The Hoya: November 12, 2021

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Wage Theft Protests Since 1920 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021

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Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 103, No. 7, © 2021

Politicians Must Defend Marginalized Groups, Julián Castro Says

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Julián Castro, former secretary of housing and urban development, spoke about public service at a Nov. 10 event in Copley Formal Lounge.

Sophia Epley

Special to The Hoya

Public servants have a responsibility to deliver concrete benefits to constituents and work to include and protect marginalized groups, according to Julián Castro, former secretary of housing and urban development and 2020 presidential candidate.

At the Nov. 10 in-person event, titled “An America for All,” Castro argued policymakers should focus on local action and hot-button issues and encouraged students who care about social justice to become involved in public service. The Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service hosted the event moderated

by GU Politics Fellow Charlotte Clymer (COL ’16).

Politicians on the state and federal levels should work to create real change in the lives

of their constituents through policy, according to Castro.

“What moves people a lot of the time is what directly impacts their lives. The thing about local government is that you did not have to wait to see the impact of your work,” Castro said at the event. “If I had that pothole fixed or saw the sidewalks built or got more public safety investment, people could measure it. People could see the difference that you made or the lack of a difference you made.”

Prior to working as U.S. secretary of housing and urban development from 2014 to 2017, Castro served as mayor of San Antonio from 2009 to 2014 and a member of the San Antonio City Council from the 7th district from 2001 to 2005. Castro announced a bid for president as part of the 2020 elections; See CASTRO, A6

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

International students petition for housing on campus over winter break, citing travel restrictions and financial restraints that create barriers to leaving campus, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Petition: Expand Winter Break Housing Samuel Yoo

Hoya Staff Writer

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eorgetown University students are petitioning the university to accommodate international students who need on-campus housing during winter break.

The petition, which has been signed by 54 students, urges the university to allow international students to remain in on-campus residence halls for winter break given pandemicinduced housing insecurity

between Dec. 18, 2021, and Jan. 11, 2022. The university typically shuts down residence halls during winter break, barring students from returning to their dorms until the beginning of spring semester.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created travel and safety barriers that prevent international students from returning to their permanent residences, according to the petition.

“This year has proven to be difficult for all of us.

For international students,

however, particular challenges remain, of which winter housing insecurities create the most burden and stress. Many of us are unable to return home this winter as the quarantine time simply exceeds our break, not to mention the difficulty in securing international flights and the continuous risk of being exposed to the virus,” the petition reads.

Yichu Huang (SFS ’23), an international student who co-authored the petition,

said students felt compelled to write the petition after the office of residential living gave unclear information.

“The emails that I received and some of the emails that my friends received from residential living had different wordings,” Huang said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “We were very confused about what the school was trying to say and I think that residential living was equally See WINTER BREAK, A6

GUSA Referendum Fails GAGE Supports Columbia With Low Voter Turnout Student Workers on Strike Darya Molotkova Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Workers (GAGE) affirmed its support for student workers at Columbia University after over 3,000 Columbia undergraduate and graduate student workers launched a unionwide strike Nov. 3.

Members of the Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers (SWC-UAW),

Columbia’s student union composed of teaching assistants, research assistants and undergraduate student workers, launched the strike after the union failed to reach a contract agreement with Columbia University in Nov. 1 and Nov. 2 bargaining sessions.

SWC-UAW is specifically calling on Columbia to agree to a contract that includes increased pay to meet student living needs in New York City,

a more robust dental and vision insurance plan, better protection for international students, reduction of pay disparity and a guarantee for neutral third-party arbitration in discrimination and harassment cases.

GAGE supports SWC-UAW as they seek a new contract agreement with Columbia University, according to GAGE Secretary Jeffrey Tsoi (LAW ’23, See GAGE, A6

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

The GUSA referendum, which proposed to restructure the senate and executive into a single legislative body, did not pass because turnout did not exceed 25%.

Samuel Yoo

Hoya Staff Writer

A push to restructure the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) failed Nov. 7 after student voter turnout did not meet requisite levels to implement the constitutional change.

While 72.12% of students

voted in favor of the referendum, only 20.11% of the student body, or 1,031 students, voted in the election, short of the 25% minimum voter turnout needed for constitutional referendums. If implemented, the referendum would have abolished both the GUSA Senate and Executive and replaced the bodies with a single

advocacy assembly.

Despite failing, the referendum was not a complete defeat, according to GUSA Senator Bora Balçay (SFS ’23), one of two senators to introduce the referendum.

“We take this as an approval of our mandate. We got 72% yes, which is over a thousand See GUSA, A6

@COLUMBIA/TWITTER

GAGE is supporting over 3,000 student workers on strike at Columbia University after contract negotiations with the school’s administration failed.

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Students circulate a petition calling for the return of late-night dining at Epicurean and Company.

CAPS should reinstate its grief counseling groups to better support student mental health in the wake of the pandemic.

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International Orientation

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University administrators indefinitely halt operations of HoyaLift accessibility shuttle services on campus.

Georgetown must develop a full inperson New Student Orientation for international students.

Learn all about the ups and downs of living in the city at Georgetown’s Capitol Applied Learning Labs. blog.thehoya.com

Surprising camerawork fails to rescue a film haunted by tired tropes in this 1960s ghost thriller.

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OPINION EDITORIAL

IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE

Add Climate Core Requirement This week, Georgetown University students registered for spring 2022 classes.

Among the myriad considerations students take when constructing their future schedule is the core curriculum. The core curriculum is an instrumental part of a Georgetown education and guides every student to develop skills that engage with particularly important topics.

The Editorial Board calls on the university to implement an environmental attribute, similar to the engaging diversity requirement, in the university’s core curriculum to ensure all students take steps to learn about the environmental issues that will increasingly define the world we live in.

As extreme temperatures and climate-related disasters limit access to education in areas most impacted by global warming, such as rural communities dependent on natural resources, educational institutions like Georgetown have a responsibility to help its students become more responsible global citizens.

Climate change inherently affects every industry, so requiring students, regardless of their major, to take courses with the attribute is imperative.

Education on climate change is the first step toward solving climate change and decreasing the disproportionate impact of changing climates on women and communities of color, who bear the brunt of natural disasters and are least prepared to address environmental degradation. Implementing an environmental requirement would align with Georgetown’s missions of creating engaged and responsible global citizens who “care for our common home.”

There is no doubt environmental issues demand the attention of Georgetown students.

Though each undergraduate school’s core requirements vary, Georgetown’s universitywide core curriculum mandates have the same goal: making sure all students have a well-rounded education and “engage responsibly in the world.”

The university can implement the attribute to recognize the breadth of environmental issues. Students could not only fulfill their requirement by taking environmental science but also pursue intersectional courses such as “Environmental Sustainability Operations and Business Management” in the McDonough School of Business, “Gender and Sustainability” in the College, “Environmental Policy” in the School of Foreign Service (SFS) and “Urbanization, Health, and Environment” in the school of Nursing and Health Studies. Such flexibility will allow students from all schools to find courses focused on environmental issues that relate to their field of interest.

However, students and administrators understandably have reservations, according to Adrian Ali-Caccamo (SFS ’24) and Rachel Klein (SFS ’24), representatives of the Class of 2024 on the SFS Academic Council.

“Our perception of the core, based on our direct interactions with SFS students, is that the core is not inherently too extensive but feels

overbearing because some interpretation of the meaningfulness has been lost,” Ali-Caccamo and Klein wrote in an email to The Hoya.

This concern is valid, but requiring students to take courses with an environmental attribute while allowing the attribute to overlap with other existing core requirements addresses the worry. This method would allow students to fulfill their environmental requirement while also fulfilling a major, minor or other core requirement.

Currently, the university allows students to fulfill multiple core requirements with a single class. Although there are exceptions, such as the humanities: arts, literature and culture (HALC) requirement, which prohibits overlaps, classes with the engaging diversity designation can be taken to fulfill other major, minor or core requirements. While the engaging diversity attribution falls short of its purpose, this shortcoming should not rule out the more careful implementation of an environmental attribution core requirement.

Carefully reviewing courses with the attribution while establishing the requirement with this model would make it easy for students to learn about climate change without adding on another stand-alone requirement.

“Adding an environmental requirement to the core, in our opinion, could fit as an attribute for relevant courses in multiple departments,” Ali-Caccamo and Klein wrote.

Requiring students to take a course with the attribute would strengthen each student’s understanding of climate change and prepare them to address pertinent environmental issues.

Georgetown’s Office of Sustainability already compiles inventory lists of courses related to sustainability. The most recent list, which contains about 300 courses offered in recent years, can be used as a reference for courses eligible for the environmental designation.

The university has no current plans to implement an environmental attribution, according to a university spokesperson.

“Ultimately, it is the hope of the University that the entirety of a Georgetown education will prepare students to embody certain lifelong habits: participating creatively in an intellectual community, addressing complex issues and problems, developing a worldview that is both intellectually grounded and personally compelling, and engaging responsively in the world,” the spokesperson wrote.

Climate change will bring an unprecedented breadth and depth of issues that will permeate every facet of our lives. To accomplish the goals of the core as explained by the university, it is crucial all students encounter coursework that engages with environmental issues.

Georgetown students are eager to take on profound challenges like climate change, and the university should do all it can to support students to do so.

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 representative of The Hoya or any individual member of the board.

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Establishing an extensive in-person international student orientation program would provide us with a support system to deal with our relatively unique situations and to find others with similar backgrounds.”

Khushi Vora (COL ‘25)

Enhance International Student Orientation thehoya.com

DEEP DIVE

How Healing Happens This week, we’re diving into Kira Pomeranz’s (COL ’22) viewpoint advocating for Georgetown University’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) to reinstate grief counseling and improve the accessibility of its mental health services. With over 5 million people globally having died from COVID-19, the need for adequate mental health resources, particularly for students who already manage high stress levels, has become even more important.

Every person who loses a loved one grieves differently, and there is no one way to cope with death. While some people go through the stages of grief and arrive at a place of acceptance on their own, others may grieve for a prolonged period of time and require counseling to discuss their emotions and develop methods of coping to ease the grieving process. Grief counselors work to foster

trusting relationships with their clients in a comfortable, nonjudgmental environment; they ask specific questions to allow clients to confront feelings of guilt, anger and depression while also eliciting positive reactions through discussing fond memories of their loved one. Whether through one-onone therapy or in a larger support group, grief counseling serves as an integral and effective outlet for people to reach a place of peace and acceptance.

Reforming CAPS’ current system of counseling to make it more accessible for students is essential to addressing the serious mental health concerns that can arise from the grieving process. As Pomeranz points out, Georgetown emphasizes the need to care for the whole person, and as such, the university should create new spaces for students to discuss grief and other mental health difficulties.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Natasha Leong

HOYA HISTORY

Housing Problems Face College Girls Thursday, Nov. 7, 1968 Although there are still nine months before the first female member of the College of Arts and Sciences enters the gates of the university, the housing difficulties created by their admission are already being encountered.

The problem, which revolves around the burden of 30 to 75 extra coeds, is a matter of discussion among various members of the administration.

The decision to admit girls into the College was made after nearly a year of deliberation on the consequences such a move would have on the various sectors of the university community. However, now that the decision has been made, the disagreement centers between those who would like to further employ existing room and those who feel that something different should be done.

According to Mr. James

Buck, director of housing, there are many solutions under consideration, one of these being wholesale swapping of dormitories, such as trading Darnall for Harbin.

Mr. Buck, however, feels the best possible solution under the present situation to be a tripling up of the girls in St. Mary’s, as was done last year.

Patricia Rueckel, dean of women, has a different solution to the problem. Not having conferred with Mr. Buck, she has supported the idea of switching a men’s dorm for a women’s dorm. She feels, however, that this is by no means any definite decision. As head of the Women Student Personnel Policy Committee, composed of six students and four faculty members, she noted that the final decision will take some time.

The entire issue is presently under consideration by the committee, and the group’s

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basic guide is the belief that new freshmen must be received at Georgetown with facilities at least equal to those enjoyed by other girls.

Mary Pat McGough (GUNS ’69), a member of the committee, notes that she believes the best solution to be some sort of form switch, which would perhaps involve Koger-Cogan or New South. She is more adamant in her refusal to triple up in St. Mary’s, which she labeled “intolerable.”

Dean Rueckel also mentioned the possibility of renting space somewhere off campus until the university would be able to handle the situation. (At present, there are no plans for dormitory construction until 1972.) She declined to mention any possibilities, for fear of possibly ruining the chances of securing area property.

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OPINION VIEWPOINT • VORA

Enhance International Student Orientation

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very week, I watch trees shed their leaves and feel the temperature drop a few degrees (Fahrenheit). In preparation for the move from India to Georgetown, I bought a few coats, a few scarves and a few pairs of leggings, while my shorts and crop tops sit at the bottom of my closet, crumpled and forgotten. I have a perpetual cold.

I’ve never experienced anything like this. When “Folklore” dropped last year, it was the collective consciousness of U.S. media that informed my feelings of the autumnal aesthetic, not my own memories. Growing up in sultry Mumbai, the coldest winds I felt came directly from the sea, still soaked with the humidity of the tropics. Sure, I remember to drop my u’s and soften my r’s, but I am still fundamentally unprepared for life abroad. I think the university could greatly help future students to feel prepared for by investing some time into a holistic orientation process.

I distinctly remember looking through the New Student Orientation schedule the night before it began, searching for the International New Student Orientation’s timings. When I stumbled upon it, it was only an hour or so with no location given. I spoke to a few other international students who were just as confused as I was, and this confusion turned into abject disappointment when that session turned out to be a Zoom meeting about complying with our visa requirements.

I’m always met with amazement when I mention I’m an international student from India.

The responses range from “Wow, that’s SO far away!” to “Did you go to an English-speaking school?”

Although I do like showing off my culture and upbringing, the constant explanation of habits and norms has worn down on me.

Some of the novelty of university has faded away as well, and as the days get shorter and the nights — at Lau — get longer, I feel myself longing for the comfort of a home halfway across the world.

I’m extremely grateful for the diversity Georgetown already has among its domestic students and the resources it offers to promote cultural inclusion. The warm dinners and sermons at the Dharmālaya and the events hosted by the South Asian Society and Hindu Students Association do more than enough to make me feel incredibly connected and comfortable. By all accounts, I am well settled. But when I talk to friends at other universities, I can’t

help but feel like I missed out on a crucial aspect of university life.

The international student orientations my friends had helped them acquaint themselves with others just like them, fresh off 12hour flights and a summer of visa appointments. It involved welcome dinners for students and families, bonding activities, international student guest speakers and more.

Georgetown gave us a Canvas course to complete over the summer to learn about the legal and cultural aspects of studying abroad, but I don’t think it can be compared to spending time and bonding with others who are in similar circumstances. The alienation of being a non-American when you’re in the heart of the United States is tough, and without social media and a few chance encounters, it would have been impossible for them to connect with others going through the same process.

Establishing an extensive inperson international student orientation program would provide us with a support system to deal with our relatively unique situations and to find others with similar backgrounds. Further, introducing the program across classes through a mentorship program could allow us to meet older students from the same country, which would be incredibly helpful for specific concerns about culture shock, homesickness and adaptation.

The orientation would also allow for firsthand contact with American university culture and procedures. This type of handson learning would have a deeper impact than an online course.

