The Hoya: Graduation Special, May 17, 2013

GRADUATION SPECIAL GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 94, No. 49, © 2013

FRIday, MAY 17, 2013

Eclectic Choices For Grad Speakers

SENIOR CONVOCATION

U.S. senator, foreign head of state among Saturday lineup Mariah Byrne Hoya Staff Writer

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Actress and producer Brit Marling (COL ’05) stressed the importance of college connections during her address at Senior Convocation in McDonough Gymnasium on Thursday afternoon.

Adjunct AdmissionsYield UpforTop Students Union Certified Penny Hung

Hoya Staff Writer

Pay, job security, benefits set for union agenda Penny Hung

Hoya Staff Writer

The May 3 vote by Georgetown’s adjunct professors to unionize was certified by the National Labor Relations Board on Monday, allowing the Services Employees International Union Local 500 to represent Georgetown adjunct faculty members.

Following Friday’s official tally, the NLRB allowed a seven-day waiting period for objections regarding election protocol, but none arose from the university or the union.

SEIU will represent part-time, non-tenure-track faculty on the main campus as a single bargaining unit, including those who did not vote for unionization.

“I think if a deal is made … it will affect all adjuncts, regardless if they are union members,” said Pablo Eisenberg, a senior fellow at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute and 12-year adjunct faculty member. “A lot of adjuncts who were not in favor of unionization will still benefit from unionization and the negotiations.”

SEIU will not represent adjunct faculty members from the Georgetown University Law Center or the Georgetown University Medical Center.

The university and the union will soon meet to discuss a new contract. According to an email from Provost Robert Groves to university faculty members, the timeline is unclear for the negotiating process.

Eisenberg said that talks would most likely start during the summer.

According to Anne McLeer, SEIU director of research and strategic

There was a slight uptick in the admissions yield this year, with 47.4 percent of accepted students in the Class of 2017 enrolling at Georgetown compared to last year’s rate of 47 percent.

Of the 3,293 students admitted in early action and regular decision, 1,561 submitted deposits by the May 1 deadline, according to Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Charles Deacon.

“This year has been, by the numbers, the best,” Deacon said. “The yield is about the same, but we won more of our top students. We know that by the way we code them in the system.”

The yield for Georgetown College was 43.5 percent, while

the School of Foreign Service had a yield of 47.2 percent. The McDonough School of Business and the School of Nursing and Health Studies had higher yields of 53.6 percent and 53 percent, respectively.

The MSB, which had the highest yield, had a 15.7 percent acceptance rate this year, the lowest among the schools for the first time.

According to Deacon, students from 70 countries and all 50 states have submitted deposits. More than 1,000 high schools are represented.

The enrolling class is the first in university history to have an average score above 700 in both the SAT critical reading and math sections.

According to Deacon, the university usually aims for a See YIELD, A6

After an eight-month selection process, a non profit founder, a prominent health policy researcher, the Lithuanian president and a U.S. senator will speak at commencement ceremonies tomorrow for Georgetown’s 1,500 graduating seniors.

Each undergraduate college is responsible for securing its own commencement speaker, and this process varies across schools. However, nominations are generally made by faculty members of each of Georgetown’s schools to the deans of the respective department. These are then reviewed and forwarded to the university’s board of directors for approval.

The process of securing commencement speakers begins as early as September of the year preceding the May graduation ceremony. Schools propose primary candidates and as many as two alternate speakers in the September or December meetings of the faculty senate.

Georgetown generally confers honorary degrees upon its commencement

See SPEAKERS, A7

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Commencement ceremonies for all four undergraduate schools are set to take place on Healy Lawn throughout Saturday morning and afternoon.

Class of 2013 Valedictorians

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

COURTESY YITING LI

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

STEVEN WALDORF

YITING LI

RUSSELL KREUTTER

LINDSEY MAHONEY

Georgetown College Major: Government

School of Foreign Service Major: International Economics

McDonough School of Business Major: Accounting/Marketing

School of Nursing & Health Studies Major: Human Science

For full coverage of the valedictorians, see A5

See ADJUNCTS, A8

SUMMER GUIDE · · · ·

speakers. It is against university policy to pay a speaker’s fee or honoraria to honorary degree recipients except under unusual circumstances not specified in the university’s policy. This practice is in stark contrast to other schools that reportedly spend between $5,000 and $50,000 to secure commencement speakers. Universities — Georgetown included — are generally reluctant to discuss such arrangements.

“Our commencement speakers this year are extraordinary individuals, representing the highest levels of excellence in a diverse array of fields — from public service to public health, education, economics and humanitarian endeavors,” University President John J. DeGioia said in a statement. “By sharing their experience and wisdom, they offer inspiration to our students, who are themselves, at this moment in their lives, envisioning the impact they can make in our world.”

U.S. Senator William Cowan (D-Mass.), who was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick to fill U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s vacant senate seat in January, will be speaking at the McDonough School of Business commencement ceremony.

Cowan previously worked as Patrick’s chief of staff and as a lawyer focused on corporate governance, financial management, the environment, patents and consumer protection. He now serves on

It may be summer vacation, but the District and GU have plenty to offer.

COMMENTARY Seniors share reflections on their years at Georgetown.

OPINION, A3-A4

Newsroom: (202) 687-3415 Business: (202) 687-3947

Published Tuesdays and Fridays

CLASS GIFT The Class of 2013 gave the university a record gift of just over $147,000.

NEWS, A8

RIPPLE EFFECTS With the advent of the new Big East, some teams are left in flux.

SPORTS, A12

Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com

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OPINION

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

THE VERDICT

C EDITORIALS C Speakers Sprung onCampus C C Founded January 14, 1920

The university delayed announcement of the 2013 commencement speakers until nearly the end of final exams, finally revealing a lineup that many find underwhelming. While those receiving honorary degrees Saturday are likely deserving, the Georgetown community also deserves a selection process that is transparent and timely.

Each of Georgetown’s schools has its own graduation ceremony and commencement speaker.

The process for securing speakers can take as long as eight months, yet the university released the news May 9. Other colleges announced their commencement guests months before graduation — Howard University and The George Washington University in March, the University of Virginia in January.

We have commended Georgetown in the past for finding speakers tailored to each undergraduate school’s academic focus. Yet the university hurts its cause by making these selections entirely in the dark. That is made even worse when news of the speakers breaks hardly a week before graduation, giving people little time to digest and appreciate the choices.

It would not be appropriate to have students vote on speaker options, and the reasoning behind these choices as it currently stands might be entirely sound. A simple explanation from the university of why commencement speakers are chosen would benefit everyone involved.

One change we do not endorse, however, is paying commencement speakers. While other universities reportedly pay anywhere from $5,000 and $50,000 to draw high-profile names to deliver commencement addresses, Georgetown has chosen to continue its tradition of focusing on schoolspecific speakers who provide substance rather than widespread recognition without providing payment. This tradition is admirable and well suited for Georgetown. It would cheapen the occasion to the process into a bidding war for celebrity speakers.

If Georgetown means to choose its speakers with integrity, the selection process behind the choices must be more transparent. When the announcement finally came, the university did not, as it had done in previous years, provide biographical information on its choices, rather posting links to the speakers’ own personal Web pages. As a result of these oversights, the decision gives some the impression that it was rushed, which may not be the case.

This is not to say that fanfare outweighs substance. But if the selection process involves as much consideration as the university claims, the administration should publicly substantiate its choices. If the speakers truly merit greater appreciation than a big-name celebrity, the university could easily take steps to make that clear.

Valuing Your Degree Many factors contribute to the value of a degree: whether it is a bachelor’s or an associate, the major it signifies, the prestige of the university by which it was awarded and so on. However, the determinant that many have a hard time ignoring is the ease with which their degree will land them a job.

In light of the recent economic climate, this shift of priorities seems all too natural. According to a recent survey conducted by consulting company Accenture, graduating seniors’ expectations of immediately finding a well-paying job in their chosen field are becoming increasingly unrealistic.

A competitive job market and the disconnect between employers’ needs and the perceived skills of students make it difficult for recent graduates to immediately land the job of their dreams. But seniors should trust the value of

their Georgetown education and the fact that it will eventually pay off — in time, if not out of the gate.

Although the employment outlook can be daunting for many Georgetown alumni, it is also true for students across the country. According to the Cawley Career Education Center’s Class of 2012 Senior Survey Report, only 4 percent of last year’s Georgetown graduates were still seeking employment six months after graduation, compared to the national average of 30 percent.

With many students facing substantial loan debt and bigger expectations, it is understandable that post-college employment is high stakes and high stress. But a four-year education on the Hilltop is worth more than a quick payoff, and seniors can take comfort in the timeless value of their Georgetown degree.

C C

Growing Global Graduates — A record 43 students graduated from the School of Foreign Service’s Qatar campus last Saturday, up from 31 in 2012.

Jeopardy Jim — After winning his semifinal match this past Wednesday, Jim Coury (SFS ’15) is set to advance to the Jeopardy College Tournament finals.

Enroll Now — GeorgetownX will be offerting two open online courses, “Introduction to Bioethics” and “Globalization’s Winners and Losers,” next fall.

Break it Up — The Senior Week event “Now That’s What I Call Music” held in McDonough parking lot was broken up by DPS because of a noise complaint.

Raking in the Rankings — The Financial Times ranked the Executive Education Customized Programs in the McDonough School of Business No. 11 in the U.S. and No. 34 in the world.

Not Fare — Plans to expand the D.C. Circulators’ routes servicing Glover Park and the National Cathedral, among other Washington, D.C. areas, could result in a doubling of fares.

A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD US ... @matthewrcoyne May 15 @GUAlumni @thehoya I want this audio on mp3 to listen to again and again. HOW? #clintonlectures @GUAlumni May 12 Cute: RT @thehoya: For Mother’s Day, we asked Hoyas across campus to tell us why they love their moms @hsavageparks

May 8 That’s some fine police work right there. “@thehoya: Monday’s car crash was an accident, according to DPS Police Chief Jay Gruber.” @madinamania May 6 “@thehoya: Georgetown adjunct faculty members voted in favor of unionization on Friday.” Mazel tov, GU adjuncts! @MikeEOliver

May 4 Fantastic picture RT “@thehoya: Today is Jack the Bulldog’s 10th birthday”

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Megan Schmidt

For All Generations Members of the Class of 2013 will soon experience the sudden shift from the student body to the alumni network. While this transition from university life to the real world offers an onslaught of expectations and adjustment, this past year has shown that young alumni can make a tangible impact on the university.

In March, a modest donation by a young alumna pushed the Campaign for Georgetown to the impressive $1 billion benchmark toward its $1.5 billion goal. Officially launched in fall 2011, the capital campaign has made considerable strides in energizing the university’s neglected endowment.

By emphasizing broad participation rather than just targeting sizeable gifts from highincome donors, the campaign engages former residents of the Hilltop without alienating those who aren’t big earners. With funds dedicated to increasing the number of schol-

arships offered, improving student life and maintaining faculty and academic excellence, the campaign provides a strong link between a broad spectrum of past Georgetown students and future generations.

With construction of the Healey Family Student Center approaching and expansion of the School of Continuing Studies into downtown Washington, D.C., already underway, Georgetown has demonstrated its intentions on pushing forward. And as the members of the Class of 2013 move forward in their own lives, they can look to the capital campaign as a way to stay connected to the Georgetown community.

The various speeches given during commencement tomorrow will undoubtedly reference the exciting journeys that lie ahead. We are sure, however, that members of the Class of 2013 will not soon forget the community they leave behind.

Danny Funt, Editor-in-Chief Emma Hinchliffe, Executive Editor Hunter Main, Managing Editor Victoria Edel, Online Editor Eitan Sayag, Campus News Editor Penny Hung, City News Editor Ryan Bacic, Sports Editor Sheena Karkal, Guide Editor Katherine Berk, Opinion Editor Alexander Brown, Photography Editor Ian Tice, Layout Editor David Chardack, Copy Chief Lindsay Lee, Blog Editor

Mallika Sen Madison Ashley Will Edman Arik Parnass Josh Simmons Kim Bussing Nicole Jarvis Robert DePaolo Jackie McCadden Nick Phalen Chris Grivas Erica Wong Claire Hong Kennedy Shields Karl Pielmeier

Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy City News Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Sports Blog Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Blog Editor

Contributing Editors

Editorial Board

Zoe Bertrand, Chris Bien, Mariah Byrne, Patrick Curran, Evan Hollander, Hanaa Khadraoui, Hiromi Oka, Steven Piccione, Lauren Weber, Emory Wellman

Katherine Berk, Chair Patrick Gavin, TM Gibbons-Neff, Alyssa Huberts, Hanaa Khadraoui, Sam Rodman

Mary Nancy Walter, General Manager Mariah Byrne, Director of Corporate Development Jason Yoffe, Director of Finance Mullin Weerakoon, Director of Marketing Michal Grabias, Director of Personnel Michael Lindsay-Bayley, Director of Sales Kevin Tian, Director of Technology Natasha Patel Christina Wing Tessa Bell Nitya Rajendran James Church Dimitrios Roumeliotis Michael Taylor Nicole Yuksel Addie Fleron Preston Marquis Taylor Doaty Brian Carden Eric Isdaner Simon Wu Taylor Wan

Alumni Relations Manager Special Events Manager Accounts Manager Operations Manager Publishing Division Consultant Statements Manager Treasury Manager Public Relations Manager Human Resources Manager Professional Development Manager Institutional Diversity Manager Local Advertisements Manager Online Advertisements Manager Systems Manager Web Manager

Board of Directors

Evan Hollander, Chair

Kent Carlson, Danny Funt, Vidur Khatri, Braden McDonald, Samantha Randazzo, Mary Nancy Walter

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SENIOR COMMENTARY

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

THE HOYA

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Wardah Athar

Discovering a Friend and Mentor in Reiss 334

T

hroughout my time at Georgetown, I’ve spent countless hours in the research lab, developing as a student and as a scientist. While I will remember these lessons after graduation, I would not

remember those hours so fondly or have learned so much without the guidance of biology professor Maria Donoghue.

