The Hoya Year in Review: April 27, 2012

Table Of Contents

4 45

Neighborhood Relations

Campus Expansions

5 Arrest in Egypt

6 10

11

Dining Employees’ Contract

10

PRODUCTION STAFF CONNOR GREGOIRE MARIAH BYRNE SARAH KAPLAN STEVEN PICCIONE

89 9

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Editor-in-Chief Issue Editor Executive Editor Managing Editor

EVAN HOLLANDER LEONEL DE VELEZ EMORY WELLMAN EMILY PERKINS

Sports Editor Photography Editor Layout Editor Copy Chief

Zoe Bertrand, Nikita Buley, Matt Carlucci, Sari Frankel, Phoebe Lett, Hunter Main, Jessica Natinski, Arik Parnass, Remy Samuels, Jamie Slater

Cover photo: Web Leslie; cover design: Michelle Cassidy Back cover photos: Chris Bien, courtesy Emily Infeld (bottom left)

theyearinquotations

That requirement is unprecedented, financially and reputationally debilitating and unnecessary.

I wasn’t going to stand back and let that happen to people that I cared about and not do anything about it.

— Matthew VanDyke (GRD ’04) on why he chose to fight in the Libyan civil war. VanDyke went missing three weeks after arriving in Libya and was imprisoned for six months by loyalist forces.

— Georgetown’s attorney, Maureen Dwyer, speaking before the D.C. Zoning Commission on the potential negative effects of requiring the university to house 100 percent of students on campus.

There was a single loaf of bread.

This lady fought me for a Lunchable.

At 1 a.m. there were lines.

— Julie Negussie (COL ’14) on her trip to Walmart to prepare for Hurricane Irene, which blew through campus during this year’s New Student Orientation and delayed students’ return to campus in the fall.

I think that Vittles has been pretty clearly identified as a place from which it is pretty easy to steal and get away unnoticed. We take this very seriously, and … we’re taking steps to make [Vittles] less attractive.

— Alex Pon (COL ’12), CEO of Students of Georgetown, Inc., in January after Vital Vittles experienced four thefts, totaling $5,000 in losses, throughout the year.

As soon as I got to campus, I started to change how I dressed and how I acted and to step into a role that is very indicative of Georgetown.

— Ryan Zimmerman (COL ’12) a first-generation college student on how he has confronted the hidden issues of socioeconomic class that pervade Georgetown’s campus.

It depends on who has access to the room, and sometimes people will believe they remember closing the door when … perhaps they didn’t. Or it could be that somebody else has key access. It could be university staff.

— Joseph Smith, associate director of the Department of Public Safety, on the burglary of 14 university residences and one faculty office over the summer.

The worst part about the mall right now is that no one has an answer.

— Tsering Shakya, owner of Dorjebajra Tibet Shop, on the forced expiration of 110 stores’ leases in the Shops at Georgetown Park by the mall’s realtor, Vornado Realty Trust.

I think as a group, they were out there like a drunken sailor, just trying to think too much instead of just play.

— Men’s basketball Head Coach John Thompson III on his team after it allowed a 15-2 Villanova run in the first half of a game.

Campus Plan Battle Continues F ollowing a year of rocky relations between the university and its neighbors, recent developments in the debates surrounding the 2010 Campus Plan suggest that a final compromise may be on the horizon.

After six inconclusive D.C. Zoning Commission hearings since the campus plan was filed in December 2010, many of the proposal’s details remain contested, while the neighborhood position has been emboldened by endorsements from Mayor Vincent Gray in October and Councilmember At-Large Phil Mendelson in September. The opposing parties have resorted to private negotiations to arrive at a compromise.

“My hope is that everybody can sit down at a table and work something out that’s agreeable to everybody,” Chris Clements, president of the Burleith Citizens Association, said. “As we come back to the negotiation table … maybe we can find that common ground.”

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E commissioner Tom Birch agreed that the shift to private negotiations represents a step in the right direction.

“I think it’s been a difficult process, and I have to say I’m pleased that there is this revisiting of the plan that’s happening now,” Birch said.

The issue of off-campus student housing is chief among the disputes that have yet to be resolved. The BCA, the Citizens Association of Georgetown and ANC 2E all continue to demand that the university provide housing for all of its undergraduates.

But Clements acknowledged that the university has compromised on some controversial measures. In a supplementary filing on the campus plan submitted last March, Georgetown offered to impose a voluntary enrollment cap of 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students and to house 250 additional student beds on campus by 2016. In addition, the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle bus loop road was relocated from a route parallel to Glover-Archbold Park to an area outside of Harbin Hall.

Clements said that the changes give him hope that a satisfactory middle ground may be reachable.

KYLE YOUNG/THE HOYA

ANC2E Commissoners deliberate over the 2010 Campus Plan at a monthly meeting.

braden mcdonald Hoya Staff Writer

“I think we’ve all come a long way. All you have to do is line up what Georgetown … proposed in its [original version of the campus plan]. If you were to match that up with what they offered to the D.C. Zoning Commission [at the most recent hearing], it’s not the same plan,” he said.

Although the university has implemented several measures to respond to neighborhood concerns about student misconduct, including a weekend shuttle to M Street, twice-daily trash collection at area homes and heightened patrols by the Metropolitan Police Department, their effectiveness remains in dispute.

At the Zoning Commission’s sixth hearing on the campus plan Feb. 9, Commission Chairman Anthony Hood was reluctant to factor the initiatives into a final ruling.

“We don’t know if they work because they were just instituted. We don’t have a track record,” he said. “The test of time has not had time to run its course.”

However, according to Jake Sticka (COL ’13), who represents Georgetown’s singlemember district on ANC 2E, the university’s willingness to implement such measures demonstrates its desire to cooperate. “[We’ve] seen in the last year a number of compromises made in response to concerns raised by the community. I think that’s the philosophy of the university — to do everything that it can and work in good faith with the community,” he said. “The initiatives that have been going on more recently have been fairly successful.”

