The Hoya: April 11, 2014

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 95, No. 46, © 2014

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014

M STREET HISTORY

How the once-raucous M Street traded nightlife for Urban Outfitters.

EDITORIAL Cyberbullying should be banned in Georgetown’s harassment policy.

GUIDE, B1

DISABILITY AID ARC does not cover sign language interpreters for deaf students.

HOYAS LOSE DOMINGO Sophomore guard Stephen Domingo plans to transfer next year.

NEWS, A4

OPINION, A2

SPORTS, B10

The High Price Tag of Georgetown Day Housing

Rule Considered

Maddy Moore Hoya Staff Writer

A bottle of André costs $4.99, and a Georgetown tank from the campus bookstore costs $20. The total price tag for Georgetown Day this year, however, is slightly more expensive, coming in at around $51,000.

The day of celebration on the last Friday of classes, this year April 25, generally involves students roaming the front lawn, but the Georgetown Day Planning Committee also prepares other activities to ensure all students can enjoy the day.

The $50,000 budget includes approximately $11,000 for security, $8,000 for food, $7,000 for performers, $9,000 for sound equipment, $6,000 for inflatables, $4,000 for giveaways, $2,000 for venues, $2,000 for combined food, T-shirts and small gifts for volunteers, $1,000 in other equipment and $1,000 for non-volunteer labor.

The high budget for security and other staff is generally necessary because of a low turnout in student volunteers.

“At the end of the day, we have to hire a lot of help to run the day,” Georgetown Day Planning Committee Chair Andi DeBellis (MSB ’14) said. “Where we would normally rely on student volunteers, we have to rely on outside people and provide heavy incentives for students to volunteer. That is a large chunk of the cost.”

Volunteer recruitment began

Chris Balthazard Hoya Staff Writer FILE PHOTOS: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Last year’s Georgetown Day featured inflatables and performances by campus dance and a cappella groups, as will this year’s event April 25. The total cost of entertainment and security for the day reaches $51,000.

GEORGETOWN DAY BY THE NUMBERS Security $11,000

Food $8,000

Sound $9,000

Total: $51,000 Inflatables $6,000

Performances $7,000

Other: Food, T-shirts and gifts for volunteers ($2,000); Venues ($2,000); Equipment ($1,000); Non-volunteer labor ($1,000)

Other $6,000

Giveaways $4,000

= $1,000

A six-semester on-campus housing requirement for all undergraduates is currently under consideration, with the university set to announce a decision by the end of the month.

The policy change would require all juniors to live on campus. Currently, only sophomores and freshmen are required to live on campus, while juniors are free to move into the surrounding neighborhood, although relatively few choose to do so.

The potential requirement is part of the university’s effort to meet the stipulations of the 2010 Campus Plan agreement, under which Georgetown must house an additional 385 students on campus by fall 2015. Construction of the Northeast Triangle Residence Hall, which is scheduled to open by fall 2016, and renovation of Ryan and Mulledy Halls, the former Jesuit residences, are also part of the university’s push for 385 additional beds. The two projects, however, still leave many of the 385 beds unaccounted for — a gap that a third-year housing requirement could help fill.

The new Georgetown University Student Association leadership, led

by GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15), has expressed fears that the

See GEORGETOWN, A6

See HOUSING, A6

Rare Local Liquor Licenses Up for Grabs Laura Owsiany Hoya Staff Writer

In a rare move, the D.C. Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration released four liquor licenses designated for Georgetown on Thursday morning, leading to a scramble among area restaurants hoping to snatch up the rare permits.

The four licenses included a single, coveted tavern license, one of only six in Georgetown, which became available when the ABRA approved a license change for El Centro D.F. Mexican restaurant, at 1218 Wisconsin Ave. NW, from a tavern license to a restaurant license in February.

On Thursday afternoon, the tavern license was awarded to Smith Point, an exclusive area nightclub located at 1338 Wisconsin Ave. NW. According to ABRA restrictions enacted in 1989 as per request by the Advisory Neighborhood Commission, there can be no more than 68 liquor licenses, including inactive licenses, in the Georgetown Moratorium Zone and Georgetown Historic District.

This includes six nightclub or tavern licenses, the transfer of which is prohibited unless there are fewer than six such licensed establishments in

FILE PHOTO: EUGENE ANG/THE HOYA

Gyspy Sally’s claimed the last available tavern license in February.

the historic district.

“The purpose of the Georgetown Moratorium Zone is to place limits on the number of alcoholic beverage licenses that exist in Georgetown,” ABRA spokeswoman Jessie Cornelius said.

A tavern license differentiates from a liquor license in that it waves the requirement that an establishment must generate at least 45 percent of its revenues from food sales alone.

“The original purpose of the moratorium was to strike a balance between bars, restaurants and retail,” ANC2E Commissioner Bill Starrels said.

However, the limited number of licenses has forced businesses who want to open new restaurants in Georgetown to purchase inactive licenses from restaurants that no longer want them on the secondary market at highly inflated prices, sometimes up to tens of thousands of dollars.

“They’re not supposed to be commodities,” said Starrels, whose district includes the entire Waterfront area and M Street up to 31st Street.

“In other words, they’re supposed to be gotten from the city at a nonexpensive price. They should not be selling for tens of thousands of dollars to people — that’s wrong.”

In May 2010, ABRA attempted to combat the problem by releasing seven licenses that had been in safekeeping for a modest filing fee. However, of the seven businesses that attained the licenses, which were available on a first-come, first-served basis, three of the venues never opened. Of the other three, Puro Cafe at 1529 Wisconsin Ave. NW, has since closed, Zenobia Lounge at 1025 31st St. NW, shifted its license to an inactive status to avoid the restrictions that came with it, and Tackle Box, 3245 M St. NW, is facing eviction.

Plans are in the works for restrictions on releasing licenses to the first in line at ABRA’s 14th Street offices but are still in progress.

“Everybody wants to have these licenses put to work. We do not want a repeat of what just happened,” Starrels said.

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

See LICENSES, A6

PHIL HUMNICKY/GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, archbishop of Washington, D.C., addressed attendees at the first events for Georgetown’s incarnation of the Vatican’s Courtyard of the Gentiles at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night.

Courtyard of the Gentiles Reaches DC Kshithij Shrinath Hoya Staff Writer

Born from the ideas of Vatican II, the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture established the Courtyard of the Gentiles in 2010 to facilitate interaction between Catholics and non-Catholics on a variety of topics, including science and art. Having already held conferences across the world, the initiative has come to the United States for the first time; this week’s “Faith, Culture and the Common Good” is running at Georgetown from April 9 to 11.

The conference includes panels constructed by the Office of the President in conjunction with the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs. It includes professors from University of California, Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pitzer College and Harvard University.

The conference is the result of a partnership between Georgetown, through the Office of the President, and the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, through the Published Tuesdays and Fridays

Washington Archdiocese.

Previous installments include a February conference in Budapest called “Morality, Economics, Secular Society in the 21st Century” and Berlin’s “Freedom Experiences With and Without God.” “The event will provide a context for participants to engage in meaningful dialogue and to strengthen our collective commitment to the common good. The dialogue among people is an essential component of this gathering,” Georgetown University Director of Media Relations Rachel Pugh wrote in an email.

Pugh emphasized how civic life can be ameliorated if people of different faith traditions or no religious affiliations combine.

“In addition to fascinating discussions on how people of different faith traditions, as well as those who claim no religious affiliation, can work together to enrich civic life in America, we are exploring culture through performance,” Pugh wrote.

Thursday’s Gaston Hall panels, “Realizing the Common Good” and

“Faith, Culture and Community,” focused on this question of civic life.

The day featured opening remarks from University President John J. DeGioia, Archbishop of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl and Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the president of the Pontifical Council for Culture. Cokie Roberts, of ABC News and NPR, moderated the first plenary session, while Paul Elie of the Berkley Center moderated the second. The day featured breakout sessions interspersed between panels on Copley Lawn, in “Tents of Dialogue.” A performance of Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything that Rises Must Converge,” by theater troupe Compagnia de’ Colombari followed in the evening.

Kicking off the conference, Talib Kweli and five other hip-hop artists of various faiths performed Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, followed by a panel discussion about the influence of faith in hiphop music.

The concert, which was entitled “Faith, Hip-Hop and the Common See COURTYARD, A6

Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com

A2

OPINION

THE HOYA

FRIday, April 11, 2014

THE VERDICT

C EDITORIALS C Clarity Against Cyberbullies C C C C Founded January 14, 1920

After a speech on the Senate floor that chronicled the brutality of online and cyberbullying in colleges across the country, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) introduced legislation to fight bullying in institutions of higher education. With the introduction of the Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2014 on March 27, it’s time to reconsider the strength and clarity of Georgetown’s harassment policy.

Georgetown’s current harassment policy condemns verbally abusive and hostile acts, as well as the display or distribution of offensive materials, writings, graffiti or pictures on the basis of characteristics including age, color, disability, gender identity and expression. These characteristics of the harassment policy are all important and necessary distinctions, but the policy’s lack of language pertaining specifically to Internet activities or cyberbullying is disconcerting.

According to a 2010 study published in Procedia, a statistical analysis journal, the prevalence of cyber harassment is increasing, with about 22 percent of college students nationwide identifying as victims of cyberbullying, and 38 percent of college students claiming to know victims of cyberbullying. This demonstrates the genuine threat cyber harassment poses to college students, as well as its increased likelihood in place of face-to-face

harassment.

The increased prevalence and severity of cyberbullying in universities has prompted schools like Boston University to create policies protecting students, staff and administrators from harassment over the Internet.

BU has established a computer ethics policy and is exploring a program that would serve as a resource for victims of cyberbullying in a demonstration of dedication to student necessities as they evolve with technology. We urge Georgetown to move in this same direction.

Modernizing harassment policies to specifically include cyberbullying within the scope of university harassment will only serve to benefit college communities, providing clarity in regard to cyberbullying situations and making university harassment policies more effective in doling out punishment in such cases.

Georgetown would do well to explore policies and programs that specifically target cyberbullying in order to make its stance on the matter abundantly clear to the university community. Students, staff and administrators of Georgetown can only benefit from a coherent stance on cyber harassment, which will prevent instances of cyberbullying and provide some precedent for any future cases involving Internet harassment.

C C

West Coast Taste — Peet’s Coffee & Tea, which started in 1966 on the West Coast, opened its first D.C. location this weekend.

The Kids of America — Operation Home Front brought five military children to the capital to be honored for their achievements.

Show Boat — A new water taxi service connecting the National Mall and Old Town, Alexandria, Va., opened this week.

Worldwide Learning — Georgetown’s new online course “Introduction to Bioethics” begins next week, with more than 25,000 people from 155 countries enrolled.

Silver Lining to a Late Bloom — For the first time in years, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will happen at the same time cherry blossoms will be in peak bloom this Saturday.

Waiting to Weigh In — According to a new study, D.C. voters waited an average of 33.9 minutes to vote in the November 2012 elections, the second-highest wait time in the country.

Finding Social Media — Sam, a bloodhound who works for the Metropolitan Police Department, now has Twitter and Instagram accounts.

High-Stakes Campground — D.C. business owners have taken to camping outside the Reeves Municipal Center in hopes of snagging one of the newly available liquor licenses for Georgetown locations.

A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD US ... @Meggo8

April 9 My inner water geek is so happy. From my alma mater @ Georgetownr: A Choice to Conserve Beyond Water Week via @thehoya @SC_Georgetown

March 24 Hands up if you’ve played 2048 nonstop/in class/on the can.

Lucky you! 2048 now has a Georgetown edition! @TheHoya4E

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Megan Schmidt

Reason in Residence The 2010 Campus Plan agreement has been a frustration for the Hilltop since it was reached in 2012. The university’s agreement to house 385 more students on campus by fall 2015 and 90 percent of students on campus by 2020 has certainly caused its fair share of problems for administrators and students alike.

At the end of April, administrators will announce the results of discussions considering a six-semester on-campus housing requirement for all undergraduates. Although this type of restrictive housing policy is one that usually provokes student outrage, it is important to acknowledge that this requirement would be neither an unexpected nor an impulsive move on the part of administrators.

In this case, the university would be doing what is necessary to fulfill the conditions of the campus plan. While it is both defensible and correct to take issue with the way the plan has overwhelmingly burdened the university and its students, upholding this plan is an important part of maintaining the commitments Georgetown has already made.

Instead of pouting over the past in terms of

both the original agreement and the steps necessary to implement it, student leaders should turn their focus toward mitigating the negative effects of these steps.

One policy consideration that we recommend is a continuation to ease on-campus drinking and noise policies in student housing. As one central goal of the requirement to house students on campus is to keep latenight student activities within the front gates, easing these policies would benefit students, the university and the neighbors at little additional cost. Students would likely feel that a third-year requirement would be less restrictive with eased policies regarding alcohol, and social life would logically shift back toward campus, relieving the pressured relationship between university administration and denizens of the Georgetown neighborhood.

True, a third-year housing requirement represents a burden for students. But instead of fighting against a policy that makes practical sense, students should focus on the ways the university can mitigate the policy’s negative effects.