Once certain travel restrictions are lifted, the program would also be a source of comfort and security for parents dropping their children off, many of whom aren’t well acquainted with universities here and won’t be back until the following year.

As I bundle up and prepare for my first real Thanksgiving, I look forward to spending time with the rest of the international students who can’t go home for the break. Finding them has been a huge lifesaver for when I don’t understand what “low 60s” means or the intricacies of a football game, but I hope Georgetown can provide a more comprehensive resource for building these relationships through an international student orientation.

ILLUSTRATION BY: ALAN CHEN/THE HOYA

VIEWPOINT • POMERANZ

Reinstate CAPS Grief Support Group

CW: This article references sui- email about CAPS groups. His cide. Please refer to TheHoya.com response was short and bitter: for on- and off-campus resources. “The group is not being offered this semester at CAPS.” miss Ben. I miss sleeping I wish my experience was on his couch, I miss send- isolated, but it’s not. I am ing him jokes through his by no means the only stugirlfriend, and I miss the way dent coping with intense he could make anyone smile. levels of grief right now. Not Labor Day weekend was only have there been over meant to be a fun trip to visit 750,000 deaths from the friends and family — includ- COVID-19 pandemic in the ing Ben and his girlfriend. United States, but out of the On the first part of my trip, I pandemic, there has come a crashed on their couch after suicide epidemic. Over 90% my 10 p.m. train rolled into of students are experiencing 30th Street Station. The next worsening mental health as day I was off to my hotel, a side effect of the pandemic. and after falling asleep in a Grieving students need menreal bed — and not on Ben’s tal health resources on camcouch — I woke up to a text pus now more than ever. that I thought was a prank.

Being a student at an elite “Hey guys, I’m sorry to let you university is difficult already, know in this way. Ben passed but combining that with proaway early this morning.” cessing grief without finding There were no warning signs, peers to talk to has made this but still I was filled with re- even harder. Grief is never morse — what if I had stayed at easy, but grieving as a college their apartment one day longer, student is even harder. what if I said something wrong It can be difficult for stuor what if there was never any- dents to establish a strong thing I could do to stop it? support system in college.

When I received the email Many travel far from home to about options for fall 2021 attend school, leaving family Counseling and Psychiatric and friends who can provide Service (CAPS) therapy groups, comfort far away. Although I was confused to see the web- professors usually empasite and the email had discrep- thize with students, grieving ancies. I replied to ask if there students’ rigorous academic was a grief support group after demands are still present.

Khushi Vora is a first-year in seeing that one wasn’t listed Many students who are well in John Loughlin-Presnal’s the College. acquainted with each other

I

NEWFOUND NORMS

aren’t comfortable enough to share details, and well-meaning questions from peers such as “How are you?” can hit like a ton of bricks.

Right now, students at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are coping with two confirmed suicides by students this semester and reports of another student who attempted to take their own life, which have led to nationwide protests for better mental health services.

Schools have responded to loss of life on campus in various ways: with free yoga, ice cream or prayer services.

After two students at Saint Louis University died by suicide within days of each other, the university canceled classes for a day. But students didn’t want wellness walks — they wanted more mental health resources as they grieved. Over 9,000 people signed a petition asking for SLU to provide more counselors and more free counseling sessions for students and to allow students to choose counselors that can work with their busy schedules.

What has been the hardest for me in my grief process is feeling detached. While my friends fretted over midterms, papers and social life, I was struggling to get out of bed every day. I want to

be able to empathize with people, but whenever I tell someone about my situation, I get the usual “That must be so hard” or “I’m sorry for your loss,” which, although nice to hear, won’t make me feel less isolated.

After reaching out to CAPS about grief support groups, I got a reply from LoughlinPresnal saying that I could meet with CAPS to find support groups in the Washington, D.C. area, but as a busy college student, I wanted a program that was on campus and had other people my age in it. Grief support groups outside of college campuses tend to skew older, and I wanted to confide in people who are grieving in a similar environment.

When I first met Ben, I told my best friend that if Ben ever broke her heart, I would kick his ass. Just like how beating a dead horse is futile, so is kicking a dead friend’s ass. But what wouldn’t be futile would be communicating with other students coping with loss with a mental health professional.

Georgetown University prides itself on cura personalis — care of the whole person. But when I needed it to take care of my mental health, it abandoned me.

Kira Pomeranz is a senior in the College.

QUEERA PERSONALIS

Embrace an Uncertain Future Make Housing LGBTQ Inclusive Liam McGraw

Columnist

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school of thought known as moral determinism claims that humans, when given a choice of possible actions, must always choose the greater good. Satirizing this principle, critics composed a story of a donkey placed equidistantly between two indistinguishable bales of hay. Because neither bale of hay is identifiably “better,” the donkey cannot choose which to eat and eventually dies of hunger. Clearly, this scenario is ridiculous, but it demonstrates how difficult decisions can be. Whether or not we subscribe to moral determinism is unimportant; making choices — especially when they seem equally good — is hard.

Here on campus, we’re met with choices constantly. Classes, outings, internships, careers … the list is virtually endless. These decisions can be as momentous as which passion to devote our lives to or as simple as what station in the dining hall to devote our meal swipes to. But no matter what these decisions are, decision-making permeates every aspect of our lives and can sometimes completely overwhelm us, hindering any progress we’d hope to make or any happiness we’d hope to find. Yet it doesn’t have to. Uncertainty can be an opportunity to explore all that school and life have to offer.

Once we realize this, moments of indecision can go from intimidating to energizing and we

can begin to relish not knowing what comes next.

Sometimes it can feel like every aspect of our lives needs structure and every step needs to be planned ahead of time.

I’m here to argue the opposite: Indecision is okay. It’s fine to be stuck between two haystacks. Or three. Or however many you need.

At Georgetown University, people like to have their lives planned out and take pride in it when they do.

Whether students are planning to become the next J.P. Morgan or Madeleine Albright, many have specific goals and have had their sights set on them for years. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

But it’s also perfectly fine for that to not be true.

“What’s your major?” “What do you want to do with your life?”

These questions inevitably come up in almost every conversation I have about my schooling, whether it’s with friends, family or Uber drivers. And usually when I’m asked, I meekly mumble something about English, or philosophy, or economics, or whateversubjectfirstpopsintomy head, and then quickly steer the conversation in another direction.

But, if I’m feeling particularly honest or comfortable — or just exhausted — I’m willing to say what I truly am: undecided. I can proudly proclaim my uncertainty and see it for the opportunity it truly is. Once we can personally reframe our indecisiveness as a chance to examine ourselves and our lives, we can begin to take full advantage of the panoply of prospects available to us.

I recognize that, at times, indecision is a privilege. For some, not having a plan means not having a way to provide for their

family with a steady paycheck.

Yet the myopia that frequently accompanies this singular focus can still be examined and eradicated. You need not stick to the paths prescribed or ignore those that are proscribed. If you never move beyond your settled notions of what your life will be, then you may miss out on where your life is truly meant to go. And even if plans are required, you’d be remiss to focus solely on that plan.

You can still explore and revel in the indecision that follows.

And that’s what all of us must do with indecision: revel in it. We shouldn’t fear, but embrace being unsure. Indecision is the grounds on which we can find our true passions and the fertile soil in which these passions can plant their roots and begin to take hold of our minds and hearts. When I remind myself of this, instead of feeling like Atlas holding up the world and being overcome by the pressures of uncertainty, I can just be Liam, holding up a book on whatever subject I choose. I go from being immobilized between two haystacks, completely overwhelmed by indecision, to having thousands of haystacks before me, and I can run between all of them, taking little bites out of each as I try to decide what I want. I won’t die from hunger like the donkey. I’ll thrive in this world where so many possibilities are open to me. It’s okay to not know now — it’s exciting even.

Someday maybe I’ll be more decisive, but maybe I won’t. And that’s exciting too.

Liam McGraw is a first-year in the College. Newfound Norms is published every other week.

Gabi Cunningham Columnist

F

ollowing student complaints and lengthy meetings about the inaccessibility of seeking accommodations in the housing process on the grounds of gender or religion, the Georgetown University Office of Residential Living met Oct. 25 to discuss potential improvements to the process. One change that emerged from the meeting was the promise of a form that will allow students to request accommodations for the spring 2022 housing selection. While this form is a step in the right direction, it fails to address the larger problems with the accommodation process: a lack of transparency.

Georgetown should commit to ensuring LGBTQ students have access to housing that affirms their gender identity and guarantees accepting and inclusive roommates, but the university has fallen short in providing a clear, standardized and consistent process that offers such accommodations. Many students often have to jump through a series of extra hoops to secure safe and inclusive housing.

Students are currently instructed to email Residential Living to request accommodations — and that’s it. To learn about securing accommodations, students must email Residential Living and wait for a response. This practice causes undue stress and anxiety for students whose ability to live with accepting roommates remains unclear throughout the

requesting process.

The current procedure is incredibly frustrating, according to one nonbinary student who has tried to navigate the housing accomodations process.

“Seekingaccommodationsisless a process and more a ‘please email us so we can send you to someone else who will send you back to us and nothing gets done.’ It’s all very roundabout,” the student said in an interview with TheHoya.

A university spokesperson declined to comment directly on how the Office of Residential Living processes accommodation requests.

“Georgetown University is committed to creating an inclusive, safe, and welcoming campus for all members of our community across all gender and sexual identities,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

While Georgetown’s commitment to an inclusive, safe and welcoming campus is admirable, I am far more interested in specifically how Georgetown intends to fulfill its commitments than in a reiteration of taglines. The process is, as one student described to me, “unnecessarily convoluted.”

While the LGBTQ Resource Center offers support to students navigating the housing process, the Trans, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming Resource Guide on the Center’s website only instructs students to email Residential Living if they need accommodations, leaving students where they originally started. The resource pages currently available are confusing and send mixed messaging to students already navigating a stressful time. Further, the lack of public communication about gender-inclusive housing could make prospective

students reluctant to commit or apply to a university in which their right to gender affirmation remains murky.

Perhaps Residential Living has a reason for providing minimal information on the process and for directing every student seeking nongendered housing exclusively to email. Or perhaps they don’t, and the flaws in the system are an artifact of antiquated attitudes surrounding gender. Regardless, Georgetown needs to make the standards for receiving accommodations more clear and standardize the process for requesting accommodations. Taking these steps will ease students’ real and serious fears that they will have to live in an unsafe situation or space that does not suit their identity.

There is a clear need for improvement in the current housing accommodations process. However, simply releasing a form for students to fill out is not enough.

There must be more transparency on the part of the university about possible accommodations for students and the process of obtaining them. Until resources for students seeking accommodations are more than just an email, a Google form and a copy-and-pasted statement of diversity and inclusion, Georgetown students will continue to demand change, and the Georgetown community will be shaped by the absence of students who never applied or committed because of a lack of information necessary for their safety.

Gabi Cunningham is a firstyear in the School of Foreign Service. Queera Personalis is published every other week.

A4 | THE HOYA

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021

FEATURES

Construction Workers Allege Labor Violations on Georgetown Campus

SOFIA NATHOO/THE HOYA

Construction workers say they faced illegal labor violations while renovating Georgetown dorms, a pervasive issue facing Washington, D.C.’s construction industry.

Protesters demonstrate on Sept. 20 outside Georgetown’s front gates in condemnation of alleged worker misclassification and wage theft against construction workers that occurred on university grounds.

Emily Scheibe Hoya Staff Writer

O

n a sunny fall day at Georgetown University, a large blow-up cat strangled an inflatable construction worker outside the front gates. Three real protesters sat beside the cat, barely visible, behind a large banner that said, “Georgetown University condones immigrant labor abuse and wage theft!!!” and “Looting the construction industry!!!”

By Sept. 20, the protesters — affiliated with the union Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters (EASRCC) — had become regulars on the sidewalk outside the front gates. They had been demonstrating there for several months, in protest of alleged labor violations that construction companies Dynamic Contracting, Inc., Gilbane Building Company and GSA Construction, Inc. had perpetrated against construction workers during renovations on Georgetown dorms.

On this particular day, the blow-up cat was a new addition, but like the days before and the days that followed, the protesters handed out flyers and asked passersby to call on the university to improve its labor policies for construction workers.

The protests began after construction workers Oscar Ramirez and Enoc Rodriguez filed a classaction lawsuit in April 2021 against Dynamic, Gilbane and GSA, accusing them of labor violations during the Georgetown construction projects. Georgetown is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

The lawsuit is ongoing, but the protesters can no longer be found outside Georgetown’s front gates.

They stopped protesting after the university announced policy changes in early October to better protect construction workers at Georgetown in the future.

Although Georgetown has taken steps to address the workers’ rights issues, the university is far from the only entity tied to labor rights infringements in the local construction industry. According to workers’ rights analysts and construction industry union leaders, the Georgetown case only underscores the labor rights issues that plague the Washington, D.C. construction industry.

The Lawsuit

On Apr. 30, 2021, plaintiffs Ramirez and Rodriguez filed the lawsuit against defendants Dynamic, Gilbane and GSA of misclassifying workers as independent contractors and stealing wages as a result of that misclassification.

Gilbane, a national construction company, was the general contractor Georgetown hired, which then subcontracted some of the work to Dynamic. Dynamic similarly subcontracted some of its work to GSA. All three defendants, subcontracted at any level, would be found jointly responsible for the alleged wage theft if found guilty under D.C. Code § 32-1012(c),

which permits civil actions against employers when they pay less than minimum wage.

The alleged violations occurred on Georgetown’s campus, but the university is not implicated in the lawsuit.

Dynamic and Gilbane did not respond to The Hoya’s requests for comment. Public records show only one agent working for GSA, who could not be reached for comment in time for publication.

Ramirez and Rodriguez, construction workers under GSA and Dynamic, alleged the companies stole their wages while they were working on the university’s main campus construction projects.

From approximately November 2020 to February 2021, they worked on renovations of Village C East and West, referred to as the “Project,” according to the civil action notice.

The lawsuit said the plaintiffs were also purposely and illegally classified as independent contractors instead of employees. This distinction meant the plaintiffs did not receive their legally required overtime pay of one and a half times the regular wage, in violation of the D.C. Minimum Wage Act, as well as benefits, according to the lawsuit.

Both Rodriguez and Ramirez earned a base wage regardless of how many hours they worked per week on the Georgetown project, according to the lawsuit.

“For example, Plaintiff Rodriguez earned $21 per hour. In addition to his schedule of eighthour shifts Monday-Friday, he sometimes worked double shifts, adding up to 16 hours in one day. He also sometimes worked an eight-hour day on Saturdays. This schedule meant that he regularly worked in excess of forty hours per week,” the lawsuit said. Ramirez had the same experience, according to the lawsuit.

Rodriguez and Ramirez could not directly speak to The Hoya because of pending litigation and instead were represented by one of their lawyers, Matthew Kaplan (SFS ’86).

The construction industry is especially vulnerable to this type of wage theft because many construction workers are immigrants who do not speak fluent English, according to Kaplan.

“You’ve got a lot of laborers.

The vast majority in this case, and in many cases, are immigrants — Spanish speakers, generally,” Kaplan said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “The employers think that they’re not going to complain, or such a small percentage will complain that it’s still in the economic interests of the construction companies to not pay the overtime.”