While graduation is certainly a time to celebrate our own accomplishments over the past four years, it should also be a time to recognize those individuals who have supported us and guided us toward these accomplishments, a time to remind ourselves of the challenges that we faced and the people who helped us to overcome them.

For me, that person was undoubtedly professor Donoghue. When I met her as a young, naive freshman, still unsure of myself and what I wanted to do with my life, she took a chance and invited me to join her research lab during my first semester. I knew little about developmental neuroscience or conducting lab research, but she taught me how to thrive in this foreign world and how to ask and answer complex scientific questions.

Under her mentorship, I’ve spent the past four years, summers and

all, in Reiss 334, tucked away behind the clear glass doors that look out onto the third-floor lobby. It was at the bulky gray tables and awkwardly shaped chairs out front that I attended weekly lab meetings, read scientific articles and got to know the other members of my lab. It was at the once-white

Under professor Donoghue’s guidance, I fell head over heels in love with neuroscience. benches — now gray after years of use — that I conducted my first solo experiment, that I dissected my first mouse, that I fell head over heels in love with neuroscience and research.

Meagan Kelly

Although my study of science was incredibly formative in and of itself, it would not have been nearly as meaningful without the personal element of my relationship with professor Donoghue. Through her generosity in sharing pieces of her own life, whether that meant an invitation to Thanksgiving dinner with her family or a story about her time in graduate school, professor Donoghue helped me navigate the waters of college and answer the tough questions about what comes after.

Conversation topics with her frequently included fashion, family, religion, healthcare, literature, marriage, politics, relationships and, when there was nothing else to talk about, neuroscience. Through these long talks, I found a role model. In her, I see the kind of woman that I one day hope to be: a rigorous scientist, a loving spouse and parent, a thoughtful friend and a fierce and courageous individual who makes a powerful impression on every person she meets. My relationship with

her transformed not only my approach to science and research but to the world in general. Hyperbolic as it may sound, without her mentorship, I would be a very different person today.

I know that each person graduating this weekend has been impacted in some way by another member of the Georgetown community.

It may not be a professor and the impact may be entirely different, but each of us has encountered someone who has challenged our perspectives, who has pushed us to change, who has shaped us into the scholars and leaders we are becoming. Whether these people are friends, professors, administrators or mentors, I hope that we each find the time this weekend to thank those who have helped us become the men and women who will walk across the stage on Healy Lawn this Saturday.

Wardah Athar is a senior in the College and a member of the Donoghue Laboratory of Cortical Development.

Michael Crouch

Chance to Forge Freshman Hall Forms Lasting Bonds I A New Legacy I

have only one picture of myself alone taped above my desk. In it I’m no older than four years old and sporting the quintessential ’90s androgynous bull-cut. I’m smiling blissfully and more than likely wondering where my mom had hidden my Batman action figures so that she could keep me still long enough to take the picture. And although there are countless numbers of precious pictures like this one stashed away in my family’s basement — my parents always told me I was cuter than the Olsen twins — this one is particularly special to me. On top of that timeless bull-cut and unusually large 4-year-old head lies my first ever piece of Georgetown paraphernalia: my very own Hoya hat.

How did I get a Georgetown hat as a 4-year-old, you might ask? The answer is that I am a legacy. My parents met and — like all true Georgetown romances — fell in love at a keg party. My great-uncle has his own plaque on The Tombs’ bar, and my oldest brother still, almost literally, bleeds Hoya blue. Yet, for the past four years, I have generally kept this legacy information to myself.

At a school like Georgetown, the term “legacy” comes with i n n u merable assumptions: “My parents bought my way in,” “I’m not quite as smart as all the other high school valedictorians here.” “I only came here because it was expected of me.”

Most of these, if not all, are entirely untrue. I don’t know if you’ve looked into the statistics recently, but it would take a pretty hefty bit of money to buy your way in to Georgetown.

I worked pretty hard in high school for my 4.0 GPA and my parents were far from pressuring me into coming here. In fact, my parents spent so much time insisting that there was absolutely no pressure to come to Georgetown that they almost discouraged it.

But despite all this, my relationship with Georgetown has been contentious. With so much of a history preceding me, I had — I thought — a very clear understanding of what my life here was supposed to be like. I would attend every home basketball game I could, never miss Midnight Madness and unquestionably participate in 99 Days. Yet, as I settled into my own niche here, met the people I would call my best friends and joined the clubs that sparked my interests, it didn’t pan out this way.

I found a different rhythm and settled in comfortably with the “hipster” crowd. But

my predisposed assumptions of Georgetown still nagged me. Why don’t I have more of a need to be at the basketball games? Will I really not experience everything if I don’t do 99 Days? I didn’t avoid these traditions in order to be reactionary or “different.” I wasn’t stubbornly resisting them.

The truth is I felt unappreciative. Here I am in the middle of our capital, with every opportunity given to me and fortunate enough to be at school envied by so many, and yet I couldn’t g i v e Georget o w n what I thought I was supposed to.

I couldn’t b r i n g myself to eat, sleep and breathe our basketball team or be dedicated enough to spend $200 or more at The Tombs in three months’ time; as an employee of the fine establishment, I insist on at least breaking even.

Despite how close I am with my family, I know that if we were all students here at the same time we would not be at the same parties or part of the same clubs. And I let this weigh on me.

But here I am now, the day before graduation, and I know that my worries were unfounded. Not everyone I have met here is my best friend, and I have disagreed with many of them. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter, because every person I don’t agree with, I learn from.

For every person I don’t call my friend, I count two more my best friends. You see, that’s the most beautiful thing I learned about Georgetown: For all the lists it’s been put on, for all the stereotypes it carries, if you look hard enough, there’s someone, something or some place at Georgetown for everyone.

There’s someone, something or some place for everyone at Georgetown.

Meagan Kelly is a senior in the College. She is former photo editor of The Hoya.

lived in the purple cluster on the eighth floor of Harbin Hall my freshman year. For those who are unfamiliar with Harbin’s layout, each floor is made up of three clusters of eight rooms surrounding a communal bathroom. My friends have always been quick to point out that I technically lived in a room just outside the cluster, which we affectionately referred to as the cluster’s Puerto Rico. Harbin was intentionally designed to create a sense of community among the individuals living in a cluster, an intention that was highly successful in what is now my group of friends.

On our first night in the cluster, we all met in the common room for an impromptu game of poker. It was one of those awkward freshman gatherings going on across campus. We knew little about each other, but we were forced to socialize purely because the housing office had randomly assigned us as neighbors. We went around and did the usual Georgetown introductions of name, school and hometown, and it soon became apparent that we came from a diverse set of backgrounds and had many different interests. On paper, it didn’t make much sense for us to become close friends, but somehow, most of us have stuck together.

Over the course of freshman year, our cluster shared experiences that have become some of my fondest memories.

We coordinated trips to Leo’s, explored various extracurricular activities and moved like a mob around the neighborhood, searching for upperclassmen

willing to let 10 guys into their parties.

We even managed to survive being locked in our dorm with each other for a whole week during Snowpocalypse.

And when cabin fever became too much to handle, we walked all the way to Verizon Center in the storm to watch Georgetown beat Villanova.

As our first year came to an end, we were shuffled around campus into various dorms. Although we couldn’t see each other as often as before, everyone stayed in contact and continued to meet up regularly. While most of us began finding corners of campus where we wanted to focus our time, it was still nice to have a network of friends from outside classes and organizations.

Skipping forward to senior year, most of us still live together in a number of different houses. Although we rarely all get together at the same time anymore, our social circles frequently collide. The time that we spent together transitioning into college will always be an important chapter in our lives. We provided support during each others’ failures and celebrated each other’s victories. From dealing with family issues to managing the rigor of college-level academics, we helped one another make Georgetown feel like home. My clustermates inspired me to take chances, try new things and discover who I want to be in this world.

They are the reason I joined the crew team, got involved in Protestant ministry, became a tour guide, passed accounting, quit the crew team and became a Carroll Fellow. Without them, I would have had a far less meaningful

Georgetown experience.

I have learned a considerable amount through coursework and extracurriculars over the past four years, but I have grown the most through my relationships with friends. My brothers in the purple cluster have challenged my beliefs and helped me to better understand the value of my time on the Hilltop. I feel incredibly privileged to have known each and every one of them. Looking back at that awkward first night in the common room, I never would have expected that Greyson, Stelios, Alex, Kieran, Matty P., Mike D., Craig, Dan, James, Boston Mike, Colin, Nate and Schroth would become some of my best friends.

Michael Crouch is a senior in the McDonough School of Business and former program manager of h.innovation.

JUStin Mercer

Finding a Home in Housing S enior Week is keg parties and champagne brunches, last lectures and meeting alumni, a picnic and Senior Ball. Senior Week is my last service to my friends, peers and all seniors as a class and campus community. Senior Week is the time to hand my reins as Senior Class Committee Chairman and New South RHO Manager to the next class. Senior Week is the capstone that marks the end of our time on the Hilltop. I know what Senior Week is, but I still can’t believe it’s finally here.

I started out at Georgetown as an uninvolved freshman. I thought about joining a few organizations but passed up the opportunities in favor of working for residence life. That decision defined my first three years here which were spent in housing: two summers in the main office, two

years as a special assistant in another office, a year as an RHO assistant and two more as a manager. Throughout my junior and sophomore years, I was working three jobs and around 50 hours a week. The pay was great, classes clearly came second and I still wasn’t involved in anything else on campus.

Don’t get me wrong — there were some major upsides to this lifestyle. I had great relationships with administrators around campus, I understood how the bureaucracy worked and who to talk to — let’s be real, that’s crucial on this campus, right? And the RHOs have been my family and my best friends. You couldn’t find a more awesome and varied set of people than at my RHO in New South this year. And I couldn’t be happier and more proud as one of them takes the lead in Village C next year.

But at the end of junior year, on a whim, I applied for Senior Class Committee Chairman. That changed everything, and it’s made all the difference in how I’ll view my alma mater.

I’ve worked alongside the most amazing board, spent nights serving at keg parties, helped organize Georgetown Day 2013 and just connected with Georgetown. I’ve sat on advisory boards, worked with neighbors and administrators to forge a new community partnership and given my last semester to the Hilltop helping out in any way I could. I’ve had the opportunity to meet many seniors, university administrators, neighbors and staff that have helped me discover what I truly love about the Hilltop: our community.

To this day, I’m shocked at how little I knew about where I had lived

and worked the last three years before joining SCC. I try to impress on every freshman I meet how important getting involved on campus can be. Student life is one of the biggest opportunities to engage with and fall in love with Georgetown. Trust me, I didn’t engage at all for three years, and I’m telling you: This is it.

As I hugged all my RHOmies — yes, that’s a thing — goodbye, I thought of how I’ll feel the night of Senior Ball.

It’s an event I’ve worked toward for a year of my life. My SCC board and I have lived, breathed, fundraised — and to be honest — drank our way to this night, with the knowledge that it will be our penultimate Georgetown experience. It’s my last opportunity to give back to a place that has been a real home for me. Between the day I arrived as a freshman until the end of junior year, I basically never left Georgetown for more time than winter break. In case that isn’t impressive enough, my time at Georgetown is also the longest I’ve ever lived in one place.

All of this is personal reflection and life story is just my way of showing how much Georgetown means to me, as I’m sure it means as much — or more — to you. It’s a home, a family, a party, a class, a relationship, a paper, a house, an SCC Board, an RHO and a key. We’re connected as a Class of 2013 and as Hoyas for the rest of our lives. And to the Class of 2017 just coming in, you couldn’t have picked a better time to join the Hilltop.

Justin Mercer is a senior in the College, chairman of the Senior Class Committee and “Housing Boy Wonder.”

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SENIOR COMMENTARY

THE HOYA

friday, May 17, 2013

Clara Gustafson

John Morris

Preserving Our Youth In Campus Memories I

n the past four years, Georgetown has given us more than we could have imagined.

We’ve learned the intricacies of electoral politics and corporate finance, sure, but more importantly, we’ve discovered friends, and we’ve discovered ourselves. The gifts that this university has given us will be paid forward in time when we positively impact the world, when we send our own kids to Georgetown or even when we give up our time to interview future Hoyas. But over the past semester, as I’ve been thinking back on my time here, I’ve realized that there’s one gift that Georgetown selflessly grants its graduates. Besides our diplomas, what this university has really given us is a place where we’ll be forever young, a place where we’ll be forever 22 years old, full of energy, full of optimism and full of life.