Spreading Roomr’s Advice With the recent launch of Roomr, a website that will help facilitate the process of finding off-campus housing, students can expect to make more informed housing decisions in the upcoming semesters.

Roomr is a product of collaboration between the Students of Georgetown Inc., the Georgetown Student Tenant Association and the Georgetown University Student Association. Modelled loosely after RateMyProfessors.com, it is designed to give Georgetown students access to student-written reviews of landlords and properties, as well as a catalog of rentable properties in the area.

In the past, students’ reliance on word of mouth to find available leases has caused many to run into significant problems with off-campus housing, including violations of safety and health codes and uncomfortable

relationships with some landlords.

Roomr will help combat the previous lack of resources by providing students with a comprehensive understanding of the market and availabilities in the process of leasing.

Like RateMyProfessors.com, or any website that solicits voluntary input, Roomr will be subject to bias, attracting reviews from those with the worst or best experiences to share. Students should, and surely will, approach the new site with this qualification in mind. Even the most extreme reviews will do a service for student tenants, promoting more accountability to landlords with histories of the most egregious tenants’ rights violations.

Resources like Roomr succeed and fail by the effort students put into them. Hopefully, Roomr will survive beyond one lease cycle.

Emma Hinchliffe, Editor-in-Chief TM Gibbons-Neff, Executive Editor Sheena Karkal, Managing Editor Lindsay Lee, Online Editor Mallika Sen, Campus News Editor Madison Ashley, City News Editor Carolyn Maguire, Sports Editor Kim Bussing, Guide Editor David Chardack, Opinion Editor Alexander Brown, Photography Editor Ian Tice, Layout Editor Robert DePaolo, Copy Chief Karl Pielmeier, Blog Editor

Contributing Editors

Katy Berk, Zoe Bertrand, Pat Curran, Victoria Edel, Danny Funt, Chris Grivas, Penny Hung, Sarah Kaplan, Hanaa Khadraoui, Hunter Main, Eitan Sayag, Sean Sullivan, Emory Wellman

Deputy Campus News Editor Sam Abrams Deputy Campus News Editor Kit Clemente Deputy City News Editor Suzanne Monyak Deputy Business Editor Natasha Khan Deputy Sports Editor Andrew May Deputy Sports Editor Tom Schnoor Sports Blog Editor Max Wheeler Deputy Guide Editor Allison Hillsbery Deputy Guide Editor Jess Kelham-Hohler Opinion Blog Editor Jinwoo Chong Deputy Opinion Editor Matthew Grisier Deputy Photography Editor Julia Hennrikus Deputy Photography Editor Daniel Smith Deputy Photography Editor Michelle Xu Deputy Layout Editor Michelle Cardona Deputy Layout Editor Kennedy Shields Deputy Copy Editor Jackie McCadden Deputy Copy Editor Zack Saravay Deputy Copy Editor Sharanya Sriram Deputy Blog Editor Emma Holland

Editorial Board

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

In Defense of Hip-Hop To the Editor: Re: “Hip-Hop Unworthy of Academia” Since when has vulgarity been a valid indicator of cultural insignificance, and at what point did we decide that academia’s scope of study should be limited to the sterile? Author Jerry D. Rassias posits that hip-hop is “immoral” and should be viewed neither as a credible means of communication nor a legitimate area of academic study. In one fell swoop, Rassias fails to comprehend the genres that he so vehemently combats, cheapens an art form that largely defines AfricanAmerican culture and makes dangerous overgeneralizations.

Though I agree with Rassias’ claim that “it is hard to argue the merit of rap mu-

Michal Grabias, General Manager Jason Yoffe, Director of Accounting Christina Wing, Director of Corporate Development Nicole Foggan, Director of Marketing Addie Fleron, Director of Personnel Brian Carden, Director of Sales Nick DeLessio, Director of Technology Clara Cheng Kevin Wilson Tessa Bell Sean Choksi Laura Tonnessen Chris Amaya Dimitri Roumeliotis Natasha Patel Nicole Yuksel Ellen Zamsky Emily Manbeck Christine Cha Chris Hedley Katherine Seder Matthew De Silva Casandra Schwartz Janet Zhu

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David Chardack, Chair

Consultants

Katy Berk, Taylor Coles, Patrick Drown, Ben Germano, Kelly Nosé

Kent Carlson, Kevin Tian, Mary Nancy Walter, Mullin Weerakoon, Simon Wu

sic based on lyrics,” I stand in diametric opposition to his beliefs. When the idea of “morality” is called into play to limit the purview of what can and cannot be included in academia, we hinder scholarly growth. Academia serves to advance our knowledge as a species, improve our understanding of the world and inform us as to what lies ahead.

Allowing stereotypes and misunderstanding to get in the way of our collective intellectual progress sets a dangerous precedent. If Rassias is truly looking for a reason to call our modern values into question, perhaps he should consider the nescience of his own argument and the destructive consequences thereof.

Connor Rohan COL ’16

Board of Directors

Evan Hollander, Chair

Michal Grabias, Emma Hinchliffe, Hanaa Khadraoui, Vidur Khatri, Hunter Main, Braden McDonald Letter to the Editor & Viewpoint Policies The Hoya welcomes letters and viewpoints from our readers and will print as many as possible. To be eligible for publication, letters should specifically address a recent campus issue or Hoya story.

Letters should not exceed 300 words.

Viewpoints are always welcome from all members of the Georgetown community on any topic, but priority will be given to relevant campus issues. Viewpoint submissions should be between 600-800 words.

Send all submissions to: opinion@thehoya.com.

Letters and viewpoints are due Sunday at 5 p.m. for Tuesday’s issue and Wednesday at 5 p.m. for Friday’s issue. The Hoya reserves the right to reject letters or viewpoints and edit for length, style, clarity and accuracy. The Hoya further reserves the right to write headlines and select illustrations to accompany letters and viewpoints.

Corrections & Clarifications If you have a comment or question about the fairness or accuracy of a story, contact Executive Editor TM Gibbons-Neff at (203) 858-1127 or email executive@thehoya.com.

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OPINION

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014

T

Advocacy Beyond the Armchair S ome readers charge THE HOYA and its writers with being aloof and elitist. That allegation is misguided, but I, for one, proudly wear the badge of idealism. Idealists, however, are not without flaws of their own.

I served on this newspaper’s editorial board for a year and worked alongside it as editor-in-chief for another. In the 100plus board meetings I’ve attended, fear of an argument sounding “preachy” was raised at nearly every one. It’s a conflict that comes with being a fierce advocate for reform while also being fully immersed in the problem.

I’ve criticized our campus for widespread prejudice against homosexuality. Yet, I recall a day this semester when an unfamiliar male student approached me to continue a passionate discussion after class. We walked and talked pleasantly for maybe 10 minutes, after which he had to leave, but said we should chat again sometime. I grew uncomfortable as thoughts crept into my head that maybe he had been hitting on me, and I raced to Facebook for any indication of whether he was gay. A search through dozens of photos suggested that he did in fact have a boyfriend. As the frenzy faded, I grew ashamed of my ignorance and bigotry.

I’ve criticized our campus for perpetuating the worst stereotypes of AfricanAmericans. Yet I recall walking home through West Georgetown on a school night around 3 a.m. and noticing a black man not far behind me. I picked up my pace and made a quick and unnecessary right turn, glancing over my shoulder to see if he had followed. Of course, I would never have been so anxious had he been white. As I continued home, I felt disgusted by my baseless racism.

I proudly wear the badge of idealism, but idealists are not without flaws of their own.

I’ve criticized our campus for ignoring the thousands of homeless people who populate the streets of Washington, D.C., yet I gave my first dollar to a homeless person last month based on the guilt of having just written a column on the subject. I’ve criticized our campus for its inadequate response to rampant sexual assault, yet when one of my best friends told me she’d been groped by a stranger in a bar, my initial response was flippant. I’ve criticized our campus for political apathy, but I haven’t lifted a finger — except to tap at a keyboard — for a political cause during four years in Washington.

I don’t feel like a homophobe, or a racist or a sexist — these terms are too defining for flashes of wrongdoing followed by guilt — but I do routinely feel like a hypocrite. I feel the shame of armchair advocacy, which undermines credibility as a journalist and commentator. I wrote in a recent column, “As a writer, I discuss plenty of topics that confound me. Some columns are a pulpit to preach, others allow a cry for help” (“Justice With Journalism to Match,” THE HOYA, A3, March 28, 2014).

I stand by what I’ve said about the campus community, but I also acknowledge that I’m every bit a member of it.

I’ve grown to love THE HOYA because it holds Georgetown to the highest standard. It demands leadership accountability, and it shines a light on the areas of campus life in desperate need of attention. But THE HOYA also encourages its contributors to look inward and come to terms with their own imperfections. One of those areas of need is THE HOYA itself, which has immense room for improvement. As editor, I wasn’t able to move the needle — for newsroom culture and newspaper content — as far as I might have. I have faith that our new leadership and those coming up the pipeline will be more successful in that regard.

“Calling My Shot” might sound like the column name of a writer who thinks he’s got everything figured out.

Au contraire. For my final piece in THE HOYA, it would be dishonest to leave on a delusional note about where the newspaper, the university and I stand today.

If you’re gesturing toward the fences, it’s not enough to simply point others in the right direction. The ideal — the dream — is that we’ll continue steadfast on that path forward. Together.

Danny Funt is a senior in the College.

He is former editor-in-chief of The Hoya.

This is the final appearance of CALLING MY SHOT.

A3

VIEWPOINT • Meshnick

CALLING MY SHOT

Danny Funt

THE HOYA

When Pre-Med Gets Personal

he overambitious pre-medical student is a staple on the Georgetown campus. If you are not one yourself, you certainly know one.

Pre-meds, as we are affectionately called, spend long nights laboring over lab experiments and science problem sets in the hope that we will someday receive the coveted golden ticket: an acceptance letter to medical school.

There is no question that competency in the basic sciences is essential for a future physician. And it is also easy to see how working to understand difficult subjects such as organic chemistry and physics prepares students to tackle complex biomedical problems once they enter medical school. These classes build students’ confidence that they can handle increasingly difficult situations. In both of these areas, Georgetown clearly excels. We have a medical school acceptance rate of 80 percent, which is significantly above the national average.

But within this curriculum lies a problem with our existing conception of how we prepare to become doctors. The way these basic sciences are presented at Georgetown has the unintended consequence of hardening us as individuals. We focus so single-mindedly on the high stakes final grade that there is no time in the curriculum to develop skills such as teamwork, empathy and learning to explain complex ideas to non-scientists. These are seen as extras, whereas getting an A on a lab experiment is essential. Yet these interpersonal skills are every bit as important to a physician as understanding the complex nature of DNA. Training in interpersonal skills is absent from our pre-medical curriculum, and this has serious consequences. It is estimated that over 400,000 lives are shortened every year in the United States because of medical error. While that number can be attrib-

Interpersonal skills are just as important to becoming a physician as understanding the nature of DNA. uted to many factors, physicians’ underdeveloped interpersonal skills are certainly one. Simply put, physicians who lack these skills cost lives.

It is not that doctors are bad at their jobs. They are being asked to take on an increasing numbers of patients in the same amount of time.

But an overscheduled physician can miss a critical piece of information when he spends an extra minute reading a patient’s chart instead of listening to the patient mention the difficult time he has remembering

if he took his medicine in the morning. The best medicine based on the most cutting edge science is ineffective if the patient forgets to take it.

We need to train physicians to treat patients as people who live in the real world, to work with patients to find creative solutions that incorporate their health care into their broader lives.

Some argue that medical students learn these skills by osmosis during their clinical rotations and during their residency programs. But os-

VIEWPOINT • Roepe

mosis is a process best left to cells, not students. This neglects the reality that medical students have spent at least six years, starting in high school, working through a rigorous curriculum that emphasizes the importance of the correct answer above all else. It is unreasonable to expect medical students to instantly switch to a holistic approach after spending over half a decade working in a zerosum, highly technical system. The system can, and must, do better.

Georgetown’s undergraduate science program and the Georgetown School of Medicine should collaborate to create a truly holistic premedical education that emphasizes not only basic scientific competency, but also empathy, interpersonal communication skills and teamwork. These skills can be incorporated into the standard pre-medical science classes by reimagining what a student is asked to produce.

Rather than simply assigning a formal lab report, why not contextualize the topic of the week in a broader societal implication? A chemistry class could perform the same experiment to determine the pH of a solution, but then apply that knowledge to the issue of acid rain. Students could then be asked to not only explain the chemistry that underlines acid rain, but also to communicate their findings to nonscientists. This approach will prepare students to be better scientists, better physicians and better citizens.

I believe our university has a special calling to do this. Georgetown’s embrace of the Jesuit value of cura personalis provides us with a unique opportunity to revolutionize the medical field by truly caring for the whole person. It is an opportunity to better the lives of both the healers and those who need to be healed.

It is an opportunity to be men and women for others.

ANDREW MESHNICK is a freshman in the College.

AS THIS JESUIT SEES IT ...

