The Hoya: February 7, 2020

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Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 101, No. 17, © 2020

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Ferretti, Badger Win GUSA Exec Election GU To End Fossil Fuel Investments AfterGUFF Efforts

HOYA STAFF

Nicolo Ferretti (SFS ’21) and Bryce Badger (MSB ’21) were elected as the 2020-21 Georgetown University Student Association president and vice president alongside the passage of three referenda Feb. 6.

Ferretti and Badger finished ahead of student activists Arisaid Gonzalez Porras (COL ’21) and Anahi FigueroaFlores (COL ’21) and GUSA Senator Joshua Marin-Mora (SFS ’21) by a majority in the first round. The referenda for Georgetown University’s divestment from fossil fuels, a Blue Campus designation and the Student Empowerment Fund all received more than two-thirds votes in favor, according to the GUSA Election Commission.

Ferretti and Badger were the only eligible ticket on the ballot when the campaign season started before three more campaigns joined the race by petition. Over the course of the cycle, executive candidates Julio Salmeron-Perla (SFS ’22) and Gabby Elliott Brault (SFS ’21) withdrew their ticket and Isbel Deleon (COL ’21), Marin-Mora’s running mate, dropped out Feb. 3.

Ferretti expressed high hopes and a desire to fulfill his campaign’s promises to the student body in an interview with The Hoya minutes after results were released.

“I think you’re about to see a GUSA that’s really getting stuff done and trying to bring as many people in as possible, and that excites the hell out of me,” Ferretti said.

MYROSLAV DOBROSHYNSKYI AND LIAM SCOTT

WILL HOUSTON FOR THE HOYA

Nicolo Ferretti (SFS ’21), left, and Bryce Badger (MSB ’21) celebrate after their victory by majority in the first round of the 2020 GUSA Executive election was announced Feb. 7.

The pair of GUSA veterans focused their campaign on issues of sustainability, sexual assault prevention and inclusivity. Among their first priorities while in office is communicating with sexual assault survivors, particularly in the Black and queer communities, to address their concerns, Badger said in an interview with The Hoya.

During the campaign, the team touted their extensive GUSA experience and stressed their commitment to communicating with and advocating for the student body.

Days before the election, 47.7% of students polled

by The Hoya indicated they would cast their first-choice vote for Ferretti and Badger.

This year, 5.9% of students indicated strong trust in GUSA, marking an increase from 2% in 2019.

Ferretti and Badger both work under the Francis-Olvera administration. Ferretti serves as director of university affairs. During his tenure, Ferretti helped facilitate the Capital Bikeshare student membership program and coordinated with the university to refashion the university website.

Badger works as chief of staff for the Francis-Olvera administration.

Previously, Badger worked as student engagement director for former GUSA President Sahil Nair (SFS ’19), who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Gonzalez Porras and Figueroa-Flores hoped to use their experience in activism to enhance overlooked student perspectives and bridge a gap in trust between GUSA and the student body.

Gonzalez Porras expressed excitement for Ferretti and

Badger and hopes to contribute to their administration.

“I’m excited for Nico and Bryce. I think they are going to do a great job and hopefully they reach out to us with the activism summit because I think we would be a great addition to it,” Gonzalez Porras said. “I never thought I would be running for GUSA and here I am, and now I have something to share if I ever have children.”

In his campaign, Marin-Mora emphasized the importance of socioeconomic inclusivity and mental health resources, issues he believes are often overlooked by GUSA. Marin-Mora is confident that the Ferretti-Badger administration will effectively advocate for students.

“I think that they are both very dedicated,” Marin-Mora said in an interview See GUSA, A6

GradGov Seeks Impeachment for VP AMY LI

Hoya Staff Writer

This article directly references content that is potentially upsetting.

Please refer to the end of the article for on- and off-campus resources.

The Georgetown University Graduate Student Government has initiated the process to impeach current Vice President Heerak Kim after the surfacing of tweets the organization deemed unacceptable.

GradGov received a complaint from a graduate student Jan. 18, which alerted the organization to a number of homophobic, antisemitic, Islamophobic and racist tweets posted to Kim’s public Twitter account, according to second-year graduate student in the School of Foreign Service and GradGov President Lewis May. The GradGov executive board then released a statement to the GradGov Senate on Feb. 1 unanimously condemning the tweets and calling for Kim’s impeachment.

The executive board attached to the statement a complete Excel sheet download of all of Kim’s tweets should the tweets be deleted or the account be made private. The statement also

NEWS

Observatory Named After Graduate First national observatory is named after Vera Rubin (GRD ’54).

A5 Pop-Up Shop Drug Bust Police carried out a search warrant at Mr. Nice Guys D.C. A8

SPORTS

directly included several screenshots of posts from Kim’s Twitter account, such as the following Jan. 1 and Jan. 6 tweets.

“Will God give cancer to politicians at local, state, and federal levels who aggressively push gay marriage, trying to lead Americans away from Bible Ethics condemning gay marriage as evil? God can mutate any cell in human body to become cancerous.

Choice,” a Jan 1. tweet read.

“Democrats and Republicans can be united in declaring War on Iran and putting Muslim Americans in concentration camps as they did during World War 2,” a Jan. 6 tweet read. “It is a good idea for Muslim Americans to invest in projecting the image of USA patriotism.”

While the GradGov constitution does not explicitly stipulate what constitutes inappropriate conduct, Kim’s tweets stand in direct opposition to GradGov’s overarch-

ing mission of creating a safe and welcoming campus environment, according to May. “This is not appropriate for a member of the board, and that this absolutely has the potential to undermine GradGov’s broader reputational integrity,” May said in an interview with The Hoya. “While we respect his freedom of speech as an individual, as a student leader, regardless of whether it’s on or off campus, this is a serious breach of conduct.”

Kim, a second-year masLEWIS MAY ter’s student in GradGov President the School of Nursing and Health Studies, avoided repeated requests for a meeting to discuss his tweets during the week of Jan. 20, according to May. When Kim attended the Jan. 30 GradGov Senate meeting, May said he pulled Kim aside and confronted him with the allegations.

“I said, ‘You committed hate speech, and you’ve hurt and scared a lot of people in here, and you need to leave,’”

“You committed hate speech, and you’ve hurt and scared a lot of people in here, and you need to leave.”

THE GUIDE

May said. “‘I cannot have you in this senate meeting.’”

In response, Kim denied wrongdoing, claiming that none of his tweets qualified as hate speech, according to May. On Jan. 31, Kim called for a public apology from May for his conduct at the meeting the day before in an email sent to the GradGov Executive Board. May’s conduct at the meeting was physically aggressive, shocking and humiliating, Kim wrote in the email obtained by , “When I arrived at the GradGov Meeting for January 2020, and walked to the podium area, and greeted you and shook your hand, you pushed me across the room and out of the room,” Kim wrote. “In the hallway, you spoke very loudly, even yelling at times, saying, ‘You engaged in hate speech!’, an accusation which I denied to you verbally. But you kept saying this over and over again loudly, in the hearing range of GradGov Senators.”

May blocked the entrance to the meeting room, not allowing Kim to enter the senate meeting, according to Kim. “The fact that you tried to

Georgetown will mean a lot more to people now that we’ve been going through Hoya Staff Writers this process and having this Georgetown University’s dialogue on campus.”

GUFF had submitted a board of directors approved a policy to divest the univer- proposal Jan. 17, 2019, to sity’s endowment from fossil Georgetown’s Committee on fuel investments within 10 Investments and Social Reyears, University President sponsibility, a group of univerJohn J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, sity representatives in charge GRD ’95) announced in a Feb. of amending Georgetown’s investment practices, that 6 campuswide email.

As well as divesting from called on Georgetown to not fossil fuel investments, the directly invest in fossil fuels policy encourages new in- in the future and to divest the vestments in renewable endowment from fossil fuels

by Jan. 1, 2024. energy and The board’s prohibits any decision to difuture investvest is a testaments in fossil ment to GUFF’s fuel companies. persistent and Direct investeffective activment in public ism, according fossil fuel assets to Georgetown will be phased Renewable Enout within the ergy and Envinext five years, ronment Netwhile direct priwork President vate fossil fuel Noelle Gignoux investments will be phased NOELLE GIGNOUX (SFS ’22) (SFS ’22).

President of GREEN ‘It’s absoluteout within the ly incredible next 10 years.

The university’s decision that the university has finally comes after an eight-year committed to fully divesting campaign from GU Fossil from fossil fuels,” Gignoux Free, a student group that said in an interview with advocated for the university . “It’s incredible that they have finally taken that leap, to divest from fossil fuels.

The board’s decision comes to make this move, which is on the same day as the good for the university and Georgetown University Stu- good for the planet.”

Currently, less than 5% of dent Association referendum on whether to support the the $1.9 billion university enuniversity’s divestment from dowment is invested in fossil fossil fuel companies by 2024. fuel companies, according to a The referendum passed by an Georgetown University Official.

Despite the university’s overwhelming 90.7%.

Georgetown’s decision to commitment to divest from divest from fossil fuel invest- fossil fuel investments withments is an encouraging out- in 10 years, the policy allows come for the entire George- some of Georgetown’s intown community, according vestments to maintain links to Lucy Chatfield (COL ’22), a to fossil fuels. The policy states that the university can member of GUFF. “The whole process of cam- review investments that are paigning for the referendum not direct, which can include has gotten the student body large funds with very diverengaged in thinking about sified investments across divestment and we’ve gotten industries, on a case-by-case to reach a lot more people,” basis.

Chatfield said. “I think that this announcement from See DIVESTMENT, A6

“It’s absolutely incredible that the university has finally committed to fully divesting from fossil fuels.”

MORE FROM

GUSA Presidential Debate

“When I say I’ve never backed down from a fight, I mean it.”

BRYCE BADGER GUSA Vice President Elect

See VP DEBATE, A7

BY THE NUMBERS

Arisaid Gonzalez Porras (COL ’21) speaks at GUSA presidential debates ahead of the election.

See PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE, A7

See GRADGOV, A6

FEATURED

OPINION

Stop Coronavirus Racism Avoid furthering xenophobic narratives in light of virus.

A3 Exploring Gender Be open to the complexities of gender identities.

A3

EDITORIAL

Varsity Victory Women’s squash becomes Georgetown’s 30th varsity team.

A12

Build Track Facility Georgetown should provide a practice space for track and field.

A2

My Wild Roommate Explore how the campus community embraces pets.

B2

Culture in the Classroom Students voice concerns about lack of cultural awareness.

A4

GUIDE

FEATURES

A2

OPINION

THE HOYA

HOYA HISTORY • Feb. 9, 1973

New Security System To Target Book Theft A new security system will be installed in the main campus library, Joseph Jeffs, Georgetown University librarian, announced last week.

“Tattle-Tape,” a variation on airport metal detection devices, is an irremovable electronic signal-emitting strip hidden in the spine of a book. If the book is not properly checked out, an alarm will sound when it is carried out of the library.

Jeffs explained the need for the new system at a faculty senate meeting last Friday afternoon. “Security is a serious problem,” which requires “a technological solution,” he said. Many of the library’s best materials are being “ripped off” at a $25,000 to $40,000 annual loss.

“The books we are losing are the most desirable ones,” he said.

“This is a disservice to a large number of faculty and students.”

The new detection system, already in use in the Georgetown University Law and the Georgetown University Medical Libraries, will be an attempt to cut down on the rate of loss at Lauinger Library and will eventually be installed at Blommer Science Library.

The problem is less one of outright theft than of forgetfulness, Jeffs said. “It has been proven that faculty members and students do forget to

check things out,” he said.

The installation of the Tattle-Tape device “can be constructed as an infringement upon people’s rights.” Jeffs said. He added that all the blame or the losses cannot be placed on Georgetown students and faculty. Consortium members also use the library, he said.

A new experimental computerized circulation system went into effect in Lauinger Monday. As each book is checked out, it immediately is recorded by a computer.

Whenever a student requests any book that has been borrowed from the library, the request can be fed into the computer, Jeffs said. As soon as the book is returned, the computer will stop it from being refiled on the shelves, and the person waiting for it can be immediately informed the book is available.

The mechanized system provides accuracy and efficiency, Jeffs said. If an I.D. card is reported missing, its number will be fed into the computer which will then prevent the card from being used at the library until it is restored to its owner.

C C C C C

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

THE VERDICT Burning Cash — A former mayoral candidate and well-established Canadian businessman was put in jail for a month after he told his judge that he burned $1 million that was due in child support. Bruce McConville later told the judge that he preferred burning the money in two separate bonfires than paying it to his ex-wife.

Tinder to the Rescue — After getting her car stuck in heavy snow, a woman reached out to nearby men on Tin-

der to come rescue her. As luck would have it, she quickly matched with a man who used a bulldozer to help her.

Out-Foxed — A fox snuck into British Parliament and went unnoticed until he was spotted by a member of Parliament going up the escalator. The fox evaded capture until he reached the fourth floor and entered a café. One MP called the situation a “useful development” if the fox were to eat the mice in Parliament.

