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VOICE the georgetown

By Marisa Hawley Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w September 4, 2014 w Volume 47, Issue 3 w georgetownvoice.com

the

Voice

SEPT. 4, 2014

Julia S. Tanaka Editor in Chief Steven Criss

Managing Editor Mary-Bailey Frank General Manager Noah Buyon Technical Director Dayana Morales Gomez Editor-at-Large BLOG Editor: Ryan Greene Assistant Editors: Grace Brennan, Marisa Hawley, Jared Kimler, Kenneth Lee

They walk among us

The Voice takes a behind-the-scenes look at the life and times of NHS students.

Editorial ... Freshmen get out of jail free, pg. 3 News ... Sexual assault policy reform, pg. 4 Sports ... Women’s soccer blows competition away, pg. 6 Feature ... A comprehensive profile of life in the NHS, pg. 8 Leisure ... Voltaggio boxes up chic new lunch joint, pg. 10 Page 13 ... The 2014 Corpie Analyzed, pg. 13 Voices ... “Grief can’t stop me from living my life,” pg. 14

Letters to the Editor The Georgetown Voice welcomes responses, questions, and opinions from its readers. Submit all e-mails to editor@ georgetownvoice.com. Please include your name, year, and school. Bear in mind that letters may be edited for length and clarity and may be published and used in any medium.

Corrections: August 28, 2014 “The Corp puts its feet up” inaccurately printed that: “The all day celebration promises the antithesis of bro laden Georgetown Day with a line-up of local and student artists.”

In actuality, three professional acts performed in addition to student and local acts.

NEWS Editor: Julia Jester

Assistant Editors: Shalina Chatlani, James Constant, Lara Fishbane

SPORTS Editor: Chris Castano Assistant Editors: Kevin Huggard, Joe Pollicino

FEATURE Editor: Caitriona Pagni COVER Editor: Christina Libre LEISURE Editor: Josh Ward

Assistant Editors: Elizabeth Baker, Sam Kleinman, Manuela Tobias

VOICES Editor: Chris Almeida Assistant Editor: Grace May

HALFTIME Senior Leisure Editor: Daniel Varghese

Assistant Leisure Editors: Micaela Beltran, Simone Wahnschafft

PHOTO Editor: Ambika Ahuja Assistant Editors: Sabrina Kayser, Gavin Myers, Joshua Raftis

DESIGN Editors: Pam Shu, Sophia Super Assistant Editor: Leila Lebreton

COPY Chief: Eleanor Fanto Editors: Judy Choi, Allison Galezo, Rachel Greene, Ryan Miller, Dana Suekoff

EDITORIAL BOARD Chair: Ian Philbrick

Board: Chris Almeida, Shalina Chatlani, Particia Cipollitti, Steven Criss, Lara Fishbane, Ryan Greene, Lucia He, Julia Jester, Caitriona Pagni, Ryan Shymansky, Julia S. Tanaka

Tim Annick

Managing Director On this week’s cover: The Few. The Proud.

Cover by Christina Libre

editorial

georgetownvoice.com

The georgetown voice | 3

don’t blow it early

Freshmen first-offense amnesty is improvement to code of conduct The Office of Student Conduct announced last week that first-time violations of the Student Code of Conduct that occur during freshman year will no longer be accessible by prospective employers or graduate schools. Rather than recording the incident on students’ disciplinary records, the University will note the incident using internal documentation that is not accessible to external third parties without the students’ written consent.

Supporters of this policy change argue that freshman year is a transitional period in students’ lives and that one lapse in judgment should not negatively impact their future after graduation.

Representatives from the Office of Student Conduct and GUSA, who advocated for the revised policy, hope to turn amnesty for first-time transgressions into educational opportunities that will deter future misbehavior by firstyear students. Consistent with this ideal is a provision in the new policy requiring students to complete University-ordered sanctions in order to move the incident from their public disciplinary record to their internal record. Depending on the type and severity of the policy violation, these sanctions can range from a written letter of censure or work sanctions to the mandated

completion of online alcoholeducation modules.

Although lenient compared to previous versions of the Georgetown Student Code of Conduct, the new policy does not unconditionally vindicate the mischief of first-year students, nor does it grant carte blanche to the full spectrum of their potential negative behaviors. The new amnesty policy only applies to noise- and alcohol-related violations and, if a student subsequently commits another policy violation following forgiveness of the first incident, both will become visible on their disciplinary record.

Despite its limitations, granting amnesty to freshman for first-time policy violations is a positive change to the Code of Conduct that will improve relations between University administrators and students.

Alongside other changes to the Code of Conduct, such as amnesty for students who report a sexual assault but may have simultaneously violated the University’s alcohol policies, Georgetown has proven a willingness to actively listen and respond to the voices of student advocates.

While the revised policy signals a good first step, the Student Code of Conduct does not afford the same benefits to transfer students or to

upperclassmen. If the logic that students’ professional and academic futures should not be jeopardized by a single mistake is to carry any weight, forgiveness for first-time policy violations should apply to all students, not merely freshmen, in the future.

In order to enact this change, the University must continue to engage in active dialogue with students and respond to their concerns with concrete solutions in a timely manner. This most recent round of changes to the Student Code of Conduct has shown that such cooperation is attainable and, if continued, will benefit both administrators and students.

theater of war

vax yo kids, vax yo wife

Denial of visas to Syrian refugee actresses disappoints GU, D.C.

MD whooping cough cases prove danger of not vaccinating

In an abrupt turn of events, 12 Syrian women slated to star in an adaption of a Euripides tragedy produced by journalist Charlotte Eagar, filmmaker William Stirling, and S yrian director Omar Abu Saada to be staged at Georgetown in late September have been denied visas by the U.S. Department of State. The Department cited the women’s status as refugees in Jordan and fears they will refuse to leave the U.S. as reason for barring their entry.

The adaptation, entitled Syria: The Trojan Women, reimagines Euripides’ 2,500 year-old work that explores the fate of several women fleeing the city of Troy after its surrender to the invading Greek army tasked with rescuing the kidnapped Helen. The parallels to the ongoing Syrian civil war are brutally apt: a homeland riven by conflict, mounting civilian casualties, with women especially caught in the middle.

The reasons to be disappointed in the State Department’s decision to deny the Syrian women visas span disciplines as diverse as security studies and feminism.

Given an apparent U.S. policy void in response to the increasingly aggressive tactics of the terrorist Islamic State in Iraq and Syria—which as of Tuesday included the brutal murders of captive journalists Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff—and the Syrian conflict’s widespread disappearance from headlines, an artistic protest has a resonant potential to prompt m e a n i n g f u l dialogue that has been forfeited.

Through its Theater of the Oppressedinspired preoccupation with the identities of its participants, the play, which has already been performed in Jordan and was scheduled to premier at Columbia University after Georgetown, makes a remote subject both immediate and corporeal. It is easy to forget the suffering of people half-

way around the globe, but it is harder to do so when they’re standing right in front of you.

As NPR has noted, the move also threatens the women’s ability to share their stories with an audience that needs to hear them. Georgetown students and the D.C. community as a whole, whose internationalism is surpassed only by their attention to the news, should lament this missed opportunity to pay host and witness to a critical discourse on an ongoing humanitarian crisis with both political and existential dimensions.

As of this printing, the future of Syria: The Trojan Women, like the future of Syria itself, remains unclear. In a conflicted region in which women’s voices are often silenced as a matter of course—and in which their media presence is not nearly as prominent as that of ISIS—the State Department’s decision has shackled an essential, moving, and, above all, courageous act of liberation.

Doctors diagnosed whooping cough in three children enrolled in Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland last week, though the number of cases may be as high as nine according to the Washington Post. Also known as pertussis, whooping cough is caused by a highly contagious bacterium. While potentially fatal, the disease can be protected against by a vaccine for children and a booster for adolescents and adults.

These outbreaks of preventable disease are not isolated. In May, two cases of measles were confirmed in the DC metropolitan area. Last June, California saw an epidemic of whooping cough. Globally, citizens of even developed nations, such as the U.K. and France, have suffered from measles well into the 21st century.

This latest outbreak highlights a persistent problem in Americans’ perceptions of immunization against eradicable disease. Many doctors and public health officials blame recent debates about vaccines for causing these largely preventable outbreaks. In recent years, the media, government officials, and even celebrities have stoked

fears about potential links between vaccinations such as the MMR inoculation and increased risk of developmental disorders, such as autism, in young children and health risks to pregnant women.

These claims have been repeatedly subjected to other medical studies, however, which have debunked any basis for a causal relationship. A 2011 report by the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Vaccines and Adverse Events found that the vaccines, including eight of those most commonly administered to children, are “generally safe and that severe adverse events are quite rare.”

Vaccines work on the principle of herd immunity—if 90 percent of a population is protected from a disease, the likelihood of outbreak or epidemic is sharply reduced.

Conversely, unvaccinated individuals not only put themselves at risk, but also increase the likelihood of spreading the disease to others. Thus, in Maryland, children must undergo vaccination in order to attend public schools. Before arriving on the Hilltop, Georgetown students are also required to provide immuni-

zation records.

Many parents, particularly in California, have claimed exemption of belief as rationale for not vaccinating their children.

While some view these mandates as the federal government trampling on their individual or religious rights, the facts speak for themselves.

Childhood vaccinations have reduced incidences of diseases such as polio, measles, and smallpox by more than 95 percent in the U.S. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, unvaccinated children are 35 times more likely to contract a preventable disease.

In the face of such evidence, parents who do not vaccinate their children have chosen to privilege their own preferences over societal safety. Vaccines should be an uncontroversial, uncontested norm. Numerous medical studies prove their efficacy; pseudoscientific, damaging myths should not subvert decades of evidence. When making decisions regarding immunizations, parents must consider not only their own child but the health and safety of others’ as well.

news

4 | the georgetown voice

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

Complying with White House standards, GU reforms sexual assault policy JAMES CONSTANT Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson announced “an enhancement of the Office of Student Conduct’s efforts to broaden its response to sexual misconduct” in an email sent to the Georgetown community on Tuesday.

The changes include a commitment by University Counseling and Psychiatric services to hire more therapists specializing in trauma, which GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15) and Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) lauded as a critical step toward improving the resources available for sexual assault survivors.

“We can’t stress enough the importance of hiring additional resources,” wrote Tezel and Jikaria in an email to the Voice. “This is a tangible, demonstrated financial commitment by the university to more appropriately address the issue.”

