The Hoya: October 21, 2022

Q&A: GUSA Executive Reflects on Tenure, Remaining Plans

Eli Kales and Adora Zheng Senior News Editors

The Hoya sat down with the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) President Kole Wolfe (SFS ’24) and Vice President Zeke UmeUkeje (COL ’24) to discuss their administration’s prog ress two months into the fall semester, following a conten tious election last spring.

Students elected Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje to office in Febru ary 2022 amid allegations that the pair committed campaign violations, including brib ing students with alcohol for votes, which Wolfe and UmeUkeje denied and a GUSA in vestigative committee could not confirm.

The Hoya sat down with Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje on Oct. 19 to discuss how they over came difficulties, including

ILLUSTRATION BY: NOA BRONICKI

the aftermath of these allega tions, their administration’s journey so far and how the two have worked alongside mem bers of the GUSA Senate and Executive to serve students.

The following has been edited for length and clarity.

What was it like ad justing to GUSA given that neither of you had prior experience with the organiza tion?

Wolfe: It was a lot of us having to educate ourselves on what was going on and what we really needed to do. Building out our staff took a little bit of time, just in terms of that outreach, and I think one of the things that we really prioritized was keeping people from the previous administration

Students Protest Mike Pence Event

Former Vice President Mike Pence took cen ter stage to discuss the Biden-Harris administration’s performance, the role of youth in politics and the upcoming midterm elections amid a stu dent walkout and protest at an event in Gaston Hall.

A few days after GU Politics announced the event, students organized a meeting Oct. 15 to discuss ways to protest Pence’s visit. Led by Sanchi Rohira (SFS ’24) and Carrie McDonald (COL ’24), the group decided to organize a walkout in the middle of Pence’s speech and a subsequent protest outside of Healy Hall.

Full Disclosure: Rohira previously served as a staff writer, while

New Shelter Opens for Survivors Of Domestic Violence in DC

sexual violence.

Washington, D.C., opened a new domestic violence shelter that will provide sup port for survivors of domestic violence, offering counseling, individual case management and resources for finding supportive services.

The shelter, which opened Oct. 13 during the observa tion of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, is a col laborative effort of the office of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D), the D.C. Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) and My Sister’s Place (MSP), a District-based nonprofit that provides housing and leadership tools to domestic violence survi vors and their children. MSP opened the space with the help of a $4.5 million grant from OVSJG, aiming to serve

as a model on how to pro vide low-barrier services for domestic violence survivors.

The shelter contains six apartment units, some of which can accommodate large families and will assist domestic violence survivors by serving as a launching pad into transitional hous ing, allowing families to spend between three and six months at the shelter before moving, according to the press release.

Torisha Monroe, deputy director of MSP, said the

shelter will support District residents who are survivors of domestic abuse.

“The new shelter means that we have the support of the Mayor and city to address the rampant domestic vio lence in the District,” Monroe wrote to The Hoya. “Everyone has a potential to be at risk for domestic violence, but some populations are more at risk and have less access to resources. And that’s why we do that work we do.”

Around 4,000 women die each year from domestic vio lence, and women between the ages of 18 to 34 and wom en of color tend to be affect ed at higher rates.

In the United States, 35.6% of women and 28.5% of men will experience intimate partner physical violence, sexual violence, or stalking in their lifetimes. In D.C., rates are higher for women, with 39% of women and 25.5% of men in D.C. experi encing these forms of abuse.

Monroe said this proj ect and Domestic Violence Awareness Month will shed light on the importance of building healthy relation ships and a community of loved ones to fight the threat of domestic violence.

“I hope that people take from this month the impor tance of communication and healthy relationship building,” Monroe wrote. “Additionally, for those who

McDonald currently serves as Deputy Sports Editor for The Hoya.

The Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) and the Young America’s Foundation (YAF), a conservative youth organization, co-hosted the Oct. 19 event, titled “The Future of the Conservative Movement.” Executive director and founder of GU Politics Mo Elleithee (SFS ’94) moderated the event.

At the event, Pence praised Generation Z and said the students in the audience should work to uphold the foundations of freedom in the United States outlined in the Constitution.

“The truth is, what we need is a debate and a government as good as our people,” Pence said at the event. “I am confident

Photo of the Week

Washington, D.C., opened a new shelter for surrvivors of domestic violence Oct. 13 in time for Domestic Violence Awareness month, offering counseling and supportive services.

To Infinity and Beyond

After months of cloure because of ongoing renocations, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum reopened Oct. 14

New Dual Degree Introduced

The College and MSB launched a new joint degree program of International Business, Language and Culture.

OPINION

GUSA Executive Disappoints

The Editorial Board argues the GUSA Executive has not lived up to their promises eight months into their tenure.

Midterm Voting is Essential

Molly May (COL ’25) calls on Georgetown students to ensure they vote in the midterm elections Nov. 8.

GUIDE

SHELTER, A6

Mr. Georgetown Takes the Stage Jacob Livesay (COL ’23) won the title of Mr. Georgetown at the annual, all-male peagant.

Declan McKenna Falls Flat

The indie-rock artist disappointed fans with an unengaging stage presence Oct. 12 at D.C.’s 9:30 Club.

SPORTS

Domination Over Villanova In a down to the wire game, men’s soccer secured its 15th consective win over Big East rival Villanova.

Women’s Soccer Triumphs Women’s soccer increased their streak of shutout games to 11 with a close win over Big East rival Providence.

See PENCE, A6

ANTHONY PELTIER/THE HOYA

Around 50 students walked out in protest of former Vice President Mike Pence at his speech at an Oct. 19 event. Protesters then stood outside of Healy Hall with a banner that read “LGBTQ+, Reproductive Rights are Human Rights.”

The Hoya sat down with GUSA President Kole Wolfe (SFS ’24) and Vice-President Zeke Ume-Ukeje (COL ’24) to discuss the accomplishemnts and future plans.

See GUSA,

Eli Kales and Adora Zheng Senior News Editors

Karenna Warden Special to The Hoya

DCSAFE

ANTHONY PELTIER/THE HOYA

Photo of the Week: A climate activist protesting outside of the World Bank on October 14.

GUSA Executive Falls Flat

After starting their term with one of the more controversial executive elections in recent his tory, Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) President Kole Wolfe (SFS ’24) and Vice President Zeke Ume-Ukeje (COL ’24) have sailed through their term without rocking the boat. Or even affecting its course.

Despite concerns among students and the GUSA Senate about what their tenure would bring, the pair have upheld the duties of the positions to which they were elected. Yet for a candidacy that capitalized on bringing a new perspective to student government, the “fresh faces” of their campaign have failed to cre ate the sweeping changes they promised.

The Outsiders

Last fall, the previous administration failed to abolish GUSA, marking a low point for the organiza tion. When they announced their campaign in Janu ary, the Wolfe-Ume-Ukeje ticket felt like the death knell. Even The Hoya’s Editorial Board was highly skeptical about the future of the GUSA executive, choosing not to endorse any of the official tickets in last spring’s election cycle.

The duo’s election campaign was plagued by pub lic doubt, as they found themselves under fire for their lack of experience, along with allegations of un ethical campaign tactics that included exchanging alcohol for votes, which both Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje have denied. Their campaign positioned them as un derdogs by accusing the Elections Committee of be ing biased against their campaign, and their election led to a motion for impeachment from the Elections Commissions for campaign violation as well as calls to restructure the GUSA elections process.

Yet eight months later, GUSA has returned to business as usual, spearheaded by their presidency. The executives’ bombastic beginning has yielded lackluster results.

Their Impact

On election night, their campaign’s official Instagram account summarized their goals in three calls to action.

“Vote for us to: Improve communication & trans parency / Make clubs more navigable / Redirect funding for SNAP,” the post reads.

In this week’s interview with The Hoya, Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje did not mention Student Neigh borhood Assistance Program (SNAP) or clubs as a part of the work that they have accomplished thus far. With regard to communication, GUSA sent the semester’s first edition of its biweekly news letter, which typically contains updates on the or ganization’s advocacy efforts and involvement in campus affairs, only on October 13th.

Wolfe acknowledged that there is still space for improvement, explaining that he and Ume-Ukeje are limited in the amount of change they can actually create.

“There was so much sensationalist commentary surrounding our election or our ascendancy into this position, but at the end of the day, it really is just stu dent government,” Wolfe told The Hoya.

Still, Wolfe and Ume-Ujeke have set important changes in motion, showing their investment in re sponding to student needs. The pair told The Hoya that their biggest accomplishment so far has been improving food accessibility on campus. This semes ter, the pair advocated for extending the hours of Epi curean & Company, a campus dining location. Wolfe said that meetings with students showed the need for increased dining options on campus.

“A lot of conversations that we would have with students always circled back to the lack of available dining options on campus, especially late at night and during breaks,” Wolfe said.

In their response to these needs, Wolfe and Ume-

HOYA HISTORY

Waste-Watching

Amid all the past year’s hoopla about global warm ing and ozone-layer deple tion, the far less exotic “garbage crisis” has gone relatively unnoticed by both the press and the public.

The age-old problem of trash disposal will, however, soon attain immediate relevance to the lives of Georgetown University students following the implementation of a law mandating recycling in the District of Columbia. Although the separation of various trash materials for recycling purpos es might seem to be a tedious chore, environmental and eco nomic considerations point to recycling as the most viable

Ukeje said they pushed the university to allow stu dents to use meal swipes at the location, extend Epi’s hours, and keep the dining location open during university breaks. Ultimately, these efforts were suc cessful, but credit does not lie solely with the current administration: in fact, the pair’s predecessors in the GUSA executive passed a motion supporting the ex pansion of dining hours at the location.

The pair also highlighted other actions they have taken while in office that followed through on their campaign promises, such as their representation of student opposition to the mask mandates in certain common areas. Ume-Ukeje also noted his service on the Reconciliation Fund Awards Com mittee, which works to allocate funding related to the university response to the GU272 referendum. A university spokesperson did not comment on the role the two played in the administration’s deci sion-making process.

For the future, Wolfe and Ume-Ukeje discussed their interest in providing students with free ac cess to newspaper subscriptions under the col legiate readership program and their ongoing efforts to create, in collaboration with student senators, a GUSA statistics agency to measure and track student sentiment.

Brought Back to Reality

While their accomplishments are commendable improvements for the campus community and their plans for the future would build positively on these contributions, the pair’s lack of GUSA experience caused the realization that the realities of their jobs did not match their expectations.

“During our campaign, we had some ambi tious proposals, but I think a lot of what we re alized was that our position doesn’t necessarily always grant us direct power to get things done,” Ume-Ukeje told The Hoya.

To help them transition to GUSA smoothly, the pair decided to retain most of the staff from the previ ous GUSA administration.

“I feel like we just sort of had the mentality of ‘We’re gonna try to get everyone that really wants to do the work to stay on board and to continue to be involved,’ and try to build good relationships from that,” Wolfe said.

They also affirm that they do not want to pursue a third attempt at holding a referendum to restructure GUSA, despite their stated commitment to intro duce similar legislation this semester. Their reason ing for initially supporting the referendum was to combat inefficiency in the Senate, which they say manifested itself in the form of infighting. But Wolfe said since their term began, the atmosphere in the GUSA Senate has improved considerably, limiting the need for a restructuring.

“I think originally the goal of the restructure was to make the atmosphere a better place and something that more younger people wanted to be a part of, to sort of get participation and over all perception of GUSA out of the gutter. So as of right now, I don’t really see any reason to recon tinue those efforts,” Wolfe said.

Thus, despite the heightened controversy that surrounded their ascension to office, the WolfeUme-Ukeje administration continues to perpetu ate GUSA’s inefficiencies. Despite some important contributions, the pair’s lack of experience is evident as their plans for sweeping change fizzled out into tedium when going through the existing motions of coordinating students’ needs, the university admin istration and Senate proceedings.

The Hoya’s editorial board is composed of six students and is chaired by the opinion editors. Editorials reflect only the beliefs of a majority of the board and are not represen tative of The Hoya or any individual member of the board.

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE “

Plan on voting wherever makes the most sense for you, whether that’s where you feel more established or where your vote will have the most impact. The out comes of district-wide elections depend on every single vote, and your voice can contribute to maintaining or flipping the seats that represent your community.”

Molly May (COL ’25) “Transform Voting Patterns” thehoya.com

DEEP DIVE

Barriers to Accessible Voting

This week, we are diving deeper into Molly May’s (COL ’25) viewpoint on the importance of voting in this year’s midterm elections. One particular point of interest is the consistently low level of turnout among younger voters compared to that of older generations. While younger voter turnout has increased slightly in recent years, with just over 50% of young Americans voting in the 2020 presidential election (compared to 43.6% in 2016), there is still a historical pattern of young people voting less frequently than their older counterparts. Political scientist Eric Plutzer identifies the concept of “habitual voting” as a possible expla nation. That is, young people have not had as many years or as many opportunities to develop a habit of voting as older demographics. A survey conducted by FiveThirtyEight also discovered that young voters are at a higher risk of facing voting barriers such as miss ing voter registration deadlines or not receiving their absentee ballots in time to vote while away at college.

College classes may also serve as a barrier to the

youth vote, as many universities refuse to cancel classes in favor of eliciting action on election day despite student movements throughout the na tion calling on universities to do so. There are oth er more substantial limitations to voter turnout, though, caused by systemic inequities in voting access for marginalized communities. Long waits in polling lines, for example, have plagued col lege communities and marginalized populations alike as a growing number of polling stations shut down in recent years. Thus, for students, voting is almost a luxury: it requires that they have the free time to access polls.

May’s exploration of the youth vote and its importance in the upcoming election calls on the members of the Georgetown community to exercise their right to vote and change history. Georgetown students can be part of a movement that ends a unhappy tradition of low turnout among young voters.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Rosy Lin

solution to the ever-worsening garbage situation.

The legislative trend in favor of recycling results from the failure of “quick fix” alternatives that were pursued in the past decade. Ten years ago, 90% of the nation’s trash was dumped into landfills. As awareness increased about the health and ecological dan gers posed by this method, at tempts were made to render these facilities more “sanitary.”

The inefficacy of these efforts quickly became ob vious, however, and incin eration was chosen as an alternative method. By the mid-1980’s, every state and city government had decid

ed to burn between 60 and 80% of its garbage. To date, construction has begun on 50 of 200 planned incinera tor sites, including one in nearby Lorton, Va.

Unfortunately, regional incineration has simply re placed landfilling as an envi ronmental evil. The charred remains of the garbage still have to be interred in land fills, and is often as toxic as unprocessed waste. Recogni tion of this fact led legisla tors to reconsider recycling, which had been relegated to a minor role as a disposal al ternative.

Hoya Staff Writer

Jared

Founded

Bronicki,

Eli Kales, News Editor

Adora Zheng, News Editor

Laetitia Haddad, Features Editor

Sydney Raymond, Features

Clayton Kincade, Guide Editor

Ishaan Rai, Guide Editor

Laura Kapp, Opinion Editor

Khushi Vora, Opinion Editor

Saar Shah, Sports Editor

Rushil Vashee, Sports Editor

Timothy Goh, Design Editor

GENERAL INFORMATION

The

the exception of holiday and exam periods. Address all correspondence to:

The Hoya Georgetown University Box 571065 Washington, D.C. 20057-1065

The writing, articles, pictures, layout and format are the responsibility of The Hoya and do not necessarily repre sent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University.

Signed columns and cartoons represent the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the edito rial position of The Hoya Unsigned essays that appear on the left side of the edito rial page are the opinion of the majority of the editorial board.

Georgetown University subscribes to the principle of re sponsible freedom of expression for student editors.

The Hoya does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, color, national or ethnic origin.

© 1920-2022.

The Hoya, Georgetown University weekly. No part of this publication may be used without the permission of The Hoya Board of Editors. All rights reserved. The Hoya is available free of charge, one copy per reader, at distribution sites on and around the Georgetown University campus.

Email: editor@thehoya.com Online at www.thehoya.com Circulation: 3,000

Jimin Lee, Design Editor

Miranda Xiong, Photography Editor

Bay Dotson, Copy Chief

Naomi Greenberg, Copy Chief

Mary Clare Marshall, Social Media Editor

Emily Mundt, Blog Editor

Valerie Blinder, Multimedia

Novoa,

Board of Directors

Katie Hawkinson, Editor in Chief

Patrick De Meulder, Director of Financial Operations Lizzie Quinlivan, Technology Director

Aditya Gupte, General Manager

Students Must Unite To End Gun Violence

Sean Moran Columnist

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

Iremember the day of the San dy Hook shooting clearly. I was eight years old, it was a cold December day, and I was looking forward to Christmas. That frag ile joy shattered when I learned an individual armed with an au tomatic weapon took the lives of six teachers and 20 children — all around the same age as me.

Former President Barack Obama spoke after the tragedy promising Americans change, like an assault weapons ban, but significant legislation never made it past the Senate. Since Sandy Hook, mass shootings have increased and our legislation has not changed. After these tragedies, lawmakers say “we give our thoughts and prayers,” and while legislation gets introduced, stark political divisions prevent any real change from happening.