Buried in Debt — 55,000 duplicate student loan statements were sent to an Ohio family earlier this week. The company apologized for the error, but not before a postal worker delivered 79 bins full of mail to the home.

Never Boaring — A farm in South Carolina is asking for volunteers to cuddle with their piglets to help socialize them before adoption. According to the owners, the pigs are easy to train and can make great pets.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Advait Arun

Marie Spagnoli Hoya Staff Writer

For letters to the editor and more content, visit thehoya.com/category/opinion.

EDITORIALS

Avoid Coronavirus Memes While coronavirus has tragically affected many people in China, the United States has seen a problematic trend of jokes and internet memes making light of the outbreak and exacerbating a wave of racism and xenophobia targeting Chinese and East Asian people.

China is experiencing a public health crisis, but for many people in the United States, the virus is nothing more than a punch line.

At Georgetown University, racism against East Asian people already occurred before the outbreak began. The university is not immune to the current worldwide increase in offensive anti-Asian rhetoric. Though it may be tempting to participate in jokes about the virus, students must realize that their use of words and images matters in a concrete way, and they should be mindful of the humor they choose to engage with.

Offensive rhetoric targeting East Asians in offhand comments, posts or even likes on social media can have real consequences. Online hate speech furthers racist and xenophobic narratives, and prejudice experienced online can lead to increased anxiety and symptoms of depression for marginalized people, according to a study from researchers at Sheffield Hallam University.

Racist rhetoric targeting East Asian people already exists at Georgetown. Jenny Xu (COL ’21) has experienced such racism through comments that are intended to be humorous.

Xu often must navigate situations in which friends make racist jokes about China and Chinese Americans, she wrote in an email to The Hoya. (Full disclosure: Xu previously served on The Hoya’s editorial board.)

While Brian Zhu (SFS ’23) has not experienced direct racism at Georgetown, he has also heard students make ignorant comments about East Asian history and Chinese culture.

“People need to [be] more aware of the underlying biases that influence the memes they choose to create and share, because they can be deeply offensive,” Zhu wrote in a message to The Hoya.

Xu agreed that students must be aware of the underlying messages in content they engage with. “Of course, humor is something that inherently plays with the taboo, but there are times when it blends into reality. That’s when it goes too far, and that’s when we must take seriously the concerns of marginalized people themselves,” Xu wrote.

Since racist and ignorant comments about East Asian people already occur regularly at Georgetown and coronavirus has triggered a spike in such rhetoric on the internet, students should be mindful about their humor and avoid furthering racism and xenophobia through coronavirus memes.

Memes about serious situations are not inherently offensive; Asian teens have been responding to racist coronavirus memes with their own jokes on TikTok. While memes targeting and othering a community are problematic, memes coming from within the community experiencing a difficult situation can be an acceptable and even valuable coping mechanism. But students should avoid engaging with jokes that mock or disparage members of a community they are not a part of.

Georgetown students may not be aware of when their humor is offensive to others, but ignorance does not excuse hateful rhetoric.

If students are unsure whether a topic is offensive, they should avoid it. Since hateful speech can cause real harm to the people it targets, including members of the Georgetown community, students have a responsibility to consider the impact their jokes can have before making them.

Students can easily engage with internet culture without resorting to offensive memes. Students do not have to stop making jokes, but they should avoid jokes about coronavirus, which are rooted in ignorance, racism and xenophobia. The memes students choose to engage with can have real effects on others — so it is important to choose wisely.

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deserve at least one usable training space.

The university has allocated resources to athletic facilities projects in the past. In February 2019, Georgetown allocated a portion of its $75 million deferred maintenance plan to completing Cooper Field renovations, which were initiated by a $50 million donation in October 2015.

The field is used by the football, field hockey, and men’s and women’s lacrosse programs.

While fundraising could be an extremely effective method to raise revenue for a track, the university is not actively promoting the need for track and field facilities. The university’s athletic fundraising priorities include projects to benefit baseball, women’s basketball, golf, rowing, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, and volleyball teams — track and field programs are not even listed among the programs that need better facilities.

Even if Georgetown does not currently have funds to allocate to a track facility, it should at least give potential donors the option to fund this endeavor.

The establishment of a private track and field training facility should be among Georgetown’s top fundraising goals. Failing to list this need among its fundraising goals is negligent on the university’s part given the lack of safety and quality in the teams’ current training situations.

If building a new track on campus is not possible due to the lack of open space around Georgetown, the university should obtain access to a private space nearby that can be used exclusively by the track teams while training. While not ideal, precedent exists for Georgetown teams to travel to off-campus facilities — such as the baseball team’s Shirley Povich Field in Rockville, Md. It is worth finding any possible solution to obtain a private space for track and field.

On the fundraising page of its athletics website, the university claims to recognize the importance of athletics to a well-rounded campus, but it should act on this sentiment by investing in all its teams. The track teams are ready for the 2020 season, but they need a track to practice on.

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Georgetown University’s track teams are preparing to start their seasons, but they need a track.

The Georgetown men’s and women’s track teams currently practice off campus in a public space. Since this space is shared, the teams have to practice while it is also being used by members of the public.

Georgetown owes all its teams a safe and private space to train in. The university should invest in its track and field programs by obtaining access to a private space for the teams to use.

The lack of private facilities is not only inconvenient for Georgetown’s track and field teams, but also actively detracts from the quality of their training and development, according to runner Price Owens (NHS ’22).

“Not having a university owned track requires us to share a track with dogs and random people walking, which in the past has caused injuries and complications for the team and others,” Owens wrote in a message to The Hoya.

Student athletes choose to spend four years at Georgetown. The university should at least provide them sufficient practice spaces in return. Athletes getting injured due to the lack of a private training space is unacceptable, and coaches and athletes should be able to maximize the value of practice time rather than having to navigate around unpredictable obstacles in a public space.

The Georgetown men’s and women’s track and field teams consistently succeed in intercollegiate competition, but they could do even better if they had an adequate training space.

An unobstructed track would enable the teams to practice more efficiently, and investments in these programs could help attract better athletes to Georgetown in future seasons, building on the track teams’ successes.

Though Georgetown invests most heavily in its men’s basketball team since it brings in the most revenue, the athletic department must also commit to ensuring that other teams have safe and adequate facilities. Spending across teams does not have to be equal, but all teams

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OPINION

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

VIEWPOINT • HITE

THE HOYA

A3

HILLTOP VOICES

Mandate Reparations

W

ith the words of Martin Luther King Jr. before me, I am reminded that evil often succeeds when “moderates” do nothing. Indeed, the graduate student body has been content with a moderate role, one where we wait to be asked our opinion instead of advocating for reform.

My growing frustration since accepting admission to Georgetown University is tied to the legacy of racism and slavery that we — the students, administrators and staff of Georgetown — are finally confronting.

Unfortunately, the university has chosen a moderate approach that has included renaming a few buildings, apologizing, and continuing important outreach to descendant families. Real justice for the GU272, however, would include reparations paid to descendants of the 272 enslaved people sold by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1838 to financially sustain the university.

These crimes remain acknowledged by Georgetown in word, but not in deed.

When the undergraduate student body overwhelmingly approved a reparations fee of $27.20 to be added to their tuition each semester, the administration cloistered itself and waited to approach the Graduate Government — and every one of the thousands of stakeholders we represent — until a solution had already been identified.

When GradGov was briefed during the November senate meeting late last year, the university had already decided how to address the issue: a yearly fundraising goal of $400,000.

The administration has said that fundraising is ideal because it could result in more funds than the fee would have raised, which is true. Yet I have never heard of a court ordering someone to fundraise to repay victims. Justice demands that the university not host a voluntary fundraiser, but rather institute a mandatory fee for all students. The fee not only holds value because it recognizes and intervenes on a problem needing help, but also because it is an unavoidable symbol of past guilt. It is the admission of guilt, coupled with mandatory restitution, that enables injustices to be righted.

I have heard some graduate students worry that the Jesuit institution itself should pay the reparations. I assent in

E

part. While the Jesuits are morally obligated to pay some reparations, the university — through a fee paid by students — has an obligation as well.

Georgetown was in financial crisis when the decision was made to sell enslaved people, according to a publication from the university’s Working Group on Slavery, Memory, and Reconciliation.

The university owes its continued existence to this sale. Today’s students would not have the privilege of attending Georgetown had it not been for the sacrifice of the more than 272 people sold. Since students benefit from Georgetown’s prestige the moment they step on campus, they are continuing to benefit from the crimes of 1838. Reconciliation, therefore, is undeniably part of our responsibility as students.

Students have also expressed concern that reparations may be ineffectual or too difficult to properly allocate. The front page of Georgetown’s website boasts that the university educates our minds and hearts with intellectual rigor on topics including social justice. If this is true, then I am confident that with a diverse group of students, faculty and administrators, we can find an effective way to use these funds to correct current social justice issues in our community or elsewhere.

Even while determining how to specifically allocate the funds, however, we should be able to definitively commit to the collection of this fee.

Paying into the fund should not be optional. While other academic institutions like Princeton University have created similar reconciliation funds for similar reasons, Georgetown should be the first to issue a mandatory reparation fee. That 66.1% of Georgetown’s undergraduate student body want such a fee underscores the salience of this moment in history. Our institution has a responsibility to finally take this first step toward addressing the racial injustices it continues to benefit from. Georgetown has an opportunity to act on the referendum and work toward real justice for some of its crimes — the administration should make it count.

BLAKE HITE is a graduate

student in the health and the public interest program.

He currently serves in the Graduate Government as the chief of staff.

Yet if the SFS is truly dedicated to preparing students to become global leaders in a 21st-century foreign service and world, more must be done. Increasing the share of Black and Hispanic students must be a priority.

Address Lack of Diversity in the SFS

Amanda Feldman and Adam Shaham

A

ttending Georgetown University has been a privilege. The faculty, the programs, even the students are all world-class. But something is off about campus. Georgetown is really white, especially the School of Foreign Service.

We are writing this column together as SFS students, and we are both members of diversity groups on campus. Though we wrote this installment together, anything written in the first person speaks specifically to Amanda’s experiences as a student of color.

We have both noticed the sheer lack of diversity in our classes here. As a result, SFS graduates are not prepared to represent diverse interests in the various governments and industries that they go on to serve.

As the number one feeder school to the U.S. Foreign Service, the SFS plays a direct role in shaping leadership in international relations. Improving diversity on campus is therefore imperative.

Despite how white our campus feels, Georgetown has consistently ranked among

the top universities in terms of diversity. According to Money, Georgetown ranked 13th in the country for providing best value to African American students, as of 2016. This ranking compliments years of Georgetown’s inclusion on Black Enterprise’s list as well, which assesses the “social and academic” environments for black students on campus.

In 2008, Georgetown ranked fifth on the list and was only beaten out by historically black institutions. While both of these accolades show that Black students can have valuable experiences on campus, they do not make up for the fact that Georgetown classes still fail to represent the racial or socioeconomic demographics of the U.S. population.

Twelve percent of students admitted to the Class of 2022 were Black, another 12% were Hispanic and 19% were Asian.

These statistics are somewhat reflective of the American population, of which 13.4% is Black, 18.3% are Hispanic and 5.9% are Asian. Despite these promising statistics, the percentages of Black, Hispanic and Asian students from the United States attending Georgetown are each around 8%. Students of color are being admitted, but they are choosing not to come to Georgetown. Georgetown has an obligation to actively work to combat this trend.

Despite the success of the universitywide Georgetown

Scholarship Program and the Community Scholars Program to bring more minority lowincome, first-generation students to campus, more must be done. Solutions to this issue will require reducing barriers that have historically disadvantaged students of color and will require the university to substantially reform its admissions and recruiting process. Legacy applicants to Georgetown are twice as likely to be accepted than their similarly qualified peers. Yet legacy admissions are widely proven to disproportionately favor wealthy, white applicants over qualified students of color. Georgetown should end legacy considerations in its admissions process to make the process more equitable.

The university’s admissions office should also reform its standardized test requirements.

Georgetown is nearly alone among peer institutions in strongly encouraging applicants to submit three SAT subject tests.

Harvard University researchers have shown that these kinds of standardized tests are coded with racial biases that systematically disadvantage Black students. Moreover, even college admissions counselors acknowledge that research overwhelmingly indicates that SAT subject tests are primarily indicators of wealth, not intelligence. Georgetown should follow the lead of the one in four American

universities that have already become test-optional and have seen positive increases in the enrollment of students of color.

At the beginning of the term, we sat with SFS Dean Joel Hellman to raise our concerns. Hellman acknowledged the school’s struggle with attracting and retaining students of color, yet also highlighted notable strengths in the SFS’ student body. The SFS has the highest socioeconomic and geographic diversity of any of the four undergraduate schools. Recent initiatives like the “Diverse Diplomacy” speaker series and a Black SFS graduates panel are laudable efforts to highlight role models of color in the working world. Hellman stressed that increasing the SFS’ racial diversity has long been a priority for him and the school’s administrators, who have actively worked alongside the Office of Admissions to address the gap.

Yet if the SFS is truly dedicated to preparing students to become global leaders in a 21st-century foreign service and world, more must be done.