Depending on the duration of the university’s talks with neighbors, the negotiations may also be affected by changes in Georgetown’s representation on ANC 2E. During the redistricting process that occurred last fall, D.C. added one single-member district to ANC 2E. The new district, SMD

2E08, encompasses Henle Village, Copley Hall and Nevils Hall and will almost certainly be represented by a Georgetown student.

In addition, student candidates have the potential to contest seats in three other SMDs that encompass off-campus areas occupied by large numbers of students.

“It’s all up to who’s running and who gets elected,” Birch said.

Whether or not a third student-occupied seat is possible, Birch added that the addition of at least one student representative on the ANC is likely to change the dynamic of the commission.

“There were two students 10 years ago, and I thought it was a very successful ANC,” he said. “So much depends on the ability of any of the commissioners to understand the issues and be responsive to their constituents,and then look for ways to be productive as a total commission. I expect that same kind of strong voice for the university.”

The reconfiguration, which was hotly debated during the summer of 2011 because it made it more difficult for students to gain a third seat on the commission, was confirmed in a D.C. Council ruling in December.

While Sticka had initially supported an alternative plan drawn by John Flanagan (SFS ’14), which would have split a third SMD evenly between Georgetown students and permanent residents and made the election of a third student to the commission more likely, he expressed satisfaction with the approved reconfiguration.

“I think that we made some really significant gains in redistricting,” Sticka said. “I think given the circumstances we’re working with this year, being able to say with confidence that we’re going to have two students on the ANC is an accomplishment.”

University Plans Expansions Throughout Campus, the District

riverexplorer.com

GU is looking to build its own boathouse on the Potomac River to house its crew teams.

The university will receive a decision from the National Park Service on the feasibility of the building by Dec. 31. Georgetown currently shares the Thompson Boat Center with The George Washington University.

4 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 4.27.12

tiffany lachhonna for the Hoya

The “Georgetown Downtown” campus will house emergency management, urban and regional planning and biomedical programs. The university hopes to lease an 85,000-square-foot space for 15 years. The university plans to relocate 1,000 graduate and professional students off the main campus by Dec. 31, 2013.

leonel de veLEZ/THE HOYA

The Georgetown University Hotel & Conference Center in the Leavey Center will be converted into a student residence by the fall of 2014 to address student housing concerns related to the 2010 Campus Plan negotiations.

The dorm will hold 250 beds, but the intended class of the residents has not been finalized.

campaign.georgetown.edu

The New South Student Center is slated to open by fall 2014.

The building is intended to be a student space that will include both study and social areas as well as a possible Students of Georgetown, Inc. location. The university is still choosing an architecture firm and has yet to finalize plans for its design.

COURTESY U.S. Commission of fine arts

Basic plans for the Athletic Training Facility to be built next to McDonough Arena have been approved by the Old Georgetown Board and the U.S. Commission on Fine Arts. The university architects must now continue the development of the building’s exterior. There is no deadline set for the building’s construction.

Occupy Movement Makes Camp at GU

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hen about a dozen Occupy protesters settled in D.C.’s MacPherson Square Oct. 1, it seemed that they had appeared overnight.

But Michael Kazin, a history professor at Georgetown, believes that the movement was fated.

“There’s been a long critique for decades now about income inequality,” he said. “[The movement] was inevitable.”

Seven months later, the encampment is still home to a core group of protesters. The gradual growth of the D.C. branch of the Occupy protests has been mirrored by the development of Georgetown’s own Occupy group.

According to member Gina Bull (SFS ’12), Georgetown Occupy’s primary goal this year has been to strengthen activism on campus, particularly by establishing ties with organizations passionate about similar issues.

Members frequently join protests organized by the local movement, protesting in front of the White House and the Department of the Treasury and attendSARI FRANKEL/THE HOYA ing marches like that on the Key Bridge Hundreds of protestors demonstrated on the Key Bridge Nov. 17.

Nov. 17 as part of Occupy DC’s “day of action.”

In late February, the group also or-

ganized a teach-in and has since established partnerships with other D.C. schools, including American University and The George Washington University.

According to member Rachel Nethery (COL ’12), Georgetown’s location has been integral in the ability to form such a coalition.

“Being in D.C., we have a lot of power that other groups … don’t have,” she said.

But she and Bull added that Georgetown Occupy has a role to play on campus as well, challenging the idea that protest is not a legitimate means of voicing discontent.

“A lot of people don’t consider activism … a normal resort,” Bull said.

“It’s not a very mainstream activity at Georgetown … [and] we’re trying to get more Georgetown students to see that this is an appropriate and a more democratic form of representation.”

While attendance at the group’s twice-weekly meetings hovers around 15 regulars, Bull believes that the work it has done has been effective thus far.

According to Kazin, who is also a coeditor of the left-leaning magazine Dissent, college students are an integral

Law Student Stars in Birth Control Saga

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his semester, the university found its stance on contraception thrust into the national spotlight after conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh went after one of Georgetown’s own.

Third-year law student Sandra Fluke (LAW ’12) became embroiled in a political controversy after Limbaugh called her a “slut” and “prostitute” on his nationally syndicated radio show Feb. 29 and March 1. The previous week, Fluke had testified to the U.S. House of Representative’s Democratic Steering and Policy Committee in an unofficial hearing on issues regarding contraception and the affordability of birth-control.

“These denials of contraceptive coverage impact real people,” Fluke said at the Feb. 23 hearing.

Under Georgetown’s current insurance plan, both undergraduate and graduate students can choose to use private health insurance or the university’s plan, which covers birth control for medical purposes but not for pregnancy prevention. Under a Department of Health and Human Services regulation announced earlier this spring, all religious institutions that offer insurance plans will need to cover contraceptives regardless of their purpose.