Sandy Hook, Columbine, Pulse, Las Vegas, Parkland, Buffalo and most recently, Uvalde: tens of thousands of people die each year because of senseless gun violence in the United States caused by the proliferation, sale and reckless use of guns. Despite this violence, according to a June 2022 Gallup poll, 66% of Americans believe there should be stricter gun control laws with only 11% calling for no change.

I am left to wonder why gun violence continues to polarize our leaders in Washington, D.C., as well as in local and state governments across the nation, even after the deaths of children and thousands of others because of gun violence. Through all these events, Democrats and Republicans in Congress have found no solution to aid their constituents. It is painfully clear that the majority of Americans want stricter gun control laws and Congress needs to heed their calls for reform and act. Our responsibility as the Georgetown community is to advocate and push initiatives on the ground, motivating Congress to enact reforms to prevent gun violence.

Automatic weapons do not belong in any household in the United States. It doesn’t matter if you are ex-military, former law enforcement or just an avid gun lover — you never need a weapon of mass destruction.

Over three months ago, the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School led to the deaths of 19 children and two teachers. In a speech following the shooting, Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) emotionally called for a bipartisan bill, “I beg to my colleagues, work with us to find a way to pass laws.” Both sides were able to reach an agreement on a gun reform bill, .

The proposed bill, which was co-authored by 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans, supports red flag laws (the temporary removal of firearms), background checks for those under the age of 21, and increased funds for school safety training. It was signed into law, ending a period of failed legislation. This is a good first step for creating permanent change, but we need to guarantee a higher degree of security.

The Georgetown community has to come together to make lasting change in our community and country. As Georgetown students, it is a privilege to live and study in such close proximity to the U.S. Capitol. This privilege needs to be exercised as a means to solve the issue of gun violence. As a community, we need to go to Capitol Hill and let our Congress members know that change is needed now.

We have to call, send letters, protest and use any means necessary to have our voices heard. Georgetown has the influence to fight for change in regards to gun control whether through education or conversations on gun policy.

Georgetown has the power to hold a round table hosted by GU Politics, which could include survivors of gun violence, gun reform advocacy groups, lawmakers, law enforcement and the student body. Gun violence affects us all and we are all in this fight together to make our community and nation a safer place.

Sean Moran is a freshman in the College. His column Rejecting Polarization appears online and in print every third week.

ILLUSTRATION BY: NATASHA LEONG/THE HOYA

Stop Perpetuating Legacy Admissions

When I chose to attend Georgetown Univer sity, I was most ex cited about the variety of per spectives I would engage with on a campus in a huge met ropolitan area. Coming from Stowe, Vt., a very white and so cioeconomically advantaged area, I had not experienced much socioeconomic, racial and ethnic diversity. However, upon my arrival to campus, I found striking parallels to my hometown. I believe the lack of socioeconomic, racial and ethnic diversity at George town is partly a result of the university’s practice of pref erential legacy admissions, which creates an unhealthy community of exclusivity that should not be on a college campus. If preferential legacy admission were no longer used, I believe Georgetown would be much more diverse.

Preferential legacy admissions is the practice of favoring applicants who have familial connections to the university. According to an article published by the American Civil Liberties Union, preferential legacy admissions started on the basis of exclusion. Colleges were worried about the increase in Jewish immigrants enrolling in elite academic institutions and, in response, created a system of legacy preference that would minimize Jewish enrollment.

Preferential

legacy admissions continue to amplify preference toward wealthy white applicants, so it is clear this system has a detrimental effect on diverse enrollment.

At Georgetown, an astonishing 21% of students come from the top 1% of median family income, and 74% of students come from the top 20%, while just 3.1% of students are from the bottom 20%. We can conclude from these statistics that Georgetown’s student population is disproportionately wealthy, excluding students in lower income brackets from accessing a Georgetown education. Preferential legacy admissions only perpetuates this exclusion because when admissions officers give preference to students who have relatives that attended Georgetown, these students predominantly come from higher income families, so their preferential treatment prevents the percentage of students in the bottom 20% from growing substantially, thus perpetuating socioeconomic exclusion.

In the past, many of the arguments for preferential legacy admissions have been that the practice creates community. In a March 2015 article in The Hoya, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Charles Deacon (CAS ’64, GRD ’69) said preferential legacy

admissions continues family tradition and is good for the environment of Georgetown.

The community Deacon refers to is a homogenous community in which there is grave socioeconomic, racial and ethnic exclusion, and that is not the type of community that belongs in a campus providing higher education. Campus communities should foster diversity and inclusion, which cannot truly occur while preferential legacy admission still contributes to the acceptance of around 9% of the student body.

Although I recognize a college community is strong when there are familial connections between graduates and current students, this argument does not take into consideration the importance of making universities accessible to different demographics.

Creating a community in which family tradition is continued should not be a concern of the admissions office, as its job is to admit students who have earned their place in the incoming class and will make our campus community more inclusive and diverse.

No current student who was admitted with a boost from legacy status should feel a sense of guilt or imposter syndrome. There is no question that students who benefit from legacy preference are often highly qualified themselves.

However, I still insist that, for future classes, legacy should not be considered so all applicants begin on a more equal playing field.

At Georgetown’s traditional first-year convocation, the new students walk through a tunnel of graduates. I noticed during my convocation that many of the graduates had a badge that said “Hoya Parent” in big lettering. I also noticed that most of them were white and wearing designer brands. I wondered how that tunnel of graduates, as well as the students walking through it, would change if Georgetown did not practice preferential legacy admissions. Johns Hopkins University has ended its practice of preferential legacy admissions and the school has reported that the reform “has resulted in a diverse student body with high academic abilities.”

Not considering legacy status in admissions decisions would make available more spots for students from a wider variety of racial, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. In the decision between diversity and legacy, the correct choice is diversity. There is no doubt in my mind that getting rid of preferential legacy admission would foster a more diverse and open community.

Alaena Hunt is a freshman in the College.

Transform Voting PatternsReshape College Admissions

Dylan Partner Columnist

T here are a million ways to do college admissions right, it seems. There are those who are traditionalists, fa voring an emphasis on long-used measures of achievement and capability like standardized test scores and GPAs. There are those who hope that a constellation of essays and interviews can reveal an aspiring student’s quality. And then there are those who aspire to cast the whole gambit aside as a relic of a discriminatory past.

Most of the time, however, the admissions departments of selective colleges shy away from closely detailing what they’re looking for in applicants, and are more apt to emphatically use the word “holistic” to refer to their review process, like Harvard, Yale and Brown, to name a few.

Frankly, the Georgetown Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ statement that “a candidate’s academic performance is the most important criteria under consideration” is unusually straightforward for a competitive university.

I am well aware that I am addressing an audience already familiar with the grueling realities of applying to selective colleges. The college admissions process as it is currently structured can be emotionally draining and perplexing to navigate. But there are many painful things that we must endure out of necessity, whether they’re for building our resilience or strengthening our society. The path to take is unclear, but perhaps we can find a solution in the work of Harvard political philosopher Michael

Sandel. His proposal is quite radical: Change the admissions process at selective universities so they simply accept a random selection of applicants above a certain threshold of qualification.

Sandel has written a number of well-received books that have brought philosophy to a wide audience. The most recent of his books is “The Tyranny of Merit,” which provides a wide-ranging critique of the deleterious effects of meritocracy on our society.

Sandel does not oppose the obvious advantages of sorting people according to their ability. Instead, he more carefully targets the psychological and political repercussions of constructing a society where ability is viewed as tantamount to virtue. The most conspicuous competition for merit in American society is the college admissions process, and he comes at it with a veritable battle ax.

Sandel quotes a longtime member of the Yale admissions committee, who said in 1960, “You sometimes have the nasty feeling that you could take all the thousands of [applications] … and you could throw them down the stairs, pick up any thousand, and produce as good a class as the one that will come out of the committee meeting.” Sandel suggests that colleges remove only those who are unlikely to contribute to or fully embrace the college experience, leaving as much as three-quarters of the Stanford applicant pool, for example, open for random selection.

I have my disagreements with Sandel’s solution: I think that it is worthwhile to create universities that concentrate top talent, so more rigorous thresholds might be warranted. Additionally, placing emphasis on making the selection procedure both quantifiable and transparent

would be important to build trust between admissions committees and applicants.

A 2017 study found that 74% of Georgetown students came from families in the top 20% of incomes nationally, with over one in five students coming from the top 1% alone. This is by no means an anomaly among selective elite universities. Random selection would serve to break up the cartels of talent and capital that concentrate at the most privileged institutions, which inevitably leads to equally concentrated groups inhabiting the halls of power after graduation. This solution would necessitate finding an optimal threshold level that would create an upper tier of institutions whose pupils are exceptional but not overly so. While large inequalities in institutional wealth and prestige would not go anywhere just yet, new students who come from wealth or are destined to find it will spread their benefaction more broadly.

There would also be other positive consequences: random selection would reduce the stress of applicants who spend countless dollars and hours attempting to mold themselves into the perfect applicant.

I don’t doubt that Sandel’s proposal would be a hefty burden to undertake, if it could even get past the concerted opposition of those who have an interest in keeping the current system as it is. But that is precisely why it is so important for those who are already in the system to press for change. It’s time for us at Georgetown, and at selective colleges across the United States, to consider Sandel’s proposal.

Dylan Partner is a sophomore in the College. Scrutinizing Structures is published every other week.

Young people historically turn out to vote at abysmal rates, yet their voices are critical. In an electoral system that makes voting inaccessible and onerous, college students — many of whom are voting for the first time and living far from their home state — must jump through additional hoops to determine where and how to cast a ballot. As the midterm elections approach, it is vital that college students put in an effort to make their voices heard in elections across the nation.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 35 Senate seats and hundreds of local positions are up for grabs Nov. 8. These elected officials will be making decisions on reproductive rights, voting regulations and democratic values over the next several years. Generation Z will be most affected by the consequences of these policies — not our parents or grandparents — so it is crucial that we exercise our right to vote.

Young voters can shape electoral outcomes. From the 2014 to the 2018 midterms, turnout among 18- to 24-yearolds nearly doubled from 16% to 30% of eligible voters. This record-breaking turnout helped elect representatives across the nation that reflected young people’s values. Gen Z maintained its voting stamina in 2020, turning out at record levels and securing President Joe Biden’s win. Halfway through the Biden presidency, it is essential that young voters maintain this energy and dedication to the electoral process.

Political campaigns often focus their outreach efforts on the most likely voters, typically older generations who are more established in their communities and political ideologies. As college

students, we are constantly moving around, adjusting our opinions and learning more about the electoral process. Students often have unanswered questions about the voting process that result in some of the main logistical barriers to voting.

There are a few fundamental steps that college students must understand in order to vote. Firstly, college students have the ability to register to vote with either their home address or school address. Plan on voting wherever makes the most sense for you, whether that’s where you feel more established or where your vote will have the most impact.

The outcomes of district-wide elections depend on every single vote, and your voice can contribute to maintaining or flipping the seats that represent your community.

Next, determine whether you plan to vote absentee by requesting a mail-in ballot.

Every state has different deadlines and requirements, so educate yourself on your state’s regulations beforehand. Finally, preview your ballot so you can make informed decisions on the candidates.

Down-ballot elections for local positions such as school board and state assembly are often overlooked, but these positions will have the most immediate impact on your local community.

If you’re feeling frustrated with the system, know that your vote can elect officials who are working toward voter accessibility. Students disproportionately face voting barriers caused by ID requirements and proof of residency, which discourage many students from engaging with the process. Use your vote to elect candidates who will make it

easier for you to vote.

In an era of misinformation about election integrity and ballot security, our democracy depends upon faith in the electoral system. Despite claims from certain media outlets and conspiracy organizations, both in-person and mail ballots are securely counted and processed. There have not been any serious concerns of voter fraud or voter impersonation in any U.S. elections. Exercising the right to vote is one of the most effective and secure ways to ensure that future policies represent your voice and opinions.

Many people feel justified in sitting out midterm elections because the president is not on the ballot. However, because of lower midterm turnout rates and the composition of midterm ballots, these elections are arguably even more important. Unlike the electoral vote count used in presidential elections, the popular vote count utilized in the midterms ensures that everyone’s vote has equal weight. Local positions and ballot initiatives are sometimes decided by just a few hundred votes and will directly impact your community. These decisions influence your school systems, local infrastructure and community equity projects.

Don’t sit out this year’s midterms. Voting can be daunting, confusing and inconvenient for all of us. Even though young people tend to turn out at lower rates, Gen Z has busted this stereotype time and time again by showing up to the polls. Beat the system by planning to vote in this year’s midterms on November 8.

Molly May is a sophomore in the College.

VIEWPOINT • HUNT

Disability Studies: Cultivating An Inclusive Campus Community

Through a selection of multidisciplinary courses, the program prompts students to reconsider the way they view disability and accessibility in the world and in their own lives.

Anna Kummelstedt and Neala Sweeney Special to The Hoya

On Oct. 13, disability studies took cen ter stage in Red Square at Ramping Up for Access, an event hosted by the Disability Cultural Initiative.

Amy Kenny, inaugural direc tor of the initiative, remarks that this event allowed the George town University community to learn about how to foster inclu sive accessibility.

“We know that creating a culture of access takes all of us, and the event encourages folks to participate in building a Lego ramp together, and practicing concrete ways we can all make our world a little more accessi ble,” Kenny wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I might even use the ramp once it’s built!”

Kenny joined the university Aug. 22 and has been tasked with establishing a campus Disability Cultural Center, which will coor dinate programming for disabled members of the Georgetown community as well as those in terested in learning more about disability studies.

“This is an exciting time for Georgetown to launch this initia tive, and become a leader in build ing a fully-fledged Disability Cul tural Center,” Kenny wrote.

Another Ramping Up for Access will be held on Oct. 27, representing a wider cam pus push to integrate disabil ity studies into academic and extracurricular spaces.

The disability studies minor en gages students and faculty mem bers in self-reflection. Through a selection of multidisciplinary courses, the program prompts them to reconsider the way they view disability and accessibility in the world and in their own lives.

Changing Perspectives

The disability studies minor program started in Fall 2017 fol lowing three years of advocacy from the Disability Studies Minor Working Group, an ad hoc faculty group established by professor Libbie Rifkin in 2013.

Students were also involved in efforts to include disabilities studies in academic offerings.

In 2016, the Georgetown Uni versity Student Association (GUSA) wrote a petition asking the university to create a dis ability studies program.

Long notes that a goal of the minor is to reshape the models we use to view disabilities.

“The traditional sort of model, the medical model, the deficit model, whatever you want to call it, often takes a very objective view of disability as a description,” Long said. “And that has impairments that have to be provided by some sort of intervention or a treatment so that the person does not have that impairment anymore.”

This model stigmatizes and creates a preconceived notion of how individuals with disabili ties function in society, accord ing to Long.

“Disability studies takes a very different kind of approach in which, yes, we really feel that people do have impairments that

perhaps interfere with their quali ty of life, that perhaps with certain interventions can be improved upon,” Long said. “But the disabil ity itself is not the reason for their poor quality of life.”

According to Long, determi nants of a poor quality of life stem from physical access policies and society’s awareness of disabilities.

The structure of society makes life more difficult for a person with a disability, not the disability itself.

Beyond engaging in disability

1998, there were usually only one or two very visible members of the community who identified as disabled.

“We didn’t see that very of ten,” Önder said in an inter view with The Hoya. “People would either be hiding any di agnosis that they had, or they wouldn’t come to college.”

Önder said she believes attitudes toward disabled people and the study of dis ability in academia have be come more affirming in the Georgetown community.

Madeleine Gibbons-Shap iro (COL ’21), a recent gradu ate and disability studies minor, said she had never heard of disability studies before enrolling at George town. She became interested in the field after enrolling in Rifkin’s Ignatius Seminar on “Disability, Culture and Question of Care” during her first year.

back from that and remembering that I’m okay, that it’s okay for me to have bad days and good days in this fluctuating world, that I can advocate for myself and my needs, even when the structure of like a job might not be imme diately accommodating to those needs and things of that sort, I think, have been influenced by the disability studies minor,” Gibbons-Shapiro said.

Esther Kang (COL ’23), said that her time as a disability stud ies minor taught her not to put too much pressure on herself.

“I think a big one really is that you are sufficient as you are to day and tomorrow,” Kang said in an interview with The Hoya. “I feel like that gets lost really eas ily in hustle culture where it’s all about reaching a certain desti nation or self-improvement.”

History of the Disability Studies Minor

Beyond engaging in disability studies through courses, the program also coordinates events that bring disability activists, performers, artists and fashion designers to Georgetown each semester.

studies through class enrollment, the program also puts together a list of events that bring disability activists, performers, artists and fashion designers to Georgetown each semester.

One standout event was when Alice Sheppard, a wheelchair and crutch-using dancer and chore ographer, performed in the Davis Center in 2016.

Sheppard’s dance deconstruct ed ableist stereotypes and pre sumptions that a physically dis abled person’s performance could not be as beautiful and rousing as someone without a disability, ac cording to professor Sylvia Önder.

“Her performance was just gorgeous and incredibly ath letic and very pointed,” Önder said. “She was probing the audi ence’s preconceptions.”