Georgetown will also be adding a staff of “trained investigators,” a role recommended by the White House’s report on campus

INCOMING FRESHMEN aren’t the onlY VULNERABLE ONES. sexual assault, who will produce comprehensive reports on alleged incidents of sexual assault.

“The investigator will interview both parties, individually, and any other identified witnesses deemed by the investigator to be helpful in the case,” wrote Vice President of Student Affairs Todd Olson in an email to the Voice. “The complainant and the respondent will be provided an opportunity to review and discuss their individual summaries with the investigator, prior to his/her submission of the report to the Office of Student Conduct.”

Julia Jester

According to Olson, the final investigative report will be shared with both the accused perpetrator and the survivor, and each party will be allowed to submit his or her own written statement to the Office of Student Conduct.

While the investigators will play a role in all future sexual assault cases, they will not be able to offer conclusions regarding alleged Code of Conduct violations—that is, they will not have the ability to determine guilt.

According to Olson, guidance from the White House also informed the decision to update

Georgetown’s Sexual Assault Procedures manual. The updated manual is now available on the Office of Student Conduct’s website.

Additionally, the number of members on the hearing board charged with adjudicating cases of sexual assault will be reduced from five to three, in accordance with a recommendation from the Office of Student Conduct.

“This has been identified by numerous external organizations, including the Department of Education, as best practice in adjudicating sexual assaults,” wrote Tezel and Jikaria. “It can sometimes be intimidating for survivors to be testifying in front of large boards, sowe see this as a welcome addition.”

The University also pledged to use closed-circuit video technology at all sexual misconduct hearings, with the goal of limiting any possible interaction between survivors and perpetrators during hearings.

GUSA issued a press release later on Tuesday applauding the reforms and crediting those organizations involved in im-

plementing them, namely the Georgetown Sexual Assault Peer Educators, the Sexual Assault Working Group, Take Back the Night, the Women’s Center, the Office of Student Conduct, and Health Education Services.

According to GUSA Secretary of Student Health and Safety Nora West (SFS ‘15), a memberof Georgetown’s Sexual Assault Working Group since last fall, the changes won’t provide an ideal level of support for survivors of sexual assault.

“Survivors of sexual assault need guaranteed amnesty for drug use prior to their assault,” wrote West in an email to the Voice. “Staff and professors need to be better trained on how to support survivors inside and outside of the classroom setting. Survivors who take a medical leave of absence need to be supported as they return to campus. Sexual assault programs need to be fully funded. There are so many things that need to be done and these changes are encouraging, but of course more work is needed.”

UIS introduces LiveSafe, Usher, and Campus Quad mobile apps to campus LARA FISHBANE In order to keep up with students’ increasing use of smartphones, the University partnered with three new mobile developers this school year, adding the applications LiveSafe, Usher, and Campus Quad to Georgetown’s repertoire of customized apps for Georgetown. These apps are designed to cater to the 99 percent of Hoyas who own some kind of smart mobile device, according to Georgetown’s Mobile Manager Lee Emmert.

GUSA worked with University Information Services to bring these apps to Georgetown’s campus. “What we’re doing is trying to bring Georgetown up in a commonsense way to technological standards that are second nature at other universities,” said GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15). “We haven’t traditionally had very strong technology infrastructure here.”

Overloading students with a larger quantity of specialized apps, rather than centralizing features into the preexisting official Georgetown app, may not be the best utilization of resources.

The University, however, seems

to be trying to solve student problems one app at a time. GUSA advocated for the new apps to be introduced to campus because they address common student concerns. “In order to have value, apps have to solve a problem for someone,” Emmert said.

According to Chief of Public Safety Jay Gruber, students are hesitant to report minor incidents by calling in. The LiveSafe app, however, allows students to report incidents by sending text messages. “The research shows that students are so much more likely to text the information in,” said Gruber. “One of the nice features of the app is if you still feel a little uncomfortable, you have the option of doing it anonymously.”

The app was designed to make it as safe and easy as possible for students and faculty to share safety-related information with police and the community.

“The LiveSafe mobile app … lets people take more ownership in their community,” said Jenny Abramson, President and CEO of LiveSafe, in an email to the Voice.

“The system lowers the barriers to sharing information about sexual assault, mental health is-

sues, and violence—preventing incidents before they occur.”

The Campus Quad app similarly seeks to engage the entire community by allowing organizations and individuals to advertise different events and activities on a public network. In deciding to bring this app to campus, Emmert wanted to provide a way to share information about events with more of the student body.

“We’ve been trying to solve for a while now the problem of communicating without resorting to mass emails,” he said.

Users of Campus Quad are able to see information about all upcoming activities on the Hilltop through their newsfeeds. “[Campus Quad] draws in the student that didn’t see the flyer in Red Square, orwasn’t a part of the Facebook group that the organization posted the event to,” said Amanda Carlton, associate director of the Center for Student Engagement.

While Campus Quad and LiveSafe can be accessed by anyone with a Georgetown NetID, the new GoCard app, Usher, is still in its piloting phase and can only be used by freshmen and incoming transfer students. “It is built around the idea of a mobile

GoCard,” said Emmert. “You can pay for things on campus at Hoya Court, at Leo’s, a number of other locations … you can use it to pay for printing, and also for swapping contacts with each other.”

Although Usher has been downloaded by 1,104 students, not all freshmen have found the app to be completely beneficial.

“The mobile GoCard is useful for certain things, like paying at Leo’s, but it cannot be taken as a form of identification,” Armando Soto (SFS ’18) said. In order to make the Usher app more useful, he suggests “adding more features and making it so we can get into our dorms or the library with our mobile GoCard.”

According to Emmert, UIS will consider adding more features to the Usher app based on

how the results of the pilot program. If it goes well, they will consider expanding the app to the rest of the classes as well.

Although a high percentage of students have smartphones, there are still students who do not. “I think [that’s] one issue we need to constantly keep in the back of our minds,” said Tezel. “We have brought up the issue with [LiveSafe and Campus Quad] app designers and they have reassured us that there is an HTML code, a way that through a non-smartphone you can still use the basics of the app.” As these apps continue to expand their reach on campus, GUSA says it will continue to look for ways to make sure all students are included in the technological improvements.

MAYBE STUDENTS WILL ACTUALLY USE THESE APPS.

Joshua Raftis

news

georgetownvoice.com

CITY ON A HILL: a tri-weekly column about D.c. news and politics

The construction Noise was worth it after all.

Katherine Landau

Sneak peek of the Healey Family Student Center SHALINA CHATLANI The Healey Family Student Center will open Friday at noon—and the Voice got a sneak peak of the long-awaited space. Director of the Center for Student Engagement Erika Cohen-Derr and HFSC Director Patrick Ledesma led the tour and offered insight into what students should expect from the new multi-use facility.

Despite the visible construction still taking place outside, Cohen-Derr assures that the center will still open on time, aside from a few “finishing pieces.”

The outdoor terrace will still be under construction, as will The Hilltoss and pub, both scheduled to open later this semester. However, The Hilltoss and Bon Appetit Management Company, the pub’s vendor, plan to be involved in opening day festivities.

Although the exterior is still under construction, part of the terrace that overlooks the Potomac River will be used by the Georgetown University Grilling Society on opening day. “[Tomorrow] we will have speeches from President DeGioia and Vice President [for Student Affairs Todd] Olsen,” said Ledesma. “Students will also be involved in performances. [An] a capella group will be presenting on the main stage. We will also have free food from The Hilltoss and Bon Appetite and GUGS.” In addition to these activities, the center will also offer a casino night, movies, a video game room, a chocolate fountain, and DJing from

WGTB on Friday night starting at 9 p.m.

Finishing touches include an inscription of the University fight song on the wall in the open student space and a carving of the alma mater on the Saxa Wall, an aesthetic element in the center meant to provide a modern twist on traditional Georgetown architecture.

“We wanted to evoke the central features of campus, like the the gothic stone and the walls along Copley lawn, but also put a modern spin on it,” said Cohen-Derr. “The furniture is transitional modern, and the living green wall is also a unique feature of the Saxa Wall.”

The HFSC takes advantage of natural lighting with an open skylight and large windows.

The main area of the center includes 12 study alcoves. A cylindrical hearth, prominently featured in the middle of the space, will be lit for the center’s opening. Cohen-Derr and Ledesma explained that these features were added in an effort to be more environmentally friendly and also make the space more welcoming.

Moving down the hallway, students will find a number of conference rooms and soundproof performing arts practice areas. Two dance studios are located upstairs, as well as study areas filled with power outlets and energy-saving technology for students. Next to the film studies classrooms, students will be able to display their digital art as well as view university announcements.

“One of those progressive, new things we’re trying

the georgetown voice | 5

THE GEOGRAPHY OF HUNGER

SHALINA CHATLANI

From the convenience of high quality, organic produce at Safeway to fresh sushi plates at Dean & Deluca, Georgetown students are surrounded by a cornucopia of food choices.

What many students don’t realize, however, is that despite the the availability of nice eateries in this neighborhood, most of D.C. is actually confronting a serious problem: food deserts.

Defined as a geographic region where residents have extremely limited access to healthy food options or grocery stores, food deserts are mostly situated in areas like Anacostia, where malnutrition, obesity, and poverty are commonplace.

According to estimates from D.C. Department of Health’s 2009 health report, of the approximately 43 grocery stores in the city, only four are located in Ward 7 and three in Ward 8—the poorest areas of D.C. At the same time, nearly 11 full service stores are positioned within Ward 3, the area of the city with the highest income. In Georgetown, one of the wealthiest areas of the city, I can think of about 5 grocery store options within a mile radius just off the top of my head.

Only 41 percent of D.C. residents live within a five minute walk to a grocery store. Clearly, D.C. has a serious problem with providing access to basic necessities to those most in need of them—those in the lower socioeconomic bracket of the population.

There are a host of problems associated with food deserts that are systemic and contribute to a continuous cycle of poverty and poor health within the District.

Much of D.C.’s poor, concentrated southeast of the Anacostia River, are forced to subsist on food from gas stations, which have no nutritional value what-

soever. What’s worse, the nearest options for healthy food, often more expensive than gas station fare, are only accessible via public transportation, which tacks on an additional cost, never mind the scarcity of transportation to begin with. These wards are also the least walkable portions of the city. It’s almost like walking in a literal desert— stretches of treacherous terrain without proper sustenance.