After her testimony, Limbaugh discussed Fluke’s stance on contraception, condemning her use of the pill.

“If we’re going to pay for your contraceptives and thus pay for you to have sex … we

want you to post the videos online so we can all watch,” Limbaugh said on his show. “[Fluke] is having sex so frequently that she can’t afford all the birth control pills that she needs,” he added the next day.

Following these comments, Fluke found herself at the center of a media firestorm stoked by election-year politicking.

President Barack Obama called her that Friday to extend his support, and Republican leaders, including Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), condemned Limbaugh’s comments.

University President John J. DeGioia issued a statement the same day that was hailed nationally as a call to civility.

“If we … allow coarseness, anger — even hatred — to stand for civil discourse in America, we violate the sacred trust that has been handed down through the generations beginning with our founders,” DeGioia wrote. “The values that hold us together as a people require nothing less than eternal vigilance. This is our moment to stand for the values of civility in our engagement with one another.”

Confronted with a public outcry and fleeing advertisers, Limbaugh issued an apology to Fluke on his website on March 3.

“For over 20 years, I have illustrated the absurd with absurdity, three hours a day, five days a week. In this instance, I chose the wrong words in my analogy of the situation. I did not mean a personal attack on Ms. Fluke,” he said.

Though the political attention she has received has died down, Fluke has remained vocal about the need for complete contraceptive coverage in the university’s health care plan. While speaking on campus April 16 in an event sponsored by the Lecture Fund and the Georgetown Public Policy Institute, she reiterated the continuous need to push for contraceptive equality.

“It seems wrong to ask female students to choose between their health care and the quality of their education,” she said. “If Georgetown is the best school you got into or offers you the best career opportunities, why should you ... have to not attend Georgetown and have to find somewhere else because of your health care needs?”

In light of the controversy, students and faculty from both sides of the issue have submitted letters to DeGioia asking for the university to take a stance.

DeGioia responded on Thursday with an email to the Georgetown community stating that he planned to take advantage of a one-year grace period offered in the HHS mandate.

H*yas For Choice President Kelsey Warrick (COL ’14) said she was disappointed with DeGioia’s decision, though she remains optimistic.

“I think the most respnsible decision would be to begin coverage next year ... [But] at the end of the day, the school is going to have to begin coverage in 2013 anyway.”

mAriah byrne Hoya Staff Writer part of the continuation of the Occupy movement because they are directly affected by national economic issues like student debt, low wages, the falling quality of public education and unemployment.

“There’s a question of where are jobs going to come from in the future, this fear that the finance industry … [is] going to be soaking up all the money and that a few people that are good with economics and money will be fine but that everyone else will be scrounging,” Kazin said.

Nethery and Bull both identified a need to challenge many Georgetown students’ definition of social justice as charity.

“I feel like philanthropy is good, but to make any substantial changes, you have to make changes to the system,” Nethery said.

Bull added that in the coming semester, Georgetown Occupy plans on developing its role as an umbrella organization for progressive student activism on campus and throughout D.C. “I’m sure [Georgetown Occupy] is going to live on and be really strong,” she said.

Lauren Weber Hoya Staff Writer

COURTESY SANDRA FLUKE

LEONEL DE VELEZ/THE HOYA

Sandra Fluke (LAW ’12) spoke on the Hill (above) and in Gaston Hall (below).

4.27.12 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 5

arrested abroad

GREG PORTER AND LUKE GATES

our months ago, Derrik Sweeney (COL ’13) landed in St. Louis, Mo., marking the end of a four-day-long ordeal that began when he was arrested by Egyptian police for protesting in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

Drexel University student Greg Porter and Indiana University student Luke Gates were arrested with Sweeney and also thrown into the spotlight over Thanksgiving break.

UPASANA KAKU Hoya Staff Writer

F .

EGYPTIAN TELEVISION NETWORK

In a video aired on Egypt’s state-run television station after his arrest, Sweeney’s GOCard is visible (left). The video also includes footage of Sweeney at the protest in Tahrir Square (middle) and of the three American students — Greg Porter, Luke Gates and Sweeney, from left to right — after their detainment in Cairo (right).

LAUREN WEBER/THE HOYA

Derrik Sweeney and his family members adressed reporters at the airport following his arrival in St. Louis.

As his first semester back at Georgetown concludes, Sweeney said the end of the term is shaping up to be very different from his final few days in Cairo.

“It’s been pretty peaceful,” he said, laughing.

In November, Sweeney and two other American students studying at The American University in Cairo were arrested for allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails and clashing with police during violent demonstrations in Tahrir Square. The three students, arrested early on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 22, were initially held in Cairo’s Abdeen courthouse.

When news of the arrest of Sweeney and fellow students Greg Porter from Drexel University and Luke Gates from Indiana University first broke, the story made headlines across the nation. For Sweeney’s friends and family, it was a harrowing experience.

Paulina Sosa (COL ’13), who also studied abroad at AUC last fall, said she saw Sweeney the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 21, just before he joined the protests.

Sosa thought the media must have reported the wrong name when she first heard about the incident.

“The situation still seems surreal,” she wrote in an email shortly after the arrests.

Sweeney described his first night in custody as the most terrifying experience of his life.

“It was very, very frightening,” he Today Show and was interviewed about said after landing in St. Louis, Mo. “They his experiences by media organizations said they were going to shoot us soon. across the nation in the days following We spent nearly six hours that night in his return. nearly fetal position, sort of, with our But University President John J. Dehands behind our backs.”