Strength in Research Aspiring to Be Free, After Newtown Tragedy Good and Loving

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uch has been written is unthinkable that a young docabout Newtown, Conn. It toral student should need to overcan be tempting to try and come such a thing. It is unthinkforget, but a year and a half later, able that anyone should. there are chapters to this story The group was overwhelmed; that are still in the process of being all we could do was grieve with written and that should be told. Katy and her family. We flailed One of these chapters is coming to about, trying to watch over our a close over the next few weeks at colleague. In keeping with her Georgetown University. character, Katy did the same for My research laboratory at George- us. Magically, along the way, town has always harbored fiercely Katy’s dedication to her science intelligent, hard-working young never faltered. If anything, it scholars who accomplish great grew. In part because she knew things. Our close colleague Katy her mom wanted it that way, in Sherlach, who will complete her part because good scientists simdoctorate in chemistry at George- ply never give up. town this semester, lost her mom As I write this, Katy is hard at in the Newtown tragedy. The grief work putting the finishing touchthat my research group felt Dec. 14, es on her doctoral dissertation and 2012, cannot preparing for be properly graduation. I described with this beThe style of “the group” is write words. cause I feel a Most young defined by passion, idealism p a r t i c u l a r ly scientists will powerful urge and discipline. tell you that to publically it is a special state how very privilege to be proud I am of a member of “the group,” a rela- her and of the group. tively small collection of equally Katy will be embarrassed at stressed-out colleagues (postdoctor- my boasting, but her story is imal fellows, graduate and undergrad- portant. She was the first student uate students) that work, elbow to back in the laboratory after the elbow, in the research laboratory. In 2012 Christmas break. Failed exattempting to describe the group, I periments come and go for her as recall how the doctoral students usual, as they do for everyone, but I’ve worked with can be so very pas- overall her data has been pretty sionate, idealistic and disciplined, neat, and this year Katy has conand how this then defines the style tributed to a real breakthrough or of the entire group. two. Her dissertation means more I am routinely impressed by than usual. how they manage to do good sciSince December 2012, the group ence, regardless of what might witnessed an outpouring of supintrude. They go without food or port from many people. Whether sleep to finish an experiment in they realize it or not, all have been the middle of the night, they de- appointed honorary members of lay steps in their personal lives our geeky little club. They know to devote more time to research who they are — I will not list their and they forgo increased income names — but they include police they could easily accumulate else- officers, Georgetown faculty from where. Blossoming profession- multiple campuses, administraals in other disciplines do these tors and staff, students that know things as well, but most doctoral Katy, students that have never students in the natural sciences even met her and a diverse set of do this while enduring particu- other friends, relatives and new larly frustrating dead-end experi- acquaintances we “met on the ments, a lack of recognition, low road” from Washington, D.C., to pay, high risk and repeated criti- Connecticut and back again. To cism of their work during labori- all of you, the group thanks you ous oral and written exams. deeply for your concern and help.

Doing science is a great joy, but This chapter of the story draws it is also a very tough business. Ev- to a close with the realization that eryone in the group understands unexpected brutality and tragedy this, so, along the way, we work have not defined the group, and together so that our tasks become they certainly have not defined just a little less difficult. Over the Katy. Idealism, a love of science past 25 years, watching this style and a special passion for doing perpetuate in my laboratory, it good continue to define Katy, as has been my great privilege to they always have. The group is an lead various reincarnations of the amazing thing to watch. group.

But never more so than since PAUL D. ROEPE is a professor of December 2012. This wasn’t the chemistry (main campus) and biousual type of intrusion or difficul- chemistry and cellular and molecuty that we encounter as a group. It lar biology (medical campus).

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ith graduation just over ish, so do human lives. a month away, seniors To love is the most natural reare wisely looking back sponse for one who is free and and trying to make sense of it all. good. Loving has a remarkable Such reflection is very Jesuit — re- calculus: The more we give ourflecting on one’s experience to dis- selves to another, the more we cern its meaning. are filled beyond our imagining.

Memory is a powerful tool as There is no zero-sum game with you retrace your steps from New loving. Love is so natural because Student Orientation to Senior we are not made for ourselves Week. Some of those memories alone; we need intimacy with fill you with deothers. In love, we light, while othencounter a holy, ers bring regret. human mystery Such ambiguity that both allures is natural because us and scares us. a human life, “Falling in love” — to paraphrase whether romantic a proverb, is a or not — is an apt crooked line metaphor. We are that God writes not always in constraight. Maturity Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J. trol, and there is is about learning risk of getting hurt to live with ambior disappointed. guity. In the Jesuit But we let go beMaturity is about view, wisdom is cause of the incallearning to live with the key to living culable joy that is ambiguity. well in the midst part of the advenof the beauty and ture of loving. messiness of human life.

Loving another person is a A senior recently gave me a wellspring of wisdom because we speech that Fr. Timothy S. Healy, fall deeply into the ambiguity of S.J., former president of George- human experience and learn lestown, offered to graduating se- sons far beyond the classroom. I niors at Georgetown Preparatory wish it were easier. Growing in School in 1978. In his remarks, freedom, goodness and love is Healy offered the following coun- challenging. There are so many sel: “The beginning of wisdom is resistances to this growth both the love of one other human be- inside and outside of ourselves. ing. … If you haven’t learned to Knowledge is the easy part; wislove, you haven’t learned anything dom forged in striving to be free, at all. All education is ultimately good and loving takes time on moral — and no matter how much the crooked path that God makes you learn, it can succeed only if straight. you come out of it free, and good We do this soul-searching and and loving.” meaning-making in the context Free, good and loving are very of a love so much greater than helpful benchmarks to consider ourselves. The love of God is our as seniors reflect on their time at origin and our destiny and susGeorgetown. tains our very being and striving.

To be free is to be authentic. An That means that every human inner compass guides free people, experience of loving and being not close-minded biases, the lat- loved is a holy encounter. God is est fad or the will of the crowd. present in our lovemaking and The freedom here is interior. Free our heart-breaking. God is in the people know their limitations and beautiful mess of our lives. That’s gifts and are at peace with being why we can address the ambiguiworks in progress. They are not ties of life with confidence. captive to the present, because A second-semester senior hears they have a grateful memory. Nor a thousand times, “What are you are they fearful of the future, be- doing next year?” It’s a reasoncause they have bold, hopeful, able question. long-term vision. They are OK with Try this for an answer next everything not being perfectly time: “I’m going to be a free, neat and figured out by gradua- good and loving person.” You tion day. may be met with a laugh or quizTo be good means that what we zical look, but deep down, you do flows from the deepest sense of know it’s the only response fitwho we are. Good people admit ting for one who truly claims a to measures beyond themselves — Jesuit education. time-tested values given to them by a tradition. They are mature Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., is vice enough to realize that this moral president of mission and minisguidance does not bind them, but try. This is the final appearance liberates them to be truly happy. of AS THIS JESUIT SEES IT … this Just as gardens need fences to flour- semester.

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FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Professor Javier Corrales (SFS ’86) discussed the recent crises and the state of democracy in Venezuela. See story A8.

Your news — from every corner of The Hoya.

IN FOCUS

verbatim

SATISFYINGLY SPRING

“

There’s no such thing as orchestrated friendship building.”

Eric Wu (SFS ’17) on GAAP weekend, which focuses more on introducing prospective students to the school than each other. See story on A9.

from

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OLIVIA HEWITT/THE HOYA

Campus finally welcomed spring with the arrival of blossoms and consecutive days of sunshine, following temperamental weather marked by alternating days of warmth and wetness. Students took advantage of the weather, frequenting Healy and Copley lawns.

D.C. RANKS TOP FOR POST-GRAD JOBS A new list ranks Washington, D.C., number one for providing entry-level job positions, to the delight of Hoyas contemplating post-college. blog.thehoya.com

ARC Unable to Fund Interpreters Roomr Rates Landlords, Homes HANNAH POST Hoya Staff Writer

The Academic Resource Center, responsible for accommodating the additional resources and necessities for students with disabilities, has been unable to meet the needs of disabled students on campus because of certain bureaucratic guidelines.

Most recently, ARC denied aid to a student requiring an interpreter at a Georgetown University Student Association Law School Admission Test class.

“GUSA was co-sponsoring an LSAT prep company to teach six classes here at Georgetown for GU students at a low cost. I reached out to the ARC who let me know that they were not ‘legally responsible’ because it was not related to academics,” Heather Artinian (COL ’15), a hearing impaired student, wrote in an email.

As a result, Artinian contacted GUSA, the co-sponsor of the class, in the hopes of being able to receive aid from them.

“I then reached out to GUSA. They unfortunately did not have any accommodations budget because they are a student group,” Artinian wrote. “The issue has probably not come up before for them.”

The lack of consistency in providing for disabled students has created many problems in the past and continues to cause difficulties.

“I have experienced problems like this with the university in general, with all departments. There is always a struggle to book interpreters because there is no central guideline, policy, nor funding by the university, so it’s all about figuring out what goes on, who pays for it, what

to do, who to ask, and so on,” Artinian wrote.

ARC’s inaction, coupled with the lack of university-wide regulations for providing aid, has forced organizations such as the Lecture Fund and GUSA to pay for interpreters and aids out of pocket in the past. This year alone, the Lecture Fund spent over $3,000 — the 2014 fiscal year Student Activities Fee appropriation was $65,000 — on American Sign Language translators.

“We had not originally made room in our budget to fund these translators,” Lecture Fund Chair Chris Mulrooney (COL ’14) said.

Events usually require two translators, who can cost $500 to $700 each.

GUSA also faced difficulties accommodating the needs of disabled students, as it did not expect its organization to pay for these costs, but as a group representative of students, feels it must accommodate these needs.

“As an organization representing all students, whenever there is an issue with a student group not receiving funding to provide accommodations, it’s our issue,” GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) said.

According to Mulrooney, ARC maintains it is providing as best it can with their current budget.

“The Academic Resource Center is doing the best they can with the budget that the university has allocated to them. The issue is that they are facing budget cuts that severely limit their ability to provide adequate accommodations,” Mulrooney said.

The ARC did approach student organizations early in the year to notify them about such budget restrictions

MICHLLE XU/THE HOYA

Heather Artinian (COL ’15) signs “I need” to represent the absence of assistance provided by the Academic Resource Center regarding interpreters.

and the probability that student organizations would have to provide aid themselves.

“The university officials approached us early in the year asking for our assistance because of budget cuts to the Academic Resource Center,” Mulrooney said. The ARC declined comment for this article.

For GUSA, the organization funded interpreters through differing means, not just out of pocket.

“We pursued other means of reaching out to personal connections, applying for ad hoc funds from SAC and looking for money from Corp Philanthropy,” Tezel said.

However, the Lecture Fund paid all costs, although it recognizes that such funds will someday run out.

“While our organization has been able to fund every accommodation request this year, we also realize that we cannot act as a funding board in this capacity for a prolonged period of time,” Mulrooney said.

However, simply not providing aid or disregarding requests from disabled students is not an option for the Lecture Fund or GUSA. Artinian praised GUSA’s efforts to meet her needs for the LSAT class.

“Trevor and his administration were absolutely wonderful in how they dealt with it. They reached out to many different organizations. They really, really tried,” Artinian said.

Likewise, the Lecture Fund meets all requests because of its belief in an inclusive environment here at Georgetown.

“We realized the importance of creating an inclusive environment for our events. We’ve also tried our best to make sure that students are aware that we want to help,” Mulrooney said. “For the past few months, we have included a notice at the bottom of our weekly emails that instructs students on what to do if they need any accommodations to attend our events.”

Although there are a few gateways for accessibility for students requiring additional assistance on campus, Artinian believes that the university still has a long way to go, even if student groups like GUSA and the Lecture Fund are taking the initiative.

“The university needs to take a comprehensive approach to the issues of accessibility on campus. If Georgetown knows that there are issues of accessibility to an LSAT prep company providing services to Georgetown students, on their campus, co-sponsored by GUSA, I would have liked to see more of a ‘we care about you and we will help you’ approach,” Artinian said. “As a student at Georgetown, I should have equal access to all events that students have access to. I haven’t felt any support from the university.”

MOLLY SIMIO

Hoya Staff Writer

With the annual upperclassmen scramble to confirm off-campus living plans for the coming year in mind, a website that will allow students to discuss and rate the quality of landlords and conditions of homes launched Wednesday. The site, Roomr, is a collaborative product of Students of Georgetown Inc., the Georgetown University Student Association and the Georgetown Student Tenant Association and aims to increase transparency in housing selection.

“The goal of Roomr is to make sure that seniors and people living off campus can keep this information for younger students’ use so that when they’re looking for housing they don’t have this issue where they have no idea who a good landlord is,” GSTA founder Alyssa Peterson (COL ’14), a former GUSA deputy chief of staff who currently serves as transition chair, said.

The site aims to eliminate some of the frenzy typically associated with selecting an off-campus home.

“It’s such a competitive process that a lot of students just sign up for any lease they can get because they know that the landlords have so much leverage. This is a way for students to already have an idea of where to seek out the right landlords,” GSTA Co-Director Nick Suttle (COL ’15) said.

The website, loosely modeled after Ratemyprofessors.com, allows students to post comments detailing the responsibility and reliability of their landlords and the condition of their houses. The houses up for lease can be organized on the website based on monthly price, the number of people they can accommodate or the location.