Subcontracting the labor supply to other companies — making it difficult to trace who is responsible — is a common tactic within the construction industry to facilitate this alleged ille-

gal activity, according to Joseph McCartin, executive director of Georgetown’s Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, a group that develops strategy and policy to improve workers’ lives.

“I was not surprised to learn that it was happening at Georgetown because it’s so rampant in this region,” McCartin said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “Subcontractors and subsubcontractors were engaging in the use of labor brokers, as they’re called, to recruit workers to work on these jobs.”

This worker misclassification is a pervasive problem in the D.C. construction industry, where workers are often paid in cash to avoid a paper trail. Worker misclassification means the workers do not receive protection under wage and hour laws or contribute to public tax revenue. This misclassification and lack of protection often results in wage theft.

The illegal practice of worker misclassification allows contractors to pay less in taxes, which negatively impacts everyone else, according to Bob Burns, EASRCC’s D.C. and Virginia regional manager. EASRCC helped Rodriguez and Ramirez come forward to file the lawsuit.

D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine filed an additional criminal lawsuit Oct. 18 against Dynamic and its subcontractors for using labor brokers who allegedly misclassified workers as independent contractors on multiple occasions.

This complaint alleges Gilbane, Dynamic, GSA and other companies misclassified workers, failed to pay overtime, failed to provide paid sick leave and failed to keep payroll records.

This complaint is likewise tied to alleged violations that occurred during renovation projects on VCE and VCW at Georgetown.

“For this project, Gilbane entered into two contracts totaling over $1.8 million with Dynamic to install drywall. Dynamic, in turn, relied heavily on workers provided by labor subcontractors GSA and P&CM,” the statement reads. “The two labor subcontractors supplied over 35 misclassified workers to provide drywall installation services onsite.”

Placing Blame

Georgetown does not have any legal exposure in the case — the distance between the university and the construction companies is big enough to provide the university with adequate legal cover, according to Burns.

But in some ways, Burns continued, it doesn’t matter whether Georgetown is legally liable.

The university still has a moral responsibility for the alleged illegal activity because it occurred on campus.

“They all work for Georgetown.

At the end of the day, the general contractor is going to do what the

end user wants. That’s who’s paying the bill,” Burns said.

This isn’t the first time Georgetown has been tied to labor issues.

Campus employees have previously protested their wages and contracts, including in 2019 when employees of Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall unionized through campus food service provider Aramark and staged several rallies to demand better wages and working conditions.

EASRCC brought this labor issue to the university’s attention multiple times over the past year, but Georgetown failed to prioritize it, according to Burns.

While the lawsuit was first filed in April 2021, the university did not adopt new standards that ensure the construction companies they hire are following the law until October 2021.

Burns said the university’s initial inaction was frustrating, especially given its connection to workers’ rights groups. The university’s agreements with the construction companies did prohibit illegal behavior, but Burns alleged they were not strictly enforced under Georgetown’s supervision before this incident.

“Georgetown is one of the most prominent universities in the world, and they advocate for workers through the Kalmanovitz Initiative,” Burns said. “Yet, they can’t get it right in-house. And it’s extremely frustrating to us.”

The Kalmanovitz Initiative has consistently provided the university with recommendations on workers’ rights on campus throughout Georgetown’s history of labor disputes. The initiative met with EASRCC to discuss the alleged wage theft at Georgetown, according to McCartin. The Kalmanovitz Initiative also held advisory committee meetings in late spring 2021 with the university administration to discuss the labor issue.

“I have talked to the protesters and to the people of the union. They brought evidence of this. They also shared that evidence with the administration,” McCartin said.

The EASRCC also helped organize the protests at the front gates, which were designed to bring public awareness to the issue of the alleged wage theft at the university and facilitate student, faculty and community involvement, according to Burns.

The Hoya tried on several occasions to interview different protesters, but they all told The Hoya the union instructed them not to speak with the press.

The EASRCC also declined The Hoya’s requests to view the evidence of labor violations that it shared with the Kalmanovitz Initiative and the university.

The Georgetown Coalition for Workers’ Rights (GCWR), a group of undergraduate students, graduate workers and staff advocating for fair treatment of university employees, coordinated with the union to educate the George-

town community on wage theft occurring on campus, according to Leo Rassieur (COL ’22), a member of GCWR. GCWR also offered their support to EASRCC to help with the protests.

Rassieur said the labor of construction workers is responsible for the improvements on campus, and that therefore students have a collective obligation to understand their hardships and speak out against their exploitation.

“I urge all Georgetown students and community members to support these workers,” Rassieur said. “We’re a Georgetown community, but when it comes to people who are helping build that community — physically build that community — it’s disappointing that they’d be left out.”

Reform, Seven Months Later Georgetown announced Oct. 6 that the university will incorporate new labor standards into construction contracts moving forward, according to the university’s Office of Public Affairs. The new policy falls under the purview of Georgetown’s Advisory Committee on Business Practices, which handles the ethical side of Georgetown’s labor policies.

The policy addresses several concerns that the union and lawsuit brought up. It requires construction managers and their subcontractors to submit a certified payroll to Georgetown and pay their workers a fair wage.

Georgetown also can investigate construction companies’ compliance with labor standards on university construction sites, according to the page.

“Georgetown is also committed to verifying that work performed on current construction sites is in compliance with applicable employment and labor laws,” the page reads.

The university declined to comment on the seven-month period in between the filing of the lawsuit and Georgetown’s announcement of a new construction worker labor policy.

The university also declined to

confirm whether the labor violations had occurred and, if they had, whether the Advisory Committee on Business Practices knew about it.

Cal Watson (COL ’07, LAW ’14), Georgetown’s assistant vice president for public affairs and business policy, is the chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Practices. He did not reply to The Hoya’s multiple requests for an interview.

A university spokesperson said Georgetown is committed to workers’ rights and ensuring fair employment practices.

“We developed these new labor standards after researching best practices for protecting the rights of workers in the construction industry,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

For Rassieur, the recent policy change represents a positive change in protecting workers’ rights at Georgetown. However, he remains skeptical of how the university will execute the new labor standards.

“This policy change is definitely a move in the right direction, and a sign that the union’s protest methods were highly effective in pressuring Georgetown into taking action,” Rassieur wrote in a follow-up email to The Hoya. “I am looking forward to seeing the University publish more details on what those updated labor standards look like and whether investigations into wage theft and exploitation will actually happen.”

Shortly following Georgetown’s announcement of this new labor policy, the EASRCC protests concluded.

Burns expressed his gratitude for the university’s policy and is optimistic it can finally put an end to wage theft at Georgetown.

He hopes other institutions will be inspired to implement similarly strong labor standards.

“Just adopt some labor standards with some teeth to ensure it won’t happen again, and set an example,” Burns said. “It’s time for end users to step up and say, ‘Enough’s enough. I don’t want illegal activity on my worksite.’”

OFFICE OF RESIDENTIAL LIVING

Construction workers recently renovated the Village C East dormitory. Some allege they faced labor violations.

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Today, college costs are generally too high.”

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Entrepreneur and philanthropist Grant Verstandig donated $50 million to support the ongoing construction at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, one of the largest donations made to healthcare in D.C.

If Not Now, When? Report GIWPS team attends from McCourt. Story on A9. COP26. Story on A7.

Incarcerated Commissioner Stays USAID Administrator: Partnership In DC Jail Amid Relocations Key to International Development Noelle Cook

Special to The Hoya

DC DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS

Joel Castón, an advisory neighborhood commissioner and the first incarcerated elected official in the District, will not transfer out of the D.C. Jail.

Jemima Denham Hoya Staff Writer

Joel Castón, an incarcerated individual elected as advisory neighborhood commissioner in Ward 7, will not be transferred out of the Washington, D.C., Central Detention Facility following reports of unsatisfactory conditions in the building.

The U.S. Marshals Service conducted an inspection of the D.C. Jail in October, in which they found unsuitable conditions, including unsanitary conditions and the staff at the D.C. Jail punitively denying incarcerated individuals access to food and water. In response to the inspection’s findings, 400 incarcerated people were set to be relocated out of the D.C. Jail to a prison in Lewisburg, Pa. Originally, Castón was a part of this group.

According to Castón, being transferred to another state would have robbed him of the opportunity to carry out his duties as an elected official.

“It really puts me at a complete disadvantage to be able to carry out my job as an elected official, to advocate on behalf of my constituents here, if I am not at my post,” Castón wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Castón is the first incarcerated elected official in the District, having won a historic election on June 15 to gain a seat on Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7F. Before his election, he was a student of the Georgetown

University Prisons and Justice Initiative, a program that offers incarcerated individuals the opportunity to take credit- or noncredit-bearing classes taught by Georgetown professors.

A petition launched by Castón’s team urging the U.S. Parole Commission and the U.S. Marshals Service not to remove Castón from the D.C. Jail garnered over 400 electronic signatures. The U.S. Parole Commission announced Nov. 9 that Castón would not be transferred, allowing him to continue to carry out his role as advisory neighborhood commissioner and avoid being separated from his friends and family in and around the D.C. Jail.

Serving the constituents of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 7F and ensuring that they are heard and represented remains the top priority, according to Castón.

“I am relieved that I get to stay at my post and serve my constituents,” Castón wrote.

As an advisory neighborhood commissioner, Castón is in the process of working to bring attention to the unsuitable conditions within the D.C. Jail through his role as ANC commissioner, according to Castón’s team.

“When Joel was alerted that he would be among the people transferred, he was in the midst of preparing his testimony for a DC Council hearing confronting conditions at the jail,” Castón’s team wrote in an email to The Hoya. “The timing of this news presented the

stunning injustice of removing Joel from his constituents when they need him most.”

According to Castón’s team, now that efforts to prevent his relocation succeeded, the new goal will be to move up his release date, which is currently set for Dec. 22.

The U.S. Marshals Service inspection of the D.C. Jail came after defendants who are being held due to their involvement with the Jan. 6 insurrection raised concerns about conditions in the facility.

It is unacceptable that conditions in the D.C. Jail only came under inspection when insurrection defendants complained, according to Castón’s team.

“The timing of and nature of the response absolutely shows a discrepancy between how the system responds to incarcerated individuals depending on their race,” Castón’s team wrote. “For years, the DC Jail has ignored complaints on the conditions of the jail that have been raised by advocates and family members of the mostly Black residents.”

According to Castón, the decision to prioritize the issues raised

by Jan. 6 defendants while ignoring other complaints invalidates the concerns of all incarcerated individuals at the D.C. Jail.

“My constituents feel like they have been used as a ploy. They feel like they have been used as political pawns,” Castón wrote. “There’s a lot of fear. There’s a lot of anger.”

Making U.S. foreign aid more accessible, equitable and responsive is the top priority for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) moving forward, USAID Administrator Samantha Power said at a Nov. 4 event.

The in-person event, titled “A New Vision for Global Development with USAID Administrator Samantha Power,” was hosted by USAID, the Walsh School of Foreign Service, the Global Human Development Program, a graduate program at Georgetown University focused on international development, and the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a nonprofit organization that advocates for a strong international affairs budget and promotes America’s international affairs programs in U.S. foreign policy.

USAID, which has worked to combat infectious diseases, reduce extreme poverty and advance democratic and economic institutions around the world, was created in 1961 following the passage of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

The Nov. 4 event also served as a celebration of USAID’s 60th anniversary.

In addition to continuing to focus on the organization’s key objectives, USAID will also place a greater focus on increasing accessibility and equitability in their work, according to Power.

“We will make aid more accessible to people and organizations who want to participate,” Power said at the event. “We will make it more equitable in terms of the impact it will have on the ground. But when I say we need to make aid inclusive, I also mean we need to listen to what our partner nations actually want. Across all of our programming, we have a real opportunity to make our aid more responsive.”

Working with local business leaders and organizations is imperative to ensure

thorough and long-lasting economic and humanitarian outcomes in their countries, according to Power.

“When we partner with these local NGOs and businesses, we have an opportunity to double our impact, to not just manage a project and deliver results, which is important, but to grow the local capacity of that business or organization so its impact can be sustained long after its relationship with USAID ends,” Power said.

As part of efforts to partner with local businesses and organizations in countries receiving aid, USAID also launched WorkWithUSAID.org Nov. 4. The website serves as a resource hub that provides information on how to partner with USAID that aims to increase the accessibility of collaboration with the organization.

“When I say we need to make aid inclusive, I also mean we need to listen to what our partner nations actually want.”

SAMANTHA POWER USAID Administrator

Partnerships with local NGOs and companies help ensure aid helps reach more people around the world, according to Power.

“It is crucial that we engage more frequently and more intensely and sustainably with the broader range of partners that I mentioned, as they offer a scale that no single development agency can truly reach.

So we have to lower barriers for these kinds of organizations and institutions to join our

mission,” Power said.

In addition to programs like WorkWithUSAID.org, USAID has also launched initiatives addressing the effects of climate change in underdeveloped countries. The Scaling Up Renewable Energy (SURE) initiative works with underdeveloped countries to transition to clean energy. The Strengthening Utilities and Promoting Energy Reform (SUPER) initiative works to ensure equitable access to power while promoting renewable energy.

Initiatives like SURE and SUPER will help address a wide range of issues related to the impacts of climate change, according to Power.

“We will help support more than 500 million people to adapt to climate change through efforts like scaling drought-tolerant agriculture, establishing early warning systems for storms and creating new insurance schemes that can support people when their harvests fail or their livestock perish,” Power said.

In all of its programs and initiatives, USAID will utilize economics and behavioral science technology to track the impact and ensure efficiency of their projects, according to Power.

“We want to make sure that we are deploying the latest insights in economics and behavioral science to make sure our programs have the impact on underserved communities that we truly intend for them to have,” Power stated.

According to Power, USAID’s current work and initiatives represent the culmination of the agency’s 60 year history.

“Today, Americans should know that for 60 years USAID assembled some of the brightest, most dedicated and most effective public servants in the world, and they can take pride in the impact that American generosity is having on people in need around the world. That is the agency I feel so privileged to run,” Power said.

Eleven Students Elected to GUSA Senate in Fall 2021 Elections Adora Zheng

Special to The Hoya

The student body elected 11 new senators to the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate on Nov. 6, marking the first time the body will be completely filled since July.

Twenty-one first-year students ran for seven available seats, while four sophomores ran uncontested for four at-large seats. Polls for the fall 2021 senate elections first opened Nov. 4 and closed two days later on Nov. 6.

The newly elected first-year senators include Chijioke Achebe (SFS ’25), Joshua Bernard-Pearl (SFS ’25), Phoebe Chambers (COL ’25), John DiPierri (SFS ’25), Alicia Gopal (COL ’25), Bayla Huff (COL ’25) and Sanji Ranganathan (SFS ’25).

The four students elected to the at-large seats include Manahal Fazal (SFS ’24), Alyssa Hirai (SFS ’24), Johnny Sussek (COL ’24) and Spencer Wooddal (MSB, SFS ’24).

The new senators will bring a fresh sense of energy and dedication to GUSA, according

to GUSA Senate Speaker Leo Rassieur (COL ’22).

“It’s really great to get new perspectives on the ideas that we’ve been working on for so long,” Rassieur said in an interview with The Hoya. “I can tell based on their campaigns that they are bringing a lot of energy and that they care about the senate.”