My own GAAP weekend in April 2009, which seems like a million years ago, was a day full of reflection for the Hoyas already on campus; it was Georgetown Day. I remember sitting in Gaston Hall listening to speeches given by seniors, professors and administrators about how great Georgetown was, how it was a place where we could pursue our passions.

To a large extent, the experience in Gaston was the reason that I came to Georgetown. I wanted to be a part of something bigger, and I wanted to belong to a place that bettered everyone. Looking back more than four years later, a different conversation from that day comes to mind. While the speeches in Gaston were memorable, the most vivid memory I have is of a sim-

ple conversation I had on Copley Lawn. I was walking with a friend from high school when we were casually stopped by some seniors. They began to pelt us with questions about how we liked Georgetown, if we planned to come and if there was anything they could do to show us a good time. After the initial disappointment that we didn’t yet look like college kids — it must have been the nametags and lack of a tank top on Georgetown Day that gave us away — we told him that we loved it and that we were coming. “Embrace every day,” one of them said.

“Make every day worthwhile. You’re only young once.” Those words meant nothing to me then.

Sure, you’re only young once, but I still have a lot of youth left, I thought.

Now, as sobering a thought as it is, my youth is essentially gone. It’s time to grow up. And while Georgetown has prepared us for this moment since New Student Convocation, it’s now time to embrace the next chapter in our lives.

Some of us are staying in Washington D.C., some are moving to Alaska and some are even going to Kabul. Some of us might walk out of the front gates on May 18 and not walk back ever again. But we’re ready. We’re ready for our next challenges because of Georgetown.

While we’re armed with a degree, hopefully a job and an uncanny ability to quickly wash The Tombs’ stamp off of our hand before we meet someone important, what we’re really taking away from our little bubble in the corner of the District are memories. I’ll forever be 19 during Snowpocalypse. I’ll forever be 20 in the memory of moving into 1320 35th St. And we’ll forever be 22 when we put on the cap and gown and walk across that stage.

Years from now, when we visit our childhood homes, we’ll be immediately transported back to that first catch we had with our dads or the first time that we pulled out of the driveway with no one else in the car. At that house, in that yard, we’re forever young. I’m going to look at Georgetown like that. This is the other place I grew up; this is the place where I really found out not only who I was but who I wanted to be. From now on, I’ll be a little bit older every time I visit the Hilltop, a little more displaced from my youth. But that’s why I’m so grateful for this gift. In our memories of this place, we’ll always be young. We’ll always have our youth.

We’ll always have Georgetown.

Changing Communities A

s I have been thinking about my past four years on the Hilltop and getting ready to move to Baltimore, there are so many thoughts and emotions running through my mind and heart. The prospect of continuing to live far from my family, moving to a new city, starting a 9-to-5 job, learning about sales and public relations and joining activities to get to know new people are all things that simultaneously worry and excite me. However, the main thing on my mind is community. What will my community look like after college? How will I find it?

With friends going as far as South Africa, Ireland and South America and as close as Washington, D.C., I anticipate that it will be a global community. I will also be making new friends in Baltimore and hopefully hearing new stories and listening to new opinions and thoughts. As in every transition, I’m sure these experiences will reshape my idea of — and hopes for — community.

In high school, my communities were my family, a few scattered but good friends, one core group of ladies, choir, my track team and my friends from China. In college, my communities have been club ultimate, my GUSA administration, the entrepreneurship family, my STIA friends, my junior year apartment and many more random and beautiful souls who

have walked into my life in different ways. Some of these groups of people have shaped and impacted me in ways that I could never replicate after graduation. However, some of these communities are made up of a few individuals who really made a continuing unique and powerful impact on who I am and how I live my life. These individuals will likely be the people with whom I keep in touch, but I do not want to lose those bigger communities. I want to figure out how to find those groups again in post-college life.

Because there are competitive leagues all over the country, ultimate will be an easy and fast way to continue an important community from my college life.

My GUSA administration and my STIA studies, on the other hand, were once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I will of course never forget them, and I must reflect on the best qualities of the people in those communities and try to find ways to seek out those qualities in new communities.

I think the most challenging community for me to reintegrate into my life will be my family. I was so engaged in my college years that I don’t think that I was there for my family in the way that I expect myself to be after graduation.

Because I’m not returning to my home on the West Coast, it will be important to be more actively engaged with and there for my

family in a way that fulfills my desires to be closer with them, even though I am physically far away.

My family, though, is just one example of how I foresee my communities and relationships can and will change after college.

I intend to seek out the kind of people out there in the world that I have found here on the Hilltop. Whether they are a part of a group or unique individuals that I am drawn towards, I hope I will be able to find them.

Clara Gustafson is a senior in the School of Foreign Service.

She is former Georgetown University Student Association president.

GRADUATION DAY by Janet Zhu

John Morris is a senior in the College. He is former chairman of the board of directors of Students of Georgetown, Inc.

Joanna Foote

A Few Thanks to the Many We Leave Behind

I

t is a good thing that our Georgetown experience is not entirely defined by other students. I mean no offense to the 18- to 22-yearold age demographic, but I certainly can’t imagine a university reigned by students — we change too rapidly. I have lost myself, discovered myself and then confused myself over my four years. I’ve turned inward, outward and upward.

Thank goodness I am not in charge here.

In this vein, I would like to take a moment in this time of transition to thank those who are in charge. I’d like to thank those who are older than 22, who create permanence at a university that, if left to us students, would otherwise be in constant upheaval. We have been student leaders at times in our four years, but mostly we have been led, guided and supported by others as we have matured. Thank you to those who have participated in that process. Thank you to those who create new knowledge for us to learn, open opportunities for us to pursue, cast a vision for the future of Georgetown and especially to those who simply help our university operate.

Thank you to the professors who invest years or even careers here. Thank you for the new discoveries you make in your respective fields.

Thank you for the ways you adapt teaching to modern times, and thank you for, when you think it more appropriate, staying consistent and conservative in certain values and practices. Thank you for taking us seriously as we passed through your classes, and, even more so, thank you for taking your research seriously.

Your new questions and ideas in the fields of ethics, governance, migration and literature — to name a few — have pushed me to consider my academics and career from new angles. We graduate in less time than it takes you to contemplate academic questions from all angles and certainly before you come to conclusions or publish. Thank you for staying and creating knowledge, which we have hopefully absorbed.

Thank you to the program staff who permeate so many aspects of student life, from the Center for Multicultural Equity & Access, the Center for Social Justice and the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor to Residential Life and Campus Ministry. Your support has defined our Georgetown experience.

You have given us the space to lead and innovate and grow and make small corners of campus our own. I know that I have felt empowered by the programs that allowed me to expand my presence on campus, as I have tried to bring my own ideas to reality. Yet the staff and directors have also prevented me from running after foolish ideas and instead forced me to adopt a degree of realism. They have created opportunities and at the same time guided me as I pursue

Dalvin Butler

them.

Thank you to the administration for thinking in the long term. That vision is nearly impossible for us students, who struggle to imagine the coming year, yet you alone develop and implement 10-year strategic plans. Thank you for cultivating relationships in the city and the world that help Georgetown endure, grow and flourish. I will not be here to see how the long term develops, but I take comfort in knowing that my experience at Georgetown has been influenced and formed by visionaries from many years ago Finally, thank you to the staff that make the details of campus run smoothly. Thank you for ensuring that we have food, tolerating — and even cleaning — our messes, fixing pipes, shovelling snow and — most of all — planting those beautiful spring flowers. I am not sure if I can ever explain to José, a groundskeeper in the Village A area, how much his friendly face has made me feel at home here since we first met my freshman year. I don’t know if I have fully expressed my gratitude to the workers at Leo’s who welcome me with good humor to my 7 a.m. breakfast.

Right now we are leaving, but someday in some place might be the ones who stay. We will be the ones who invest with enough consistency to create knowledge, opportunities or a long-term vision or who simply help our workplace run smoothly. We will one day be those who mentor the interns or the newest employees. We are not yet the ones who stay, but in the meantime, with great humility, we should thank those who do so here. Thank you to the faculty and staff of Georgetown University — thank you for staying.

Joanna Foote is a senior in the School of Foreign Service. She is coordinator of the Kalmanovitz Initiative’s Day Laborer Exchange.

My Own Hoya Experience T

here is a lot that can be accomplished in four years at Georgetown, but a lot that can be overlooked if you let yourself become sucked into the Georgetown bubble. The Georgetown bubble has stopped me from touring the monuments, visiting the Smithsonian and eating at Busboys and Poets. I have at times become so trapped in the cycle of school and extracurriculars that M Street and Healy Lawn were the most exciting places I visited.

Even though I didn’t always explore Washington D.C., the Georgetown bubble offered its own excitements. When I started Georgetown as a freshman, I had no idea that I would end up so thoroughly engaged on campus. As a naive first-year student, my only objective was to absorb

the knowledge of the researchers and dignitaries around me. I never imagined being an active leader on campus. After New Student Orientation in August 2009, I planned to lock myself in my room and study all day without a social or extracurricular life.

But that would quickly change after I received an email inviting all College freshmen to run for College Academic Council. After a mere three weeks on campus, I found myself running against nine other candidates for four seats. I swiftly became quite social as I actively knocked on doors in freshman residence halls, gave campaign spiels in Leo’s and handed out quarter sheet fliers during parties. Little did I know, I was slowly becoming a campus leader.

On my 18th birthday, I learned that I had been elected to the College Academic Council. I made my most significant impact and contribution on the Hilltop during my freshman year, as my colleagues and I worked to implement the business administration minor after many negotiations between the College and the McDonough School of Business deans’ offices. It makes me proud to hear my peers say that they are pursuing a business minor while standing in the stir-fry line at Leo’s.

After freshman year, I took on more leadership roles within Res-Life and the Student Activities Commission. I even organized a petting zoo for stress

relief during finals with the Southwest Quad Hall Council.

Staying on campus had its advantages. My campaign video for SAC chair took on a life of its own, with students imitating Jed Feiman’s (COL ’12) “Dalvin Butler” voice. Outside of structured extracurricular activities, I began to explore my creative side. Each week, I ventured to Walsh in the middle of the night to release all of my artistic energy through painting. Even within the Georgetown bubble, the Hoya experience I’d envisioned had been surpassed by a million percent.

While my experiences as a student leader shaped my understanding of Georgetown, my Hoya experience was not complete until I finally got to explore the District last summer. I worked at the RHO and was luckily to spend many warm days at the National Mall, in Dupont Circle and on U Street.

Now, my GUTV talk show, “The Hoya Experience” has opened my eyes to the media world at Georgetown. As a freshman, I never would have thought that I would create my talk show and produce the short films “The GUSA Sabotage” and the newly released “The Georgetown Retaliation.”

The Hoya experience is what you make it. Mine was filled with unexpected adventures both inside and outside the front gates.

Dalvin Butler is a senior in the College. He is the host of GUTV’s “The Hoya Experience”

News

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

THE HOYA

A5

Hard Work Pays Off Grad Housing Considered For Four Valedictorians Penny Hung

Hoya Staff Writer

Eitan Sayag

Hoya Staff Writer

Four students who earned the highest GPAs in their respective schools will be honored at graduation ceremonies this weekend.

Steven Waldorf (COL ’13) and Russell Kreutter (MSB ’13) will be named valedictorians and will speak at the Georgetown College and McDonough School of Business, respectively, Tropaia ceremonies Friday. Though the School of Nursing & Health Studies and the School of Foreign Service do not have valedictorians, the NHS Dean’s Medal will be awarded to Lindsey Mahoney (NHS ’13) and the SFS Dean’s Medal will be awarded to Yiting Li (SFS ’13) for having the highest cumulative GPAs in their respective schools.

All four seniors will carry their respective college’s banner at commencement.

Waldorf, who is graduating with a 4.0 GPA, will deliver the Cohonguroton Address at the College’s Tropaia awards ceremony Friday. He said that recently retired professor Fr. James V. Schall, S.J., was one of his great personal and intellectual mentors during his time at Georgetown.

“I am excited about speaking at the same podium in Gaston Hall from which Fr. Schall spoke to give his last lecture,” Waldorf said. “I regard it, first and foremost, as a great blessing of which I am, in a sense, undeserving because the gifts that I have were given to me, and I’m not necessarily deserving of them. I am both honored and deeply humbled to receive this award.”

Waldorf, a government major and theology minor, said he was able to achieve his high grades because of his discipline but said he was also able to find a balance between work and other activities.

To focus, Waldorf would turn off his cell phone and music. He said,

however, that it was sometimes a challenge to ignore distractions, and that religion also helped him to maintain focus.

“One important strategy, I think, for me as a Catholic, is the idea of offering up work as a sacrifice to God,” he said. “That has a way of, I think, focusing the mind much more.”

Waldorf will be pursuing a master’s degree in theology at the University of Notre Dame after graduation.

Kreutter, a marketing and accounting double major, will speak at the MSB Tropaia Ceremony on Friday morning. He will focus on five major lessons that he learned during his time at Georgetown. He said he was nervous but excited for the speech. “[I will] try to make it somewhat applicable to other people in the audience but also kind of look forward past Georgetown,” Kreutter said. “I think Georgetown students and high-achieving students in general have a tendency to plan two, three, four, five, 10 years in the future. One of the lessons I’ve learned is that probably the most happy I’ve been at Georgetown have been times when I’ve been able to stay in the moment.”