According to the the D.C. Department of Health’s 2010 report, obesity rates in Wards 7 and 8 are upwards of 40 percent. Compared to the rest of D.C., which boasts obesity rates lower than 20 percent, these areas of the city clearly need a lot of help. Ignoring the problem is not only a human rights issue, but also a costly mistake. With rising healthcare costs across the country, providing emergency services to residents who are being denied access to what is necessary for their health seems ridiculous.

Admittedly, the city is taking small steps to address the issue. In 2011, Mayor Vincent Gray announced a new sustainability plan for the city, dubbed “Sustainable D.C.” In the plan, he promised to eradicate food deserts in poor urban areas, specifically to “ensure 75 percent of residents live within one-fourth mile of a community garden, farmers’ market or healthy corner store” by 2032.

But 2032 is 18 years away.

That’s an entire childhood and adolescence of malnutrition. Of the limited action that’s been taking place now, three large Walmarts are being constructed in Wards 4 and 6. While it is positive that more full service grocery stores are being offered in these areas, there are also a few obvious consequences: smaller businesses being

crowded out, including farmers and local convenience stores, and a major corporation such as Walmart has a price monopoly on the products.

Yet, there’s still hope. With the D.C. Department of General Service signing onto a lease with BrightFarms, Inc., a company that will build one of the largest urban farms in the country in Ward 8, there’s a possibility that more nutritious food will reach the mouths of D.C.’s poor. The question, of course, is whether that will actually happen. The monolith of a greenhouse, slated for completion this November, is supposed to produce up to a million pounds of food a year to be delivered to Giant grocery stores. Whether this initiative is going to help areas southeast of the Anacostia is a fragile promise, considering the area’s spotty access to existing stores.

The obvious short term solution to eliminate food deserts would be to provide more grocery stores within walking distance of most residents. In the long run, a more permanent solution is for the D.C. Council to incentivize local farmers and small businesses to create smaller, but more numerous stores throughout their respective regions. That way, the District would avoid price monopolies, allow for competition, and give people more options. Hopefully, this will be achieved through the 2010 FEED D.C. Act, which aims to do all these things.

In the meantime, remember the next time that you complain about having to walk to your local Safeway, that there are people who aren’t so fortunate to even be near a grocery store. Educate yourself on the problem, spread awareness, and donate to local food banks.

to do with technology is to be self-sufficient within the space, so that we can provide whatever students need— meeting rooms, social rooms, everything else downstairs,” said Ledesma. “We’ll have those resources and we’ll have student employees here.”

Both Ledesma and Cohen-Derr emphasized the importance of offering a con-

venient, well-equipped study space for students.

“There’s plenty of power, which is a big thing,” said Ledesma. “So there’s lots of power—tables where you can plug in much easier, so it’s not creating hazards, like in Sellinger where it’s hard to get around when all the laptops are in use.” In terms of accessibility, the center will include a

number of elevators, as well as a ramp leading from Leo’s.

Although the center will not be open at all times, Ledesma ensured that the center’s hours would be flexible for students. After it is unveiled, the HFSC will be open from 7 a.m. until 1 a.m.

Monday through Thursday and 7 a.m. until 2 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

sports

6 | the georgetown voice

September 4, 2014

Women’s soccer wallops Wolfpack, tames Tigers Max Borowitz The Georgetown women’s soccer team (3-0-1, 0-0 Big East) defeated North Carolina State (1-2-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) this past weekend in dominating fashion by thrashing the Wolfpack 6-0.

While the visitors were certainly capable of competing with the Hoyas, some bad luck early in the game put them behind 1-0. After only 11 minutes, an errant Georgetown shot in the box ricocheted off an unfortunate Wolfpack defender for an own goal.

“We got a fortuitous bounce that put us up 1-0 and allowed us to settle and got them thinking it was going to be a long day,” said Georgetown Head Coach Dave Nolan.

The game then fell into a stalemate in which neither side seemed inclined to score. That is, until junior midfielder Marina Paul added a second goal off a beautiful corner kick from senior midfielder Daphne Corboz.

“We got a goal five minutes before the break, and I knew the third goal was going to be the decider,” said Nolan.

The Hoyas added a crucial third goal only minutes into the second half. Following a beautiful through ball from Corboz to senior forward Vanessa Skrumbis, the Hoyas added the crucial goal to go up 3-0. And that is when the floodgates opened.

Skrumbis then turned provider for Corboz, as she set up the fourth goal by feeding her teammate, cutting the ball to her left and

rocketing it into the top left corner of the net. Skrumbis and graduate forward Kaitlin Bast added another two goals to the scoreline before the 90 minutes were up, completing what became another routine Hoya thrashing of lesser opposition.

In a game defined by unfortunate turns and tough breaks for N.C. State, Corboz’s lone goal was by far the most definitive of the contest. In her four years on the Hilltop, Corboz has become an indispensable piece of the Georgetown lineup.

What some Hoya fans might not realize is that Daphne’s younger sister, Rachel Corboz, is now also on Coach Nolan’s roster.

Both sisters saw game time this weekend, and Nolan is hoping that Rachel can fill her sibling’s shoes once she graduates.

“Daphne Corboz makes me look like a good coach and hopefully when she leaves, Rachel Corboz will make me look like a good coach,” said Nolan. “It’s fun to see the two of them together, I mean they both have such a soccer IQ. It’s the first time they had a chance to play together.”

With spirits obviously running high for Georgetown after such an impressive victory, the Hoyas were back at it against regional rival Towson (1-2-1, 0-0 CAA) last Sunday.

Georgetown was victorious once again by an impressive margin, disposing of the Tigers 5-0 on the road.

“We talked before the game about coming out fast and getting on top of them. And to our credit, the kids came out with a tempo and played at

The women’s soccer team destroyed all competition this weekend.

Ambika Ahuja

a pace [Towson] hadn’t seen this season,” said Nolan.

After a mere ten minutes of action, the Hoyas had blitzed Towson to a scoreline of 3-0, effectively ending the match only minutes after it started.

Once again, Skrumbis and Daphne Corboz were the main contributors to the day’s success. Amazingly, Skrumbis managed to put her name on the scoresheet twice in the ninth minute. She scored her first from a defensive lapse that allowed Rachel Corboz to put her through on net and then nailed her second off of a long ball that the Tigers failed to defend. All in all, she would put the game almost to rest in the span of 36 seconds.

After 25 minutes of respite for Towson, Daphne Corboz added to the scoreline with an impressive

left-footed goal of her own.

Not to be outdone, Rachel Corboz took the opportunity to score her first collegiate goal. Receiving the ball from well outside the box, she launched a long-range shot that clipped off the bottom of the crossbar and in, capping an impressive Georgetown victory with an important milestone for one of its most promising player.

“I was really happy to see Rachel get that goal, I think that’s going to do a world of good for her confidence” said Nolan.

Skrumbis was named Big East player of the week for her stunning performances over the weekend. She’s the second Hoya to earn conference honors after senior goalkeeper Emma Newins was named Big East Defensive Player

of the Week. Her two goals against Towson marked the third time this season that she has scored two goals in a game. If both Skrumbis and Corboz can maintain their performance, the Hoyas could be looking at a run deep into the postseason.

Rachel Corboz’s continued contributions certainly wouldn’t hurt their chances. She could take up her sister’s mantle as team talisman upon Daphne’s graduation. For the time being, fans should be thankful the sisters are combining to devestating effect.

The Hoyas will next travel to Virginia Tech (4-0, 0-0 ACC) for their stiffest test of the season this Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Wake Forest (1-2, 0-0 ACC) at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Chrisastano’s SPORTS SERMONC “Seems to me like my only option is to whoop Dennis Rodman’s ass.” - Nick Young on House of Style and Iggy Azalea My brother Joe and I were sitting outside at a cafe next to the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence during the summer of 2012. The other guest at the table was a rather portly Italian gentleman by the name of Luigi (naturally). Both Joey and I had grown up in a house where soccer was the main sporting attraction, so we were pretty pumped to be in a country known for its footballing history. We tried testing Luigi’s soccer knowledge, hoping he’d have great stories to tell.

“So Luigi, are you a fan of the local soccer team?”

“No,” he said in a strong Italian accent. “I don’t like calcio very much.” That threw us for a loop. “But you are from America, no? You must-a love basketball! I like the Celtics.”

I can safely say we had never watched a full game of basketball in our lives at that point.

No one at the table was living up to their national sporting stereotypes, and it was making things mighty awkward. It seemed strange at the time, but two years later I feel that the perceptions of which sports align with which countries are starting to break down.

I don’t think there’s a better example of this type of globalization than basketball. The professional game is relatively young considering the NBA

was only founded in 1946, but it has certainly left its mark on the American sports landscape.

That mark has been felt all over the world. The NBA is on TV screens in Argentina, China, Brazil, Italy, Spain, and many other countries. Players from all over the world, like Serge Ibaka and Marco Bellini, came to America to see if they had what it took to win a championship ring. More and more of their fellow citizens are tuning in.

Such enthusiasm has not gone unfelt by domestic leagues in other countries. I was informed the other day that sporting clubs I had traditionally followed solely for soccer also double as basketball superpowers. Judging by their stats, Real Madrid seem to rule the Spanish league with an iron fist. Across the Mediterranean, Maccabi Tel Aviv are doing just fine as reigning Euroleague champions.

Baseball is another example of a quintessential American sport alive and well outside of our borders, although some fans and pundits will point out its growth has been stunted in recent years (here’s looking at you, Keith Olbermann). The Japanese, Dominicans, and Puerto Ricans are among foreign baseball’s biggest stalwarts, although the game is slowly growing in popularity in Europe.

Not only do we give, but we also get. Soccer is a sport on the rise in the United States.

The U.S. had the largest foreign fan base of any country to head down to Rio at the beginning of this past summer, and World Cup viewership hit a record high: the final match reached 26.5 million American fans. The fact that the MLS has a dedicated and rather large fanbase is a clear indication of where the sport is headed.

The bottom line is that sports aren’t where they used to be. As technology, transportation, and cultural curiosity continue to bring the world closer together, people are continually exposed to new sporting heroes, traditions, and narratives.

Don’t get me wrong. Is baseball still America’s pastime? Will soccer ever leave the U.K.? Not any time soon. But as different sports slowly seep their ways into households across the globe, it is inevitable that children will grow up in a different sporting culture than their nationalities would suggest.