Twenty-five students announced their campaigns for the GUSA Senate last week, with many focusing their platforms on improving student safety and expanding dining hours and options on campus.

First-year Senator-elect Chambers said that GUSA should make increasing university communication around security events a top priority once the new class of senators is sworn in.

“I think one of the biggest things that I’m looking forward to is just changing the HOYAlert system,” Chambers said in an interview with The Hoya. “I think for the freshmen, particularly as a New South resident myself, that issue really hit close to home and I think that’s what drove a lot of voters out for peo-

ple campaigning based on safety. And I think that’s definitely something with enough student push that we can accomplish.”

Other incoming senators, like Sussek, expressed a desire to address student dining needs on campus.

“Definitely addressing real changes, like writing referendums and talking to administration to get Leo’s open until 10 p.m.

— that’s something I’m very passionate about; I think it’ll make all our lives much easier, much more flexible,” Sussek said in an interview with The Hoya.

Though first-year senate elections have typically been held in September, GUSA changed election cycles this past January to hold first-year and at-large senator elections in November, with elections for sophomore, junior and senior senators to occur in April. The changes were meant to give students more time to develop campaign platforms, as well as encourage more student participation, according to Rassieur.

The changes to the election timeline ultimately improved

the fall 2021 election cycle, according to Rassieur.

“I really think it benefited the election and the candidates and everyone overall because it gave everyone a chance to acclimate to Georgetown first and to better understand what the issues are,” Rassieur said. “I think that’s reflected in the candidates, and what they campaigned on is much more issues-focused and relevant to what some of the more pressing, relevant topics are in the Georgetown community.”

Although GUSA hoped the change in timeline would increase student engagement in elections, it did not greatly affect this year’s voter turnout, with 20.11% of the student body voting in the fall 2021 elections compared to 19.2% in the last on-campus election in 2019. The number of candidates who ran for at-large seats also fell this year, as both the 2019 and 2020 fall elections saw five and six candidates run for the same number of seats, respectively.

The 11 newly elected senators will be sworn in at the Nov.

14 GUSA meeting. Once sworn in, the new class of senators will hold internal elections to determine new senate leadership and assignments to senate policy committees and advisory boards, according to Rassieur.

The new group of senators will

bring a new energy and drive to GUSA, according to Chambers.

“The group of seven freshman senators is a really passionate and fierce group,” Chambers said. “I’m excited to see what we bring to the table and the change we enact.”

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

Students elected seven first-year and four at-large representatives to the GUSA Senate on Nov. 6.

A6 | THE HOYA

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021

NEWS

GAGE Commends Columbia Castro: Support Marginalized Student Workers Amid Strikes Communities in Policy Work CASTRO, from A1 however, he suspended his campaign Jan. 2, 2020.

In addition to delivering measurable benefits to constituents, policymakers should also address wider hot-topic issues, according to Castro.

“When we address the issue of race or trans rights or everything else that gets put under the rubric of culture wars, we are also standing up for people who oftentimes have been vilified and have been some of the most vulnerable folks in our country,” Castro said. “We don’t want to slide backwards.”

According to Castro, politicians must include transgender people in conversations regarding effective policy around transgender rights.

“We were primed more from the get go, not only to be more accepting, but to try to be stronger allies — asking how we can be better allies and translate that into policy and be supportive of that policy, And to help move along what still needs to be moved along. That’s what I tried to do on the debate stage — to be more inclusive,” Castro said. “And in being inclusive hopefully to help set a blueprint for where the party and the country need to go in the

years to come in how we think about issues.”

State legislators around the country introduced a record number of bills to limit transgender peoples’ rights, with lawmakers in 28 states considering 93 bills targeting the rights of transgender people, including health care restrictions and bans on participating in sports, according to a Human Rights

“We desperately need people who have a passion for public service and want to be in it for the right reasons.”

JULIÁN CASTRO FORMER HUD SECRETARY

Campaign report.

According to Castro, in addition to advocating for the transgender community, politicians should also focus on supporting immigrants, esepcially undocumented people living and working in the United States.

“It disappoints me to no end that we live in a country where

it’s so easy to stoke fear and division based on someone’s status.

And also underneath that, not for everybody but underneath that, a lot of times, based on the color of their skin and their nationality. It is a deeply, deeply disappointing part of this country,” Castro said.

As part of Castro’s bid for the presidency in 2020, his campaign largely focused on immigration, drawing from his personal experience as the son of a Mexican immigrant.

His platform included policies like a streamlined path toward citizenship for undocumented essential workers.

As lawmakers across the United States continue to debate transgender and immigrant rights, students who care about domestic issues should take initiative and get involved in politics and advocacy, according to Castro.

“We desperately need people who have a passion for public service and want to be in it for the right reasons.

People that have integrity.

People that are idealistic — that doesn’t mean unrealistic — but idealistic. And when I say go in for the right reasons, what I mean is that you want to do something to help other people,” Castro said.

@COLUMBIA/TWITTER

The Student Workers of Columbia-United Auto Workers launched strike efforts Nov. 3 following failed contract negotiations with Columbia University on Nov. 1 and 2.

GAGE, from A1 GRD ’26).

“We hope that the voice of graduate workers at Columbia and support from the public would prompt Columbia administration to recognize the importance of SWC’s demands as soon as possible and negotiate a fair and just contract with SWC,” Tsoi wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The student workers decided to strike after the university failed to respond to their demands, according to Charles Steinman, a history doctoral student at Columbia who serves as a picket captain and frontline strike organizer.

“To make a long story short, a continued pattern of insult and intransigence by Columbia at the bargaining table, we realized we had no choice but to go on strike in order to get a strong, fair contract,” Steinman wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I am encouraged by the tangible joy in the face of hardship, as well as the ethic of care and love, that I’ve experienced at the picket thus far. Columbia wants to starve us out, to intimidate us. This will not work.”

This is SWC-UAW’s fourth strike in four years. The most recent strike occurred in spring 2021, when a proposed labor contract was drafted but voted down by the union for its failure to meet key demands, including a large enough pay raise. SWCUAW created a new bargaining committee following this strike to better represent students.

The new bargaining committee refuses to accept an unfair contract, which has led to a standstill in negotiations, according to Steinman.

With the new bargaining agreement, the union is continuing negotiations and hopeful for an agreement, according to Roger Creel, a fourth-year graduate student at Columbia.

“Essentially, our goal is to come to a contract but both our unit accepts and Columbia is willing to sign,” Creel said in a phone interview with The Hoya.

“We are a large percentage of the way to a contract that I think the unit will buy into, but what remains are a few key issues, such as neutral third-party arbitration, dental and pay parity.”

While GAGE never formally launched a strike in response to standstills in contract negotiations, the union did launch protests in spring 2020 calling on Georgetown administrators to agree to a contract after over a year of negotiations. GAGE ultimately ratified its contract in May 2020, securing a 12% pay boost to graduate workers on nine-month contracts and a 15% boost to workers on 12-month contracts.

As the strike continues, Tsoi said GAGE will remain in solidarity with Columbia’s union.

“We hope that the voice of graduate workers at Columbia and support from the public would prompt Columbia administration to recognize the importance of SWC’s demands as soon as possible and negotiate a fair and just con-

tract with SWC,” Tsoi wrote.

“We always stand in solidarity with graduate workers across the country fighting for fair and just contracts.”

Columbia is committed to reaching an agreement with the union and hopes to end the strike as soon as possible, according to a Nov. 10 statement from Columbia Provost Mary Boyce.

“I want to express my commitment to our community that the University will take every reasonable step to end the strike as soon as possible,” Boyce wrote in the statement.

“The University’s willingness to reach an agreement is manifested in the series of generous proposals we have brought to the table that would measurably further improve the lives of our students.”

When reached for comment, a university spokesperson for Columbia directed The Hoya to the Nov. 10 statement.

While unclear when the Columbia student workers strike will end, solidarity from other schools is important to show universities across the country that student workers will advocate for themselves, according to Creel.

“Solidarity from an organization like Georgetown’s Alliance of Student Employees is crucial for us in the strike,” Creel wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We need to demonstrate that students at each university are not isolated, but rather that we all fight for the same vision of just working conditions.”

International Students Petition For Winter Break Campus Housing WINTER BREAK, from A1 confused as well. I think it was just a few staff members having incomplete information and trying to respond to us.”

According to an email to international students obtained

by The Hoya, despite the Office of Residential Living’s pressure on higher university administrators, the university does not have a plan to house international students during winter break.

“Unfortunately, even with our department’s added pressure on senior leadership, we still do not have any direction on whether campus housing options will be available to some students during winter break,” the Oct. 28 email reads.

This year, international students may experience high travel costs and stringent quarantine requirements, according to Andrea Ho (SFS ’24), who signed the petition.

“International students face unique challenges compared to domestic students as not all of them can return home due to factors such as high costs of travel and quarantine, complicated quarantine procedures in our home countries, and the

general difficulty of procuring international flights,” Ho wrote in an email to . “This creates a lot of stress on international students to find housing over the winter break, especially nearing finals seasons.”

The university should not expect international students to find short-term housing options for winter break, according to Huang.

“Finding short leases in D.C. is quite hard, and even though there is the option of Airbnb, I think that with COVID being around it isn’t the safest choice,” Huang said. “It also isn’t affordable, as the price range differs a lot. There’s also a lot of transactional and organizational costs, which results in logistical difficulties.”

On Nov. 8, the United States lifted international travel bans put in place in February and March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic; travelers can now enter the United States with proof of full vaccination. However, other countries still have precautions and mandatory quarantines in place. For instance, as of Nov. 8, China requires all travelers to quarantine for 14 days upon entering the country.

Additionally, many inter-

national students are likely to face difficulties securing housing over the winter break, according to Kelly He (MSB ’23), who conducted a survey of approximately 50 international students. He found that 84% of participants reported a desire to stay in their on-campus residence during winter break.

Ho said she hopes the petition will raise awareness for issues international students face on campus.

“I really hope the administration can look into this matter and assist international students even if it decides to shut campus down,” Ho wrote. “Many international students have worked so hard for an opportunity to study in the US and it’s awful when they’re neglected by the administration in crucial decisions that involve them.”

Huang said she would like to see a response from the university about housing for international students.

“My genuine hope is that they would give us a clear response, whether that be a yes or no. I would want a definite answer, and that is the most important thing I am looking for,” Huang said. “Vague wording at this time of year would

GUSA Restructuring Referendum Fails After Low Student Turnout

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

The GUSA restructuring referendum did not meet the requisiste levels of student turnout in order to implement the change to GUSA’s constitution.

GUSA, from A1 students’ votes,” Balçay said in an interview with The Hoya. “Even if the rest of the votes needed to meet the 25% requirement were all no votes, the referendum would still have passed because it was such an overwhelming majority.”

Students began the push to restructure GUSA in order to increase accessibility within the organization and centralize advocacy efforts.

Despite the results of the referendum, the GUSA Senate will continue to examine ways to restructure the organization, according to GUSA Senate Vice Speaker Rowlie Flores (COL ’22).

“The need for a restructure is crucial and enables participation within the association in policy advocacy so that the leadership team is not always the ones engaging with the administration on issues,” Flores wrote in an email to The Hoya. “The GUSA Senate will be open to considering another act of referendum should it come to the chamber.”

The restructuring referendum faced difficulties since the referendum proposal was first finalized in early October, with some senators arguing that the referendum did not address key aspects of GUSA’s job. While the referendum ultimately passed the senate Oct. 17, the vote was not unanimous, and a senator put forward an alternative restructuring proposal, though it did not pass.

Once the senate ap-

proved the referendum, GUSA faced problems of low student engagement on social media and in person, according to Balçay.

“We thought that it would be better to publicize the referendum later than earlier, because if you do it earlier then it loses momentum towards the end,” Balçay said.

“So we planned two very intense weeks, but we failed to get turnout on most of our events. We had two town halls, numerous tablings, office hours that were five days a week, and we only managed to engage with a mere 100 students.”

GUSA should have better anticipated the lack of student enthusiasm for the referendum and started campaigning much farther ahead of time, according to GUSA Senator Zev Burton (SFS ’22), who opposed the referendum.

“I don’t think the results were surprising. That was one of the main concerns we had with having a referendum on such short notice,” Burton said in an interview with The Hoya. “People aren’t going to get excited about internal restructuring. They had so much time to publicize and do all this work, and it did not come to fruition.”

In addition to the restructuring referendum, the fall 2021 ballot also included elections for seven first-year seats and four at-large seats in the GUSA Senate. The new class of senators is set to be sworn in Nov. 14.

In upcoming meetings, the newly sworn-in senate will discuss student involvement

and continue to push for restructuring, according to GUSA Senator Nirvana Khan (SFS ’24), chair of the policy and advocacy committee.

“This definitely is not the end of the restructure campaign; if anything I believe people in GUSA now have to accept how popular restructuring GUSA is and that the project is not going away anytime soon,” Khan wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Personally, I think the plan moving forward will be focusing on raising awareness and conducting an information campaign so that in the future — whether in the spring or next fall — we can hopefully get this passed.”

GUSA should not consider a second restructuring referendum, according to Burton.

“I don’t think that’s the most important issue right now. Especially with COVID still going on, new registration, stuff going on at Leo’s that still isn’t fully solved, it’s time to start directing our attention out of GUSA and towards the student body,” Burton said.

Despite internal opposition to a second referendum, GUSA will still make an effort to incorporate more student opinions and voices in any upcoming restructuring initiatives, according to Balçay.

“While we are not seeking to redo the whole thing, we are open to all voices, and if anyone wants to get involved in the restructure process, I would encourage them to DM GUSA on Instagram, email GUSA and just get in touch through any channel,” Balçay said.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM

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GIWPS Attends United Nations Climate Change Conference Eli Blumenfeld

Special to The Hoya

A Georgetown University delegation attended the 26th iteration of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), aiming to uplift stories of women’s climate activism around the world.

Representatives from the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) traveled to the conference, which took place in Glasgow, Scotland from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12. GIWPS Senior Program and Policy Coordinator Jess Keller, Research and Policy Director Jessica Smith, Executive Director Melanne Verveer and Allie Smith, Program Director made up the GIWPS delegation to COP26.

The GIWPS team attended the conference with the goal of centering the voices of women and girls in international discussions about climate change, according to Jeni Klugman, the managing director at GIWPS. “The main message is around the importance of bringing women and girls into the conversation and bringing their expertise and perspective about

advancing and implementing solutions,” Klugman said in a phone interview with The Hoya.

Understanding the nexus of gender, climate and security is an essential component of GIWPS’s research, according to Keller and Smith.

“COP26 has been a huge success for our team and an important moment to catalyze gender-responsive climate action,” Keller and Smith wrote in an email to The Hoya. “These are issues that are often talked about separately — but their intersections are critical to our understanding of the gendered impacts of climate change and to identifying effective solutions.”

Women tend to be underrepresented at all levels of climate decision-making, according to U.N. Women. The status of women in a country is often correlated with the ability of that same country to act toward climate solutions, according to Keller and Smith.

