The Hoya: November 10, 2017

Page 1

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 99, No. 11, © 2017

friday, november 10, 2017

HOOPS SEASON

Celebrate Patrick Ewing’s homecoming with the 2017-18 basketball preview.

EDITORIAL Georgetown should devote more resources to helping students plan their careers.

CONSTRUCTION AT MEDSTAR Construction on a new pavilion and helipad is set to begin in January.

OPINION, A2

NEWS, A5

C1-C`12

GU Fossil Free Calls For Divestment From Tar Sands Oil SARAH MENDELSOHN Hoya Staff Writer

A proposal by student group GU Fossil Free calling on the university to avoid investments in tar sands oil received the support of about 200 members of the Georgetown University community. The proposal was submitted to the Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility, which advises the university on socially responsible investing policies, on Nov. 6 . The CISR has received GUFF’s proposal and is expected to discuss it at its next meeting, according to Rachel Pugh, the university’s senior director for strategic communications. GUFF’s proposal argues that investments in tar sands oil extraction are inconsistent with the university’s Socially Responsible Investing policy, approved by Georgetown’s board of directors last June, which requires the university to take social and environmental effects into account when making decisions concerning the university’s endowment investments. GUFF worked closely with administrators to establish the SRI last summer. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with the process of extracting and refining tar sands oil are significantly greater than that of conventional crude oil, according to a 2009 report by the Department of Energy. Advocates argue that tar sands oil, primarily extracted in Alberta, Canada, contribute to climate change and environmental degradation in parts of Canada and the United States. In its proposal, GUFF pro-

vided a list of 16 companies, which receive most of their revenues from tar sands that Georgetown should avoid investing in. The proposal is the latest divestment push for GUFF, which successfully lobbied the board of directors to divest the university’s funds from coal companies in 2015. The board also approved a student proposal to avoid direct investments in private prisons last month after three students submitted a broader proposal in January, bolstered by a three-month promotional campaign launched by the student group Georgetown University Forming a Radically Ethical Endowment. The environmental implications of tar sands extraction make divestment from the industry a crucial step toward fulfilling Georgetown’s commitment to social justice, according to Samantha Panchèvre (SFS ’19), a GUFF member. “Georgetown is educating its students to be leaders in the world, to fight for a better political and social environment, and climate change is throwing all of that into disarray,” Panchèvre said. “So, by funding climate change, it’s very counterintuitive for an institution like Georgetown to fund climate change and also tell its students to go out and fight climate change.” If CISR approves the proposal, it would be presented to the Committee on Finance and Administration within the board of directors for approval. Pugh said the university takes noninvestment proposals

STEPHANIE YUAN/THE HOYA

In the keynote address concluding a four-day symposium on his legacy, former President Bill Clinton (SFS ’68) advocated for inclusivity and globalization in the face of growing partisan tensions. Clinton’s return to campus was widely anticipated by students.

Clinton Returns With Call for Unity Hannah Urtz Hoya Staff Writer

Former President Bill Clinton (SFS ’68) made his widely anticipated return to the Hilltop on Monday afternoon, lecturing a tightly packed Gaston Hall on his view of today’s global political climate and the role of government in an increasingly interconnected world. “What are our responsibilities to each other, in an age of unprecedented interdependence and globalization?” Clinton said. “If you put up a wall, you might be able to keep people out, but you can’t keep the internet out, you

can’t keep the ideas out.” Clinton’s keynote address concluded a four-day symposium titled “Clinton 25: Georgetown Reflects on the Vision of Bill Clinton,” which marked the 25th anniversary of Clinton’s election in 1992. The event, hosted by the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service, comprised a series of panel discussions on Clinton’s domestic policy, foreign policy and public service. Clinton said the interconnected world requires inclusivity on economic, social and political fronts to eradicate the harmful “us-versus-them” mentality that pervades poli-

