The Hoya: September 24, 2021

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Arrupe Hall COVID Cluster Since 1920 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2021

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Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 103, No. 2, © 2021

Intruder Enters New South Prompting Student Safety Fears

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

At approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 19, an intruder reportedly tailed students and gained entry into first-year dormitory New South, spurring student safety concerns.

Liana Hardy

Hoya Staff Writer

An intruder followed students into New South in the early morning of Sept. 19, prompting a Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) investigation and safety concerns among students. At approximately 1 a.m. on Sept. 19, the perpetrator reportedly tailed behind students and gained entry into firstyear dormitory New South. A New South resident assistant reported to GUPD that an unknown individual had entered the dormitory, according to a Sept. 20 email from Jay Gruber, GUPD chief and associate vice president of public safety, to New South residents obtained by The Hoya. While GUPD searched the dormitory for the intruder, an unknown person pulled the fire alarm, prompting an evacuation by all residents.

Officers located a suspect and confiscated a pocket knife from him; however, he fled before he could be apprehended, according to the Sept. 20 email. The next day, GUPD officers detained the suspect and are now working with the Metropolitan Police Department, according to the Sept. 20 email. According to a New South resident who wished to stay anonymous because of safety concerns, the perpetrator entered a women’s bathroom while she was using it. The intruder whispered to her, asking what her name was, and ignored her requests to leave the bathroom before following her back to her room. That same night, at approximately 3 a.m., residents of Copley Hall were evacuated See INTRUDER, A6

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY LAW CENTER

Georgetown University Law Center students with young, unvaccinated children or immunocompromised family members are calling for virtual or hybrid options to be mandated for all classes.

Parents at GULC Demand Flexibility Claire Stowe Hoya Staff Writer

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eorgetown University Law Center students who are parents and guardians of young children are calling on administrators to mandate virtual class attendance options to prevent spreading COVID-19 to their families. Many law students taking care of young children or immunocompromised family members have reported concerns about COVID-19 exposure because Georgetown Law does not require social distancing in

J.D. classes, causing them to fear for their young, unvaccinated children. Students are calling on the Law Center to implement flexible policies, such as virtual options for classes, to support community health. Law students with young children or immunocompromised family members are primarily asking for a virtual or hybrid option for their classes, according to Benjamin Welna (LAW ’22), who has a 6-month-old son. “It’s very hard to engage in class and be focused when I’m concerned about people potentially being sick,”

Welna said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “It’s a horrible prospect, really, coming home after a day of school and thinking I could be transmitting something to my son.” Children under 12 have not been approved to receive COVID-19 vaccines; while Pfizer recently announced it will seek authorization to vaccinate individuals ages 5 to 11, without the vaccine, young children are at a higher risk of severe infection than vaccinated adults. Further, the Food and Drug Administration is prioritizing clearance for children above 5; children

4 years old and younger are not currently being tested for the COVID-19 vaccine. According to Welna, the Law Center should mandate all professors to offer alternative class attendance until young children can be safely vaccinated. “My issue with sort of mandating that every single person returned to the classroom is that not all students at Georgetown are young, single and healthy,” Welna said. “The way that the schools will proceed, particularly with the in-person mandate, puts the risk on See LAW CENTER, A6

MSB Junior Braves the Students Garner Support Elements on ‘Survivor’ For Afghans Fleeing Taliban Emily Langlois Special to The Hoya

CW: This article references violence in Afghanistan. Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources.

@WCCO/TWITTER

Liana Wallace (MSB ‘23) joins 17 other competitors, including a former NFL player, a neurosurgeon and a pastor, on the show’s 41st season, which premiered Sept. 22.

Maya Wendel

Special to The Hoya

Liana Wallace (MSB ’23) first started watching the CBS reality show “Survivor” as a 3-year-old with her mother and older brothers after bathtime. Now, 17 years later, Wallace is set to star on the latest season of the hit

FEATURED

competition series. Wallace, a junior in the McDonough School of Business (MSB) studying international business and finance, was first inspired to apply to the reality competition after she and her mom finished watching the former winners face off during the 40th season of the show, titled “Winners

at War.” Monotonous online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic further cemented her decision to apply. “The world is literally in chaos. I don’t want to be doing school virtually anyway, let me just take this shot and see what happens,” Wallace See SURVIVOR, A6

personal responsibility to help those endangered by the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan. “For Afghan Americans, we are so invested because we, at one point in our lives, would like to return there one day,” Nouri said in an interview with The Hoya. “We don’t want to speak from a place of privilege and say, ‘I’m out of the country, I don’t have to live under the Taliban so I won’t think about it until

I choose to go back.’ If you ever want to have a future in a country you have to stay actively invested in it.” NLG board member Carrie McDonald (COL ’24) reported that, while donations were initially slow, the rate picked up throughout September; however, McDonald reported items had been stolen from one donation box

Georgetown University students launched community fundraisers to support activists in Afghanistan and Afghan refugees amid the TaliSee AFGHANISTAN, A6 ban takeover of the country. Afghan activist and poet Zahra Wakilzada (SFS ’23) created a fundraising campaign to raise money for her own family members still in Afghanistan, many of whom are activists for women’s rights, so that they can evacuate the country (Full disclosure: Wakilzada formerly served as a member of The Hoya editorial board.) A group of organizations also formed a donation drive Sept. 3 to support local Afghan refugees, assisted by Georgetown’s chapter of No Lost Generation (NLG), an organization that fundraises and provides resources for refugees. Tens of thousands of Afghans attempted to flee the country after Taliban forces took control of the government Aug. 15, following the withdrawal of U.S. troops. More than 20,000 Afghan refugees have arrived in the United States, with an estimated 2,500 refugees entering through Fort Lee in Virginia. KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA Tara Nouri (SFS ’22), one of Georgetown student activists launch community the Afghan American students that helped organize the drive fundraisers to support vulnerable Afghans still in alongside NLG, says she feels a Afghanistan and refugees resettled in the D.C. area.

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

Not Over Easy New egging incidents puzzle Georgetown students and community members. A5

Mental Health Matters

Flying High

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Access Expanded

A New Era

Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, D.C., introduces a new initiative.

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Published Fridays

GU must expand mental health resources as students return to campus.

The Catholic Church must embrace inclusive reforms for a new generation.

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No. 1 Georgetown men’s soccer defeated the Creighton Bluejays in the 90th minute of play.

FEATURES

Dining Discourse

Students on meal plans face health and accessibility issues at Leo’s.

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