Increasing the share of Black and Hispanic students must be a priority. It is imperative that our classrooms look like the country we are being trained to serve.

Amanda Feldman is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service. Adam Shaham is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service. HILLTOP VOICES appears online every other Wednesday.

VIEWPOINT • DENG

QUEERING THE NARRATIVE

Reject Coronavirus Hysteria

Embracing Gender Uncertainty

veryday life in China is coming to a standstill; streets once filled with people are now practically empty. During Chinese New Year, celebration was muted, with many family reunions curtailed by travel restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the 2019-nCoV coronavirus.

In Wuhan, the source of this new strain of coronavirus, highways have been blocked off, and people are now prohibited from driving their own cars to prevent further spread of the virus, which has infected more than 24,000 people worldwide and killed over 480 people in China as of Feb. 5.

The severity of the situation in China cannot be understated; lives have been disrupted, and the virus’s effects on Chinese society are certainly palpable. Yet some of the loudest voices in the coverage of coronavirus have come from the United States, where only 11 people have been diagnosed with the virus.

Whether on social media or in an auditorium lecture class, it’s hard to ignore the agitated whispers blaming Chinese people for the mass destruction of human life that coronavirus will supposedly cause.

Hearing all this chatter may lead one to believe that coronavirus is an imminent threat to Americans, but the virus has a substantially smaller effect on the United States than on China. By sensationalizing coronavirus and overstating its effects on the American public, we risk dehumanizing those in China and furthering a racist and xenophobic narrative toward Chinese and other Asian-presenting people.

When we do so, we breed unnecessary fear, which prevents us from having empathy.

When I called my mom and told her that I contracted a cold this past week, she told me to take care of myself because discrimination against Chinese people, especially those who appear to be sick, is now rampant. Although I was initially shocked to hear this, I realized there is a vigilance now required of me as a Chinese-American that I didn’t think much about before. I see people staring with suspicion at their face maskwearing classmates. Worst of all, I woke up last week to read an especially awful tweet that read, “What do ya say we just drop an atomic bomb on [Chinese people] and stop the corona virus for good?” It was a terrible feeling knowing that the experiences of all the people in China affected by the virus had been reduced to dehumanized targets in this racist tweet, among many others.

When we as Americans view Chinese and Asian-presenting people as national security threats and virus carriers before viewing them as human beings, we are complicit in allowing this wave of xenophobia and racism to hold the American public captive. This xenophobia, in conjunction with victimizing ourselves as Americans even though the threat to us currently remains low, has created a vicious cycle of American self-importance and a toxic othering of Chinese and Asian-presenting people.

It is important to recognize that the flu poses a much larger threat to Americans than coronavirus does. The flu killed 82,000 people last year in the United States alone, yet reactions to it are considerably less publicized compared to the alarmist reactions to coro-

navirus. We are concerned with a contagion that has barely infected Americans in the 10s as of Feb. 4, while quietly accepting thousands of deaths from the flu as just another mundane fact of life here. Because coronavirus originated from abroad, it has unfortunately become an issue of American national security. It is incredibly problematic that perceptions of two viruses can vary so drastically due to their place of origin.

There is no doubt in my mind that virus outbreaks pose a terrifying threat. Coronavirus has already affected people’s lives, and it pains me to hear of people losing loved ones to the virus. It disappoints me that increased awareness of this contagion in the United States has come hand in hand with racism toward Chinese and Asianpresenting people and a mad dash from many in America to seize an undeserved spotlight.

For now, we must take care to view the situation with greater empathy and avoid furthering racist narratives. It is important for us to simultaneously recognize coronavirus’s threat and the fact that hysteria can perpetuate misinformation and unnecessary fear. I hope that at Georgetown University, we will strive to be more sensitive with the comments we make about the virus and reaffirm our commitment to openmindedness and inclusivity. When we view people as nothing more than infectious hosts, we lose empathy, an essential component of what makes us human.

MELISSA DENG is a freshman in the School Service.

of

Foreign

Jordan Brown

I

f you’re on social media sites like Tumblr, Twitter or Facebook, you’ve probably seen queer and trans people and allies make jokes about how “gender is fake.” The joke is based on the fact — not opinion, but fact — that the gender binary Western society has socialized us to believe isn’t as set in stone as we were taught. Many people now accept that there are more than two genders and that things like makeup and certain haircuts do not belong to only one gender. Even biological markers of sex like chromosomes, hormones and genitalia do not fall into two completely separate camps.

That is, gender is fake.

Transgender people are a prime example of the fact that gender is not a predetermined, unchangeable fact of human existence. Trans people do not represent some new phenomenon; they have always existed in various societies throughout history.

However, they probably did not call themselves trans.

They probably still called themselves women or men, even if they didn’t identify with how everyone else saw them, because of the widespread, steadfast belief in the gender binary that led to transphobic violence. My experience is pretty similar to what I’ve described. Even now, I still often call myself a woman; however,

my conceptualization of myself is far more complex.

As a kid, everyone thought I was a run-of-the-mill tomboy.

I had an irrational hatred of Barbie dolls and the color pink. I refused to wear dresses until an eighth grade dance mandated that girls wear them. I spent more of my time playing with boys than I did with other girls. In sixth grade, when my school had different summer reading books for male and female students, I asked if I could read the boys’ book because the one I was assigned was “too girly.. I ended up being right about that one, though — the book was terrible.

However, there was something more going on beneath the surface that I never really told anyone about. In second grade, my notebooks had “I want to be a boy” scrawled in every margin.

Every time I’d find a dandelion, I would wish to be a boy. I would later learn that most other people assigned female at birth didn’t constantly have these kinds of thoughts.

For most of my life, this didn’t affect me too much — I was just still kind of a tomboy.

I cut my hair short senior year of high school. My style runs the gamut from frilly pink skirts to button-downs and suit jackets. I get called “sir” or “man” out in public relatively often. About three years ago, I started to call myself gender nonconforming and introduce myself with both she/her and he/him pronouns, and my friends call me either one. I didn’t think too much about it — until recently.

According to most definitions, I’m not cisgender; however, I don’t necessarily identify as trans. I still feel very much tied to the experience

of Black womanhood.

Because I am Black, assigned female at birth and seen by most people as a woman, my experiences and interactions are inherently affected by misogynoir, a form of oppression faced by Black women. I don’t really mind when people call me “she” or my family calls me their sister or daughter. But I wish people would see that my experience, how I see myself, is more complicated than that.

Calling myself gender nonconforming or using two sets of pronouns doesn’t fully capture how I feel about myself genderwise. I’m not nonbinary or agender — my uncertainty is due to the fact that I feel tied to both “extremes” of gender: man and woman. I don’t know how to explain that when I’m doing my Spanish homework, it just makes more sense for me to refer to myself with masculine adjectives, or that sometimes when I think of myself, I think of myself as a guy. But, I still use she/her pronouns and like wearing dresses. And that’s fine because, well, gender is fake.

I was talking to an acquaintance the other day about gender. They said to me, “I don’t know how you identify,” and I laughed and said, “I don’t either.”

Lately, I’ve been thinking that I need to hurry up and figure out this whole gender thing so other people can understand my identity. But I don’t know if people even need to understand it. I just need them to know that gender is fake.

Jordan Brown is a junior in the College. QUEERING THE NARRATIVE appears online every other Thursday.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE Australian National University senior lecturer highlighted ways to strengthen the U.S.-Australian relationship at an event Feb. 6. Story on A8.

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IN FOCUS BIPARTISAN ROUNDTABLE verbatim

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While I believe they went about it the wrong way, I believe the university was right to remove the books.”

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WHO’S THE MOST ELIGIBLE VEEP ON THE BLOCK? Here are our thoughts on the perfect partner the Democratic candidates should elect to be their number one number two.

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Students from Georgetown College Republicans, Georgetown College Democrats and the Georgetown Bipartisan Coalition hosted a roundtable discussion on their differing interpretations of executive power in the United States on Feb. 5.

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Students Stress Significance of Cultural Awareness in Classes LEXI NELSON

Special to The Hoya

Like many other freshmen, Emma Chowdhury (COL ’23) took “Problem of God” her first semester at Georgetown University. For the course’s first homework in the Buddhism unit, Chowdhury’s professor wanted to introduce the class to Siddhartha, the first Buddha, through a movie titled “Little Buddha.”

In the film, Keanu Reeves, a white Canadian actor, plays Siddhartha, who was South Asian.

The professor’s choice to introduce the unit though a film that featured the protagonist in brownface caused Chowdhury to feel uneasy.

“It’s not like it was a great film anyway, and teaching it from having a white guy getting his skin darkened to play the first Buddha just seemed very odd to me,” Chowdhury said in an interview with The Hoya.

Although nonwhite and nonEuropean cultural topics can be a central theme in university core requirements in an effort to increase cultural awareness on campus, some student experiences, like Chowdhury’s, point to a lack of cultural sensitivity in the classroom. However, advocacy by Georgetown’s cultural organizations and hiring a more diverse faculty can help address these shortcomings by encouraging cultural and academic diversity.

CULTURE IN THE CLASSROOM

Student perspectives on cultural classes at Georgetown frequently vary based on individual experiences with professors. Citing a lack of professors of color teaching these clases, some students have called for increasing diversity within Georgetown’s faculty to improve the range of perspectives taught in classes.

For Chowdhury, in addition to an insensitive reference to South Asian culture in her “Problem of God” class, the curriculum disproportionately focused on Christianity, with few references to Buddhism, Islam and Taoism.

Chowdhury’s uncomfortable experience when shown material that insensitively covered cultural topics is not isolated to her, as other students have had similar concerns.

Harshini Velraj (COL ’22), who took a sociology class that covered aspects of South Asian cultures with a white professor, felt uneasy when the professor showed a YouTube video that was meant to be a parody of how arranged marriages work.

“It seemed like he didn’t un-

derstand that it was a parody and was using it to demonstrate an aspect of South Asian culture, which was just strange, as a South Asian person,” Velraj said in an interview with The Hoya.

Velraj also called attention to the lack of diversity among faculty teaching these more specialized culture classes.

“It seems like a lot of the classes at Georgetown that are about different cultures are taught mostly by white professors,” Velraj said.

“It seems like a lot of the time we study different cultures through the lens of ‘white men,’ and it would be nice sometimes to get different perspectives or to see more professors of color teaching about these other cultures.”

13.1% of Georgetown’s total faculty are members of minority groups, according to a 2019 survey compiled by the Common Data Set, an initiative that aims to publish statistics about colleges. Nationwide, 24% of faculty in postsecondary institutions are nonwhite, according to fall 2017 data from the National Center for Education Statistics.

Mbatoma Kpolie (NHS ’22), a student who identifies as Black, also pointed to white professors teaching classes about identities they did not grow into as creating a disconnect in the classroom.

“There’s definitely a disconnect,” Kpolie said in an interview with the Hoya. “Majority of my professors have been white. I think it’s just interesting to think about how they are certified to teach a language, religion, but someone who actually experienced that life — like they grew up into it — aren’t certified.”

In spite of this lack of diversity, Velraj believes Georgetown’s student organizations are making an effort to encourage cultural and academic diversity.

There are 85 cultural groups among Georgetown’s many student organizations, including Black Student Alliance, Iranian Cultural Society and the Jewish Student Association. While these groups are working to create inclusive communities, the university can work to improve diversity among faculty, according to Velraj.

“Georgetown is a predominantly white institution. I don’t think that’s surprising,” Velraj said. “I do think that there is a substantial chunk of diversity in the student body, and in the range of classes we get to take and in the professors. But we can always do better, we can always incorporate more diverse opinions, especially when it comes to professors who are teaching

about foreign cultures.”

TEACHING ABOUT CULTURE

Although more can be done to improve academic diversity at Georgetown, current professors teaching classes focused on different cultures have the opportunity to expose students to diverse perspectives and backgrounds.

Georgetown’s core requirements intend to teach students about varying cultural, racial and religious experiences.

Cultural classes are crucial for questioning certain assumptions or stereotypes that Americans often have about cultures outside of our own, according to Kevin Doak, professor and chair of the East Asian languages and cultures department.

Doak hopes that by taking his classes, students realize Japanese culture is more diverse, intersectional and complex than many believe.

“I want all students to recognize that Japanese culture is far more global and pluralistic than many realize,” Doak wrote in an email to The Hoya. “In fact, locating Japanese culture as an ‘East Asian’ culture may not do justice to our understanding of the global influences in modern Japanese culture.”

Similarly, Tamara Sonn, director of the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and professor of Islamic history, emphasized the importance of learning languages and reading literature from around the world in an attempt to understand the circumstances of those living in marginalized communities.

“I try to stress the importance of knowing languages, literatures — including religious literature — of people around the globe,” Sonn said in an interview with The Hoya. “Especially those who are living in the most difficult circumstances, and those are people who are primarily those in formerly colonized countries, but elsewhere as well.”

Courses such as Doak’s “Catholicism in Japanese Culture” challenge cultural stereotypes of both Catholicism as a Western culture and of Japan as a Christian-free culture, according to Doak.