“We know from our Women, Peace and Security Index that where women are doing better, countries are more stable and peaceful,” Keller and Smith wrote. “Recent analysis also

GU Pivot Program Pubishes Inaugural Graduate Report Sarah Conner Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University Pivot Program released its first ever annual report, showcasing the work of the program since its founding three years ago.

The Pivot Program hosts annual cohorts for around 15 formerly incarcerated students from the Washington, D.C. area to earn a certificate in business and entrepreneurship. The program is hosted under the McDonough School of Business (MSB) and the Prisons and Justice Initiative (PJI), featuring courses taught by Georgetown faculty.

The Pivot Program provides invaluable experiences to its participants, according to Pascal Laporte, a member of the Pivot Program who graduated in 2021.

“It’s good to know that there is a legacy and that we can create alumni from this program,” Laporte said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I got the opportunity to get more education, guidance and mentorship. It’s good to know that there is a community of people out

“It’s good to know that there is a legacy and that we can create alumni from this program.”

PASCAL LAPORTE 2021 Pivot Program Graduate

there fighting to provide that in a carceral setting and outside upon release.”

The report highlighted the staggeringly high incarceration rates in the United States, with more than 7 million Americans currently under the control of the correctional system. In Washington, D.C., 5,000 people are released from prison or jail each year, with many struggling to find long-lasting and fulfilling employment, according to the report.

The report shows a cohesive picture of the work the Pivot Program has done over the past year, according to Marc Howard, the director of Georgetown’s Prisons and Justice Initiative.

“It really hits the marks on all fronts, whether it’s celebrating the fellows that just graduated, or promoting the program to future applicants and fellows,” Howard said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “We are really contributing to a narrative shift in the value of formerly incarcerated

people and their potential to the business community and as entrepreneurs.”

The Pivot Program aims to use education to combat the lack of opportunities that formerly incarcerated individuals face during reentry to society, according to Paul Almeida, dean of the MSB. “The faculty and staff who lead the program are as committed to changing the narrative around second-chance hiring as they are to helping our fellows, one-on-one, to bring about change in their own lives,” Almeida wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Fellows in the program are taught entrepreneurial skills and strategy and are encouraged to pursue employment opportunities, with further courses on topics including liberal arts, critical thinking and professional life skills.

David Schultz, another Pivot Program graduate who will have the opportunity to return and teach future students, said the Pivot Program was a lifechanging experience.

“To be able to come back as an employed individual to assist in the facilitating of the class we teach is truly a full circle moment for me,” Schultz wrote in an email to The Hoya. “The fact that this institution of higher learning has taken the time to build a curriculum to help returning citizens succeed and make a positive impact on society is something that I hope other schools and businesses replicat in the future. It has definitely changed my life.”

The 2020 cohort attended an in-person graduation ceremony in June 2021 after staff postponed it because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the report reads. The event provided a space for graduates to celebrate completing the program, according to Howard.

“It was inspiring to all be together to celebrate a successful year of having overcome not just the circumstances of returning citizens, which is already a challenge, but also through a pandemic, through a virtual year,” Howard said.

“Many people when they are incarcerated, especially for a long period of time, really lose touch with technology, so the burden is very high to adjust to essentially foreign forms of communication.”

The Pivot Program creates a support system for formerly incarcerated individuals focused on their futures rather than their pasts, according to Schultz.

“One thing that is really special is being put in a network of successful individuals who can help you do nothing but succeed,” Schultz wrote. “It was also amazing to be in a ‘safe space’ where we were not judged by our mistakes but looked at as a human being just wanting to do great things in life.”

found that countries that score better on our WPS Index are also better positioned to address climate change.”

The GIWPS recently published its third edition of the Women, Peace and Security Index (WPS Index) on Oct. 19, which reports on the status of women’s inclusion, justice and security by providing national index scores and rankings for 170 countries.

The 2021 WPS Index highlighted that the global advance of women’s status has slowed and that the gap within the range of scores has grown. The Index also highlighted how women’s contributions to climate solutions in Colombia, Sudan and Nepal proved effective in mitigating climate-conflict risks.

While at COP26, the GIWPS team spent their time listening to grassroots women activists, Indigenous women, and youth leaders on the frontlines of climate change, according to Keller and Smith. The team also met with delegates from the UNFCCC gender team, foreign ministers, U.N. Under-Secretaries-General and private sector leaders at the conference.

@UNSPOKESPERSON/TWITTER

Representatives from the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security highlighted women’s voices in the climate change conversation at the U.N.’s COP26.

COP26 organizers also selected GIWPS to host an official panel event Nov. 8 titled “Sustainability, Equality, Peace: Integrating Climate Change & Women, Peace and Security Agendas,” which brought together policymakers, civil society leaders and climate activists for a discussion about the intersection of climate change and gender.

As the world seeks to address the climate crisis, stakeholders must ensure women are centered in interventions, that climate policy is gendersensitive and that women have full and equal access to these opportunities, according to Keller and Smith.

“We are seeing growing momentum by governments

including the United States and international institutions, such as the U.N. Security Council and NATO to address climate security and GIWPS is working to ensure policies, investments, and interventions leverage the contributions of women on the frontlines,” Keller and Smith wrote.

COP26 was initially scheduled to take place in November 2020, but involved parties collectively decided to postpone the conference until 2021 due to safety risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. COP26 was a highly anticipated conference for GIWPS, Klugman said.

“I think this conference is in many ways historic. This unprec-

edented attention — I can’t recall a previous conference to which so much mainstream media attention has been directed,” Klugman said. “This is a high-profile opportunity to show how we can work in collaboration with others.”

The conference provided a forum where the GIWPS representatives could highlight women’s work on climate change in an international forum, according to Keller and Smith.

“GIWPS is thrilled to be attending COP as part of the Georgetown delegation. This has been an important opportunity for us to further our climate work and deepen relationships with others committed to centering women in climate action,” Keller and Smith wrote.

Students Launch Petition To Extend Epicurean Hours Giulia Testa

Hoya Staff Writer

Students are calling on Georgetown University to reinstate late night hours at the popular campus restaurant Epicurean and Company (Epi) on the weekends.

The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate passed a resolution Nov. 7 calling for Epi’s hours to be extended until 3 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights in order to provide more food options on campus.

Prior to the shutdown of the university’s campus in the spring of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Epi operated 24-hours Thursday through Sunday and was a popular location for students to dine late on weekends. Currently, Epi closes at 10 p.m. daily.

Epi’s former hours provided students a consistent and easy option for late-night meals, according to GUSA Senate Speaker Leo Rassieur (COL ’22).

“As those who were oncampus in previous years can attest, Epi was an important, reliable dining spot on campus well into the late night, and it has been disappointing not to benefit from that since our return to campus this semester,” Rassieur wrote in an email to The Hoya. “With the new, strict meal plan requirement, we need more ways to use Flex dollars to have an ac-

tual meal on a schedule that works for all students.”

As part of the resolution, the organization agreed to sign on to a student-launched petition created Nov. 2 calling on Aramark, the university food service provider that manages Epi, to reimplement the restaurant’s late-night hours. All Georgetown dining locations, including Epi, are serviced by Aramark. As of Nov. 11, more than 150 students had signed the petition.

Epi provides accessible late-night food options, and it is a campus tradition to eat there after a night out, according to the petition.

“The time is now! Epi’s hours are not what they used to be. Everyone loved grabbing a quesadilla at 2:30am after coming home from a night out in AdMo. What happens if you need a late night snack in Lau and everything else is closed,” the petition reads. “That’s why it is time to work with Epi’s management to restore its hours to 3am on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.”

Epi’s former late-night hours provided students with a space on campus to socialize with friends, according to Josue Oros (MSB ’22), who launched the petition.

“It was like a different way of socializing,” Oros said. “You would see most of the people in your grade, or you would see a lot of familiar faces, so it was very

JESSICA LIN/THE HOYA

Students launched a petition Nov. 2 calling on the university to extend hours at Epicurean and Company on select days. nice because sometimes when everybody has different schedules, you haven’t seen people in a while. It was a very nice time. I think that’s where I made a lot of new friendships.”

Epi was also a cost-friendly option for students to gather after nights out, according to Daniel Arenas (MSB ’22), who signed the petition.

“Everyone has their own things to do every weekend; we’re all in different clubs and we all go to different parties,” Arenas said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “For that reason, this was sort of like a place where everyone could come together after every different event and see each other. It was always a good place to catch up with people. It was also just a great post-game because if you don’t have too much money to go out to eat or order UberEats, that was always there and you could use your flex.”

Since Epi no longer operates past 10 p.m. on Thursday, Fri-

day and Saturday nights, students now typically frequent the Wawa located on Wisconsin Ave. for late night food options, according to Oros, who says Wawa’s distance from campus presents a safety risk for students, especially if students were drinking.

“Wawa is obviously a little bit far away,” Oros said. “I saw Epi as a better choice than Wawa. I’d rather have somebody pass out in Epi or outside of Epi, closer to everybody’s dorm, than out by Wisconsin, which is very far away.”

The university set Epi’s hours to best accommodate the campus community, according to a university spokesperson.

“We appreciate student support of Epicurean and welcome community feedback about on-campus dining,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Epicurean’s hours are selected to best meet the needs of the campus community based on utilization rates.”

Bark Tank Competition Names 2 Winners Heather Doherty Hoya Staff Writer

After over a month of preparation and a three-minute presentation, two teams of Georgetown University entrepreneurs took home the grand prize in the annual Georgetown “Bark Tank” entrepreneurship competition.

Joylet, an online baby gear renter, and STAFM Technologies, an electric flux motor, both received a $30,000 prize after tying for first place in the annual business pitch competition. In addition to the two winners, Compost’d LLC, an in-home composting initiative, won the People’s Choice Award, taking home a $25,000 cash prize. The competition awarded a total of $150,000 in prizes to eight finalists.

The 2021 Bark Tank competition was an overall success, according to Jeffrey Reid, a Georgetown professor and founder of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative, which oversees Bark Tank.

“This year’s Bark Tank was an incredible success. The quality of startup presentations continues to go up year after year,” Reid wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Every one of the finalist teams received

at least $5000 in prize money, along with intensive coaching, mentoring, and feedback. In that sense, every one of them is a winner, and every one of them has the opportunity to succeed as an entrepreneur.”

This year’s winners also represent diverse backgrounds in entrepreneurs, according to Reid.

“One thing that stands out is the diversity of our student entrepreneurs,” Reid wrote.

“The majority of the prize money went to women or women-led teams, and we had several people of color and members of the LBGTQ+ community. This all goes to show that entrepreneurs come from all different backgrounds.”

The competition, which was held in person Nov. 4 as well as live-streamed, consisted of all eight finalists giving three-minute presentations, followed by a five-minute question-and-answer section with the judges, who include local business owners. Following the presentations, a group of judges deliberated and awarded cash prizes based on various criteria.

The first-place prize will allow Joylet to expand its operations, according to Joylet

co-founder Alli Cavasino (GRD ’22).

“This is a real game changer for Joylet,” Cavasino wrote in an email to The Hoya. “It has already helped so much for getting the word out about our Company. With the prize money, we will be able to expand our pilot to serve more customers and test and refine our service over the coming months.”

The $30,000 cash prize will help STAFM Technologies become more competitive with other similar businesses, according to Rory Brogan (GRD ’22), founder of STAFM Technologies.

“Now the real work begins.

We are using the money to build our first prototype and begin simulations to prove how disruptive this company is,” Brogan wrote in an email to The Hoya. “If all goes according to plan, we will be ready to begin a Seed round by the end of this academic year.”

The Bark Tank prize fund is sponsored by the Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize, which was established

by Ted Leonsis (CAS ’77), CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment. In addition to the two first-place prizes and the People’s Choice

Award, cash prizes of various amounts totalling almost $90,000 were awarded to the five other finalists.

The overall Bark Tank experience was incredibly valuable and meaningful to contestants, according to Gracey Owen (MSB ’22), founder of Compost’d LLC. “Bark Tank will forever be a moment I’ll hold near and dear to my heart as it was my opportunity to really show myself what I can do,” Owen wrote in an email to The Hoya. “What started as a simple issue with my indoor compost bin quickly evolved into a blossoming business idea and with the winnings from Bark Tank so graciously provided by the Leonsis family that dream can become a reality.”

The $30,000 prize represents the culmination of a long and difficult process in launching a business venture, according to Brogan.

“I am humbled by the faith the Bark Tank judges put in us and immensely proud of what we accomplished,” Brogan wrote. “It was an incredible vote of confidence from a panel of some of the most successful entrepreneurs affiliated with Georgetown.”

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Report: Gap Between Education University Halts Student-Run Cost, Entry-Level Wages Widens Campus Accessibility Initiative Lea George

Special to the Hoya

The disparity between education costs and the incomes of young college graduates is increasing and should be tackled through a unified effort by schools, employers and governments, according to a recent Georgetown University report.

Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy recently published a report titled, “If Not Now, When?”, which revealed that while the cost of college has increased 169% since 1980, average wages have only increased 19%.

College education is becoming more essential for people to be successful in the workforce, yet it is also becoming less affordable, the report found. Today, two-thirds of jobs require postsecondary education, while in the 1970s three-quarters of jobs only required a high school diploma or less, according to the report.

“Postsecondary education policy has failed to keep higher education affordable even as formal education beyond high school has become more essential,” the report reads.

“The costs of higher education have risen rapidly over the past few decades, making cost a barrier for many young people who wish to pursue a degree or credential.”

However, the increasing necessity of a college education has also contributed to the rising costs, according to Artem Gulish, Senior Policy Strategist and Research Faculty at the Center on Education and the Workforce.

“The demand for college education is growing due to higher value placed on knowledge and skills students develop during their additional years of education and postsecondary credentials in the workforce,” Gulish wrote in an email to The Hoya.

While students used to be able to pay their way through

college without significant challenges, paying off student debt has now become largely impossible for many due to shrinking wages following graduation, the report found.

“It used to be possible to work one’s way through college; today, college costs are generally too high — and young people’s wages too low — for that to be feasible,” the report reads.

“Consequently, more students have to take on larger amounts of debt to get a college degree.”

As the cost of college rises, recent graduates are taking longer to become financially independent, according to Gulish.

“It also impacts young workers’ ability to attain financial security earlier in their lives. This doesn’t mean that overall there is anything wrong with young people taking longer to find themselves,” Gulish wrote. “However, it does mean that policymakers need to recognize that the transition to financially independent adulthood has gotten longer and more complex and adapt our youth policy to better support young people facing these new realities.”

The disparity between education and wages differs significantly between race and class, the report found, as less advantaged students are less likely to improve their socioeconomic status (SES) in the workforce, even with educational success.

“A kindergartner with top test scores and a family in the lowest SES quartile has only a 31 percent chance of being in the top half of SES at age 25, compared to a 71 percent chance for a kindergartner with bottom test scores and a family in the highest SES quartile,” the report reads.

To tackle the severe disparities between education and young people’s wages, there needs to be collaboration between all stages of the education and employment process, according to Anthony Car-

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nevale, the report’s lead author and Director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

“We haven’t connected the dots from early childhood, through K-12 and postsecondary education, to careers,” Carnevale wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We need an all-one-system approach that facilitates smooth transitions on the pathway from youth dependence to adult independence.”

Moving forward, institutions need to work together to support young people throughout their education and early careers, according to Gulish.