Gioia said Sweeney’s participation in The next day, Sweeney, Porter and the protests was unacceptable when he Gates were moved to a public prosecu- spoke to campus media at the beginning tor’s office, where U.S. General Consul of the spring semester. of Cairo Roberto Powers was able to “There are very clear instructions meet with them and arrange for legal for our students studying abroad as to help. what’s permissible behavior for guests After a hearin the couning Thursday, try at the Nov. 24, an “Our Office of International Pro- time,” he Egyptian judge “Our grams performed in a heroic way said. decided not Office of Into charge the during that weekend, because it ternational three students Programs was a very, very tough period.” and ordered p e r fo r m e d that they be re— University President John J. DeGioia in a heroic leased, giving way during Sweeney’s famithat weekly what they deend, because scribed as an incredible Thanksgiving it was a very, very tough period.” gift. The three students were released When Egypt’s revolution began in and escorted to the airport Friday, Nov. January 2011, the university evacuated 25, returning to the United States on all 15 students who had been studying separate flights. abroad there. The program was rein“I cannot wait,” Sweeney’s mother, stated in the fall despite continued unJoy, told The Hoya when she first heard rest in the country.

Though parliamentary elections that her son had been released. “I took place earlier this year, disconcouldn’t be happier.”

When he landed in St. Louis, Swee- tent remains with the ruling junta, ney was met at the airport by about 30 the Supreme Council of the Armed friends and family members cheering Forces. According to Amnesty Interand holding signs. He appeared on The national, the council has committed

human rights abuses — from trying civilians in military courts to killing protesters — comparable to the brutality seen during President Hosni Mubarak’s rule.

For Sweeney, however, his ordeal in Cairo has swiftly become a memory.

Though the university did not accept any transfer credits from his semester in Cairo, he said there have been few lasting repercussions from his detainment in Egypt.

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not really a big deal,” he said.

Sweeney added that his experiences in Cairo have continued to shape his life philosophy. He is taking a class on government and ethics this semester and sees many connections between the class and the revolution in Egypt.

“I guess I feel like I have some personal experience,” he said. “I’ve felt a stronger resolve.”

He is also still in touch with friends from his semester at AUC. Sweeney said he visited Porter, who he said is doing well, in February.

After his homecoming in November, Sweeney told The Hoya that he was still determined to return to the Middle East. A semester later, he maintains that he wants to go back someday.

“It’s a beautiful place. I’m not sure if I’m legally allowed to go back to Egypt, though,” he said, laughing once more.

Tuesday, Nov. 22

Wednesday, Nov. 23

Thursday, Nov. 24

Saturday, Nov. 26

Derrik Sweeney (COL ’13) was arrested and accused of participating in violent demonstrations at Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt while studying abroad at The American University in Cairo. He was detained in Cairo’s Abdeen courthouse.

Sweeney moved to the public prosecutor’s office and was questioned for over eight hours. He denied all accusations brought against him other than that he attended a protest and was able to speak to his mother for the first time since his arrest.

An Egyptian judge ordered that Sweeney be released from state custody after a two-hour hearing, in which all charges were dropped against the American students. Their release was later postponed until Sunday due to paperwork delays.

Sweeney was greeted at the airport by about 30 family members and friends upon his return home to St. Louis.

“Gates often [tweeted] about going to Tahrir Square and participating in protests. ... On Nov. 19, he tweeted about throwing rocks, his eyes burning … seeing police fire live ammunition and rubber bullets.

On the same day, he also tweeted, ‘Honestly, hopefully I die here.’”

— Indiana Daily Student, Nov. 22, 2011 “When I was first detained, [the Cairo police] beat me up pretty good. They threw me on the ground and were hitting me, and then they hit us throughout the night.”

— Greg Porter on “The Today Show,” Nov. 29, 2011 “We are extremely happy with our son’s impending release. ... While we are disappointed that he will be held a few days longer to complete administrative procedures related to his release, we’re confident he will be home soon.”

— Statement released by Indiana University on behalf of Bill and Sharon Gates, Nov. 24, 2011

Overachieving Hoyas Nab NCAA Win A lthough Georgetown’s season ended in an all-too-familiar fashion — at the hands of a double-digit seed in the NCAA tournament — the feeling was undeniably different from past years.

Picked to finish 10th in the conference

by Big East coaches in the preseason poll, the young Hoyas went 24-9, finishing fifth in conference thanks to a 12-6 record in Big East play. The reward for their stellar regular season was a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region and a matchup with Belmont, which the Blue and Gray won handily. The win broke an embarrassing three-game tournament losing streak for the program and was arguably the crowning achievement of a season that saw the Hoyas exceed the expectations of all but the most optimistic Georgetown fans.

And precisely because of the team’s relatively surprising success, the Hoyas’ heartbreaking 66-63 loss to NC State in the next round of the tournament was less disappointing than the upsets of years past. In the moment, as time expired and senior guard Jason Clark’s off-balance attempt at a game-tying three sailed past the rim, the result was upsetting. After all, the loss marked the fourth time in Georgetown’s last four tournament appearances that Head Coach John Thompson III’s team had been sent packing by a double-digit seed. But, in the big picture, the Hoyas had a season that can only be judged an unqualified success.

The Blue and Gray crushed their preseason expectations for the first time in five years, and got the tournament win that Clark and fellow senior Henry Sims so richly deserved. Beating the No. 14 seed Bruins before falling in the next round might not be a noteworthy accomplishment for

most teams, but this year’s Hoyas were no ordinary No. 3 seed.

The burden of repeated postseason failures weighed heavily on the team, and this year’s iteration of the Blue and Gray wasn’t expected to even earn a chance to get rid of that baggage. So when the Hoyas finally won, the sense of relief was palpable.

“I think [there] was definitely a sense of urgency, not just for me but [for] the whole team,” Clark said after defeating Belmont.

“We’ve known what we’ve done in the past.

So it was a big thing for us to get this win today.” “[We] finally got the monkey off our back,” said sophomore guard Markel Starks.

The groundwork for the success of the season was laid in China, as the team and the media noted throughout the year. The ugly preseason brawl with the Bayi Rockets may have gotten the Hoyas into the headlines for all the wrong reasons, but it bred a toughness and togetherness that no amount of practicing could have.