Fostering Personal Growth

Faculty members and George town University graduates associated with the Disabil ity Studies Working Group at Georgetown spoke to The Hoya about the changing attitudes toward disabilities at the univer sity over recent decades.

Toby Long, a professor of pe diatrics in the Georgetown Uni versity School of Medicine and a founding faculty member of the Disability Studies Working Group, said that disability is more ac cepted and apparent on campus today compared to when she first arrived on campus in 1980.

“I think the biggest change is just the plain recognition on campus that people do have disabilities and students at Georgetown have disabilities,” Long said. “I cannot imagine 40 years ago that there were many students, if they did have a dis ability, who would ever admit it.”

When Önder, a member of the Disability Studies Working Group, arrived at Georgetown in

“It challenged my thinking and my worldview in a way that my other classes hadn’t been do ing at the time,” Gibbons-Shapiro said in an interview with The Hoya. “I also really liked how in terdisciplinary it was. We would be reading a novel one week, and then we’re reading theory the next week, and we’re watching a movie, and looking at it from all different angles.”

Given that disability stud ies is a program rather than a department, all the elec tives for the minor fall into different departments, mak ing it an inherently interdis ciplinary minor.

The minor requires students to take five classes: three disabil ity studies core classes and two electives that engage with disabil ity studies in some way. The core classes offered include Disability and Culture, Feminist Disability Studies and Genomics, and Dis ability and Health.

Nicholaus Hodge (COL ’23), who is minoring in disability studies and currently enrolled in Önder’s “Disability & Culture” class, said the classes resonated with him.

“I don’t think I have taken many classes in other depart ments that seem as salient to to day’s world as the classes I have taken for the disability studies minor,” Nicholaus said in an in terview with The Hoya

Gibbons-Shapiro said that her time as a disability stud ies minor taught her the value of approaching interpersonal relationships with empathy.

“You really never know exactly what another person’s health or disability or mental state is unless they choose to disclose that with you,” Gibbons-Shapiro said. “We can all benefit from having that kind of gentleness and empathy, that we would hope to extend to ourselves, to other people as well.”

According to Gibbons-Shapiro, minoring in disability studies al lowed her to treat herself with kindness during the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think that taking a step

Rifkin, a professor in the Eng lish department and one of the founders of the disability studies program, said she became inter ested in disability studies when her son, who is now 19, was born with cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is an intellectual disability caused by abnormal brain development, or damage to the developing brain, that affects the ability to move, balance and maintain posture.

Rifkin’s personal relation ship with disability through her son prompted her to be come involved in teaching about disability studies topics.

“I got very interested in our ex perience as a family and his ex perience in the question of what kinds of communities there were out there for us,” Rifkin said in an interview with The Hoya. “I pretty much introduced myself to a new field starting in about 2008 by teaching it.”

Rifkin designed a first-year writing class that emphasizes disability studies called “Dis courses of Disability.” The course featured poetry in American Sign Language, texts by disabled writers, and an analysis of the foundations of the disability rights movement. In 2014, she

helped design an English elec tive course called “Introduction to Disability Studies.”

Rifkin now serves as a special adviser for disability to the vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion and the associate director for Georgetown’s pro gram in Disability Studies.

Rifkin discovered that fellow colleagues across academic de partments were also working to include disability studies topics in course curricula.

“I began to meet colleagues at Georgetown in Nursing and Health Sciences, interestingly, in theater and performance studies, in theology and religious studies and in anthropology, who were also centering courses that they were teaching around disability experience,” Rifkin said.

Upon discovering that other faculty at Georgetown had a vested interest in disability stud ies, Rifkin realized her next step was to develop a structured cur riculum for disability studies.

Rifkin said she worked with faculty and the Red House, a Georgetown organization that helps to develop and fund inter disciplinary courses on campus, in 2014 to develop a disability studies course cluster.

The cluster was composed of three courses: “Introduction to Disability Studies,” “Disability and Culture” and “Disability and Religion,” which also included various events and speakers to augment course material, accord ing to Rifkin.

After its approval in 2017 by the executive committee of the College, the Disability Studies minor and its faculty now en gage students in critical analy sis of social power in the social sciences, health sciences and in the humanities.

The Future of Disability Studies at Georgetown

Following the successful im plementation of and students’ vast interest in the disability stud ies minor, professors are investi gating the possibility of creating a disability studies major.

Additionally, Kenny’s recent

appointment has been received with excitement on campus, ac cording to Long.

“She’s only been on campus a month and she is really en gaged with so many different student groups, so many differ ent departments and has just really extended herself out to the whole Georgetown community,” Long said. “I think that she will make a really big difference and an impression on the whole community over the next year. I’m anticipating seeing great things from her and the Disabil ity Cultural Center.”

While her time on campus has been rewarding thus far, Kenny also understands that George town has a long way to go in terms of physical accessibility.

“Personally I’ve found that navigating a built environment can be tricky using a mobility scooter, but it is also a challenge when people assume disabled people are not capable of contrib uting to the communities we are in,” wrote Dr. Kenny. “Disalbed folks have wisdom to share with the community, and I hope to invite people to share in that wis dom. Everyone can play a role in making our campus community more inclusive for disabled stu dents, faculty, and staff.”

The disability studies program has also just introduced the 2023 Disability Studies Learning and Practice Fellowship. The theme this year is mental health and disability justice. The fellowship gives students the opportunity to do research regarding different ways to benefit and support the disabiled community.

Kenny remarks that positive feedback from the community so far continues to inspire her trans formative work.

“My favorite part of this work has been learning about all of the wonderful work that folks are al ready doing on campus around disability culture and pride,” Ken ny wrote. “Students are engaged and passionate about supporting disbaled community members, and there is a vibrant community from every corner of campus who are invested in this work.”

ILLUSTRATION BY: JASMINE CRIQUI/THE HOYA

“It challenged my thinking and my worldview in a way that my other classes hadn’t been doing at the time. ”

MADELEINE GIBBONS-SHAPIRO DISABILITY STUDIES STUDENT

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

The Georgetown community engaged with disability studies and accessibility advocacy in Red Square at an Oct. 13 event hosted by the Disability Cultural Initiative.

VERBATIM

INSIDE THE ISSUE

New Director Leads Journalism Program into 2nd Decade at GU

Georgetown University’s jour nalism program is celebrating its 10-year anniversary under the leadership of a new director dedi cated to experiential learning.

Rebecca Sinderbrand (COL ’99), who became director of the program this fall, will lead the program into its second decade with a relaunch of its website, an annual journalism conference, a new alumni advisory panel and new academic courses. Sinder brand took leadership of the pro gram after years of work in the journalism field, most recently as senior Washington editor for NBC News.

Prior to her role at NBC, Sinder brand held editorial positions at The Washington Post, Politico and CNN. Sinderbrand previ ously served as a fellow for the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service in the Fall 2016 semester. While at Georgetown, Sinderbrand served as deputy news editor for The Hoya, working alongside other Hoya staff including current New York Times reporter Clay Risen and ABC News correspondent Karen Travers.

As Sinderbrand implements new additions to the journalism program this year, she said her overarching goal will be to ensure that any student who wishes to pursue a career in journalism has the resources to do so.

“In every decision that this program makes, that will re main the core priority: making sure that students never feel as though there are barriers that their talent and their inter est and their motivation can’t overcome with our assistance,” Sinderbrand told The Hoya Sinderbrand said her shortterm goals for the program in clude hosting on-campus events with successful journalists with whom she has connections

from her time in the industry, strengthening career-based programming and hiring new adjunct professors who have worked for major news outlets.

Sinderbrand said she missed these opportunities during her time as a Georgetown undergrad uate when there was no journal ism program.

“We have a really just amazing opportunity to provide our stu dents with a set of experiences and the type of connections that they really wouldn’t necessar ily be able to get anywhere else,”

Sinderbrand said. “And that for me is a priority, particularly again as someone who came to Georgetown and did not know a single person in journalism and couldn’t even conceive of it as a profession.”

Sinderbrand said developing experiential learning, which she defines as opportunities both inside and outside the classroom, will drive her decision-making process as she leads the program.

She hopes to bring students to newsrooms, the White House press room and Capitol Hill to help students form connections with top journalists.

“We want to raise awareness of that, but also create this commu nity where we have alumni who are kind of reaching back to the next generation of Georgetown journalists and helping to launch them and giving them their start and showing them the ropes,” Sinderbrand said.

Sinderbrand said the program will be relaunching its website this spring as part of its 10-year anniversary celebration, with the updated website featuring new digital content like inter views with alumni and Barbara Todd, the founder of George town’s journalism program.

Todd served as director of the journalism program until 2017, after which Georgetown named Los Angeles Times reporter Doyle McManus as director.

Sinderbrand has brought her many connections from the journalism world to the Hilltop, according to professor Ann Oldenburg, who serves as assistant director of the jour nalism program.

Oldenburg said Sinderbrand has already helped the program organize events with Mark Leibo vich from The Atlantic, news radio host Ira Glass from “This Ameri can Life” and Capitol Hill reporter Ali Vitali from NBC News.

“It’s really exciting,” Olden burg told The Hoya. “Rebecca is bringing so much energy and so many great ideas and so many connections, so many plans. She really sees a great future for the program, and that’s exactly what the program has needed.”

Quentin Fidance (SFS ’24), who is pursuing a minor in journal ism, said the journalism program provides students with opportu nities to explore their interests in politics and economics through a different lens.

“When you think of George town, you think of those future politicians and world leaders. Those high rising executives and social leaders,” Fidance wrote to The Hoya. “But there is an un tapped potential for covering the news. Students hold politics, so cial affairs, and the economy with such high regard, and the journal ism minor provides a new op portunity to express those views outside of working on Capitol Hill or a consulting firm.”

Oldenburg said the journalism program aims to expand in size, and she expects that the speakers Sinderbrand brings to campus will encourage more students to explore the field of journalism.

“I think Rebecca’s plans will perhaps excite people to want to go into journalism more, because we will have a lot of people here talking about how important it is and people who’ve done great work and are doing great work,” Oldenburg said.

Lucile Malone (GRD ‘24), on educating herself on the treatment of women in Afghanistan. Story on A9.

New Joint Degree Program Focuses On Link Between Business, Culture

Julia Butler Special to The Hoya

Georgetown College and the McDonough School of Business (MSB) launched a new joint Bachelor of Science in International Business, Language and Culture (IBLC).

The joint degree program, which was formally approved in April, was announced Oct. 11 and is now available to stu dents. The IBLC program fo cuses on the intersection be tween business and culture, borrowing coursework from both the MSB’s program in international business and the College’s faculty of lan guage and linguistics.

Students can apply to the joint degree program at the end of their first year at Georgetown, beginning with the class of 2026 and beyond. Students from both the MSB and College are eligible to attain the degree, which is managed by a collaborative committee with members from both schools.

The program is comprised of a total of around 120 cred its, with 30 to 36 credits in the modified international business curriculum and 24 to 40 credits in the language and culture curriculum. Given the rigorous require ments, students will not be allowed to pursue a second major in another field. The degree also includes 30 to 36 credits of integrated core classes as well as a culminat ing capstone course.

According to Tad Howard, Georgetown College chief of staff and associate dean, the program was inspired by the desire to explore the crossover between business and language.

“Our thinking started with the longstanding collabora tions between the College’s language departments and

the MSB, which provided lan guage majors opportunities to complete formal business programs,” Howard wrote to The Hoya. “We wanted to build on that history to cre ate something even more in tegrated and immersive.”

Donatella Melucci, who will serve as faculty co-direc tor of the IBLC joint degree program on the College side, said the program will impor tantly allow business stu dents to become confident in their foreign language skills and be able to conduct busi nesses across the globe.

“We are trying to provide the kind of integrative educa tion in language and business so students learning the lan guage and being familiar with the customs of each country, and therefore, the culture, would be more competent,” Melucci said to The Hoya

According to John Cui, who will serve as faculty codirector of the program on the MSB side, the program represents a joint effort on behalf of the College and the MSB to provide Georgetown students with opportunities that reflect the university’s educational mission.

“Both schools have put a lot of thought and a lot of effort into developing this program,” Cui told The Hoya “Georgetown students are awesome, and we want to di versify the opportunities that we have for them.”

The newly launched IBLC program reflects George town’s continued emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, becoming the school’s second business-focused joint degree program, following the cre ation of the Bachelor of Sci ence in Business and Global Affairs (BSBGA) joint degree program with the School of Foreign Service (SFS) in

2019, which was created to meet the desire for programs that bridge the gap between schools at Georgetown.

IBLC differentiates itself from the MSB’s business pro grams because of its empha sis on language and culture, Howard said.

“That emphasis is not just about the number of lan guage courses, but the way those courses and the Core curriculum itself are inter

TAD HOWARD GEORGETOWN COLLEGE CHIEF OF STAFF AND ASSOCIATE DEAN

woven with the business cur riculum,” Howard said. “The result, we expect, is a rigor ous and rewarding degree that emphasizes the human istic and cultural dimensions of business decisions, and the importance of linguistic competency in the business sector overall.”

The program will allow the university to empower stu dents to take their skills in language and business into the world, Cui said.

“We want to invest in stu dents,” Cui said. “We want them to be able to learn these concepts in the intersection of business language and culture but also be able to practice these concepts and to help create a better world.”

Medical Students Connect Refugees to US Healthcare Services

Sophia Lu Special to The Hoya

A team of students at the Georgetown University School of Medicine created a program aimed at decreasing barriers to healthcare access for refugees who have recently arrived in the United States.

The Health Navigator Pro gram initiative directs refugees to critical healthcare services and pairs them with a trained volunteer, who checks in with them weekly to help them make medical appointments, com municate with physicians and address other health needs. The program’s co-founders, Emily Phelps (MED ’24), Ruba Omeira (MED ’24), Thu Dao (MED ’24) and Mohamad Almasri (MED ’24), met through a communitybased learning course they took through NOVA Friends of Refu gees, an interfaith refugee sup port network.

During the course, Omei ra said they were inspired to create the program after learning about the challenges refugees face while accessing medical resources.

“There are so many convo luted layers that one must pass through before the ‘patient meets doctor’ event occurs,” Omeira wrote to The Hoya. “I per sonally find it all so daunting, so

I can only imagine how difficult it is for someone new to this country, particularly a refugee who has likely experienced loss and trauma.”

From understanding quali fications for and limitations of insurance to following up on specialist referrals from pri mary care doctors, Omeira said the many components of the healthcare system can be con fusing to navigate.

When developing the pro gram, the team prioritized vol unteer recruitment from a wide variety of backgrounds to create sustainable long-term support for refugees, Phelps said.

“We thought it would be re ally cool if we could make this program interdisciplinary and we recruited volunteers from the medical school, nursing school, post-bacc pre-med students, SMP and GEMS students,” Phelps told The Hoya

In total, over 100 volunteers worked with 60 refugee fami lies, primarily from Afghanistan, during the 2021-22 cycle after the Health Navigator Program launched last September, ac cording to a Sept. 29 press release from the School of Medicine.

“We ended up having too many interested student volun teers than there were families ready to be matched,” Phelps said. “This was exciting that

there was so much interest, but we know it was disappointing some of the volunteers were not able to participate.”

Sarah Kureshi, a professor in the School of Medicine’s family medicine department and the teacher of the NOVA community-based learning course, said she is encouraged by the local impact her former students are making.

“As I’ve gone through my career, I’ve found there are so many different ways to do glob al health and it’s really reward ing to do local global health,” Kureshi told The Hoya. “It’s not like you have to fly over seas, there is such a need for care in our populations just in our backyards. It’s even more meaningful to live in a commu nity and provide care, because you have more context.”

Dao said the co-founders are planning to expand the pro gram and improve its quality to ensure it not only serves the needs of refugees, but also cre ates meaningful experiences for volunteers.

Sarah Wong (GRD ’22), whose mother emigrated from Myanmar to escape religious persecution, said she volun teered with the Health Navi gator Program because of her family’s past experiences and a desire to give back to those less

fortunate than herself.

“I empathize with those who sought out America for greater opportunities and have over come barriers I could probably never imagine,” Wong wrote to The Hoya. “The Health Naviga tor Program offered a channel to support these refugees, as so of ten conflicts taking place across the world can otherwise feel so removed from our daily lives.”

Wong said her experiences with the refugee families she worked with through the pro gram have given her more clar ity on existing disparities in healthcare as well as her own future plans.

“The current healthcare sys tem places those who are not primarily English-speaking and U.S.-born at a disadvantage, and the perspectives I’ve gained through this program fuels a desire to give back to these com munities and better understand these social determinants that pose barriers to health as a fu ture physician,” Wong said.

Looking ahead, Phelps said she hopes the Health Navi gator Program can serve even more refugee families through new partnerships with vari ous grassroots organizations in the community.

“Once the operations have be come more solidified and routine, I hope we can expand our volun

teer base to accommodate the needs of newly arrived refugees resettled in the DMV area, as well as provide the experience and

garnered knowledge for our fu ture leaders in the healthcare field about the barriers refugees face in accessing care,” Phelps said.

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

School of Medicine students created the Health Navigator Program to decrease barriers to healthcare.

It is important that I use my privileges to uplift women around the world.”