The site’s creators said they hope that in addition to serving as a database for student tenants, the website will serve to make landlords more accountable for their actions.

“The goal is to make sure the good landlords are rewarded and create this market-based incentive for them to do better because people will gravitate toward the landlords that are ranked better on Roomr,” Peterson said.

Although neighborhood landlords currently have not been informed about Roomr, Suttle said that landlords will be notified of the site’s existence.

“It would defeat the purpose if they didn’t know, in terms of increasing accountability,” Suttle said.

GUSA is responsible for publicizing Roomr, which it will do primarily through a social media campaign set to launch this week.

GSTA will oversee whether or not the homes posted on the website have been inspected within the past two years and are in possession of a basic business license and it will moderate the site’s comments to avoid slander or swear words.

The idea for the website originated with The Corp. The Corp IT+Marketing department developed and programmed the website as well as paid for the server cost.

“Even if this isn’t the most evenhanded collaboration in terms of where the expenses are being paid, I think it’s a good first step for The Corp as an organization to think about how it can create positive partnerships with other groups on campus that are mutually beneficial,” The Corp CEO Sam Rodman (MSB ’15) said.

Roomr will be the second external website developed by the IT+M department, after last spring’s launch of the pre-registration tool Classy.

“It represents this entirely new effort from The Corp to serve students,” Rodman said. “Our external storefronts have a great impact on student life and it’s a great way to serve students but these things take three or four years to get off the ground. It’s been really cool to see that we can consistently find new ways to benefit students that we can churn out every six months, every year or so.”

Although entirely student-run, Roomr complies with the university’s 2010-2017 Campus Plan agreement, which dictates that the university must maintain a list of rental homes in West Georgetown and Burleith that have basic business licenses.

“The way the current [Office of Neighborhood Life]-maintained website works is that they basically solicit landlords,” GUSA Secretary of Neighborhood Relations Chris Kraft (SFS ’15) said. “But that largely misses what’s actually happening.

That doesn’t take into account students who aren’t living in houses with BBLs.” The ONL declined to comment at this time, stating that they had insufficient knowledge of the website.

NEWS

FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014

THE HOYA

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TBTN Destigmatizes 75 Years of Puck Passing Sexual Assault at GU HANNAH POST Hoya Staff Writer

MADDY MOORE Hoya Staff Writer

Take Back the Night, an advocacy group on campus that fights against gendered violence, including domestic violence and sexual assault, held a week full of events dedicated to these issues, from April 7 to 11, as part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

The week focuses on events and conversations about gender equality, sexual assault and ways in which students can be actively involved in conversations about these issues.

The week kicked off Monday with the Sexual Assault Peer Educators Pilot Program, an open dialogue capped at 20 students.

“The focus of the event was on issues of consent, rape culture and being better allies to survivors,” TBTN Board member and SAPE member Sarah Rabon (COL ’16) wrote in an email. “This was the first event of its kind at Georgetown. Historically, SAPE trainings have been targeted to specific groups and not open to all students as this one was.

It was great to see that students are interested in attending these events.”

Take Back the Night also hosted a movie watch of “My Masculinity Helps,” a documentary about how gender issues relate to sexual assault.

The organization also organized a candle-light vigil in the past to honor survivors’ experiences. In addition, “It

DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA

Eric Nevalsky (SFS ’16) reads a student testimony during TBTN week.

Happens Here” honors the stories of sexual assault of Georgetown survivors by listening to anonymous stories.

“It was an extremely powerful event.

From the moment stories began being read, I think all of the attendees were speechless. I personally was struck by a particular trend I noted in the stories — a startling number of survivors would preface their stories with the disclaimer that they were not raped or sexually assaulted, but then would proceed to go into a story of how they were, in fact, assaulted,” Olivia Hinerfeld (SFS ’17) said. “This demonstrated to me that there seems to be a very prevalent culture of survivor shame on campus. Together, we need to make survivors feel empowered, rather than feel denial and embarrassment.”

The Georgetown Student Association and several students in the Georgetown community supported the event.

“This event shows GU students that even if you haven’t been personally affected, sexual assault does happen on this campus and we all have a role in helping to prevent it,” GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) said in a press release.

In addition to dialogues and reflection, the week included a pizza party Thursday evening. The event celebrated allies in the fight against gendered violence and emphasized the importance of self-care.

The final event of Take Back the Night Week is Denim Day, a day celebrated worldwide in April.

Denim Day originated from a decision made in an Italian Supreme Court in which the judges believed the assault was consensual since the survivor wore tight jeans when she was assaulted and therefore must have aided her perpetrator in taking them off.

Denim Day stands in solidarity with the survivor and shows that there is no excuse for sexual assault.

On Friday, Take Back the Night and Sexual Assault Peer Educators will hand out stickers that say “Ask Me, Why Denim?” and run a photo campaign.

Take Back the Night President Haley Maness (NHS ’15) was very pleased with the support for the week this year and hopes the conversations continue beyond Friday.

“I think that sexual assault is conversation that makes people really uncomfortable,” Maness said. “Something like Take Back the Night and SAPE are so important because it reframes these conversations. ... You as a person can actively change [the culture] and I think that’s really powerful.”

The Georgetown club hockey program celebrated its 75th anniversary this past weekend with its annual alumni game.

The anniversary celebration started Friday evening with an information session and a meet and greet, which introduced alumni to the current team. The magnitude of the program’s anniversary ensured that more alumni attended than in previous years. Recent graduates and older alumni who attended and participated in this weekend’s activities stressed the importance of alumni connections and Georgetown memories after graduation to current players.

In past years, the weekend focused on the alumni game, which usually only features recent graduates. This year, along with the current team and 20 recent graduates, 10 older alumni visited for the weekend. The oldest alumnus in attendance graduated in the class of 1968 and participated in the game as well.

On Saturday, the team and alumni convened at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Va., to play multiple, shortened games. After the games, the current team’s season banquet, which the alumni attended as well, was held at F. Scott’s.

“It was easy to bond with the alumni, chatting with guys who went here in the ’70s and still sharing similar stories and memories,” Captain Connor Brogan (COL ’14) said.

Not only was the weekend fun for the current players, but the alumni cherished reminiscing at Georgetown.

“It was great seeing everyone, seeing that the camaraderie still exists, learning how the program has changed for the better,” program alumnus Gerard Fritz (COL ’85) said.

The reception at F. Scott’s focused on recognizing the current team, as the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League commissioner presented the champions’ cup to the team for the third consecutive year.

Apart from the many festivities, the weekend emphasized increasing alumni connections with the team, a focus familiar to many Georgetown student groups.

“The alumni network right now is not very strong. The goal this weekend was to try to create a more solid alumni network, where we can help kids who are trying to get internships and such, and where we encourage the alumni to give back to the school,” Brogan said.

Team members felt they met the goal of better connecting alumni and current students throughout the weekend.

“I think we were pretty successful in the goal to increase a more fluent network of alumni, a network where we can look for career advice and so forth,” Brogan said.

For the underclassmen on the team, the weekend showed them the importance of campus connections, even in freshman and sophomore years.

“Alumni weekend was especially great as a freshman because we were able to meet players who recently graduated, who our older teammates told us great things about, and who have accomplished so much in the past for the Georgetown hockey program,” current player Mike Pesce (MSB ’17).

Many players feel the alumni connection augments the hockey program’s effectiveness.

“I think alumni connections are essential for continuing the Georgetown hockey tradition.

The 75 years that the program has existed has established a strong network that is still coming back to support the current team through donating and organizing events such as the alumni weekend,” Pesce said.

In order to connect alumni to the program, Stan Lechner (LAW ’83) leads the hockey booster club, which encourages alumni to give donations. The existence of the booster club allows the program to increase funding and further legitimize the program.

“The booster club has really done a lot over the past eight or nine years,” Fritz said.

“Back when we played, we had no money, and now they have the booster club and really involved parents, which has created a much more formal team than when I was at Georgetown.”

Because of these efforts, the Georgetown club hockey program feels that alumni play a vital role in the continued existence of the team.

COURTESY STANLEY LECHNER

Club hockey celebrated its 75th anniversary this weekend.

“I think the alumni have a lot to do with keeping the team alive, maintaining connections, financial support. We welcome donations to the booster club, and it’s just another great tie for alumni to have to the university,” Fritz said.

In light of the increasing success of the Georgetown club hockey program, questions have been raised as to the potential for the team to become a Division I Varsity sport at the university. Although the players are not aware of any current formal arrangements for such an endeavor, it is certainly something that players would support.

“I believe we have the right kind of players and program that could successfully transition hockey into a varsity sport at Georgetown if it were possible,” Pesce said.

The success and increased support of the program are factors that could add to a smooth transition to a varsity team.

“I think everyone would like to see hockey more recognized by the university. From the club sports aspect, the time, effort, travel and talent that we have prove that we could be a successful Division I team, and I think it would be a great addition to the sports at Georgetown,” Brogan said.

Although such plans are far off, the success of this year’s alumni weekend for the Georgetown club hockey program shows a bright future for the team.

GJIA Launches Website SYDNEY WINKLER

NEW STUDENT GUIDE

Before you arrive on campus, The Hoya is filling you in on everything you need to know about life at Georgetown.

newstudent.thehoya.com

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, the official publication of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, is launching a new website at the end of this month, with hopes of extending its brand in the academic community.

“The goal is to facilitate academic community because we have so many different authors and so many different pieces coming out,” Co-Online GJIA Editor-in-Chief Catie Burleson (SFS ’15) said. “We wanted to have the functionality of really creating a web community.”

New features include specific webpages for authors and easier maneuverability through articles. From Jan. 1 to Nov. 13, 2013, the website received 91,969 visits and 157,057 page views.

“I think it will definitely enhance our online edition,” Co-Online GJIA Editor-in-Chief Daye Shim Lee (SFS ‘14) said.

“Georgetown Journal online started out as a small blog with staff writers contributing to it, but now it has become a more legitimate online publication, featuring really prominent experts in the field of IR.” With four years of experience working at the journal, Lee became GJIA’s online editor-in-chief this past year.

According to Lee, who came from the print journal, a large learning curve was involved with online.

“I learned a lot about how fast-paced the online publications are and what we need to do to survive in that area of publication,” Lee said.

The print version of GJIA is published biannually, while the online version includes anywhere from two to five new articles every week, with funds for the journal coming directly from the SFS Dean’s Office.

“We are looking to build more bridges between print and online and we definitely use online to feature the print content,” Burleson said. “With online, we have different columns that focus on different

themes that are always turning over.”

While scholars and experts in a particular field mainly write the articles that are published in the journal, students play a main role in editing and reviewing.

“The journal is actually really interesting because it’s probably the only organization on campus that I know of that actually has a hybrid staff that is comprised of undergrads, graduate students and actually Ph.D. candidates as well,” GJIA Executive Director William Handel (SFS’ 14) said. “When you work on the staff, you really get exposed to people that are at all different points in their career track at all different levels of experience.”

Because of GJIA’s coverage of international topics, it is written for a readership that largely includes readers outside of the Georgetown community.

“The journal’s readership is mostly an amalgamation of government, business leaders, policymakers, think-tankers and major institutions around the world,” Handel said. “We would love for more of our readership to come from students, especially Georgetown students, but it’s notoriously difficult for us to retain their attention for a long period of time and that’s something we always struggled with.”

The readership for the journal is mainly in the Washington, D.C. proper area and the international community, among which the United Kingdom, India, Canada and Australia rank most prominently.

“We are looking for scholars, for experts with a very good understanding of what goes into their industry and their field,” GJIA Undergraduate Editor-in-Chief Medha Raj (SFS ’14) said. “We know who our readership is and we try to cater to that readership.”

Student readership at Georgetown has been a continual issue for the journal. Although GJIA is internationally known, students seem to turn to other publications on campus.

“Georgetown students are

very busy and everyone has work they need to do for class,” Handel said. “There are so many publications out there that, if a Georgetown student only has a limited number of hours in a day to read stuff, they probably won’t turn to us first.”

Nevertheless, GJIA has also made great strides in recent years. With many of the Georgetown students at the journal having worked there for multiple years, they have seen tremendous growth.

“I think it definitely grew a lot in terms of substance, but I think what we do need to continue to work on increasing our presence in the Georgetown community,” Lee said. “We are very well-known and respected in D.C. and elsewhere and we have global readership, but here at Georgetown, I don’t think as many people know what we do.”

One way that the journal tries to reach out to readers in the Georgetown and greater D.C. area is by holding events.

Choosing themes for the different issues is another important aspect the journal must consider when constructing their print issue.

“We look at what is most current and get a variety of perspectives,” Raj said. “Myself and Warren Ryan (GRD ’14), the graduate editor-in-chief, go through topics and decide what we think is most fitting, not just in terms of timing, but also in terms of what is more cutting edge and what other journals aren’t necessarily writing about.”

As a student organization, the journal is highly dependent on its undergraduate and graduate staff to continue to build the publication and help it grow in the future.

“It’s so dependent on the talent here and the level of commitment that they can put into it and the ownership they take,” Burleson said. “We have seen a lot of ownership being taken and the team really being built and we hope that continues in the future and expands to be broader than just our staff.”