“I think it’s a shared responsibility: schools and colleges have a role to play, employers have a role to play, local communities have a role to play, counselors and advisors have a role to play, workforce developers have a role to play, training programs have a role to play,

“We haven’t connected the dots from early childhood, through K-12 and postsecondary education, to careers.”

ANTHONY CARNEVALE Lead Author

families have a role to play, and young people have a role to play,” Gulish wrote. “Federal and state governments, though, are in the best position to coordinate all these efforts to ensure that youth policy functions as all-one system and vulnerable young people do not fall through the cracks.”

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY/INSTAGRAM

University administrators have temporarily halted support for HoyaLift, a student-run shuttle service designed to help students navigate inaccessible areas on campus.

Akashdiya Chakraborty tles for students with temporary ity initiatives for years. In 2016, Special to the Hoya

Georgetown University has put a student-run campus accessibility initiative on pause indefinitely because of “feasibility” concerns.

HoyaLift, a program originally founded in 2019 by Olivia Silveri (NHS ’21), aims to provide free shuttle bus rides across campus to make the Hilltop more accessible for the Georgetown community, especially disabled students or those with injuries. The initiative was put on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic; upon returning to campus, current students have attempted to relaunch the program and seek funding from the university, according to Nesreen Shahrour (NHS ’23), a HoyaLift student coordinator.

Administrators said they delayed the program because of university financial concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Shahrour.

“They cited significant annual costs and need for more extensive discussion, and they talked about the pandemic having paused so many things, and efforts being directed elsewhere, and they’ve been seeing a lot of overhauls in employment and faculty, so the university wants to make sure that we’re careful about long-term consistency,” Shahrour said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya.

Administrators are putting HoyaLift on pause while the university evaluates the practicality of the program, according to a university spokesperson.

“We are continuing to evaluate the feasibility of implementing services like HoyaLift that would provide accessible shut-

or permanent mobility disabilities and continue to engage in dialogue to explore such options,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya. “When any new program is proposed we evaluate it based on a variety of factors including safety, employees needed, cost and long term sustainability.”

While the university acknowledged the importance of HoyaLift in conversations with student leaders, Shahrour said the withdrawal of monetary support was frustrating.

“We were told that Georgetown would not be able to support HoyaLift at this moment, but they do think that it is a crucial program, which was very disappointing for us, because we were hoping to launch in January, and that was what we were under the impression of speaking to other administrators,” Shahrour said. “It’s been really frustrating communicating with multiple different administrators and hearing several different things.”

Administrators have shown support for making campus more accessible, according to Dominic DeRamo (COL ’23), a HoyaLift student leader and an executive member of the Georgetown Disability Alliance.

“I think historically, administrators have not been as in touch with student concerns around accessibility as much as they are right now. I think the university within the past couple years has done a fantastic job of listening to student concerns around accessibility,” DeRamo said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya.

Georgetown student activists have been criticizing the university’s lack of accessibil-

students condemned the Academic Resource Center for not being wheelchair accessible, and in 2018, the Georgetown University Student Association reported doors in Arrupe Hall were not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act because they required more than five pounds of force to open. In 2018, after students demanded the university make White-Gravenor more physically accessible, the university announced plans to construct a ramp outside the building.

Student activists have also worked since 2012 to establish a Disability Cultural Center on Georgetown’s main campus, which would coordinate and host disability-centered educational, social and academic programming for the campus and larger Washington, D.C. community.

Programs like HoyaLift are important tools to make campus more accessible, according to Julia Watts Belser, a professor in the disability studies program.

“HoyaLift is a crucial strategy for improving accessibility and ease of access across Georgetown’s campus. As a student-led initiative, it’s a powerful example of Hoyas recognizing that we all have a collective responsibility to help ensure more robust systems of access for the entire Georgetown community,” Belser wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Although the university has put the program on pause, Shahrour said there is still a community need for the service.

“The need is not paused,” Shahrour said. “The need is still around for HoyaLift, and for increased physical accessibility on campus.”

Japanese Government Honors GIWPS Executive Director Laetitia Haddad Hoya Staff Writer

Former U.S. Ambassador Melanne Verveer (SLL ’66, GRD ’69) received the Order of the Rising Sun, an honor bestowed by the Japanese government, for her leadership in advancing women’s empowerment Oct. 28.

Verveer, who serves as executive director of the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), accepted the distinction at the Japanese ambassador’s residence. Ambassador Tamaki Tsukada, the deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Japan, conferred the award, a medal featuring gold rays.

The Order of the Rising Sun is one of the 2020 Spring Imperial Decorations, which recognize outstanding contributions to the nation or the public. The award represents a milestone in the work she continues to pursue in the field of women, peace and security, Verveer said.

“It was an extraordinary surprise,” Verveer said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “It was rewarding enough to be involved in all of these ways, and then to receive this award, this decoration, went far beyond anything I had ever expected.”

Over the past two decades, Verveer has worked in many capacities to strengthen U.S.Japan cooperation on women’s issues. Verveer served as the assistant to the President and chief of staff to the First Lady during the Clinton administration. She was later nominated by former President Barack

Obama to serve as the first U.S. ambassador at-large for Global Women’s Issues, a role she held from 2009 to 2013.

As ambassador, Verveer coordinated foreign policy issues relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women. During her tenure, Verveer said she developed a relationship with Japan because of the work she did on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), an intergovernmental forum that promotes free trade throughout the region.

Verveer said she put women and economic participation on APEC’s agenda, which had implications for the larger Asia-Pacific region.

“I think probably the greatest impact was the work I did on APEC,” Verveer said. “That put greater prominence on the need for women’s economic participation, and everything that that involved, from child care to ensuring that there was greater diversity in the workplace.”

Verveer provided vital advice to the Japanese government on the issue of women in the economy, according to former Ambassador Kurt Tong, who served as the U.S. ambassador for APEC when the United States hosted the forum in 2011.

“She was essentially being recognized for the good work she did in providing thought leadership to the Japanese government and Japanese NGOs on how important it is to increase and improve the role of women in the economy, and what some of the policies might be for doing that,” Tong said in a phone interview with The Hoya.

After coming to Georgetown, Verveer helped launch the World Assembly of Women (WAW!), a conference hosted by the Japanese government to discuss topics such as peace and security, women and the economy and other relevant issues related to women’s empowerment.

Under Verveer, GIWPS partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a development agency that promotes international cooperation.

Through the partnership, Verveer contributed research and policy recommendations regarding women’s participation in economies.

“There was a lot of synergy in our research efforts at Georgetown with JICA,” Verveer said. “I anticipate that we will continue in some capacity to work with JICA, which also recognizes the evolving questions and important discussions that occur around women peace and security.”

Japan welcomes a continued relationship with Verveer and the United States on the issue of women’s empowerment in the future, according to Yoshikazu Suzuki, the first secretary of the Embassy of Japan.

“The strong relationship between Japan and the U.S. is increasingly important for overcoming the various confusions caused by the new coronavirus and for building a new economic structure for the post-corona era, including the area of women’s empowerment,” Suzuki wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“Japanese people continue to look forward to her advice and support based on her wealth of experience and clear insight.”

THE HOYA | A9

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM

NEWS

DC Water To Disconnect Customers With Unpaid Bills Abby Tucker

Special to The Hoya

Water services will be disconnected Dec. 1 for D.C. Water customers who fail to pay their bills or register for a financial assistance program.

D.C. Water, a nonprofit water utility company servicing Washington, D.C., originally stopped disconnections and waived late fees in an effort to ensure residents could access their services during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, D.C. Water announced Nov. 2 that it would resume disconnections, as the current outstanding balances are hindering operations.

D.C. Water is resuming disconnections out of necessity, as customers’ unpaid bills, which now total $26.3 million, threaten future operations, according to Pamela Mooring, external communications manager at D.C. Water.

“We don’t want to disconnect anyone, but we need customers to pay their past due balances so that we can keep the water flowing,” Mooring wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Late fees and interest charges on outstanding balances resumed Sept. 1 in an effort to encourage customers to pay their bills or seek financial assistance. Still, the reinstatement of interest charges and late fees was not enough to incentivize customers to pay, according to Mooring.

D.C. Water needs customers to pay their outstanding balances so it can continue to provide water for District residents, David Gadis, CEO and general manager of D.C. Water, wrote in a Nov. 2 press release.

“We have a duty to continue delivering water and sewer services to the District. As a notfor-profit organization, we rely on revenue for operations and capital projects,” Gadis said in the press release. “With arrears this significant, it could jeopardize our ability to deliver these critical services.”

Unpaid bills have prevented D.C. Water from making infrastructure improvements and taking on additional projects, according to Mooring.

“We reduced expenditures — we delayed $170 million

worth of capital projects and have over 100 vacancies that we need to fill for critical operations and to advance the infrastructure program,” Mooring wrote. “Currently, we are having to prioritize filling those vacancies because of the shortfall.”

D.C. Water has taken steps during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that financial circumstances do not bar anyone from having access to water. One such initiative, which launched Feb. 8 and continues to be an option, gives customers who live in multifamily buildings, such as apartment buildings or low-income condominium buildings, the opportunity to apply for financial assistance in paying their water bills.

Customers who enroll in one of the nine different federal and local programs that offer millions of dollars in financial assistance will not be disconnected from water services, according to Mooring.

“We have existing discounts for eligible customers that are ongoing and we have some emergency funding for

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

D.C. Water will resume water service disconnections Dec. 1 in a reversal of a policy to suspend disconnections during the COVID-19 pandemic. those financially impacted by the pandemic,” Mooring wrote. “There is plenty of funding available.”

As the threat of disconnections looms, certain customers could be excused if they meet a given set of criteria, according to D.C. Water’s Nov. 2 press release.

“Some customers may be

eligible for disconnection relief if they meet certain requirements such as owing less than $600 or entering a payment plan,” the press release reads. “Customers may also be eligible if certified by the Office of the Mayor of the District of Columbia, or they provide documents showing that they qualify for discon-

nection relief through one of these programs.”

When customers pay their bills, D.C. Water is able to continue providing a necessary service, according to Mooring.

“The bottom line is, in order to continue providing critical water and sewer services, we need customers to get current,” Mooring wrote.

Law Professors Testify on DC Criminal Code Public Schools Face Decreased Enrollments, Prospective Budget Cuts Jemima Denham Hoya Staff Writer

Washington, D.C. officials launched a rewriting project of the District’s 120-year-old criminal code in consultation with Georgetown University Law Center professors.

The Council of the District of Columbia is conducting a series of public hearings to discuss modernizing the city’s criminal statutes by redefining certain crimes, clarifying definitions and changing conviction consequences. As part of the process, Georgetown Law professors have testified and offered their expertise on the justice system.

The D.C. Criminal Code Revision Commission (CCRC) started the process of revising the code in 2016, and in October 2021 the CCRC submitted a 329-page bill of proposed changes to the council.

The first public hearing occurred Nov. 4. Several Georgetown Law professors testified at the first hearing, including Eduardo Ferrer (MSB ’02, LAW ’05), policy director of the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative, Vida Johnson, a professor of criminal law and procedure, and Tyrone Walker, director of reentry services for the Georgetown Prisons and Justice Initiative. In addition to the hearings, the council encourages D.C. residents to provide written testimony on the proposal.

The revision will have an incredibly broad impact on all levels of the criminal justice system, according to Ferrer, who advised the CCRC on criminal and juvenile legal systems, his area of expertise.

“The criminal code revision is about more than just who is currently incarcerated, but also whether and how things should

be tried in the first place,” Ferrer said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “It is broader than just incarceration — it affects things like sentencing, resentencing, it is so comprehensive and a very important undertaking.”

D.C. has not updated its criminal code since 1901, when Congress originally codified the District’s statutes. In 2000, three Brooklyn Law School professors ranked D.C.’s criminal code as one of the worst in the country, based on its lack of clarity and consistency.

Many aspects of the current code are outdated remnants of past mentalities about crime, including mandatory minimums, which are predefined sentences for certain crimes, according to John Copacino, director of the Criminal Justice Clinic at Georgetown Law. “These mandatories were passed during the ‘war on crime’ when people thought what we need to do is put people in jail for longer times in order to remove them from the street in eras where we thought there were people who were superpredators,” Copacino said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “The D.C. Council has been moving away from that.”

The removal of mandatory minimums for sentences gives judges greater discretion in sentencing and allows incarcerated people who have served more than 15 years to petition a judge for resentencing or early release.

Without mandatory minimums, judges will be able to evaluate each case holistically instead of being forced to give a particular sentence, according to Copacino.

“Judges don’t have the discre-

Jacob Imber

Special to The Hoya

MOLLY ROPELEWSKI/THE HOYA

The CCRC asked Georgetown Law professors to testify at public hearings on changes to the D.C. criminal code. tion now to go below them, and this takes away all mandatory minimums and places everything now in the judge’s decision, where it should be,” Copacino said. “It’s better that way that judges get to decide based on everything.”

The proposal to rewrite the code demonstrates the council’s dedication to critically evaluating the criminal justice system, according to Ferrer.

“It is the first time since the original writing of the code in 1901 that the District is actually taking a step back to look at its

criminal statutes as a whole and asking the question, do these statues really make sense, are they clear and do they align with our values here in the District of Columbia,” Ferrer said.

According to Copacino, the proposed changes to the code will allow incarcerated individuals opportunities for rehabilitation and reintegration.

“This law gives everyone a second chance,” Copacino said. “It’s an enlightened piece of legislation, it really is and I hope that it passes. We have a very enlightened city council right now.”

DC Census Count Causes Redistricting Concerns Kirit Minhas

Special to The Hoya

The 2020 census process failed to count 14,410 Washington, D.C. residents, even though the population increased by nearly 88,000 people.

Data from the 2020 census results counted 689,545 residents in the District, a 14.6% growth compared to the 2010 census. While the District saw the seventh-highest growth rate in the United States, it also saw the largest undercount rate in the nation at 2.05%, which could impact how federal resources are allocated throughout the District during the next decade.

Following the release of the 2020 census results, the D.C. Council began the process of redistricting the eight wards in an effort to balance the populations in each ward, meaning that Wards 6, 7 and 8 will almost certainly have to be redrawn due to drastic population shifts, as Ward 6 is too large, while Wards 7 and 8 are too small.

According to Samuel Rosen-Amy, chief of staff for the office of Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At-Large), who is the chair for the Sub-

committee on Redistricting, the undercount means that the District might not be accurately funded.

“We are very concerned about the reported undercount of DC residents in the Census, since it can mean the District doesn’t receive its fair share of federal funds,” Rosen-Amy wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“That can have a very real effect on our residents.”

Accurate census counts are important in terms of distributing adequate resources across the District, according to a press statement from the D.C. Office of Planning, which oversees the redistricting process along with the D.C. Council.

“The federal government uses Census data to distribute more than $6 billion annually to the District for vital programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Section Eight Housing Choice Vouchers, Children’s Health Insurance, and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance,” the statement reads. “Accurate and complete census data is critical to the District’s recovery and reopening efforts as well.

Knowing who lives in DC and where is important when

making budgeting and planning decisions across all District agencies.”

