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april 11, 2013

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Voice Crossword “Hello Spring” by Andrew Duverney 34. Taxis run this up 35. They fly in a V 36. Suffix showing connection 37. Used to fish 39. Where our packages go 41. Veto 42. Cancer, ____, Virgo (in order) 43. April showers bring May ____ 46. Produced in 43 across 50. Charged atom 51. Color scheme cards 52. Wear and tear on the shore 55. Frozen water droplets 58. Summer mo.

59. Standard deviation symbol 60. What Lau holds 61. Unlocks doors 62. Chronic seizures (abbr.)

63. Spanish article (masculine) 64. Country code for Tonga DOWN

ACROSS 1. Rose___ 4. ___ truck 6. Russian secret police (abbr.)

9. Frequently 12. Scent 14. To no ____ 15. ____ Young Band 16. They lack pigment

17. Cherry ___ 18. Plead 19. # it takes to 4 down 20. Main speaker 22. Muddied 24. Formerly Cassius Clay 25. Won the big abortion trial 28. Nature’s friend in the U.S. govt.

29. ___ Tour (Tiger has won 77) 31. Nav. device

1. Sheep sound 2. Website address 3. Dies a free elf 4. Argentine dance 5. T.S. Eliot poem 6. Shish ____ 7. Currency in Final Fantasy 8. What 43 across does 9. Female hormone in Britain 10. ___ Rida 11. Shy 13. Demeanor

20. What goes around comes around?

21. Spigot 23. Type of salad 26. Over in poetry 27. Where a word comes from 28. Be wrong 29. Yearly plant 30. Years ___ 32. Measure of pressure 33. Male and female 38. Paddle 40. Slutty gardening tool 43. Mutant or rarity 44. Be 45. Lightly burn 47. MTV real estate show 48. Crunchy Mexican snack 49. Distribute 53. French road 54. Lubricant 56. ___ machine for hearts (abbr.)

57. Beleaguered govt. agency

Answers to last week’s sudoku

Answers to last week’s crossword

editorial

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VOICE the georgetown

Volume 48.12 April 11, 2013 Editor-in-Chief: Keaton Hoffman Managing Editor: Gavin Bade Blog Editor: Connor Jones News Editor: Matt Weinmann Sports Editor: Steven Criss Feature Editor: Julia Tanaka Cover Editor: Neha Ghanshamdas Leisure Editor: Julia Lloyd-George Voices Editor: Sara Ainsworth Photo Editor: Miles Gavin Meng Design Editors: Amanda Dominguez, Madhuri Vairapandi Projects Editors: Alec Graham, John Sapunor Back Page Editor: Tiffany Lachhonna Puzzles Editors: Andrew Duverney, Tyler Pierce Contributing Editors: Leigh Finnegan, Kevin Joseph Assistant Blog Editors: Isabel Echarte, Ryan Greene, Caitriona Pagni Assistant News Editors: Lucia He, Julia Jester, Jeffrey Lin Assistant Sports Editors: Chris Almeida, Chris Castano Assistant Cover Editor: Lauren Ashley Panawa Assistant Leisure Editors: Alex Golway, Kirill Makarenko Assistant Voices Editors: Ana Smith Assistant Photo Editor: Andres Rengifo Assistant Design Editor: Teddy Schaffer

Staff Writers:

Emilia Brahm, Will Collins, Emlyn Crenshaw, Brendan Crowley, Laura Kurek, Maria Lappas, Alex Lau, Keith Levinsky, Claire McDaniel, Liana Mehring, Dayana Morales-Gomez, Joe Pollicino, Cole Stangler, Dzarif Wan, Sam Wolter, Claire Zeng

Staff Photographers:

Rebecca Anthony, Julian de la Paz, John Delgado-McCollum, Kat Easop, Robin Go, Kirill Makarenko, Tess O’Connor

Staff Designers:

Karen Bu, John Delgado-McCollum, Christy Geaney, Mike Pacheco, Tom Pacheco, Sebastian Sotelo

Copy Chief: Morgan Manger Copy Editors:

Kathryn Booth, Grace Funsten, Tori Jovanovski, Rina Li, Natalie Muller, Sonia Okolie, Caitriona Pagni, Ana Smith, Dana Suekoff, Kim Tay, Suzanne Trivette

Editorial Board Chair: Patricia Cipollitti Editorial Board:

Aisha Babalakin, Gavin Bade, Lucia He, Keaton Hoffman, Quaila Hugh, Julia Jester, Caitriona Pagni, Julia Tanaka, Galen Weber

Head of Business: Aarohi Vora The Georgetown Voice

The Georgetown Voice is published every Thursday.

This newspaper was made possible in part with the support of Campus Progress, a project of the Center for American Progress,

online at CampusProgress.org. Campus Progress works to help young people — advocates, activists, journalists, artists — make their voices heard on issues that matter. Learn more at CampusProgress.org.

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

On this week’s cover: “Free Speech at Georgetown” Cover Design: Madhuri Vairapandi (COL ‘14)

the georgetown voice 3

THE FIGHT’S NOT NSOVER

NSO must require sexual assault education Last week, New Student Orientation coordinators announced that NSO will not include a mandatory sexual assault workshop, as recommended by the Georgetown University Student Association Sexual Assault Working Group. Instead, there will be a voluntary discussion incorporated into the Welcome Week schedule, and sexual assault prevention elements will be added to the compulsory NSO Show and online AlcoholEdu program.

The decision was seen as a compromise between the GUSA SAWG and NSO coordinators. However, the issue of student safety is one that should never be open to compromise.

The period between the beginning of school and Thanksgiving is known as the “red zone” because more sexual assaults occur during those first few weeks than at any other time in the school year. It is precisely because students are arriving in an unfamiliar setting, defining their boundaries, and experimenting with new things that it is crucial for new students to learn how to be safe as they start school.

Unsurprisingly, Georgetown’s numbers are consistent with the national averages of one in four women and one in 33 men falling victim to sexual assault while in school. According to the National Institute of Justice, victims know their attackers 90 percent of the time— in fact, sexual assault occurs in the context of a date almost half of the time. And tragically, here on Georgetown’s campus, the Department of Public Safety estimated that as many as 11 in 12 sexual assaults go unreported.

The changes being made in NSO are a step in the right direction, but as the numbers show, much more remains to be done. Sexual assault education should be incorporated into Orientation Advisor training, and a renewed focus needs to be placed on this kind of education during Resident Assistant training.

New students rely on RAs and OAs for guidance, so it is only logical that mentors should be ready and able to give survivors the support and advice they need.

NSO coordinators should reconsider their priorities. We understand that the ori-

entation schedule is already tightly packed, but few programs or events should be regarded as more important than a mandatory discussion of these issues. Without incorporating compulsory sexual assault education, we risk failing to make Georgetown a safe space for all students. NSO should be a fun, welcoming experience, but more importantly should thoroughly prepare students for the beginning of their years on the Hilltop.

In the future, NSO should not half-heartedly squeeze insufficient sexual assault prevention efforts into its schedule only after it is pushed for by student leaders. Rather, it should schedule a mandatory sexual assault workshop from the beginning of planning.

No Hoya should enter the Georgetown community without understanding that there is no such thing as legitimate rape, that a girl is never “asking for it,” and that it’s not all harmless fun. Earnest prevention efforts require that these issues be taken seriously and discussed with new students as soon as possible.

UP IN ARMS

Gun control bills founder on student security Last Thursday, Maryland’s General Assembly successfully passed one of the nation’s strictest gun control bills, including a ban on 45 types of assault weapons, among other measures.

When it is signed into law by Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley in the coming weeks, it will be an encouraging sequel to a similarly tough state bill signed into law by Connecticut’s Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy last Thursday and certainly, a preview for serious gun control legislation at the federal level.

While these substantial changes constitute hard-won victories, certain provisions included in the gun control bills may do more harm than good. In direct response to last December’s Newtown shooting, the state proposals collectively seek to designate $40 million for schools to invest in security. Such efforts are in the same vein as those advocated by the National Rifle Association, which released a prescriptive report last week that recommended placing armed guards at every K-12 school.

As a strategy for school safety, increased security is inefficient at best, and toxic at worst.

Already, one-third of American public schools employ armed guards, and arming the remaining public schools would cost an estimated $2.5 billion. While it is clear that that we cannot place a cost on safety, school studies point to a spurious correlation at best between increased police protection and decreased violence in schools.

On the contrary, it appears that armed guards actually negatively affect students— study after study reports that the presence of armed guards makes students feel powerless and even unsafe. In an environment where children and young adults spend nearly half of their time, student well-being is quickly being eroded by heightened security.

Studies merely serve to back the protests of students, who are taking it upon themselves to oppose the emphasis on punishment represented by increased school security. Here in the District, a group of students is using photography to document metal detectors, police pat-downs, and other school security measures intended to protect them. Armed with cameras to fight for their safety, the student photos

evidence how their learning environments, like the estimated 10,000 other high schools across the nation with police on campus, have been transformed into quasi-prisons.

Instead of harsh law-and-order policies, schools should embrace restorative justice measures that focus on rehabilitation and cooperative security rather than bringing intimidation and potential police violence into the halls of our nation’s schools. The activist D.C. students and their “Homework Not Handcuffs” campaign, which advocates such measures, shows many students are ahead of the curve in terms of knowing how school discipline should work.

These brave students are rightly demanding a voice in the legislation that will not only shape their lives at school and beyond, but also the national discourse on violence, crime, and punishment. It is imperative that we fully consider the implications of all the provisions included in prospective gun control legislation, and refrain from unwisely expanding school security, lest our attempts to protect instead stifle our youth.

YOU GOT PAPERS?

An inhumane immigration deal is no deal at all It’s no secret that one of the federal government’s priorities this year is overhauling the immigration system. And rightly so—as over 200 Georgetown students who demonstrated outside the Capitol Wednesday showed, our broken system is an issue that affects border states and Latino communities as well as bastions of relative privilege like the Hilltop. After its electoral rout at the hands of Latino voters, the GOP is more ready than ever to move on immigration, but as the Hoya protesters can attest, the important thing is not to get a deal, but to get the right one.

Of the many sticking points in the immigration debate, one of the first is surely border security. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), part of the bipartisan “Gang of Eight” senators working on reform, has said any deal will have to include increased border security. However, it’s unclear where more agents and more money would go, or what good these would do.