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THE HOYA

fRIDAY, april 11, 2014

Liquor Licenses Available LICENSES, from A1 The last establishment to be awarded a tavern license was Gypsy Sally’s, at 3401 K St. NW, in February. Karen Ensor, owner of Gypsy Sally’s, said that she wanted the license to relieve her business of the arduous bookkeeping involved in food sales.

“We certainly didn’t mind paying the extra license fee to be relieved of all those bookkeeping duties. And it certainly takes any pressure off you to make sure you’re selling enough food, which I know some restaurants struggle with,” Ensor said.

Although she does not ad-

vocate a lift of the moratorium, Ensor lamented the disappearing nightlife scene in Georgetown as a result of the moratorium’s restrictions.

“Georgetown has become a little bit too saturated, from my personal perspective, in retail stores, and I think Georgetown’s nightlife has suffered because of that, and it’s not quite the go-to place like it used to be when my husband and I were younger, and where there was a vibrant music scene here,” Ensor said.

According to Starrels, however, Georgetown residents would prefer to see more new restaurants than nightclubs.

“People are not scared of restaurants. They want more restaurants. They just don’t want restaurants that become nightclubs late at night,” Starrels said. “Our demographic is such, we have a lot of new residents in Georgetown, a lot of those are in higher-end condos and whatnot and also young professionals living here; they don’t want to be kept up at night.”

The moratorium is currently in effect until February 2016. Information on the three other establishments that were awarded licenses today was not available at press time.

Vatican Partners With GU worth striving for.

“Any time there’s unity, it’s a blessing,” MC Jin said.

Good,” was open to the public Finally, Kweli concluded and featured a nearly packed the concert with his set, audience at the center’s which featured songs from Eisenhower Theatre, which his newest album, Prisoner of seats over 1,000 people.

Conscious.

Hip-hop icon Russell SimAfter the concert, all the mons, whose book on mediperformers returned to the tation was distributed to all stage for a conversation attendees, opened the event with Georgetown professor with an introduction, exMichael Eric Dyson, who plaining the importance of prompted them to discuss music in his faith. the importance of their faith “Music draws you to the presin relation to their music. ent moment,” he said. “When “Music is prayer. This is my society goes wrong, a musician church, this is my prayer docan look inside and correct it. ing this music,” Kweli said.

The world is sucking us out, Dyson asked the artists to but music is sucking us in.” reconcile the theme of unity Simmons explained hipunderlying the concert with hop’s specific place in music. the various divisions created “Hip-hop is a good place by religion. to start. … All the prophets “What I put in my music talk about stillness because is just love,” Amkoullel said. then you explore the peace of “I’m not asking you to be God, and then you find this Muslim.” connection, this sameness,” The artists stressed the ways in which unity is brought about in their music.

“The key is focusing on similarities, not differences,” Kweli added.

Dyson underlined the importance of the concert as he closed the event.

“When I hear this music, I hear power,” he said.

Wednesday’s event served as both part of the conference and as part of the Kennedy Center’s ongoing hiphop series.

The concert also aimed to showcase a distinctly American style of culture.

“The conversation on culture begins at the Kennedy Center, a place that serves as a national home for the arts in the United States,” Pugh wrote.

Students who attended the event reacted positively to its message and execution.

“I really enjoyed it. First, the music was wonderful and really fun. Then, the conversation afterward touched on something I don’t think gets discussed a lot when talking about hip-hop and music in general, in the deeper signifiPHIL HUMNICKY/GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY cance and depth to the lyrics DeGioia, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, and Cardinal Gianfranco those artists had,” Kieran Halloran (SFS ’14) said.

Ravasi at the Kennedy Center Wednesday.

COURTYARD, from A1

Simmons said. “This idea of sameness is what we’re exploring. Musicians especially get it, as do all artists.”

The Narcicyst served as the host for the concert, with DJ Boo providing the backing beats for all the artists.

Amkoullel, a Muslim rapper from Mali who sang about revolution and democracy, was the opening act.

He later ceded the stage to Mandeep Sethi, a Sikh emcee from California. Poetic Pilgrimage, two Muslim women wearing hijab, took the stage next, followed by MC Jin, who spoke about his conversion to Christianity.

All the artists emphasized unity as the theme of the concert.

“We all share love, we all share struggle together,” The Narcicyst said.

Unity was looked upon by all artists as something

Admins Eye 3-Year Housing HOUSING, from A1 prospective housing change would place limitations on transfer students or those who study abroad.

“Our biggest concern is the idea of a third-year, six-semester requirement, which would then inevitably mean that if you are studying abroad junior year or if you’re a transfer student, you will be automatically required to live on campus your senior year,” Tezel said.

“And we don’t think that freedom of choice should be taken away from students.”

According to Associate Vice President for Community Engagement Lauralyn Lee, the university is set to invest $50 million in renovation and construction over the next three years in order to add the required number of on-campus beds.

“We’re currently in talks with administrators who are predisposed to the option that will make it easiest to ensure that we hit the requirements of 385 additional students on campus by fall 2015,” Tezel said. “But we are very much pushing for a less restrictive policy being put in place so that we can preserve that freedom for students, specifically study-abroad and

transfer students, as well as continue to maintain a system in which the university is incentivizing students to live on campus instead of requiring them to do so.”

Other options for changing next year’s policy include requiring sophomores to live in dorms rather than apartments, providing a third year of guaranteed housing to juniors or instituting a financial aid guarantee.

“It comes down to the fact that they don’t want — the people in the Georgetown community, our neighbors — don’t want students living in the neighborhood, because they don’t want to have students disrupt them,” GUSA Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ’15) said. “So they want more students to live on campus.”

In addition to requiring an extra 385 beds, the campus plan relocated 65 students living in 36th Street townhouses to on-campus apartments and dormitories during fall 2013.

According to the Zoning Commission Order No. 10-32, 450 students once living on 36th Street or in other parts of the Georgetown neighborhood will be housed by the university by fall 2015.

“We have been keeping the neighbors who participate in

the Georgetown Community Partnership informed of our efforts around student housing, but the decisions about what housing will be constructed, what type it will be, what it will look like, where it will be, whether and what policy changes may be implemented are decisions that are being made by the university administration, in consultation with its students,” Lee said.

The GCP facilitates communication between Georgetown University and the surrounding community; the GCP will be involved in the development of a 20-year campus plan, which is set to begin in 2018.

Discussions about the new requirement have not reached a conclusion yet, but GUSA expects administrators to announce a decision just before final exams.

“They were kind of playing with policies that would allow them to hit that number,” Tezel said. “And I think especially after students made it clear in last semester’s referendum that they did not want a satellite campus, it put the administration in a position where they would have to consider additional policies or requirements to meet the bed count necessary.”

FILE PHOTO: AJ BROWN

This year’s Georgetown Day, on April 25, will feature the standard inflatables and other activities, in addition to an increased focus on nighttime activities.

Georgetown Day Budget Set at $50K

wanted to partake in the events of the day,” DeBellis said. “A major reset button was with a mass email to students from the Cen- pressed.”

This year, the planning committee has ter for Student Engagement and through Facebook advertising. This year, CSE staff worked to assuage professors’ concerns set the goal of attracting 120 student vol- about low class attendance on Georgetown unteers, which they have almost met. Some Day. “We want everyone to enjoy the day and Georgetown Day Planning Committee members attribute this to better incentives than for professors to be able to do their job,” DeBellis said. “[Professors] were really in favor in years past.

“Surprisingly, it has been easy to find vol- of us doing more night programming and unteers because of the great incentives we that is how Georgetown Day got as expensive have this year,” Georgetown Day Planning as it is now.”

Committee member Natalia Peña (SFS ’17) The committee runs programming said. “It is the first year we have a volunteer from 6 a.m. Friday morning to early Sathospitality room where they will have food urday morning. There is more emphasis all day. ... Volunteers will also get free shirts, this year on nighttime events, so as to and they get all of this just for volunteering not interfere with classes and other day for one two-hour shift.” events.

Georgetown Day has “We want to make sure been a university tradition this is a day for the entire since 2000, after a student Georgetown community,” died in February because Carlton said. of injuries sustained in One way that commita fight with another stutee members hope to indent. A committee was crease class attendance quickly formed to plan an is to provide a variety of event in April to raise the activities on campus at Andi Debellis (MSB ’14) morale of students and nighttime, similar to last Georgetown Day Planning Chair members of the Georgeyear’s program, allowing town community. The day has since become students to fully enjoy their Georgetown a highly anticipated end-of-semester event Day experience while not risking truancy. for students.

According to DeBellis, nighttime activities “Students really look forward to it, so will include an ice cream social, a concert there’s a lot of pressure,” DeBellis said. and a kegger for those over 21 years old.

The nine members of this year’s planning However, these changes seem impracticommittee began brainstorming ideas for cal to experienced Georgetown Day particiGeorgetown Day in November 2013 and be- pants. gan executing logistics in January. Associate “I think attendance at those will be lower Director of the Center for Student Engage- because after a day of drinking it’s hard to ment Amanda Carlton, the main adminis- motivate yourself to go places in the evetrative advisor for Georgetown Day, meets ning,” Meg Beedle (COL ’14) said. “I think regularly with the committee. that it would be nice to have something to “As an adviser, I help to facilitate the prop- go to in the evening, but I have to say from er university policy and processes. I also ad- past experience, it can be a challenge to rally vise them with how much money there is, after, and getting people to go places in the where the relevant university offices are, evening can be difficult.” what contracts to get, and help to facilitate Despite not drinking, Grant Franco (MSB relationships across campus with faculty ’14) agreed that the nighttime activities are and staff,” Carlton said. likely to be sparsely attended.

This advanced planning represents a shift “Honestly I think it’s kind of silly because from years past, in which students did not there’s a lot of people who drink a lot dursign up for or pursue creating planning ing the day so they probably don’t want to committees, which led to a scaled-back ver- go and do stuff at night,” Franco said. “Persion of the campus holiday in 2012, without sonally, I think that’s fine, I love concerts the inflatables or beer garden that had been and I love doing stuff like that, and I don’t customary in years past. drink, so I love that, but I know a lot of my “Two years ago, Georgetown Day hit rock friends take naps during the afternoon so I bottom where people weren’t willing to vol- don’t know how many people would be into unteer to take on planning it because they that.”

GEORGETOWN, from A1

“Students really look forward to it, so there’s a lot of pressure.”

friday, APRIL 11, 2014

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Media Spur Movement DC TAG, Promise Act Fund DC Students’ Futures Caroline Welch Hoya Staff Writer

Johnny Verhovek Hoya Staff Writer

Since the creation of the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant program in 1999, the D.C. government has prioritized providing access to a wide range of higher education options for D.C. youth; however, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (DDC) has recently raised concerns about possible conflicts between two specific tuition assistance programs for D.C. students that could lead to potential defunding of the federal program she helped put in place.

D.C. TAG provides grants of up to $10,000 to cover the the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at public colleges and universities throughout the United States as well as up to $2,500 per academic year toward tuition at private colleges in the D.C. Metropolitan area, private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) nationwide and two-year colleges nationwide.

According to the Office of the State Superintendent of Education, the D.C. TAG program has helped District students to attend over 300 colleges and universities across the country, and its current federal funding level is $30 million per year.

However, Norton has recently said that the D.C. Promise Act — a recent proposal passed by the D.C. Council authored by mayoral candidate and Chairman of the Council’s Education Committee David Catania (SFS ’90, LAW ’93) (IAt Large) — could put the program at risk. D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray has expressed support for the bill, which would provide the city’s low-income high school graduates with up to $7,500 per year for college, and it will need his signature to become law in addition to funding in the city’s budget.

“Upon learning of the Promise bill, congressional appropriators warned that if it appears the city can fund its own college access program, future funding for D.C. TAG would be at risk,” Norton said in a February statement following the Council’s passage of the bill.

Catania, joined by Council Chairman Phil Mendelson, wrote a letter to Norton before the passage of the bill stating the differences between the D.C. Promise program and the TAG program.

The Promise program specifically targets lowincome families, does not provide assistance for tuition at Historically Black Colleges and Universities nor universities within the District of Columbia and costs significantly less than the TAG program.

The letter goes on to say that the demand for tuition assistance among District students far exceeds what even the TAG program and Promise program can cover, but that the Promise program indicates progress in providing necessary aid to the families that need the help the most.

“There is a demand, as you have acknowledged, far beyond what both D.C. TAG and D.C. Promise will fund. D.C. Promise targets low income students beyond what is available through federal funding, yet does so in a way that is clearly distinguished from the existing D.C. TAG pro-

gram and at a lesser cost,” the letter said.

Brendan Williams-Kief, committee director for Catania, pointed out that no congressional appropriators have contacted the Councilmember’s office to raise concerns about the Promise bill’s funding, and emphasized the need for the bill as college tuition rates continue to rise across the country.

“The Promise bill has always been a way to support, not supplant, D.C. TAG,” Williams-Kief said. “The Councilmember was very proactive about reaching out to appropriators on the Hill, including the chair’s office, throughout the process. Although there have been claims that appropriators are skeptical or concerned about this, they have not to our ability been able to specify a single one that would express such a concern to us.”