The undercount was likely caused by difficulties regarding accurately counting people during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as former President Donald Trump’s failed attempts to introduce a citizenship question on the census form, which may have deterred people from participating. The difficulties caused Black and Hispanic populations to be undercounted at a rate of over 2%, according to the Urban Institute, an economic and social think tank based in Washington, D.C. The Subcommittee on Redistricting is continuing with its original redistricting plans despite the undercount and is expected to hold a full D.C. Council vote on the redistricted wards Dec. 7.

Under current proposals, the boundaries of Ward 2 could shift to either adopt nearby neighborhoods or lose current neighborhoods. Under two leading proposals the Shaw neighborhood, which is currently in Ward 2, would be either split between Ward 2 and Ward 6 or removed completely from Ward 2.

Ward 2 Councilmember Brook Pinto (LAW ’17) did not respond to The Hoya’s request for comment.

Following the D.C. Council vote on the proposed redrawn ward maps, Ward Task Forces will assemble in December to decide upon the new boundaries for the Advisory Neighborhood Commissions (ANC), which are the neighborhoods that make up the wards.

While the D.C. Office of Planning pursues actions to examine the reported undercount, the Subcommittee on Redistricting must move forward, according to Rosen-Amy. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much the Council can do about it right now,” RosenAmy wrote. “The Office of Planning, a Mayoral office, is looking into appealing the official count, but that process could take years.”

According to Rosen-Amy, while the undercount is concerning, the D.C. Council will continue the redistricting process with the 2020 census data.

“In the meantime, we are proceeding forward with the data we have now, which we are required by law to use when redistricting,” RosenAmy wrote.

As public school enrollment decreases across the country, schools must allocate federal COVID-19 relief funds to offset future budget losses, a new Georgetown University study found.

State governments distribute funding to public schools based on enrollment rates, so enrollment decreases will lead to significant budgetary cuts, according to the report.

Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab, a research center focused on education finance, released the report Oct. 28, analyzing over 6,000 districts’ projected financial losses from decreased enrollment.

While public school enrollment nationwide decreased 3% during the 20202021 school year, 82% of the analyzed districts received enough COVID-19 federal relief aid to offset budgetary decreases resulting from lower enrollment. Since the federal aid was distributed based on community need, the remaining 18% of districts whose federal funding did not offset enrollment losses were almost exclusively concentrated in wealthier areas with low poverty rates, according to the study.

However, although federal aid mostly offset budgetary declines in high-poverty districts, the federal aid is not sustainable and these districts will face severe financial loss in the future, according to Edunomics Director Marguerite Roza, Ph.D., who co-authored the study.

“That kind of aid can only cushion schools’ budgets for about two years,” Roza said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “We think there’s gonna be a massive fiscal cliff in a lot of places, when you wake up one day and you don’t have enough money to pay your bills.”

The pandemic was a driving factor in the decrease in public school enrollment, with many parents and students abandoning public schools for private and charter schools, homeschool programs, group tutoring pods and fully remote learning.

While it is unclear whether these enrollment decreases are permanent, the rise in alternative education options is a worrying trend for public schools, according to Roza.

“The pandemic forced kids home for over a year to learn remotely, so a lot of people found some sort of education program that worked better for them,” Roza said. “So that was a tectonic shift in education.”

Since March 2020, the federal government has provided $190 billion in aid to schools in efforts to help them reopen and combat the

impact of the pandemic.

Edunomics aims to advise districts on how to best use this aid and how to make decisions that will positively impact their students, according to Chad Aldeman, the report’s co-author.

“We focus on educating school and district leaders, people at the state level, advocates and even members of the media to help understand the pressing issues in school finance,” Aldeman said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “We help district leaders think through enrollment changes and staffing and labor costs and all the different factors that go into that in terms of how to pay, how to structure compensation, how to think about turnover and how to think about different incentives.”

While federal aid has helped schools stay afloat as they transition back to in-person learning, schools must avoid overspending on extracurricular programs and hiring more teachers and instead save money for when the funds inevitably run out, according to Roza.

“Historically, school districts have not known how to shrink, and they tend to enact policies that make shrinking harder,” Roza said.

“We rely on district leaders to decide how to spend tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Very few, if any, of them have been taught about education finance.”

To adjust to enrollment trends, districts will have to make changes that will be uncomfortable, such as laying off teachers. However, waiting will only exaggerate the effect on students, according to Roza.

“They don’t like to say we’re going to let go of these people, and so they’ve kept them on longer and longer and longer,” Roza said. “So when they ultimately find that they do not have enough money to pay the bills for the rest of the year, they have to do it all at once. It’s very disruptive to make cuts all at once. It causes kids to lose teachers mid-year, and it strips the programs that students rely on.”

In order to stay ahead of future financial loss, individual districts must think critically about how many students will enroll, and act proactively to best serve them, according to Aldeman.

“A lot of this is in flux and districts at the end of day will have to balance their budgets based on the students they serve,” Aldeman said. “And so we think it would be a good idea now for districts to calculate how many students they can expect to enroll in the coming years and then tailor their budgets accordingly.”

A10 | THE HOYA

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021

BOOK

FILM

‘The Love Hypothesis’ Switches Up ‘Last Night in Soho’ Imagines Young Adult Love Story Formula A Fun, Yet Cliche Dreamscape 

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Varsha Venkatram Hoya Staff Writer

This article discusses sexual assault. Please refer to the online article for on- and off-campus resources.

Fake dating, STEM, academia and an attractive love interest — what more could you want from your standard rom-com?

Ali Hazelwood’s debut novel “The Love Hypothesis” begins when Olive Smith, a Stanford PhD candidate, kisses Adam Carlsen, a young professor well known for his harsh disposition. The two then enter into a fake relationship — Olive to prove to her best friend Anh that she is over her ex-boyfriend and Adam for his own mysterious reasons. Of course, these fake feelings become much more real with every weekly Wednesday date and instance of forced proximity.

This contemporary romcom was released in September 2021, quickly rising to fame on the novel-reviewing side of TikTok, aptly called BookTok, where the tag #thelovehypothesis has reached almost 50 million views. Fitting well into the romance literature trend that has taken over online reading platforms, TikTok reviewers have specifically noted that the book possesses many of the current popular romantic tropes frequently discussed in the app’s literary community, such as the fake dating trope.

The narrative success of “The Love Hypothesis” seems to lie in its uniquely scientific setting. Hazelwood, a ro-

mance writer and professor, initially moved to the United States to pursue a PhD in neuroscience. Her expertise in the field shines throughout the novel, as readers are able to gain a fascinating and almost horrifying insight into the world of academia, rife with abuses of power, low wages and a lack of diversity.

Olive and Anh experience imposter syndrome and blatant sexism in both implicit and prominent ways within their program at Stanford. Hazelwood skillfully navigates the feelings of shame, anxiety and anger after an instance of sexual harassment.

However, the novel’s reliance on the tropes of miscommunication and forced intimacy, in addition to its relatively typical characterization of the leads, are some of its most frustrating aspects.

For instance, the primary love interest Adam is one-dimensional, feeding the cliche of the brooding man with a tragic backstory. Adam’s past is certainly sad, but he does not have a character beyond it. Despite 300-plus pages of seeing Adam from Olive’s perspective, it is still unclear why she loves him at the end of the story. Is it just that he is nice to her? Or that he is smart?

That he’s hot?

Other characters in the novel are similarly flat, as Olive’s roommate and Adam’s best friend are just accessories to the romance, lacking individual personalities. While Olive herself does feel like a fully developed person, some of her decisions are narratively questionable, completely tak-

ing the reader out of the novel.

In one scene, she literally sits on Adam’s lap during a lecture because of a lack of space. All of us have been in crowded classrooms before and have somehow managed not to sit on our professors’ laps!

The most concerning aspect of this novel however, is the way that Olive and Adam begin their fake relationship.

Olive kisses Adam in the lab, trying to fool a friend into thinking she was on a date.

She asks for consent before doing so, yet Adam actually does not reply before she thinks she hears a yes.

Though many fake dating tropes start with such an “unexpected” kiss, it is confusing why this book does, considering its large attention to consent. While Olive is regretful and apologetic, if the roles were reversed — an older male professor kissing a younger female student in a professional space — it would instantly be questioned. This scene feels like a workaround to the complex issue of consent, which is at odds with the careful consideration given to consent throughout the rest of the novel.

At its heart, however, “The Love Hypothesis” is enjoyable to read and hard to put down.

It is the type of romance novel that feels a little bit like cotton candy — sweet, fun and fairly delicious, but somewhat tooth-rotting. So if you are just looking for a good romance to distract from never-ending exams and papers, “The Love Hypothesis” is the perfect choice. Otherwise, temper your expectations!

NEW RELEASES

By Cameron Newman

TAYLOR SWIFT

‘ALL TOO WELL (TAYLOR’S VERSION)’ Swift’s classic breakup ballad gets an update on her newly rerecorded “RED” album. Her matured vocals and refined technique give the song new depths while preserving the vulnerability and evocative power of the original. Be sure to check out the extended 10-minute version for maximum heartbreak.

TAYLOR SWIFT/FACEBOOK

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This scorned lover narrative has it all: an uptempo beat, extravagant production, motownstyle backing harmonies and scathing lyrical rebukes dripping with sardonic dismay. Chaotic and slightly unstructured, the song solidifies for a moment of clarity and hilarity as Mars declares “Not to be dramatic, but I wanna die.”

BRUNO MARS/FACEBOOK

LORDE

‘HOLD NO GRUDGE’ Lorde’s final addition to her August album “Solar Power” finds the sweet spot between staying true to her lyrical style and demonstrating her personal growth. Combining funky instrumentation with incisive lyrics, Lorde reflects on her new stage of life, musing “Acting my age, not my horoscope / Guess that’s growing up.”

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CHARLI XCX

‘NEW SHAPES’ (FEAT. CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS AND CAROLINE POLACHEK) The anthemic second single from Charli XCX’s forthcoming album “CRASH” exceeds the standards set by her previous hits. The catchy hook and booming production capture both the euphoric highs of a good dance track and the witty lyricism of an introspective ballad.

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of the film.

As a fixture of Ellie’s 1960s-based dreams, Sandie is by far the most developed and interesting character in the movie. Taylor-Joy brings the vivacious girl to life in a way that makes the whole theater root for her. Sandie is an extremely sympathetic character when the movie opens; however, she devolves into a flat character undeserving of sympathy based on her actions toward the end of the movie.

Nothing is as it seems in “Soho,” as Ellie quickly finds out. Her experience at London College of Fashion is anything but a breeze, although her troubles there are illustrated through a cheap use of the “mean girl” trope.

Jocasta (Synnøve Karlsen), Ellie’s roommate, is patronizing and spiteful right from the start. The film makes no attempt to flesh her out or

allow her to be anything but an opposing force to “good girl” and “fish out of water” Ellie. Jocasta is neither a foil nor an antagonist, merely a flat, outdated plot device used to get the story rolling.

The other characters in “Last Night in Soho” are barely expanded from their respective tropes, either. Michael Ajao’s John is the corny, sweet boy who likes that Ellie is different from other girls.

Terence Stamp plays a creepy old man who the plot only implies might be connected to the drama that Ellie experiences each night when she closes her eyes.

Ellie’s abilities are defined at the beginning of the film, but become detrimental to the logic of the plot because of the inconsistencies in her powers. For example, Ellie’s ghost-seeing talents do little to explain the supernatural happenings of her Soho bedroom, where she enters a bi-

zarre dreamscape.

Many horror movies require a suspension of disbelief from viewers, giving no definite reason why such things happen. “Last Night in Soho” would have benefited from taking this route instead of establishing Ellie’s preternatural skill, a fact that only adds confusion to the mechanics of the story.

Additionally, the plot twist at the end of the movie feels a bit cheap. There is little to no foreshadowing, making the multiple twists at the end feel like “gotchas” rather than clever storytelling.

Overall, “Last Night in Soho” is a fun, thrilling film set to groovy 1960s music and packed with a stellar cast.

The film is not always camp or tongue-in-cheek enough to make the plot and characterization work, but spending a night in “Soho” is an ace choice for those looking for an escape from reality.

FILM

Excessive Romance, Complicated Plot Plague Marvel’s ‘Eternals’ ETERNALS, from A12

‘SMOKIN OUT THE WINDOW’

LORDE/FACEBOOK

SOHO, from A12

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BRUNO MARS, ANDERSON .PAAK AND SILK SONIC

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LAST NIGHT IN SOHO/IMDB

This 1960s-themed thriller excited viewers with its stellar camerawork, but an underdeveloped plot leaves the film falling short of audience expectations.

CHARLIXCX/FACEBOOK

the Eternals come together to take down the central antagonist.

Along with this disjointed plot, another dissonant centerpiece of “Eternals” is the excessive romantic ties between the heroes. While there have been semi-romantic relations in previous Marvel movies, such as between Black Widow and the Hulk, Marvel does not often devote extravagant detail to romance. However, in “Eternals,” there are romantic tensions between members of the group from the get-go.

This new focus on romance, although adding another dimension of depth to the plot, ultimately distracts from the action and superhuman exploits of the heroes.

Despite poor plot execution and excessively intrusive romance, the saving grace of “Eternals” is its world-class cast. Composed of some of the biggest names in Hollywood like Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan, Kumail Nanjiani, Richard Madden and renowned Korean actor Ma Dong-seok, this stellar lineup of actors does not disappoint, as the talent and chemistry between the actors on screen are phenomenal.

Not only are the actors fittingly cast, the Eternals team itself brings a variety of leads to the screen, a cinematic detail not commonly present in Marvel movies.

The Eternals team features a diverse series of charac-

ters, such as Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) who is hearingimpaired and Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) who is a gay male. The Eternals are easily the most inclusive Marvel team to date.

On top of the superb casting and acting, the computer-generated imaging (CGI) and special graphics in “Eternals” do not disappoint.

Despite shooting in more than five settings, some of which are set in BC eras, the scenery on screen is extremely realistic and appealing to the eye.

While “Eternals” is a valiant effort by Marvel to set the stage for a group of new superheroes with great graphics, the plot is stripped of any centralized conflict because of the large cast, leaving the film to be made up like an anthology book. However, by successfully introducing and setting the stage for a larger narrative universe beyond the Avengers, hopefully Marvel fans can look forward to future productions to see how the Eternals have a more impactful role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

ETERNALS/FACEBOOK

The overwhelming romantic storyline in ‘Eternals’ detracts from its talented, well-selected cast.

THE HOYA | A11

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM

MUSIC

FILM

‘The French Dispatch’: A Love Letter The Grand Ole Opry’s 5,000th Show To Wes Anderson’s Signature Voice Embodies Country Music’s Evolution 

Matthew de Meulder Special to The Hoya

THE FRENCH DISPATCH/FACEBOOK

In typical Wes Anderson fashion, “The French Dispatch” excites audiences with a creative and colorful narrative style through multiple characters’ perspectives. ment with her subject Zeffirelli B (Timothée Chalamet), which causes her to question the ethics of journalistic objectivity. The script’s deadpan comedy shines through McDormand and Chalamet’s performances.

Finally, the food feature of this edition is reported

by Roebuck Wright (Jeffrey Wright). “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner,” Wright explains, is the most powerful article he has ever written. Wright is the most poignant of Anderson’s cast of zany expats.