I’ve had the privilege to travel around the world, and every time I’ve gone someplace new, one thing has never changed: in the street, in the park, in a backyard, someone somewhere is playing soccer. There’s no reason that other growing sports can’t have the same effect.

sports

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the georgetown voice | 7

Poultry fueling Nats to postseason Chris Almeida

If Washington, D.C. is a sports town on the turnaround, the Washington Nationals deserve much of the credit for the change in fortune.

Though the Nationals’ 2013 campaign proved disappointing, with the team missing the postseason, the team has come out strong in 2014, sitting first in the NL East at 79-59, seven games ahead of the second-place Braves, with contributions coming from players outside of the team’s regular superstars.

Outfielder Bryce Harper, after undergoing thumb surgery in late April, missed all of May and most of June during his third season in the majors. After returning, Harper hit 0.228 during July and continued to slump in early August, dropping in Manager Matt Williams’ lineup, motivating some to call for a stint in the minors. However, Harper has picked up his play in the last week, hitting nine for 22 with three home runs in his last five games.

Though right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg leads the National League in strikeouts, he hasn’t been the ace of this

year’s rotation. That position would go to Tanner Roark, who leads the team with a 2.91 Earned Run Average and is tied with fellow righty Doug Fister for the team lead in wins with 12.

Fister, an offseason acquisition from Detroit, in limited starts, has thrown exceptionally well.

Jordan Zimmermann also ranks among the NL’s elite. The weak link in the rotation has been the 2012 NL leader in wins, Gio Gonzalez, who has garnered a 7-9 record and an ERA that has ballooned to 3.89.

Most noteworthy in the field has been outfielder Denard Span, who, during the late summer, had an on-base streak that stretched to 36 games. During the month of July, Span hit a staggering 0.368. In August, the outfielder continued his strong performance at the plate, hitting 0.328. Recently, Span has even found a power game, hitting three home runs in his last six games, including a two home run game Monday night against the Los Angeles Dodgers. To put this in perspective, Span has only four home runs on the year and 31 over his seven-year career.

Though fans may be confused about this recent surge, Span has theories on the key to his performance. “Last night, I did eat Roscoe’s chicken and waffles,” he joked in an interview with Scott Allen of the Washington Post. “I think that might have helped a little bit tonight.”

Currently one game ahead of the Dodgers for the top spot in the National League, the Nationals sit in the driver’s seat, just as they did in 2012. Though Tuesday night brought a spanking at the hands of Dodgers’ starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw, September presents a slate of winnable games for Washington.

The manner in which the Nationals have reached this point may have been significantly different than that imagined by oddsmakers who projected them as one of the five most likely teams to win the World Series, but the team nonetheless stands as a favorite to win a title. The Nationals certainly aren’t a lock to run through the playoffs, but in a town where the basketball team is still developing and the football team is a national laughingstock, competing for a top seed is the most excitement that D.C. fans will have the chance to enjoy.

Volleyball serves up two wins Kevin Huggard

The Georgetown volleyball team (2-1, 0-0 Big East) won back-to-back matches against George Mason (0-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10) and Howard (2-2, 0-0 Mid Eastern Athletic Conference) to finish this past weekend’s D.C. Challenge with a record of 2-1.

The Hoyas dropped their tournament opener to American 3-0 (4-0, 0-0 Patriot League) on Friday, but then recovered on Saturday to win both of their games against the Patriots and Bison, 3-1 and 3-0 respectively.

On the offensive end, junior outside hitter Lauren Saar hit home 11 and then 10 kills in Saturday’s games, leading the team in both games. She was rewarded for her efforts with a spot on this week’s Big East Honor Roll, as she opened this season averaging 3.8 digs and 3.2 kills per set, putting her near the top of the conference in both categories. The Hoyas will certainly look to Saar for leadership and big-game performances for the rest of their 2014 campaign.

Senior libero Mackenzie Simpson recorded 23 digs in the first game and 15 in the second,

Ambika Ahuja

Thanks to an excellent defense, the volleyball team could surpass expectations. giving her over 1,000 for her career. Georgetown Head Coach Arlisa Williams couldn’t have been happier with the contributions of both Simpson and Saar to this weekend’s success. For her, the Simpson and Saar duo provides a boost to the rest of the team’s energy and performance when they play well.

“They have worked so hard in the gym to garner the respect of their teammates. Mack [Simpson] is all over the place defensively,” said Williams.

“Lauren has a lot of game in her, she has a lot of shots …

When they’re playing well, and they’re gelling, the whole team just kind of rides them.”

Next, the team will travel north for the Crown Plaza Philadelphia West Invitational, where they will take on Cleveland State (2-2, 0-0 Horizon League) on Friday. They’ll finish out the weekend playing Colgate Saturday morning and the University of Pennsylvania later Saturday night. The team is confident that if they continue to improve, it’s possible they could outperform the expectations set for them at the onset of this year.

“Right now we’re just trying to get better. If we can do that, I think we could have a really fun year and take some teams by surprise,” said Williams.

– FullCourtPress – Joe Pollicino’s TRI-weekly column about sports

The comfort of your own home While Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer with its barbecues and games of golf, it also signals the beginning of another significant period in the American calendar: NFL football season.

Hundreds of thousands of fans will flock to stadiums this weekend to watch their favorite teams play. However, this may (and should) be the first and last time these fans do so.

More and more folks are staying home to watch football due to the practical concerns that a day at the stadium entails, and the NFL has only itself to blame.

Innovations over the last decade, such as the widespread ownership of big screen televisions, the NFL Sunday Ticket, and the Red Zone channel, all highly promoted or created by the NFL itself, have given fans more incentive to stay home than to attend games. In this newfound age of technology which prioritizes multi-tasking, wide availability of viewing content, and convenience, why would any fan want to pony up thousands of dollars a year for season tickets to eight regular season games, when they can watch eight games all at once on any given Sunday?

For example, as a diehard New York Giants fan, if I wanted to attend a typical 1:00 p.m. game, here’s what my expensive ticket would cost me. Primarily, it would entail a whole day’s worth of commitment. To drive to the stadium, I would have to leave my house by 10:30 at the latest, hope there’s no traffic, as well as worry about where to park inside the labyrinth that is the stadium parking lot.

Once at the game, I’m going to having to deal with stupidly inebriated fans, adapt to the outdoor weather conditions, and pay exorbitant prices for concessions. In addition, I’m going to have to guess every time whether a close play resulted in a first down or whether a wide receiver got both feet down in time on a reception. And if the Giants are struggling or blowing out the opponent, there’s no such thing as changing the channel.

By the time the game is done and I arrive back home after some lengthy traffic jams, it’s 7:00 p.m. already and

I’ve managed to watch only one game. This experience is not unique to me.

Now, take that same day and replace attending the game with watching the game at home. First off, the distance to my living room can be measured with a yardstick instead of an odometer. Secondly, I’m not just limited to watching the Giants game. I can tune into all the games being played, thanks to Sunday Ticket and Red Zone. I can watch my fantasy football team’s players in real time rather than tracking them on my phone from the game. I can be plenty comfortable with my home’s heating or air conditioning and not have to worry about frigid temperatures or the elements. I can eat as much food as I want and not even come close to paying what I would for the average concession at a stadium.

And with the replay and the first-down graphic, I can see right away whether a running back’s knee was down before he fumbled or whether the quarterback’s arm extended enough for the first down on a sneak play.

Which experience would you rather have? I think the answer is pretty obvious. The NFL is starting to come to that conclusion too, but in the wrong way. In response to this trend, teams have started to outfit their stadiums with new amenities such as bigger screens, bigger seats, and more food options. At least so far, however, these efforts have been made available to only the more highly priced season seat holders, leaving life-long, working to middle-class season ticket holders out of the fold.

I understand that the game-day experience can be exciting, what with the tailgating to the crowd atmosphere and the roar one feels when the home team sacks the opposing team’s quarterback on third down, but people respond to incentives and right now the current in-home experience is dwarfing the live experience.

If sports leagues, such as the NFL, do not find an adequate way to respond to this trend, sports fans everywhere will be changing the channel on buying tickets to professional sporting events.

8 | the georgetown voice

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September 4, 2014

They walk Among Us the students of the NHS: One Chamber in the heart of georgetown

Within the classrooms of St. Mary’s Hall, there is a community of undergraduates intently studying pathophysiology, microbiology, and numerous other complicated fields that the majority of Georgetown students will never encounter during their time at Georgetown. Some of these students had already performed their first head-to-toe patient exam at the University Hospital as early as the spring semester of their freshman year. Upon graduation, many will go on to work for reputable organizations like Accenture, Teach for America, and Children’s National Medical Center, becoming the leading nurses, doctors, policy makers, and researchers of the medical profession. They are passionate, proud, and far too often, underappreciated. These are the 553 undergraduate students of Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies.

The school was established in 1903 as the Georgetown University Hospital Training School for Nurses, created to educate a nursing workforce for the nearby Georgetown Hospital.

In 1944, the school introduced a fiveyear nursing baccalaureate program comprised of two years of general education followed by three years of nursing. This program was condensed into a four-year program with an included nursing major in 1951. The School of Nursing was established as an independent school within Georgetown University that same year.

As the NHS approached its centennial at the turn of the millenium, the school shifted its focus outwards and the Georgetown School of Nursing officially became the School of Nursing and Health Studies. According to the Annual Nursing School Report for 2000, the new health studies major broadened the school’s “traditional mission of preparing high-

ly skilled nurses to include preparing leaders for a variety of health care leadership roles.”

Interim Dean and Associate Professor at the School of Nursing and Health Studies Patricia Cloonan was among the group of faculty who, in the late 1990s, developed the health studies curriculum. “The school changed its name in 2000 to reflect this broadening of programs,” Cloonan said. “Also, in 2003, the school formed academic departments. We currently have four academic departments at NHS: Health Systems Administration, Human Science, International Health, and Nursing.”

According to Cloonan, one of the central factors in the decision to expand the NHS academically was the desire to meet the evolving needs of the health sector. “We recognized that students had an interest in diverse health-related areas and that it would be advantageous to educate them in a way that would prepare them in their own respective field, while affording them the opportunity to learn alongside students in the other related programs,” she said. ***

With only 115 students in this year’s incoming freshman class, the NHS is by far the smallest of the four undergraduate schools at Georgetown University. What the NHS lacks in size, however, it makes up for in its robust sense of community. For Human Science major and Public Health minor Rob Iannaconne (NHS ’16), this more intimate academic environment distinguishes the NHS from its three larger undergraduate counterparts.