Williams-Kief went on to say that while D.C. TAG has helped families across the District with the barrier of college affordability, the District still maintains a distinct disadvantage compared to states across the country that the program simply cannot eliminate.

“D.C. TAG was initially conceived to make up for the fact that the District does not have a robust state university system like every state in the country. We have UDC (University of the District of Columbia), but that is not the same as having the University of Michigan, it’s not the same as having the University of Virginia, it’s not the same as having Penn State,” WilliamsKief said. “D.C. TAG was created to bridge that difference, but with the increasing costs it simply doesn’t, so I would think the D.C. Promise would be seen by folks on the Hill as us taking responsibility.”

While Holmes Norton’s office could not be reach for comment, the congresswoman has maintained that she will fight any attempts to reduce funding for the D.C. TAG program despite the perceived doubts of congressional appropriators.

“I will fight to save D.C. TAG if it is threatened with the loss of all or any part of its funding.

If D.C. residents lose D.C. TAG funding for now or in the future, I know that they will hold the Council accountable to replace whatever funds are lost,” Holmes Norton said in a statement.

Williams-Kief also noted that although it will no doubt face intense opposition from Republicans in Congress, President Obama’s budget includes a significant increase in funding for the D.C. TAG program.

“The President included not a reduction for D.C. TAG in his recently released budget, but in fact a $10 million enhancement to fund it to $40 million a year,” Williams-Kief said.

The bill promises to be a hot topic of conversation as Catania continues his campaign against Democratic nominee for D.C. mayor, Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), who has emphasized a revamping of the city’s middle schools as the key tenant of her education policy.

The Office of the State Superintendent of Education declined to comment.

Universities across the country, including Georgetown, have become the nucleus of the burgeoning microaggressions movement which uses social media to promote dialogue about discrimination in daily life.

The Brown University Micro/ Aggressions Facebook page is one of many university movements aiming to address the prevalence of discriminating racial and stereotypical microaggressions in everyday life.

“As an African American female in a white washed community, I understand that my hair is something of a novelty.

However, that does not give people the right to come up and touch, tug or, God forbid, try to run their fingers through it whenever they please.” Comments like this are posted frequently on the page and have been echoed in similar micro/aggression campaigns across the country.

Campaigns, such as #BBUM (Being Black at University of Michigan), “The Microaggressions Project” from Columbia University, #DBKGU (Dangerous Black Kids of Georgetown) and #BBGU (Being Black at Georgetown University), have brought light to the daily phenomena of microaggressions.

Aanchal Saraf, a sophomore at Brown University who has posted on Brown University Micro/aggressions, an anonymous Facebook page, stressed that microaggressions can exist anywhere and can target anyone, even at an elite university such as Brown.

“Micro/aggressions happen with frequency for folks with marginalized identities no matter where we may go. This is inescapable, even at Brown,” Saraf wrote in an email.

The word microaggressionfirst appeared in academic dialogue at Harvard during the 1970s and has since been fleshed out by professor of psychology at Columbia University Dr. Derald W. Sue. In his book “Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation,” Sue defined the term microaggression to describe commonplace verbal statements that hold negatively charged and discriminating undertones.

Frequently directed at racial minorities, microaggressions can be unwanted, daily occurances that leave individuals defending or explaining their own background.

Sheryll Cashin, professor of race and American law at Georgetown and author of forthcoming book,“Place Not Race: A New Vision of Opportunity in America,” described contemporary microaggres-

COURTESY DBKGU

Dangerous Black Kids at Georgetown is one of a number of new campus movements targeting microaggressions. sions as a more dimensional and covert version of traditional racism.

“A microaggression is distinct form of old style Jim Crow racism or just racial hatred,” Cashin said. “It conveys this idea that there is something about you that is inherently foreign. There is embedded in this statement the idea that you’re not from here, you’re not American.”

It is this notion of racial comfort and misperception that fueled the satirical, justice-driven campaign DBKGU, created in early March to respond to specific instances of racial profiling and killing.

“Whether we are in casual clothes or dressed well, and regardless of all we have achieved, it is our skin, our blackness, that causes society to perceive us as dangerous, but there is always more than what meets the eye. Black does not equal violent, it does not equal dangerous,” the movement’s founding principles read.

Creator of DBKGU Shavonnia Corbin-Johnson (SFS ‘14) described a personal experience of racial profiling while dressed in a hoodie.

“I was wearing a hoodie walking around campus… and I was stopped by the Georgetown Police and they asked me what I was doing in the area … and I told them that I was a Georgetown student, but they didn’t believe me,” CorbinJohnson said. “I pulled out my GoCard to show them.”

Corbin-Johnson said she sometimes feels similar judgment among the student body at Georgetown as well.

“Depending on the classes you take, people have a different perception of you where you feel like you have to represent your race well, especially in certain classes,” CorbinJohnson said.

According to Cashin, the “micro”-ness of the statement ought not to be overlooked either, as the stereotyping statements can accumulate to hammer home the message, “You don’t belong.” “[The statements] can be quite innocent and the person

who says these things has no idea that they’re conveying a negative idea, but through the cumulative lived experience of these daily comments on the receiving end it’s the idea that they are microaggressed,” Cashin said.

Saraf, who has posted on the Brown Micro/Aggressions page herself, felt that the anonymous format of the page provided a space for students to voice their experiences without targeting a specific party.

“My sense is that the page exists to validate the experiences of marginalized folks to people who may not realize the implications of what they’ve been saying or doing. It is an anonymous space to call people in to the conversation on privilege without cannibalizing them individually in a public space,” Saraf wrote.

Cashin expressed support for social media platforms such as these in raising awareness of a diverse set of cultural experiences.

“The campaigns are a way of helping these groups become more culturally dexterous.

It’s a way of educating people not of these groups what the daily, lived experience of these groups is and to make people more culturally sensitive,” Cashin said.

Corbin-Johnson stressed the value of social media platforms for informing the public in a multimedia-centric society.

“I think the best type of campaign is the one that has a face to it; it makes it more real and something tangible to hold onto,” Corbin-Johnson said.

Corbin-Johnson said that while the conception of a postracial society can seem a far cry from reality, campaigns to raise awareness of microaggressions within daily interaction are necessary to the larger goal of equality.

“Whatever project it’s going to be, it’s going to be a process; nothing is going to happen overnight, but you can’t let the problem resolve itself because I don’t feel like it ever would on its own,” Corbin-Johnson said.

Brazilian Finance on Tap Katherine Richardson Hoya Staff Writer

Former Finance Minister, President of the Central Bank and International Monetary Fund Representative of Brazil Pedro Malan spoke about Brazil’s economic challenges in the Fisher Colloquium on Wednesday.

The Brazilian Club, the Stanton Distinguished Leaders Series at the McDonough School of Business, the Lecture Fund and the Latin American Board co-sponsored the event, entitled “The 20th Anniversary of the Real Stabilization Plan: Dialogue Between Past and Future in Brazil.”

Throughout his time as Finance Minister of Brazil, Milan helped craft the Plano Real, a comprehensive economic plan that worked to lower the country’s inflation rates, which reached an all-time high in the mid1990s. Malan spoke about the plan, but also about his reinterpretation of the plan over the years. According to Malan, it is important to reevaluate the past to create new perspectives.

“The fact is, [with] every single generation, a part of it revisits, reinterprets, tries to understand what happened. … The past is constantly being revised, rewritten by success of generations, although it’s irrevocable as the future is uncertain,” Malan said.

Malan also discussed his experiences as a civil servant in Brazil. He maintained his work in the area

of international finance continues to interest and excite him.

“You’ll never be bored being interested in international economics and international finance because there will always be crisis,” Malan said. “There will always be something challenging and stimulating that will make you feel that you are alive. The field itself has the gift of eternal youth.”

One major crisis that Malan faced as Brazilian finance minister was the country’s rising inflation rates. In 1993, the inflation rate was nearly 2,500 percent. Malan’s Plano Real helped bring the rate down to around 6 percent in 2013.

“It worked. It was very high risk because 1994 was the year of elections and it had to be done otherwise we’d have a heightened inflation in the transition,” Malan said.“It was not an end in itself. It was absolutely fundamental.”

Malan also spoke about the changes in the economic world sphere in the 1990s, claiming that major events such as the launch of the Euro as currency, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall greatly affected economic trajectories.

“Each of these things that I mentioned joined forces in a major technological change which reduced the cost of commercial and financial transactions and provided information to hundreds of millions of people about what’s going

on in the rest of the world,” Malan said.

Despite past economic turmoil, Malan continues to hope and have confidence in the future of Brazil.

“I have a big confidence in my own country. Let me tell you why. It is clear to me that the country changed, and not for the worse,” Malan said.“The country changed for the better as a whole. … Overall, I think that the country is better today than it was in the past and has enormous potential. It is an extraordinary country that is very complex to understand and to administer.”

Students in attendance enjoyed the lecture, because of Malan’s expertise.

“I think that Pedro Malan was an incredible insight into Brazil’s rising economy,” Alexa Pereda (SFS ’17) said. “His optimistic look toward the future of the country showed how much potential Brazil has to keep rising in the international markets. Brazil is definitely a country to look out for in the coming years.”

Muriel van de Bilt (SFS ’17), a student from Sao Paulo, Brazil and a member of the Brazilian Club, said that she gained new insight from Malan’s lecture.

“I really enjoyed his perspective over Brazil’s economy and the potential areas of growth with a bigger inclusion of the private sector,” van de Bilt said. “I enjoyed this perspective because it is in some sense a different approach from the current government.”

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Grad Students Take 1st at MIT CASE Competition Katherine Richardson Hoya Staff Writer

A team of four students from the Georgetown School of Continuing Studies won first place in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s CASE Competition on March 28.

The students, Jamie Minkler (GRD ’14), Mark Schrieber (GRD ’14), Damon Orobona (GRD ’14) and Nicole Snarski (GRD ’14), are graduate students from the SCS’s masters of professional studies in real estate program. The CASE Competition, organized by the Alumni Association of the MIT Center for Real Estate, brings together real estate students from around the world to create a plan for a real development site.

“We in the real estate program were thrilled with our four-student victory in the MIT competition. I think it speaks to the quality, creativity and caliber of our students, and certainly enhances the stature of our program, its international reach and its competitive advantage,” Georgetown real

estate program executive Bill Hudnut wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The annual competition began in February of this year in Boston when 48 teams competed and presented their ideas for a real world development site on the campus of MIT. From there, Georgetown was among three teams, including Harvard University and Columbia University, to advance to the final round in London where they presented their ideas at the Royal Institute of British Architects.

According to the MIT CASE Competition website, the competition “provides graduate real estate students an opportunity to compete, showcase their knowledge and learn from each other in connection with choosing a development program, preparing financial analyses and structuring a purchase and/or joint-venture transaction for an actual complex, real world, (re)development site.”

The Georgetown team proposed a development plan for an office building in London, according to Minkler.

“Our team proposed a mixed-use

development for an existing office building site in the South Bank neighborhood of London,” Minkler wrote in an email. “It is home to ITV, a large TV station. We proposed building ITV new office and studio space, along with building an apartment building and a hotel with condos on the top floors overlooking the River Thames. In the middle of these structures would be an entertainment space modelled after Rock efeller Center.”

The competition required the team to develop a proposal in five days without outside help, which, Minkler said, was both a hectic and exhausting experience.

“A lot of finance and acquisitions classes are case-based, so we all had experience with this type of assignment, but what’s was different about this was we only had five days to complete it, along with delivering a fullyfunctional Excel financial model,” Minkler wrote. “As we are all working full-time jobs as well, this lead to some late nights.”

Once the team won the preliminary rounds in Boston, it prepared its presentation for more rigorous judging in London. The group had a month to prepare an oral presentation to go along with a slideshow outlining the project.

“Beyond having a successful proposal, we knew we would have to ensure we framed and messaged it effectively in the short amount of time and slides we were allocated, 15 slides and 15 minutes, in order to win,” Schrieber wrote in an email. “From a very large amount of work and content, fine tuning the presentation to hit on the key aspects of the project and delivering an effective presentation was a great learning experience.”

The team presented their final product in front of a live audience and judges at London City Hall on March 28. Schrieber said that the win was an incredible experience.

“It was a great feeling to have all the hard work and preparation that went into our submission and presentation pay off,” Schrieber wrote. “The

COURTESY GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Four SCS grad students won first place at a real estate competition. level of competition was extremely high, with the top universities in the world represented in the competition. We were very proud to be able to represent Georgetown on the stage accepting first place.”

Advisory Boards Chart Course for Schools Kit Clemente Hoya Staff Writer

Often removed from the day-to-day functions of life at Georgetown, advisory boards across divisions serve an important function in informing the academic life within their respective schools.

Georgetown’s College, School of Nursing and Health Studies, School of Foreign Service and McDonough School of Business boards physically convene twice a year to discuss ongoing projects, offer advice and keep in touch with on-campus activities and students. Specific topics of discussion include strategic thinking about school programs and priorities, the trajectory of the school, new course offerings, program development, student admissions, challenges faced by graduates and alumni engagement.