The regular season started normally enough, as Georgetown crushed Savannah State and UNC-Greensboro by a combined 70 points. A four-point loss to then-No. 14 Kansas in the first round of the Maui Invitational was the first indication that these Hoyas might be a little better than initially thought. When they beat then-No. 8 Memphis in the fifth-place game two days later, that suspicion was confirmed. Sims’ 24-point, eight-rebound, five-assist performance against the Tigers was an early sign of things to come for the Hoyas. The senior center enjoyed a breakout season after three largely ineffective years on the Hilltop.

Sims and the rest of the Hoyas kept rolling when they returned to the continental 48, ripping off nine straight wins after

returning from Maui. By the time the winning streak ended on Jan. 7 against West Virginia, the Blue and Gray were no longer sneaking up on anyone. Ranked No. 9 in the country, thanks to impressive wins over top-25 foes Alabama, Louisville, Marquette — ranked No. 12, 4 and 20 respectively at the time of their losses to the Blue and Gray — plus a second defeat of Memphis, Georgetown had arrived on the national scene.

Unsurprisingly, the strength and depth of the Big East took its toll on the Hoyas, as they won ‘just’ nine of their last 15 regular-season games after taking 13 of their first 14. Arguably the worst moment of the season came during this stretch, when Seton Hall blew out Georgetown by 18 points in February.

Worse still, Starks and Thompson III were reportedly involved in a heated argument as the team walked off the court. Starks was benched for the entirety of the next game — a 21-point thrashing of Villanova — and came off the bench for the rest of the year.

Starks’ replacement in the starting lineup in some ways epitomized the Hoyas’ year. Freshman forward Otto Porter came out of seemingly nowhere to lead the team in rebounds (6.7 per game) and contributed nearly 10 points per contest, providing an unexpected source of offense for Thompson III’s team. Porter’s considerable defensive impact was at least matched by freshman forward Greg Whittington, whose offensive capabilities became obvious only at the end of the year but who served as a defensive stopper for the Hoyas from day one. Those two, along with fellow freshmen Jabril Trawick and Mikael Hopkins, displayed maturity well beyond their years throughout the season and were vital to the team’s overachievement.

LAWSON FERGUSON Hoya Staff Writer

MEAGAN KELLY/THE HOYA

Senior guard Jason Clark made the all-Big East first team this season.

As for next year, they’ll be looked at to contribute even more, as the team’s three leading scorers are departing the Hilltop.

Junior forward Hollis Thompson has declared for the NBA draft, while seniors Sims and Clark are set to graduate. Their leadership and scoring will be sorely missed next year, but, if nothing else, the returning Hoyas will have ample experience in defying expectations. If they duplicate the formula that brought them success this year — a swarming, stifling defense coupled with timely, efficient scoring — this space next year could very well be recapping a season that includes more than just one NCAA tournament win.

UPHEAVAL

ARRIVING DEPARTING

8 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 4.27.12

Conference realignment affected every conference and the Big East was no exception. Syracuse, one of the league’s founding members, left with Pittsburgh for the ACC. After West Virginia headed to the Big 12, Georgetown’s conference turned to Conference USA to add four new basketball additions. They also added A10 basketball power Temple.

Seniors Miss Out on Storybook Ending I n its finest moments, the Georgetown women’s basketball team’s 2011-2012 season was as sweet as Sugar Rodgers’ longrange jump shot. At its low points, however, offensive struggles and inconsistent performances were enough to dampen the Hoyas’ sense of overall success.

The veteran squad, led by junior guard Rodgers and a cast of seven seniors — includ-

CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Junior guard Sugar Rodgers led the Big East in scoring in 2011-2012.

ing forward Tia Magee, point guard Rubylee Wright and forward Adria Crawford — finished with a record of 23-9 overall and 11-5 in the Big East. The Blue and Gray cemented their position as an elite program in the world of women’s hoops with a third consecutive at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, a program-best fourth-place finish in the Big East and a national ranking for the duration of the season.

“For our seven seniors to have won 20plus games for the four years that they have been here has truly been amazing,” Head Coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said after the season ended. “I’m very sad to see these seven seniors go, but one thing’s for sure: They know that what they’ve done for this program, and that will never be touched by any other group that comes in here, because they put Georgetown on the map.”

But reminiscent of Georgetown’s rollercoaster season, the program’s future — so bright at the end of the year — may have taken a hit, as Williams-Flournoy recently announced her intention to leave for Auburn next year. The departure of the eighth-year coach, coupled with early exits from both the Big East and NCAA tournaments this season, made for an uncomfortable conclusion to another winning campaign.

The season began in auspicious fashion, as the then-No.10-ranked team dropped two of its first three games, mustering just

53 and 40 points in road losses at Maryland and Louisiana State, respectively.

“Obviously we didn’t want it to go this way, but we have a lot of growing and a lot of maturing to do,” Magee said at the time.

“I want my teammates to know that we’ll learn from this and get better.”

The Hoyas responded promptly with an 11-game winning streak that stretched from Nov. 19 until a loss on Jan. 3 and included a 71-46 home thrashing of then-No. 7 Miami.

Its trademark press wreaked havoc among opponents, and its up-tempo transition offense resulted in quick buckets, allowing Georgetown to enter the heart of its conference schedule with guns blazing. Rodgers, the regular-season Big East scoring leader with 18.8 points per game, recorded 39 points in a Dec. 30 rout of Dartmouth.

“We’ve seen Sugar do this before — we’ve seen her shoot the lights out,” WilliamsFlournoy said that day. “But what people don’t realize is that Sugar does so much more. She rebounds, she gets steals, she plays defense [and] she just played an allaround game.”