ANTHONY PELTIER/THE HOYA

Protestors gathered outside the World Bank Group (WBG) and International Monetary Fund annual meeting to demand ending funding for fossil fuels, targeting WBG President David Malpass.

Your news — from every corner of The Hoya

Students participated in a 24 mile fundraiser run organized by AASA to support Asian American youth. Story on A8.

Michelle Vassilev Special to The Hoya

“We wanted to build on that history to create something even more integrated and immersive.”

Wolfe, Ume-Ukeje Discuss Term, Acknowledge Limitations of Office

DC Honors Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Opens Shelter

SHELTER, from A1 haven’t and have, that it’s important to build a commu nity of support and resources that everyone can access.”

During the 2021-23 fiscal years, the Bowser adminis tration invested $36 million into 709 units of housing and accompanying wraparound services and collaborations between local government and nonprofit organizations, including MSP. These figures represent a 47% increase in funding for domestic violence housing and services since the 2019 fiscal year.

are able to receive therapeutic support and advocacy along with many other tangible sup ports and connections to em power them to move forward.”

Domestic Violence Aware ness Month aims to raise awareness about the complex ity of domestic violence and bring empathy and attention to those who are affected by it, Adams said.

Progressive Life Center, a Dis trict-based social welfare cen ter that provides mental health services to individuals and families in the sphere of foster care, said she believes resources like these shelters are critical in domestic violence prevention and intervention.

GUSA, from A1 involved, especially in terms of some of the advocacy work they were doing. I think a lot of the reason why we were elected in the first place isn’t because GUSA doesn’t do great things, it’s just because people really are unaware of them, and I think we too were also unaware of it.

Ume-Ukeje: We already had a lot of people who were skeptical about our office appointment. We definitely felt the special need to really try to educate ourselves as much as possible. We wanted to spend the time speaking with different groups and different people who run different areas of campus and making sure that we were at least doing our part to represent students in the best way possible as a sign of commit ment to not only this office, but also to the people who elected us and even to the people who didn’t elect us because we will really do feel like we want to be representa tive not just for the people who voted for us.

How have you listened to the demands of stu dents, and do you feel you have been able to represent them?

Ume-Ukeje: I think a lot of what we realized was that our position doesn’t necessarily always grant us direct power to get things done. So that was a little bit of a challenge, and it caused us to need to work with the adminis trators a lot more.

Wolfe: There was so much sensationalist commentary sur rounding our election or our as cendancy into this position, but at the end of the day, it really is just student government. The most we can do is ask the administra tion to do something or pressure them to do something or work with them to get something done, because at the end of the day, they control the funding and they con trol the policy that they want to implement on this campus.

What has been your administration’s biggest accomplish ment? What was the biggest challenge you faced in accomplish ing this, and how did you overcome it?

Wolfe: I’d probably say the big gest thing that we’ve done is the changes that have been made to Epicurean, expanding to meal exchange and going back to its original pre-COVID hours. A lot of conversations that we would have with students always circled back to the lack of available dining op tions on campus, especially late at night and during breaks when a lot of students who are on vaca tion and are dependent on the meal plan couldn’t get access to meals. There was a general lack of trust in the community and an expectation that we intended to disenfranchise people or that we had some sort of ulterior motive or agenda in running for this posi tion, and I think the biggest chal lenge has been slowly trying to overcome that and show people that we really care about what we’re doing.

In April, following a decision by the GUSA Senate to reject holding another student refer endum to restructure GUSA, you said that you are still committed to the goal of restruc turing. How have you made progress on that goal this fall?

Wolfe: I think a lot of the reasons why we pursued the second refer endum was because we thought that GUSA was functioning inef ficiently. But I think in the most current iteration of the senate, people have been working really well together, the environment is much more conducive and friend ly and the atmosphere really isn’t one of hate and contempt. I think originally the goal of the restruc ture was to make the atmosphere a better place and something that

more younger people wanted to be a part of.

How have you worked with members of the Senate and other members of GUSA who may have shown initial resistance or distrust?

Ume-Ukeje: I think one of our biggest things was that we didn’t want to hold any grudges. The campaign was re ally challenging for us just on a lot of fronts, what people were saying about us and that being publicized on a campuswide platform. But we had multiple complicated conversations with the previous administra tion during our transition into office. We extended multiple offers to people who are work ing in the cabinet to come and continue to work with us be cause we know that these are people who really care about what they do.

What have you yet to accomplish that you hope to do before the end of your term?

Wolfe: The reputation that our organization has, even before we came in, is just unfortunate, and I think, although some of the things that were said about us in the press and in general are sort of unfortunate and nega tive, I think that GUSA provides a great platform for people to advocate and enact positive change on campus. I would re ally like for people to be excited about doing the work and in large numbers to come in again and make GUSA a really for midable organization that can work with the administration and put pressure on them when need be, to get things done.

Ume-Ukeje: We want students to continue to care about GUSA and the work that they do. At the end of the day, that’s what we’re doing it for — we’re not doing it for ourselves. We’re doing it for our peers and our colleagues.

Arika Adams, executive di rector of CASA For Children, an organization working on advo cacy and mentorship develop ment for foster and court-in volved children in the District, said many of the children and families CASA works with are affected by domestic violence.

“All of the children and fami lies we work with are impacted by trauma,” Adams wrote to The Hoya. “Many times that trauma involves Domestic Violence. Regardless, the trauma is longlasting. However it’s not hope less. With the help of a CASA volunteer, children and family

“I hope that folks who have not been affected by domestic violence are able to learn how complicated the issues at play are. They are deep and it’s never a simple ‘just leave’ answer,” Adams wrote. “I hope folks who have been affected by domestic violence feel seen, heard and supported. They are not alone and there are resources avail able for support.”

Local organizations like My Sister’s Place and House of Ruth, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support to survivors of domestic abuse and their families, are resourc es that offer shelter, counseling and hotline services. The Dis trict has a number of available hotlines for survivors to call and seek assistance.

Lisa Streeter, who serves as outreach coordinator of the

“My Sister’s Place accommo dates individuals/families and offers counseling, individual case management and referrals to other supportive services and resources,” Streeter wrote to The Hoya. “Nationally, emergency shelter and transitional hous ing continues to be the greatest unmet need for domestic vio lence survivors. Domestic vio lence shelters provide victims with a safe haven and immedi ate protection from danger.”

While trauma often shrouds families and chil dren affected by domestic violence, support systems and resources like the new domestic violence shelter of fer hope for disrupting these cycles, Adams said.

“It is another positive step in supporting survivors,” Ad ams wrote. “I’m grateful for any and all movement to wards providing options and opportunities available.”

Pence Speaks at GU Politics Event, Students Protest at Healy Hall

PENCE, from A1 that we will soon, and very soon, because I have confidence in your generation. I know you’ll be the ones to stand on the ramparts of freedom, you’ll be the ones who stand proudly on the legacy of liberty enshrined in our founding documents.”

Rohira said she and other protesters were angered by the university’s decision to invite Pence to speak because of his outspoken opposition to various identity groups, namely LGBTQ+ people.

“Our problem was that they invited someone who fundamentally believed that so many Georgetown students have invalid identities and therefore should not exist,” Rohira told The Hoya

On his 2000 congressional campaign website, Pence signaled his support for conversion therapy, a debunked form of therapy that aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Various medical organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) have rejected the practice for its harmful effects on mental and physical health.

Marc Lotter, a spokesperson for Pence, told The New York Times in 2016 that the former vice president never supported the practice.

Rohira gave the cue for the walkout — two successive claps — about 10 minutes into the event, after which Pence began speaking on the

existence of a “woke” agenda that threatens American freedoms.

Approximately 50 students stood up and walked out of the room, waving pride flags as students participating in the demonstration unfurled a banner reading “LGBTQ+, Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights” across the second-floor balcony.

As students made their exit, Pence quipped about the walkout in his speech, which was met with applause from a number of audience members.

“It seems to me that leaders in this nation’s capital have never been more out of touch or more intent on imposing their agenda or walking out on people who might have a different point of view,” Pence said.

Mike Pence did not respond to The Hoya’s request for comment in time for publication.

Students participating in the walkout handed out over 800 flyers detailing Pence’s policies that have harmed LGBTQ+ people, BIPOC people and other marginalized communities, such as his support for antiabortion bills and legislation that attacks LGBTQ+ rights, to remind attendees of Pence’s history, according to Rohira.

“We anticipated that he would use this event to try to sanitize his image and escape his record, which is exactly what he did,” Rohira said.

After walking out of the event, protestors gathered on the steps of Healy Hall,

holding signs, banners and LGBTQ+ pride flags. While on the steps, the protestors chanted messages like “hate has no home” and “this is what America looks like,” while Georgetown community members walked past, many of whom stopped to watch the protests.

Kayla Barnes (SFS ’26), who attended the event and participated in the walkout, said she wanted to respectfully protest Pence’s speech.

“I went to the scheming session, and I decided to participate because I felt like this was the best way to make people see my feelings on this issue,” Barnes told The Hoya. “Based on the previous administration’s actions, I just don’t feel like I can support this man at all.”

Other students like Meghan Shah (NHS ’26) do not support Pence, but chose not to participate in the walkout in order to listen to what he had to say at the event.

“I personally am not doing it because I just want to hear what he has to say,” Shah told The Hoya. “He’s not exactly someone I agree with at all, but the topic of the talk — the future of conservatism — is interesting. I want to know how he’s gonna present that, just because they’re such controversial opinions.”

Elleithee, who has spent over two decades working in the Democratic Party as a communications strategist for the Democratic National Committee and several elected officials, said he thinks it

is necessary to engage with conservatives like Pence to create the open dialogue that drives democracy.

“One of the biggest challenges facing our democracy today is hyperpolarization,” Elleithee said at the event. “We want to put people from different perspectives together to have the hard conversations, sometimes to find common ground and oftentimes not, but to see if we can at least find

common motivation.”

Rohira said she and other protesters hope to continue the momentum from the walkout by crafting a statement with demands for the university, from hiring an assistant director for the LGBTQ Resource Center and better funding for Counseling and Psychiatric Service (CAPS).

“In order to channel all the momentum that we gathered last night into tangible change

for the queer community on this campus, in the next day or two, we will be sending an official statement to the university with a bunch of actionable rules that they can follow in order to attempt to make up for the damage that they did to our community last night,” Rohira told The Hoya. “The statement is basically going to say, ‘Hey, who messed up last night by making us feel unsafe?’”

MIRANDA XIONG/THE HOYA

Eight months after a turbulent election process, GUSA Executives Kole Wolfe (SFS ‘24) and Zeke Ume-Ukeje (COL ‘24) reflected on their time in office.

ANTHONY PELTIER/THE HOYA

Approximately 50 students walked out during a Mike Pence speech at Gaston Hall to protest Pence’s lack of support for LGBTQ+ people and reproductive rights.

DC SAFE

Washington, D.C., recently opened a new domestic violence shelter, which will provide counseling and other resources to survivors, during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

DC Museums Return Stolen Artifacts to Nigerian Palace

Jack Willis Special to The Hoya

Three of the United States’ most influential art museums, including Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the National Gallery of Art, repatriated dozens of looted artifacts to Nigeria.

The 31 pieces the Smithsonian is returning are part of a group of thousands of sculptures that make up the “Benin Bronzes,” in tricate metal plaques and sculp tures which once resided in the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria and served as emblems of the dynasty’s rich history and religious traditions.

The transfer of ownership fol lows the creation of the Smith sonian’s ethical returns policy in April 2022, which authorizes Smithsonian museums to re turn collections that were stolen, taken under duress or otherwise unethically acquired to the ap propriate community.

Ian Bourland, an associate professor of art history at George town University, said the return of the bronzes is a victory for

a long-standing movement of Western nations taking account ability for colonialist activity.

“After the Congress of Berlin, colonial powers moving into the African interior really inten sified colonial exploitation of those countries,” Bourland told The Hoya. “A lot of pre-colonial African art was taken, and that has resided in global north ern museums, for many cases, over 100 years or so. The debate around the provenance of that work, the ownership of that work, its conservation, its utility, its meaning has been ongoing.”

Initially stolen by British troops in a late 19th century raid on Benin City, Nigeria, many Western nations took possession of the artifacts and have since featured them in collections of African art at various museums including the British Museum in London and the Royal African Museum in Belgium.

Meredith McKittrick, an asso ciate professor in Georgetown’s African studies program, said the transfer of ownership reflects a shift in the way people consider the effects of imperialism.

District Sues Chemical Company for Illegally Selling Harmful Pesticide

Minoli Ediriweera City Desk Editor

Washington, D.C. officials filed a lawsuit against chemi cal manufacturer Velsicol for the illegal sale and distribution of chlordane, a harmful pesti cide that has been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) since 1988.

The lawsuit, led by D.C. At torney General Karl Racine, alleges that Velsicol violated the District’s Brownfield Re vitalization Act, which regu lates the cleanup of contami nated sites, and common law for public nuisance and prod uct liability by continuing to sell chlordane products for decades. This came despite the company knowing for

waterways where chlordane still persists. It has also been found in the air of homes that were treated for termites us ing chlordane 20 years ago.”

Chlordane can also cause se rious health issues, including cancer, according to Meiller.

“Chlordane is classified as a probable human carcino gen,” Meiller wrote. “This is based on studies done in rats and mice which developed cancers in the liver following exposures. Chlordane also has other non-cancer adverse effects as well. It has been shown to be a reproductive toxicant, an endocrine disrup tor, and to cause adverse ef fects in the liver.”

The harmful impact of chlordane usage is likely mag nified among vulnerable com munities, especially those with less reliable access to healthcare resources such as the District’s Black and brown communities, Racine said.

“The environment is a pre cious resource that belongs to everyone, and far too often Black and Brown communi ties of color are forced to bear the brunt of pollution, toxic sites and contaminated water supplies,” Racine said.

“I think it reflects an openness to reconsidering what we thought was the way things had to be,” McKittrick told The Hoya. “The idea that there’s been a change of mentality among some people in North America and in Europe is heartening, certainly.”

The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art com memorated the bronzes’ return to Nigeria at a press conference in the museum, where represen tatives from the museum and the National Gallery of Art offi cially transferred ownership of the bronzes to Nigeria’s National Commission for Museums and Monuments in the presence of members of the Kingdom of Benin royal family and Nigerian cultural officials.

Georgetown art and museum studies professor Lisa Strong said the process of returning stolen artifacts is widely estab lished and straightforward.

“There’s a period where you take an inventory, you make public what you have, you al low groups who would make a claim on objects to come and see them, and then they peti

tion and you approve it, and then you return objects,” Strong told The Hoya. “It becomes a very kind of clear, rational process, and I think that that has been helpful in getting museums to feel more comfortable.”

Returning stolen artifacts like the bronzes is a relatively easy, non-resource intensive way to address the effects of colonial ism, according to McKittrick.

“It does reflect a change of thinking and mentality, which is important, but it doesn’t require a great deal of sacrifice by people in the global north to make it right in the way that economic reparations for colonialism would require,” McKittrick said.

Air, Space Museum Reopens After 7Month Closure

Sam Bailey Special to The Hoya

Following months of closure for extensive renovations, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum reopened its doors to visitors, with a com pletely refurbished wing adding several new interactive exhibits.

The museum reopened Oct. 14 after being closed to the pub lic since April 2022 as part of a project that originally began as an HVAC refurbishment. The renovations soon became a sev en-year overhaul of the popular museum as the Smithsonian uti lized the opportunity to structur ally improve the building as well as offer a more modern, immer sive experience for visitors.

The renovation included upgrades to the planetarium, increased exhibition space and more interactive galleries. The project completes phase one of the museum’s renovation proj ect, culminating in the reopening of the west wing, which houses eight exhibits as well as a café. The east wing, which houses an additional 15 exhibits, will re main closed for similar upgrades that are expected to be complet ed by 2025. The entire renovation project began in 2018.

current, with a fresher, more contemporary look than what previous visitors would have ex pected from their prior visits,” Browne said in an interview with The Hoya. “But importantly, we’re able to tell many new stories to a diverse and contemporary audi ence in ways that we were unable to previously.”

According to Browne, some of the most significant renovations have been to the planetarium, which is now able to connect to other planetariums around the country using screencasts so that people can have a similar immersive experience without having to travel to Washington, D.C. As a result of the renova tions, the museum is expecting an increase in visitors and is currently requiring attendees to sign up for free timed tickets. Museum leadership is ex perimenting with the number of timed passes available in order to maximize the number of visitors and maintain a quality experience, according to Alison Mitchell, depu ty director of communications at the Air and Space Museum.

Strong said despite losing part of their collections, mu seums benefit from returning stolen artifacts because it builds trust with patrons.

“If they are holding things that they shouldn’t have, then they can’t earn the trust of the public,” Strong said. “So it’s much more important for museums to do the right thing, even if it means that they don’t have those mas terpieces of Benin art anymore.”

Several other Benin bronzes will still be on loan at the Na tional Museum of African Art, but Bourland said people who want to see the bronzes should visit Nigeria to see the pieces in their original context.

“That kind of tourism usu ally benefits the economies and communities in these home countries,” Bourland said. “It’s very important that these works are reported because there’s an economic aspect of this as well.”