Although advisory boards are mostly comprised of alumni, parents and some prominent business individuals, each dean places a different emphasis on the makeup of his board.

“I’d say there’s a distinction between the board of past years and the board of current years. I would say that we try to have a more hands-on approach by our board members now,” Senior Director of Development for the College Erin DeLoach said. “I think in years past it was sort of a group of people that would come together to be spoken to about the College, now we really look to the board for expertise in various areas.”

In recent years, the MSB has diversified its board by recruiting more women, minorities and international business leaders.

“Diversity on the board is important to me because of the various perspectives that individuals with different experiences offer,” MSB Dean David Thomas wrote in an email.

Although general topics overlap, each of Georgetown’s advisory boards focuses on different areas or engagement strategies. For instance, both the College and MSB advisory boards established committees in which members can concentrate on certain topics.

“It’s really about engagement, they really want to be involved, they really don’t want us to just come here and talk to them. With these committees, we’re really hoping to take them to a deeper level of involvement with the school,” MSB Associate Dean Chris Ko-

rmis said.

Kormis, who heads the committee on branding and marketing, has found these forums to be especially helpful to the trajectory of the MSB. “I like having them because, for example, when I was struggling with which way to go on a certain situation, I knew there were certain people who came to my information session about my committee, that they were interested in it, so I tapped into them,” Kormis said.

The College Advisory Board is similarly divided into four committees: development, ambassadorship, science and strategic planning.

The development committee is currently focused on the Capital Campaign, while the ambassadorship committee is working with public relations, chris kormis MSB Associate Dean and the strategic planning committee is undertaking various initiatives, including an effort to expand gallery space on campus.

On the other hand, the SFS Advisory Board is currently focusing on fundraising as its chief goal.

“Each member of the board is asked to make a contribution each year. It is expected when you’re invited onto the board that you do so, that is obviously we have a number of people who are actively engaged in helping us fundraise for the board,” SFS Director of Outreach Gail Griffith said.

The university’s various advisory boards also differ developmentally.

“Our board of advisors is a relatively new model and reflects the merger in 2010 of two bodies: the NHS Parents Council and the NHS Board of Visitors. Since those two bodies often had a shared goal — namely the support of the NHS and our faculty and students — the school thought it would be best to combine efforts,” NHS Dean Martin Iguchi said.

Despite differences among the advisory boards, each dean and school finds that the capacity of the board for pertinent advice and experience is critical to Georgetown’s growth.

“Our board members can be extremely valuable and critical. They really are just so important to the workings of the college, they sometimes just help us ask the right questions,” DeLoach said. “Sometimes they help make critical relationships that we might not have natural inroads into. They help on all kinds of different fronts.”

“It’s really about engagement, they really want to be involved.”

COURTESY GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Professor Javier Corrales (SFS ’86) led a discussion on the protests that have erupted in Venezuela since February at an event, titled “Is the New Venezuela All That New? Politics in the Age of Barricades,” on April 9.

Corrales Talks Venezuelan Crises Ryan Thomas Hoya Staff Writer

Professor Javier Corrales (SFS ’86) led a discussion on the recent crises and the state of democracy in Venezuela, entitled “Is the New Venezuela All That New? Politics in the Age of Barricades,” on April 9.

The event, hosted by the Center for Democracy and Civil Society and the Center for Latin American Studies, and sponsored by the government department and the Masters of Arts in Government and Democracy program, involved Corrales sharing his expertise on the volatile South American nation. Corrales is a professor of political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts, and is the co-author of multiple books on Venezuelan-U.S. relations and democracy in Latin America.

The discussion began with a breakdown of the economic conditions that led to the crisis, including the oil boom and the resource curse argument. Corrales laid out the conditions in Venezuela during the Hugo Chavez presidency, especially the improvement in economic conditions for the poor that accompanied his rule, which lasted from 1999 until his death in 2013.

“What is the impact of relying too much on one commodity?”

Corrales said. “We used to think it was good, but now it is considered a curse that can ruin the economy, as well as politics for a

nation.”

Additionally, Corrales expounded upon the economic situation following Chavez’s death.

“Most [Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries] members saved and had very good surpluses, but Venezuela did not,” Corrales said. “There has also been a strange combination of scarcity and inflation.”

Despite these fiscal difficulties, Corrales noted that Chavez was able to control these factors relatively effectively, maintaining his political power with minimal disruption.

“It’s not automatic that a resource boom is negative for a democracy,” Corrales said. Chavez had managed to create a “hybrid regime,” in which he maintained strong political and economic control, despite a disregard for checks and balances, and still managed to win elections with a large margin. Spending increased and sectors modernized, and clientelism decreased along with militarism.

The current regime of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela blames the private business sector for the nation’s economic plight.

“At the end of 2013, the government blamed the business side,” Corrales said. “This narrative worked very well for Maduro, and it helped him electorally. It’s a strong populist narrative and appeals to a lot of the population.”

A question-and-answer session

followed Corrales’ presentation.

Topics discussed included the status of the military, the future of Venezuelan cooperation with Cuba, Venezuelan relations with Brazil and the future of the ALBA coalition, a socialist intergovernmental organization in Latin America.

“Our interest as a program is training people in terms of democracy and government, as well as human rights issues,” Co-Director of the Georgetown Masters of the Arts in Democracy and Governance Eusebio MujalLeón said. “Given the topicality of what is going on in Venezuela, we thought it would be a good time to bring in Javier. He is a Georgetown grad who I knew, and he was more than happy to come and host a talk.”

Attendees found the event to be educational and inspirational.

“I’ve actually been a little confused just about what’s going on, so it’s really great to see just exactly what the situation is,” Michael Scott, librarian for Latin American and Iberian studies at Lauinger Library, said.

“I think Venezuela is one of those forgotten stories in the news,” Kim Cosart, a graduate student at New York University, said. “Everyone associates it with Hugo Chavez, but he’s been dead for a year now and things are definitely changing. U.S. foreign policy needs to focus more on Latin America.”

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NEWS

friday, APRIL 11, 2014

THE HOYA

A9

Maryland Senate Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana Madison Ashley Hoya Staff Writer

On Monday, the Maryland Senate voted overwhelmingly to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, following in the footsteps of 24 other states, including the District of Columbia.

The decision comes in the wake of the D.C. Council’s 10-1 vote March 4 that was overwhelmingly in favor of the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana for individuals over the age of 21. The bill, which is expected to be signed

by Mayor Vincent Gray in coming weeks, would decriminalize possession and private use of marijuana less than one ounce.

In a 34-8 ruling, the Maryland Senate ruled that individuals

caught with less than 10 grams of marijuana would face only civil, not criminal, sanctions. The Senate measure was sponsored by Sen. Robert A. Zirkin, a Democrat from Baltimore County and received the support of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley.

“As a young prosecutor, I once thought that decriminalizing the possession of marijuana might undermine the public will necessary to combat drug violence and improve public safety,” O’Malley said in a statement released Monday.

“I now think that decriminalizing possession of marijuana is an acknowledgement of the low priority that our courts, our prosecutors, our police and the vast majority of citizens already attach to this transgression of public order and public

health.”

Under the new legislation, a first offense would merit a $100 fine and would not require a court ap-

“I think a lot less people will get in trouble for possession.”

Adam Grudnan University of Maryland student

pearance, with an escalating scale thereafter. For individuals between the ages of 18 to 20 caught with the drug, a first violation would re-

Hopkins University, agreed with the decision and its potential to turn resources toward more violent crimes.

“I agree with the legislation -- law enforcement will be able to better focus their attention on more pressing issues, especially in Baltimore where crime rates are high,” Locke said.

However Adam Grudnan, a sophomore at the University of Maryland, did not foresee decriminalization changing the drug culture or use on his university’s campus.

“Honestly, I don’t think decriminalization will do anything at all,” Grudnan told The Hoya. “I think a lot less people will get in trouble [for possession] but it won’t really change the amount of people using it.”

quire a court appearance and possible drug education course thereafter.

According to a new Pew Research Center analysis, 40 states have relaxed their drugs laws between 2009 and 2013. The Pew report addressed research conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice that found that states spend an average of $31,000 per inmate each year. In 2012, over 1.3 million people were incarcerated, which at $31,000 an inmate cost states $41 billion in annual costs, about 2.5% of total state spending in fiscal 2012.

Additionally, a recent Pew survey found that nearly two-thirds of Americans are in favor of treatment for drug-users, rather than criminal prosecution.

Robert Locke, a junior at Johns

Site Encourages Moral Purchasing Service to Calculate Startup Success Rates STOREFRONT, from A10

TRENDIFY, from A10 prediction service to venture capitalists offering consulting to startups in favor of nominal amounts of control.

Although the company is still in its early stages, Desai has already brought on an impressive list of advisers, including Correlation Ventures Managing Director David Coates, Harvard Business School professor and disruption innovation theorist Clayton Christensen, Greycroft Partners Associate Zander Farkas, McDonough School of Business professor Betsy Sigman, The Advisory Board Company Managing Director of Corporate Strategy Jonah Czerwinski and Accolade Partner Atul Rustgi, among others.

“I think it’s an intriguing idea to try to predict the success of startups, and there’s a lot of data out there on it, and I don’t think that data has ever been put together in quite the same way,” Sigman said.

Desai recently passed the first round of the Startup Hoyas challenge to become a finalist in the competition, which offers a prize of $5,000 to the contestant with the winning entrepreneurial idea. Between the commercial and social tracks of the competition, Desai is a finalist in the commercial track.

COURTESY RAHUL DESAI

Rahul Desai (MSB ’17) created a new tool to calculate startup success.

Desai points out that the money lost through investing in startups that fail is a $17 billion market. Desai is still working on finding a co-founder and developing a model, which he hopes to have completed by the end of the next academic year at the latest.

Desai’s model for prediction is based on the way the human brain works.

“It’s a computerized representation of the human brain,” he said. “The model that I’m using is called hierarchical temporal memory. Up until now, computers couldn’t aggregate that much information, but today computers can aggregate hundreds of thousands of data points.”

The Startup Hoyas final round will take place April 16. Until then, Desai plans to continue working on his model.

“Behind these big numbers there’s a wealth of data,” he said. He adds that he plans to license out his model to venture capital companies.

Desai feels that the Georgetown entrepreneurship community has been a huge asset in helping start Trendify.

“There’s this awesome Georgetown entrepreneurs co-working session, every Friday people just come out and throw ideas around and help each other with their startups,” he said.

Desai advocated the benefits of the entrepreneurial road.

“A lot of times we get shafted into finance, consulting, the big credible careers that have very little risk. But I dictate my own hours, get to be my own boss and get to do something I believe in,” he said.

Other students look forward to seeing what Trendify will become.

“As Rahul’s mentor this year in Compass Fellowship, I remember reading about his idea for Trendify in his application for Compass, and it’s been amazing to watch him execute that initial vision to such success,” Startup Hoyas Editor-In-Chief Cherie Chung (SFS’16) said. “He is one of the hardestworking people I know, and I have no doubt that Trendify will go far.”

more companies to partner with as well. They have reached out to socially conscious BANG Shoes and Nice Laundry, which sells men’s designer socks.

“We are looking to partner with more and more companies to provide as much different variation as possible,” Maxmin said.

The website accepts debit and credit as well as pay upon delivery.

After an order is placed, the purchased good is delivered to the customer’s front door within three business days.

The Hoya Storefront team hopes that providing ethical options for students on campus will help them develop a socially responsible consciousness when buying goods.

“We are providing students with the option of buying ethical fashion here, and so hopefully that will carry over so that when they don’t have those options they will be more willing to explore them on their own,” Director of Social Media Outreach, Promotions Planning and Activities Manager Joy Jackson (SFS ’17) said.

The criteria that the company uses in determining whether a company is ethical includes whether it provides living wages, promotes sustainable careers through reinvesting in the community and is environmentally friendly. The companies that Hoya Storefront chooses do not necessarily need to be located in developing countries, which people sometimes assume socially responsible companies must be.

“We look at companies that opt out of using child labor. A lot of it is founded on workers’ rights.

There’s also a more environmental aspect, the materials that the companies use to produce their product, ideally no toxic chemicals, organic materials,” Jackson said.

Hoya Storefront is currently running a fundraising campaign

COURTESY BUREH BELTS

New website Hoya Storefront was founded by freshman Jacob Maxmin (COL ’17) to exclusively sell fair-labor produced goods. for new stock and promotions on crowd-funding platform Indiegogo. Its goal is $1,000 and thus far it has raised around $200. Hoya Storefront has also reached out to The Lecture Fund to hopefully bring in different CEOs to talk to students about social entrepreneurship and ethical fashion in the fall, according to Maxmin.

Students have already started buying the company’s products.

“I bought one of the Bureh Belts.

Beside it being fashionable I think that it’s really important; it’s a really cool idea that people know

exactly where their fashion is coming from. I thought that was an amazing statement in terms of ethical fashion to know exactly where my products were being made and what my money is going toward,” Chris Fisk (COL ‘17) said. “I think that is just a cool idea to know exactly where your fashion is coming from.”

Hoya Storefront is having a number of sales, including a Relay for Life sale, until April 11, during which all proceeds will go to Relay, and a Georgetown day, graduation and end-of-the-year sale.