President Barack Obama has already stepped up enforcement of illegal immigration laws, deporting more people in his first term than President George W. Bush ever did, and committing more law enforcement to the border than ever before. While the flow of undocumented immigration from Mexico is the lowest it’s been in decades, border crossing fatalities have not decreased at nearly the same rate. In such a complicated issue, one thing is clear: More enforcement can’t solve the immigration crisis.

But an issue more important for the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country today is how long and arduous that much vaunted “path to citizenship” will be.

Most critically, any deal that Democrats agree to should make legal status in the U.S. a certainty for those who pursue it. No undocumented immigrants should be subjected to the legal limbo of their current status after this reform is passed.

Moreover, the waiting period for legal residence should be short, and should take into account how long immigrants have already been in the U.S. Fines and back taxes cannot become a barrier for legal status, and deportations must cease for those pursuing residence. If the price for legal status is too steep, millions of immigrants will not be able to attain it, and our nation will be left with the same problem it faces today.

Above all, symbolism remains the greatest threat to humane, comprehensive reform. Conservatives will do whatever they can to water down a deal, making it nearly impossible for undocumented immigrants to acquire citizenship, while claiming the electorally significant achievement of being partners in reform. It is up to the concerned public and progressive legislators to refuse to pass a bill that does not include an accessible path to citizenship and a relaxation of deportations. If we do not, it may be years before we can legislate the issue again.

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april 11, 2013

NSO will not have mandatory sexual assault workshop

by Caitriona Pagni Last Thursday, April 4, New Student Orientation announced its plans to integrate sexual assault education into Welcome Week’s itinerary. This year’s NSO will not include a mandatory sexual assault education workshop, but instead will offer a voluntary sexual assault awareness ice cream social as a part of Welcome Week, as well as integrating sexual assault education into alreadyscheduled events such as Pluralism in Action and AlocholEdu. For many students, this announcement came as a disappointment. GUSA President Nate Tisa (SFS ‘14) and Vice President Adam Ramadan (SFS ‘14), who made sexual assault education a central element of their platform, are not satisfied with the plans. “This has to start at NSO, but cannot stop there.

That’s why we are also focusing on training student leaders who play an important role in extracurricular and social life,” Tisa wrote in an email to the Voice.

Tisa and Ramadan also made sexual assault education a major

goal in their 40 day plan of priorities to act on before the year ends. The plan seeks to make victim amnesty a part of the Student Code of Conduct. An amnesty policy, which protects victims from being prosecuted for actions such as drinking or drug use before being assaulted, currently exists as an unofficial University practice. Tisa and Ramadan believe making amnesty an official policy will help to alleviate victim’s fears and increase reporting of incidents.

GUSA has already begun implementing their goal. Last Sunday, the Senate passed a resolution that calls for the University to include a mandatory event as well as an act which requires students associated with GUSA to undergo annual sexual education training through Sexual Assault Peer Educators.

Despite hopes for a mandatory workshop, the inclusion of a voluntary discussion as well as the integration of sexual assault in any capacity is seen as a sign of progress.

Women’s Center Director, Laura Kovach, emphasized the progress the University has already made in raising awareness about sexual assault

on campus. “Georgetown has a solid history over the last 10-12 years of providing sexual assault awareness and education through programs like RU Ready, Take Back the Night Week and the Sexual Assault Peer Educators,” Kovach wrote in an email to the Voice.

Although Residential Advisors currently receive training on these issues, it is reactive in nature, as its focus is on rehabilitation after an assault, and not prevention. Incorporating a mandatory event in NSO would aim to shift Georgetown’s culture so instances of sexual assault never happen in the first place. “We are very reactionary. We don’t really deal with it until after [sexual assault] happened, and after it happens there’s a whole new set of problems,” said GUSA Senator Pat Spagnuolo (COL ‘14), who introduced the bill that requires assault training for senators. “If you’re a survivor, risk reduction is immaterial.”

Tisa and Ramadan feel confident that by 2014 they will succeed in creating a mandatory event at NSO. But, delivering on this promise is far from guaranteed. NSO’s schedule is

determined as early as February, and because NSO is the only time the entire incoming class will be together until graduation, every organization on campus jockeys for a time to attract new students. “The problem is there’s so many departments and it’s such a huge program, you need to get in there next November and make a lot of noise,” Spagnuolo said.

The fact remains that during the first six weeks of college more incidents of sexual assault occur than at any other time of the school year. Thus, NSO serves as the ideal time to reach out to students about the issue. Orientation Adviser Zach Singer (SFS ‘15) said that his prior OA training did not include training to discuss sexual assault, but he remains hopeful that the dialogue and attitudes are shifting. “I am really positively struck by the changing attitude I perceive on our campus with regards to the issue,” Singer said. “There has been a dedicated group of students working on bringing this issue to center stage on campus. I see a change in the amount of people positively talking about the issue.”

NSO coordinators, who are responsible for planning the events, did not respond to multiple emails.

Scheduling is only the tip of the iceberg. Although a mandatory NSO event about sexual assault would undoubtedly create awareness of sexual assault issues, the event in itself might not bring substantive change to student culture. Secretary for Student Health and Safety and SAPE leader Nora West (SFS ’15) works to inform the student body and provide them with the tools to become active participants in changing Georgetown’s reactive approach towards the matter.

“I think that a dialogue is a great way to start fostering discourse on campus, although a self-selecting dialogue doesn’t necessarily reach all the audiences we would like it to reach,” West said. “The major part about changing the culture on campus is talking to people who wouldn’t typically talk about sexual assault and you don’t necessarily get that in self-selecting welcoming programs, which is why our end goal is still including [mandatory] sexual assault discussion in NSO.”

As one of the main advocates for the DREAM Act, President John DeGioia has expressed his support for the passing of the legislation, emphasizing its importance to both the Georgetown community and to the country as a whole.

“As a University in the heart of the nation’s capital, working to understand the impacts of globalization and the responsibilities we have in a new global context, it is our job, as educators, to support all of our students, including those who were born abroad, and to encourage passage of this legislation,” said DeGioia in a commentary to the American University Radio in December 2010.

“Passing the DREAM Act is an essential step … It will not only help these future leaders, it will enrich our campuses and make our country stronger,” DeGioia said.

However, some students still believe that Georgetown is behind the curve in the conversation about immigration reform, especially when talking about student awareness on these issues.

“A lot of us don’t know that there are undocumented students on this campus, and there are a lot of students that come from mixedstatus families; my own parents are undocumented,” said Zenen Jaimes

Pérez (SFS ’13), board member of MEChA Georgetown. “These are the daily realities of a lot of students on campus and I think that that’s what’s kind of ignored.”

Georgetown students plan to continue with their efforts to promote comprehensive reform in the way students conceive immigration issues. “The next step is going to be advocacy. We are going to have a day of federal policy advocacy up here on the hill. We are going to start asking people to call their members of Congress through a coordinated effort of the 15 groups in the coalition,” Pérez said.

“We will hopefully see the bill come out in the next two weeks and from there we are going to see what missing pieces there are from the bill,” he added. “For example, there has been talk that LGTBQ inclusive immigration reform is not going to be a part of the bill, meaning binational couples aren’t going to be protected. Since GU Pride is in our coalition, we will talk about what this means and how we are going to get those rights back.”

The agreement on the proposal to modify the current immigration law is expected to be made public by next week, after which the Senate will vote on the bill before it moves to the House of Representatives.

Coalition of student groups participates in rally for immigration reform

by Elizabeth Coscia and Lucia He On Wednesday, April 10, a group of over two hundred Georgetown students and members of the Georgetown University Immigration Coalition marched from the front gates of the University to the Capitol building to meet with the citywide A10 Immigration Reform Rally. The group joined thousands of other protesters who were rallying for a legal path to citizenship for the over 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. “For too long, our communities have suffered under a defective and outdated immigration system that stifles our economic growth, makes political scapegoats out of immigrants, and tears families apart. The time is now for justice. The time is now for citizenship!,” read the Facebook event created by the GU Immigration Coalition calling for students to join the rally.

This is not the first time Georgetown students have shown their support for and interest in immigration reform. This past Spring Break, students traveled to three border destinations—El Paso, Texas; Tucson, Ariz.; and Immokalee, Fla. through the Alternative Spring Break program in order to explore immigration issues. In addition,

Elizabeth Coscia

Protesters assembled at the Healy Gates and marched down to the National Mall.

Georgetown has offered students other opportunities to further develop their passion for the issue.

“I’ve been working with the immigrant community for all four years,” said Cristina Gil (COL ’13), board member of Hoyas for Immigrant Rights. “I think my perspective has changed a lot coming to Georgetown, because we have students here that are undocumented, so it hit home harder than I expected. It strengthened my passion to stay on it. I did the march my freshman year in 2010, when immigration first started kicking and pushing harder.

That was where the DREAMers came into effect.”

DREAMers are undocumented immigrants who would be eligible for the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act, proposed in the Senate in 2001. The DREAM Act aims to provide conditional permanent residency to immigrants that came the U.S. at young ages and were educated in its public school systems. The profile for immigrants eligible to be effected by the DREAM Act fits a portion of the immigrants that currently attend Georgetown. Without permanent residency, these students will be deported shortly after graduation.

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New dorm location unveiled, GUTS routes to be altered

by Julia Jester Prior to Easter break, the University’s Planning 102 session outlined long-term campus construction plans concerning GUTS bus routes and additional living space. However, certain questions remained regarding the future of campus accessibility, the Leavey Center, and transportation updates.

Pieter Fossel (SFS ‘14), Georgetown University Student Association Secretary of Neighborhood Relations, said the alternate GUTS bus routes would not inconvenience students, as changes are merely adjusting the driving route and will not change the on-campus bus stop locations or add any additional stops. “The change mostly affects the Dupont route and buses that go through Burleith,” Fossel said. “It just alleviates the stress on the community. The actual changes themselves maybe in the longer routes [as] a three to five minute longer commute.”

Another improvement to transportation designed to convenience students and improve neighborhood relations is the recent implementation of late night shuttles to and from M St., Adams Morgan, West Georgetown, and Burleith. Additionally, students will be able to track both the GUTS

routes, as well as the routes of new late night shuttles through a new app, NextGUTS. Integrated with the app DoubleMap, NextGUS will go live on Monday, April 15.

“If you’re in West Georgetown or Burleith and contemplating walking down to M St., you can see where the shuttle is. The idea is to increase student use of the services and get people on the shuttles and off the streets,” Fossel said.