While the return of the bronzes is a step in the right direction, McKittrick said the movement to repatriate stolen artifacts is far from over.

“It’s great that this is finally happening — it’s definitely overdue,” McKittrick said. “I’ll feel like we’ve gotten some where when, for example, the British Museum hands back the Rosetta Stone. To me that is the sign — that’s the symbol.”

KARL RACINE D.C. Attorney General

nearly 60 years that the pes ticide can cause cancer and other serious health issues. Since then, Velsicol has con tinued to run misinforma tion campaigns, including marketing chlordane for household use, to deceive the public and continue profiting from chlorodane’s sale.

Racine said the lawsuit seeks to reconcile harm that D.C. resi dents faced as a result of Velsi col’s distribution of chlordane.

“Our office prioritizes enforc ing D.C.’s environmental laws to combat the climate crisis, fight for environmental justice, and ensure that every District resident has access to clean air and water,” Racine said in a press release. “With today’s law suit, we are going after Velsicol which –– for decades –– made dollar after dollar of profit while poisoning D.C. residents with dangerous chemicals that they knew caused severe health problems, including cancer.”

Velsicol did not reply to a request for comment from The Hoya in time for publication.

Chlordane is a pollutant that can remain in organic material for decades after its use, according to Jesse Meiller, an environmental toxicologist and associate teaching profes sor at Georgetown University.

“Chlordane has been shown to bioaccumulate in organ isms and be transferred up the food chain through bio magnification,” Meiller wrote to The Hoya. “This bioaccumu lation is an issue for people that are eating the fish from

According to a report pub lished by the Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies (NHS) in 2020, Black residents in Wash ington, D.C., on average live shorter, less healthy lives than white residents because of systemic disparities in health care, education and wealth.

Chlordane does not easily dissolve in water, and there fore can build up in D.C. wa terways, including the Ana costia and Potomac Rivers, harming District residents who drink water contaminat ed by the chemical.

According to Amber Mick elson (COL ’25), who serves as academic chair of the George town Undergraduate Environ mental Health Collaborative (GUEHC), she worries that the flow of these rivers into high er-risk neighborhoods in the District could have dangerous public health impacts.

“This means that any chem icals flowing downstream through those rivers are go ing to be disproportionately settling in the soil of Wards 7 and 8, where the population of those wards are on average 96.22% people of color and are at higher risk of living in pov erty,” Mickelson wrote to The Hoya Mickelson said she remains hopeful that the lawsuit is a step toward greater account ability for those polluting D.C. ecosystems and waterways.

“Our environment shapes our health, and when that environment has been ruined by companies seeking profit over people, we need to see accountability,” Mickelson wrote. “Ultimately, lawsuits like these are needed to bring justice to the generations of the past, present, and future.”

Christopher Browne, who serves as John and Adrienne Mars Director of the museum, said the renovation aims to provide a more immersive experience to visitors.

“There’s a lot of new storytell ing going on, some of it relating to past events but some of it is more

“We do anticipate the muse um will be very popular for quite some time,” Mitchell wrote to The Hoya. “The National Air and Space Museum was one of the most visited museums in the country prior to the renovation and we anticipate that popular ity will not only continue but increase as a result of the reno vation.”

The first phase of the project did not go without complica

tions, as the COVID-19 pan demic presented a number of problems for the renovation crew, according to Browne.

“We had issues with supply chains and escalation of costs, and so COVID impacted both the schedule and the budget of the program,” Browne said. “I would say that was the major unexpected influence that did set us back a bit.”

According to Browne, the sec ond half of the renovation will add 15 more galleries, reaching a total of 23 once the project is complete. In addition to the new galleries and exhibition space, the east wing will have a full res taurant, IMAX theater, and will house the Bezos Learning Center, a $130 million project funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who donated a record-setting $200 million to the museum in 2021.

The addition will feature 50,000 square feet of space in tended to inspire younger genera tions to innovate. The Smithson ian said that it will not just focus

on aerospace, but will connect to all of the museums in its system.

Four firms have submitted design proposals for the center.

Browne said the new galleries will offer more interactive expe riences for museum guests.

“So we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Browne said. “The galleries that we’ve opened have a lot of immersives and digital content, over 50 interactives, and so it’s a different kind of experience than what folks would remember, and we will carry that on into the east end as well.”

Browne said the renovations will enable younger generations to see the relevance of aerospace history for years to come.

“When you put all of these things together, you can solve incredible things like going to the moon when nobody thought it possible,” Browne said. “And I believe that the rel evancy of museums like ours is as or more important than ever, in a world that is increasingly skeptical and doubting.”

GU Graduate Speaks on Emergency Responses

Nina Raj Grad Desk

CW: This article briefly references sexual assault and gender-based violence. Please refer to the on line version of this article on the hoya.com for resources.

Modern emergency notifica tion technologies, such as 911 help lines, fail to equally serve all populations and negatively harm marginalized communi ties, a graduate said at an event hosted by the Georgetown Dis ability Studies Program.

The Oct. 17 talk entitled “Call If You Can,” was hosted by the Disability Studies program alongside the Georgetown Cen ter for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship, a university center that helps faculty craft transformational learning ex periences for students, and the Film and Media Studies program. The event centered Elizabeth Ellcessor’s (SFS ’04) book “In Case of Emergency: How Technologies Mediate Cri sis and Normalize Inequality,” which focuses on the interac tion between emergency media technology and inequalities.

At the event, Ellcessor, an associate professor of media studies at the University of Vir ginia and senior faculty fellow at UVA’s Miller Center, spoke

about disparities caused by many emergency prevention systems, including Life Alert, 911 response services, govern mental emergency warnings and COVID-19 tracking apps.

According to Ellcessor, exist ing emergency response insti tutions fail to serve all popu lations equitably and often endanger the lives of vulner able groups, such as the expe riences of people of color with law enforcement.

Ellcessor opened with the story of Judy McKim, a moth er who was forced to cover her garage with notices to local law enforcement that her son was autistic after he was as saulted by police responding to a 911 call in 2016.

“McKim’s garage is but one example of how Black fami lies have attempted to protect their disabled children,” Elces sor said at the event. “Smaller protective acts include parents who ask neighbors to never call 911, or who preemptively install security systems to record any encounters with authorities. While all kinds of people may face crises, these actions dem onstrate that the systems of emergency identification and response — including media systems such as 911 — are not equally available or reliable.” Blue light emergency alarm

stations, which are typically found on college campus so stu dents can call for help in emer gencies, reinforce existing stereo types about instances of sexual assaults on college campuses, ac cording to Ellecssor. In reality, blue light systems typically are unused and primarily function for universities to advertise a su perficial sense of security.

“These physical media in frastructures reflect several as sumptions about the nature of crime, in general, and sexual as sault, specifically — that it occurs in public, is committed by strang ers — and the desired response: contacting campus authorities,” Ellcessor said. “The phones were installed as a response; they were never a solution.”

Ellcessor said 911 help cen ters can also create barriers in emergencies because callers of certain backgrounds are not always trusted by operators when seeking help.

“Multiple studies indicate that this is more easily done when a caller can present themself in alignment with the expectations of the reporting system ideologically, linguisti cally and culturally,” Ellcessor said. “Those who cannot do so — people of color, disabled people and non-English speak ers — are particularly likely to find that reporting a situation

to police or authorities may worsen circumstances rather than improve them.”

Ellcessor said that despite these flaws, there is still hope for the future of emergency services because disability justice movements can serve as exemplars of effective prob lem solving not founded on a return to an unrepresentative concept of normalcy.

“Disability justice is an in tersectional framework for collective, anti-capitalist ac cess and liberation,” Ellcessor said.“Disability justice activists and theorists have long worked to build models of centering sustainability, slowness and building for the long haul, rath er than succumbing to logics of cure or restoration that seek to restore normalcy.”

Change is only possible by remaining vigilant and critical of the inequalities created by emergency response systems, according to Ellcessor.

“We must pay attention when such systems are in stalled, activated or changed, and ask tough questions about what technologies we employ, accept and deputize in pur suit of safety for ourselves, our loved ones and our commu nities,” Ellcessor said. “What emergency media is now is not what it must always be.”

@AIRANDSPACE/TWITTER

The newly-renovated west wing of the museum features an upgraded planetarium and immersive exhibits.

ILLUSTRTION BY: CEMI LEE

The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the National Gallery of Art signed ownership of 31 Benin bronzes back to Nigeria, the original owner of the pieces.

“With today’s lawsuit, we are going after Velsicol, which — for decades — made dollar after dollar of profit while poisoning D.C. residents.”

Researchers Discuss Findings On Treating Cancer Survivors

Emily Han Special to The Hoya

A cancer epidemiology and control researcher discussed new findings on treating can cer survivors at a talk hosted by the Georgetown Universi ty Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Oct. 14 event, entitled “Predicting and Preventing Adverse Outcomes in Cancer Survivors,” was part of the Lombardi Center’s ongoing Survivorship Research Ini tiative seminar series. The center’s goal is to improve the treatment of cancer pa tients both during and after recovery in a more equitable way.

Dr. Smita Bhatia, a pro fessor at the University of Al abama at Birmingham (UAB) and director of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine Institute for Cancer Out comes and Survivorship, an organization that conducts research to support cancer survivors, presented at the event in hopes of drawing attention to complications of cancer treatment that are often overlooked.

Bhatia’s presentation fo cused on childhood cancer survivors, a demographic she said is especially vulnerable to the harmful effects of drugs and other preventative mea sures that patients undergo.

“Childhood cancer survi vors are at a sixfold higher risk of dying,” Bhatia said at the presentation. “And their life is shortened by one to two decades, so this is quite

a sobering thing.”

Bhatia spoke about the model she created to predict likely adverse outcomes in childhood cancer survivors, sharing the factors that con tribute to those outcomes most often — genetic predis position, lifestyle exposures and viral infections.

Bhatia said these factors can inform researchers and healthcare providers on how to proactively identify can cer survivors who are partic ularly vulnerable to the neg ative effects of treatment.

“All of these can help us in identifying those who are at the highest risk of developing these complications,” Bhatia said. “And we can use this information to modify thera peutic exposures, screen pa tients who are at the highest risk or institute some risk re duction strategies.”

For children with cancer, radiation therapy creates a higher risk of developing brain tumors and breast can cer in the future, according to Bhatia. As a result, she con ducted research on tamoxi fen, an FDA-approved option for mitigating the risk of breast cancer, and found that it can be effective at doing so.

In her presentation, Bha tia discussed four chronic health conditions that ther apeutic exposure to radia tion during treatment may cause: bone degradation, congestive heart failure, tu mor regrowth and stroke. Her research examines the specific genes that increase

the risk of these outcomes, especially the risk of cardio myopathy, or a weakening of heart muscle, in response to a type of cancer treatment drug called anthracyclines.

Despite these complica tions, Bhatia said cancer re search is progressing in the right direction.

“The question is, ‘Are we there yet?’ Well, not yet,” Bhatia said. “But I think we’re solidly on the path to where we need to be.”

Dr. Nina Kadan-Lottick, director of the Survivorship Research Initiative at the Lombardi Center, said the seminar series gives George town community members the opportunity to hear first hand about national leaders’ new research in the cancer survivorship field.

“These seminars energize and inspire our Georgetown faculty and trainees,” KadanLottick wrote to The Hoya. “They lead to further innovative ideas and multidisciplinary collabo ration on both clinical and re search initiatives.”

Kadan-Lottick said the work Bhatia and the initia tive are doing helps support survivors throughout their cancer journey.

“Survivorship encompass es the patient’s experience of the physical, emotional, and social impact of being treat ed for cancer and the late effects that can persist or newly develop after therapy ends,” Kadan-Lottick wrote. “It is about quality of life, not just the quantity of life.”

Buttigieg Speaks on Infrastructure, Climate, US Democracy at GU Event

Policymakers, Business Leaders Discuss Financial Markets at Yearly Conference

Emily Han Special to The Hoya

The Financial Markets Quality (FMQ) conference, hosted by Georgetown Uni versity’s Psaros Center for Fi nancial Markets and Policy, highlighted leaders in global finance and their perspec tives on the latest develop ments in the financial field.

The annual FMQ con ference addresses urgent current financial issues ––including fintech, digital assets and capital raising –– and advises attendees on best practices for the coming year. At the Oct. 14 confer ence, the 14th in its history, speakers included Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler and CEO of the London Stock Exchange Group David Schwimmer, among others. Panelists sought to explore five key topics: market structure, environmental responsibili ties, digital assets, cryptocur rencies and financial policy.

The event sought to bring to gether policymakers, business executives and scholars to find interdisciplinary solutions to these ongoing issues, accord ing to Reena Aggarwal, the founding director of the Psaros Center and a finance professor within the McDonough School of Business (MSB).

“Recent events have raised a number of questions about the quality of financial mar kets and the right approach to financial regulation in a rapidly changing world,” Aggarwal wrote to The Hoya “Part of our mission at the Psaros Center is to convene consequential conversations that promote smart solu tions to complex problems.”

This year marked the first in-person FMQ conference since the COVID-19 pandem ic, with around 400 people joining the event, both from the university and the Wash ington, D.C. community. At

tendees had the opportunity to ask the speakers questions, according to Aggarwal.

The conference involved a series of discussions that each focused on a different area of financial market activities. Aggarwal said a highlight of the day was the discussion of new issues for which poli cymakers are still developing legislation, such as the panel on market structure, which covered changes in trends re garding individual investors.

“For example, crypto regula tion was not on the radar until recently; it was during COVID that participation by retail in vestors increased significantly raising renewed interest in market structure and conflicts of interest,” Aggarwal wrote. “These are all issues that poli cymakers are working on and therefore we addressed them at FMQ this year.”

The conference’s final session was a pre-recorded discussion about crypto leg islation with Lummis and Gillibrand, who introduced the Responsible Financial Innovations Act earlier this year, which creates a frame work for regulating new financial technologies, ac cording to Gillibrand.

“Digital assets, blockchain technology and cryptocur rencies have experienced tremendous growth in the past few years and offer sub stantial potential benefits if harnessed correctly,” Gilli brand wrote in a statement to The Hoya. “It is critical that the United States plays a leading role in developing policy to regulate new fi nancial products, while also encouraging innovation and protecting consumers.”

Multiple panels covered the topic of environmental, social and governance (ESG) invest ing and disclosure, according to Aggarwal. ESG investing emphasizes environmental responsibility, transparency and diversity, equity and in clusion efforts within finan cial corporations.

Several speakers gave

“fireside chats,” in which they discussed distinct fi nancial topics, one-on-one with a moderator. These speakers included Gensler, Schwimmer, Commodity Fu tures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Rostin Beh nam, Schwimmer and Fi nancial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) President and CEO Robert Cook.

A roundtable featuring CFTC Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero and SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda (GSB ’92) focused on finan cial market regulation and policy. The CFTC and SEC are both U.S. government agen cies that regulate various aspects of financial markets.

The bill seeks to clarify newer features of finance in cluding the digital asset mar ket and provide guidelines, according to Abegail Cave, press secretary for Lummis.

“Today, the global mar ket cap for digital assets is $929 billion. This is a mas sive industry that lacks clear guidelines for innovators and protections for consum ers,” Cave wrote to The Hoya “Digital assets are not going away, so it is time to fully in tegrate them into our exist ing financial structure.”

Aggarwal said she believes the FMQ conference helps to facilitate conversations and generate new ideas, es pecially around aspects of fi nancial markets that are cur rently advancing, and that her personal highlight of the day was the discussion of new issues for which legisla tion is still being developed.

“Many of the issues we dis cussed are relatively new and policymakers are trying to figure out how best to approach regu lation,” Aggarwal wrote. “For ex ample, crypto regulation was not on the radar until recently; it was during COVID that participation by retail investors increased sig nificantly raising renewed inter est in market structure and con flicts of interest; requirements for climate disclosure is also a relatively new issue.”

Jared Carmeli Executive Editor

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg discussed new transportation and infrastructure policy, climate change and envi ronmental justice, among other issues in a town hall-style discus sion with students and faculty in Gaston Hall.

The Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) and Siri usXM hosted the Oct. 11 event titled “A Town Hall with Secre tary Pete Buttigieg.” GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee and Julie Mason, the host of po litical news show “Julie Mason Mornings” on SiriusXM, moder ated the discussion.

The former South Bend, Ind. mayor and 2020 presidential can didate touted the bipartisan infra structure law that President Joe Biden signed in 2021 and called it a once-in-a-generation invest ment in transportation, including roads and highways, public tran sit and passenger rail.

“Think about what it means for there to be a safer, cleaner, faster way to get to where you need to be, for people and for goods,” But tigieg said at the event. “And that’s what we have a chance to deliver on right now.”

The $1 trillion infrastructure law, while not fully addressing Biden’s original plan to overhaul the United States’ transporta tion system, still includes major investments to expand access to broadband internet, provide clean drinking water and fund new and affordable electric vehicles. The law also aims to rebuild deficient roads and bridges and improve worsening environmental pollu tion in hopes of stimulating the United States economy.