Finding Friends on the Back Burner at GAAP Ashley Miller Hoya Staff Writer

For many prospective students descending on campus today, the Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program weekends are more about connecting with Georgetown itself than with other accepted students.

The majority of students come to GAAP in an attempt to see if the academics are the right fit.

“I took it from a very academic perspective, especially when I came to GAAP, when I arrived, I was curious more about learning about what my time at Georgetown would be like from an academic purpose,” Pietro Bartoli (SFS ’17) said.

Because of this academic focus, making friends becomes a secondary concern.

“More than anything I think GAAP is for academics and just seeing the school, so I didn’t go into GAAP saying, ‘I’m going to make friends here,’” Eric Wu (SFS ’17) said. “It’s more of a way for students to find out whether or not they are compatible with the school as a whole rather than the specific people they find at GAAP weekend.”

The atmosphere of Georgetown’s campus and of Washington, D.C., is what most students base their decision on, rather than the community of prospective students.

“GAAP’s what made up my mind. I wasn’t sure I wanted to come here,” Lauren Miller (SFS ’16) said.

Despite focus elsewhere, friendships still develop. Wu and Bartoli became roommates after meeting at GAAP. “Honestly I have no complaints about GAAP; it did exactly what it was supposed to do. And there’s no such thing as orchestrated friendship building. You can’t really say that GAAP did this correctly in order to make you friends with this person.

I think the way that [Pietro and I] became friends was very organic,” Wu

said.

GAAP allows prospective students the opportunity to make friends mostly by noticing and befriending prospective students with similar interests. Sapir Yarden (SFS ’15) felt the weekend allowed her to befriend those she perceived as interesting or relatable, mentioning one of her friends.

“We kind of were in the same group. We did icebreakers together and he mentioned that he spoke like 12 different languages, and I was like, ‘That kid seems awesome, I want to be friends with him,’” Yarden said.

In terms of the degree to which prospective students reflect the Georgetown community, many prospective students felt GAAP leaders and current students were a more accurate reflection of the community.

“It was nice to kind of get a vibe for the people, but I think I got a better vibe from the GAAP leaders than the kids in my group because I knew a lot of these kids aren’t going to come to Georgetown, and I’m not necessarily going to be friends with all of these kids,” Bartoli said.

For students accepted early to Georgetown, some did not feel making friends was a focus throughout the weekend, as many prospective students were uncertain of their attendance.

“I was early action too, so half the people I met weren’t planning on coming to Georgetown. … Maybe it was different for people who are regular decision, but for early [action] those kids tended to get into really good schools so for me it didn’t really matter because a lot of them I was never going to see again,” Kate Schertz (NHS ’15) said.

Other students did not search for specific types of possible friends throughout the weekend, but rather the identity of the community as a whole.

“I think it’s a good way to get everyone together who has been accepted

STEVEN PICCIONE/THE HOYA

Accepted students who flock to the Hilltop for GAAP weekends report using the time primarily as a way to gauge the university’s academics. to kind of get that feeling I was talking about of trying to see who is going to school with you, the community that you would be going to school in,” Yuhao Shi (NHS ’15) said.

In the end, some students prefer

GAAP the way it is, even without the focus on friendship building.

“I think GAAP works well the way it does now. I don’t think much should change about it. The focus shouldn’t be friendship building,” Bartoli said.

BUSINESS FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014

COMMENTARY

Platform Promotes Ethical Fashion NATASHA KHAN Hoya Staff Writer

Shyam Lal

Global Shifts Shape Leadership

D

emands placed on businesses are growing, perhaps faster than ever, putting stress on conventional leadership models and profiles. Gone are the days of the CEO who runs a command and control organization. In are the days of partnerships across companies, dynamic leadership teams and collaborative decision-making.

As your generation of college students moves into the world, it is important to contemplate the trends that may influence how things will unfold over the 40-some years of your upcoming professional careers.

GEOGRAPHIC REBALANCING After almost 500 years, the center of gravity of world commerce is shifting to Asia and Africa. It is discontinuous, occurring over a decade or two versus the centuries it took to swing to the West. Rebalancing is compounded by the blistering pace of urbanization and the need to view cities and regions, rather than countries, as distinct markets and operations.

TECHNOLOGY What is still changing is the use of information. It is not just ubiquitous; it is also massive. Companies manage a new Library of Congress worth of information every year, sort the useful from the noise and analyze it to drive business on the front line. In so doing they disrupt industries and change business models. This is the tip of the iceberg and adoption is just starting.

LABOR & TALENT With the demographic trends and education mix, there is a growing shortage of talented labor in developed markets, which will increasingly rely on importing talent, retraining existing talent and delaying retirements. Increasingly, companies will compete for talent globally and be more flexible in locating jobs where the talent is.

NATURAL RESOURCES There is increasing volatility in commodity prices, driven in part by fewer new discoveries, creative substitution and market speculation. Furthermore, commodities that are now readily available — water, energy and food — will become choke points in the future. Expect geopolitical tensions and new alignments around these. Who controls the Himalayan watershed? How are lands in Siberia and Northern Canada deployed? Can we innovate to grow crops in the desert? Managing through the day-to-day uncertainty and the longer-term bets is critical.

GLOBAL NETWORKS The almost costless flow of goods, talent and information has reduced the need to integrate businesses into monolithic enterprises, allowing for creative disaggregation and partnership. Companies that designed, made and sold may now just do one of those well and rely on partners to fulfill the others.

STAKEHOLDER LENS Many of the above trends are combining business, societal and public sector needs. Ensuring talented labor pools, allocating scarce natural resources, dealing with increasing income disparity and smoothing international flows are all complex multi-stakeholder sector problems requiring collaboration.

What does this mean for leadership? Leaders will need to be even more dynamic – global citizens who are more cross-culturally and emotionally intelligent and technologically savvy, with an experienced understanding of business-social-public sectors and an ability to be calm in the face of increased market complexity.

Anyone aspiring to leadership must think through these consequences to master these needs.

SHYAM LAL is an adviser to growth businesses and a senior partner emeritus at McKinsey & Company.

Usually when someone buys clothes, they’re ignoring whether or not their purchases are impacting the world, but Jacob Maxmin’s (COL ’17) new website, Hoya Storefront, looks to change that apathy to engagement by promoting and selling ethically conscious fashion merchandise produced under fair labor conditions.

The website, which launched March 25, provides a platform to sell ethical fashion goods produced by companies Bureh Belts, Lallitara Apparel and Jamela Oil. The company began as a blog and developed into a website. CEO and founder Maxmin began as a campus sponsor for Bureh Belts and then decided to grow the company in order to better market its goods to students.

“We’re basically a student-run business that connects the Georgetown University campus with socially responsible ethical fashion companies,” Maxmin said.

Bureh Belts is a socially responsible company from Sierra Leone that

makes men’s and women’s belts, with all material sourced locally, according to Maxmin. The company only hires handicapped workers and reinvests much of its profits into the community. Hoya Storefront sells these for $35.

Lallitara Apparel sells wristlets for $28.99 made from used saris. Women in India, who are paid a living wage, craft the wristlets and then send them to the United States.

“Our main goal is to educate students on ethical fashion and why it is really important to support socially responsible businesses,” Maxmin said.

Jamela Oil makes argon oil from the argon plant in Africa and Hoya Storefront sells their lip balm and moisturizing oil. This may not seem like a fashion good in the same sense as clothing, but Maxmin understands the broad nature of fashion products.

“There’s no limit to what we take, everything that falls into the category of fashion,” he said.

Hoya Storefront is looking for

COURTESY BUREH BELTS

New website Hoya Storefront allows students to purchase fashion items produced under socially responsible and ethical conditions.

See STOREFRONT, A9

Spoon U Celebrates Food Fest DAVID BROWN

Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown chapter of Spoon University will celebrate the nationwide online food magazine’s launch at the university on Feb. 19 with a Food Fest on Friday.

Spoon University is an online food publication for college students that specializes in providing information about healthy eating habits and dining options to students during the transition from home-cooked meals to college options. Founded in 2012 at Northwestern University, Spoon has since spread to 35 campuses across the country and has a network of over 600 student contributors.

Victoria Goodell (COL ’16) and Anne Gilliland (COL ’16) started Georgetown’s Spoon University chapter.

“The Food Fest is Spoon’s welcome party to campus in celebration of our launch this semester,” Gilliland said.

The festival will take place on Harbin Road from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will showcase various dining options available to students on campus, as well as feature a guest food truck from the surrounding area. The Crepe Love Truck — the Vienna, Va., restaurant Crepe Amour’s food truck — will sell both sweet and savory crepes. Additionally, The Hilltoss, Students of Georgetown Inc.’s new salad line, will provide samples of their

salads and Daisy Buchanan drinks, and Georgetown Dining will also offer frozen chocolate-covered bananas. In addition there will be a raffle giveaway of six months’ worth of tea from Honest Tea during the event.

“What’s unique about the Food Fest is that we are bringing The Corp, which is student-run, Georgetown Dining and the Crepe Love Truck, which represents offcampus dining options, and letting students experience all the dining options they have here in Georgetown,” Gilliland said.

Goodell agreed.

“We wanted to do the launch party just to celebrate how much effort we put into the creation and debut of our website, but we also wanted to establish a name for ourselves on campus through this epic celebration,” she said. “And we just wanted to have a party around food because food is our focus.”

Spoon members are looking forward to the event.

“I’m really excited to celebrate Spoon and all the work we’ve put in so far with exposing the Georgetown community to great food,” Spoon editor Abby Stewart (SFS ’16) said.

Goodell discussed the specific decision to bring the Crepe Love Truck to campus, which originally started in the Georgetown area but has since moved to Vienna, Va. “Crepe Amour opened in Georgetown so we are happy to have a

COURTESY VICTORIA GOODELL

The Georgetown chapter of Spoon University held a food festival on Friday to celebrate the launch of the online food magazine.

classic Georgetown company food service come back to campus,” she said.

Gilliland distinguished the Georgetown chapter of Spoon’s launch party from those held at other universities.

“Lots of other Spoon University schools held their launch party through fraternities, but we are doing it differently because that doesn’t really match our school culture,” she said.

Spoon hopes that the launch party will be only the beginning of many other Spoon functions.

“We are starting on the smaller side so that we don’t bite off more than we can chew, but in the future we will do bigger events,” Gilliland said.

Georgetown’s Spoon University team plans to make a difference on campus by being a useful resource for students’ dining needs.

“Our goal is to be the main food-related resource on campus.

We would like to be the resource to which students go when they want to know anything about food — whether it be on campus with Georgetown Dining or The Corp, cooking in their dorm or apartment kitchen or off campus, in Georgetown or D.C.,” Gilliland said.

Spoon also aims to help students navigate Leo’s.

“We are hoping to serve as a sort of guide to Leo’s, helping to show students ways to be creative in Leo’s as well as sharing with them the improvements that Leo’s is making,” Gilliland said. “We are also all ears and want to know what students think of the changes Leo’s is making and how it can be improved even further.”

GU Spoon has recently written about the new sandwich options available at Vital Vittles and the new plate-scraping system at Leo’s.

Spoon University also has national contributors that create content that is relevant to the dining experiences of college students across the country.

Prediction Tool to Aid Investors NATASHA KHAN Hoya Staff Writer

Rahul Desai (MSB ’17) goes to class, dines at Leo’s and attends club meetings like any other Georgetown student — but he also spends his time working on Trendify, the company he is starting to predict startup success rates.

Currently, as Desai points out, two-thirds of venture capital investments are wasted, and three-fourths of start-up companies fail. Trendify will seek to shed light on which companies will succeed and which companies will fail.

“By combining machine learning and big data, there’s a way you can predict whether companies will succeed or not. It’s a simple neural network, a calculator of sorts,” Desai said. “You plug in certain variables, it processes them and then spits out an answer which is success or failure.”

Desai has already compiled tens of thousand data points spanning 106 companies, which he believes show key trends in the business.

“If you started a business, you should have succeeded in that business,” Desai said, referring to factors that predict success. “There should be women in your management team. Founders should avoid intellectual hubris.”

He discussed the amount of data on specific companies available online through Crunch Base, where he was able to download data on tens of thousands of companies.

“I aggregated a giant data set by hand rather than using an automated data business model.”

He added that Trendify plans to give a prediction fee based on See TRENDIFY, A9

TRADING

INSIDER

What do you think will be the impact on the business/brand of Starbucks when it starts selling alcohol at store locations?

“I think Starbucks’ locations will get more crowded and the atmosphere will become more adult-centric, which might not be what [the brand] is looking for.”

ALEX KEYES (MSB ’15)

“It will enhance the business tremendously due to increased product versatility and will open it up to new markets. [However] the introduction of alcohol will confuse people regarding the brand of Starbucks, as it is traditionally rooted in a high-class, sexy coffee store image. This may hurt [the brand] in the long run.”

KYLE YOUNG (MSB ’15)

Visit us online at thehoya.com/business

“I think it will be a good idea for the college campus market, specifically.

At least for Georgetown, it’ll make Leavey a more fun student center. … It’ll be like happy hour on campus.”

SINDHU DARISI (MSB ’14)