Sonn realized the importance of cultural understanding after returning to the United States from Jordan just as the Iranian Revolution broke out in 1979.

Studying cultures and listening to people’s perspectives is essential for comprehending the real world, Sonn said.

“We have to listen to more than just what their rulers are

saying, what their governments are saying, what their militaries are saying, what their economic elites are saying,” Sonn said. “In order to understand the world we live in, we need to listen to the people who live there.”

Kpolie is taking “Intro to Cultural Studies,” and she feels a lot of the students in the class do not understand the minority experience in the United States.

“When I look at that class, I see a lot of people who don’t really understand what people go through — what minorities go through — in America,” Kpolie said. “How, because of the culture of America, how people are displaced because of their race, because of their gender, because of their religion.”

However, taking a course like “Intro to Cultural Studies” exposes all students to the struggles and obstacles facing marginalized communities in the United States, allowing them to expand their worldview, according to Kpolie.

“The conversations we have in that class are very awakening for some people,” Kpolie said. “I think overall it’s kind of been a good experience to have those kinds of discussions because I have a professor who actually gets into the reality of it.”

BUILDING A CURRICULUM

Professors teaching cultural classes at Georgetown are integral to supporting Georgetown’s core requirements, which cover a variety of topics, including classes that address religion, race and diversity. The university requires students in all schools to complete the 10 university core requirements during their un-

dergraduate years.

The requirements include two theology courses, two philosophy courses, one first-year writing seminar, one integrated writing course, two engaging diversity courses, one natural science course, and one humanities: arts, literature, and cultures course.

The core curriculum intends to provide students foundational knowledge that helps them engage with the global community and think critically about the world, according to Vice Provost of Education Randy Bass.

“It is the hope of the University that the entirety of a Georgetown education will prepare students to embody certain life-long habits: participating creatively in an intellectual community, addressing complex issues and problems, developing a worldview that is both intellectually grounded and personally compelling, and engaging responsively in the world,” Bass wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The original structure of a curriculum has always been a part of the university, while the current framework has been in place since around 50 years ago, according to Bass. Since 2011, the university has amended its core requirements, adding the first-year writing, HALC, global diversity, domestic diversity and science-for-all requirements, Bass wrote.

In an effort to address racial injustice and inequality on campus and nationwide, Georgetown approved the creation of the African American studies department in 2016.

However, despite the university’s attempt to include diversity

within its curriculum, students continue to push for further cultural inclusion in the academic sphere.

For example, the Asian-Pacific Islander Leadership Forum has called for increased Asian American representation and diversity in the Georgetown curriculum.

APILF has advocated for the establishment of an Asian American studies minor to steer away from Eurocentrism in classes, according to APILF Leadership Team member Jennifer Sugijanto (COL ’20).

“APILF as an organization most definitely thinks that Georgetown administrative must decenter whiteness and Eurocentrism in our curriculum,” Sugijanto wrote in an email to The Hoya. “As you mentioned, one of our long-term initiatives is the creation of an Asian American Studies and or Ethnic Studies program.”

APILF’s advocacy work to more accurately and comprehensively represent various cultures and marginalized groups in academia fits into the push by other universities to increase diverse perspectives.

Cultural studies are valuable because they extend beyond education and provide a basis for activism, according to Sugijanto.

“In advocating for Asian American Studies, and more broadly ethnic studies, we at APILF believe that our communities are not just the object of an academic field of study, but rather also the base for collective consciousness and action,” Sugijanto wrote.

Hoya Staff Writer Sana Rahman contributed to reporting

FILE PHOTO: OLIVIA CHUANG FOR THE HOYA

Although nonwhite and non-European cultural topics can be a central theme in Georgetown University’s core requirements, some students have expressed experiencing cultural insensitivity in the classroom.

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Students Alter Spring Plans GU Cancels H*yas for Choice After Coronavirus Outbreak Abortion Demonstration Workshop ASHLEY ZHAO Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University and many of its study abroad partner programs in China have worked to coordinate new spring semester plans for students affected by program cancellations after rising concerns about the coronavirus outbreak in the country.

The university suspended all Chinese study abroad programs and university-related travel to China on Jan. 28 after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of State raised their travel advisories Jan. 27 to recommend travelers avoid nonessential travel and reconsider travel to China. Seven Georgetown students were affected by the program cancellations, according to study abroad adviser for Chinese programs Philip Kafalas.

After the sudden and unexpected cancellation of study abroad programs, Georgetown hopes to support students through this transition period, according to a university spokesperson.

“The university is working with all students affected by this travel moratorium individually to coordinate appropriate alternate plans and ensure academic continuity,” the university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The university has been helpful in its efforts to reintegrate students who wish to return to Georgetown for the remainder of the spring semester, according to Andrew Kaplan (SFS ’21), who had originally planned on studying at the University of International Business and Economics

in Beijing through The Beijing Center program.

“Georgetown has actually been fantastic about the transition, and I was a little bit surprised because I knew that they didn’t have a specific policy already in place and that this was a pretty unusual situation,” Kaplan said. “Once I got back to the U.S., I flew straight to D.C. and I met with my dean, I think it was the next day, and I started picking out classes with him. He was able to email each of the professors for the courses I was interested in taking and all of them individually approved me to join their class three to four weeks late.”

Many of Georgetown’s study abroad partner programs in China have also been working closely with students, prioritizing their safety and well-being, according to Associate Director of Marketing for TBC John Sember.

“The Beijing Center helped to facilitate students’ departure from China, made transportation arrangements from campus to the airport, provided masks, water and snacks, shared information and updates on the illness, and encouraged students to take a 14-day self-quarantine upon returning home,” Sember wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“The swift decision to cancel was necessary in order to safely get all the students back home before the coronavirus infections spiked in numbers.”

Programs such as TBC and the Council of International Educational Exchange have been providing students with alternate options for the remainder of their spring semester, according to Sember.

“Many partner universities of

The Beijing Center have been working closely with students to provide them with some options in this unique, emergency situation,” Sember wrote. “For example, joining another exchange program, enrolling late into courses at their home university and catching up on missed work, or taking this spring semester off and resuming studies next semester.”

The option to attend other programs ensures academic continuity for students, according to Chloe Tan (MSB ’21). Tan, who was originally enrolled in the CIEE Shanghai program, will now be attending a CIEE program in London.

“Overall, my alternative program will be the same dates and under the same itinerary as the original Shanghai program, so luckily there’s not too many changes to my semester schedule,” Tan wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I do not have any significant changes to my class schedule and I’ll be able to graduate on time.”

Despite the suspension of Chinese study abroad programs for the semester, programs for future semesters remain unaffected for now as research into the coronavirus epidemic continues, according to Sember.

“TBC is very sorry that this unexpected event has impacted the spring 2020 program and we hope to welcome the students again in the future once the coronavirus is resolved,” Sember wrote. “We still plan to run our summer and fall 2020 programs, but we will continue to monitor the coronavirus situation closely.”

ELIZABETH BRENNEMAN Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University revoked the room reservation for an abortion education workshop planned by pro-abortion rights student group H*yas for Choice on Jan. 21, forcing the event to take place off campus.

The “Papaya Workshop,” which debunks common misconceptions about abortion and features a demonstration of the procedure on a papaya, was originally supposed to take place in Intercultural Center classroom 115 on Jan. 22.

HFC received an email from the university saying that the room reservation had been retracted Jan. 20. President of HFC Talia Parker (COL ’20) then attempted to rebook the room, but received another email from the Center of Student Engagement asking to meet. At this meeting, Parker and Vice President of HFC Chad Gasman (COL ’20) were told that the workshop could not be held on campus.

After the university’s revocation of HFC’s room reservation, HFC decided to host the workshop at a downtown Washington, D.C., location instead and offered to cover transportation costs for students who still wished to attend, according to a Jan. 21 Facebook post from HFC announcing the location change.

As a Jesuit institution, Georgetown does not allow abortion demonstrations on campus, according to a university spokesperson.

“Consistent with our Catholic and Jesuit identity, Georgetown University does not support or allow for the demonstration or training of abortion procedures in any classroom or reservable space on our campus,” the university spokesperson said. “The student organizers of a planned

event were notified that the ‘Papaya Workshop’ was not permitted to take place in reservable campus spaces.”

Student groups that directly and substantially advocate positions inconsistent with Roman Catholic moral tradition are not eligible to receive university funding or reserve university spaces, according to Georgetown’s Access to Benefits policy, which identifies benefits granted to student organizations in addition to stipulating criteria that student organizations must meet to be granted these benefits.

Although HFC is an unrecognized student group, it should still receive equal protection under Georgetown’s Speech and Expression Policy, which promotes the ideal of free discourse, according to Parker.

“I believe that in cancelling our room reservation based on the content of our event, Georgetown undoubtedly violated the free speech policy,” Parker wrote. “The free speech policy is meant to protect students and faculty from censorship based on Catholic values. If everything that happened on Georgetown’s campus had to comply with Catholic doctrine, we would not have GU Pride or the LGBTQ Center, for example.”

GU Right to Life, a anti-abortion student group, expressed support for the university’s decision to cancel the workshop in a statement on Facebook on Jan. 22. The cancellation of the workshop demonstrates the university’s continued dedication to the anti-abortion cause, according to Vice President of Right to Life Mary Kate Etscorn (NHS ’21).

“The attempt to host the ‘Papaya Workshop’ on campus was incredibly disheartening given that it aimed to dehumanize and normalize the killing of

the pre-born,” Etscorn wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We commend the University for their commitment to the defense of the dignity of human life by preventing this workshop from occurring on campus.”

Last year, the university prevented another unrecognized graduate student group, Medical Students for Choice, from hosting a “Papaya Workshop” at the School for Medicine.

The university’s decision to revoke the room reservation for the workshop adheres to the Catholic values that the university has always upheld, according to Etscorn.

“The decision the University made was consistent with their response on the medical campus when med students in 2019 tried to have a similar event and Dean Mitchell cancelled it,” Etscorn wrote.

“We do not believe that this infringes on HFCs free speech ability because Georgetown is Catholic, Jesuit institution and as a result upholds teachings that are consistent with its identity.”

HFC has hosted many events on campus in the past, and the university has not previously prohibited the group from reserving rooms for any event, according to Parker.

The university’s decision to stop the event from taking place on campus was unacceptable, according to Parker.

“Since I have been a part of H*yas for Choice (for the past 4 years), I don’t think Georgetown has ever cancelled one of our room reservations like this,” Parker wrote in an email to The Hoya. “While H*yas for Choice is an unrecognized organization, we have rights as students that are supposed to protect us from what the university did.”

Students Travel With GU Politics To Observe the Iowa Caucus National Science Foundation Names Observatory for Graduate GRACE BUONO Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service held its first-ever trip to a caucus, bringing select students to Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 3 to observe the Iowa caucus.

Over the course of the fourday trip, the six students with GU Politics had opportunities to meet with campaign staff, according to Kira Macauley (COL ’20), one of the students chosen through an application process to attend the caucus. Students met with Lis Smith, the senior communications advisor for former South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign, and Symone Sanders, senior advisor for former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign.

At the Iowa caucus, voters at designated precincts select their preferred candidate in two caucus rounds. A candidate must obtain at least 15% of the total precinct ground to receive delegates.

GU Politics organized the trip to allow students to get a glimpse into Iowa’s distinctive primary process, according to GU Politics Chief of Staff Carly Henry.

“We considered all of the four early primary states when we decided to plan an experiential trip and felt that Iowa was really the one we wanted to focus on because of its unique caucus experience,” Henry said in an interview with The Hoya.

This year, Iowa Democratic Party officials decided to report caucus results through a new online app in an effort to simplify reporting precinct results across the state. After technical issues including WiFi shortages and overcrowded phone lines, this new reporting method caused extreme delays, according to CNN. Watching the system fall apart after four years of planning a process to streamline reporting results was frustrating, Macauley wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“It was great to see that the new rules and procedures allowed the caucus to be more accessible and have a physical paper trail, but the incompetency of the Iowa Democratic Party to collect and verify the results quickly may affect their ability to one, go first next cycle, and two, make more changes to improve the caucus next cycle,” Macauley wrote.

Eight students enrolled in a spring 2020 government course also attended the Iowa caucus.

The course, titled “Presidential Nominations Lab,” gives accepted students the opportunity to visit early contest states to study the U.S. presidential nomination system.

Over the course of their five-

day field trip, the students attended conferences and candidate events and recorded data at the caucus site itself, according to Adam Ginsburg (COL ’21), a student enrolled in the class.

“The trip was exceptional,” Ginsburg wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We got the opportunity to observe presentations from top scholars in political science, see seven major presidential candidates at rallies, and attend actual precinct caucuses. The fact that we were able to marry the academic with the practical made for an illuminating experience.”

As of Thursday night, Buttigieg led in the polls with 59 counties and 26.2% of total district and state delegates, according to the New York Times. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) trailed second with 19 counties and 26.1% of delegates, with 99% of precincts reporting.

Buttigieg’s confidence was evident both leading up to the vote and in his speech waiting for the results, according to Grace Xu (SFS ’23), who attended the caucus with GU Politics.