“You have small classes—in your major, you probably have only 40 to 60 people, if even that, so you get to know everyone,” Iannaccone said. “In a lot of schools, there is a lot of competi-

tion between students, but in the NHS it is really not like that at all—everyone is willing to help each other.”

In addition to smaller class size, NHS students benefit from the significant personal attention they receive from the professors and faculty. “Some people call the NHS ‘Hufflepuff,’ but being small works in our case. [It] helps us form close relationships with our faculty,” said Human Science major John Whitmore (NHS ’16). “While my College friends have to schedule and wait to meet their deans, I can simply walk in and chat over coffee with my academic advisor.”

Even if the greater academic community at Georgetown has not fully recognized the unique and dynamic nature of the NHS, the students within the school certainly have. Human Science major Kathleen Osea (NHS ’16) describes NHS students as having a genuine appreciation of the community and personal bonds with other students and faculty members that exist in the NHS. “You are able to create those relationships with faculty and staff, and you care about [being on] first name basis with people. Being able to have that

relationship is something that I value and that the NHS has taught me to value even more,” Osea said.

“I wouldn’t change the size of the NHS, but I honestly wonder why more people don’t join such a welcoming community,” Whitmore said. “I think a lot of people simply don’t want to hear others say ‘Oh, are you in the nursing school?.’

It’s a shame, and honestly disrespectful, to the great profession of nursing our male and female friends aspire to.”

Perhaps the general sentiment of NHS students is most accurately— and succinctly — captured in the words of Iannaccone. “[I am] proud to be an NHS student,” he said. “I love the whole feel of the school, so altogether, proud to be a part of one of the small, hidden gems of Georgetown.” ***

Incoming NHS students can apply to the school as one of four majors: Health Care Management and Policy, Human Science, International Health, or Nursing. Students choose based on their desired academic focus within the medical field or their long-term career goals. According to Dean Cloonan, un-

The Nursing School in 1947

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dergraduate students within the NHS are drawn to the school for its amiable environment, focus on human health and well-being, and opportunities for professional development. “I’ve noticed in my years here, reflecting Georgetown’s commitment to educating women and men for others, that students really want to be agents of change for improved health and well-being,” Cloonan said. “Their education at the School of Nursing & Health Studies gives them the academic and values-based foundation to do that in many interesting ways after graduation.”

Whitmore ended up choosing the School of Nursing and Health Studies for its more pronounced emphasis on a human-focused approach to the sciences. “Switching from International Health to Human Science in the summer before freshman year, I wanted a streamlined, directly relevant course of study on my path to medical school,” said Whitmore. “I have nothing but respect for the College pre-med majors, but I’d rather take the NHS’s Human Biology, with anatomy and physiology components, than the College’s Foundations in Biology, with environmental or animal components.”

This specialized focus was also a draw for Shradha Chhabria (NHS ’16) who is pursuing a major in International Health. Georgetown is one of the only universities in the country that offers students the opportunity to study International Health at the undergraduate level.

“I considered going to smaller schools and putting together an International Health major for myself, like combining Biology with International Relations,” Chhabria said. “I realized when I came to Georgetown that you can try to synthesize something for yourself, but the International Health major is already looking at the synthesis of the two and where they meet. The specificity that we get is just remarkable.”

While many NHS students knew precisely what they wanted to study during the initial college decision process, for others their true passions and interests were later realized through experience,” Qianjia Jiang (NHS ’15) said. “I originally came to Georgetown in the School of Foreign Service. I came into college saying “‘The SFS sounds so cool, I may as well give it a try’, but in the middle of my freshman year I knew it wasn’t the right place for me.”

Jiang told the Voice that she ultimately decided on the NHS for its Health Care Management and Policy major, which is in the school’s Department of Health Systems Administration. She feels that the skills and knowledge she has gained through her studies are extremly marketable in today’s market and will help her secure a job after graduation.

Her major aside, Jiang has finally found her academic niche within the school. “I

the georgetown voice | 9

One major advantage of being in the NHS is the fact that students have the opportunity to get clinical practice as a nursing major, while also following the pre-medical track. Nursing major Emily Demaio (NHS ’17) is one of the remaining two of five sophomores in the NHS who began their Georgetown careers in the combined nursing and premed program. “I was kind of torn when I was applying to colleges. ” Demaio

The Nursing School in 1957

really got that cozy home feeling in the NHS and that’s how I knew it was the right place for me,” Jiang said.

International Health major Jessika Brennin (NHS ’17) started out undeclared in the College her freshman

“

I love the whole feel of the school... proud to be a part of one of the small, hidden gems of Georgetown,

”

year. By the end of her second semester, she was wavering between majoring in Environmental Biology in the College and International Health in the NHS. “What I discovered is the International Health major is less science and more demographic based,” Brennin said.

“It pulls your focus back to the bigger picture of global health rather than focusing on the individual. This wider viewpoint, from which I can hopefully be of aid to a wider range of people, appeals to me.”

said. “While I was talking to my advisor about choosing Georgetown, she told me I could do nursing and the premed program, so that was really a cool thing for me that I could do both.”

NHS students have the opportunity to participate in multiple undergraduate organizations with their peers, taking their passion for the medical field outside the classroom to the extracurricular level. These student groups include the Academic Council, the Georgetown Undergraduate Journal of Health Sciences, Healthcare Executives of Georgetown University, Peer Advisors, Undergraduate Research Conference, National Student Nurses’ Association, and the Minority Health Initiative Council. “[The Minority Health Initiative Council] is a basically a group of NHS students committed to reducing health disparities the world, especially how they relate to minorities as well as encourage students of minority backgrounds to get involved in health careers,” Chhadra said. “Health is a field that a lot minorities are missing out on due to unequal opportunities.”

There are numerous opportunities to engage further and gain professional experience in their chosen field. The Discovery Center, Georgetown’s main science laboratory facility located in the School of Medicine’s Med-Dent building provides students with myraid avenues for collaborative research with faculty.

Through their research, students often obtain internship positions with prestigious establishments, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

The school also prioritizes interprofessional education, as exemplified in the Georgetown Open School Chapter of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. The measure was enacted by Dean Cloonan along with NHS students and faculty, “Through this initiative, health systems administration, nursing, and medical students have the opportunity to work together to address projects around quality and safety at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital,” Cloonan said.

Despite the genuine pride and admiration that NHS students have for one another, many of them feel that Georgetown as a whole does not necessarily respect their school in the way it deserves. “I know there are a lot of drop down options at Georgetown when you are applying to things. It goes MSB, SFS, College, and there’s not even any NHS option,” said Jiang. “It’s just really frustrating that people forget that we are here.”

“A lot of my really good friends are in the NHS because we have that shared experience of being pre-med and having all these really detailed classes that no one really understands,” Osea told the Voice. “ [People will say] ‘Oh, you are taking Molecular Cell Fundamentals of Health and Disease?’ No one else is taking that except Human Science students.

We bond through the collective struggle of working towards our end goal.”

For the NHS students, regardless of major or intended profession, these end goals are limitless. Demonstrating zeal for their studies, admiration for their peers, and a desire to positively impact the lives of others, the students of the Nursing and Health Studies continually prove that strength does not necessarily lie in numbers.

Photos courtesy of the Georgetown University archives.

leisure

10 | the georgetown voice

September 4, 2014

Voltaggio’s boxed lunches infuse suburbia with hipster pretense SABRINA KAYSER Walk in, and a metal bucket might fall on your head. Walk out, and you are engulfed by the hypnotic hum of the American shopping experience.

This is Lunchbox, restaurateur Bryan Voltaggio’s endeavor to change the location of his lunch joint from Frederick to Chevy Chase. An attempt at the modern, eco-chic artisan food place, Lunchbox feels out of place in its suburban shopping-center setting.

Upon entering the restaurant, the commotion of the mall outside is immediately forgotten. Thin-legged, minimalist furniture rests on a stone floor, and rows of lights glow against the exposed pipes above. Dispersed throughout the room are big silver herb buckets suspended by an intricate system of ropes and wheels that covers the walls. The style is both modern and earthy, with the decor’s wood, metal, and greenery creating the eco-chic feel. The stark stone floor and walls emphasize the minimalism of the design, putting the creative decorations on display and allowing the neon green exit signs to glow in harmony with the plants.

Voltaggio’s update on his previous experiment seems self-consciously hip in its suburban office lunch break setting. Lunchbox rests on a razor-thin tipping point between truly alternative lunch spot and just another blind fol-

D.C. area: Volt, Range, and Family Meal, all three of which are sitdown establishments.

Perhaps it is unfair to expect a lunch joint to live up to the same standards as Voltaggio’s more impressive restaurants, but then again, if we as cus-

Voltaggio’s new restaurant is DEFINITELY A step up from my pre-k bATMAN lunchbox. lower of the minimalist hipster trend.

The decor is, perhaps, the most inspired aspect of Lunchbox. It manages to blend an organic style with a more industrial one, seeming to combine the best of both worlds.

If Lunchbox truly cared about the environment, how-

UnderThecovers A bi-weekly literary column by Micaela Beltran

When we look at our lives in hindsight, we tend to see the events as having fallen into place, like puzzle pieces naturally forming their way into the bigger picture—except that’s not how puzzles work. Puzzles take time, effort, and thought—much like how our lives are shaped by the decisions that we mull over and stress about. As philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “A thought, even a possibility, can shatter and transform us.” For many authors, such as Haruki Murakami, those possibilities can take over a larger portion of our conscious reality than the events that formed it. He skillfully builds a world where this power of the possible is noticeable, but still exhibits his wellknown talent of subduing major shifts in realism.

The newest addition to his oddly approachable repertoire, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, wres-

ever, they would probably not serve every single order, whether “for here” or “to go,” in a big cardboard lunchbox.

The amount of waste (even if it is recycled) is unnecessary, particularly as customers are not asked whether or not they

tles with this mingling of life and alternate reality. Through his protagonist Tsukuru Tazaki, he explores his signature subtly fantastical world, similar to those of his other novels, but this time as an introspective man who finds ways of coping with his pallid life.

“Gray is a mixture of white and black. Change its shade, and it can easily melt into various gradations of darkness.”

Enter Tsukuru, a young man raised by a wealthy family, including a withdrawn dad and a caring mom. He grows up in the suburbs of Japan, and his teenage years depict the path many of us took on our way to Georgetown: as a student at a public high school he gets involved with a program that fills up his summer vacation with volunteer work at an elementary school. There he meets four friends, all coincidentally with names that include a color. His

want a box. This does not to follow any of the principles that the eco-chic decor implies, but rather caters to an upper-crust crowd with its overpriced menu and its gimmicky cardboard lunchboxes.

