of her writing. What I can do is talk very seriously about my feelings.

Right now, I feel drained.

Anxiety is pulsing through my

chest. In deciding whether to write a response, I deliberated over the possible consequences.

I worried about the potential for backlash. What if white people read this article, feel attacked like Pagni, and lash out? What if black people read this and feel I have misrepresented their sentiments? I am only one voice; but in entering a public forum, I run the risk of being seen as speaking for my entire race. How do I balance this concern with the desire to express feelings that I believe are relevant to minority students’ experiences?

I could move on, leaving another unaddressed emotional landmine for students to fall upon. Or I can lay my feelings out in the open. I am anxious that any effort to address concerns about racial ignorance will be distorted and used to justify whatever problematic views a reader might already hold. I worry that this piece will reinforce barriers instead of breaking them down. I am tired of being hurt, but I do not want to make things worse.

It is this predicament that I will write about. I often find myself caught between the choice to

speak up or stay silent. It is hurtful to experience microaggressions and to read ignorant articles in university publications. When I do speak out, however, the internal stress tends to evolve into something even more traumatic. Rarely are my feelings respected as legitimate. If someone says something so painful that I cannot simultaneously express that I have a problem and moderate my tone, the typical response is that I am overreacting and I misunderstood.

While I am feeling upset, the person (usually a friend) who hurt me will deploy a cold, calm tone to explain to me that I am being irrational. Their words were not the problem, my reaction was. My words are dismissed because of my emotional tone. If I am able to moderate my tone and explain my disappointment in a calm voice and neutral language, the response flips entirely.

Somehow, my placid demeanor comes across as an attack. Rather than being seen as trying help them understanding how their words were hurtful, I am seen as an accuser. Their fear of being seen as racist almost always trumps consideration for the pain they caused me, pain

which I am struggling to suppress in favor of coherence. Not all of my conversations about race have been horrible. In some instances, friends have respected my feelings with nothing more unpleasant than a bit of awkwardness. If I’m lucky, a few days of awkwardness won’t turn into no longer speaking.

While I personally find it stressful and exhausting to engage in conversations about race, I do not want to minimize the trauma of remaining silent.

When my friends hurt me, I often choose silence because I value their friendship. I have learned that expressing my feelings usually means losing a friend. Watching a once-great friendship die aches more than suppressing the ineffable sensation produced by racial affronts; choosing to stay friends after someone has hurt you poses its own set of concerns.

I find myself wondering if my friends truly value me and recognize my humanity. Am I a friend or a black friend? If future slights occur, do I continue on with my silent suffering and doubts, or do I express my pain?

The strongest emotion I feel in writing this is fear. Prior experi-

ence tells me that my feelings are at great risk of being dismissed as illegitimate or overdramatized. To share my feelings and be dismissed by the people who engender them creates an entirely new trauma, wherein my pain is trivialized. If pain makes you human, then denying my greatest pain is denying my humanity.

To experience this incomparable emotion and to have it dismissed is degrading.

It is terrifying to admit that it always hurts. It still shocks me when people feel free to pet my hair like I’m a creature. It can take hours to calm down after pleading with someone to respect my humanity, despite the adrenaline in my veins telling me to get away. Hearing a friend drop the n-word will always ache in the pit of my stomach.

I do not want to empower anyone to hurt me, but why hide it if I already get hurt all the time?

Now it’s all out there. Please try to stop hurting me.

Elizabeth Mitchell is a senior in the College.

Obituary: Remembering the life of Mark Adamsson

by Lucius Lee and Nicolo Dona Dalle Rose It has now been almost three weeks since Mark Adamsson (SFS ‘15) passed away over Spring Break in the Dominican Republic. In the weeks that followed, family, friends, and members of the Georgetown community came to-

gether to remind the hilltop of Mark’s intelligence, charisma, and accomplishments.

However, before anything, Mark exemplified qualities that we should all strive toward. Mark represented the best in all of us and the best of our community not just because he was smart or elo-

COURTESY NICOLO DONA DALLE ROSE

Mark Adamsson was a junior in the School of Foreign Service.

quent, but because his intelligence, curiosity, and passion were always intended to better someone else’s life.

Mark towered over most of us, not simply because of his physical height, but in compassion and wisdom beyond his years.

We often struggle to make sense of loss, especially for someone so young.

It seems surreal and distant, like something out of the pages of a newspaper or storybook. Many of us still expect to see Mark stride into Lau or walk across campus in his signature brown peacoat.

Reality is slowly hitting home. Lessons in life come more from our losses than wins.

Mark is gone, but what can we learn from this tragic loss?

Most people you talk to are simply waiting to impress their opinions on others. Our community is full of smart people whose cleverness compels them to assert their ideas by speaking louder and over others. Marred by short-sighted-

ness, our small achievements and competitiveness drive us away from each other in an attempt to make it to the top.

Mark was the exact opposite. He understood that real character comes from the way that we relate to each other, how we share our beliefs and ideas, how we develop our own moral and intellectual standards, and how we realize these beliefs and standards in everyday life.

After all, you are only smart because others can recognize your intelligence and intelligence is useless unless you share it for the betterment of others.

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).” Mark understood this. Mark’s twenty-two year-old understanding of life will probably outweigh what most of us achieve in a lifetime of thinking because he understood that the key lies in who stands in front of you, not who you leave behind in your false triumphs.

We often disagreed with Mark. Whether during latenight conversations at home or over meals at the Tombs, it was easy to realize that Mark’s social worldview often differed from our personal ones.

Mark dove headfirst into intellectual debate, always stood his ground, and proved his points tactically. Yet, at the end, he was always able raise his glass and never let the intellectual interfere with the personal.

Mark’s abrupt departure from our lives leads us to often question what the future holds and how we would have approached things differently if we had a second chance.

A definite answer eludes us, but as we search for ways to fill the void that Mark left in us, we find ourselves looking back to the example that Mark set.

Carrying On did not run this week because of the inclusion of Mark Adamsson’s obituary.