While definitive improvement has been made involving accessible student transportation, plans for new dorms are still in progress.

As revealed in the Planning 102 session, the most likely location for a new on-campus living space is the northwest triangle area across from the Reiss building—raising concerns about space and pedestrian traffic. In terms of whether it will fit

GEoRGEtoWN UNiVERsitY

GUTS bus routes and travel times will be changed under the new plans.

Thatcher’s oppresive legacy

In a press release as revolting as it is revealing, the White House rendered a two-paragraph homage to former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on Monday, noting that “the world has lost one of the great champions of freedom and liberty.” The Iron Lady, who fought against sanctions for apartheid South Africa, once called Nelson Mandela a terrorist, and palled around with Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet, was of course no such thing.

In the U.K., her policies of privatization and austerity bludgeoned the nation’s social safety net, brought the once-mighty labor movement to its knees, and ushered in the long and painful erosion of British social democracy that continues to this day.

In case the obvious whitewashing of Thatcher’s foreign policy record wasn’t enough, the White House press release took the additional step of celebrating her

on the site, Vice President of Planning and Facilities Management Robin Morey is confident that the space is optimal for construction.

“What we have is just some renderings and some diagrams that show a facility will fit on that site that will hold about 170 beds,” Morey said.

The entitlement process for construction on that site has already begun, which will be followed by a permitting process through the city before architectural drawings and construction can begin. “There will be impacts to pedestrian pathways through that site, and all of that is part of the detailed design as well,” Morey said.

“Once we figure out what that footprint is going to be and we determine where our ‘laid out’ area, where you stage all of your equipment and materials and supplies

legacy in the same breath as former President Ronald Reagan: “Here in America, many of us will never forget her standing shoulder to shoulder with President Reagan, reminding the world that we are not simply carried along by the currents of history—we can shape them with moral conviction, unyielding courage, and iron will.”

At this point, the administration’s general hostility toward expanding the social safety net is no secret. But its starry-eyed paean to the Baroness underlines just how dramatically the American political environment has shifted to the right. That a president from the Democratic Party could so uncritically praise Reagan and Thatcher would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. In fact, Monday’s reaction from the White House stands as the ultimate testament to the long-lasting legacy of Thatcher’s famous dictum in defense of neoliberalism: “There is no alternative.”

Like Thatcher’s, Reagan’s policies aimed to tear apart his country’s social programs, neutralize organized labor, and radically shift the political consensus on the role of government in the economy. Although he famously won over some conservative elements of the Democratic Party, the party still offered a pretty damning condemnation of the outgoing president at its 1988 Convention.

Union Jack

by Cole Stangler

A bi-weekly column about national politics and policy The Democratic Party platform that year noted, “There is no good reason why the nation we love, the greatest and richest nation on earth, should rank first among the industrialized nations in output per person but nearly last in infant mortality, first in the percentage of total expenditures devoted to defense but nearly last in the percentage devoted to education and housing.”

[are], then we’ll determine what the pedestrian pathways through and around that site will be.”

The northwest triangle was selected from a total of seven sites due to its promising location. “By far, a majority of the population is in the south. We think that bringing more energy up to the north of campus will help us also energize the Leavey building. We think we can better recenter that for students,” Morey said.

However, Morey noted the Leavey Center itself needs to be reenergized, although after plans to construct dorm rooms were discarded, so was the potential for revamping the facility—both the main areas as well as the offices on the fourth floor. “There is nothing in the works to do anything with Leavey. When I say we’d like to reenergize Leavey, we think the common areas can be better utilized,” Morey said.

GUSA Senior Counselor and Director of Student Space Jack Appelbaum (COL ‘14) recognizes the need to improve Leavey. “The fourth floor definitely needs attention, the lower levels need attention, places like Hoya Court,” he said. “[New South Student Center] doesn’t solve all of the space problems on campus. It solves some specific space problems. It’s going to be great, but

Today, those kinds of views are effectively confined to a minority of Democratic legislators in Congress. By contrast, the Obama administration’s 2014 budget proposal provides ample evidence that it has taken Thatcher and Reagan’s economic vision to heart The President’s budget includes $1.2 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, including cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits. To be sure, Obama’s tone is typically less triumphalist than Thatcher’s or Reagan’s—he insists on the need to make “tough choices” and “not spend beyond our means” while extolling the virtue of compromise—but it conveys the same essential message: social programs and (non-military) government spending are unsustainable, irresponsible, and a far less effective way of allocating goods and services than the free market.

The implication, whether spoken or not, is that the ever-evaporating wing of the

student organizations are still going to largely make their home in the Leavey Center and the space there needs to be improved.”

The construction of a dorm building in the northwest triangle was chosen over the Leavey option due to its potential to move more underclassmen into dorms and out of apartments. “By creating more living space on campus, those sophomores that are living in Village A might be living in this proposed dorm in the northwest triangle, for instance,” Fossel said.

“Then it would be the seniors that are renting [and] living off-campus that would have spaces to live in on-campus options, such as Village A or Nevils.”

While Fossel noted that many seniors would choose to live on campus if given the chance due to convenience and assured quality, Appelbaum recognized the challenges associated with such a shift.

“What’s going to happen is that the University is going to need to make living on campus more attractive because they need to get students back on campus,” Appelbaum said.

“They’re just building the beds, it doesn’t mean students are going to come, so they need to make on campus living attractive. Building the beds is one step, but then making the beds desirable is a very important next step.”

Democratic Party that remains committed to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other vaguely redistributive policies needs to wake up to the political and economic reality.

Thatcher ’s passing predictably elicited cheers from some of those Britons most damaged by her policies. There were reports of small celebrations in places like Glasgow or Brixton, a working class area of London devastated by Thatcherism and marked by two major riots in the 1980s. And her statefunded funeral (a travesty in itself) is certain to bring out thousands of protesters.

But even her fiercest opponents have to concede the fact that she was terribly effective. How else is one to make sense of such backlash against someone who hasn’t been in office for over 20 years?

Was Thatcher your conservative idol? Tell Cole at cstangler@georgetownvoice.com.

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april 11, 2013

Men’s and women’s tennis surging in conference play

by Brendan Crowley With the Big East Tennis Championship Tournament just a week away, expectations are high for both Georgetown’s men’s (10-9, 3-0 Big East) and women’s (13-4, 3-2 Big East) tennis, each of which are poised for strong finishes to the 2013 campaign.

After a slow start that saw them drop eight of the season’s first 10 matches, the Hoya men’s tennis team caught fire. The turnaround was highlighted by a streak for the ages, as the Hoyas rattled off eight straight victories before suffering their first loss in just under a month against cross-town rival George Washington University (12-5, 3-0) this past Sunday. Although their overall record sits just above .500, the Hoya coaching staff is all smiles when it comes to discussing the team’s performance thus far.

“The guys look [at] what we’re doing,” said Head Coach Gordie Ernst. “We beat up on Navy [14-10, 2-1 Patriot], Marist [11-4, 1-0 MAAC], we beat St. John’s [2-14, 0-2 Big East] for the first time in six years. I mean, those are all decent tennis programs. So, we’re happy.”

On an individual note, the men’s squad has been anchored by the dominant play of two sophomores, Alex Tropiano and Shane Korber, two players Ernst feels have been the driving force behind the team’s success.

“They’re such dedicated guys, hard workers,” said Ernst.

“At times they haven’t played their best, they’ve taken some tough losses and they just forget about it, go on, and keep working. The fact that they’re both playing so well right now and winning is great.”

Tropiano, in particular, has been a perfect example of what hard work in the face of adversity can accomplish. After be-

ing sidelined by an illness during crucial training months in the fall, he has battled back to cement himself as one of the team’s top performers.

“He’s had some adversity, and he’s dealt with it,” Ernst said.

“He’s shown great character.”

On the women’s side, consistency has been the name of the game, as the Hoyas have looked strong all season, never losing more than two consecutive games. For the coaching staff, the most impressive aspect of the ladies’ season thus far, however, has nothing to do with wins and losses. It is their ability to improve after each match that the coaches find most remarkable.

“Our girls would have lost that match to East Carolina (12-9) in February, no question about it,” Ernst said. “They’ve gotten tougher and tougher from winning.”

Much of this improvement on the court, according to Ernst, can be attributed to the exemplary leadership abilities of Nora Montgomery. A senior from Winnetka, Ill., Montgomery has seen little court time in her career, but this has not deterred her from being a huge presence in the locker room.

“She’s been a great captain, she’s been with me for four years.

She’s the type of kid that the other girls are playing hard for. That speaks very highly of the type of person she is. She’s a character, she’s got great spirit,” Ernst said.

“There’s not many kids that are on scholarship for four years, and not play in the lineup, that will stand there in 45 degrees, cheering on their teammates every single moment. I’m gonna give her a lot of credit for why we’re so successful this year.”

Even with confidence at its peak entering postseason play, Ernst is still wary of the battle ahead for both the men’s and women’s teams. With so many strong teams in the conference

SPORTS INFO

Alex Tropiano secured the only singles win for the Hoyas against GWU.

this year, the players know that success in the tournament will be anything but a walk in the park.

“Notre Dame [15-7, 2-0 Big East] makes a lot of noise…,” Ernst said of both the men’s and women’s side. “They’re good, they’ve got great programs…

They’re the teams to beat. Louisville [13-11] is also pretty good.

On the women’s side, South Florida [11-6, 6-0 Big East] has a lot of crafty, foreign girls, who are experienced and tough.”

Ernst, however, was quick to add, “Don’t look past the Hoyas.”

Next up for both the men’s squad and the women’s squad are two home matches on Wednesday and Thursday,

against University of Maryland Baltimore County and Rutgers University, respectively. Following these matches, the Hoyas will have a full week to prepare for the three-day Big East Tennis Championship Tournament which will take place in South Bend, Ind., from April 18 through April 20.

the Sports Sermon “Rise and shine, Augusta patron, and come out of your crappy $379 hotel room in khakis, a colorful golf shirt and a Braves baseball cap. Now you look like a local. Go already.” -Rick Reilly’s Masters morning advice but where is the anger and condemnation?