“I think the way that he really had his victory speech planned out was very effective,” Xu said in an interview with The Hoya. “I think by having the confidence and kind of projecting hope was really effective for his campaign and his supporters because it was really just celebrating the moment of having so much support in that room.”

Prior to the caucus, students traveling to Iowa published their predictions in an article with On The Record, a publication sponsored by GU Politics, about which candidates they felt would first achieve viability among caucus attendees.

Both Xu and Grace Shevchenko (SFS ’22) ranked candidates with Sanders in the lead, followed by Buttigieg and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), according to the article published

by On The Record.

Although she did not predict Buttigieg would come out of the caucus in the lead, Shevchenko said she was impressed with his campaign efforts.

“The people who were canvassing for him were so dedicated and he really made the campaign about them in his speeches rather than making it about himself which was really powerful for his campaign,” Shevchenko said.

In addition to hearing from many of the candidate’s campaigns, students also attended a reelection campaign rally for President Donald Trump, according to Macauley.

While the focus of the trip to Iowa was on the Democratic nominees, it was important to recognize both sides of the election, Macauley wrote.

“GU Politics believes that you can’t tell the whole story without seeing both sides, and this was one way to show it,” Macauley wrote. “We also spoke to many Iowans who said they weren’t caucusing because they were Trump supporters, hearing why they would support the President in the next election helped give us context for what’s really going on in Iowa, and understand the power of incumbency when it comes to elections.”

Beyond attending the Trump rally, students heard from the people of Iowa themselves, whether they were staunch supporters of a particular candidate or someone trying to make a decision 48 hours before they went to caucus, Henry said.

“You can see through the photos and everything they’ve posted that they’ve met some incredible people and had some real off-the-record conversations with senior political officials,” Henry said. “But what we also wanted them to get out of the trip was understanding what was going on in the sentiment of voters.”

@GUPOLITICS/TWITTER

Six students traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to cover the Iowa caucus for GU Politics on its first-ever trip focused on a primary election.

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, currently being constructed on Cerro Pachón in Chile, will help complete observations in the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, a 10-year observation of the southern sky.

SAMANTHA SINUTKO Special to The Hoya

The National Science Foundation has renamed a major new observatory after Georgetown University alumna and astrophysicist Vera Rubin (GRD ’54), making it the first national U.S. observatory to be named after a female astronomer.

The observatory, formerly known as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope, will now be called the NSF Vera C. Rubin Observatory to recognize the contributions Rubin made in providing evidence of the existence of dark matter, according to a Jan. 7 news release from the NSF. Renaming the observatory after Rubin is a great way to memorialize her achievements in the field of astronomy, according to the Chair of the Georgetown University physics department, Jeff Urbach.

“Her research really laid the groundwork for the realization that visible matter didn’t make up the majority of what’s out there,” Urban said in an interview with The Hoya. “Now the community understands the importance of what she has done, and this was a way to recognize that.”

The observatory, which is located on Cerro Pachón in Chile, will begin operations in 2022, according to the Jan. 7 news release. The observatory will help complete the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, a 10-year survey of the visible sky, and will aim to advance what is known about dark energy and dark matter.

A national observatory named after a female as-

tronomer exemplifies the capabilities of women in STEM, NSF director France Córdova wrote in a news release on the NSF website.

“The Rubin name will have yet another way to inspire women and men eager to investigate,” Córdova wrote.

“Named after an astronomer who provided important evidence of the existence of dark matter, the NSF Vera C. Rubin Observatory seems destined to make science history with its extraordinary capabilities that will come to bear in the next few years.”

As part of her research, Rubin studied the behavior of spiral galaxies, according to NPR. Under previous assumptions that all matter is visible, celestial bodies farther away from the center of the galaxy should travel slower. However, Rubin observed certain bodies moving faster than expected, suggesting that there must be unseeable matter, otherwise known as dark matter, influencing these planetary speeds.

Rubin’s accomplishments in the field of astronomy make her the perfect individual to name the observatory after, according to Sarah Jiang (COL ’21), a student researcher in the Georgetown physics department.

“It makes sense that someone who was so instrumental in the field of astrophysics would have an observatory named after her. It’s just surprising that it took this long,” Jiang said in an interview with The Hoya.

After receiving her Ph.D. from Georgetown in 1954, Rubin returned to the university and served as a professor and

a researcher. In June 2019, three years after Rubin’s death, Georgetown hosted the Vera Rubin Symposium to bring together leading astrophysicists to celebrate Rubin’s legacy in the field.

Scientific organizations should celebrate the successes of women, especially women in fields of study where they are historically underrepresented, according to Georgetown University Astronomical Society President Laura Caron (SFS ’20).

“I think the NSF and other scientific institutions have a duty to recognize all people who have made significant scientific contributions,” Caron wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“Women and other disadvantaged groups should be recognized for their contributions as well as for the challenges they have faced in the field.”

Honoring Rubin’s impact is an important step in recognizing the contributions of women to various academic fields, according to C.C. Borzilleri (COL ’19), who led efforts to memorialize Georgetown graduates in a 2019 exhibit in Hoya Court. (Full disclosure: Borzilleri formerly served on the editorial board for The Hoya.)

“Bringing women out of historical obscurity is an important step towards making sure that they can be seen and admired for all that they have done,” Borzilleri wrote in an email to The Hoya. “The physical memorialization of women, on Georgetown’s campus and throughout the world, is a mission far from complete, but the progress of the Dr. Rubin Observatory is an important step forward.”

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Students Vote To Pass All 3 Referenda With Overwhelming Majority GUSA, from A1 with The Hoya. “I think that they are both going to fight for students, and I have no doubt that we’ll be seeing change in the upcoming year.”

Ferretti announced his ticket’s support of all three referenda in the presidential debates Feb. 3.

A referendum attached to the executive election to encourage the university to divest from fossil fuel investments, pushed by student activist group GU Fossil Free, passed with 90.65% of the vote. The victory comes after the university announced that the board of directors had voted to begin the divestment process.

A large margin of victory demonstrates the strength of student enthusiasm for the issue, according to Victoria Boatwright (COL ’22), a member of GUFF. “I think that the turnout and overwhelming support was representative of how many people care about the issue of the climate crisis

and socially responsible investing but also more importantly of how hard our team campaigned and how many people became engaged with the initiative,” Boatwright wrote in a statement to The Hoya. “The results of the referendum and the outcome of the Board of Directors meeting together have totally blown me away.”

A second referendum to promote greater university commitment to environmental sustainability and protection of ocean habitats by designating Georgetown as a Blue Campus also passed with 93.72% of the vote.

The passage of the Blue Campus referendum is an important step in demanding greater university action and accountability regarding environmental issues, according to GUSA Sustainability Chair Rowlie Flores (COL ’22).

“I think protecting our oceans start with realizing that our university plays a significant role in climate change through our policies and practices,” Flores wrote in an email to The Hoya. “And the student body did just

that! With more than 93% of the vote, students have shown that they do care about the environment and they demand more institutional changes.”

A third referendum asked students about the creation of a fund to bankroll large student projects on campus.

The fund would allocate approximately $50,000 from the $1.09 million collected by the student activities fee every year to a student-run endowment.

The passage of the referendum will help the GUSA Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee better manage Student Activity Fee funds and support student initiatives on campus, Senator Eric Bazail Eimil (SFS ’23) wrote in a message to The Hoya.

“This referendum passing is a huge step for the Georgetown student body,” Bazail wrote. “It’ll help us more effectively spend the revenues from the Student Activity Fee and it’ll help magnify student voices so we can be even bigger stakeholders in the future and evolution of the Hilltop.”

WILL HOUSTON FOR THE HOYA

WILL HOUSTON FOR THE HOYA

Nicolo Ferretti (SFS ‘21), above, and running mate Bryce Badger (MSB ‘21) were elected as the 2020-21 GUSA executives. The results were announced early in the morning Feb. 7.

Ferretti and Badger were the first ticket to launch their campaign. The pair ran against two petition tickets, Arisaid Gonzalez Porras (COL ’21) and Anahi Figueroa-Flores (COL ’21) and Joshua Marin-Mora (SFS ‘21).

GradGov Releases Statement, Condemns Tweets from VP

Referendum Passes After GU Announces Divestment Plans

GRADGOV, from A1 block a legitimately elected Vice President of Graduate Student Government (GradGov) from attending GradGov Senate Meeting is an unacceptable behavior,” Kim wrote. “Acting with physical aggression and verbal aggression are conducts that are not in keeping with what is expected of students at Georgetown University, let alone a GradGov President.”

Kim is referencing an instance where May poked him in the chest, according to May. “Apparently at one point in the conversation I, like, booped him in the chest, sort of for emphasis, and he was like ‘Oh, you physically assaulted me,’ and then called for my resignation,” May said.

Shortly after Kim sent out his email, the GradGov Executive Board sent a letter to Kim requesting his resignation. The timing of the two events proves that May requested Kim’s resignation as revenge, Kim wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“The demand for resignation was emailed to me on Saturday, February 1, 2020, and represents retaliation for my having reported GradGov Lewis May for physical assault of me” Kim wrote. “GradGov President Lewis May is angry and his violence is motivated by his bias against my conservative evangelical Christian faith and values.”

Kim has since filed a police report against May, alleging physical assault.

After Kim denied the request for his resignation, the GradGov Executive Board decided to move forward with soliciting a petition from GradGov senators to push for Kim’s impeachment, the Executive Board wrote in the Feb. 1 statement.

“The Executive Board of the Graduate Student Government unanimously condemns the statements and

has called for him to resign.

Mr. Kim has refused to do so, citing baseless claims of political and personal persecution,” the statement read.

“We plan to take every necessary measure to assure that GradGov fulfills its mandate as an inclusive, supportive, and welcoming organization that represents the diversity of Georgetown students.”

“GradGov President Lewis May is angry and his violence is motivated by his bias.”

HEERAK KIM Vice President, GradGov

To begin impeachment proceedings, a written petition signed by two-thirds of GradGov senators must be submitted to the chair of the Internal Affairs Committee, according to the GradGov Constitution. The chair would then hold an impeachment hearing at the next senate meeting, at which the officer facing impeachment would have an opportunity to rebut all claims against them.

A simple majority of those present can vote to remove the officer from his post.

The petition was sent out Feb. 3 and has garnered 54 out of the 60 needed signatures as of Thursday night, according to GradGov Director of Advocacy Henry Watson, a first-year doctoral student in the department of government, who was appointed by May to manage the impeachment process.

Kim’s comments on his Twitter have made him unfit to serve as a student leader, according to Watson.

“We hope that this will be

taken care of expeditiously, but I wouldn’t want to set a definite timeline,” Watson wrote in an email to . “It all depends on getting to 60 signatures, which we remain short of.”

Kim, who ran unopposed, was elected as vice president in 2019. Kim also serves as president of the Georgetown Collaborative Diplomacy Initiative, a diplomacy-focused graduate student organization, and is running for U.S. Congress in Virginia’s 8th District.

Other graduate organizations have also denounced Kim’s Twitter activity, according to third-year doctoral student in the department of linguistics and GradPride President Nick Mararac.

“GradPride and Spectra Alliance stand with GradGov in condemning the racist, homophobic, antimuslim, and anisemitic tweets by Heerak Kim and support any initatives to impeach him,” Mararac wrote in an email to . “We don’t believe such views align with the Jesuit principle of cura personalis nor with our expectations of the Georgetown University community.”

Kim cannot remain as vice president for an inclusive organization that is dedicated to celebrating diversity, May said.

“We as GradGov, this is not our values,” May said. “We are an inclusive organization that’s working to promoting students in a way that’s absolutely anathema to the messages Heerak wrote on his Twitter.”

Resources: On-campus resources include Health Education Services (202-687-8949), Counseling and Psychiatric Services (202-6876985) and the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access (202687-4054); additional off-campus resources include The Trevor Project, a national 24-hour, toll free confidential suicide hotline for LGBTQ youth (866-488-7386).

DIVESTMENT, from A1 GUFF included a similar provision in its proposal to the university in January 2019, according to GUFF member Victoria Boatwright (COL ’22).

“There are many companies that are invested in fossil fuels and are engaged in fossil fuel exploration and extraction, but are trying to move to a more renewable future,” Boatwright said in an interview with The Hoya. “In some cases it is more important to evaluate the fund as a whole and just see that it is moving in the right direction.”

Georgetown has assessed its endowment’s holdings in the past, as it previously divested from coal in 2015 and from tar sand extraction in 2018. Additionally, the university’s 2017 Socially Responsible Investment policy ensures that Georgetown’s investments are in line with its commitment to the plan-

et and social justice. The policy instructs Georgetown to avoid investments in companies whose practices have significantly harmful effects on the environment.

The decision to divest from fossil fuels aligns with the university’s Jesuit values and informs the pressing conversation surrounding climate change, according to DeGioia.

“The work of understanding and responding to the demands of climate change is urgent and complex,” DeGioia wrote in the email. “We all share in the responsibility to be caring stewards of the environment and to engage the resources of our tradition and the strengths of our communities in our pursuit of the common good.”