This is not Voltaggio’s first venture. He is already involved in three other restaurants in the

Sabrina Kayser

tomers must adjust our expectations, then the menu pricing should also reflect that. Handing over 11 dollars for a sandwich is no longer just paying for high-quality food. Instead it is paying for the latest gastronomic trend, especially when the sandwich is not earth-shatteringly tasty.

Somewhere over the rainbow, the color gray is the warmest of all vibrant friends contrast with his self-proclaimed dull, middling self, causing him to feel like the leprechaun who only tends to the seamless rainbow.

But Tsukuru, which means “to make” in Japanese, is no misnomer as he unknowingly acts as an essential component in their tight-knit group.

The group grows through high school together and despite their very different personalities, the friends harmoniously evolve. Leaving their hometown is almost inconceivable for the carefree friends. But eventually, Tsukuru realizes his deep love for railroads and leaves for engineering school in Tokyo, his overall social ostracization ultimately providing the leverage necessary to leave his hometown and four friends behind.

“We truly believed in something back then, and we knew we were the kind of people capable of believing in some-

thing—with all our hearts. And that kind of hope will never simply vanish.”

As an engineering student in Tokyo, he regularly visits his hometown, Nagoya, and each visit the friend group faithfully reverts to its warm, balanced intimacy. Tsukuru finds comfort in this and doesn’t attempt to break out of his introversion at university. Thus begins a downward spiral when a quick change of events leaves him friendless and insecure, in a deep pit of depressed isolation, illustrating that not breaking out of your comfort zone when you enter college is a bad idea (I’m talking to you, freshmen).

After the sudden change in circumstances, Tsukuru climbs out of his dark hole, luckily meeting two important helpers along the way. The first is Haida, another colorful young man whose name literally means “ash field.” Tsukuru finds great

When I ordered the reuben, it was with the words “havarti” and “seaweed” in mind, but what I got had no trace of cheese. The sauerkraut seaweed was an interesting addition that complemented the strong flavor of the marbled rye bread, but the avocado I used to replace the ribs (side note: there are few vegetarian options) was overwhelming.

Maybe it was my fault for changing the recipe, but I left wishing my sandwich had tasted of more than just two ingredients.

I remain hopeful that Lunchbox will eventually demonstrate its creativity. Voltaggio has, after all, played around quite a bit with the menu, including the occasional curveball like the sauerkraut seaweed, charred salsa, and a cilantro-mint garnish. The sandwich names reflect this playfulness—take, for instance, “the ompromise,” “b’more,” and “yes ma’am.”

Perhaps after the opening hiccups pass, the creativity of Voltaggio’s recipes will shine to his advantage. For now, however, the inconsistency of Lunchbox was my only takeaway.

Lunchbox 5335 Wisconsin Ave. NW 11 a.m. - 9 p.m. www.voltlunchbox.com

comfort in swimming laps, listening to classical music, and musing about abstract ideas with him. The second is Sara, his attractive, quick-witted love interest. His desire for Sara and her dedication to him is powerful enough to compel him to finally seek answers 16 years after “the wound was gouged.”

“Everything has boundaries. The same holds true with thoughts. You shouldn’t fear boundaries, but you should not be afraid of destroying them.

That’s what is most important if you want to be free…”

Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage takes on a compact form of Murakami’s magic. It has the elements of his better-known novels with fewer soul-crushing events. I sense that this slightly pared dose of his imagination hints at the more daring side of Murakami and I want to know more. As he puts is, “My imagination is a kind of animal. So what I do is keep it alive.”

Color your world with Micaela at mfb61@georgetown.edu.

GEORGETOWNVOICE.COM

“We’re Sweating like grease monkeys out here, how do you expect us to hold onto balls?!” — Dodgeball

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE | 11

‘Bountiful Waters’ coy, fluid exhibition Rosslyn turns up for jazz EMMANUEL ELONE The traditional Japanese landscape evokes both strength and elegance, the resolute and the graceful. These dueling feelings were omnipresent throughout my time at the Smithsonian’s new exhibition “Bountiful Waters,” exploring aquatic life in traditional Japanese art.

Though there is a wide assortment of fish in Japanese waters year-round, such as ayu (sweetfish), tai (seabream), and madai (red seabream), the two most important fish in Japanese culture that made their way into the exhibition are the Ascending Eels, unagi-nobori, and the carp fish, or koi.

The unagi-nobori, depicted with few, yet powerful brush-

strokes in Kimura Buzan’s early 20th century painting, appears to be climbing towards the top of the canvas. The eel is outlined in gold ink, and the surrounding maple trees and grass in the background enhance the eel as a magnificent creature.

Considered the “king of the river”, koi are a powerful, colorful species of carp that can grow to over three feet long. According to legend, the koi swim upriver until they transform into powerful dragons. Koi have been classically depicted conquering the heights of a titanic waterfall. Ohara Kusan’s rendition is full of detail and color, the light blue waves of water rushing past the fish as the creature leaps up once more, rising towards the challenge of the water.

“Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming, Swimming.”

FREER GALLERY

Aquatic life extends beyond the organic to the genre painting. Ranging from 12th century ink blots to 18th century ink on canvas, “Bountiful Waters” explores fishing throughout Japanese history. The brushstrokes of Katsushika Hokusai’s mid 19th century’s “Boy fishing from the limb of a tree” are astonishingly minimal for all that they depict, yet far more intricate than those of most of the other pieces displayed. Uehara Konen’s “Blue Wave” was majestic and imposing, depicting a gargantuan wave crashing onto a stormy sea. Its emotional poignancy is, like many of “Bountiful Waters’” other pieces, masterful. A 12th century sketch of lobster, shrimp, and crabs is extremely similar in style and detail to one of Utagawa Hiroshige’s “Large Fish” prints from the 1830s and 1840s. Despite more than five hundred years separating the two, they both perfectly present the enigmatic pathos unique to traditional Japanese art.

Freer Gallery 1050 Independence Ave SW Every day, 10 a.m. - 5:30p.m. www.asia.si.edu

ELIZABETH BAKER Are you missing all the free summer jazz held in downtown D.C.? Fear not, for the 24th Annual Rosslyn Jazz Festival is coming this weekend and the combination of free admission, a wide variety of bands, and several food trucks tell us it won’t disappoint.

Take a stroll across Key Bridge on Saturday, September 6 to experience an afternoon of jazz at the Gateway Park. Four groups will be performing between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., and the diversity of music ranges from New Orleans funk to North Indian bhangra.

Kicking off the concert are The Corey Wallace DUBet, lauded by The Washington Post as, “the best and more consistently exploratory” musicians in the D.C. area. Other groups include Ghost Train Orchestra, a group who remains true to the 1920s and 1930s jazz roots; Red Baraat, a group from Brooklyn who merges jazz, go-go, brass funk, and hip-hop; and closing with Rebirth Brass Band, New Orleans Grammy-winners who mix a big brass band feel

with a funk-driven rhythm section.

And what better way to pair the sound of jazz with some absolutely delicious food? According to Rosslyn’s official website, food trucks including La Tingeria, Baba’s Big Bite, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, The Big Cheese, and several other options will be parked at the festival catering to audience member’s sweet, gooey, or savory cravings. For students 21 years of age or older and over looking for a little more afternoon action, there will also be a beer and wine truck.

Ever heard of a fashion truck? If not, this may be your first opportunity to catch The Thread Truck and Street Boutique during the festivities. The options are nearly endless at the Rosslyn Jazz Festival, so take a study break this Saturday with a short walk and an afternoon of delightful sights, smells, and, above all, sounds.

Rosslyn Jazz Festival Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Hwy Saturday, Sept. 6, 1 - 7 p.m. www.rosslynva.org

Delightful Duplass rekindles second chances in The One I Love JOHN CONNOR BUCKLEY A disturbingly surreal weekend getaway serves as a young married couple’s attempt to rekindle their passion in The One I Love. Sent by a marriage counselor to spend three days alone in a quiet cottage, the two lovers, played by a skeptical Mark Duplass and a slightly more free-spirited Elisabeth Moss, find themselves face-to-face with everything they first loved about one another. Misunderstandings happen, love is questioned, and in the end, a mystery involving the true nature of the cottage is unraveled.

The film is a feast for the eyes, using warm tones and lighting to capture the saccharine beauty of the land and the coziness of the cottage.

The lighting serves a secondary purpose, cloaking the two stars’ faces in shadow, creating off-putting and obscure emotions and a surprisingly

depressing effect despite the seemingly cheery atmosphere.

The ambiguous feel of the lighting is complemented by a minimalist, yet dynamic soundtrack. As Duplass first wanders about the property, for example, he is accompanied by a simple guitar line that steadily crescendos to capture his joy, while remaining simple and contained.

This soundtrack is appropriate enough, given containment is one of the key themes of this film, palpable through the protagonists’ situation, the idea of marriage, and ultimately love, as an unfortunate, sometimes inexplicable trap.

The performances are impressive and the characters are entirely sympathetic.

Though Duplass is controlling, suspicious, and uptight, he has a sensitive side and cares deeply for his wife. It’s hard not to feel for the man as he gazes hopefully at the fantastic, romantic results previous

guests have described in the photo guestbook.

Moss is equally excellent in her execution of the role of the still-youthful, curious, blissful wife who also possesses strong sense of independence and moral reasoning. She will need both if she is going to make some tough choices regarding her current relationship at the weekend’s close.

The film’s only problem is the inconsistency of Moss’ character. The character fluctuates between being empathetic and rational to oddly misguided and solely emotion-driven, as she acts towards the movie’s close. One could argue, however, that the latter is simply one part of her and Duplass’s shared impulsive behavior, displayed at the movie’s start when the two lovers break into a man’s backyard and go swimming in his pool to relive the joy of their youth.

Their reckless tendencies certainly pop up from time to

time, such as when they light up a joint upon their arrival at the cottage. The issue is that this recklessness seems less consistent in its influence on Moss’s character, making it hard to establish her as a concrete character. Ultimately, the script, rather than her character’s mind, seems to control her actions.

Regardless of this single minor complaint, The One I Love is one of the most original films of the year. By pro-

viding more questions than answers, the film demands the audience to think and, occasionally, announces that not everything needs to be dissected for meaning. Regardless, it’s both deceptively simple and ridiculously complex, depending on how you decide to approach it. It will move you, and maybe make you think a little more about what we are willing to remember and forget in our romantic lives.