While the U.S. Congress faces

intense political gridlock on the majority of policy issues, trans portation and infrastructure of ten serve as areas of agreement for the two parties, even when lawmakers don’t express full public support for the law, ac cording to Buttigieg.

“It’s worth mentioning that quite a few Republicans crossed over in the Senate and a hand ful did in the House in order to work with Democrats and work with the president to get this done,” Buttigieg said. “And what I’ve noticed is whether someone voted for it or against it, they are perfectly happy to support the individual projects we’re funding with it, so that’s how you know it’s good policy.”

Buttigieg also spoke on the role climate change plays in the future of transportation policy, saying transportation policy and climate change are inextricably linked.

According to Buttigieg, the transportation sector is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses in the U.S. and climaterelated events including flooding, droughts and heat waves damage transportation and infrastructure.

“If we care about climate change, we have to make trans portation part of the solution,” Buttigieg said. “And we are, by mode-shifting trips to less cli mate- or carbon-intensive ways to get around, like giving people better options for public transit, reducing the emissions impact of the trips we do take, like making sure everybody can afford and use EVs, and so on.”

Greenhouse gasses from transportation accounted for ap proximately 27% of emissions in the U.S. in 2020, largely due to increased demand for travel, per petuating atmospheric warming and worsening climate condi tions, according to a report from

the U.S. Environmental Protec tion Agency (EPA).

Buttigieg said it is necessary to make the U.S. a more equitable country through infrastructure policies such as job creation and improved transportation quality.

“Good paying jobs, many of which are good-paying jobs that lead to good-paying careers that are available to people, whether you’ve got a college degree or not, are jobs that have historically not been open to workers of color and especially to women,” Buttigieg said. “We can change that, if we’re intentional about it.”

People of color and low-income people are disproportionately harmed by environmental haz ards and are more likely to live in areas of high pollution; oil and gas corporations often place high pol luting facilities in or near commu nities of color, which contributes to an inequitable distribution of health risks.

The Biden Administration and the EPA recently established a national office of environmental justice to advance the creation of a more equitable environment for communities of color living in highly polluted areas.

Buttigieg closed the event by issuing a stark warning about the threats U.S. democracy faces, urg ing students to understand their moral authority in dictating fu ture government policy.

“We’ve got to deliver results that people can feel are mak ing their lives better, not only because it’s why we’re all out here, it’s what policy and politics and government is supposed to do, but also because whether we can do that or not is going to be maybe the biggest driver of whether we have enough public trust to stay a democracy, imper fect though it is,” Buttigieg said. “Those are colossal stakes.”

Akashdiya Chakraborty GUSA Desk Editor

Georgetown students ran 24 miles in 24 hours through Georgetown, helping the Asian American Student As sociation (AASA) raise over $1,300 to support Asian Amer ican youth organizations.

The Oct. 15 to 16 fundraiser was coordinated in collabo ration with the Georgetown Running Club (GRC) and GU Triathlon and accompanied other fundraising activities including a bake sale and ra men eating contest Oct. 15 on Healy Lawn. Proceeds of the fundraiser were donated to the Asian American Youth Leadership Empowerment and Development (AALEAD), a non-profit organization that supports low-income and underserved Asian Pa cific American youth with empowerment and leader ship opportunities, and the Museum of Chinese in Amer ica (MOCA). Three-quarters of the proceeds were sent to AALEAD, with the remain der sent to MOCA.

Ed Shen (MSB ’23), copresident of AASA, said AASA picked these organi zations to donate to support Asian American children on a grassroots level.

“We really loved AALEAD’s mission to support Asian American youth from low-in come backgrounds through educational empowerment, identity development, and leadership opportunities,” Shen wrote to The Hoya. “We felt that their work was cru cial to the development of Asian American youth in the area and wanted to be a part of their mission.”

Yingqi Liu (MSB ’25), who helped plan the fundraiser and participated, said he suggested a portion of the proceeds be directed to MOCA as a part of a larger personal fundraising effort, in which he aims to raise $3,000 for the museum by the end of the year through his participation in the New

York City Marathon as a charity runner.

“They are a museum that preserves a Chinese narra tive, an immigrant narra tive, in New York City,” Liu told The Hoya. “And they are fighting against racial dis crimination. They’re fighting against Asian hate. So I think that’s a really great opportu nity for me to do something great, while also having an opportunity to run the New York City Marathon.”

Data from the Center for the Study of Hate and Ex tremism found that the rate anti-Asian hate crime increased by 339% in 2021, following an increase by 124% in 2020. 23% of Asian Americans and 29% of Na tive Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders report experienc ing a hate incident at some point in their life, with 14% of Asian Americans and 16% of Native Hawaiians and Pa cific Islanders saying they experienced such an inci dent in 2021 or 2022.

According to Margaret Lin (COL ’23), AASA co-president, said the event exceeded its fundraising target of $1,000, partially because of the sup port family members visit ing campus during Family Weekend, the same weekend of the fundraiser.

“It was really impressive of the runners, and representa tive of the combined person al efforts of AASA Board and members of GRC, Running Club, and Georgetown Bub ble to have raised $1300!” Lin wrote to The Hoya. “We were very lucky to have the support of a lot of parents and Georgetown University relatives, since it happened during family weekend!”

Shen said that in coordi nating this event, AASA drew inspiration from previous fundraisers that challenged participants while support ing efforts to raise money for charitable causes.

“In Spring 2021, I partici pated in a somewhat similar fundraiser called Run 24. A

few of my friends began the fundraiser as a group proj ect for a class and I decided to join last minute because it sounded like an interest ing challenge,” Chen wrote.

“The experience was quite tough, but also very fulfilling. I wanted to bring it back this year, build it bigger, and share the challenge with more members of the community!”

Four runners completed the entire 24 mile challenge, but according to Shen, the general public came out to support the runners, and even participated in certain stretches.

“Some of the highlights were the public runs, we had quite a few people join us and it was really nice to see the community come out and support us,” Shen wrote.

According to Anika Tsai (SFS ’26), a runner who par ticipated in the entire 24 mile stretch, said it was em powering to see people come together in support of the fundraiser and its cause.

“I didn’t have a strong rea son not to do it, and I didn’t know if I would have that op portunity again to do some thing like it with people,” Tsai wrote to The Hoya. “I felt like I got to see a differ ent side of the Georgetown student community last weekend, not just in terms of their willingness to support a cause but also to support each other, including the people involved in running the fundraiser.”

Liu said the run was re warding, not only because of the accomplishment of run ning a total of 24 miles, but also for fundraising for an important cause.

“I think it’s really fun in the fundraising process itself outside of running as being able to extend the mission of AASA,” Liu said. “Being able to finish the whole thing, pulling through for ourselves, that’s something that a lot of us didn’t think we could do, and being able to achieve that is just an amazing feeling.”

JOHN MATUSZEWSKI/THE HOYA Pete Buttigieg discussed policies on transportation and climate change in a town hall-style conversation co-hosted by GU Politics and Sirius XM.

Panel Emphasizes Importance Of Local Media in Democracy

Aryaman Sharma Special to The Hoya Faculty and students orga nized a virtual panel with jour nalism experts from across the nation to discuss the evolving role of the media in strengthen ing democratic institutions and upholding traditional journalis tic values.

The Oct. 17 event, titled “Can Local Media Help Save Democ racy?” was co-hosted by the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University (FSP), a student- and faculty-run initiative that works to assess the condition of free speech in the United States to day, and the Future of the Hu manities Project at Georgetown University, a collaborative effort between the Georgetown Univer sity Humanities Initiative and the Las Casas Institute at the University of Oxford, a research institute examining social is sues related to the Dominican intellectual tradition, to address issues at the intersection of the humanities and public life.

The panel included Stuart Al len, professor of journalism and communication at Cardiff Uni versity; Jim Brady, former execu

tive editor of the online version of the Washington Post; and Maria Power, a senior research fellow studying human dignity at the Las Casas Institute.

The event was moderated by the director of the Future of the Humanities Project, Michael Scott, and the director of the FSP, Sanford Ungar. The event is the latest installment of the FSP’s ongoing series, “Free Speech at the Crossroads: International Di alogues,” which aims to facilitate conversations among interdisci plinary experts regarding issues of free expression.

Panelists discussed the shift ing priorities of national media outlets, something Brady said has led to the deterioration of the quality of their journalism.

“National media is incentiv ized to anger people,” Brady said at the event. “It is driven by rat ings and page viewership, and until the incentives of national media change to producing qual ity content, we won’t see change.”

Power said that the deteriorat ing reputations of media com panies are partly because of the constant influx of bad news.

“Actual news is exhausting and depressing, and people are

consequently looking to journal ism for entertainment,” Power said at the event. “I have lost count of how many people I can actually have a conversation with about politics and economics because of the decline in the aca demic sphere.”

Panelists also discussed the ways local media can fill the gap left by the national media’s short comings, something Brady said can unite communities without focusing as much on politically polarizing topics.

“Regardless of if you’re a Dem ocrat or Republican, you share the same emotion of hating traf fic and favoring the local sports team,” Brady said. “Local news can be boring at times, but there are lots of things that go around in your community which are important. I do think if we give more of a supply of information that is useful and necessary in a community, it can help to short circuit the corrosive effect nation al news has on people right now.”

Despite the ideological strengths of local media, Brady said many local news outlets are struggling to stay afloat financially.

A report from Northwestern

University on the state of lo cal news in America found that newspapers have been vanishing at increasing rates in recent years. One-fifth of the nation’s citizens live in news deserts, or commu nities that are no longer covered by daily or non-daily newspapers, and surviving newspapers have cut their staff and production fol lowing declines in profits.

Power pointed to the efforts of U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, who announced on Oct. 20 that she intends to resign from her role following a contentious par liamentary vote, as an example of the threat a strong local media can pose to undemocratic leaders.

Power said Truss attempted to

Roundtable Discusses Afghan Women’s Rights

Catherine Alaimo Special to The Hoya

The first female deputy speak er of parliament in Afghanistan discussed women’s rights in Afghanistan at a roundtable dis cussion hosted by the George town Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS).

Fawzia Koofi held a conver sation Oct. 11 with Georgetown University students about the security and human rights cri sis in Afghanistan, as well as the threat to women’s rights.

Koofi shared her experience of being one of only four women involved in the Doha peace ne gotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban in 2020. The roundtable was held in celebration of International Day of the Girl Child, an United Nations-declared international observance day held annually Oct. 11. The day brings attention to girls experiencing underprivi leged circumstances and the girls’ right to equality, especially educational equality.

Koofi said the risk the Tali ban poses to women’s rights in Afghanistan is not just a na tional problem, but a matter of global security.

“If Afghan women are contin ued to be pushed in the corner as they are now, abandoned and not a priority for the Interna tional community, we are going to face the major consequences,”

Koofi wrote to The Hoya. “As a re sult of this we must see this as a matter of national security. That is why we must ensure to give the required space and recognize women agency.”

Koofi represented Afghani stan at the 2020 peace talks in Doha; she was one of just four women present at the nego

tiations. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in Au gust 2021, they have stripped Af ghan women of their rights, free dom and roles in public life. No women hold cabinet positions under the regime, and the group also abolished the Ministry of Women’s Affairs. Women can no longer attend school past the sixth grade, nor can they work outside the home. They face severe — and often violent — consequences if they are found violating these rules.

Lucile Malone (GRD ’24), a masters student who is study ing global affairs in the Middle East and North Africa, said it is essential for students like her to continue to educate themselves about the treatment of women in Afghanistan.

“As a Muslim woman, the Afghan Women’s cause is one dear to my heart,” Malone wrote to The Hoya. “As a woman with access to education and work, it is important that I use my privi leges to uplift women around the world.”

Malone said Koofi’s words served as an important remind er of the impact of determina tion in seeking equal rights for girls and women in Afghanistan.

“Ms. Koofi was a clear exam ple of determination,” Malone wrote. “She recognized the chal lenges but urged us to not lose hope. I walked away feeling a stronger sense of responsibility to act but also more hopeful.”

Koofi, who fled Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover last year, said Afghan women have been fighting for their rights for over 20 years, and will contin ue to do so by failing to cower to demands from the Taliban.

Melanne Verveer, the execu tive director of GIWPS, former

ly served as the U.S. ambassa dor-at-large for global women’s issues. Verveer said that the voices of Afghan women are critical to fighting for a better future in Afghanistan.

“Afghan women in their coun try and in exile are critical to the future of Afghanistan, and Faw zia has been a leader in keeping the issue of women’s rights in Afghanistan front and center,” Verveer wrote to The Hoya Malone said that roundtable discussions, such as the one GIWPS held with Koofi, provide Georgetown students with ex perience, which bolsters their knowledge about global issues and helps them understand which policies will contribute to

meaningful action.

“As future policymakers, engagement and education on the issue from the Afghan per spective is key,” Malone wrote. “Conversations with Afghan leaders like Ms. Koofi will allow us to push forth well-rounded policies that are empathetic and reasonable.”

Malone says Koofi’s call to action on International Day of the Girl Child empowered her to continue her advocacy for wom en’s rights in Afghanistan.

“It was one that resonated with all of us,” Malone wrote. “We must keep the Afghan women in our thoughts and actively work to improve their lives.”

GU Supports Work Rights for International Students

Henry Liu Special to The Hoya

A U.S. Court of Appeals up held a federal program allowing international students to live and work in the United States for up to three years after gradu ating from an undergraduate university program, a position for which Georgetown Univer sity expressed support in an amicus brief.

On Oct. 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Co lumbia Circuit affirmed the Department of Homeland Se curity’s (DHS) 2016 Optional

Practical Training (OPT) pro gram, a one-year employment authorization for F-1 visa stu dents with the option of a twoyear extension for students working in STEM fields.

The OPT program was originally challenged in 2016 when the Washington Alli ance of Technology Workers (WashTech), a union represent ing workers in the STEM labor market, filed a suit against the DHS. The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in January 2021 ruled in favor of the OPT program as well as the two-year STEM extension. After an appeal, WashTech argued the case to the U.S. Court of Ap peals for the District of Colum

bia last November. On Oct. 4, the Court of Appeals reaffirmed the validity of the OPT program in a two to one decision.

Groups including the Presi dents’ Alliance on Higher Ed ucation and Immigration, an alliance of leaders in Ameri can higher education that focuses on raising awareness about immigration policies and practices on higher edu cation, and NAFSA: Associa tion of International Educa tors, a non-profit organization centered around interna tional education, organized 118 public and private colleges and universities in an am icus curiae brief. Amici curiae briefs present relevant facts and arguments from the per spective of groups with strong interests in the court decision.

Georgetown contributed to the amicus curiae brief in sup port of the OPT program.

The brief argues that the OPT is a government program that not only provides benefits for international students but also allows American higher educa tion institutions to attract the most outstanding students from around the world.

“If WashTech has its way, OPT will cease to exist,” the brief reads. “And if it ends, so too will the myriad benefits of

OPT to international students, American colleges and univer sities, and the national econ omy. If OPT is eliminated, in ternational students will have fewer opportunities to continue their education beyond the walls of the classroom — some thing that research shows is often required to master com plex fields such as those in the STEM area.”

Mark Karthik (SFS ’26), who is from Hong Kong, said he looks forward to taking full ad vantage of the work opportuni ties the decision has provided.

“I think it’s a great move to uphold the program, and I’m glad to see Georgetown’s sup port for international students,” Karthik told The Hoya. “I plan on taking advantage of the OPT program and the extension be cause I intend to major in econ. I look forward to gaining work experience and learning from this opportunity.”

A university spokesperson said being able to work in the U.S. after graduation is a crucial part of the university experience.

“Georgetown applauds the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “Apply ing the knowledge gained through academic study in a

practical setting is an indis pensable part of the higher education experience.”

Victor Cha, vice dean for fac ulty and graduate affairs in the department of government and the School of Foreign Service (SFS), said it is important for students to gain work experi ence in the U.S.

“Even our best students can only learn so much from the classroom; they must then test and further these lessons in the real world,” Cha wrote in a statement in the brief. “The op portunity to undertake intern ships, employment, or research is critical to their development as future leaders in a more glo balized world community for generations forward.”

Madeline Lee (SFS ’25), who is from South Korea, said that while she sees the program as a success, she hopes in the future it will extend to students that major in fields other than STEM.

Full disclosure: Lee is a Social Media Assistant at The Hoya

“I think it’s good because the process of getting a work visa can be difficult, and it provides more flexibility for internation al students after graduation,” Lee told The Hoya. “It would be better if non-STEM students also got to work three years.”

bankrupt local media and keep outlets from being able to pro duce content.

“The local media in the U.K., which is publicly funded by the BBC, were viewed as idiots by Prime Minister Liz Truss when she entered office,” Pow er said. “She has since worked hard to defund the BBC, but the local media have contin ued to run rings around her and hold her accountable.”

Ungar said that local media is particularly hurt in times of financial crisis, as these pub lications’ profits are largely dependent on voluntary user subscriptions and donations rather than advertisements.

“Simply asking people to do nate to local media amid a time of inflation is a ‘tough sell,’” Un gar told The Hoya in an interview after the event.

Brady said that by prioritiz ing their readers’ interests, lo cal news outlets can increase their donations.

“You have to address your au dience, you have to cover things they care about,” Brady said.