The rigorous conference schedule, however, was a wake-up call for the hopeful Hoyas. The Blue and Gray dropped their home opener to DePaul, and abysmal accuracy on field goals doomed Georgetown in subsequent home defeats to Notre Dame and Louisville.

town, and the overmatched Hoyas struggled to a 37-27 loss. Even worse, Kempf was injured during the third quarter and senior quarterback Scott Darby was thrust into the game in his place.

The Yale contest was the first of a fourgame road swing for the Hoyas, who next traveled to Marist. Darby was under center again against the Red Foxes and helped the offense explode to a 52-28 win. But the fact that the defense — especially the pass defense — gave up 28 points was a serious worry. “[We are] looking closer at how we are teaching and practicing the coverages,” Kelly said after the game. “We will be better.”

But they weren’t — at least not right away.

The next weekend was worse, as Bucknell flustered Kempf, who had returned as quarterback, and lit up the reeling Georgetown defense. The 35-18 loss left the Hoyas 1-1 in conference play.

Adjustments in the ensuing weeks improved the team’s defense, especially the secondary. This was clear in both a 24-10 victory at Wagner and a 21-3 demolition of Howard across town in two back-to-back weekends.

“These last couple weeks, we’ve been able to make plays on balls. It’s helped us out. It’s helped out our run game,” Kaisamba said after the win over Howard. “And we’ve been able to shut down some other teams.”

With the secondary — and the defense as

a whole — looking up, Georgetown demolished Colgate, 40-17, in a Homecoming rout that also secured a very meaningful winning season for the Hoyas.

“It’s huge. We haven’t had [a winning season] here since 1999,” Kelly said after the victory. “There are a lot of guys who were here two years ago when it was at its lowest point, and they stuck through it. I’m proud of those guys. They are the character guys.”

Now 2-1 in the Patriot League and hunting for the title, the Blue and Gray kept rolling the next Saturday, this time in the middle of a western Massachusetts snowstorm.

With visibility so poor that Holy Cross’ radio broadcasters couldn’t see the placement of the football from the press box, Schaetzke had six tackles and two sacks, and Kempf keyed two touchdown drives in the second half. That was enough for the 19-6 win.

With Fordham ineligible for league play, Georgetown’s game against the Rams was rather meaningless, but the Hoyas still notched a 30-13 win, giving them momentum heading into the season finale with Lehigh, where the Patriot League championship was on the line.

Though a large contingent of fans followed their team on the road, the Mountain Hawks were too much for the Hoyas, who ended their 2011 season with a 34-12 loss.

Hoya Staff Writer

“This was one of those games that we’ll go back and look at and kick ourselves,” Williams-Flournoy said after the loss to the Cardinals. “Our shooting was what hurt us tonight: We turned them over 25 times and had 18 offensive rebounds, but we can’t shoot 33 percent and expect to win.”

Georgetown responded to the Louisville loss by concluding the regular season with seven wins in nine tries, sewing up a doublebye in the Big East tournament for the first time in program history.

However, a 39-32 quarterfinal defeat to West Virginia in the league tournament was followed by a second-round loss at the hands of Georgia Tech in the NCAA tournament. The fifth-seeded Hoyas fell, 76-64, to the fourth-seeded Yellow Jackets, crushing their dreams of a storybook ending for the senior class.

After the season, Rodgers was named to the Big East’s first team and was recognized as an honorable mention AP All-American.

Magee received an all-Big East honorable mention.

In the final assessment, despite the uncertainties going forward and the unfortunate ending against Georgia Tech, it is clear that this group of seniors and their coach will be remembered for years to come. Their work and success firmly placed Georgetown as a powerhouse in women’s basketball for the first time in the program’s history.

Georgetown Battles Back Into Contention F or more than a decade, the Georgetown football team was a laughingstock on campus. Having notched 11 consecutive losing seasons, the squad attracted neither buzz nor crowds. That changed last fall.

When the Hoyas took to the gridiron to begin the season, no one expected a turnaround from a winless 2009 campaign and a 4-7 2010 team. But there was some cause for hope, which would be justified as the season went on.

“We have an excellent recruiting class, and some of the newcomers are supplementing our existing guys very, very well,” Head Coach Kevin Kelly said going into this season. “I feel good about really all positions, quite frankly.”

After a week of indecision, junior quarterback Isaiah Kempf got the start in the first game, and Georgetown came out firing on all cylinders in a rare twilight matchup against Davidson, romping to a 40-16 win.

But it wasn’t just Kempf; the Blue and Gray’s defense — led by senior defensive end Andrew Schaetzke and senior defensive back Jayah Kaisamba — was key in the win against Davidson and throughout the remainder of the season.

In the following game, Georgetown held Lafayette to just one touchdown in its first Patriot League win of the year.

Next, a trip to Yale loomed for George-

BENO PICCIANO

evan hollander Hoya Staff Writer

SARI FRANKEL/THE HOYA

The Hoyas secured their first winning season since 1999 by beating Colgate.

Even in defeat, Kelly and his team were celebrating Georgetown’s campaign. After the season, once Schaetzke had been honored as an FCS All-American and Kelly had flirted with, then withdrew from consideration for, the top job at Yale, the coach’s words after the last game rang true.

“No one will ever forget this football team,” Kelly said. “[The seniors] might not realize it today, but someday they will understand it — we have to celebrate this season. This is a special group.”

4.27.12 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 9

GUSA Sparks Widespread Discussions

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uring a year characterized by a seven-candidate presidential election with record-breaking turnout and a delayed start to Georgetown Day planning, student interest has surged in the Georgetown University Student Association.

In February, then-GUSA senators Clara Gustafson (SFS ’13) and Vail Kohnert-Yount (SFS ’13) won the executive election with over 57 percent of the vote in the sixth round of instant runoff voting. The election saw the highest turnout for any GUSA vote to date with over 3,000 ballots cast, and for the first time in GUSA history, more than 50 percent of the student body participated in a single election or referendum.