Advocating for socially responsible investments

by Georgetown and making Georgetown’s board of directors aware of pressing climate issues demonstrated

how much students care about both their community and the climate, according to Boatwright.

“It’s been so exciting to watch this whole process and see how many students care about this and are engaged with it and have given us positive feedback and responses,” Boatwright said.

“It’s really encouraging to see a student body that can be really well aligned and become advocates.”

GUFF will advocate for Georgetown to maintain its commitment to divestment in a transparent way, according to Olivia Torbert (SFS ’20).

“This isn’t the end for GU Fossil Free — we’re now super excited to begin working with the administration to make sure how this is implemented is in a really great and efficient way,” Torbert said in an interview with .

“We’re excited to not end right now, but to start.”

SHEEL PATEL/THE HOYA

Students have been pushing for the university to divest from fossil fuels for the past eight years.

SFS Dean Joel Hellman, above, passes chalk messages in Red Square advocating for divestment.

NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

THE HOYA

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LEFT: KIKI SCHMALFUSS/THE HOYA, RIGHT: KASSIDY ANGELO/THE HOYA

The GUSA presidential debate was held Feb. 3 in the HFSC Great Room and featured the three executive candidates in the left photo, from left, Joshua Marin-Mora, Arisaid Gonzalez Porras and Nicolo Ferretti. The GUSA vice presidential debate was held Feb. 4 in the Intercultural Center and featured the two vice presidential candidates, from left, Bryce Badger and Anahi Figueroa-Flores.

Presidential Candidates Support GUSA VP Candidates Stress Inclusion at Final Debate 3 Referenda at Debate JAIME MOORE-CARRILLO AND RILEY ROGERSON Hoya Staff Writers

Georgetown University Student Association candidates Nicolo Ferretti (SFS ’21), Arisaid Gonzalez Porras (COL ’21) and Joshua Marin-Mora (SFS ’21) all announced their support for three upcoming referenda and discussed their platforms at the GUSA presidential debate Feb. 3.

The debate comes days before the Feb. 6 GUSA election, in which students will vote on the next GUSA Executive administration and decide on three referenda. In one referendum, students will vote on whether to support Georgetown University’s divestment from fossil fuel companies by 2024. In a second referendum, students will vote on whether Georgetown should adopt a Blue Campus designation, which affirms Georgetown’s commitment to ocean preservation. In the most recently approved referendum, students will decide whether to enact a fund that would appropriate student activities fees to help finance large studentdirected projects.

Students must vote in favor of university fossil fuel divestment to encourage Georgetown to take action in the fight against climate change, Ferretti said at the debate.

“We really want to make sure that we are pushing them to get this done, because the world is literally on fire. This is one of the biggest issues we’re facing right now,” Ferretti said.

“We cannot be a university that claims to Jesuit values without divesting from fossil fuels.”

Divestment from fossil fuels and a Blue Campus designation would prompt the university to strive toward more responsible practices, Marin-Mora said.

“These are the best ways to hold true to its commitments to its sustainability approach. It is what is most consistent with our values, and it is the most ethical way to go forward with this,” Marin-Mora said. “Georgetown cannot afford to not be a leader in this movement. We cannot fall behind, for the good of the university but more importantly for the good of our students and our planet.”

Each presidential candidate also supported the Student Empowerment Fund referendum, which passed the GUSA Senate on Feb. 2, for its capacity to give students more voice in future campus projects.

“I think it is a perfect investment for the long term,” Marin-Mora said.

All three tickets also expressed dissatisfaction with the university’s response to the GU272 referendum, the most recent referendum to be passed by the undergraduate student body. In April 2019, 66.1% of students voted “yes” in support of the GU272 referendum to establish a semesterly fee of $27.20 to benefit the descendants of the GU272, the 272 enslaved people sold by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1838 to financially sustain the university.

Despite overwhelming student support for the referendum, University President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95) announced in November that the university would not enact a semesterly fee and would instead pursue other initiatives to support descendants.

If elected, Gonzalez Porras would collaborate with the GU272 advocacy team and press the university to take more steps to address the concerns of the descendant community, she said.

“I remember voting for the GU272 and realizing, wow, finally Georgetown is doing something that I’m proud of; I’m proud to be part of Georgetown. Unfortunately, that ended really quickly,” Gonzalez Porras said. “If we have to do civil disobedience, we’re here for it.

Even if we don’t get elected, you know where to find me.”

GUSA Election Commissioner Kareeda Kabir (COL ’20) moderated the presidential debate held in the Healey Family Student Center before giving students the floor to ask the presidential hopefuls questions about their campaigns.

Georgetown University Pride Co-President Siena Hohne (COL ’22) asked the candidates how they would encourage diversity and representation in the GUSA. GU Pride alongside other campus organizations released

a Feb. 2 report card ranking the campaigns on their policies regarding issues concerning the LGBTQ community. The report card gave Ferretti’s campaign a 94%, Gonzalez Porras’ a 73% and Marin-Mora’s a 72%.

The diversity of Gonzalez Porras’ executive team would encourage students from underrepresented communities to run for office, she told attendees.

“If we do get elected, we would want a whole campaign of leaders with women of color slash femmes,” Gonzalez Porras said. “I think that would make a huge impact, especially if you’re an incoming student, to see that our whole campaign is literally women of color slash femmes.”

To encourage more diverse student representation in the GUSA Senate, Ferretti’s administration would prioritize conversations with students to encourage them to run, he said.

“I think a lot of times cisgender men feel much more entitled to these positions than any other group on campus, and so we really have to go out of our way and encourage every single person to run,” Ferretti said.

Marin-Mora agreed with Ferretti that the GUSA Executive should communicate with candidates considering running and helping navigate the senate if they are elected.

“More students just need to feel supported when they’re going out to run,” Marin-Mora said. “Rather than focusing on diversity, I think we have a lot of work to do regarding the inclusion factor as well and making sure that student voices are being heard.”

The debate comes after GUSA Executive candidate Julio Salmeron-Perla (SFS ’22) left the election Feb. 3, four days after his co-presidential candidate Gabby Elliot Brault (SFS ’21) dropped out of the race.

Marin-Mora’s former running mate Isbel Deleon (COL ’21) also left the race Feb. 3, citing mental health concerns. Deleon will be missed, according to Marin-Mora.

“I am sad of course that she won’t be on the ticket, but at the same time, mental health takes precedence over anything else,” Marin-Mora wrote in a statement to The Hoya.

HANSEN LIAN AND JAIME MOORE-CARRILLO Hoya Staff Writers

Georgetown University Student Association vice presidential candidates Bryce Badger (MSB ’21) and Anahi Figueroa-Flores (COL ’21) highlighted the importance of inclusion and accessibility in student government at the GUSA vice presidential debate Feb. 4.

The debate, which comes just two days before the election, was moderated by Kareeda Kabir (COL ’20), chair of the 2020 GUSA Election Commission. Only two vice presidential hopefuls debated Tuesday after presidential candidate Joshua Marin-Mora’s (SFS ’21) running mate Isbel Deleon (COL ’21) announced her withdrawal from the race Feb. 3. Gabby Elliott Brault (SFS ’21) and Julio Salmeron-Perla’s (SFS ’22) ticket also dropped out of the race.

Figueroa-Flores, an undocumented woman and firstgeneration college student, decided to run for office because of her desire to empower students like herself who have traditionally been on the fringes of campus affairs, she said at the debate.

“I’m actually very surprised that I’m even standing here or that I even made it this far,” Figueroa-Flores said. “However, I’m proud that I’m here because if I can do it others can do it too. I want to make Georgetown unafraid. I want to empower and amplify students’ voices on campus.”

Badger expressed a similar desire to break down barriers for marginalized students across campus.

“When I got here, and people told me I couldn’t join GUSA because I was a person of color, I ran for senate. And then, on top of that, I came in first place. When I say I’ve never backed down from a fight, I mean it,” Badger said.

Badger, who has years of GUSA experience across different roles and administrations, touted his previous experience in GUSA as important to working with

the administration and reengaging the Georgetown student community.

“Regardless of whoever’s elected I know the leaders are going to be passionate and hardworking people, but I think experience is also crucial in that things get pushed through. People don’t wanna just come to meetings or come to these debates if they don’t think GUSA actually has a way to make change on this campus,” Badger said. “Our platform, Nico and I, we’re ready to push things forward, we’re ready to deliver results.”

“I’m actually very surprised that I’m even standing here or that I even made it this far.”

ANAHI FIGUEROA-FLORES (COL ’21) Vice Presidential Candidate

Badger currently works as the chief of staff for the Francis and Olvera administration. He previously served as the student engagement director for former GUSA president Sahil Nair (SFS ’19), who resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct; Badger and nine other members of the executive team resigned to pressure Nair into resignation.

While Figueroa-Flores and her running-mate Arisaid Gonzalez Porras (COL ’21) have no prior GUSA experience, the team will learn the necessary rules and structure to effectively represent the interests of the student body, Figueroa-Flores told attendees at the debate.

“While I have no experience in GUSA I am committed to learning everything there is,” Figueroa-Flores said. “We will begin by bridging the gap between GUSA and students. I may not have experience but I know for a fact that we are driven and passionate about creating change on campus.”

Figueroa-Flores serves as

vice-president of Hoyas For Immigrant Rights, a student activism organization, alongside Gonzalez Porras. In November, they helped organize a walkout to the Supreme Court with 157 attendees.

The pair’s history in activism and civil disobedience will help them advocate for student interests, FigueroaFlores added.

“Our whole platform has to do with being unafraid. So I think when it comes to pushing the administration and holding them accountable, we will make sure we’ll hold them accountable,” FigueroaFlores said. “So if that means that we have to do sit ins, we have to do protests, we have to mobilize walkouts, we will have to do that, because administration is not hearing the issues that students have.”

Should they win office, Gonzalez Porras and Figueroa-Flores will strive to continue the advocacy that has defined their campaign, Figueroa-Flores said during closing remarks.

“Our campaign is about amplifying students voices here on campus, so that’s why we decided to run for GUSA,” Figueroa-Flores said. “We want to create spaces we want to expand those spaces we want to give resources to the students who are not heard, to students who feel out of place here. It’s all about making Georgetown unafraid.”

Badger and Ferretti also hope to cultivate a diverse, skilled policy team that will help their administration effectively advocate for different student interests, Badger said in his closing statement.

“Our campaign slogan is ‘your voice, your vote, your Georgetown’ because this campaign is catering to so many different people, and just making sure that everyone feels like they have a voice in GUSA, that’s the reason our banner in Red Square isn’t just Nico and I,” Badger said. “It’s a whole bunch of people. Because this campaign, what we stand for, what we believe in, isn’t just the two of us, it’s all of Georgetown.”

Students Vote ‘Yes’ to Student Empowerment Fund LIANA HARDY Hoya Staff Writer

Students voted to create a Student Empowerment Fund on Feb. 6 after the Georgetown University Student Association passed the referendum proposal at its weekly meeting Feb. 2.

The fund passed with 68.18% of voters voting “yes” to establish the fund. The fund will be used by future classes of Georgetown University students to bankroll large campus projects and events. The GUSA Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee would annually allocate $50,000 from the approximately $1.9 million Student Activity Fee budget to create the fund at the beginning of the 2021 fiscal year and continue adding funds for the next 15 years.

The fund would be expected to grow to $1.3 million by 2036 with regular mandated allotments at an approximate interest rate of 3%, according to FinApp Committee member Peter Hamilton (COL ’20).

The senate will not be able

to withdraw funds from the endowment until 2036, when the university begins a new cycle of campus construction plans, according to the referendum proposal.

The referendum appeared on the ballot of the GUSA Executive elections Feb. 6, alongside two more referenda addressing divestment from fossil fuels and ocean preservation practices, which also passed.

The FinApp Committee originally circulated a petition through social media two weeks ago to gauge student support for the fund. FinApp members decided to propose a referendum to further advertise the idea to the student body, according to FinApp Committee Chair and Senator Juliana Arias (SFS ’20).

“It was a good way of putting it out there so that students could see what we’re doing right now,” Arias said in an interview with The Hoya. “It is mostly a way to publicize it.”

Twenty senators voted in favor of the referendum proposal, with only one sena-

tor voting against. Eleven senators, including GUSA presidential candidate Joshua Marin-Mora (SFS ’21), collaborated to introduce the referendum.

GUSA began setting aside funds from the Student Activity Fee in 2001 to sustain club funding in the long term. In 2010, GUSA transformed the fund into an endowment to bankroll campus projects. Students decided to use the fund to help finance the establishment of the Healey Family Student Center in 2011.

The fund would offer students a valuable mechanism to influence important campus projects and advocate for student interests on an institutional level, according to the resolution proposal.

“The student body showed its commitment to campus improvement and had a measurable impact through our financial buy-in to the project. In the future, if we seek to replicate the success of the HFSC, we must be willing to make a similar financial investment,” the resolution

read. “As demonstrated by the university and the student body, both win when students are given agency in campus planning. The SEF will grant us such agency.”