See DIVESTMENT, A6

tics today. “Do you believe in a positive-sum future, a dynamic, bigger, better, more inclusive one? Or a zero-sum future, where economics is static and there’s a limited amount of social capital and cultural standing to go around, so there must always be a loser in order for someone to win?” Clinton asked. According to Clinton, if and how we collectively think about our future determines our ability to meet the most pressing global challenges, from climate change to technology and cybersecurity threats. “The only way to think

about it in a country as great as ours, the only sensible way to work toward a more perfect union, is to work toward inclusive economics, inclusive societies, inclusive cultures and inclusive politics. And that includes people who don’t vote with us — and may not even like us,” Clinton said. See CLINTON, A6

See A7 for more coverage on the symposium’s panels: • Vision of America • Vision of Leadership and Service • Vision of the World

LEFT: CAROLINE KENEALLY/THE HOYA, RIGHT: JESUS RODRIGUEZ/THE HOYA

Members of Bill Clinton’s administration participated in panels during the symposium. Former chief of staff to the president John Podesta, left, spoke in a panel titled “Vision of Leadership and Service,” while Madeline Albright joined the “Vision of the World” session.

University Donor Arrested in Saudi Arabia Yasmine salam Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA

GU Fossil Free submitted a proposal calling on the university to divest from companies that extract tar sands oil.

featured

A late-night wave of arrests in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Nov. 4 swept up prominent Georgetown University benefactor and Saudi billionaire investor Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, alongside dozens of influential businessmen, politicians and royals. Prince Alwaleed, who donated $20 million in 2005 to endow the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, a center for interreligious dialogue established in 1993, was part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s ordered arrests of four ministers, tens of former ministers and 11 of his royal cousins as part of an alleged anti-corruption crackdown, according to The New York Times. Crown Prince Mohammed, pegged as current Saudi King Salman’s favorite to ascend to

the throne, called for the arrests without a formal legal process or warning just after midnight.

“It’s pretty obvious that these efforts at ‘fighting corruption’ are just cover for the Crown Prince to consolidate power.” JONATHAN A.C. BROWN Director, Alwaleed Center for MuslimChristian Understanding

With an estimated net worth of $18.7 billion, Prince Alwaleed gave Georgetown the second-largest single donation at the time. Since then, a number of high-profile donations have been made to Georgetown, with the largest as Frank H.

McCourt Jr.’s $100 million donation to launch the McCourt School of Public Policy in 2013. Jonathan A.C. Brown (COL ’00), ACMCU director and Islamic history professor, said the crown prince’s actions are not fueled by a fight against corruption, but rather royal politics. “It’s pretty obvious that these efforts at ‘fighting corruption’ are just cover for the Crown Prince to consolidate power and remove competition,” Brown wrote in an email to The Hoya. Rory Miller, professor of government at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar, said Crown Prince Mohammed’s actions could delegitimize the authority of the Saudi government on the global stage. “If this move to remove and detain senior princes, ministers and businessmen is proven to be more about domestic

politics than stamping out corruption then it will send a very worrying signal that the current leadership in Riyadh is willing to destabilize the situation at home in order to achieve its narrow political goals,” Miller wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Coming on the heels of the blockade of Qatar, this will once more call into question the strategic judgment of the current leadership across the international community.” Since his donation to Georgetown, Prince Alwaleed has not been actively engaged in the center’s scholarly activity, Brown said. Brown said except for a brief visit to the university and reception hosted by University President John J. DeGioia in 2007, the prince has not personally reached out to the center. Alwaleed’s foundation, Alwaleed Philanthropies, has See PRINCE, A6

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

North Korea Policy Scrutinized Former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel called for diplomacy in addressing the North Korean crisis. A5

#ProudToBeGSP By listening to the stories of those around us, we can better understand facets of our own identities. A3

Champions The women’s soccer team captured the Big East Championship on Sunday with a 3-0 victory over Butler. A12

NEWS Red Light on the Red Line

opinion Living Out a Legacy

SPORTS Title Game Awaits

WMATA plans to halt service on the Red line for major track maintenance at the end of this month. A9 Printed Fridays

The true importance of one’s legacy is not its audience, but rather its intent. A3

The men’s soccer team squares off against Xavier this Sunday with a Big East Title hanging in the balance. A12 Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.