A magical thing happens when an athlete wins. His sins are forgiven and the public eye begins to look past any wrongdoing. It is easy for people to forget about Elin Nordegren and little Sam and Charlie. The collapse of their family eliminates any chance of a normal future for the kids, but that was only fun for a little while. Why? Because winning takes care of everything. Winning shows us why we originally fell in love with the superstar: their prowess in competition and the vi-

and 13 more seasons of making news on the gridiron, his face After an infidelity scandal still welcomes commuters to and the destruction of his first Baltimore. The pattern is all too marriage, Tiger Woods has had familiar. a rough few years. The flack he In all the commotion surwas dealt off the course courounding the so-called “repled with the 107-week winless demption” of athletes from struggle in competition gave scandal, we have to be careful the impression that the face of not to be swept off our feet. professional golf would never Admiring the game of an athrise again. But now, with three lete is perfectly acceptable and top finishes and a World No. 1 inevitable when talking about ranking thus far in 2013, Nike Woods. He is second only to would beg to differ.

Jack Nicklaus as the greatest The morning after Woods golfer of all time and has been won the Arnold Palmer Invia force in the PGA ever since his tational, his third victory this entrance into professional golf year, the sportswear in 1996. But that Pete Rose Central giant launched an is really all we can advertising camadmire in him. It Da bettin’ line paign with a photo may be tempting Dookies Margin Hoyas of Woods overto push all his anlaid by a quote— (favorites) tics into the past, (underdogs) (duh!)

“Winning takes care but none can deny Rory of everything.”

Gentle Putting that his chance at Tiger Although this Cubs Goat’s Head being the untouchDrought phrase is something able, all-around Jazz Mamba Lakers Woods has said over role model is over. the years to describe his mind- carious excitement they provide If athletes were not conset when playing golf, the mes- when they stand up on the po- tinually thrust into the national sage extends much further than dium and kiss their trophy. spotlight on a daily basis, their that, and both Nike and Tiger With the positive energy characters and conduct would knew it. Ads are not just tossed that accompanies success, what not matter so much. But, they’re out to the public on a whim. everyone used to hate Tiger among the most revered figures Every single detail is inspected for dissipated and now, with in American society, so their and meticulously analyzed so his new Olympian girlfriend off-field actions carry heavy that just the right message is Lindsey Vonn, he can parade weight. Celebrating winners put across. This arrogant dec- around on his high horse once like they can do no wrong does laration weighs success on the more. This shouldn’t be sur- not send the right message to course far above a player’s im- prising, though. Nike’s claim the masses who track their evpact off of it, but unfortunately, is not just founded on Woods’s ery move. the ad is right. conquest.

Woods has a great opporBack when Woods was conThe sporting world has had tunity to continue his winning sistently losing, the media bar- a grand assortment of athlete ways this weekend at the Masraged him with criticism and scandals swept away by win- ters in Augusta. Yet another alongside the news of his poor ning. The heart of the Lakers green jacket would put him performance was the incessant organization, Kobe Bryant, that much closer to catching din of his outrageous sexual cheated on his wife with a hotel Jack and quiet any doubts still escapades in Vegas. All the worker in 2003, but he respond- being passed around about his talk focused on how terrible ed with dominating play and physical health. Earning that of a person the golfer turned after his back-to-back champi- fifth Masters title could be the out to be and you couldn’t get onships all was forgiven. Re- final farewell to the scandal that through a day without hearing cently retired Ray Lewis was has cast shadows on his perforabout the wife and kids he be- involved in a scuffle that left mance and satisfy the markettrayed. But what about now? two men dead in 2000, but with ing bigwigs at Nike as they ceTiger’s back in the spotlight, a Super Bowl ring the next year ment their distasteful claim.

by Steven Criss

sports

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 7

Baseball eyes opportunity in Big East Wizards not so bad after all

by Chris Castano and Steven Criss Despite a couple poor results on their trip to the Golden State this past weekend, the Georgetown men’s baseball team (19-11 overall, 3-3 Big East) strolled to a 9-1 victory against cross-town rival George Washington University (11-21, 5-4 Atlantic 10) on Tuesday in a showing of their potential on both sides of the diamond.

Conference play has been a mixed bag for an otherwise solid Hoya team. Georgetown began conference play in March with a series against Connecticut, winning the first game 5-2, but losing the second and third games 6-0 and 3-2, respectively. The Blue and Gray continued Big East play at Shirley Povich Field against the University of South Florida (1813, 7-2 Big East) at the end of the month. Georgetown edged out a 1-0 win in the first game of the series, dropped the second 10-6, but finished strong by taking the series with a 7-2 win.

After finishing this run in conference, Georgetown travelled to Moraga, Calif. to begin play against the Gaels of Saint Mary’s College on April 5. St. Mary’s won the first two games 6-1 and 4-1, but Georgetown pulled it together for the rubber match, battling to a 7-6 win.

If any finesse or effort had been lost in the series against St. Mary’s, the Hoyas did not let it show against GW on Tuesday. Five different Georgetown pitchers held GW to two hits. Freshman pitcher Jordan Chudacoff stood out, picking up his second collegiate win while pitching five innings and allowing only one hit. Quality pitching on a consistent basis will be a necessity as the Hoyas progress in their Big East schedule, especially in their upcoming series against St. John’s.

“If you look at the standings, we’ve faced two of the better teams and our pitching numbers are damn good,” said Head Coach Pete Wilk.

Georgetown will take on the Red Storm April 12-14 at Shirley Povich Field. The Hoyas will come up

MILES GAVIN MENG

Trevor Matern provides essential offensive production with a .356 batting average.

Basketball’s battle of the sexes

If I told you that somebody who stood 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan dunked on a regulation basketball hoop, would you think it extraordinary in any way?

Most people certainly wouldn’t.

LeBron James is 6-foot-8. However, this has been a headline-worthy feat for Brittney Griner.

Griner has had a huge impact on the women’s game during her four years at Baylor. She is the alltime career leader in blocks and is second all-time in scoring. Griner led the Bears to a National Championship in 2012 and kept the team atop the rankings this season before falling to Louisville in the Sweet Sixteen. Clearly, Griner has been a formidable force on both sides of the ball, and while the statistics on their own are impressive, when looking at the whole situation, Griner’s impact does not overwhelm, but rather just makes sense.

Reporters and columnists note and number every time Griner dunks in a game. These are not the

spectacular dunks that give Blake Griffin the spotlight nor impressive displays of leaping capability that made Spud Webb or Nate Robinson famous, rather it is noteworthy that a human that stands 9-foot-2 with her arms raised can dunk on a 10-foot hoop. When you think about it, is it really so spectacular that the tallest woman in college basketball, who stands almost a foot above most of her competitors, can easily block shots? The answer is a definitive “No.” Griner’s achievements, because of the uniqueness of her situation, are called “amazing.” This may be due to an inability to ignore the pure numbers, or the fear of being dubbed a sexist, but writers and analysts seem unwilling to say that Griner’s achievements are not actually so phenomenal, given her size. It was impressive to see Maya Moore put up monstrous numbers, but she did so with impressive shooting and athleticism, while playing against competition

against a St. John’s team who have underperformed this season. Wilk expressed similar sentiments on the upcoming conference games.

“They’ve consistently been one of the best programs in the conference for as long as I’ve been here ...

Looking at their numbers they don’t seem to be the typical St. John’s team, which would be strong pitching and strong defense and pretty good offense,” Wilk said. “Their pitching numbers are just so-so and their defense seems to be just kind of subpar right now. So hopefully we’re catching a younger team that’s still trying to fill out.”

With six players batting over .270, the offensive side for Georgetown has been more reliable than in past seasons. In several of their losses, the Hoyas have been just one key hit away from getting the necessary runs on the board. With the season well underway, Wilk expects some of the lesser performing bats in the lineup to heat up.

“We’re still getting going here, still plugging away at it. We’ve got some guys who are starting to get hot at the right time and that’s where I expect to see some improvement,” said Wilk. “There are guys out there that I think are better hitters than what we’ve put up so far, but that makes me more excited than anything else because I think they are going to come around.”

The team needs to improve their situational hitting in order to remain relevant in the Big East race, but with stable pitching the Hoyas have the opportunity to make a more successful run this spring than last.

that stood at her height. Even the most dominant bigs of the men’s game have never held such a size advantage. Shaquille O’Neal, while being tall and dominant, was not even close to the first 7-footer in the men’s game, nor was he the only man of that height during his time period.

On the Line

by Chris Almeida

A bi-weekly column about sports It has been almost a universal view that it is not fair to compare Griner to the male athletes. Recently, however, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said that he would consider drafting Griner to play in the NBA. Griner responded to this idea by tweeting, “I would hold my own! Lets do it.”

The absurdity of this whole idea should be made clear. When many basketball players who make a large impact in the men’s game at the collegiate level cannot make the jump to the NBA because of the increased size and athleticism, why

by Chris Almeida For the past few years the nightmares of Wizards fans have started with images of Gilbert Arenas miming shooting his teammates during lineup announcements and ended with Michael Ruffin throwing the ball skyward as Steve Buckhantz screamed, “Not possible!”

Since the glory days when Arenas, Antawn Jamison, and Caron Butler led the team to a series of first-round playoff losses to the LeBron-headed Cavaliers, the Wizards have failed to even compete for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot.

Each year, performance dropped until the Wizards were solid contenders for the NBA’s bottom spot. Luck with the draft hasn’t helped much either. In 2009, the Wizards traded the fifth pick in the draft, a pick that could have brought Stephen Curry or Ty Lawson to D.C., for Randy Foye and Mike Miller, who both underperformed and left promptly. In 2011, Washington took Jan Vesely with the sixth pick overall. Mr. Vesely spent this season averaging almost as many fouls per game as points.

The season began with starting point guard John Wall and center Nene Hilario sidelined with injuries. The result

would it be rational to think that a woman who has not displayed any superhuman qualities would be able to cross the gap? Of course, the voices of reason moved in swiftly.

Head coach of the national champion UConn women’s team Geno Auriemma responded saying, “I think it would be a sham. The fact that a woman could actually play right now in the NBA and compete successfully against the level of play that they have is absolutely ludicrous.”

Entertainment value aside, it is important to appreciate the women’s game and define excellence within the parameters of the sport. However, my point is that Griner’s play has not been as mind-blowing as one may think, looking at the media attention that has been so rampant over the last few years. Griner is not athletically deficient, as height cannot make up for a complete lack of coordination or training, just ask the freshman, sophomore, or junior year versions of Henry Sims, but she certainly isn’t deserving of the attention that

was an 11-game losing streak to open the season. The Wizards dwelled near the bottom of the league, but saw rookie shooting guard Bradley Beal, who is averaging nearly 14 points per game, start to come into his own. However, when Wall returned midway through January, the Wizards started to rise out of the cellar. Since Wall’s return, the Wizards have been two games over .500, and are ahead of 7 teams in the league standings.