Kreutter, who is graduating with a 3.979 GPA, expressed appreciation to his professors and peers for their support during the past four years.

He also emphasized that the valedictorian award is based solely on GPA and that work outside the classroom is more important.

“It wasn’t something that I consciously set as a goal. I guess the way I study and the way I work is something inherent within me.

One goal was to learn and take advantage of classes,” Kreutter said. “Even if I was told from day one that I wasn’t going to win this award, I would have studied exactly as I did.”

Kreutter received an A- in two courses, “20th Century African Literature” and an advanced Spanish class. He will be working for Monitor-Deloitte consulting group next year.

Mahoney, who is graduating with a 3.96 GPA, said she is honored and did not expect to be named as the NHS student with the highest cumulative GPA. “I’ve definitely worked really hard throughout my Georgetown career, but it’s an amazing honor.

There are so many incredibly smart people in the NHS, and I was actually really surprised when they told me, to be honest,” she said. “It’s really nice to see that a lot of my hard work is paying off.”

Mahoney, a human science major with a certificate in population health, said she would always study ahead of time and was careful with her time management.

However, she was not always studying and left time for socializing and extracurricular activities.

Mahoney said she received an A- in four courses: physics, organic chemistry lab, Spanish and theology.

Since the NHS does not officially name a valedictorian, Mahoney will not give a speech at an awards ceremony.

“Honestly, I think that it is great to be recognized and everything and this is a really big honor for me to get this award, but at the same time, there are so many incredibly talented people in the NHS, in all the schools really,” she said. “I don’t necessarily think that putting me on some sort of pedestal is necessary.”

Mahoney will be a research assistant at Children’s Hospital in Boston and will apply to medical schools next year.

Li, who has earned the highest GPA in the SFS and majored in international economics, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

The university is looking at several options for graduate student housing, potentially for fall 2013.

Georgetown does not currently provide housing for graduate students. In November 2012, however, the university issued a request for information on metro-area options.

The Washington Business Journal reported that the JBG Companies’ Slate apartment building in Rosslyn is being considered. The building, located at 1530 Clarendon Blvd., is currently under construction and contains 203 units. That location, a 10-minute drive from the university, is also near the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle stop near the Rosslyn metro station.

JBG Senior Vice President Matthew Blocher and university Vice President for Planning and Facilities Management Robin Morey both declined to comment on any possibility of partnership.

According to Morey, the committee is looking into five or six locations in Rosslyn, Arlington and Washington, D.C., all of which would be leased rather than purchased. These locations were all chosen due to their Metro access and relative proximity to the university. The university will provide a shuttle system to whichever location is chosen.

“Really, it’s proximity, and then secondary is what we can charge for it,” Morey said.

Morey declined to comment on pricing for graduate students, adding that it would be dependent on the price of the lease.

Graduate student housing would likely follow the same guidelines and restrictions governing undergraduate student housing, requiring students of the same gender to live together.

Provisions would be made for married couples, while unmarried couples would likely not be permitted to live together, according to Graduate Student Organization President Paul Musgrave (GRD ’16). There is uncertainty about how university policy would treat same-sex marriages or civil unions not recognized by the Catholic Church or if same-sex couples would have access to housing benefits provided to other married couples. Musgrave said he would support equal treatment.

These discussions coincide with undergraduate discussion of gender-neutral housing on campus, an issue highlighted by Georgetown University Student Association President Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) during his campaign.

Musgrave emphasized the importance of housing options to the graduate student community.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

The JBG Companies’ Slate apartment building in Rosslyn is rumored to be considered for graduate student housing.

“We’ve been advocating for this for a long time. Lacking graduate student housing has put Georgetown at a disadvantage,” Musgrave said.

“Especially for people moving in from far away, the D.C. real estate market is really tough to navigate for an outsider. Having housing available is an amenity that many students look for.”

The Office of Student Affairs has solicited graduate student input through a survey covering amenities, price range and housing options, while the university has also utilized graduate student focus groups for input.

“Our goal is to provide housing that meets our students’ needs and further supports their learning experience while enrolled at Georgetown,” university spokeswoman Rachel Pugh said.

Musgrave said that the university asked graduate students about preferences between dormitories and apartments, studio apartments and multi-bedroom apartments, and price points and provisions for married students. The question of gender-neutral housing was not addressed.

Graduate students prioritized differentiating between the housing needs of undergraduates and graduate students in these discussions, pushing for apartment-style housing over shared townhouses or higher-quality dorms.

“There’s a difference from being 18 to 19 and being told that you’re living [in poor conditions] for a year or being 25 or 30 and trying to find the sort of housing that’s appropriate to your needs,” Musgrave said. “Having access to safe, reliable housing is a high priority for many young adults in the D.C. area.”

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news

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Clinton Returns to Hilltop For Second Lecture Series

Admissions Yield Increases 0.4 pct.

Madison Ashley

YIELD, from A1

Hoya Staff Writer

After first encouraging students to engage in public service in a lecture April 30, former President Bill Clinton (SFS ’68) will return to campus three more times over the next several years to continue his four-part lecture series about his vision for the future of the United States.

The series is a partnership between the Office of Communications, the Georgetown University Lecture Fund and the Clinton Foundation.

“This is really a space for President Clinton to convey his own message and leave his own legacy at Georgetown,” Lecture Fund President Christopher Mulrooney (COL ’14) said.

While students may already be familiar with Clinton’s unsuccessful campaign for student government president in 1967, internship with Sen. William Fulbright (D-Ark.) during his junior year and post-graduate Rhodes scholarship, these speeches will present a more comprehensive picture of America’s 42nd president.

“Ultimately, students will get to know President Clinton more as well as let President Clinton know more about Georgetown on a more intimate level,” Mulrooney said.

This is not the first time that Clinton has presented a series of speeches to the Georgetown community. In 1991, Clinton, then governor of Arkansas, addressed the student body in three “New Covenant” speeches focusing on his economic, social and foreign policy platforms in his campaign for the presidency.

Richard Taylor (GSB ’92), president of the Lecture Fund in 1991 and also a volunteer in Clinton’s first presidential campaign, said he believes the New Covenant speeches, which were broadcast nationally, were influential in Clinton’s run for presidency.

“There was a tremendous response because basically what he did was present himself as a moderate Democrat,” Taylor said. “At that time, there was heavy critique of the Democratic

termined, Mulrooney sees them taking a similar shape to the first lecture about public service, which lasted almost an hour more than the allotted time — in line with Clinton’s tendency to go off-script in his speeches.

“We think President Clinton wants to do this kind of as a series of podium lectures simply because that’s the best way where he can convey what he wants to the student body. We want to structure the event around that,” Mulrooney said. “He liked how he could prepare notes and tell other students what he did at Georgetown and what’s important to him.”

Clinton has often cited Georgetown professors among his role models, including former School of Foreign Service professor Carroll Quigley and Fr. Otto Hentz, S.J. Clinton used Quigley’s phrase “future preference” throughout his campaigns, referring to the notion of forgoing today for the sake of tomorrow.

Taylor said this new lecture series is a model of what it means to be an active member of the Georgetown community — one defined not merely by its intellecRICHARD TAYLOR (GSB ’92) Former Lecture Fund President tual vigor but by its value system.

“He’s taking time to give back addressed issues closer to home, and continue contributing to our particularly allegations by a student community, and that’s very much in at the Georgetown University Law line with who we are as members of Center that Georgetown had lowered the Georgetown community,” Taylor admissions standards for African- said. “We are selected into admission American students at the Law Center into the Georgetown community not and that the university was engaging because of perfect SAT scores; our community looks for people who are in reverse discrimination.

While Clinton did not address the going to give to the broader good. incident directly, his comments on [Clinton] is modelling what it means the necessity of affirmative action re- to be a part of the Georgetown comnewed the university’s commitment munity.”

Mulrooney agreed that the lecture to pursuing a more diverse student series will reinforce the relationship body.

“This issue was still bubbling with- that the Clintons have to the Georgein the Georgetown community. So town community “I think this lecture series will you have Clinton coming to Georgetown and expressing a position that strengthen the already strong embraces affirmative action as part bonds between the Clinton family of this new contract,” Taylor said. and Georgetown University, which “That speech brought some closure Georgetown [is] really proud of,” Mulrooney said. “We want Georgetown to the question.”

While the exact format and con- to be just as much a home for the tent of future lectures is still unde- Clinton family as Arkansas is.”

Party — there was a big push within the party to move it to a more centrist place.”

Taylor said Clinton’s speeches influenced dialogue surrounding the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1991, which was debated in Congress at the time of Clinton’s New Covenant series.

“There was considerable pushback with that legislation coming through Congress and President H.W. Bush had indicated that he planned to veto the bill,” Taylor said.

“The next day [after the first New Covenant speech] George Bush announced that he was open to signing the restoration act.”

The New Covenant speeches also

“[Clinton] is modeling what it means to be a part of the Georgetown community.”

45 to 47 percent yield, putting this year at the higher end of the range.

“We’re pretty much right where we want to be,” Deacon said. “But that will change as people get off on other waiting lists and as we take some students off of our waiting list.”

Although the university is still waiting on late deposit slips, 50 students have already been accepted from the waitlist. Deacon expects about 45 of those students to submit deposits.

While this would bring the number of deposited students over the goal class size of 1,580 students, Deacon said the waitlist acceptances would account for attrition over the summer.

“How many withdraw is hard to predict,” Deacon said. “It depends on how many waitlisted students get off at the other top schools or how many people might defer for a gap year.”

According to Deacon, approximately 40 students withdraw each year, while about 25 students decide to take a gap year.

Georgetown and Ivy League schools all stop waitlist acceptances on June 30, at which point the university must estimate how much attrition will occur in July and August. Furthermore, while many other universities can accommodate over-enrollment, Georgetown must stay below 1,580 students to comply with the component of the 2010 Campus Plan agreement that caps total enrollment of undergraduate and graduate students on the main campus.

“We won’t go over, and we will hopefully fill up close to the real number,” Deacon said. “The waitlist numbers will pretty much offset the people who withdraw.”

There are 100 students still on the waitlist, down from the 2,000 originally waitlisted. Dea-

con said as many as 25 people may receive acceptances in the coming weeks.

“It’s a domino effect. It starts at the top,” Deacon said. “If Harvard takes somebody, Yale loses somebody, then Yale takes from another school. Fortunately, we’re high enough on the chain that we don’t lose that many.”

Deacon attributed the higher yield rate for the MSB and the NHS to the two schools’ specializations.

“Those are the schools that directly seem to confer jobs at the end,” Deacon said. “The yield has been higher for the last seven years for those schools.”

Although the SFS has a similar benefit, Deacon attributed its comparatively low yield to its competition with other top schools.

“It’s surprising that the SFS’ rate is under 50 percent,” Deacon said. “It reflects where we’re losing them to. There’s a higher rate of crossover between accepted students there and other top schools. They’re in more direct competition.”

Deacon stressed the importance of refraining from excessive comparisons with other universities.

“Yield is an elusive number. If we were like a lot of places with early decision where yield is 100 percent, our yield rate would be in the 60s,” Deacon said, referring to other schools’ binding admissions policies. “We choose early action in the students’ interest really, and we’re really looking to compare our numbers to our numbers, and not to others’ numbers.”

Overall, Deacon expressed satisfaction with the outcome of this year’s admissions process.

“We met all of our goals,” Deacon said. “We purposefully kept our early admissions rate low so we could look at the diverse pool of regular decision candidates.”

news

FRIDAY, may 17, 2013

Language Exchanges: More Than Just Words Caroline Welch Hoya Staff Writer

When Pierre Denizot (LAW ’13) walked into Starbucks, he searched the crowd for someone he had never met. He eventually settled his eyes on his language exchange partner, De’Ahna Johnson (SFS ’16).

“He was asking everyone in Starbucks if they were me, and so he didn’t believe me when I actually introduced myself,” Johnson said.

The Language Exchange Program, run through the Office of International Programs, sets up meetings like these to foster conversational partnerships between American and international students, providing a break from a conventional classroom setting. “[The program] is just for conversation because we are listeners in classes,” Intensive Program in English as a Foreign Language student Sara Assaf said. “Our semester is only four months, so if I am a listener for all of the days, my tongue will not improve in English.”

Open to all members of the Georgetown community, the program seeks to match students who are studying a foreign language with a native-speaking counterpart.

Participants in the program complete a brief questionnaire and are then matched by partner preferences and language interests. Partners meet a minimum of once a week around campus to improve their conversational skills.

Carol Romett, senior instructor and curriculum coordinator for the Center for Language Education and Development, has played a large role in the development of the program and currently matches Arabic-speaking students in the EFL program with English-speaking students at Georgetown.

“As our program started to grow, they needed more help in OIP, and over time they started to need our help to match students,” Romett said. “But then I think that [EFL’s] need grew more than other university students.”

Bennett Lindauer, an instructor

at the Center for Language Education and Development who matches the remaining EFL students, remarked that the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

“Most of our students sign up for this because they see that this is beneficial and interesting and they get to meet American students outside of the classroom,” Lindauer said.

At least 40 matches have been made in the EFL program this semester, which has an enrollment of 50.

Partners introduce each other to their respective cultures in addition to their languages.

“One of the most exciting experiences with her was when I went to an academic class for the first time,” Assaf said. “I learned a lot about the American culture and the informal language.”