“Now we’re focusing on things that actually get people to give money to the organizations be cause they like the work, which means for the first time really in the history of digital, the business model and the editorial model thrive the same way.”

GU Student Team Wins Award in DC Public Health Case Challenge

Georgetown University students competed at the 2022 D.C. Public Health Case Challenge, an annual compe tition where teams from uni versities in the Washington, D.C. area create and present policy proposals aimed at solving a public health prob lem in the District.

Hosted by the National Academy of Medicine, this year’s competition, which took place Oct. 10, challenged teams to address youth inti mate partner violence (IPV) in D.C. After receiving the case information, teams had two weeks to prepare a compre hensive five-year policy inter vention plan with a hypothet ical million-dollar budget.

The Georgetown team con sisted of four students from the O’Neill Institute for Na tional and Global Health Law At Georgetown Law — Alyaa Chace (LAW ’23), Bailey Smith (LAW ’23), Guillermina Pap pier (LAW ’23) and Uttara Jhaveri (LAW ’23) — as well as Harrison Tandy (GRD ’23) and Carrigan Rice (NHS ’24).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preven tion (CDC), 16 million women and 11 million men who re ported experiencing sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate part ner in their lifetime said they first experienced these forms of violence before they turned 18, a statistic Chace said is not widely discussed or known.

“I was surprised when I read the case because you nor mally don’t think about this issue from the perspective of youth,” Chace told The Hoya “We can really make a tan gible difference by focusing on education at an early age and increasing awareness to overcome the existing stigma around IPV.”

The Georgetown team cre ated a solution titled “ICAN: IPV Counseling for Adoles cents Now,” with the goal of helping at-risk high school students understand healthy relationships, according to Jhaveri. The proposal takes a two-part approach to inter vention using peer-to-peer advisory and a youth theater drama program.

Jhaveri said the team chose peer counseling to mitigate the social stigma surrounding IPV through support groups led by mentors and facilita tors who have experienced such violence firsthand.

“We wanted it to be a safe space like a support group that understands what you have gone through and can help you deal with the issue through their own personal experiences,” Jhaveri said.

“Sometimes you just want someone who can talk and empathize with you.”

The team also proposed

that the District collaborate with The Theater Lab, a school for dramatic arts in D.C., and use their youth programs to reach at-risk groups and spread awareness about IPV, according to Jhaveri.

“Drama programs have been conducted in many places to help spread awareness and understanding of what youth intimate partner violence is,” Jhaveri said. “The Theater Lab is a local NGO that promotes awareness through drama and shows and we thought this was a very unique and different way of reaching our target audience.”

Teams were judged based on four criteria: the inter disciplinary nature of their response, feasibility of imple mentation, creativity and practicality. The Georgetown team won the Wildcard Award for integrating the arts in their solution.

Chace said one of the team’s goals was to identify, research and consider all the groups affected by youth IPV across socioeconomic sta tuses, racial and ethnic back grounds and more.

“For a policy to be effective, you must take into account diverse perspectives and in terests,” Chace said. “Our fear is that we give a presentation that is not diverse and fails to address certain demographics or at-risk populations.”

Given that the members of the team came from varied backgrounds and schools at Georgetown, Jhaveri said the team collaborated across dis ciplines to create a compre hensive solution.

“Everyone chose a particular aspect of research they were most interested in,” Jhaveri told The Hoya. “For example, I wanted to focus on counseling for our solution and someone else wanted to find ways to use social media.”

Leading up to the competi tion, Chace said the team fo cused on testing the strength and feasibility of their policies.

“We are working every free minute to make sure we are asking questions and press ing on each other the same way we know the judges will,” Chace said before the event.

“We are confident that we’ve created something that will make a real difference because we’ve looked at all the facets of the issue.”

Jhaveri said she enjoyed hearing and learning from other teams’ proposals, which included suggestions from youth leadership develop ment to policy changes that support survivors.

“It was a great experience,” Jhaveri told The Hoya. “My big gest takeaway was learning how people from disciplines can come together and work to produce a creative solu tion. I loved hearing everyone’s thoughts and different ap proaches to the same problem.”

Henry Liu Special to The Hoya

ARYAMAN SHARMA/THE HOYA

Journalists discussed the power of local media in preserving free speech during a panel hosted by the Georgetown Free Speech Project.

@FAWZIAKOOFI77/TWITTER

Fawzia Koofi spoke with Georgetown students about the threat to women’s rights in Afghanistan.

How the Hoyas Will Respond To Low Big East Expectations

Amanda Hao Special to The Hoya

Despite being ranked ninth in the annual Big East preseason coaches’ poll, Georgetown Univer sity women’s basketball players and coaches displayed optimism about the season at Big East Me dia Day Oct. 18.

Georgetown tied with Butler University for ninth place, and reigning champion University of Connecticut came in first as the unanimous Big East women’s basketball favorite — collecting 10 first-place votes — followed by Creighton University and Villanova University.

Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman began the proceed ings by applauding last year’s accomplishments by the Uni versity of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University and Villanova University, who each advanced to the 2022 NCAA tournament. In the 2021-22 sea son, led by Hall of Fame head coach Geno Auriemma, UConn won its second conference cham pionship since returning to the the Big East in 2020-21, earning its 21st regular season crown and 20th Big East tournament title after defeating Villanova in the championship game.

The Huskies followed this championship with a deep run in the 2022 NCAA tournament, advancing to their 14th consecu tive Final Four and 12th national title game, but ultimately fell short to South Carolina. Creighton, DePaul and Villanova also repre sented the Big East in the NCAA tournament. The three schools all won their first-round games with Creighton making a historic run to the Elite Eight under the guid ance of head coach Jim Flanery.

Following the 50th an niversary of Title IX in June, Ackerman also said in her re marks that they need to use the momentum to continue pushing for gender equity within college basketball.

“We work very hard to see so much attention directed to the progress women’s basketball and women’s sports have made over

the past five decades and what we all need to do to keep those arrows moving upward,” Ackerman said.

Last summer, New York City law firm Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP investigated the disparities between women’s and men’s basketball teams in the NCAA, prompted by players’ outrage regarding facilities at each of the respective March Madness tournaments. Upon concluding their investigation, the firm of fered its recommendations to the NCAA on how to best ensure gender equity.

This year, Ackerman men tioned that there has been move ment to enact some of the rec ommendations, including recent decisions by the NCAA to add an NCAA-sponsored Women’s Na tional Invitation Tournament to the national postseason as well as adding a girls’ basketball academy next year to accompany the boys’ basketball academy as part of the NCAA summer calendar.

Georgetown women’s basket ball head coach James Howard, junior guard Kelsey Ransom and sophomore forward Brianna Scott attended media day in the Garden.

Last season, the Hoyas finished ninth in the Big East standings. This season, the team hopes to focus on the small details of their games to improve their record.

Ransom said the team needs to approach the game in a more de tailed manner to win.

“We want to win, so we need to understand what that takes in a very detailed manner,” Ransom

BETWEEN THE GOALPOSTS

saidduringmediaday.“Howdowe win each possession? How do you win every minute that you get on the floor? Because if you don’t, the opponent will, and whoever wins more of those moments is going to win the game. I think breaking it down like that — learning and building up — is how little things matter, which is something that we’re really focusing on to help us.”

Two transfer students and four first-years joined the Hoyas this year. Senior forward Jada Claude played two years at Duke Uni versity and one year at Morehead State University, and graduate guard Kristina Moore played four years at the University of Florida.

Scott said she hopes the ad dition of Claude and Moore will provide experience to the Hoyas roster and translate into more wins.

“We are a young team, and we were a young team last year,” Scott said during media day. “But bringing back the experience, es pecially with the two transfers, Jada Claude and Kristina Moore, we bring in some veteran pres ence, so our leadership has defi nitely improved because of that. Our captains, senior forward Graceann Bennett and Kelsey Ransom, have also been very great leaders for us so just carry ing that experience is something that’s gonna help us.”

Georgetown will open its sea son against Salem University Nov. 7 at McDonough Arena. The game tips off at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on FloSports.

Something Feels Amiss During This World Cup

Demi Pappas Columnist

It’s never too early to start talking about the World Cup.

With soccer’s biggest stage approaching in just under a month in Qatar, it’s time to start musing on what may be the most chaotic tournament yet.

Soccer is an inherently dramatic sport. The flops, the gesticulations, the rivalries — theater makes football glorious, and the epitome of these histrionics is the World Cup. Before one, the world whips itself up into a frenzy. Yet this year, things feel somehow different: the anticipation that is usually palpable before a World Cup is conspicuously absent.

The explanation for this lies in the fact that Qatar is not meant to host a World Cup, for a myriad of reasons. Call me a purist, but the World Cup is a summer tournament and should be played accordingly. Because Qatar summers average 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a JuneJuly tournament was not an option. Even in November, the matches will still be played in extremely high temperatures, forcing players to take longer to recover from previous matches or nagging injuries. The result?

Lower-quality soccer as a result of this decision.

The caveat that a Qatar tourney would have to be in the late fall should have disqualified the country from hosting the competition entirely. But, since FIFA is fundamentally broken, this did not happen.

Instead, the governing body corruptly awarded hosting rights to Qatar, a country with a history of migrant worker abuse, abhorrent

treatment towards women and the LGBTQ+ community, and careful sportswashing strategy.

Sportswashing is the practice of a corporation or nation-state using a prestigious international sport to improve its reputation through sponsorships, purchases of teams or hosting a major event.

As the tournament approaches, flaws in the event are becoming increasingly glaring: many fans with tickets have no place to stay, there is an energy crisis that dissolves Qatar’s promise of a climate-neutral World Cup and foreign workers are being mistreated.

salary increases. Don’t get me wrong, come Nov. 20, the opening match between Qatar and Ecuador, the world will become entranced. The criticisms will likely fade as the spectacle of the tournament kicks off. The Doha skyline will glitter and new stadiums will amaze. Viewers will forget the frustration of a droll summer without soccer and all of the injustices committed during the preparations. Once football begins, we will romanticize the event entirely.

Am I a hypocrite to say that I will be a part of this large contingent? I am excited for it. Excited for the way international soccer will dominate the cultural zeitgeist for the months to come.

I wonder who will capture our hearts and minds this year through Cinderella runs, inspiring camaraderie and phenomenal performances.

Hopefully it is the young U.S. men’s national team, whose lineup includes endless swoon-worthy footballers (I’m looking at you, Pulisic and Reyna) and the starpower to make a long run in the tournament.

MEN’S RUGBY

Georgetown Dominates Towson in 44-0 Shutout

John Nelson Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown men’s club rugby team continued its undefeated start with a 44-0 win against Towson to kick off Parents’ Weekend.

The Oct. 15 game began at 8 p.m., giving the Hoyas a chance to showcase their talents on Cooper Field under the Sat urday night lights. The Hoyas were looking to earn their sec ond straight victory against the Tigers after defeating Tow son 34-12 on Sept. 24.

After tweaking its offensive personnel from the previ ous match against Towson, Georgetown was able to turn out an even more dominant performance, keeping the Ti gers scoreless and notching its third shutout of the season.

Captain Mark Kearney said the team has been play ing well so far this season, despite issues with practice spaces. “So far, this season has been going pretty well on the field. The team is playing exceptionally well and show ing great depth as younger players have been develop ing into really solid players,” Kearney told The Hoya in a postgame interview. “We are currently ranked number 3 in the country and hope to continue our success through the playoffs.”

From the opening whistle, the Hoyas controlled the of

fensive tempo, keeping pos session deep into Tiger terri tory with little spillage into the Hoyas’ end. To start off the scoring, Kearney, a senior, found his way into the try zone for his first of two tries in the half, eventually adding anoth er in the second half.

Despite the impressive offen sive performance and five indi vidual try scorers, Georgetown’s stingy defense was the story of the game. Man of the Match, senior number 8 Braedan Ma honey, was a key part of this ef fort, preventing the Tigers from pouncing into the try-zone.

Along with his act as a stalwart defender, Mahoney punched in the second try of the game, along with a kick from senior scrum-half Charlie Chapman, to push the score to 12-0, before Ke arney and Chapman made it 19-0 by the end of the half.

First-year inside center Andrew Maloney was able to find the try-zone early in the second half as the Hoyas continued to keep Towson at bay. The defensive unit was able to stifle any offensive move from Towson, allow ing Georgetown to keep its relentless attack going and add four more tries to bring the final score to 44-0.

Although a few players stood out statistically, Kearney said the win was a team effort.

“Against Towson this past weekend, the lads put

on a defensive clinic and re mained tactically incredibly sound as we put up eight tries and shut them out,” Ke arney said. “Some standout players were Braeden Ma honey, Nick Frayter, Andrew Maloney, Quinn Zebrowski and Noah Thurm.”

Despite trouble with con versions and the prospect of a tough upcoming schedule, Ke arney said he remains hopeful for the rest of the season.

“Looking at playoffs, we will obviously face some difficult opponents like Bucknell and Villanova, but I have full confi dence in this team’s ability to push through and make it to the national tournament and hopefully push all the way to Houston,” Kearney said.

Despite not playing the Towson Tigers, the Men’s Rug by B-side put in a tough effort as well, losing 5-7 to the How ard Bison and George Mason Patriots. By focusing on build ing their alternate squads, the Hoyas are building a bright future as well as depth for the rest of the season.

The Hoyas look ahead to their bout on Saturday, Oct. 22, as they make their way to Emmitsburg, Md., to face off against Mount St. Mary’s for their second match against the Mountaineers this sea son. They look to build off their previous 69-15 win, and grow their lead within the MARC Potomac division.

WHY IT WAS SPECIAL

Denmark’s Jersey Collection Protests Qatar World Cup

Denmark’s understated World Cup jersey collection is the latest form of protest against the con troversial upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar. As the excitement of soccer’s biggest tournament begins, the move, whether moti vated by moral outrage or profit, is an important reminder of the human rights abuses committed by the Qatari government.

repeatedly cited concerns about the exploitation and high death toll of migrant workers, with Amnesty International labeling the tournament the “World Cup of shame.” In 2016, Amnesty In ternational accused Qatari com panies of using forced labor, sub jecting workers to squalid living conditions, withholding wages and confiscating passports.

down its logo on Denmark’s kit, stating that it didn’t want to be associated with a tournament held in Qatar. It also designed an all-black kit to mark the death of migrant workers and confirmed that it will donate 1% of its total online revenue for the rest of the year to Amnesty International.

Qatar did not adequately plan to host hundreds of thousands of visitors, and while they will prioritize housing for fans with tickets, there is no telling whether they will be able to accommodate everyone.

Hosting also required labor from two million migrant workers; in 2019, Amnesty International reported that they have been subjected to illegal recruiting practices and often haven’t been paid.

Qatar’s Government Communication Office responded, saying that it has made changes which have successfully allowed workers to change jobs and receive

Nevertheless, I shouldn’t be having to involve myself in such moral quandaries. I shouldn’t be asking myself that question becuase FIFA shouldn’t have awarded hosting privileges to a country with corporal punishment laws for same-sex PDA and buying and drinking alcohol. But this is not news, and I am starting to sound like a broken record.

I’m curious as to whether you are experiencing the same inner conflict. A part of me selfishly hopes you are, because if I can’t have unbridled excitement for the World Cup, then no one should.

Hummel, Denmark’s kit man ufacturers, released three mono chrome jerseys Sept. 28 as a form of protest against the 2022 World Cup host nation, Qatar. Qatar and its World Cup bid have faced serious backlash as the tournament approaches, and many have questioned the legitimacy of the nation’s initial bid, alleging vote-buy ing and bribery. Fifteen of the 22 FIFA executive commit tee members who selected Qatar as the 2022 World Cup host 12 years ago have since faced criminal charges or been banned by FIFA’s governing body, including former FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Many regard the omission of more suitable nations such as the United States, Australia and South Korea as suspicious.

However, the most troubling controversy has been the mis treatment of the 30,000 mi grant workers who were integral to Qatar’s construction of new stadiums, hotels and even cities.

Human rights groups have

The Guardian reported in 2021 that 6,500 workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangla desh and Sri Lanka had died since Qatar won its World Cup bid. The Qatari government has denied this number, claiming that there were only 37 deaths — only three of which considered work-related — between 2014 and 2020. However, the Interna tional Labour Organization be lieves this is an understatement as Qatar does not count deaths that could have been related to heatstroke, a condition com monly resulting from intense labor at high temperatures.

Denmark has been one of the most outspoken countries among those participating in the tournament this winter, with numerous fans raising concerns about sending teams and fans to Qatar.

“We do not believe that we, as a democratic nation striving to live up to global human rights, can benefit from having some of the country’s most prominent sporting players participate in the finals and blue-stamp a dic tatorship like Qatar,” a national petition reads.

To raise awareness about these controversies, Hummel, a Danish-owned brand, toned

While these actions are a start, Hummel will still profit from the sale of jerseys and, albeit indirect ly, from the abuses of the Qatari government. The company will potentially pocket even more from sales because of the jersey’s dissenting design, which not only sends a message but convenient ly looks magnificently suave.

Christian Stadil, the owner of Hummel, told The Athletic that his company is trying to use the opportunity to spread awareness about the situation while still navigating the fine line between sending a message and produc ing a product for the public.