This late season push has not been Heat-level extraordinary, but has shown that the Wizards are not the team we believed them to be in November. The one downside of this departure from the bottom of the standings is that the Wizards will most likely be drafting outside of the top five in a very weak draft. Even worse for Georgetown students, hopes that we may be able to see Otto Porter Jr. play professionally at the Verizon Center are dwindling, given that Porter is projected to be taken fourth on most draft boards.

If the team can retain Wall and Beal and put other pieces in place, it is not far-fetched to believe that there may be a postseason run in the cards.

Even after the horrendous start, Washington was not ruled out of the playoffs until a week ago. The time for the Wiz may not be so far off.

has been given to her. Dunking in itself is not a headline-worthy feat and post-play should not be described as exceptional when opposing players can’t contest shots.

Brittney Griner has been a force in the women’s game, but that is where the praise should end.

Griner has little exceptional athletic prowess and certainly hasn’t stretched the expectations for the sport. Furthermore, it is absurd to compare Griner to men’s players at the professional level.

Of course, the media is at fault for exalting a player performing substantially better than the field when she has a significant advantage over the field. Though it is unlikely, maybe if Griner makes an appearance in the NBA, even during a Summer League game, the hype can come back down to earth.

Until then, since the media is being completely objective, I’ll be waiting for the headline that reads “LeBron dunks three times in Heat win!”

Tell Chris what else is ludicrous at calmeida@georgetownvoice.com

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Astounding Trojan Barbie takes on a life of its own

by Elizabeth Baker Walking into Gonda Theater and seeing a Barbie doll’s limbs tied on cords is a bit of a shocking sight. At first, you think it’s just a child’s room gone horribly wrong, when in reality, it means so much more. As grotesque as it appears, it conceals profound conflict beneath the surface.

Trojan Barbie is the last production of Georgetown’s 20122013 “War and Peace” series, and truly ends the production season with a bang. A jarring piece with moments of great levity, the liberal adaptation of Euripides’ Trojan Women expertly ties together the aftermath of the Trojan War with the Iraq War, brilliantly transitioning from past to present. Instead of presenting only one side, the play addresses the plights of both the women imprisoned after the two wars and the soldiers keeping them captive, allowing audience members to sympathize with both parties and comprehend the intensity of such dire circumstances.

Each actor brilliantly steps into the shoes of such dynamic, troubled characters. Ryan Bouton (COL ‘13) and Charley Biddle (COL ‘16) fill the challenging roles of Jorge and Max, two soldiers that must escort Polly X to a new life. While Jorge grapples between duty and sentimental feelings, Max

begins to crack under the pressures and loneliness of a military life. Polly X, played by Zoë Lillian (COL ’13) transcends time, appearing in both Troy and Iraq as a girl wishing for a more exciting life outside of the oppressive camps. Although Mica, played by Ben Prout (COL ’15) has a rough exterior and exhibits great brutality, his inner monologue reveals the soft exterior of a boy who merely wishes to go home to the States.

There are many elements that make Trojan Barbie special.

Its multiple layers of realism, references to both classical literature and history itself, and deep insights to every form of loss imaginable. For each moment of levity, such as a fantastical dance scene, the realities of loss, devastation, and the aftermath of war brings us back, making the crash harder than ever. The audience feels each blow, each ray of hope, and each moment of concern for a safer future—the signs of wonderful acting, great directing, and beautiful writing.

Part of playwright and new faculty member Christine Evans’s collection War Plays, which also includes Mother Gun and Slow Falling Bird, Trojan Barbie explores themes of conflict that characterize much of her work. Considered within the context of modern tourism and everyday life, however, it

KaT easoP

“I have this theory, that if you cut off all her hair she’d look like a British man.”

reflects a dichotomy of the ordinary and the extraordinary that Evans notes to be her creative focus.

When asked about her writing style, Evans emphasized that she likes to “find the mysterious and strange within the known.” She added, “I’m interested in work that puts things in a particular poetic lens, but has some sort of dialogue with

political and social life.”

In conjunction with Evans’s artistic priorities, Maya Roth, the play’s director as well as the Director of Theater & Performance Studies, hopes that the play will “open the historical imagination and international connection.” She added, “There’s something about the way this story is so complex… .

It may create some space for re-

I wish I was in Dixie

Throughout this semester, I have been contemplating many aspects and incidents of drunken debauchery here at Georgetown. The more I thought about the subject— the wild nights, the painful mornings, the stupid and awesome decisions made— the more I wanted to know the meaning behind all of this intoxicated behavior. Why does Georgetown drink so hard, and how could I get to the bottom of this question?

I decided what any logical person would do. I would go straight to the source of it all, Dixie Liquor, and spend a day “working” with the good ol’ boys who man the store: Sean, the manager; Court, the stocker; Carlos, token Georgetown student; and a bearded guy (but I was too out of it to remember his name).

Dixie Liquor and Georgetown’s self-inflicted liver damage have gone hand and hand for almost 80 years. Dixie’s rich and long history starts just a month after the end of prohibition, when Oscar Dodek opened the store on the very same corner where it is located today. He and his wife lived upstairs in the small building for many years before selling it off. When asked about the following proprietors, Sean could only comment, “Fuck those guys. Don’t write about them.” Then one day, when the planets were aligned, Sean’s brother allegedly won the store in a poker match, and the natural order of the world was restored.

When I walked in for my first day of “work” at 3 p.m. on Saturday, I was told to make sure I had my “working” britches on. The first

order of the day was a house classic, the Dixie Mimosa.

This concoction was conceived late one night out of desperation. All the orange juice was missing since, as Sean said, “sometimes we ain’t so good at stocking.”

Luckily, orange Mad Dog was around and a legend was born. Just remember to pour the peach André in second.

Luck wasn’t the only reason Mad Dog was in stock.

One of their greatest customers, accomplishes that which is by no means an easy feat because “the best customers come in three times a day,”

Loose Cannon

by Cannon Warren a bi-weekly column about drunken debauchery orders only Mad Dog and is hence called Mad Dog. Rumor has it he once subsisted on a Mad Dog diet!

Still, Mad Dog is but one of their committed customers. Early afternoon on Saturday, practically all drinking-age Hoyas made their way down the hill, in what the employees call the “Zombie Rush.” The Dixie boys work hard to fulfill all desires, ranging from the football bros who needed whipped creamflavored Burnett’s to chase their pancake-flavored Burnett’s, to an Eastern European who bought a $150 bottle of Remy Martin for his daughter, to the 60-year-old Georgetown resident who bought a case of Straw-Ber-Rita. Even cops love Dixie. From the amount of D.C. blue that walks in and out of the door, you would think it was a beat in Anacostia. Let me tell you a story about how much cops love Dixie.

spect for the psychic and social toll of loss, both the human and cultural scale.”

It’s rare that something so astoundingly original can come out of an adaptation of an ancient Greek tragedy, yet Trojan Barbie proves how the human experience of loss and love endures in a fresh and captivating way. A modern interpretation of a classic, then, becomes a masterpiece in its own right.

Court, the self-described 50-year-old “epicurean,” was driving back from Virginia after doing a landscaping job. He and his partner were pulled over by a lady cop, he claims, due to racial profiling. “They were wondering what these two crazy-looking white guys were doing with a truck full of mulch, and why we wasn’t Mexicans.” After the cop found a concealed weapon, a machete, in the back of the truck, and a couple of empty flasks, the cop told them to get out for a pat-down. At this point of the story, Court winked at me and told me “to always wear sweat pants for such an (intimate) occasion.” After six hours cuffed on the curb, plenty of sobriety tests and a thorough inspection of their truck, an older cop arrived on the scene. He found out that Court worked at Dixie, and sent the pair on their merry way.

While I don’t quite remember, at the end of the “work” day I was so “exhausted” I had to be carried home by my roommate. I might have failed at figuring out why Hoyas drink, but I learned a keg-full about the awesome guys who facilitate how we get drunk— now that I think about it, maybe we get hammered just to have Court compliment our “collector items” Natty Caddies one more time.

The main lesson I took away from my experience is that Dixie has supported Georgetown throughout the years. So even if their handles are expensive, and their kegs are cheap, only no-good traitors deserving of expulsion go to Towne or Wagner’s.

Send photos of your cheap kegs to Cannon at cwarren@ georgetownvoice.com

georgetownvoice.com

“By all means move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.” — The Devil Wears Prada

the georgetown voice 11

Trance will hold you in its sway D.C. Film Fest kicks off

by Julia Lloyd-George A psychological thriller can only go one of two ways—astounding success or abject failure.

Every piece of the puzzle must come together in the end, the build-up to the ultimate reveal being propelled by unmistakable momentum. Director Danny Boyle masterfully achieves this feat with Trance, his fascination with both visual and metaphorical fragmentation showing through in every scene and suspense pervading every line.

Grounded in the high-stakes atmosphere of the art auction world, the film tracks the consequences of a heist gone wrong. Simon (James McAvoy) is a dreamyeyed art thief who’s managed to lose the Goya painting he stole, having suffered a bout of amnesia after being hit on the head in flight from the crime scene.

Pressured by his fellow criminals—a group of thugs led by the captivating Frank (Vincent Cassel)—to recover the memory, he begins visiting a beautiful hypnotherapist, Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson), who guides him through a series of exercises to jog his memory. What he can’t possibly know, however, is the role she plays in it.

Deeply interested in the dynamics of the human mind, Trance peels back the layers of Simon’s consciousness in tantalizing segments, reflecting Boyle’s consistent focus on both the beauty and the madness within his protagonists.

Echoing the structure of 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire, the riveting narrative is driven by a character returning in pieces to his past and simultaneously offering up a fragmented picture of his identity.

An expert at portraying the human condition, Boyle examines its darker side here, attempt-

IMDB

“I kill a communist for fun, but for a green card, I gonna carve him up real nice.”

ing to understand exactly what drives people to destruction. In the same way the director explored the nature of addiction in 1996’s Trainspotting, he delves into dense psychological waters. If the film has one weakness, however, it’s the inability to sympathize with the central character or even relate to his incredibly flawed humanity.