Johnson agreed and cited Denizot’s aversion to learning French through grammar. “[Denizot] has a hard time with my grammar, because I have learned French through grammar all throughout my time at school,” Johnson said. “He says the worst way to learn the language is how they teach it here.”

Saudi Arabian EFL student Sara Aghmdi has discussed a wide range of topics with her language partner Gabriel Pincus (SFS ’14) in their Arabic-English meetings. Pincus said the language difference did not hinder discussions about cultural divides.

“I’m Jewish and for both Sara and my language partner previously, I don’t think that they have ever talked or been friends with a Jew before,” Pincus said. “So we got into lots of conversations about religion.”

Pincus adapted to the etiquette of the language exchange program.

“I found that if I talk too freely about an issue too, drinking or partying or something … that’s crossing some lines, but you learn those things,” Pincus said.

Johnson said that sometimes she has trouble communicating cer-

tain stories because of the language divide.

“I was trying to recount a story about how my sister did something dumb and I kissed her on the cheek, and so I said what I thought was kiss in French, which it was not, and his face got very, very serious and he did not understand where I was going with that,” Johnson said.

Yet while each partner is prone to mistakes, the informal setting of the conversations takes the pressure away, Pincus said.

“We’re both equally embarrassed, and that’s kind of a good basis to go from as opposed to speaking with someone with the expectation that you speak perfectly — that’s pretty intimidating,” Pincus said. “That’s what learning language is: It’s a struggle. And you’re not going to learn it unless you go through that struggle.”

Some language exchange partners face the added barrier of different dialects.

“Gabriel speaks in an Egyptian dialect, where I speak with a Saudi accent … but he has very good Arabic so he can understand the language and accents,” Aghmdi said.

Assaf agreed and said that speaking with her language partner Kabreya Ghaderi (SFS ’15) has improved Assaf’s Arabic and Ghaderi’s English.

“Me and her, we just speak to each other, so we have a lot more of a chance to learn how I speak and how American people say certain words because it is very different than how it is written,” Assaf said.

“We help each other, and that is the most exciting part, that the program has exchange system.”

According to Romett, these weekly meetings have in the past blossomed into friendships that extended beyond the partners’ language exchange.

“I’d say within our years, we have seen people make lifelong friendships,” Romett said. “And we don’t count it as a dating service, but in my years we have seen at least one couple go on to have children and are still happily married.”

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Senator, Head of State Among Grad Speakers SPEAKERS, from A1 the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; and the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.

“I’m thrilled to have the chance to speak this weekend to graduates of Georgetown University’s McDonough Undergraduate School of Business and their families,” Cowan told The Hoya. “As the graduates enter life after college, they now have the exciting opportunity to add wisdom to their accumulated knowledge; they have the opportunity to be defined not only by their net-worth but most importantly by their self-worth. By exercise of wisdom and attention to self-worth, these graduates will leave their mark on the world.”

Cowan will also give the commencement address at Boston College Law School on May 24.

Addressing the School of Nursing and Health Studies is AcademyHealth President and CEO Lisa Simpson, a pediatrician and nationally recognized health policy researcher.

AcademyHealth’s mission includes educating consumers and policymakers about health services, fundraising and providing professional development opportunities. Before joining the nonprofit, Simpson served as the director of the Child Policy Research Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and professor of pediatrics in the Division of Health Policy and Clinical Effectiveness in the Department of Pediatrics at University of Cincinnati.

“I am so honored to be the commencement speaker for the School of Nursing and Health Studies. The school’s graduates are entering the field at a seminal moment in our history. From health reform to patient engagement and health information technologies to biomedical innovations, we are entering a period of explosive opportunity,” Simpson told The Hoya.

Speaking at the Georgetown College commencement ceremony this year is Lisa Shannon, founder of Run for Congo Women, grassroots effort Sister Somalia and advocacy organization A Thousand Sisters. Through Run for Congo Women, Shannon has raised $12 million for women in the Democratic Republic of Congo and sponsored more than 1,400 Congolese women financially and through leadership and rights awareness training.

A Thousand Sisters furthers the mission of Run for Congo Women by focusing on increasing awareness of violence in the Congo through dialogue and fundraising efforts, while Sister Somalia is the first rape and hotline support program in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite (GRD ’92) will be addressing School of Foreign Service graduates. After completing a six-month program for senior executives at Georgetown, Grybauskaite served as Lithuania’s deputy finance minister from 1999 to 2000, deputy foreign minister from 2000 to 2001, and finance minister from 2001 to 2004. She became the European Union commissioner responsible for financial programming and the budget in 2004 and took office as president of Lithuania in July 2009.

Grybauskaite, who was named Glamour magazine’s woman of the year in 2010, is the first female president of her country and has become famous for focusing on domestic issues, especially poverty and national financial problems.

All of this year’s graduation ceremony speakers will receive honorary degrees, except for U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the lecturer at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s Tropaia ceremony.

Also speaking at commencement events this weekend are Adams University Professor of Economics at Harvard University and winner of the 2007 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics Eric Maskin to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Humanitarian Services for the American Red Cross President Gerald M. DeFrancisco to the School of Continuing Studies, Brazilian Ambassador to the U.S. Mauro L.I. Vieira to the MBA program, “CBS Evening News” producer Erin Lyall (GRD ’02) and U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman to the Master of Science in Foreign Service program, National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence Chairman Sir Michael Rawlins to the School of Medicine and Fox News commentator Greta Van Susteren (LAW ’79, LAW ’82) to the Law Center. Retired Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of MedStar Health William Thomas and Washington Post reporter Walter Pincus (LAW ’01) will also be receiving honorary degrees but will not speak at any commencement ceremonies.

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THE HOYA

news

FRIday, MAY 17, 2013

Adjunct Union to Tackle Seniors Give Record Gift Pay, Job Security, Benefits Alexander Brown Hoya Staff Writer

ADJUNCTS, from A1 planning, the union is currently compiling input from the adjunct faculty in order to determine the most pressing issues through a survey and focus groups.

“We invited everyone to come and talk about what changes they’d like to see,” McLeer said.

“We heard a lot during the campaign, but we’d like to get to specifics and set priorities.”

Overall, McLeer said she expected part-time faculty members to be interested in job security, a voice in department decision-making and pay closer to that of full-time faculty members.

Senior Advisor to the President for Faculty Relations Lisa Krim gave a presentation to the faculty senate Tuesday evening, discussing potential implications of the vote.

“It can take quite a while to reach an agreement,” Krim said. “There won’t be an immediate impact. There won’t be changes for summer, quite possibly not even for the fall.”

After an agreement is reached between the union and the university, the adjunct faculty members will be able to vote on the agreement.

According to McLeer, the process could take up to six months.

Krim cited the university’s behavior prior to the vote as an indication for the productivity of future talks.

“If the process of election was any indication, it is likely to be very productive and very professional,” Krim said.

McLeer agreed.

“We have every confidence that this will be a collaborative and productive process.”

Krim said that the union would most likely be pursuing an increase in salary for adjunct faculty members, although Georgetown’s current pay level is relatively high compared to other universities. Krim did not state specific statistics but said the university used preliminary market data.

“This is not a situation where the folks who already negotiated [with SEIU] are high and Georgetown is bringing up the bottom,” Krim said. “Our salaries are competitive, but there are a lot of variation among programs and schools.

I can easily see the union advocating for much more consistency and advocating for a floor.”

In addition, Krim spoke about healthcare for adjunct faculty members, especially with the Affordable Care Act in play. “[The Affordable Care Act] requires the university to cover, I think, 90 percent of full-time employees, so the real questioning that is percolating … is how do you count ‘full-time?’”

In addition, the definition of “part-time” can differ between that used in the Affordable Care Act and the university definition regarding union representation.

“Various formulas are being put out there … but the law hasn’t settled down … we’re looking for more guidance out of the government, and that will hopefully come sooner than later,” Krim said.

Adjunct professor of psychology Frank Warman, who abstained from the unionization vote, said that success would be potentially difficult on points such as job security or pay.

“All universities are strained as far as budgets are concerned. One of the reasons they hire adjuncts is because of their budgets,” Warman said.

“The kinds of things they’re asking for, such as healthcare benefits or job security, where they want to know well in advance whether they would teach in the future, I know, at least in my department, that’s not really something that the chair knows until the semester before.”

Overall, McLeer encouraged all adjunct faculty members to participate in the process and contact the union with concerns, whether or not they originally voted for the union.

“We represent everyone, and everyone equally has the opportunity to make positive, lasting change,” McLeer said.

Unrealistic Job Expectations Disappoint Graduates Sarah Kaplan Hoya Staff Writer

Newly minted college graduates across the country will be in for a surprise when they enter the job market this year.

According to a spring 2013 survey conducted by consulting company Accenture, students graduating from college in recent years have increasingly unrealistic expectations that they will find wellpaid jobs in their chosen career fields.

The survey, which polled 1,005 members of the Classes of 2011 and 2012, found that 41 percent of graduates feel underemployed, working in a job that does not match or require their college degree.

In addition, more than 30 percent of recent graduates have been unable to find full-time jobs, and nearly a quarter of that group has not held a job since graduation.

According to the study, the job market is failing to meet students’ expectations both in terms of what positions are available and how much they pay.

Although two-thirds of graduates expected to get full-time jobs in their field of study, only 53 percent are currently working in their expected field. Meanwhile, 32 percent of those surveyed are earning less than $25,000 per year, more than twice the number that had expected to be earning that amount.

Furthermore, the situation is worsening. While 39 percent of students graduating in 2011 and 2012 had secured jobs before graduation, that number was only 16 percent for the Class of 2013 when the poll was conducted in April.

The outlook is slightly better for Georgetown graduates.

According to the Cawley Career Center’s Class of 2012 Senior Survey Report, 4 percent of last year’s graduates were still seeking employment six months after graduation, far fewer than the 30

percent average reflected in Accenture’s national study.

Although the career center’s survey does not report the number of graduates earning less than $25,000 per year, the average starting salary for a Georgetown graduate is $52,137. By comparison, a 2012 survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers found that starting salaries for that year’s class of graduates averaged about $44,000.

According to Michael Schaub, executive director of the career center, Georgetown graduates’ experiences in the job market are more in line with their expectations. Schaub attributed this to professional internships prior to graduation as well as meetings with career center counselors and advisors.

“Internships give students a taste of work life after college,” Schaub wrote in an email. “We also encourage students to engage in informational interviews and networking events to provide them with a clearer picture of work life after college.”

Moreover, the university provides career center advising to alumni up to three years after graduation.

The Accenture report attributed nationwide poor employment statistics to a lack of understanding between employers and colleges and called on employers to provide better career training for recent graduates.

“A solution is sorely needed to bridge the disconnect between employers that are concerned about college graduates being unprepared for available jobs and the graduates who feel overqualified for them,” David Smith, senior managing director for Accenture Talent & Management, told the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Schaub agreed with the Accenture report’s call for better on-the-job training for recent graduates.

“Seeking additional training is part of professional work life,” Schaub wrote in an email.

The Class of 2013 presented a gift of $147,004.54 to the university Thursday, setting a record participation rate of 71 percent with 1,202 seniors contributing.

Senior Class Fund Co-Chairs Jessica Douglass (MSB ’13) and Christina Dupre (SFS ’13) presented the check to university President John J. DeGioia during Senior Convocation in McDonough Arena.

“Georgetown is a living tradition of the highest, committed to leadership and service of which all of us Hoyas are a part.

For the past four years, we have all taken part in this tradition as students,” Dupre said before inviting DeGioia to receive the check. “Now, as alumni, we begin to share the responsibility of keeping this tradition alive by living up to the principles and values of our Georgetown heritage and by giving back to the Hilltop through our time and resources.”

The Class of 2012 had set a new participation record of 70 percent to fund their class

gift of $126,052.50 after an anonymous donor pledged to donate $1 million if the class surpassed 68 percent participation. Though there was no $1 million incentive this year, the Georgetown University Board of Regents did pledge to donate $1,000 for every percent of the class that donated, which generated an additional $71,000 this year. The senior class gift and the Regents donation is the equivalent of six scholarships for the next year.

“Thank you, all 1,202 Hoyas of the Class of 2013 who have chosen to make their gift to the Class of 2013 fund,” Douglass said at convocation. “You all played a key role in the Class of 2013 fund and the effort to build and maintain our class’s legacy at Georgetown.”

The Senior Class Fund began soliciting donations in September. To encourage donations, the committee coordinated with the Senior Class Committee to provide VIP access to certain Senior Week events for students who donated, such as the keg party in O’Donovan Hall.

Douglass said that the se-

nior class gift is important because it helps to establish a habit of donating.

“It’s the first step in establishing a tradition of philanthropy at Georgetown,” Douglass said to The Hoya. “Georgetown’s historical weakness is that alumni are very successful, and they love Georgetown, but they don’t seem to translate that love into monetary donations.

I think the senior class gift is the first step in establishing a strong tradition of giving.”

Senior Class Committee Chairman Justin Mercer (COL ’13) said that the high participation rate demonstrates students’ commitment to the university.

“I think a big part of the class fund is how many seniors participated in it,” Mercer said.

“That sort of leaves a legacy of how connected are we going to be. [It’s] an indicator of how much we are going to be giving back.”