257 tied games of tic-tac-toe later, they took a break.

imdb

leisure

12 | the georgetown voice

CRITICAL VOICES

The Kooks, Listen, Virgin EMI Records Fans of previous Kooks albums, beware––this record is not the vintage, 60s-meets-90s British rock that would be welcome in a dingy London nightclub in either decade. Lacking their usual unified sound, Listen unsuccessfully meanders between funk and classic Brit rock.

Though occasionally revealing glimpses of the band’s battle-hardened sound, the album is

Sinkane, Mean Love, DFA Records Sinkane’s second LP release, Mean Love, is a jungle of dense, atmospheric instrumentals and smooth vocals.

Sinkane, the solo project of Ahmed Gallab of Caribou and of Montreal, draws influences from synthpop to funk to shoegaze, with jazzy rhythm and world percussion thrown in. This thick soup of influences is tempered with lyrical

Is the Bechdel Test enough to save the female lead?

A bi-weekly column about film by Dayana Morales Gomez

wracked by a hit-and-miss tracklist that has just as many forgettable duds as it does foot-tapping anthems.

Listen’s first notable track is “See Me Now,” a heartfelt memento to a father who passed away too early. The track’s initial Hallmark-esque banality soon wears away to reveal an honest testament to the bond between father and son. Jolting the listener from their somber reflection, the melancholy track is followed by “It Was London,” an incongruous foray into protest rock. The track seems to be a 21st century redux of “The Guns of Brixton,” The Clash’s timeless call to arms against police brutality. Though the jarring juxtaposition takes away from both songs’ impact, they are solid tracks when viewed independently of one another.

The album’s pre-released single “Down” was portentous of

the mediocrity to follow. Monotonous lyrics, an unnecessarily long chorus, and an irritatingly persistent drumbeat combine to create one of those songs you hate to have stuck in your head.

Experimenting with a new sound is undoubtedly necessary for the development of any band.

However, The Kooks tried to fit too much variation into Listen, causing the quality of the album to suffer as a result of this overactive experimentation.

Despite its lack of cohesion, Listen is not completely unsuccessful, and even offers isolated moments of musical genius.

Give it a listen, but don’t get your hopes up for this latest LP from The Kooks.

simplicity that keeps the music lush without being overwhelming, making the album a perfect match for a swampy D.C. evening.

The opening and closing songs, “How We Be” and “Omduran,” are fast and buoyant, relying heavily on Sinkane’s world beat and big band influences. They open and close the album on an energetic note, but never wander too far from Sinkane’s laid-back pop roots that flesh out the album.

The rest of Mean Love is fastpaced without being enthusiastic, the sort of tunes to nod along to, but not to dance to.

The clarity of Gallab’s vocals and the whine of the guitar brings the thick web of instrumentals on this album down to earth. Gallab’s voice is clear and clean, and he delivers the same power and

control in falsetto as he does in his lower register. Sinkane’s lyrics are simple and straightforward, and focus on love, so much that they would seem trite if they weren’t sung so earnestly.

Gallab’s voice is best displayed on the country-tinged title track, where he repeats the refrain, “You know I love you but you’re mean,” with aching sincerity, accompanied by a slide guitar that sings as earnestly as he does.

The sentiment “Mean Love” delivers is enduring—a perfect fit for an album that effortlessly blends retro influences with the cutting edge of alternative pop.

CONCERT CALENDAR

REELTalk:

September 4, 2014

Voice’s Choices: “See Me Now”, “It Was London” —Riley Mellen

Voice’s Choices: “Mean Love,” “Omdurman” —Ida Dhanuka

Thursday 9/04 Buzzcocks Black Cat, 8:00 p.m., $25

Friday 9/05 Jamies xx 9:30 , 9:00 p.m., $12

Saturday 9/06 Bob Mould 9:30, 6:00 p.m., $25

Thursday 9/04 Heffron Drive 9:30, 7:00 p.m., $25

Saturday 9/06 Ed Sheeran IMP, 6:00 p.m., $40-55

Monday 9/08 Sir Sly & Wolf Gang U Street Music Hall, 7:00 p.m., $15

The film industry, like the majority of industries, has a female problem.

That’s probably not the first time you’ve heard that, but people have started to try to objectively assess the issue.

For many, the biggest marker that a film has succeeded in portraying females realistically is whether it will pass the Bechdel Test.

The Bechdel Test originated in the 1980s, but has risen in popularity and is now generally considered as the endall, be-all of a film’s treatment of female characters. The test is simple: in order for a movie to pass the test, it must have at least two female characters who talk to each other about something other than men.

The Bechdel Test objectively gauges the presence of women in film, often giving an unexpected evaluation. Many blockbuster favorites fail the simple test. The entire Lord of The Rings Trilogy fails, most installments of Harry Potter fails, and even Spike Jonze’s 2013 film, Her. Four of the top five grossing films of the year so far pass the Bechdel Test, according to BechdelTest.com. Guardians of the Galaxy, The LEGO Movie, Transformers: Age of Extinction, and Maleficent all pass while only Captain America: Winter Soldier fails the test.

These results seem like a big success for women in film.

While, according to the Bechdel Test, the film industry has made progress, it is important to note that four of these same top five films—Captain America included—have male protagonists. Guardians of the Galaxy has Zoe Saldana on the top of its bill—as an alien—but only next to three other male characters. Of the other three top 2014 films, The LEGO Movie does the best job of developing a female character. A total badass, Wyldstyle takes shit from no one as she helps Emmett, the male protagonist, develop as a character. They fall in love, etc.

In an age that is often dubbed post-feminist, we must continue to strive for a high standard for female

representation in film. Some tests have been derived from the Bechdel Test to try to standardize a successfully feminist film, including another film test intended to highlight films that don’t pass the Bechdel Test, but contain strong female characters. Named after female character Mako Mori in Pacific Rim, a passing film must contain at least one female character with an independent story arc that doesn’t simply support a male character’s story.

This other standard feels like a cop out. Lowering our expectations of female characters in film isn’t the answer to films failing the Bechdel Test. If anything, the Mako Mori test should be used to strengthen the Bechdel. Why don’t we simply expect women to be their own characters without contributing to the development of men?

Sweden, however, seems to be leading the path of institutional change. Late last year, the country introduced a new rating system that assigned letter grades to films based on their passage or failure of the Bechdel Test. But expecting this social democracy’s policies to trickle back to Hollywood films seems hopeful.

The fact of the matter is that it is unrealistic to seek real, balanced representation of women in today’s industry. In addition to the drastically skewed ratio of leading male roles, there is also an overrepresentation of men behind the scenes. The aforementioned top five films (and the next five) were all directed by males, and most of their screenplays were written by men. We cannot expect that these male writers and directors will have the same lived experience as an actual female.

The film industry and its critics need something better than the Bechdel Test. Maybe they need to develop female roles into full characters.

Maybe there need to be more Mako Mori’s. But maybe that is unrealistic. Maybe too many damsels are still in distress.

Test Dayana’s femininity at dim23@georgetown.edu.

georgetownvoice.com

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the georgetown voice |13

– Dylan Cutler

voices

14| the georgetown voice

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

Learning life’s most important lesson in the wake of loss JEFFREY LIN My dad and I had been at the hospital for a few hours when it started to rain. The doctors had just turned off all the machines and the IV was almost empty. Soon we would be able to go home. Holding my mom’s hand, I realized that I needed to do one more thing before we left: I lifted my hand over my mom’s eyes, and closed them.

My mom had stage IV gastrointestinal cancer for 15 months. When I told my classmates about my mom’s cancer, most of them knew what they felt like they should say. They told me to stay optimistic and hope for the best.

Some would even tell me success stories about survivors that they knew.

I knew, however, that the only success my mom would have was maybe an extra month or two more to live.

The doctors told me that the cancer would not go away and they could only hope to slow its spread to other organs.

After my mom died, most people who knew did not really know what to say, and I didn’t really expect them to know. Most college students have little personal experience with death, so how could I expect them to understand?

Many people expressed their condolences, while many others said nothing.

When I mentioned my mom’s death to others, some understandably did not want to talk about it with me. Perhaps my mom’s death made them think about their own mortality or the possibility of their losing their loved ones.

People asked me what they could do for me, and I would have told them, but I didn’t know what anyone could do to make me feel better. The only thing I wanted was to call my mom’s number and have her pick up the phone. I wanted to have that feeling of knowing that she would be there whenever I came home, but nothing can bring the dead back.

Even my family couldn’t help me. My extended fami-

ly told me to take care of my dad and most of them expected me to be fine. So, over the summer, I took up what had been my mom’s responsibilities, including such tasks as dealing with health insurance, utility bills, and medical appointments. My dad does not speak English well, so I gladly helped him, especially because I understood that he was going through a difficult time as well.

But he told others that he didn’t need me. My dad told others that I was not useful to him and he would rather have my mom back. He even told me that his suffering over my mom’s death was greater than mine.

I felt alone, so I dealt with my grief alone. My mom died a few weeks before finals and I already had a week of work to make-up when I came back to Georgetown. Most people had no time to help me and I had no time to grieve.

Eventually people stopped asking about my mom’s death and most people assume I am

fine now or that I have ‘gotten over’ it, but no one ‘gets over’ death—they just learn how to deal with it better. I learned how to avoid mentioning my mom when people talk about parents and how to change the subject when people mentioned it. Most importantly, I learned how to tolerate others who complained about trivial things.

Now, every time I listen to people complain about not getting an internship or about having a lot of work, I want to tell them they should feel lucky their moms aren’t dead, but I know I can’t do that because I can’t expect people to understand something they have never experienced.

No matter how much I want to, I cannot bring my mother back. I can’t even ask for more support from my dad or expect others to understand my grief better, but I can’t allow my grief to stop me from living my life.

Dozens of people attended my mom’s funeral because

even though she did not have much, she always shared what she had. The way she lived her life taught me that success is not the most important thing in the world.

What matters most is having people you can share your success with around you.

My grief will always be a part of me, but it has also made me stronger. The pain of losing my mom and the feeling of loneliness I felt afterwards made me realize how precious life is and how important the other people in my life are. My grades, salary, or position are not the things that matter most to me in this world. The people around me are what matter most to me.

That was my mom’s last lesson.