The fund will enable GUSA to streamline its finances to projects that will have the most direct, positive impact on students, according to GUSA Senator Eric Bazail-Eimil (SFS ’23).

“Student money is being wasted by inefficiencies across the system and the loss of these funds hurts students in the long-run,” BazailEimil wrote in a statement to The Hoya. “Money speaks on this campus and if we want improvements to student life and student resources on campus, it will only come when we can properly invest and spend that money. This is why I joined the other members of the Finance and Appropriations Committee in this project to create the Student Empowerment Fund.”

The GUSA Senate may face obstacles sustaining interest in the fund over the course of 15 years, according to Sena-

tor Leo Arnett (SFS ’22).

“Fifteen years is a long time,” Arnett said at the Feb. 2 GUSA meeting. “I hope that you all have thought of a way to be able to continue the same energy that you all have behind this and the same very well-intentioned spirit, to where the FinApp Committee 15 years down the line has the same.”

To address this issue, Arias would propose to initiate the fund for two years, she said.

If the fund proves successful and garners enough support from the student body at the end of the two-year trial period, the FinApp Committee will create a referendum to determine whether the fund will be codified in the GUSA Constitution.

“The idea is to create this fund, implement it next year and then test it for two fiscal years starting next year, and if it is effective and if it is supported by the student body, then my idea is that it is pushed through a referendum to be a constitutional change,” Arias said in an interview with The Hoya.

The university has not officially opposed or supported the initiative, according to a university spokesperson.

“Georgetown has not taken a position on the Student Empowerment Fund,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

However, Arias said university officials have pushed back against the fund because they believe the FinApp Committee has overstepped its role on campus, according to Arias.

“They believe that GUSA shouldn’t do this because they think that students should stay with student affairs,” Arias said at the GUSA meeting Feb. 2.

Bazail-Eimil is also concerned that administrators will be unwilling to collaborate on the fund, he said.

“The reality is that our only concern is the university stonewalling us because they don’t want this project, even though we’ve had it in the past and it was a measurable impact on the student community,” Bazail-Eimil said at the GUSA meeting Feb. 2.

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Expert: Australia, US Must Police Carry Out Search Warrant Realize Diverging Interests At Georgetown CBD Pop-Up Shop RILEY ROGERSON Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown Collaborative The U.S. and Australian governments must reassess and adjust their alliance to accommodate changes in the global political sphere, Australian National University senior lecturer Andrew Carr said at an event Thursday.

As the U.S. and Australian alliance approaches its 70th anniversary in 2021, Carr explained that the two nations must reassess their strategic interests and acknowledge their differences.

Although an alliance between the U.S. and Australia remains popular, it may become invisible if politicians do not account for the countries’ diverging policies, Carr said at the Feb. 6 event titled “The Ally’s Burden — What does Australia owe America in 2020 and beyond?”

The alliance was signed in 1951 with a mutual understanding that Australia would offer the U.S. trade, public political support and private intelligence sharing. In return, the U.S. would provide security to protect the Australian continent, Carr said.

The terms of the current alliance, however, are outdated in today’s international political climate.

“America needs more than just a small but loyal friend. As Australia faces its own economic decline, its political weight and economic influence is waning,” Carr said. “Australia cannot just rely on an unspoken promise of security anymore. The alarm bells are ringing, and we need to think about not just worst-case scenarios but a handful of quite plausible conflicts in our near neighborhood.”

The United States and Australia have evolved politically

since the the start of their alliance, leading to diverging strategic interests around the world, according to Carr. In 2020, the two countries have varying policies and perspectives around U.S. power in Asia, infrastructure developments in China, defending Taiwan and the role of Australian troops around the globe, Carr said.

Many politicians and journalists have falsely argued that the nations’ diverging interests have been caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s diplomatic approach or Chinese interference in Australia, according to Carr.

“These differences are due to underlying strategic differences and strategic interests and not due, as sometimes claimed, to the bombastic style of President Trump, nor as evidence of Chinese coercion, bribery and other influence campaigns by the CCP,” Carr said.

A 2019 poll showed that 72% of Australian citizens consider their country’s alliance with the U.S. very important or fairly important for Australian security, according to the Lowy Institute, which conducts an annual poll of Australian attitudes toward the United States. For the alliance to remain viable in the future, however, the nations must consider a new arrangement, according to Carr.

“If we are to remain mates, a new approach to our relationship is going to have to face up to what I see as a diverging series of strategic interests,” Carr said. “It will have to take a form that meets these challenges and differences and offers greater value to both parties.”

Carr works in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at Australian National Univer-

sity. He is an expert in strategy, time, middle powers and Australian defense policy and has published books with Oxford University Press and Georgetown University Press, as well as numerous academic journal articles on the subject. Carr spoke at the discussion, hosted by the Walsh School of Foreign Service in the McGhee Library in the Intercultural Center on Feb. 6.

At the event, Carr said political actors from the United States and Australia must reconsider their shared strategic missions and the value of their continued alliance so that the nations can productively pursue their goals.

“At times of uncertainty such as this moment, I believe that questions of presence must give way to deeper questions of purpose,” Carr said. “Only if we have clear ideas about what both of our nations seek and how we want to achieve those goals can the questions of material cooperation and material allocation make sense.”

Although the United States has aided Australia militarily and politically in many instances throughout the nation’s history, Australia needs to reprioritize its own strategic interests, according to Carr.

“What does Australia owe the United States in 2020? The answer remains a great deal,” Carr said. “I do not expect America acts purely in self-sacrifice, and I do not believe we can be asked to do so likewise. Our mateship, if it is to endure, needs to be based on a firm understanding of our underlying strategic interests. As these are evolving, so must the nature of our relationship.”

Hoya Staff Writer Amy Li contributed reporting.

CONNOR THOMAS Hoya Staff Writer

Metropolitan Police Department officers armed with assault rifles and a battering ram executed a search warrant at the CBD pop-up shop Mr. Nice Guys D.C. at 1660 33rd St. NW at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 30, according to a public incident report.

The most recent raid was the second in three months. Mr. Nice Guys D.C. was temporarily shut down after MPD executed a raid Dec. 3 due to allegations that the business was selling marijuana. CBD products are federally legal to sell as long as they contain no more than 0.3% THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, according to PBS. In addition to CBD, Mr. Nice Guys D.C. purportedly sells marijuana through the gifting loophole provided for in Initiative 71, according to The Georgetowner.

The loophole allows customers to purchase a separate product at a higher-than-normal price and receive up to one ounce of marijuana as a “gift.”

The only cannabis-derived products in stock are CBD, according to co-owner Damion West.

“Every time they raid us, they take all of our CBD products, and CBD is legal, federally. And I don’t understand how they don’t know this,” West said in an interview with The Hoya. “If we were a lab and we tested everything that came through our door, then we could differentiate between products that have high THC levels.”

West argued this could cause MPD lab tests to return false positives for marijuana.

However, Mr. Nice Guys D.C. identifies itself as an Initiative 71-compliant business on its website; the website also implies Mr. Nice Guys D.C. makes use of the gifting loophole.

The shop owners were not charged with distribution of marijuana, according to West.

“If we would’ve sold marijuana, don’t you think they would have charged us with distribution of marijuana?” West

CONNOR THOMAS/THE HOYA

Metropolitan Police raided Mr. Nice Guys D.C., a pop-up CBD shop on Wisconsin Avenue, for the second time in three months Jan. 30. said. “They’re playing this little cat and mouse game with us.

They’re bullying us.”

The interests of Georgetown’s residents should be weighed alongside business interests, according to Advisory Neighborhood 2E02 Commissioner Joe Gibbons.

“Georgetown is a mixed-use zone for business and residential, so even in the best of circumstances when something goes well, it’s being mindful of how this impacts the neighborhood,” Gibbons said in an interview with The Hoya. “We just don’t want illegal narcotic activity as so determined by the police.”

Gibbons said he is not against CBD but argued that Mr. Nice Guys D.C. caused problems for the neighborhood.

“The people who were coming there were parking the wrong way down 33rd, going down the one-way, congregating, and were using some of the product outside, which of course is not legal in D.C.,” Gibbons said.

Increased discussion and understanding between Mr. Nice Guys D.C. and its critics is key to a resolution, according to Gibbons.

“I think there has to be more communication,” Gibbons said. “We need to understand their goals, have to understand what they want out of being there, and they have to under-

stand what we want. They’re sinking their hard-earned money, their dreams into this business, but this is where people come home after a hard day’s work and want to have dinner with their kids and go to sleep and raise a family.”

Gibbons said he invited the two owners of Mr. Nice Guys D.C. as well as the owner of Used Books, who leased the space to the pop-up shop, to speak at the most recent Advisory Neighborhood Commission meeting Monday. However, the owners could not make it, he said.

Used Books owner Hamid Savojbolaghi has sold secondhand books out of the property’s basement for over 20 years and used to live above his shop, according to The Washington Post. The renters told Savojbolaghi they planned to sell cigarettes, hats and T-shirts when he originally leased the space above his shop to them in November 2019.

Savojbolaghi has now been forced to retain a lawyer in an effort to terminate Mr. Nice Guys D.C.’s lease, he said in an interview with The Washington Post.

“I’ve been here all these years without a problem,” Savojbolaghi said to The Washington Post. “I don’t want anything to do with that type of business.”

Artists Should Highlight Impacts Of Climate Change, Speaker Says VALENTINA SALINAS FOR THE HOYA

At the event titled “The Ally’s Burden ­— What does Australia owe America in 2020 and beyond?”, speaker Andrew Carr highlighted ways to improve the current U.S.-Australia relationship.

Capital Bikeshare Opens New Docking Station in Burleith GRACE BUONO Hoya Staff Writer

Capital Bikeshare installed a new docking station in Burleith at the beginning of January, expanding transportation options within the neighborhood.

Capital Bikeshare, Washington, D.C.’s citywide bikeshare and rental transportation service, announced the new station in a Jan. 2 tweet. The station docks 19 bikes and is located on 38th Street and Reservoir Road across the street from the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital.

The station sits directly next to a stop for the D6 bus service, which runs from upper Northwest D.C. to the Capitol Building. The station’s strategic location will improve commuter access to the city, according to Advisory Neighborhood 2E Commissioner Kishan Putta.

“People can take the bus there, and then get on a bike, and go into the neighborhood or vice versa; they can go from the neighborhood to the bus stop and then they can get on the bus,” Putta said in an interview with The Hoya. “You get these connections that never existed before. That’s really nice and working out well.”

The ANC has been focused on providing input to the District Department of Transportation on the docking station’s location and addressing concerns from residents, according to ANC 2E Commissioner Matias Burdman (COL ’21). (Full disclosure: Burdman previously served on the editorial board of The Hoya.)

“We had been in contact with DDOT regarding the installation of the new Capital Bikeshare station at 38th and Reservoir Road since its conception,” Burdman wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“There were some concerns regarding its exact location due to the impact it could have on ve-

hicular traffic (especially during routine maintenance) and on accessibility.”

In 2017, over 100 Burleith residents signed a petition sent to DDOT requesting a Capital Bikeshare station in Burleith, according to a May 2019 ANC resolution detailing the proposed Burleith Capital Bikeshare Station. In 2018, Burleith residents answered a transportation survey distributed by the Burleith Citizens Association and indicated strong support for a bikeshare station in Burleith.

In late 2018, DDOT and the ANC worked to propose a location for the docking station on the 1600 block of 36th Street NW, according to the May 2019 resolution. Following concerns about accessibility, however, DDOT changed the station’s planned location to the northwest corner of 38th Street and Reservoir Road.

Georgetown students are eligible for a discounted annual bike membership of $25, in partnership with Capital Bikeshare Universities Program, according to a Nov. 18 schoolwide email from Ben Kuo, vice president of the Office of Planning and Facilities Management.

“As a designated Bicycle Friendly University, Georgetown University is excited for our students to have access to the discounted membership,” Kuo wrote. “We hope you will take advantage of the membership to commute and explore the city on two wheels.”

The station will be beneficial for students, providing a cheaper transportation alternative in an underserved area, according to Burdman.

“Capital Bikeshare stations, coupled with bike friendly infrastructure such as bike lanes, give students the means to get around the city cheaply and efficiently,” Burdman wrote. “The addition of the new station is especially rele-

vant since students now have the option to purchase a new yearly membership—available exclusively to them—for only $25 dollars. This should help students bike to places that are otherwise inadequately served by public transportation.”

As of August 2019, D.C. was ranked as the U.S. city with the third-highest level of traffic congestion, following only Los Angeles and the San FranciscoOakland region, according to a report released by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.

In order to bring down congestion levels, which plays a role in the city’s impact on the climate, residents must be able to take advantage of city transportation, according to Putta.

“We need to be giving people many more incentives to not drive,” Putta said. “Our city’s congestion is only going to get worse if we do not. We have to think boldly and act boldly in this climate crisis. We all have to do our part and public transportation is a great way to do that.”

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s December draft budget report for the 2021 fiscal year proposed the cancellation of bus routes that service the Georgetown, Burleith and Glover Park neighborhoods.