But the race itself proved just as dramatic as the record-breaking election.

Sophomore point guard Markel Starks (COL ’14) ran for vice president on a ticket with GUSA senator Daniel LaMagna (COL ’13), marking the second consecutive executive race in which a basketball player has vied for the vice presidency. The pair received the fewest votes of the seven tickets, however.

Further controversy arose when a large American flag made of campaign posters for former GUSA senator Colton Malkerson (COL ’13) and former Director of Executive Outreach Maggie Cleary (COL ’14) was spraypainted with the words “U.S. WANTED FOR MURDER!” the weekend before the election.

Despite the tension of the seven-way race, Gustafson said she was proud of the way the election captured the attention of students.

“All the different candidates were out there talking to people and engaging with each other,” she said. “It was a hub of energy about student activity at Georgetown.”

After their March 17 inauguration, Gustafson and Kohnert-Yount began to form

their executive cabinet, which includes three new positions: secretaries of social justice, campus ministry and academic affairs.

The executive pair also appointed Student Activities Commission Chair Jack Appelbaum (COL ’14) to be director of Student Life Report implementation to ensure that the recommendations listed in the 60-page report, released by the previous GUSA executive administration in late February, are gradually put into action.

The report, which investigated the five student organization funding boards and academic life at Georgetown, is the first broad set of recommendations for improving student life since 1999.

Among the suggestions in this year’s report, Appelbaum has prioritized centralizing the student room booking process and increasing student space.

Many of the report’s recommendations, including the hiring of a professional director of club sports and adding satellite offices for the Center for Social Justice, will require significant cooperation from the university and student group leaders.

Report Committee Chair Shuo Yan Tan (SFS ’12) suggested, however, that the document is intended to prompt constructive conversations rather than provide a specific course of action.

“The recommendations are specific … but this is just a small inkling of the possibilities,” Yan Tan said at the time of the report’s official release. “Ultimately, there’s so much more that can be done.”

Discussion was certainly sparked in March when it became apparent that little planning had been done for this year’s Georgetown Day. According to Gustafson, the lack of planning was brought

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10 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 4.27.12

CHRISTINA LING FOR THE HOYA

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GUSA prompted conversation this year with the Student Life Report and the presidential race, won by Vail Kohnert-Yount (SFS ’13) and Clara Gustafson (SFS ’13). to her attention at her first meeting with administrators.

While in previous years GUSA had never been involved in the organization of the celebration, it quickly formed an ad hoc Georgetown Day planning committee, spearheaded by Maeve Brody (COL ’14). Though there will be no beer garden or inflatables this year, the committee has worked to ensure that the live

Unionization Brings Better Contract ontract negotiations between the Georgetown University Dining Services employees’ union and its employer, Aramark Higher Education, had been left hanging for over a month when workers decided to demonstrate in O’Donovan Hall on Jan. 28.

After the rally, conversations immediately resumed and a tentative three-year contract agreement was reached Feb. 7.

The contract, which was ratified in early March and signed in mid-April, secured a 50-cent-per-hour wage increase for each of the next three years and includes coverage of 80 percent of employees’ health care costs for the next two years and 85 percent during the third year of the contract.

This year’s raise retroactively covers all hours worked since Feb. 1, and a $200 signing bonus per employee went into effect April 19, according to Leo’s employee Dante Crestwell, who was involved in the discussions.

SAM RODMAN Hoya Staff Writer

These gains mark significant progress union, represents members of the food, airafter 10 months of official negotiations be- port, hotel and other industries. “I already tween university employees and Aramark. had a relationship with [the students].”

Advocacy for a union also developed out But the road to the formation of a union and a better contract began with an under- of a widespread desire among workers for a greater voice. ground movement two years earlier.

“Before, our relaOrganization of the tionship with [Araunion and identificamark] wasn’t good at tion of goals — higher wages, provision of “Workers are understood all. Our managers and health insurance, bet- and treated as part of the supervisors didn’t respect us,” Smith said. ter shift scheduling Although they and increased opportu- Georgetown community.” were not part of the nities for advancement actual contract ne— originally grew out Samuel geaney-moore (SFS ‘12), gotiations, about 60 of discussions between Georgetown Solidarity Committee member on the success of the union student leaders from students and university groups across campus employees. collaborated to pro“Students organized me, not UNITE HERE,” Tarshea Smith, who vide support for the workers.

“The idea behind this committee is that helped organize the union and has worked at Leo’s for 18 years, said. UNITE HERE, the it would be as broad-reaching across the umbrella organization that houses the student body and as diverse as possible,”

performances, free food and lawn games that have come to define the day’s events will still be present. This year, there will also be barricades around the events on Copley Lawn and additional hired security to secure the area.

“I think the administration and students both realize that it is a very important celebratory day for our community and our student body,” Gustafson said.

MARIAH BYRNE Hoya Staff Writer Samuel Geaney-Moore (SFS ’12), a member of the Georgetown Solidarity Committee and an integral member of the student coalition, said.

For Geaney-Moore, working with the union was a formative experience.

“It’s the most meaningful thing I’ve ever worked on in my life,” he said. “It did what we were hoping to do. … Workers are understood and treated [as] a part of the Georgetown community.”

The union now plans to focus on securing better pensions and retirement plans as well as further educating university employees about their rights.

But to Smith, the most important result of unionization for workers — and what they need to be aware of — is their increased job security.

“It’s different now. Because we have a union, you don’t have to be afraid and think you’re going to lose your job,” she said. “Now we have a voice.”

Campaign Ensures GU’s Future T

he stone facades of campus buildings were illuminated by shining blue lights as the most recent university fundraising campaign made a bold effort to be seen and heard. By all accounts, it has made its presence known.

According to Chief Operating Officer for Advancement Paul O’Neill (CAS ’86, GRD ’96), the Campaign for Georgetown: For Generations to Come has raised $848 million of its $1.5 billion goal and remains on track for completion in 2016.