JEFFREY LIN SFS ‘16 IN MEMORIAM OF MRS. LIN

‘You are beautiful’ campaigns setting ugly standards LARA FISHBANE “If you can squeeze it, we can freeze it!”

If driving through beauty-obsessed Los Angeles alone didn’t make me feel bad enough about myself, seeing this ad for liposuction plastered across a huge billboard in a skyline of gyms and juice bars did. This advertisement bluntly stated the message beauty corporations have been pushing for years—if you don’t have a perfectly rail-thin body, you should, and you can, for the right price.

Most advertisers send this message more subtly. They take a naturally attractive model, apply just enough makeup to accentuate her features, Photoshop her flaws until she is impossibly beautiful, and then present her to us as if her look were effortless. It doesn’t matter what product is being sold, because the formula is always the same. People don’t want or care about the product: they want to be like her.

The problem is that filling magazines, television programs, and billboards with women who are impossibly attractive distorts female consumers’ perception

LEILA LEBRETON

all i want for my birthday is an easy, breezy, beautiful booty hoe.

of how they are supposed to look.

As a result of this unrealistic standard, women are becoming increasingly insecure about their bodies and looks.

The high levels of insecurity have created a new market that companies are beginning to exploit. Instead of attempting to sell beauty, these companies are selling confidence. They present “regular” women stripped of makeup, often in minimal clothing, and make uplifting remarks.

The bottom line of all these ads is “You are beautiful.”

These are the ads that get shared on Facebook or Twitter because they are #empowering and #inspiring. They are lauded by the media for sending out a positive message to young women. It seems like these companies have figured it all out. Problem solved! All women have to do is watch the latest Dove campaign and they become filled with confidence.

But that’s not even close to true.

These commercials are not just ineffective, but they are also counterproductive because they are, just like their counterparts, centered around women’s appearances. It is, however, impossible to eradicate the insecurity of feeling insufficiently attractive by backhandedly reinforcing the importance of physical

attractiveness. It creates a twisted notion for women by inadvertently saying, “You should feel confident and happy, but only because you are beautiful.”

Why is it so important to be beautiful? Why are millions of dollars spent on campaigns to make girls feel beautiful? Why do organizations hang up postits saying it in girls’ bathrooms and SharpIe it on walls? Why is it our go-to compliment for women?

I have been forced to swallow “You are beautiful” in all of these circumstances and not once has it ever felt like a compliment.

Instead, it has always felt like a barrier because the message gently suggests that beauty is the highest thing a woman can hope to achieve.

Society inflicts pressure on males to look a certain way as well, but it never seems to be the most important thing. When men are insecure, they are not told they are handsome. There is no “you are handsome” campaign. Men are not manipulated in the same way or to the same degree women are. They are told they need the product in order to get the job or win the game or pick up the girl. While men are portrayed as active agents with the ability to accomplish anything they desire, women are the passive objects with the potential to be desirable.

So why do we continue to laud companies that tell women they are beautiful, praising them for supposedly changing the narrative?

Companies are not trying to inspire confidence. They are only trying to sell their products in the most effective way possible.

Companies need to take the messages they are sending out more seriously. Media plays an important role in how women perceive themselves. Perhaps instead, there should be campaigns run telling young girls they should be kind because kindness is attractive and powerful.

There should be advertisements designed to empower women by showing women’s potential to effect positive changes in the world.

Before we tell girls they are beautiful, we should tell them they are funny or intelligent or thoughtful or creative and that all of those qualities are meaningful ones to have. We should tell girls they are meaningful. We should tell them they are worth more than their image.

LARA FISHBANE COL ‘17 Don’t ever tell her that she’s beautiful

voices

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice |15

The importance of being earnest: modern authenticity SABRINA KAYSER As the world becomes increasingly populated, it simultaneously becomes increasingly competitive. The college admissions process is a kind of funnel for this competitiveness, a checkpoint through which only a certain few may pass.

The desire for a college degree, particularly an American college degree, is clearest in countries such as China, where the population boom has created a new degree of competition as parents begin investing time and resources into their children’s college degrees from birth. Kids have less and less leisure time and

the cost of college preparation is rising rapidly.

Often, early college investments come in the form of elite, international high schools that follow either the American system or the International Baccalaureate system. These schools, set up primarily for Western children whose parents have jobs abroad, are contributing to an international global elite with which hardly any local students can compete when the time comes.

These children’s parents start earlier and earlier to ensure their children’s futures are inundated with opportunity, sending them to various locales for school or

LEILA LEBRETON

“DO YOU MIND IF I TAKE YOUR PICTURE?” “NO, I OFTEN LIKE TO BE LOOKED AT.”

CARRYING ON

for travel—the perfect Common App material. There is tremendous pressure to be someone extraordinary, someone who has made a difference in the world by age 18. If you haven’t spent time building houses in Thailand or feeding children in Africa, it seems as though you have not accomplished much yet.

There is a worrisome trend that volunteering is becoming something that people do not because of a genuine desire to somehow contribute something to the world, but for the personal gain it can bring—in short, for another line on your resume.

The disparity between selfish and selfless service is best exemplified in the difference between anonymous donations and sponsorships.

The former has no social reward and so maintains a greater degree of authenticity. However, sponsorships, whether private or corporate, are inherently structured to give the donor some kind of reward, whether it be publicity or some other perk.

There is the stereotypical idea of some upper-middle-class, suburban white kid going to Africa to help hun-

LEAVING DOMESTIC SPHERES OF THOUGHT

BY ISABEL ECHARTE

A rotating column by senior Voice staffers

“Personally, I think the Cuban revolution did a lot of good. I really like Castro,” my host mom says in Spanish on one of my first nights studying abroad in Buenos Aires. Caught off guard, I wasn’t really sure how to respond. “Well, I guess the literacy rate is higher now and there are good doctors,” I stuttered. My rusty Spanish alone couldn’t account for my hesitant reply: I was shocked. Not because of her political views or her willingness to be so direct, as most Argentines are, but because I had never in my entire life heard anyone say anything even remotely positive about Fidel Castro or about the Cuban Revolution.

Being from Miami, where Cuban expatriates and their children comprise a majority of the population, it’s generally agreed that Castro is, at the very least, a bad leader and, at the worst, pure evil. Ché Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary, is considered a war criminal by the majority of

Cubans in Miami due to his involvement in the Cuban Revolution. I had never even considered that any good could have come out of the Cuban Revolution.

Expatriate Cubans believe that this revolution was detrimental with the same righteous conviction with which they believe the world is round and that Nicolas Cage is the worst actor in all of history. It’s not something I ever thought to question because the topic wasn’t ever up for debate. It was only discussed when people spoke about reclaiming their lost homes and property after Castro’s imminent death.

By the end of the conversation with my host mom, I wasn’t sure what I thought about the revolution. I sure didn’t approve of it, and how could I? My family was forced to flee because of it, but I also knew that Cuba was pretty horrible even before the revolution. It was incredibly racially segregated and the wealth was concentrated among the

gry children and then posting all the amazing pictures on Facebook. This kind of “volun-tourism,” which rarely helps alleviate the situation in the long-term, perpetuates the idea of the “white savior,” which is a problematic notion that, nevertheless, has survived into the twenty-first century and is even found in the endeavors of today’s youth, namely us a few years ago when applying to college.

All of this is not to say that volunteers should stop doing all the work that they are doing, which of course has had a positive impact on the world.

There are certainly other benefits to this “volun-tourism” pre-college application style of making a difference. For one, it is a positive thing in and of itself, no matter how little it actually accomplishes, and secondly, it opens many people’s eyes to real issues that people around the world are facing. However, perhaps volunteering and “making the world a better place” should be seen as less of a public endeavor with tangible rewards for the volunteer (like photo ops, public recognition, and additional resume-building), but as more of an internal experience.

white, upper classes, not to mention that Fulgencio Batista, the American-backed dictator that Castro overthrew, was corrupt, to say the least.

had never in my entire “lifeIheard anyone say any-

thing even remotely positive about Castro

”

I finally came to the conclusion that, although there are plenty of aspects of the revolution that I disagree with, some aspects of the Cuban Revolution benefitted many—a point of view I had never considered before. It took a flight not only out of Miami, or Florida, but out of the United States to realize that there could be another side to the narrative Miamian Cubans have been painting since 1959.

Studying abroad in a country where American Democrats would be considered conservative hasn’t changed many of my political views, but it has made me reconsider what I had thought I knew to be the absolute truth.

I began to ask myself why the Cuban revolution is viewed so negatively in the U.S., while the rest of the world applauds it. While some might say it can be boiled down to a fear of communism handed down from the 1950s and 60s, it’s not as simple as that.

I am enrolled in a class on Caribbean revolutions at the University of Buenos Aires. While we haven’t gotten to the 1959 Cuban Revolution in class yet, by just speaking with most Argentines I know they see the issue from a vastly different perspective. I even met my first self-described communist. In Argentina, it’s essentially a fact that the revolution was good, while in the United States, even outside of Miami,

Our society places a lot of value on concrete achievements, like becoming a CEO, starting your own company, helping to eliminate hunger in Africa, or getting accepted to an Ivy League school. This view, while it has driven and still drives a lot of the competition, innovation, and change that we see in the world today, also has its costs--one of which may be a depreciation of authenticity.

What would the world look like if we harnessed all of the energy directed towards achieving public recognition and turned it instead into an even more efficient system of positive change? Maybe there would be more prosperity at home and domestic issues would not be swept under the rug in exchange for more glamorous projects. Maybe people would be more likely to focus on the small things, giving themselves every day to spreading optimism and making change right in front of their noses.

Sabrina kayser SFS ‘17 LOVES WRITING, BUT ONLY FOR RESUME PURPOSES the revolution is looked down upon by Democrats and Republicans alike. When discussing the Cuban revolution against Spain in the 19th century, we read a source that contained the Cuban government’s stamp of approval, but not necessarily the same story we would have gotten back at Georgetown.

What we see as legitimate or reputable sources of information varies based on our perspective—our shared culture, history, and government—and so, history is told according to the political memory of whichever community we are born into.

Why the approach of two different countries and two different schools on teaching a single subject could be so vastly different is important to recognize. The United States may have a right and left and host a variety of political ideologies, but think back: when was the last time you heard an American politician challenge the idea that the Cuban Revolution is bad? It’s easy to forget that what we hold to be true may only be so because we collectively agreed to see them that way. History might be written by the victors, but societies have to decide who the victors are first.