“We have a window to com municate,” Stadil told The Ath letic.

“So rather than flying our logo, and the bright colors of the flag we wanted to do something a little different. Not to take away from the football, but to make people stop for a few sec onds, a few minutes, to contem plate the whole process of hold ing the World Cup in Qatar.”

While it remains to be seen whether the dark horse Denmark will take its com petition by storm in Qatar, it is evident that its kits have already sent waves through the world of football and are continuing a conversation that must not be drowned out once the tournament begins.

“If I can’t have unbridled excitement for the World Cup, then no one should.”

DEMI PAPPAS Columnist

@GEORGETOWNWBB/TWITTER

The Hoyas spoke about how they will counter low expectations at the 2022 Big East media day.

GURFC/FACEBOOK

Men’s club rugby continued its unbeaten start to the season with a 44-0 victory against Towson on Oct. 15 during Georgetown’s Family Weekend.

Jack Lonergan Columnist

Georgetown Squeaks Past Providence With 1-0 Victory

PROVIDENCE, from A12 the season.

Towards the end of the first half Providence’s Hannah Pinkus had a golden chance to tie the score from close range, but senior goalkeeper Allie Augur’s fantastic block kept Georgetown atop as they reached halftime.

For much of the second half, the Hoyas continued to ramp up the pressure by winning the ball high up the pitch and finding good combinations that allowed them to drive down the sideline. This opened up a couple of scoring opportunities for the team’s leading goal scorer, senior forward Gia Vicari, but the Friars’ defense prevented her from scoring.

Despite the seemingly lacking goal threat from the Georgetown front line, their pressure on the opposition’s back line, especially from sophomore forward Maja Lardner, was crucial in creating chances for the team. The Hoyas’ offensive prowess also limited the pressure placed on the defense by

preventing Providence from building any consistent momentum going forward.

The final 10 minutes were a true test of the resiliency for the back line as Providence began to overwhelm Georgetown and pose a serious threat to its narrow lead. Mere minutes away from the final whistle, a beautiful penetrating ball from Providence midfielder Alexis Rothmann found forward Gillian Kenney for a shot on goal, but another crucial save by Augur sealed the deal for the Hoyas. This save was the last of four for Augur, who has yet to concede a goal across all six of her starts this season.

The Hoyas extended their unbeaten streak to 14 consecutive games with another shutout win over Marquette University (7-7-2, 3-4-1 Big East) at Shaw Field Oct. 20. Georgetown will next play its final regular season match against Butler University (7-7-2, 4-3-1 Big East) Oct. 23 at 1:00 p.m. in Indianapolis.

SUDOKU

CAUSING A RACQUET

Roger Federer: Most Legendary Player Ever

WERDIGER, from A12 technique were only a frac tion of his appeal.

The 20-time Grand Slam champion glided around the court like Michael Jackson moonwalking on a dancefloor, and he did so while looking like a royal prince on Wimble don Centre Court in his golden Nike vest and bandana. Feder er was the epitome of beauty in every aspect. He could com pete for hours and seemingly not break a sweat, always ap pearing poised and unfazed.

That unparalleled skill helped him amass a record of 247-15 during his prime from 2004-2006, record the most consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 (237) and reach all four Grand Slam finals in a single season three times in his career.

But once a match conclud ed, viewers witnessed the real Federer — someone who was down to earth, gracious in defeat and victory and coura geous enough to display his emotions to the world.

Throughout his 24-year career, Federer miraculously never retired mid-match. The same ease of operation that allowed him to do that also made it no surprise that Federer became a shrewd businessman who built a billion-dollar brand — a feat unprecedented in tennis.

MEN’S SOCCER

Hoyas’

The only critique one could dare to place on the most be loved man in Switzerland is his inability to win some of the most pivotal matches of his career. Federer has lost over 20 matches in which he held a match point, including his final doubles match at the Laver Cup Sept. 23.

Most notable of those “chokes” was the 2019 Wimble don final against Novak Djokov ic. The four-hour, 57-minute affair, which came down to a fifth-set tiebreak after Federer squandered two champion

ship points on his serve, was a fairytale-turned-nightmare for Federer on Centre Court.

That year, Federer remem bered how he held back tears during the trophy ceremony before finally breaking down in the locker room. We have seen Federer in tears numerous times, as he has cried both out of joy and anguish after count less Grand Slam finals. Feder er’s vulnerability and frequent letdowns remind us of his hu manity and, in turn, paint him as a more embraceable idol.

For as long as I can remem

ber, Federer has been a staple of the tennis world and someone who has helped me grow into a better player and human being. Although he is finally hanging up his racket, Roger Federer’s legacy will forever live on. Tennis fans should remember him as the most legendary player to ever step on the court.

Robbie Werdiger is a sophomore in the Col lege. Causing a Racquet appears online and in print every other week.

Win

VILLANOVA, from A12 Saunders hit the ball against the right goal post. Midfielder Brandon Johns received the rebound and slotted the ball past junior goalkeeper Ryan Schewe for a goal.

Though only trailing the Hoyas by one goal, time pre cluded the Wildcats from completing their comeback, allowing the Hoyas to retain their lead and secure the win.

With the second away vic tory of the season and 15th consecutive win over Vil lanova, the Hoyas extended their Big East conference record to 4-1-1. After a rocky start to its season, George town has made an impres sive comeback, winning four out of its last five games.

Following the win, Murrell and Tabora were tied with 4 goals this season, while Linhares and Sargeant led

the team with 4 assists. The goal-scoring ability of Tab ora and Viera, who are both super subs, was instrumen tal to this victory, attesting to the impressive depth of Georgetown’s bench.

Head Coach Brian Wiese said the depth of the team’s roster is an important part of the Hoyas’ offensive success.

“The Villanova game was a really good example of six players in the squad all get

ting on the score sheet,” Wi ese said. “The shared load of offense production has been really handy.”

The Hoyas added to their win streak with a 2-0 home win over the Seton Hall Uni versity Pirates (6-2-6, 3-1-4 Big East) Oct. 19. Next up, Georgetown will take on the unbeaten Xavier Musketeers (9-0-5, 3-0-4 Big East) Oct. 22 in one of their toughest matchups of the season.

What Coach Ewing Expects This Season

MBB, from A12 the National Invitational Tournament Championship on the same court Ackerman spoke from.

Ackerman said the conference hopes to use sports as a medium to develop student-athletes into responsible leaders.

“Sports are one of the most effective ways in our society to develop young men and women into responsible adults who will become the leaders of tomorrow,” Acker man said. “We plan to work with our colleagues across Division I in the coming months and beyond to make sure that basketball, both men’s and women’s, has its own growth and manage ment strategies, and that the sport continues to thrive ir

regardless of whatever gov ernance, membership and legal changes come our way.”

Ackerman extended her thanks to Georgetown President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95), who serves as chair of the NCAA Board of Governors, for his efforts in managing an unprecedented sequence of developments in the college sports world brought upon by the pandemic.

Georgetown Head Coach Patrick Ewing, senior center Qudus Wahab and sopho more guard Brandon Murray also attended the event.

Despite going 0-19 in con ference play last year, Ewing told The Hoya that he is confi dent in his team’s game play and is ready to adapt it to any new additions to the team.

“I didn’t make too many changes to the playstyle,” Ewing

said. “We’re still going to play the same way we played before: try to play fast. We are a lot different than we were last year. The style may be the same, but the players are definitely different.”

This year, the Hoyas wel come nine new players, with seven transfers and two firstyears. Along with the players present at the media day, Ew ing also said he expects signifi cant contributions from junior forward Akok Akok, a transfer from UConn, and sophomore guard Primo Spears, a transfer from Duquesne.

“I expect great things of them,” Ewing said. “Brandon Murray is a great defender and can score at multiple levels.

Qudus Wahab can score and oppose, he can re bound and can also rim pro tect. Akok Akok can rim pro

tect, he can shoot the three and he’s a great slasher. Pri mo Spears is an elite point guard: he can score, he can pass, he can go downhill and he’s a great defender.”

With the season starting in November, every team is preparing to bring its best performance to the court.

“I’m just like everybody else here,” Ewing said. “We all want to win. That’s our goal, but we want to make sure that when our season ends, we’re not where they have us ranked right now.”

In the Big East preseason coaches’ poll released Oct. 18, Georgetown was picked to finish as the second-worst team in the conference.

The Hoyas open their sea son against Coppin State Nov. 8 at Capital One Arena.

@BIGEAST/TWITTER

Sophomore midfielder Eliza Turner’s goal proved the difference for the Georgetown University women’s soccer team as it defeated Providence 1-0.

BRITANNICA

Columnist Robbie Werdiger (COL ‘24) discusses the impact that recently retired Roger Federer had on him and the sport of tennis as a whole.

GUHOYAS

Although the Hoyas dominated the first 60 minutes of their penultimate road matchup against the Villanova Wildcats, they had to prevent a late comeback attempt to hang onto a narrow 3-2 victory.

Georgetown

Xavier (9-0-5)

p.m.

Field

Amanda Hao Special to The Hoya

The Big East conference hosted its annual basketball media day Oct. 18 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, featuring head coaches, assistant directors and play ers from all 11 of its member schools. The event revealed the conference’s preseason coach es’ poll — which placed George town University in 10th place with Creighton University, Xavier University and Villanova University leading the pack.

Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman kicked off the event with an opening speech that em phasized how the Big East seeks to become a national contender in the modern era.

“Here we are now with the 10th season of what I call, some times, the new Big East upon us,” Ackerman said. “I think a lot about the first few years after this group of schools came together back in 2013 and the effort that it took to build on the Big East his tory — history we’re really proud of — and to try to rebuild a mod ern identity as a basketball-fo cused conference ready and able to compete for national champi onships in our marquee sport.”

Last year, the Big East ended with teams playing in both Final Fours: Villanova on the men’s side and University of Connecti cut, who competed in their 12th national title game, on the wom en’s. Under Head Coach Ed Cool ey’s guidance, Providence College reached its first men’s Sweet 16 in 25 years. Creighton, UConn, Mar quette University, Providence, Seton Hall University and Vil lanova all earned NCAA men’s bids. Xavier also brought home

Takeaways From Big East Media Day See MBB, A11

Augur Extends No. 16 Hoyas’ Win Streak

Playing spoiler to the Providence Friars on their senior day, the Georgetown women’s soccer team triumphed in a tightly contested 1-0 victory. The Hoyas increased their streak of consecutive shutout games to 11 thanks to another dominant performance by their back line. The shutout helped the Hoyas solidify

their place atop the Big East, widening the gap between them and Xavier University to five points ahead of the final stretch of the regular season. 28 minutes into a scoreless match between Georgetown (12-1-4, 8-0-1 Big East) and Providence (4-9-2, 2-4-1 Big East), Hoyas’ sophomore midfielder Eliza Turner turned a beautifully worked short corner kick into a perfect shot attempt. Her shot slithered through a sea

of bodies before nestling its way past the helpless dive of Providence Friars’ goalkeeper Emma Bodmer and into the bottom left corner of the goal. This goal proved to be the difference in a hard-fought win for the Hoyas.

For the first few minutes of the opening half, the Hoyas weathered the storm of the Friars’ progressive passing combinations and relentless pressure. Despite Providence’s dominant possession, they

GU Stifles Comeback, Tops Villanova

David Wendeln Special to The Hoya

Forty minutes into the game, it looked as if the Hoyas had sealed their victory over the Villanova University Wild cats. Then, a sudden shift in momentum in the 60th min ute restored the game to an intense and climactic battle.

Fervent Hoya supporters held their breath, anxiously await ing the final whistle.

Though the game went down to the wire, the Georgetown men’s soccer team (7-4-3, 5-11 Big East) held on to its lead and took home 3 points with a 3-2 victory over Big East rival Villanova (5-7-2, 2-5-1 Big East).

In the first 10 minutes of the game, Georgetown and Villanova alternated waves of promising offensive attacks, countered by even better transitions and recoveries on the defensive ends.

In the 14th minute, however, the Hoyas gained the upper edge. In a swift give-and-go se quence, junior midfielder Kyle Linhares found sophomore midfielder Blaine Mabie, who set him up on the upper right corner with a perfectly execut ed overhead chip. Then, Lin hares crossed the ball to firstyear forward Jacob Murrell, who flawlessly netted the ball to put the Hoyas ahead 1-0.

Catching momentum, the Hoyas continued to press the

Wildcats in their own half, penetrating their defense with precisely placed long balls. On the other end, Villanova re sponded with a couple of clini cal counter attacks while set ting up a robust defensive wall against Georgetown’s continu ous efforts to extend its lead.

Eager to bolster their lead, the Hoyas finally pierced through the Wildcats’ de fense and ended their score less 20-minute run. After an exchange between junior for ward Marlon Tabora and ju nior midfielder Trevor Burns, Tabora received the ball in open space in the center of the box. Staying composed, he skillfully slotted the ball into the bottom left of the goal.

Just two minutes later, sophomore defender Kieran Sargeant led a speedy attack on the left side of the pitch, dribbling past two defend ers and launching a clinical cross into the box to connect with first-year midfielder Max Viera. As Viera brilliant ly finished his chance, the Hoyas entered halftime with a 3-goal cushion and a deceiv ingly easy sweep.

However, Villanova re turned from the locker room with a newfound sense of ur gency. The Wildcats’ multiple counterattacks and shots on target seemed to rejuvenate their morale and shift the game’s momentum. No longer dominating Villanova offen sively, the Hoyas found them

selves outplayed in their own half by the Wildcats’ creative passing sequences.

Villanova’s opportunity to hedge its deficit finally arose in the 70th minute. Following a scuffle for possession in the center of Georgetown’s box, the ball was deflected to the top of the box to forward Balthi

Saunders, who calmly took a touch and placed a well-aimed, crisp shot into the lower right corner of the goal.

After approximately 15 minutes of defensive resil ience on both sides, the Wild cats cut the Hoyas’ lead to 3-2 with two minutes to go. Fol lowing a cross into the box,

were unable to penetrate Georgetown’s stellar defense.

That defense, led by senior midfielder and defender captain Julia Leas, remained composed throughout the match despite tremendous pressure down the stretch.

The unit has led the Hoyas to the remarkable feat of not having conceded a goal in 996 consecutive minutes of open play.

After settling into the game, the Hoyas began to press higher up the pitch

and pinned the opposition in their own half, creating set piece after set piece in goal scoring positions. The Hoyas excelled in this regard as they have all season, winning nine corners and only conceding one to their opponents. The Hoyas unsurprisingly scored off of yet another set piece when Turner scored in the 28th minute for her first goal of

A Celebration Of Roger Federer

He might not be the greatest player ever, but Roger Federer undoubtedly retired as the most legendary player in tennis.

In the July 2021 Rolex com mercial “Numbers Don’t Mat ter,” the narrator declares, “whatever the scoreboard says, his legend can only grow be cause, in time, Roger Federer’s legacy will prove more perpet ual than any number.”

The ad sparked controversy on Twitter in 2021, as many tennis fans pointed out the arrogant and delusional na ture of the eloquently phrased tribute to Rolex’s brand am bassador. After all, numbers are the only objective metric to measure success in sports. However, Federer would prefer to ignore that as his two great est rivals, Nadal and Djokovic, erase more of his records with each passing year.

The minute-long montage, however, never called Feder er the greatest player, simply arguing that the numbers don’t do justice to Federer’s elegance before, during and after his matches.

To this point, there is little

dispute among fans, players or any observer privileged to have witnessed Federer’s skill, effortless athleticism and tac tical brilliance blend together on the court. There are no words that do justice to Feder er in the same sense that a de scription of a magic trick will never evoke the same feelings of disbelief as an in-person magic performance.

As David Foster Wallace described in a 2006 New York Times article — perhaps the closest a journalistic piece comes to encapsulating the “Swiss Maestro” — Federer has shattered every physical limit on his way to becoming an unprecedented superstar. He so often creates these jawdropping moments by finding the most mind-blowing angles never before thought possible.

Growing up in the Federer era, I will never doubt his iconic presence. As a child just getting into tennis, I was enthralled by his aura, along with a whole new generation of young tennis players, in cluding Carlos Alcaraz, who were inspired by a man revo lutionizing a game with an extraordinary playing style.

However, Roger Federer’s blistering one-handed back hands and flawless forehand

@HOYASWSOC/TWITTER

Senior goalkeeper Allie Augur helped keep the Hoyas’ unbeaten streak alive as they fought through another low-scoring, defensive match. Georgetown’s defense has been a bright spot for the team in its recent success.

senior forward Brianna Scott spoke about her expectations for the season.

We are currently ranked No. 3 in the country and hope to continue our success through the playoffs.”

Men’s Rugby Captain Mark Kearney

Georgetown men’s basketball was picked to finish 10th in the Big East in the preseason coaches’ poll.

GUHOYAS

The men’s soccer team extended its unbeaten streak to six in a 3-2 win over Villanova, putting the Hoyas in a tie for first place in the Big East.

Colin Liau Special to The Hoya

MEN’S SOCCER

CAUSING A RACQUET

Robbie Werdiger Columnist

WOMEN’S SOCCER