Convocation was a part of Senior Week, which began last Friday and will culminate this evening with Senior Ball. Commencement activities will continue through Sunday.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Senior Class Fund Co-Chairs Jessica Douglass (MSB ’13) and Christina Dupre (SFS ’13) presented University President John J. DeGioia with a check for a record $147,004.54.

News

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

THE HOYA

A9

GU Mobilization Not Seniors Celebrate Last Week Enough for Observatory Eitan Sayag Hoya Staff Writer

Mallika Sen Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown’s Heyden Observatory lost out on a $100,000 grant from Partners in Preservation after a three-week campaign by Georgetown College to encourage support for the site. The observatory did, however, receive $5,000 for participating in the contest that lasted from April 24 to May 10.

The Washington Cathedral earned the most points through online voting and social media to win the full $100,000, which will be used to repair nave vaulting.

An advisory committee from Partners in Preservation — a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express — allocated a further $785,000 among 12 sites. The remaining 11 locations, including the Heyden Observatory, received $5,000 each. “$5,000 isn’t enough to do any major renovation, [but] we were pleased to see how proactive the College was in pushing this,” Georgetown University Astronomical Society Vice President Daniel Dylewsky (COL ’15) said.

“Now, [the observatory] is a higher priority.”

The Heyden Observatory was one of 24 finalists in the contest, chosen through two application processes from 200 governmentor nonprofit-owned sites identified by the National Trust in need of repair that could be completed within 14 months. Washington, D.C., was the eighth city to play host to the competition.

The College submitted the applications and organized the campaign materials, in-

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Heyden Observatory lost the Partners in Preservation competition for $100,000.

cluding a short film depicting a couple’s romantic night at the observatory.

“Georgetown College, which used to host the department of astronomy, took the lead on the project since Heyden Observatory was primarily used by that department,” Arts and Sciences Communication Officer Maggie Moore said.

The College sought funds to restore the observatory exterior, which is currently covered in lead paint, but the Astronomical Society is pushing for further renovations.

“There’s a variety of things that need to be done … to restore it to its peak condition, when it was used for astronomy,” Dylewski said. “That means, first of all, repairing or replacing the dome, which is falling apart.”

He also hopes to replace the telescope steering system, which is currently motorized, with parts to evoke the historic analog system.

The observatory is now used as the host of the entomology and biodiversity laboratory and Astronomical Society meetings. The site was completed in 1844, making it the third oldest observatory in the country. In 1846, the observatory was used to determine the geographical coordinates of Washington.

Light pollution currently inhibits its further use in astronomy.

“When it was used as an observatory, it was part of some important scientific discoveries,” National Trust’s southern field office Director Rob Nieweg said to The Hoya.

“It is also connected to the contemporary campus. … The National Trust for Historic Preservation, we evaluate the past … but also what’s happening today.”

He added that the contest had two goals: to award money for preservation and to increase public support and awareness of preservation projects.

“We were very impressed with the social media response and we know the students love it,” Nieweg said.

Nieweg suggested that Georgetown and other unsuccessful contest participants continue to highlight the historical sites in need of renovation. The National Trust holds a follow-up workshop for competitors to provide tips on how to capitalize on participation.

“We plan to revisit our plans for the observatory in light of the funding we received and continue to look for opportunities to preserve the observatory and heighten awareness of this historic building,” Moore said.

After a week of keg parties, champagne brunches and retreats, the Class of 2013 will pack into Union Station for Senior Ball tonight.

Senior Week, run by the Senior Class Committee, began last Friday with an alumni networking event. SCC spent approximately $150,000 on the week — the most ever spent on any Georgetown Senior Week — and other university offices contributed further funding to specific events. The Senior Ball will cost approximately $700,000.

The week’s events are designed to provide a relaxing way for seniors to connect as a class one more time before graduating.

“It’s a last chance to bring together seniors as a class and forge a class identity. We’re divided as schools, we’re divided in classes, we’re divided in student organizations,” SCC Chairman Justin Mercer (COL ’13) said. “The Senior Class Committee and Senior Week is our opportunity to bring students together across all the different colleges here as one class, as one university and as one campus community.”

Though the week started Friday, the first big event was the champagne brunch in O’Donovan Hall on Sunday morning. The SCC also sponsored two large evening parties: a dance party in the parking lot adjacent to McDonough Arena on Sunday night and a keg party in Leo’s Tuesday evening. Both of the parties were cut short — Sunday night’s party by the Department of Public Safety in response to a noise complaint and Tuesday night’s party by a fire alarm.

Chief of Police Jay Gruber said that a neighbor called the DPS hotline to complain about the loud noise. DPS sent a detail to the neighbor’s address to confirm that they could hear the party from there.

“It was not our decision to close the party down, we just said that the noise had to end,” Gruber said. “We tried to dial down the music a little bit, but it could still be heard from that location, so we were in violation of the D.C. noise-at-night law, so we had to shut the music off.”

According to Gruber, it is rare for neighbors to complain about on-campus noise.

“When they came by, the DJ was like: ‘It’s not SCC’s fault.It’s not the school’s fault — those neighbors are making us be quiet,’ and that of course riled up the crowd even louder,” Mercer said.

Zoe Lillian (COL ’13) thought that the university was already being accommodating to the neighbors by holding the party on campus.

“It made no sense. They try to push us onto campus. We’re on campus — as on campus as you could possibly be in a … parking lot — and they break up a party,” Lillian said. “I thought that was really … dumb.”

However, Greg Oullette (COL ’13) was sympathetic with the neighbors.

“The music, I agree, actually was kind of loud, I had to scream to even talk with people, so I don’t blame residents if they actually thought it was pretty loud,” he said.

Even though the parties were cut short, many seniors enjoyed the week’s events.

On Wednesday, seniors rode 31 buses to Smokey Glen Farm in Gaithersburg, Md., for the President’s Picnic. The Office of the President paid $60,000 to sponsor the picnic, which covered most of the costs. The SCC paid for the rest.

Seniors spent the day square dancing, throwing Frisbees and lying in the sun.

“I thought it was a really nice venue. It was just great that we were all there. I think pretty much everyone went, and we were just all outside,” Yekaterina Gourinovitch (SFS ’13) said. “It felt like an elementary school field day.”

Seniors also had the chance to talk to alumni and professors about their experiences.

Professors, including School of Foreign Service faculty member of the year Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J., spoke about their experiences and imparted advice to the seniors at the last chance lectures Monday. Seniors also had the chance to network with alumni throughout the week.

“It was cool that they told us how we could connect with alumni networks in other cities and useful for just explaining how we could stay plugged in later,” Michael Harris (SFS ’13) said about the networking opportunities.

Over the weekend, seniors were given the chance to reflect on their imminent graduation and their time on the hilltop at the Senior Retreat sponsored by Campus Ministry.

“It was a great space to reflect on what was the week ahead and reflect on four years back, and looking a year ahead, and taking time to really be grateful and think about all of that kind of stuff,” Oullette said.

Though the SCC and other campus programs planned many events, not all students participated in the whole week.

Chris Meggs (COL ’13) went to only two events during senior week.

“I think everyone is going to do that in their own way,” Meggs said. “Senior Week probably facilitates that a bit, but everyone is going to find their own way to end their time here at Georgetown.”

Gourinovitch said that the week allowed seniors to connect with their classmates one more time before graduating.

“It’s kind of just a whole week with your friends,” she said. “It’s much more of a community thing than we’ve had in the past. We never really had no work and just all the time to kind of think about the culminating moment.”

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Sports

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

Soccer Threatened, but Lacrosse in Worst Shape EFFECTS, from A12 But the conference change adds a degree of uncertainty to their future as an elite program. Creighton, Butler and Xavier all hail from the Midwest, where lacrosse has yet to catch on as a major sport. None of the three fields a varsity team, and neither does DePaul or Seton Hall.

That leaves the new Big East with just five varsity lacrosse teams, one of which, Marquette, began play this year.

Local college lacrosse writer and national tournament prognosticator Patrick Stevens believes Georgetown’s key to continued success will lie in how it navigates its out-of-conference slate.

“A lot of it is going to depend on how they schedule, what games they’re able to maintain,” Stevens said. “If you’re still playing the Dukes and the Syracuses and teams like that, you’ve done something to fortify yourself against losing Syracuse and Notre Dame as conference games.”

A quick glance at Georgetown’s schedule in recent years indicates that this would not be a new phenomenon. The Big East lacrosse league was founded only three years ago; the Hoyas have played 17 games against Big East teams over that timespan, compared to 25 out-ofconference games. While, as Stevens alluded, Georgetown will lose automatically scheduled games against the likes of Syracuse and Notre Dame — the top two seeds in this year’s national tournament — they are perfectly capable of loading the schedule with tough non-conference matchups.

The larger concern for Hoyas lacrosse will be whether it can maintain its automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The new Big East’s five-team roster is one team short of NCAA requirements, though a provision in the rulebook allows a grace period of two years for diminished five-team conferences to find a sixth member.

“They’ve got a few years to figure it out,” Stevens said. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Big East adds a sixth team as an associate member, like they have in women’s lacrosse, among other sports.”

The new Big East’s women’s lacrosse situation is even more dire.

Georgetown, Marquette and Villanova are the only teams in the new conference, so the Hoyas — who have seen much more success than their male counterparts of late — will also have to seek quality competition elsewhere.

The sky is not exactly falling for Georgetown lacrosse, but the new conference picture certainly does not look as comforting from the lacrosse field as it does from the basketball court. Or, for that matter, from the soccer field.

NEW RIVALRIES

To say that the Georgetown men’s soccer team is riding high right now would not do the situation justice.

The Hoyas — not a strong program, historically — were the upstart story of the year in college soccer, tearing through their regular season and tournament opponents before falling 1-0 to Indiana in the national championship.

After the season, three seniors — midfielder Ian Christianson and defenders Tommy Muller and Jimmy Nealis — were selected in January’s MLS SuperDraft, while the LA Galaxy picked up midfielder Andy Riemer in the Supplemental Draft a week later. All told, the class of 2013 nearly doubled the previous total of five Georgetown players drafted into the big leagues.

How does a program that is hotter than it has ever been react to a sudden change of scenery? According to Head Coach Brian Wiese, the Hoyas are not particularly concerned.

“Marquette, ourselves, St. John’s, Xavier, Creighton — all tournament teams,” Wiese said. “The structure of the league, I think, is very good and very healthy for men’s soccer.”

The addition of Creighton — a Final Four team — aside, it will be tough to make up for the loss of games against Notre Dame and Connecticut every year. While Wiese was optimistic about his team’s fortunes in the new conference, he

did express some disappointment about what he is leaving behind.

“I’m going to miss playing against Notre Dame, playing against UConn,” he said. “But you could start talking about what you have and what [you] don’t have, or you could talk about what’s good about this conference.”

The women’s soccer team’s future matchups are somewhat less inspiring. Georgetown, fresh off another top-25 season and NCAA tournament berth, will lose the automatic games against high-profile teams like Louisville and UConn.

None of the incoming teams boasts records as impressive as the Creighton men.

fect the Hilltop’s most consistently dominant team.

Georgetown’s track and field and cross country teams did feature in the old Big East, but the new league will not lack for competition. The women’s cross country team — the most successful group of Hoya runners and the 2011 national champions — will continue to race alongside archrival Villanova, which won the national crown in 2009 and 2010.

AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE

After Georgetown’s regular season-ending win over Syracuse this March, former men’s basketball head coach and Hilltop legend John Thompson Jr. made headlines with a tirade against the conference realignment that had brought the storied rivalry to its end.

“I think it’s a damned disgrace.

All of them walk around and talk brian wiese about educational Men’s soccer Head Coach purposes — that’s bull----. All of us have But that is not to say that all is made money. All of us have turned lost — the Marquette women are down money. You have to reflect on coming off a Sweet Sixteen berth what’s important to you,” he said. and should be good for at least one “They messed up something that tough game for Georgetown. a lot of good people made sacrifices to go into. ... A bunch of knuckleheads sat at the table that didn’t SAFE FROM THE STORM While the Hilltop’s higher-profile know a f---ing thing about basketlacrosse and soccer programs have ball and, without any concern for some reason to be nervous for the the fans or geographical boundartransition, the schedules of two of ies, tore it apart.”

His rant left no uncertainty as to Georgetown’s most successful — and least heralded — teams should be his feelings on the Big East’s breakup — even though the basketball relatively untouched.

The Georgetown sailing program team still has a bright future, which swept last year’s Intercollegiate Sail- he acknowledged minutes later in ing Association’s coach, male sailor an approval of the “Catholic Seven” and female sailor of the year awards decision.

Wiese had similarly choiced — Head Coach Mike Callahan, thenjunior Chris Barnard and then- words.

“It’s absolute madness. Really, it’s senior Sydney Bolger, respectively — and its coed team currently holds just money. I think a lot of presithe No. 3 spot in U.S. Sailing’s na- dents and ADs are just looking at how you pay for this big business tional college rankings.

Luckily for Callahan and com- of college sports and really stopped pany, the old Big East never spon- looking at the foundations of colsored sailing competition in the lege sports — what it’s about,” Wiese first place, so the move to a more said. “We were just sort of caught in Midwest-based conference won’t af- the jet stream; it was awful. [But] it

“I think a lot of presidents and ADs are just looking at how you pay for this big business of college sports and really stopped looking at the foundations of college sports, what it’s about.”