He recounts the article years later in a television interview verbatim as a show of his typographic memory, which adds to both his character development and cleverly pushes the narrative of the film.

In one of the most compelling moments of the film, reality completely drops away.

A high-speed police chase in the third act is animated in the fantastical style of the illustrations of “The Dispatch” — and of the film’s dynamic poster.

Anderson does not shy away from his stylistic filmmaking and embraces the role of storytelling throughout “The French Dispatch.”

Each of the film’s four vignettes allows Anderson to

explore distinct world building and visuals without staying too long with any one story. However, this shorter construction of clips means that “The French Dispatch” at times lacks the full character development of some of Anderson’s other films.

Still, “The French Dispatch” thrives on Anderson doing what he does best: creating beautiful, picturesque movies. The film celebrates Anderson’s style and the team of designers and actors he has built and carried across many of his productions. Each shot is perfect and could stand alone as an art piece. Every frame has the symmetrical composition, bold color and opulent sets and costumes that have become synonymous with Anderson’s name.

While perhaps self-indulgent at times, “The French Dispatch” is a movie by and for people who love the medium and artistry of film. Anderson jumps around time, space, genre and surreality; however, “The French Dispatch” does not feel confusing or inaccessible. It is a film that begs to be rewatched over and over in order to unwrap the layers of visual reference, commentary and easter eggs that the audience can easily miss on the first viewing.

Nashville, Tenn. — home of the Predators, Honky Tonk, hot chicken and, of course, country music. Ask one person on the street where they will visit on a trip to Music City, and after Dollywood, the most common tourist location is the Grand Ole Opry.

On Oct. 30, the Grand Ole Opry celebrated its 5,000th radio show — 5,000 radio shows over its 96-year history. Starting as the WSM radio station in 1925, the venue has withstood wars, cultural changes, evolving music preferences and so much more.

Close your eyes and imagine the Opry’s stage, red lights and all. Every known country singer since the venue’s founding has performed on that stage, and for these singers, performing at the Opry represents a high point in their artistic career.

This occasion naturally called for a celebration of the past, present and future of country music.

Performers from multiple generations of country music came together to celebrate the opera on the legendary stage for its anniversary show.

Performing on this monumental evening were traditional country singers like Jeannie Seely, Connie Smith and the Gatlin Brothers, plus newer artists like Dustin Lynch, Chris Janson and Chris Young. Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks, one of the most dynamic couples in Opry and country music history, also performed. These artists and more helped ring in this historic occasion for the entire music industry.

Through its own rich history, the Grand Ole Opry is representative of the modern changing landscape of country music. From its traditional folk song and fiddling roots to today’s intersection with pop, country music is ever changing. Now, genres of country music have even popped up in Canada and Australia.

Country music also has taken on a newfound popularity in the United States, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a desire for more cheerful tunes. Recent songs DOLLY PARTON/FACEBOOK such as “I Hope” by Gabby Barrett and “Fancy Like” by Walker The Grand Ole Opry’s 5,000th radio show shows Hayes have pulled a more pop off the newly evolving presence of country music.

WHAT TO DO IN DC

By Maeve Silk

HOYA HORROR

the characters. Especially in the case of “Halloween,” franchises invest a majority of their resources into the same concepts and ideas, and little is done to actually invest in new ideas and creators.

Even if horror film franchises ceased to exist, the primary objective of horror filmmaking would still be to make money; however, this can

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National Building Museum

CAPITAL BOOK FEST

The Capital Book Fest is back with its last event of 2021 Thursday, Nov. 18 with an outdoor pop-up book sale that supports the nonprofit organization Turning the Page. Stop by and pick up a new read from the market’s many offerings that span a wide variety of genres and release periods.

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Wilson Plaza

@EMISSARYDC/TWITTER

take the art and excitement out of subsequent films. and “Halloween” is a parThere are, however, ways ticularly annoying example to do horror franchises and of this. sequels right, without beThe original “Halloween” ing repetitive and instead would have been better off as adequately expanding on a stand-alone film. Though the original material. My it does have an open ending, favorite example of a horror there was no real need to sequel is the second “Texas continue the story in order Chainsaw Massacre” (1986), to expand upon the plot and which was more comedic than the original and took risks that helped set it apart from the first film. The sequel was much more campy and did not attempt to be a serious continuation of the story, so the filmmakers were more free to take the story and characters in directions that made the series feel new and fun instead of a mere cash grab.

“Halloween” has come to a point where its reputation has shifted from an iconic and original 1970s horror film to a franchise that has gone on too long to the point that it has become cheesy.

The elongation of the franchise is particularly harmful to horror because mainstream film institutions and audiences are now more likely to dismiss the plethora of horror sequels as deficient films.

“Halloween” should never have had a sequel, but given that it happened, the 2018 film would have been a great place to end the franchise, with three generations of @REALMMYERS78/TWITTER Strode women finally bring“Halloween Kills” calls into question the value of ing an end to Myers, making franchises within the horror genre by awkwardly “Halloween Kills” feel that disjointing from the plot of the preceding “Halloween.” much more unnecessary.

PIETO, from A12

CARPE LIBRUM DC/FACEBOOK

‘Halloween Kills’ Displays Decaying Horror Franchises

“THE WALL/EL MURO: WHAT IS A BORDER WALL?” @NATIONALBUILDINGMUSEUM/TWITTER

with longtime collaborator Robert Yeoman, who has led cinematography on all of Anderson’s live-action films.

Always loyal to his regular collaborators, nearly the entire cast of the film is composed of regular actors for Anderson.

In the first article, titled “The Cycling Reporter,” travel reporter Herbsaint Sazerac (Owen Wilson) introduces the audience to the world of Ennui-sur-Blasé, the fictional French town that houses and is the subject of the paper.

J. K. L. Berensen, played by yet another Anderson favorite, Tilda Swinton, reports the second narrative, “The Concrete Masterpiece.” The film cuts the story with clips of Berensen recounting the experience of writing the article during a lecture several years later. However, the alternating narrative never feels confusing or disjointed; Anderson uses color and blackand-white sequences to delineate what is within each article and what is occurring outside that narrative frame.

The most compelling of the features is “Revisions to a Manifesto, a feature” which focuses on political correspondent Lucinda Krementz (Frances McDormand) and her illicit romantic involve-

Regardless of personal feelings about country music, there is no doubt the genre is growing and evolving as more, and more pop country artists are appearing on the national stage. Moreover, the intersection of hip-hop and country is also a new type of musical exploration capturing the spotlight. For example, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” took the world by storm in 2019, and “Lil Bit” by Nelly and Florida Georgia Line became increasingly popular in 2019.

With the dawn of TikTok, music can become popular overnight and thus artists are incentivized to experiment with sounds and genres. Country music is no exception.

Although times have changed since the opening of the Grand Ole Opry, country music remains steadfast in its growth. Sure, the genre will continue to develop, but it is in good hands. Young artists like Luke Combs, Brett Young, Kasey Musgraves, Gabby Barrett, Kelsea Ballerini and so many more are taking the industry by storm. Therefore, there is no question that the Grand Ole Opry will continue for at least another 5,000 shows. There is no end in sight for country music; neither is there one for the Grand Ole Opry.

D.C. HOT CHOCOLATE SPOTS

Washington, D.C.

As the weather gets colder, you may find yourself craving a warm cup of hot cocoa.

Venture outside of the Georgetown bubble to try some of D.C.’s best hot chocolates: the Earl Grey White Hot Chocolate at Ice Cream Jubilee, the Chocolate de la Abuela at Colada Shop and the Lavender Hot Chocolate at Emissary are just a few unique fan favorites to start with.

When you think of D.C. museums doing important work to highlight social justice issues, the National Building Museum may not be the first institution to come to mind, yet its newest acclaimed exhibit “The Wall/El Muro: What Is a Border Wall?” does just that by examining the geopolitics of the U.S.-Mexico border wall through the lens of its architecture and design.

Be sure to not miss this groundbreaking exhibit and also definitely take advantage of the museum’s student ticket discount.

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SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY MARKET

8th and F Streets

Opening next Friday, Nov. 19, Washington D.C.’s annual holiday market offers more than 70 small business vendors, delicious food and drink offerings and a variety of scheduled performance events. Embrace the holiday spirit and kick-start your gift shopping early during this festive event. @DTWNHOLIDAYMKTDC/TWITTER

ANDERSON, from A12

sound into their production, going viral and pushing country music into the national spotlight.

Country music has become further popular with new visibility from television shows such as American Idol, apps like Tik Tok and the elevation of country singers to star status through these mediums. Country music has risen up to 15.8% in popularity compared to its pre-COVID-19 numbers, according to Time.

According to Anjali Paye (SFS ’25), the reason for country music’s increasing popularity as of late is its authenticity.

“Country music tells a story.

The songs are filled with pure emotion. People these days really resonate with the emotions and stories being told by the songs,” Paye said in an interview with The Hoya.

However, not everybody is on board with the rise in country’s popularity, as there are still individuals who are less than sold about country music today, like Patrick De Meulder (MSB ’25).

“I just think that country music is not the pinnacle of music quality,” De Meulder said in an interview with The Hoya. “The lyrics often contain the same themes about beer, girls, trucks, etc. That is not conducive to the music that should be popular today.”

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2021 FILM

‘Last Night In Soho’ Dazzles With Camerawork  Mason Stempel Hoya Staff Writer

Groovy music, gruesome murder and classic movie tropes make for a great viewing experience in “Last Night in Soho.” Set in the bustling neighborhood of London’s West End and adorned with plenty of 1960s bops and swinging shift dresses, this new psychological thriller starring newcomer Thomasin McKenzie and crowd-favorite Anya Taylor-Joy presents a fun watch, but falls short in terms of plot and character arcs.

The film sets the stage by establishing its heroine: McKenzie stars as Eloise, or Ellie for short, a young, ambitious fashion-designer wannabe with a gift for more than just sewing. Ellie can see ghosts, a fact revealed to the audience through clever camera work and the use of reflections, in a classic horror movie trope.

The motif of reflective surfaces revealing certain things about the movie’s universe is carried well throughout the film, in subtle ways that play out beautifully. “Last Night in Soho” uses this creative cinematography to depict characters’ experiences and emotions without resorting to overdone close-ups or chunky, expository dialogue.

There’s one scene in particular in which Eloise and Sandie, Taylor-Joy’s bombshell-blonde aspiring singer, seamlessly swap in and out while dancing with Matt Smith’s suave Jack. This dance scene, a sinister parallel to the light-hearted one before, utilizes kaleidoscopic effects in a montage to show Sandie’s descent into inebriation and madness. It’s as disorienting and unsettling as it is dreamy and colorful, perhaps the perfect summation See SOHO, A10

@THEETERNALS/TWITTER

The confusing plot and heavy-handed romance of “Eternals” detracts from the exciting premise of alien superheroes healing humanity’s failures.

FILM

‘Eternals’ is an Extraterrestrial Disappointment  Soo Min Lee Hoya Staff Writer

“Eternals,” the third movie to be released in Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, premiered Friday Nov. 5. Despite the film’s worldrenowned cast and the high anticipation surrounding its release, the movie is in fact 157 minutes of choppy plot lines and failed efforts to introduce too many new characters.

Opening with a black screen, within seconds, para-

graphs of descriptions appear that pan down through the darkness. The words on the screen act as a type of glossary, defining the new characters that will emerge in the upcoming hours and contextualizing the setting of the movie like a riff on Star Wars. This type of opening, which was quiet and lackluster, is uncharacteristic of classic Marvel movies, and to the viewer, it seems as if Marvel is simply telling the audience what is about to arise, rather than showing

them through acting.

The remaining movie follows the story of the Eternals, a group of extraterrestrial superheros that are each endowed with unique powers. Tasked with leading human progress, the Eternals were sent to Earth at the dawn of civilization and have lurked in the shadows of humanity since the development of the first human communities. The plot of the film surrounds the moral dilemmas of the Eternals in relation to how much to

interfere in natural human progress, even during lethal events that involve the mortals they care about.

Despite this rather straightforward plot, the poor execution of “Eternals” adds confusion and dissatisfaction to the viewing experience. In particular, the biggest shortcoming of the movie is the way in which the plot constantly oscillates between different eras and locations. Within the two and a half hours of the movie, the audience is taken

to present-day London and India, Tenochtitlan in the Bronze Age and even further back to nomadic times.

The movie attempts to detail the life story of each of the ten Eternals, ultimately leading to the dissection of the movie into detached chunks. The brevity of each Eternal’s story adds a level of shallowness to the plot in general, and it ultimately dilutes the significance of the main conflict where all of See ETERNALS, A10

HOYA HORROR

FILM

Actors Excel in ‘The French Dispatch’ ‘Halloween Kills’ is  A Cruel Tease Daisy Steinthal Hoya Staff Writer

“The French Dispatch” marks director-screenwriter Wes Anderson’s 10th feature film, and it shows mastery of every hallmark of Anderson’s definitive style.

The film frames its narrative within the pages of The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun, a fictional foreign affairs magazine from which the film gets its title. The film begins with the obituary of the dispatch’s editor and founder Arthur Howitzer Jr., played by Bill Murray. The obituary outlines the paper’s history and premise of the movie: Upon his death, Howitzer requested his staff produce one final edition of the magazine. The movie then brings the final edition of the paper to life through a short travelogue and three main feature pieces.

The film’s disjointed structure allows Anderson to explore variety more than any of his other films have.

The framing device of the magazine inherently makes the plot, characters and visuals surreal, and the film’s cinematography shines in its dramatic action sequences. Anderson worked

Lucia Pieto

Columnist

THE FRENCH DISPATCH/FACEBOOK

Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” is packed with stellar actors such as Bill See ANDERSON, A11 Murray and Tilda Swinton, meeting expectations for the highly anticipated film.

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I went into “Halloween Kills” (2021) expecting nothing, and that is what I got.

Not to say the film was not entertaining — it definitely was — I have just become exhausted with this franchise in particular, as most probably have. Spanning 12 different movies with a 13th titled “Halloween Ends” and set to come out in 2022, the “Halloween” franchise will have the most sequels of any recent horror series.

The events of this “Halloween” sequel follow immediately after the last installment, “Halloween” (2018), as the residents of Haddonfield, Ill., band together to try to kill Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney, Nick Castle) after he escapes the final trap set for him in the previous film by Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Strode’s daughter and granddaughter. The film ends as most of the “Halloween” movies do, with Michael Myers nearly defeated but rising once more to butcher a group of people and continue his

reign of terror.

“Halloween Kills” was pretty basic as far as horror films go, and I actually found myself laughing at times, mainly because of how seriously the movie takes itself. There were no glaring technical problems with the movie itself; rather, the main issue lay in the purpose it serves to the franchise.

“Halloween Kills” was an attempt to be self-aware about how repetitive the films in the franchise have become, yet the movie falls flat as it realizes this is impossible. The movie constantly alludes to the final death of Michael Myers, even though he survives until the end. Furthermore, the film reiterates the tagline “Evil Dies Tonight,” despite the fact that the evil — as you could probably already guess — does not die, as that would signal an end to the franchise.

Big franchises are not intrinsically bad, and I myself am a huge fan of series like “Alien” and “Lord of the Rings.” However, there does come a point when franchises become so repetitive that they begin to disrupt the integrity of the original film, See PIETO, A11