“Since the successful public launch of the campaign during the last weekend in October, we continue to meet and exceed our monthly and quarterly fundraising goals and anticipate a strong first year of the campaign,” Vice President for Advancement R. Bartley Moore (SFS ’87) said.

The public launch in the fall was preceded by a beginning phase of quiet fundraising. From July 2006 to October 2011, the university brought in $778 million in the largest five-year fundraising effort in Georgetown history.

To shore up alumni support for the latter half of the campaign, the Office of Advancement has also planned a series of regional launches in major cities around the world on a smaller scale than the oncampus event in October. The first was held yesterday in Chicago to coincide with the annual John Carroll Weekend.

According to O’Neill, the funds raised from the campaign will be allocated to support the four pillars of giving upon which the initiative stands.

The first pillar, student access and excellence, has been allocated $500 million.

Undergraduate programming and scholarships will receive $400 million, while graduate programming will be given the remining $100 million.

Financial aid is a priority within this allotment, according to O’Neill. The capital campaign has raised $188 million for scholarships so far and will fund about 1,000 undergraduate scholarships this year, up from 800 a year ago. Ultimately, Georgetown hopes to support 1,789 scholarships with money raised through philanthropy.

“Alumni relate very personally to the impact that scholarships have in making Georgetown accessible to the very best students, regardless of finances,” O’Neill said.

The second pillar, faculty access and excellence, will receive $500 million, $400 million of which has already been raised.

Half of the money will be used to maintain existing faculty positions, create new positions and secure salary and research funding. The remaining $250 million will contribute to faculty research.

The third pillar consists of $200 million for student life and capital expan-

Provost Robert Groves was director of the United States Census Bureau.

MSB Dean David Thomas was the H. Naylor Fitzhugh professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, where he directed the school’s organizational behavior unit.

SFS-Q Dean Gerd Nonneman was a professor of international relations and Middle East politics at University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

NHS Dean Martin Iguchi was chair of the School of Public Health’s community health sciences department at the University of California, Los Angeles.

TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE

ng

IN In MEMORIAM Memoriam

Assistant Vice President for Business Planning Policy Lamar Billups | Nov. 11, 2011

Robert Manuel will bepresident of the University of Indianapolis.

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Chief Investment Officer Mike Barry was CIO for the University System of Maryland Foundation.

alumni donations to 35 percent, it would be ranked 12th in the nation for alumni support and bolster its comparatively low endowment, which ranks 63rd in the National Association of College and University Business Officers-Commonfund Study’s rankings, and last among the top 25 American universities, according to U.S. News and World Report.

The campaign has also reeled in a number of large-scale donations from members of Georgetown’s Board of Directors.

Chairman Paul Tagliabue (CAS ’62) and his wife, Chandler, allocated one-fifth of a $5 million campaign donation to expand the LGBTQ Resource Center, while campaign Chair William J. Doyle (CAS ’72) gave $10 million to permanently endow the Doyle Initiative, which he created in 2009 to increase tolerance and diversity on campus.

Additionally, the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs secured $5 million from its original backer, William R. Berkley, another member of the university’s Board of Directors.

In addition to soliciting donations from alumni, the Office of Advancement hopes to involve current students in every stage of the fundraising process.

“We do not want what we do in advancement to be invisible,” Moore told THE HOYA at the campaign launch in October.

Curricular Dean for International Politics Bryan Kasper joined the U.S. State Department.

Chief Information Officer Lisa Davis was CIO and assistant director for information technology for the U.S. Marshals Service.

Professor, Director and Co-founder of Georgetown’s Institute for International Law and Politics Chris Joyner | Sept. 10, 2011 NIKITA BULEY/THE HOYA

sion. The proposed Intercollegiate Athletic Center and New South Student Center — as well as projects already funded and planned, such as the Calcagnini Contemplative Center in Virginia and the restoration of Dahlgren Chapel — are included in this category. According to Moore, the university is planning a large-scale public push for the athletic center fundraising effort to coincide with the beginning of the 2012-2013 basketball season.

The university has raised $140 million of its $300 million goal for the fourth and final pillar, designated for “transformative opportunities,” which will develop a variety of programs that will define Georgetown in the future, spanning from the Georgetown Public Policy Institute to initiatives that promote inter-religious understanding.

To achieve long-term success in fundraising efforts, the university aims to increase the number of alumni who give back to Georgetown. According to Moore, about 27 percent of undergraduate alumni currently donate money to the university.

This number is on track to increase. According to Moore, Georgetown had more donors last year than during any year in its history and expects to break the record again this year.

If the university could up the level of

GLENN RUSSO Hoya Staff Writer

Deputy Director of Student Programs Bill McCoy became director of the Office of LGBT Awareness at Bucknell University.

Retired Classics professor Fr. Edward Bodnar, S.J. | Nov. 29, 2011

Former MSB Dean Ronald Smith | Dec. 3, 2011

Provost James O’Donnell will be a full-time professor in the Classics department following a sabbatical.

Tocqueville Forum Director Patrick Deneen will be a government professor at the University of Notre Dame.

Professor and Associate Dean of Georgetown College Fr. Ryan Maher, S.J.,will be the founding director of the Jesuit Center at the University of Scranton.

Associate Director of the CSJ Suzanne Tarlov | Jan. 6, 2012

11 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 4.27.12

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In a season featuring two heartbreaking overtime losses, the women’s lacrosse team knocked off two top-10 opponents this year.

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After last year’s Elite Eight run, the women’s soccer team won just one Big East tourney game and missed the NCAA tournament.

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The men’s soccer team, which played seven double-overtime games this year, fell in the first game of the Big East tournament.

sports snapshots

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Led by senior Emily Infeld’s fourthplace finish, the women’s cross country team won the national championship for the first time.