Outpossessed Georgetown Bows Out on Home Turf hit the ground, the Cavaliers were typically there to win it, besting the Hoyas 16-12 in ground balls.

A goal by Virginia at the 15:13 mark of the second half would make it 10-4 and extend its lead back to six, tying their largest of the game.

Georgetown was left, then, with just a quarter of the game to more than double its tally on the day, a task that seemed outlandish given the team’s offensive futility to that point.

Sophomore attack Caroline Tarzian, though, would start the rally with 11:32 remaining, as a scramble in front of the Virginia cage led to an empty net, of which the New Yorker easily took advantage. Senior attack Rosie Corcoran followed that tally up with a goal of her own three minutes later, and, at 10-6, a chance at forcing overtime was no longer outside the realm of possibility.

According to Fried — who didn’t call a timeout all day — a bit of motivation from within was all that his play-

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Junior midfielder Hannah Franklin, who ranks third on the Hoyas in goals, got off just one shot attempt in Sunday’s loss.

ers needed to find that spark.

“It’s the mindset you get when you realize, ‘Oh, well this could be the last time we play together this year,’” Fried said. “We just needed to have that feeling a lot sooner, going into the game, but it’s hard to convince people that that [scenario] could happen.”

Virginia was feeling the pressure.

“We still had the lead, so [it was about] just not letting it really get to you,” sophomore midfielder Morgan Stephens, who scored a goal in the first half to make it 5-2, said. “We just had to keep playing our game, not really worry about them coming back, staying focused, getting the ball and stopping them from scoring.

The Blue and Gray would not strike often enough, waiting until 5:02 to finally pull within three via senior midfielder Kelsi Bozel. Junior midfielder and draw specialist Kelyn Freedman made it 10-8 with just over four minutes to play, but that would be the final goal for either team, as the Hoyas fell on their home turf in an unexpected early exit.

Georgetown had missed the NCAA tournament the two years prior, instead bowing out in the first round of the four-team Big East tournament each time. This year saw the team finish first in the conference and advance to the finals — also at MultiSport — before losing a lopsided title game to Syracuse.

As it turned out, the script would return to what’s unfortunately become classic fashion from there.

“It’s difficult to swallow because you want to play your best 60 minutes at this time of year,” Fried said. “But you have to give Virginia a lot of credit for how they came out and the fire they came out with.”

Pat Curran is a rising senior in the College and former sports editor of The Hoya.

FEATURE

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

VIRGINIA, from A12

was inevitable, probably, that this was going to happen. We were proactive with it, and I think it was smart to do.”

The new conference will officially reorganize on July 1. While fans of several of the Hoyas’ major sports teams remain optimistic — with good reason — bitterness clearly lingers in the hallways of McDonough Arena for the way the original Big East died.

When repeatedly asked for comment on the future of the university’s non-basketball sports, the athletic department responded only with a prepared statement from University President John J. DeGioia: “This is an extraordinary time for the Big East, and we couldn’t have wished for a better start to our new future. We have 10 incredible schools, have retained our storied name and have solid partnerships with Fox Sports and Madison Square Garden. We look forward to our continued work together, to strengthening our relationships and to the truly exceptional future that this will set for our athletics programs.”

Of course, everything DeGioia said is true. The contract, the name and the continuing MSG partnership are all great signs for the conference’s future, and several of the lesser-known teams will likely be just as well off as they were before.

As nearly everyone associated with the program has acknowledged, Georgetown and its fellow basketball schools did the best they could with a bad situation.

But whether the university will acknowledge it or not, very real questions remain as to the longterm viability of several of the Hilltop’s more successful programs — primarily the lacrosse teams — in the new Big East. The athletic department’s handling of these problems may provide the ultimate verdict on whether the decisions made during the conference realignment chaos were made with a “truly exceptional future ... for our athletics programs” in mind.

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

On years when one or more varsity teams find themselves on the road on graduation day, smaller ceremonies are traditionally held in Riggs Library, located in Healy’s south tower.

2012 Monday Graduation Different, More Intimate GRADUATION, from A12 in college were my teammates, so we got to start together and finish it together.”

“Finish it together” didn’t just extend to the confines of Healy Hall, either: In 2012, baseball completed its season with that aforementioned road trip to Cincinnati, where the senior Hoyas

had brunch with the coaches and got to go out on the diamond as a unit one last time.

So yes, what Johnson and others often go through is most decidedly not standard graduation fare. But you’ll have a hard time convincing any of those who have been through the experience that it’s not at least as memorable.

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friday, MAY 17, 2013

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A11

best of 2012-2013 Coach of the year Ryan Bacic

win in what had been strong individual careers. A change in style from Wiese, though, would help bring out the best in his team and send off the future MLS draftees the way they’d always wanted.

“I think just the overall playing style that we played with throughout the year was big for scouts to see,” junior forward and Hermann Trophy semifinalist Steve Neumann said. “It wasn’t the normal college soccer perception of just kicking the ball long and bullying your way around.”

Indeed, possession was the name of the game for Georgetown in 2012, as the Hoyas routinely had the lion’s share of the ball throughout the season and allowed themselves time to pick out opponents’ weak spots.

The results weren’t exactly overpowering — only five of the team’s 19 wins came by more than one goal — but they were certainly methodical. And, as Neumann pointed out, they were pretty to watch, too.

It made it fun, then, for spectators, who by season’s end flocked to North Kehoe Field in droves, making the stadium standing-room only for Georgetown’s NCAA quarterfinal match against San Diego. A 3-1 win sent the Hoyas through to the College Cup and sent fans storming onto the field.

For a school that defines itself athletically so much by its basketball, it was another sport that managed to capture students’ hearts in December. Without our 2012-13 Coach of the Year, that simply wouldn’t have happened.

“Brian Wiese is a tremendous coach who, in my opinion, is a perfect fit for Georgetown University,” Athletic Director Lee Reed said earlier in May. “Oftentimes, the key to a coach being successful is if he/she is an institutional fit, and Brian is definitely that. He embraces what it means to coach at a university like ours.”

Hoya Staff Writer

When one of our own is named national coach of the year, it makes The Hoya’s pick for Georgetown coach of the year just that much easier.

Such is the case for 2012-2013, as men’s soccer Head Coach Brian Wiese was awarded the top honor by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America this past January — and rightfully so.

Last fall’s magical run to the national championship game, after all, didn’t happen in a vacuum, and it likely never would have happened without Wiese at the helm. The former Stanford and Notre Dame assistant had a vision that he wished to institute upon taking over on the Hilltop in 2006, and it took six seasons for it to be fully realized.

That vision wasn’t just about winning but about how to get there: In an era when the first part of the “studentathlete” moniker is going more and more unnoticed, Wiese wanted it emphasized. In fact, if a targeted player didn’t end up fitting that mold, he simply wouldn’t be recruited.

“It’s a major issue in the recruiting process, where he has to really evaluate them as a soccer player and them as a person and then a student in the classroom,” junior defensive midfielder Joey Dillon said in April. “Coach is very serious about what kind of kid they are, not just what kind of player.”

But the skill level component is, of course, essential, and Wiese had himself a highly talented group in 2012. It was also, up until the season dawned in August, an unaccomplished one.

The four star seniors of center back Tommy Muller, winger Andy Riemer, left back Jimmy Nealis and center mid Ian Christianson had picked up just one NCAA tournament appearance and

Brian wiese Men’s Soccer

male athlete of the year PAT CURRAN

Hoya Staff Writer

Pickup games on all sides of him, Otto Porter Jr. rises and fires.

It’s mid-May, and the 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, weeks away from hearing his name called by NBA Commissioner David Stern, is working on his pull-up jumper with a small group of trainers in Yates Field House as John Thompson Jr. watches from the sideline. Indeed, it seems only appropriate that the quiet star from rural Missouri prepare for the biggest month of his life just as he always has: not in a state-of-the-art training facility but in an unassuming school gym.

It fits in perfectly with the story we’ve heard seemingly countless times but somehow haven’t gotten sick of. Otto Porter Jr., the shy, smalltown superstar who turned down the glitzy AAU circuit, spent summers in the gym with his basketballobsessed family, came to the big city and took the Big East by storm. While the Georgetown chapter of his story ultimately ended far short of the fairy tale most expected, his achievements nevertheless made him the most impressive male athlete to don the blue and gray this year.

The beginning of the 2012-2013 season saw Porter Jr. and the Hoyas confirm some of the concerns analysts had expressed about them in the preseason. The lack of a clearcut No. 1 scorer left the offense directionless at times, and Porter Jr. rarely took charge despite his status as the team’s most talented offensive player.

Going into Big East play, there was no doubt about who the Hoyas’ best player was. But whether he could truly carry a team remained unproven.

When sophomore forward Greg Whittington was placed on academic suspension at the start of the spring

team of the year Ryan Bacic

Hoya Staff Writer

For a men’s soccer program that previously had just three all-time tournament appearances to its credit, 2012 marked a breakthrough.

The journey truly started in Spain, as a spring break trip to Barcelona, — according to players and coaches alike — somehow made something click within the team. There may be no more beautiful style of “The Beautiful Game” than that employed by Lionel Messi and Co. at Camp Nou, and Head Coach Brian Wiese’s squad got to witness the magic firsthand.

But the Barcelona trip wasn’t just about the pros. In fact, it may have been the FC Barcelona youth teams that ended up leaving the bigger impression on the Blue and Gray.

As Wiese told The Hoya in August, his players were “seeing kids that are their own age. They can see a little bit of themselves in there and go, ‘That guy’s pretty good, but we’re close.’”

Starting out the season unranked, an inspired Georgetown quickly made a name for itself in the early going, opening with a win over traditional powerhouse and local rival Virginia. Ten games later, the Hoyas still hadn’t dropped a match, starting their slate 10-0-1 thanks to eight one-goal wins.

Many of the game-winning goals for the Blue and Gray came in the second half, and most of them came off the foot of standout freshman striker Brandon Allen. Named rookie of the year by a handful of different outlets after the season, Allen notched his first clutch tally in the team’s second

game against Florida Gulf Coast and made it a habit from there; his 10th and final one would come in the first round of the NCAAs. But it took a lot more than Allen to power Georgetown as far as it went.

In fact, the main story of the squad in 2012 wasn’t the underclassmen — even with three featuring regularly in the starting lineup — but rather the seniors.

Center back Tommy Muller, central midfielder Ian Christianson, left back Jimmy Nealis and winger Andy Riemer had all tasted success on the Hilltop as sophomores when the team reached the second round before falling on penalty kicks to North Carolina. And they wanted a whole

MEN’S SOCCER lot more.

The manifestation of the “true student-athlete” that Wiese targets on the recruiting trail, the quartet had a mentality that was quite revolutionary to the program: All four wanted to be professional soccer players. That may not sound like a novel idea at first glance, but one must keep in mind that, going into 2012, only five players had ever been drafted by Major League Soccer coming out of Georgetown.

Finding themselves the undisputed leaders as seniors, the group was able to mold the identity of the rest of the team after its own, and the results spoke for themselves: Share of the Big East regular season title. Big East tournament runners-up, mere seconds removed from an outright

MISCELLANEOUS 800

regulation victory. And, most impressively, national runners-up.

A hat trick from junior forward Steve Neumann against Maryland in the semifinals helped drive Georgetown through to the national championship game Dec. 9, where it took on the Indiana Hoosiers. A goal in the 64th minute would prove the Hoyas’ undoing, as a last-gasp header from Muller missed the goalmouth to end the match 1-0 in Hoover, Ala. Just as was the case in Chester, Pa., for the Big East championship against Notre Dame, the national version was a gutting loss for Georgetown. The “what-if” heartbreakers, however, should not overshadow the very real and extremely important groundbreakers of the 2012 campaign.

Both in terms of recruiting and media coverage, Georgetown has now put itself firmly on the map. It will enter 2013 in the upper reaches of the polls, with Neumann a projected top-five MLS pick and his strike partner, Allen, one of a growing number of younger players with the potential to hang with the big boys.

Rising sophomores Cole Seiler and Keegan Rosenberry will be strong anchors across a retooled backline, classmate Melvin Snoh looks ready for primetime in midfield and incoming recruit Joshua Yaro has all the makings of a star himself.

The senior class that changed it all may be gone, then, but here’s the scary thing for Georgetown’s 2013 opponents: Next year, it might very well be just as good.

(davidburns769@yahoo.com) for more information.

Porter Jr. proved in January and February that he could carry a team’s scoring load, but his exploits went largely unsung outside of Big East schools and NBA scouts. One game would change that permanently.

On Feb. 23, the Hoyas traveled to Syracuse’s Carrier Dome for the last time as the Orange’s Big East rivals.

More than 35,000 fans packed the arena, setting an attendance record for on-campus college basketball.

Nearly all left disappointed. Porter Jr. scored 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting to carry an otherwise ice-cold Georgetown squad to a resounding win over its archrivals.

Frustrated with Syracuse’s ability to close in on him at his usual spot in the middle of their zone, he moved to the wing and rained three-pointers all afternoon. The performance inspired Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim to praise Porter Jr. as the best small forward he’d ever seen in the Big East.

Arik Parnass Hoya Staff Writer

While the men’s side had four of its players head to the pros at the end of a landmark 2012 season for the Georgetown soccer programs, it was sophomore midfielder Daphne Corboz who made the biggest individual mark, earning her a unanimous selection as The Hoya’s 20122013 Female Player of the Year.