Simon’s internal disorientation and perversion are mirrored in the cinematography, the obtuse angles and repeated shots of fragmented, colored reflections suggesting that the self is equally discordant and scattered.

James McAvoy is a riveting actor to watch, his measured voice and initial confusion devolving into something more frightening.

The true star of the film, as becomes clear the first moment she appears, is Dawson, whose Elizabeth commands every scene with unwavering calm. At first a severe and controlling therapist with a tight bun and dowdy clothes, she progressively becomes more vulnerable, even appearing entirely nude in one scene as homage to an artistic subject. But she never loses her power.

Without ever losing its pure entertainment value, Trance remains true to its title by holding the audience in its unrelenting clutches. What’s more, it’s impossible to deny, until the end comes and the rapture is broken.

by John Sapunor Now in its 27th year, the D.C. Film Fest continues to showcase a comprehensive selection of foreign films and documentaries. This city-spanning event brings in some of the more enigmatic filmmakers and public figures of the age, but to categorize these guests as provocateurs would be a bit of stretch.

On Thursday, Apr. 11, the festival kicks off with a screening of Underground: The Julian Assange Story. Following the screening, Assange will be interviewed via phone, and you can be sure he’ll have some inflammatory remarks up his sleeve.

To continue with this “provocative” theme (the festival’s only semblance of cohesion), the Canadian-made adaptation of Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children will be shown on Apr. 13. Rushdie and director Deepah Mehta are arranged to make appearances at the screening, giving the outspoken author a chance to talk about the visceral experience of having one’s written work come to life on the big screen. But most likely he’ll just talk about the fatwah.

Those notable guest appearances aside, Film Fest has a string of foreign comedies thrown into the mix—and trust

me, it’s not unusual to see a foreign comedy that makes Judd Apatow look like a prude.

4some, a Czech film presumably discovered during a notso-innocuous Google search, follows two sets of next-door couples who take part in some amorous experimentation.

The sobering documentary, Fire in the Blood, on the other hand, narrates the contentious issue of AIDS therapy and its steep price tag; millions of lives have been lost or shortened because pharmaceuticals and governments in Africa have impeded access to lowcost AIDS drugs. Bill Clinton, Desmond Tutu, and economist Joseph Stiglitz provide input on what has been done to address this inherently unjust situation.

The festival also includes a slew of espionage, crime, and thriller selections along with a category focusing on D.C.’s three sister cities—Beijing, Paris, and Taipei. The festival will be held in ten locations; the Landmark E Street Cinema, the National Gallery of Art, and the Embassy of France are within the closest proximity to Georgetown. So, when you’re too sunburned to veg on Healy Lawn, consider escaping the heat and getting a bit of culture in the process.

Examining intimacy with “Let’s Not Ever Be Strangers Again”

by Larissa Ong I have never witnessed a performance art show, since it’s a relatively nascent artistic phenomenon to gain attention from the general population. The closest I ever got was visiting the Curator’s Office, a gallery near Logan Circle, to examine the extraordinary documentation of D.C. native and performance artist Kathryn Cornelius’s edgy experiment, performed in summer 2012. “Let’s Not Ever Be Strangers Again” details 34-year-old Cornelius’s experience of getting married to seven different people in seven hours, and promptly divorcing each one merely an hour after the wedding vows. All in a day’s work.

The tripartite exhibition, all purposefully arranged in the small, quaint space of the Curator’s Office, first features a video montage, “Save the Date,” of the blissful unions and

almost immediate separations. All seven spousal volunteers were selected through social media, and featured a diversity of races, ages (the oldest being 58-year-old Dr. Fred), heights, and genders. One of the men came suitably dressed in a Superman tee, comically adding to the farce of it all.

Everyone plays the roles to perfection; aside from an occasional giveaway chuckle and slight awkwardness, the unknowing spectators-turned-guests at the Corcoran were fooled by their feigned heartfelt emotions. Each ceremony was replete with wedding albums, cake, and even one dramatic dip kiss.

Romantic gestures were duly performed, and I was particularly taken by how each wedding dance was modulated to fit the personality and culture of each partner. Cornelius danced to everything from hip-hop to the chicken dance depending on

the person she was currently married to, and did so with equal gusto.

The intense fallout arrives when each of them starts saying, “I just can’t do this anymore,” and “I don’t even know who you are,” which, ironically, is true. The image of Cornelius standing alone in seemingly genuine tears and eventually going into hysterics is nonetheless evocative of true tragedy and loss.

I was at first skeptical of this performance—sure, it was an interesting exploration of the social institution of marriage with its fragility and flaws, but I felt artificiality undermined the impact and truth of the experiment. I could see from the video, however, the connection Cornelius still has with each of her spouses, and the veracity of emotions. One almost cannot help but root for the blissful couple on the Corcoran steps.

How many couples can actually

claim to know each other fully? Or deny that relationships sometimes require acting?

Even Cornelius, then attached to her boyfriend of eight years, was so emotionally drained to the point that she staged another filmed performance titled, “The Awaken-

ing.” Still in the wedding dress, she spins on the same spot until she devolves into complete disarray and lies still on the ground. This was a symbolic cleansing for her, and seemed to comprise the piece’s resolution, if such a clean ending is ever even possible.

Curator’s Office

“Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I accomplish in divorce lawsuits.”

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april 11, 2013

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

James Blake, Overgrown, Republic Records A sensitive dubstep artist who’s been known to collaborate with Bon Iver isn’t exactly the kind of musician you find in droves these days.

So, James Blake is somewhat of an anomaly in this sense, though the tremendous appeal of his idiosyncratic, folksy electronica is impossible to deny. With his sophomore effort, Overgrown, the London-based singer-songwriter proves that he’s in no way contained within the boundaries of genre.

Though it may not be as cohesively excellent as Blake’s smashing self-titled debut, Overgrown exhibits some welcome developments. Drawing from R&B and gospel influences, he doesn’t shy away from showing his soulful side, even when backed by synthesizers.

The album’s fantastic single, “Retrograde,” makes this genre evolution most evident while showing how the artist has grown more confident with his vocals. The song starts off with sparse, chilly piano chords and gradually picks up momentum through layer upon layer of synth sounds that drone and echo to create a powerful, atmospheric track.

It is clear that Blake is attempting to blur the lines between his electronic producer roots and his singersongwriter persona on this album.

This deliberate effort produces very interesting results that are evident in songs such as the bass-heavy, yet gospel-influenced “Digital Lion.”

Collaborating with Brian Eno on this track, he manipulates and layers his vocals while simultaneously progressing to post-dubstep sounds as the song pushes onward. Though the slick productions are subtle, fans will appreciate the careful detail that went into this particular track.

“Voyeur,” on the other hand, might throw some listeners off. More obviously than others, it’s influenced by funky techno sounds that Blake is all too familiar with, and appears slightly awkward when considered in conjunction with the rest of the album. Still, it’s difficult to characterize Overgrown as a cohesive record when it features such disparate sounds and emotional soundscapes.

In praise of bad men

A glass of Scotch, a pressed designer suit, oodles of witticisms oozing with creative confidence.

Don Draper, the anti-hero of AMC’s Mad Men, is the symbol of masculine perfection. Hairy chest?

Check. Commanding presence?

Check. Insanely rich? Marry me.

Gaggles of adoring fans—both the women who want him and the men who want to be him—gathered this past Sunday for the sixth season premiere of the Emmy Award-winning drama. And we settled in to see what has befallen Sterling Cooper Draper Price, and more importantly its most dapper founding partner, Draper himself.

In a two hour dragfest, we find that in the world of Mad Men, history repeats itself. To our dismay, the loveable Don is still up to his old tricks, cheating on Megan with the wife of his newfound friend.

It’s not just that he’s cheating on his

lovely wife, however; it’s that he has the affair after the two couples have spent an evening together eating fondue and sharing photos from Don and Megan’s getaway to Waikiki.

If only this were a new low.

Sadly, we all saw it coming. Don’s cheated again and again. One only need look to the broken women he’s left behind as evidence.

The season six premiere continues to portray Betty as the damaged goods of Don’s betrayal. Her fluctuating weight and perverse fantasies about watching Henry rape Sally’s friend Sandy tell the story of a woman who’s completely lost touch with her former self. Don’s rejection of Betty’s beauty, the materialistic shell around which she based her identity, continues to scar her to this day.

Yet despite this trail of tears from lovers’ past, despite his inces-

Though it may not be immediately captivating, Overgrown’s evocative vocals and detailed production grow to be mesmerizing upon multiple listens. If anything, the album spotlights a young artist coming into his own, perhaps outgrowing any restrictive musical label in the process.

Voice’s Choices: “Life Round Here,” “Digital Lion” —Dzarif Wan

Brad Paisley, Wheelhouse, Arista Nashville Few things are as satisfying to watch as an artist with nothing left to prove. With nine albums under his belt, country star Brad Paisley is truly in his comfort zone. A largely unedited, seemingly casual jam session merges his unique brand of comedy and pervasive social issues sant condescension toward Pete, and despite his layered misogyny exerted toward Peggy, everyone loves Don. One of Mad Men’s signature strengths has been its ability to critique modern society through the straightforward portrayal of the past. “Look how misogynistic they were back then,” we point out, only

Paper View

by Keaton Hoffman a bi-weekly column about television

to realize that many parts of the world we live in are just as easily mocked.

Don was supposed to be an emblem of that notion. The “gosh, could he really be that awful to women?” asshole. But he’s not.

Whether it’s because of the casting of the loveable Jon Hamm or the apologetic writing, Mad Men doesn’t get its viewers to dislike Don. Girls love him for his good

on the appropriately titled Wheelhouse, unleashing the full force of Paisley’s insight and creativity on a 17-track masterpiece.

Prior to branching out, Wheelhouse briefly dives into expected country themes. Trucks, whiskey, and moonshine appear on the puninfused summer anthem “Outstanding in our Field,” while heartbreak pours from Telecaster-framed “Pressing on a Bruise.” The latter, however, throws the first curveball as rock and hip hop singer-songwriter Mat Kearney drops unanticipated though appropriate rap verses into Paisley’s unmistakable guitar solo.

Having started down this path, Wheelhouse seldom returns to the traditional. “Karate,” for instance, tackles domestic abuse in a ballad starring a woman who, after earning a black belt, beats the fear of God into her abusive husband in a fight scene narrated by Charlie Daniels of “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” fame.