Despite playing out of position on the wing as a freshman, Corboz received both Big East all-rookie team and third team all-Big East honors.

The thought of what she could do if allowed to roam the middle of the pitch — as she prefers — had become scary.

As it turned out, that nightmare for opponents became a reality in her second season, with Corboz given the offensive keys in Head Coach Dave Nolan’s adjusted 4-3-3 formation starting the next spring.

“I just got out of her way,” Nolan told The Hoya in August.

She registered 12 goals and 27 points in conference action, as well as 18 goals overall, good for 10th in the country. Almost as impressive as goal totals was her ability to adapt under increased scrutiny from opponents.

“I think she has started to figure out a little better how to deal with the special attention,” Nolan said late in the season.

Five of Corboz’s tallies came in an 8-0 romp Sept. 30 at Pittsburgh,

with her 11 points against the Panthers marking an all-time Big East record. With highlight-reel worthy performances like that one, her Big East offensive player of the year nod was no shock to any who followed the conference closely. The honor marked the second time in five years that a Georgetown player had brought home the coveted award, with Class of 2009 forward Sara Jordan the last Hoya to win it in her senior year.

But Corboz’s recognition was hardly limited to the scope of the Big East, as she was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference offensive player of the year, a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy and a first-team All-American.

With the last honor, Corboz was again continuing a tradition, as Class of 2012 forward Ingrid Wells had been named an All-American in both her junior and senior years.

Corboz was also more recently named the only sophomore on Soccer America’s First Team Most Valuable Player squad, and she accepted her first invitation to a U.S. Under-23 women’s national team training camp in April.

Add to that the fact that, following the graduation of senior starting defenders Claire Magliola and Christina O’Tousa, Corboz will be relied upon on the Hilltop even more for her leadership in addition to her offense.

Just one more thing to which Corboz will need to adapt.

Daphne Corboz Women’s Soccer

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The evisceration of the Orange drew the national spotlight to Porter Jr., and he did not disappoint.

In Georgetown’s next game against Connecticut, the star sophomore went coast-to-coast in the waning seconds of double overtime to lift the Hoyas to a one-point win in a hostile arena. When Rutgers tried to bully him with excessive fouling the next game, he scored 28 points on 15-of-18 free-throw shooting.

Porter Jr. won the Big East player of the year award — to no one’s surprise — and the Blue and Gray ended the season with the league’s best record.

Late February turned out to be the high point of Porter Jr.’s season, as the Hoyas fizzled out in March once again. He wasn’t noticeably bad in Georgetown’s tournament losses, but he was nowhere near the machine that fans had become accustomed to during Big East regular season play.

Whether it was exhaustion or just a few inconvenient off nights is unclear. What is clear is that the most talented Georgetown player since Greg Monroe similarly left without even a Sweet Sixteen appearance to his name. When Porter Jr. sat down in McDonough Arena on April 15 and announced his candidacy for the NBA draft, it was with a sense of vague disappointment that fans saw his era come to an end.

Still, the team’s struggles at the end of the season don’t erase the most impressive season by a Georgetown basketball player in years. Porter Jr. elevated his game spectacularly when his team was shorthanded, remained a modest and likeable leader by all accounts and — most importantly — provided arguably the most memorable single-game performance in school history. For that, the Hilltop thanks him, and The Hoya names him its 2012-13 male athlete of the year.

female athlete of the year

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semester, the Georgetown faithful essentially panicked. What very few people could have seen coming was the effect of Whittington’s absence on the dynamics of the offense.

Porter Jr. filled the hole left by Whittington in the scoring column and then some. He scored at least 17 points in each of the six games after his classmate’s suspension, and before long, the Hoyas were rolling.

The race for Big East player of the year — expected to be a wide-open contest, the favorites being Porter Jr., Syracuse’s sophomore guard Michael Carter-Williams and Cincinnati’s junior forward Sean Kilpatrick — became a foregone conclusion by the middle of the conference season.

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Final Series Against Villanova Leaves Chance to Change Story VILLANOVA, from A12 A single by the next batter tied the game, and UMBC managed two more runs in the seventh that proved too much for Georgetown to overcome.

“We’re playing hard, [but] we’re just not playing well,” Wilk said. “We’re beating ourselves.”

Still, the focus for the team now is clear. Three winnable games against last-place Villanova await to close things out, and a series win would give Georgetown its first winning season in 27 years.

The recent losing streak has dampened an otherwise successful and promising season for the Hoyas, who jumped out to a great start early in the year and continued that strong play against non-conference opponents, earning a 20-9 record outside of the Big East.

The Blue and Gray have won only one series in

Big East play, but that victory did come against South Florida, one of the premier teams in the conference.

For better or worse, though, this final series against the Wildcats will go a long way toward dictating the lasting narrative of the season. And Wilk is hoping that his players are able to leave the diamond with the right, positive perspective of how 2013 truly went.

“I’ve got a bad taste in my mouth right now, and I’m sure I’m not the only one. I’d hate to end our year like this,” Wilk said. “If we don’t win the series, it’s going to leave a bad taste in our mouth in what should be a big step forward for this program.”

“This team has been a pleasure to work with, and they’re a great bunch of kids. I’m just hoping we can finish on a high note, especially for these seniors. They deserve it.”

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Shirley Povich Field

FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2013

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The NBA playoffs will be the focus as our sports blog starts its summer coverage. paranoia.thehoya.com

“

NUMBERS GAME

It’s difficult to swallow because you want to play your best 60 minutes this time of year.

” 3

Women’s lacrosse Head Coach Ricky Fried

The number of women’s lacrosse programs set to begin play in the new Big East in 2014.

Beyond the Hardwood

In the wake of Big East realignment, what happens to Geogetown’s other sports?

PAT CURRAN

Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Sophomore midfielder Charles McCormick and GU will find themselves in a new-look Big East alongside Villanova and just three other teams in 2014.

The old Big East is dead.

Over the course of the past two years, the sporting world watched in sadness as the storied collegiate athletic conference’s marquee programs set off in pursuit of high-level football and the juiced TV deals that come with it.

Its once awe-inspiring roster in shambles, the Big East worked furiously to stop the bleeding by tossing invitations to seemingly every mid-major in the country with a football team. Dreading a future in which their conference slates would include home-and-homes with the likes of Boise State and Tulane, the seven Big East “basketball” schools — that is, the ones without FBS football teams — split off to form their own conference.

The bold move by the “Catholic Seven” drew near-universal praise from basketball purists, especially after the fledgling league secured the rights to the Big East name and the Madison Square Garden tournament site. With the addition of Creighton, Butler and Xavier and a lucrative TV deal from Fox Sports, the general consensus is that the non-football schools made it out of the realignment minefield as well as could be expected. The old Big East, meanwhile, appears poised for a slide into mediocrity under the decidedly bland “American Athletic Conference” moniker.

But lost in the media’s football conference versus basketball conference debate was, in retrospect, an obvious question: What about the other sports?

Georgetown currently holds the No. 9 spot in the Capital One Cup —

BASEBALL

an annual ranking of the nation’s top athletic programs across all varsity sports — so it is clear that the university’s interests extend beyond the hardwood. What is not as clear is whether the Hilltop’s other top programs can continue their success in a new league designed for basketball.

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES

A force to be reckoned with for many years during former head coach Dave Urick’s time on the Hilltop — when it did not leave the national top 10 for a decade — the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team has fallen on hard times of late, with this season’s 6-9 finish marking its first sub-.500 mark in 23 years. The Hoyas still, however, play one of the nation’s toughest schedules and usually are good for a few high-profile wins at the very least.

See EFFECTS, A10

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

GU Hoping to End Strong Hoyas Eliminated by Cavaliers ASHWIN WADEKAR Hoya Staff Writer

After dropping the past seven games — and 10 of its past 12 — the Georgetown baseball team (25-25, 5-16 Big East) is looking to put behind its recent hardships and finish strong against a similarly struggling Villanova.

The recent losing streak has eliminated Georgetown from qualifying for the Big East tournament, but the Hoyas still have a chance to finish with a winning record, something that has never happened in Head Coach Pete Wilk’s 14-year tenure with the team.

The losing streak began on the heels of two home victories against Maryland Eastern Shore and Coppin State, the second of which came in an extra-innings thriller. But in those 10 innings against the Eagles, the Hoyas committed five errors in the field, perhaps an indicator of the poor stretch

of play that was to come.

“We’re really trying to have them focused on defending 90 feet — making routine plays and not giving up free baserunners,” Wilk said. “And when you create extra base-runners, it’s a recipe for trouble.”

Georgetown has lost games in a number of different ways

“[Injuries have] been the difference in the second half of the season and the first half.”

PETE WILK Baseball Head Coach

during the slide: close, one-run games, including Tuesday’s loss to Maryland Baltimore County, as well as blowouts like a 17-3 debacle against Rutgers.

Part of the trouble has been injuries to the pitching staff,

which has only complicated the fact that Georgetown’s healthier hurlers have not been having their best outings as of late.

“The defense has been poor, and we’ve had some injuries that have contributed to that — and I’m not trying to make excuses, but that’s been the difference in the second half of the season and the first half,” Wilk said. “The first half was really good, and our second half was not good.”

Tuesday night’s contest against UMBC epitomized that tale of two seasons, with Georgetown losing 6-5 to a team it had beaten 7-4 at Shirley Povich Field on March 13.

The Hoyas clung to a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning when sophomore reliever Will Brown hit the first two batters he faced before giving up an infield single that loaded the bases. A single by the next See VILLANOVA, A11

As Late Comeback Falls Short RYAN BACIC

Hoya Staff Writer

For the fourth time in as many years on the Hilltop, the Class of 2014 saw its season end Sunday without an NCAA tournament victory to show for it.

The No. 6 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team (13-6, 6-2 Big East) had earned a bye to the second round of the tournament by virtue of its high seeding, but visiting Virginia (11-9, 1-4 ACC) controlled the game for all but the final 12 minutes at MultiSport Facility in a 10-8 upset.

“Obviously there’s a finality to it all. It’s unfortunate that one team had to lose — I thought it was a hard-fought game,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said afterward. “I thought Virginia came out harder and played more consistently throughout the game, and given that quality … when they get up that big, it’s going to be hard to come back.”

But although they ultimately fell short, come back the Hoyas did. Due to a weak, 6-2 first half, it would be quite the hole to overcome.

The draw controls may have been even at 1010 on the day, but possession was undoubtedly a stat that was owned by Virginia, particularly

BEST OF 2012-2013 TEAM OF THE YEAR

COACH OF THE YEAR

MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Otto Porter Jr.

See VIRGINIA, A10

Some Years, a Graduation Set Apart Hoya Staff Writer

Men’s Soccer

in the early going. Georgetown was camped out in its own half for at least two-thirds of the contest, its defenders left turning their heads as the ball was passed around the perimeter and then incisively in. And when the ball

FEATURE

RYAN BACIC

NATALIA ORTIZ/THE HOYA

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Erin Lovett and her teammates spent most of GU’s second-round game on the back foot.

TONY QUINN/ISI PHOTOS

Brian Wiese FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

Daphne Corboz See A11

Tomorrow morning, Georgetown’s senior student-athletes will don their caps and gowns just like everyone else, wait — and maybe sleep — for hours in their seats just like everyone else and, eventually, walk up to receive their hardearned diplomas just like everyone else.

After all, due to a home series with Villanova for men’s baseball and an unexpected NCAA tournament exit for women’s lacrosse, both spring teams will find themselves at home on the Hilltop for Commencement Day. That isn’t always the case; some years, as in 2012, scheduling is just outside their control.

But former players say that that doesn’t at all mean we should pity them for ‘missing out’ out on the bigger event.

In fact, when reached by phone this week, Kevin Johnson (MSB ’12) explained that the quiet Monday graduation ceremony he and his teammates attended last spring in Riggs Library may have been even better — or, at least, far more mean-

ingful.

“It was nice that it was small — the space was small — so even though we just had 50-odd people there, it felt homey, almost,” Johnson said. “People were talking and stuff — it was nice.”

The intimate atmosphere was just one aspect that made the Monday service special for last year’s

“[President DeGioia was] talking to us, not just giving your run-of-the-mill speech. You can tell that they cared.”

KEVIN JOHNSON Former catcher (MSB ’12)

seniors. University President John J. DeGioia, traditionally speaks at the separate ceremony for athletes as he will Saturday for the entire senior class.

With such a small group, the president’s comments could be very specifically tailored.

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“It was about what we did as a team and what we did as athletes,” Johnson said. “[DeGoia was] talking to us, not just giving your run-ofthe-mill speech. You can tell that they cared.”

And with the whole process taking no more than 30 minutes, according to Johnson, it might not even be fair to say in this case that DeGioia’s message was worth the wait. Those present in Riggs usually include just family, girlfriends, academic advisors and some fifth-year seniors, and the process is heavily streamlined due to the mere handful set to receive degrees.

The downside to smaller attendance is obvious, as the Mondaygraduating athletes miss out on celebrating with all their classmates on the lawn as they otherwise would.

It may not be the traditional spirit of graduation, therefore, but it may just represent a purer form of it.

“With the drinking and everything, it can get lost,” Johnson said.

“Looking back, I’m probably glad we did it that way. My best friends See GRADUATION, A10