“Accidental Racist” explores issues of race and Southern pride through a duet with LL Cool J, though the slower, measured track achieves a more serious tone than other songs. The track has been the object of major backlash, critics interpreting its conciliatory message as concealing legitimate racist undertones. Though Paisley and LL Cool J may have good intentions, looks. Guys see him as what it means to be a man: strong, confident, and the ultimate ladies’ man.

A 2009 poll by Ask Men ranked Don Draper as the most influential man in the world, on top of nonfictional people, like any president, business leader, or anyone who’s accomplished something in the real world.

Such praise for a fictional misogynist isn’t just surprising, it’s alarming. A character intended to satirize has instead inspired. A few scrolls through the Don Draper tumblr is more than enough evidence to prove that perhaps AMC’s anti-hero is being received as more of a Superman than a Dexter.

This isn’t to say that the writers aren’t trying. “Look,” they point out in the premiere, “Don’s still cheating. He’s still a bad guy. He’s never going to change.” Apparently, the opinions of viewers are just as immutable as Don’s promiscuous proclivities.

the track comes across as degradingly simple at best.

In contrast with this misguided critique, Wheelhouse most prominently features a comedic indictment of marriage. “Harvey Bodine,” which includes casual whistling and a heart monitor in addition to an acoustic guitar for rhythm, tells the tale of a husband who, having died for five minutes before being resuscitated, ends his miserable marriage on the technicality that his vows read, “till death do us part.” The mournfully bluesy “Death of a Single Man” likewise attacks marriage; the song appears to be a description of a funeral before the lyrics reveal that the title instead refers to a wedding. “Now he’s gone on to a better place / Or possibly to hell,” Paisley concludes.

Boundless wit, a solid guest lineup, and undeniable guitar mastery allow Brad Paisley to thrive in his own Wheelhouse, unobstructed by neo-traditional country roots. This formula, perfected with the bold release of 2011’s This Is Country Music, definitively confirms that, even if Paisley doesn’t understand race, he is outstanding in his field.

Voice’s Choices: “Death of a Single Man,” “Beat This Summer” —Kirill Makarenko In an ironic way, though, perhaps the universal adoration of Don is what we ought to expect in a world still structured along misogynistic and gender-normative lines. The still rampant existence of anorexia suggests that girls still, like Betty, place beauty and pleasing men above finding self-worth. The hyper-masculinization of the American male, which Don continues to embody, manifests itself in the pervasive bro culture of today.

Of course, Don has his great qualities. He’s a creative genius and a smart businessman. But overlooking Don’s misogynistic character flaws and cheering for him anyway is inexcusable for anyone who claims to care about women.

It doesn’t matter how pensive he looks while reading Dante’s Inferno on a Hawaiian beach.

See how mad Keaton can get at khoffman@georgetownvoice.com

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the georgetown voice 13

- Christy Geaney

voices

14 the georgetown voice

april 11, 2013

Pope Francis poised to add to the fabric of the Church

by Michael Fischer It has been nearly one month since the stunning announcement of the election of Pope Francis to the head of the Catholic Church, the first Jesuit and first Latin American to hold the office in history.

Based on the way some have been reporting from Rome, one would think the Berlin Wall had just fallen or a “Vatican Spring” was fermenting in St. Peter’s Square. Change, transformation, and progress—these are the buzzwords for describing Pope Francis’s decisions in recent weeks, whether it is his choice to live in the unadorned papal guesthouse or the style of garments he has worn. Yet, as with most matters, a more nuanced analysis reveals a different and more surprising story. Fundamentally, Pope Francis’s papacy thus far has not been that revolutionary.

Take two examples. First, those famous red shoes that Pope Francis has thus far chosen not to wear.

The papal shoes are customarily made of red leather to symbolize

the blood of Christians who died because of their faith. While their history dates back centuries, they have not gone unmodified during that time. Pope John XXIII added gold buckles to his; his successor Pope Paul VI simplified the shoes and removed both the buckles and gold crosses from them. Nor is Pope Francis the first to refrain from them: Pope John Paul II declined the red shoes for brown ones, instead.

Or consider Pope Francis’s decision on Holy Thursday to wash the feet of women as well as men in an Italian youth detention center. The Latin instructions for the ritual use the term viri selecti to describe the participants, which is translated as “selected men.”

As the 12 individuals whose feet the priest washes symbolize the 12 Apostles, this is not surprising.

Nevertheless, the details of the foot washing ritual are actually the provenance of each bishop; in the U.S. for example, both men and women have been allowed to take part in the ceremony since 1987, as noted in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Holy

Thursday Mandatum instructions.

Pope Francis, as Bishop of Rome, can make the same decision for his diocese; suddenly the Holy Thursday liturgy seems much less a radical change.

In short, Pope Francis’s first month has not been a revolution, or even a shift in the Catholic Church’s direction. Instead, it has been more like revitalization, a reaffirmation of the call of Christ.

The Catholic Church is always changing, because it deals with people. As culture changes, the Church, through its ministry, attempts to meet people in their native time and place. Yet the Catholic Church is also always constant, in that its commitment to doctrine, stewarded from generation to generation, stays true.

The first month of Pope Francis’s papacy has been a reminder that every pope has a different style, which is a source of great comfort. They have different likes and dislikes, varying strengths and weaknesses that allow them to meet the challenge of the day in exciting and passionate ways.

Like the Jesuits of Georgetown, the

popes of history, even of our own time, have been infinitely diverse.

Hoyas today were born during the papacy of John Paul II. He was the activist pope, the pope of hope.

He spoke out against the oppression of millions behind the Iron Curtain, in Latin America, and around the world. He stared down the Soviets over Poland; he took a bullet on the streets of Rome. He was prolific in his travels, and in the end his very public suffering through illness and old age offered inspiration to many in pain.

John Paul II was followed by Pope Benedict XVI; he was the teaching pope, the pope of faith.

He was a scholar, a prolific writer whose prose laid out a firm theological and philosophical foundation for Catholics in the 21st century. He was a quiet and shy man, a behind-the-scenes shaper who never desired the papal position.

And in the end, Benedict XVI had the humility to set aside the papal office when he knew he no longer had the strength.

Now, Benedict XVI was followed by Pope Francis. If his first month is any indication, he will be

the serving pope, the pope of charity. He is committed to simplicity and proximity, even willing to speak Italian over his native Spanish for the sake of his staff.

He is a pastoral pope, saying regular Sunday Mass and greeting parishioners following the liturgy. He emphasizes the Christian call to action to help people on the margins.

Three very different men; three very different popes. Yet the Catholic Church has remained recognizable not in spite of, but because of, its variety. As Pope Francis continues his time in office, some might attempt to draw bombastic conclusions about the Church from the most minuscule of changes in his customs. But the great joy for all stems from what remains unchanged: a Christian commitment to faith, hope, and love for God and others.

Michael Fischer is a senior in the SFS. This past year, he self-appointed himself Pope of NAIMUN and Bishop of chicken madness.

Friendships lack true depth in the age of social media

by Chris Almeida What is a “best friend?” A best friend seems to be some kind of post that we have created for a “platonic spouse,” for the kind of relationship that Turk and JD have. However, this seldom exists in actuality.

Don’t get me wrong, close friendships are important and essential for a happy existence, but when you hear this particular title applied, the relationship is, in all likelihood, less authentic than it may seem.

For teens and 20-somethings, insecurity is everywhere, and social media is a way to see into people’s minds, even if sometimes we

need to decode what is going on.

Profiles are what people want you to see. Some people are easy to read, posting statuses or tweets that flatly give their emotional states for the whole world to see. Others are not this simple. Photos from every excursion may scream, “These are my friends! I have an active social life!”

Frequent and extensive wall postings stay under the guise of necessary conversation, but really say, “Notice my interactions with this person!”

It would be silly to say that social media is useless. It is great for spreading news, ideas, and humor, but what it has come to be for many teens and 20-somethings is a hub for

TEDDY SCHAFFER

Nowadays, friendships are just so meta. Arrested Development

attention mongering. Those people who you can’t stand, the girl who wants everybody to look at her, the joker whose antics become less and less amusing with each attempt, or that kid who desperately wants you to think he is passionate about a certain thing, all become unchained when they move to social media.

Whichever social norms that would restrict their actions in real life become weakened or completely destroyed by the internet. Thus, we come to News Feeds full of complaints, humble-bragging, excessive photography, and intended imageaffecting material. The awkwardness of life disappears when interaction begins through the internet.

This is the part of the beauty of the web, but also part of what leads to some of its most insufferable content.

All people care about their reputations, to a certain extent. Almost everybody wants to be respected or thought of as, at the very least, having an adequate social life and set of interests. This is where wall posts, events, check-ins, photos, likes, and statuses come into play.

People want others to know what is going on. Facebook is the center for “shameless self-promotion.”

Again, almost nobody, myself included, is exempt from this group that uses social media to feed into the “image is everything” world. Of course, there are certainly varying levels of offense. So what does the declaration of “best friendship” have to do with all of this? It shows, very clearly that

these relationships, rather than being close by its nature, are being put on a pedestal for a purpose.

Friendship should be a personal connection, something that serves to pull a person up through interaction and shared interests.

However, recently, human nature combined with social media makes friendship into an ego booster rather than a genuine relationship.

There is a serious problem with the “selfie” culture that has been bred in recent years, the culture that tacitly says, “You didn’t have fun unless you took a picture.” It seems like people are less concerned with how much they are enjoying themselves than they are with how much fun will appear on their profile.

People are less concerned with their company than with how others will judge their company. Thus, friendship has become a social currency.

“Best friendship” has become a way to stake a claim on another person, to show that you are closer to them than anybody else, but can also commonly be a way to compensate for a scarcity of other companions. Having a best friend can not only be a way to compete in a strange race to have the most important platonic relationship with a certain person, but also a way for people to assure themselves that quality is greater than quantity.

When it comes down to it, it is a shame that life, at least in social circumstances, is about the flash rather than the substance nowadays. All of the stereotypes pertaining to popu-

larity have their degree of truth.

While we don’t live in a world with Mean Girls-esque directness, the universal concern over social standing puts many unnecessary distortions on interactions and outings.

Self-esteem has become connected to the wrong things in the modern day and in turn has created a generation that is more concerned with their virtual friendships than authentic bonds. None of this is to say that authentic friendship no longer exists in modern society, but rather that they rarely exist independently of the attention magnet that is social media. Now friendships must be documented.

Events must be documented. Interests must be documented. And most irritating of all, declarations of “caring” are thrown in our faces with much greater frequency than information of any importance.

In the end, it’s impossible to completely alter the way in which people’s minds now function, but next time you find yourself playing up a friendship on the internet or thinking of posting a picture while you’re out, instead, stop and enjoy the moment and people for what they are. It might just be more meaningful to keep your thoughts to yourself.

Chris Almeida is a freshman in the College. His best friend is his right hand. They also enjoy the company of extra soft Kleenex.

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15

Foxfield more than big Derby hats and mint juleps

by Chloe Nalbantian For a typical steeplechase race of any significant size or importance, the focus of the day is on the horses and the results. The spring Foxfield Races, however, is not the typical steeplechase race event.

One need only approach any college student in the vicinity to get a picture of what a day at the races really consists of. For students, the day is primarily the booze-fuelled social event of the year. But when the event is centered on the social aspect, what happens to the actual sports that are meant to be the focus of the day? Is the horsemanship that Foxfield was found-

ed on paying the price for the ultimate collegiate experience?

The Foxfield Race was first started in 1978 in honor of the Virginian horseman, Grover Vandevender, on his own property in Charlottesville, Va. It was founded on the three principles that most steeplechase courses need to succeed: good competition, quality racing, and horsemanship.

Foxfield, however, did something a little different. Unlike most steeplechases, Foxfield is a tailgating event with no grandstands. This leaves all the more room for large collegiate groups, such as Greek organizations, to pretty much do everything but

KAREN BU

Nota bene: no horses or kegs were harmed in the making of this drawing.

Technology’s doublethink

In the world of technology, like in life, there are the good apps and the bad apps. For every app that helps a child learn to read, there’s another that rots our brains. Despite this, I’m still unequivocally addicted to my iPhone and generally everything with a plug.

While I often resolve to mitigate my reliance on technology, those decrees never get farther than a few days. Okay, fine, a few hours. But in the end, I realize my Apple addiction is only bad if I use my gadgets negatively.

I’m fairly proud that I am at the forefront of technology as it comes out, even with the media’s constant barrage of stories on the inherent evilness of modern technology. The two most hot button products in the past few months, 3D printing and Google Glass, are

prime examples of how technology is what you make of it.

In theory, Google Glass is a revolutionary concept—it allows you to use your voice or finger to do just about everything a phone does. The only difference, of course, is that it’s on your face instead of in your hand. This can mitigate the issues of texting while driving or not looking when crossing the street.

3D printing, like Google Glass, is just as revolutionary.

These printers have the capacity to print organs, such as ears, which can drastically alleviate the organ shortage.

However, with every advance in technology comes concern for its usage. Google Glass presents a major privacy concern for anyone interacting with the clowns wearing these glasses when they first come out (I say this knowing I will give in to

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watch the race. Instead, the day typically involves heavy drinking from the moment you wake up and immortalizing a day you can proudly say you don’t remember.

With students making up almost 26 percent of the attendees, it is clear that the attention given to the sport is less than expected. The Foxfield Racing Association president, J. Benjamin Dick, deems the nature of the crowd and their behavior disgraceful. In 2007, Cavalier Daily reported his response to rowdy behavior of the guests: “It’s not a party… Try to see a horse.” In fact, most students are rarely even witness to the equestrian nature of the event. According to one Georgetown student, Mack Feldman (COL ‘15) “[seeing the horse]) really isn’t the point.”

Ah, but it is. Foxfield is a semi-annual event and its infrequency only adds to its high profile within the east coast racing community. Throughout the day there are five races, and in total about 50 horses are involved.

The winner of each race has total earnings from $10,000 to $25,000.

So, despite being comparatively smaller in size, the event still attracts the highest-quality horses and highest-profile trainers, according to the Foxfield Racing

Association Marketing Director.

The tradition of steeplechasing is another factor that should draw the students away from their coolers and to the rails. In fact, the students are already halfway there.

One of the key factors of embracing the Foxfield mentality is dressing in your preppiest attire.

Rain or shine, the rolling lawns of Foxfield will be filled with bright bowties, seersucker suits, and Lily Pulitzer sundresses. While this is used to chide the uppermiddle class nature of the student body of the University of Virginia, the largest school in attendance, it is undeniably an established pinnacle of the event. So is it the booze that’s keeping the students from completing the tradition and actually getting involved in the equestrian aspect of the event?

This could easily be the case.

A survey done by the University of Virginia showed that the level of drinking for most students is above that of a typical weekend, UVA football games, and even Halloween. And anyone who has had a significant college experience will appreciate what this means: an absolute ton of drinking. According to the same survey, the average number of drinks consumed was nine. As a

them eventually). After all, it allows the user to take video and pictures of anyone nearby without their notification.

Unlike the ubiquity of iPhones, Google’s invention will be pretty rare from the outset. People will recognize it on the street and, if they so choose, avoid it. But say the technology catches on and becomes commonplace—what happens to privacy then?

In all likelihood, it will be

the beginning on both of these weighty issues. Yet, I can’t help but feel these concerns are a bit overplayed right now. We really don’t know how Google Glass will actually work and, after all, you cannot knock something until you try it. Twitter was a similar unknown entity when it came out. Not many envisioned consumers embracing the concept of 140 characters or less as they have.

These concerns tend to drown out the efficacies of innovations like Google Glass and 3D printing that made them so revolutionary in the first place. Yes, they have these negative consequences and can be used for terrible things.

But both have their place as technology moves forward.

Both Google Glass and 3D printing are in rudimentary stages. The privacy issues associated with the Glass may be a bit overblown because it is such a new technology. It can be argued that the device looks funky for a reason, so that it stands out and your neighbors are well aware that you are not wearing any old pair of glasses. Furthermore, the gun-making capacity of 3D printing we hear so much about is a little farfetched. That’s not to say it cannot be a realistic prop-

Carrying On

by Kevin Joseph

A rotating column by Voice senior staffers

banned in certain places, such as casinos or movie theaters, where the possibility of rampant cheating and piracy are primary concerns.

If that weren’t troubling enough, 3D printing throws advancing greater technology into even greater controversy. With a 3D printer in hand, anyone can supposedly design and actually make gun clips or firearms themselves—undetected. It’s a scary thought, especially on the heels of two children accidentally killing people this past week.

We have certainly only heard

result, the University of Virginia has made a notable effort to try and decrease the drinking and, in particular, the accompanying risks. Led by the student run Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Team Student Safety organization, these efforts have resulted in a notable increase of ‘pledged’ non-drinkers at the events. While I am not saying that being sober is the only way to enjoy the true purpose of the event, I do believe that this isn’t going to be possible when you are totally inebriated.

For the races to maintain its standing as a quality race, the students need to learn to appreciate the sportsmanship of the event. For many this is a totally new sports experience and this should be embraced. The horseracing world is in decline already largely due to public perception. Rowdy and unruly behavior by race goers is only going to further cement the decline of the sport due to its negativeperception by the larger public.

Chloe Nalbantian is a sophomore in the College. Like all civilized people, she attends Foxfields for the hats. Hers was made of Twizzlers. osition down the line but the concept of digital fabrication should not be thrown aside because of one potential pitfall.

While there are dangers associated with technology, there is nothing wrong with these great advances. Take my heavy reliance on Gchat, Facebook, and texting as an example.

There is nothing wrong with these forms of communication because they enhance real connections that I have with people. If they were to replace human interaction, then there would be a problem.

Put simply, it is the way we utilize or perceive technology that dictates our opinion on it.

J. Robert Oppenheimer was just trying to advance physics when he invented the atomic bomb.

He quoted the Bhagavad Gita after the bombs were used for mass destruction in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, saying, “I have become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

Those bombs during World War II were not his intention but it’s the result of putting technology in the wrong hands. That does not mean we should stand still.

As for Google Glass? Come find me when the price gets rea-

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT Mary Ellen Funke Singer and Songwriter

SFS, Class of 2015 Major: Culture & Politics Concentration: Sustainable Development

Likes: Camping and Tomato Cheddar Soup from Vittles

Know a Georgetown Artist?

Contact Tiff at tdl25@georgetown.edu with your suggestions!

So, how are you involved in the art scene at Georgetown?

I do a lot of music stuff, I started out in a band on campus—it was originally just time but it became a group of us.

And I’m also in an a cappella group.

What do you do?

So, I play guitar mostly. I tried to learn banjo, but mostly guitar, and I love to sing.

How did you get started?

Well, I started playing guitar my junior year in high school, so not that long—it was mostly because I wanted a medium to sing with. I never took lessons or anything. I just kind of started playing.

I’ve heard you play and you are great! You never took any lessons?!

No, I was in a church choir for a bit growing up but only for a very short amount of time—I wasn’t really feeling that [laughs]. I think the first time I really sang in front of an audience was my senior year of high school.

Your story could be very inspiring to a lot of people who want to

create art, but think it’s too late to start. Was that a concern for you?

Well, I think it’s because I went to a small, very weird high school full of hippies in the middle of the mountains in California—everyone was laid-back and just playing music all the time. There were guitars everywhere, which made it easier, plus my roommate played the guitar so that’s sort of how I picked that up.

And singing?

I always just loved it, but I never really took myself seriously...

Yeah, I guess one day someone told me I had a good voice, and I guess I took it from them.

So your band on campus— Mellenfolly— how did that get started?

Yeah, so, I was doing my own thing through Guild of Bands [student band organization] last spring and I had just met Phil, this banjo player, and we were going to do this duo but I knew my friends

Currently listening to: I really like The Lone Bellow and Light Pilot right now, but Bon Iver is my favorite artist.

Lena and Rosie sang. We would jam together in our dorms sometimes, and we all went to this cabin on an Outdoor Ed trip I led. We met two other musicians on the trip—Connor and Sacha—so we all had our instruments and just bonded and played music the whole time. It was great.

How is it being in a band at Georgetown?

It’s interesting because I don’t think there has been much of a music scene but people seem to be getting really excited because this year there are a few really great bands.

So how about your a cappella group?

I’m in the Saxatones and I really like it; it’s different from anything I’ve ever done. We sing all kinds of stuff. It’s great though because I’ve actually learned a lot of music theory from being in the group, which I didn’t really know before.

Musical ambitions?

Well, I love writing my own

music, and I’m taking a music recording class right now, so I’m working on recording my more quiet acoustic folk songs. I’ll also be studying abroad in Tanzania this fall so we’ll see how that influences me.