Considering these neighborhoods’ lack of access to Metro stations, coupled with the possible elimination of essential bus routes, the new Capital Bikeshare Station, while important, is not a complete solution, according to Putta.

“It is a welcome addition to have that bikeshare option because whatever happens with the buses, at least you would have the option of biking down to Georgetown and connecting to other buses or biking to Dupont Circle,” Putta said. “But nobody should say that that means we should reduce bus services.

That’s absolutely not true.”

JIMMY O’MEARA Special to The Hoya

Climate change should unite all people regardless of race or ethnicity, multimedia artist and author Paul Miller, commonly known as DJ Spooky, said at a performance and discussion event Tuesday.

Miller, whose multimedia art strives to immerse audiences in a blend of genres, global culture and environmental and social issues, has previously worked on large-scale performances.

His work includes a 2009 piece, “Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica,” an acoustic portrait of the rapidly changing Antarctic continent. An excerpt of “Terra Nova” was featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for the 2012-13 season, among other works by Miller.

Miller highlighted the importance of recognizing climate change’s universal impact during the event.

“Whether you’re black, white, Asian, Latino, any particular ethnic group, it’s hard to argue with a storm that just smashed your house, or for that matter, a swarm of fires that burned your entire country,” Miller said. “These are issues that face all of us, and that’s something I’m gonna be kind of returning to throughout the course of this conversation.”

Humans struggle to comprehend the scale of climate change and its repercussions, which may explain why they continue to contribute to the global crisis, according to Miller.

“We’ve had experience with climate change as a species, but we’ve actually never made it ourselves in such a way that we are doing now,” Miller said. “We can’t necessarily think outside of the human cognitive frame, and that’s probably the problem with climate change because it’s such a large-scale structure that the human scalability of it is beyond everyday experience.”

Science and data can help artists accurately portray issues like climate change, according to Miller. “Terra Nova,” which included photographs and field recordings from a portable studio, exemplifies such a collaboration, he said.

“This project went to the

Metropolitan Museum in New York and became a series of gallery shows and museum exhibitions, where I worked with climate scientists to look at how artists can use data to make a better portrait of this kind of changing process,” Miller said.

Miller’s recent project “QUANTOPIA,” which first premiered in January 2019, builds off of the idea of utilizing science, data and mathematics in art. “QUANTOPIA,” defined as the utopia of quantification, recognizes the free speech and creative expression involved in our daily media consumption, according to Miller. Combining music with data visualization, “QUANTOPIA” strives to create a new perspective on the 50year revolution of information technology.

Music can also benefit from a greater connection with science and mathematics, as many forms of music can be understood as patterns of notes, according to Miller.

“If you can think about music as a pattern, anything goes: hip-hop, techno, dubstep, jazz, classical,” Miller said. “It’s about patterns, and the rest is about pattern recognition.”

The event, titled “QUANTOPIA Lecture-Demonstration,” was sponsored by the Georgetown University departments of performing arts and African American studies, as well as the Racial Justice Institute.

The event is part of the Racial Justice: Art(s) and Activism lecture series, which honors Georgetown’s recent initiative to highlight art, activism and racial justice in the continued struggle to produce new forms of racial freedom.

“QUANTOPIA” is a relevant project to discuss in the Racial Justice lecture series because of the program’s focus on great wealth inequalities created by the internet, according to Miller.

“The internet, one could argue, has been one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history,” Miller said.

“Most billionaires who are coming out of the information age are kind of dealing with that, and if we look at rising inequality throughout most American cities, California’s a good example. Berkeley or San Francisco, people are paying like $3000 to live in a box in somebody’s living room.”

WILL HOUSTON FOR THE HOYA

Artist Paul Miller, commonly known as DJ Spooky, spoke about the universality of climate change at a Jan. 4 event.

NEWS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

THE HOYA

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Grad School ofArts & Sciences Speaker: Government Policies Names New Interim Dean Endanger Reproductive Health Care GIULIA TESTA Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: AMANDA VAN ORDEN/THE HOYA

As the university conducts a search for a new permanent dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, professor Alexander Sens will serve as interim dean, University President John J. DeGioia announced Jan. 28.

ANNA FERRAZZI Hoya Staff Writer

Alexander Sens will serve as interim dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences as Georgetown University continues to search for a new permanent dean.

Sens serves as the Markos and Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis chair of Hellenic studies in the classics department and senior associate dean for program development in the graduate school, according to a Jan. 28 universitywide email from University President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95) announcing Sens’ appointment. Sens will replace former Dean Noberto Grzywacz, who announced Nov. 22 he would step down to serve as provost and chief academic officer at Loyola University in Chicago.

As interim dean, Sens will continue Gryzywacz’s work building the emphasis on interdisciplinary study within the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, he said in an interview with The Hoya.

“My predecessor really made wonderful advances for the graduate school in creating a number of new programs and working toward creating a school identity as the home of these interdisciplinary programs,” Sens said. “I am excited to work across the university to bring together the humanities, social sciences and the sciences in new ways.”

Under Gryzwacz’s leadership, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences established a number of new interdis-

ciplinary programs, including the Master of Science in data science for public policy, which uses data to inform public policy education, and the Master of Science in health and the public interest, which aims to prepare students to solve global health care problems.

Sens hopes to create more interdisciplinary opportunities for students interested in humanities, he said.

“One of the challenges for me, over the years, has been to learn about quantitative and scientific fields,” Sens said. “The graduate school has an interdisciplinary mission, to create and support new programs that are going to address major social problems, and it has been a fact that those programs have largely focused around the sciences.

So, I’m hoping that I will be able to enhance the role of the humanities in those interdisciplinary programs in the graduate school.”

Sens has also served as chair of the university’s Committee on Rank and Tenure and chair of the classics department. While chair of the classics department, Sens established a post-baccalaureate program for students studying Latin and Greek, according to DeGioia’s email.

Sens will bring the same dedication he displayed in the classics department to his role as interim dean, according to classics department Chair Josiah Osgood.

“Dr. Alexander Sens is a world-renowned researcher in the field of ancient Greek

literature. He is also a highly-experienced administrator at Georgetown who has worked tirelessly to foster faculty research and enhance student opportunities for learning,” Osgood wrote in an email to The Hoya. “As department chair of Classics, he grew the program, in part by adding a post-bac degree, and he enhanced our profile.

I am sure he will bring the same vision and passion to the Graduate School.”

Sens has already demonstrated a strong leadership ability in his previous roles at the university, DeGioia wrote.

“Alex has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to strengthening our University, working closely with faculty and leadership across our University to design and launch interdisciplinary Master’s programs,” DeGioia wrote in the Jan. 28 email.

In 2017, Sens received the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers, which recognizes faculty members for outstanding research and excellence in teaching.

Sens welcomes the opportunity to serve the university in a new capacity, he said.

“Everything I do at Georgetown is really animated by my love of teaching and my love of scholarship,” Sens said. “So, while I think that the time in this position will obviously take balancing with my previous academic work, everything that I’m going to do here is really about supporting research and supporting students.”

NHS Professor To Receive Award For Work in Ethics and Nursing CURRAN STOCKTON Hoya Staff Writer

School of Nursing and Health Studies Ethics professor Carol Taylor will receive the Ethics of Caring Nursing Ethics Leadership Award, the NHS announced across social media platforms Jan. 31.

Taylor will accept the award from the Ethics of Caring and the National Nursing Ethics Conference, organizations that seek to promote ethical discussion in nursing. She will accept the award at the seventh annual conference in Los Angeles on March 26.

Taylor currently teaches ethics to post-graduate and doctoral nursing students in the NHS, and she serves as a Senior Clinical Scholar with Georgetown’s Kennedy Institute of Ethics, a center founded in 1971 to promote the ethics of health, the environment and emerging technology.

Taylor has long embodied the mission of the conference and has devoted her work to promoting ethics in nursing through education, according to Ethics of Caring Co-Founder and President Katherine Brown-Saltzman.

“Carol is the spirit of nursing ethics,” Brown-Saltzman said in an interview with The Hoya. “She’s one of the most humble, dedicated people I know, in getting the message out of how important it is that we educate nurses in order for them to really be able to step up in their nursing ethics obligations.”

As a founding member of

the KIE, Taylor has written and lectured on a variety of issues related to healthcare ethics, according to the KIE’s website. Her work at the institute supports her nomination for the award, according to KIE Director Daniel Sulmasy.

“Dr. Taylor is not only immensely intellectually gifted and has made substantial contributions to bioethics, particularly in nursing, but she is an extremely caring person,” Sulmasy said in an interview with The Hoya. “An award seems perfectly suited for her.

We’re very proud of her.”

For the past four years, the conference has given the award to someone who demonstrates a history of exemplary performance in at least two of the following categories: ethical practice in nursing care, empirical research relative to ethics and nursing practice, ethics education, ethics and professionalism in clinical practice, and evidence-based practice relevant to ethics and nursing, according to Brown-Saltzman.

The conference was founded over 25 years ago as a local collaborative conference.

Taylor spoke at one of the first conferences and has served on the award-nominating committee, which initially sparked some controversy over presenting her the award, according to Brown-Saltzman.

“I just want to say, I mean truly, that Carol probably might’ve been nominated as our first winner, but it took

us a while to think about nominating someone from within,” Brown-Saltzman said. “That wouldn’t be okay if we weren’t able to nominate from people on this planning committee, that would be an injustice.”

Taylor said she was flattered to receive the award, especially from Ethics of Caring, where she serves as a member of their National Planning Committee, according to their website.

“It always means more if it’s an award from your peers,” Taylor said. “These are the people that know you, and would also like to receive the award. It was very nice.”

Taylor initially came to Georgetown in 1987 to earn her Ph.D. in philosophy with a bioethics concentration after receiving a medical-surgical nursing degree. Three years later, she was chosen

by Dr. Edmund Pellegrino to help start the Center for Clinical Bioethics, of which she was director for 10 years.

Receiving the award for her work on bioethics in nursing validates her commitment to the university’s values, Taylor said.

“We talk about at Georgetown being men and women for others,” Taylor said. “I always thought that part of the Jesuit tradition was inviting all of us to know our gifts and to know our gifts could be used for others. This was simply a nice affirmation of that, because it gives the energy to pick up a new day’s challenge.”

Reproductive healthcare is in crisis as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to implement policies detrimental to public health, former President of Planned Parenthood Leana Wen said at an event Thursday.

The event, titled “Depoliticizing Women’s Health and the Future of Healthcare in America,” was hosted by the Georgetown University Lecture Fund and took place in the Lohrfink Auditorium.

At the event, Wen, who previously served as the health commissioner for the city of Baltimore, discussed her experiences as a physician and how they have influenced her perspective on women’s healthcare.

The politicization of reproductive healthcare damages broader conversations about U.S. healthcare reform, according to Wen. “When was the last time you saw a title about depoliticizing men’s health? We don’t talk about it this way, and, frankly, none of these aspects of healthcare should be politicized,” Wen said.

Wen only served eight months in her position as the president of Planned Parenthood, as she was ousted by the board of directors in July 2019 because of disagreements over her desire to reorient the group’s focus from administering abortions toward its role as a women’s health provider, according to The New York Times.

Various Trump administration policies have deterred or

prevented Americans from accessing basic healthcare services, Wen said. She referenced the administration’s public charge rule, a regulation that prevents some immigrants who use public services like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program from achieving permanent legal status.

“The Trump administration’s public charge rule, I think is a good example of a policy that amplifies fear and deters people also from seeking life-saving care,” Wen said.

“When I was growing up, we depended on Medicaid and food stamps. For us, these programs were not entitlements, they were literally our survival, and I can’t imagine where our family would be now if we were forced to make some unthinkable choices.”

Such policies have compromised reproductive healthcare across the country, impeding civilian participation in vital health programs, according to Wen. “I think there should be no question that reproductive healthcare is another area that is in a state of emergency,” Wen said. “You have the Trump administration issuing a gag rule for Title X that would make it harder for lowincome people to receive cancer screenings, birth control and STI tests.”

Title X is a federal program that provides birth control and other reproductive health services to four million Americans, according to Planned Parenthood. In May 2019, the Trump administration introduced changes to Title X law

that would prevent family planning providers from receiving federal funding for providing or recommending abortions, according to WAMC, a public radio station.

The Trump administration’s obstructive policies pose the greatest threat to minorities and other marginalized communities, according to Wen. “We know that those who are hurt the most by these types of policies are those who already bear the greatest brunt on disparities,” Wen said. “It’s going to be people of color, immigrants, families already struggling to make ends meet, it’s LGBTQ people, it’s the patients in communities that we serve.”

Such disparities in healthcare among minorities can immensely impact someone’s lifespan, which is why it is so crucial to call out these disparities and reduce them, according to Wen. “It’s been said that the currency of inequality is years of life,” Wen said. “A child born today, depending on literally what zip code they’re born into, could be expected to live 85 years or 65 years.”

The next generation of voters must choose to depoliticize healthcare and push for greater accessibility to reproductive health resources, Wen added.

“We’re fighting for a world where the next generation has better health and more rights than we do,” Wen said.

“I truly believe that it’s up to each of us to take action now, to focus on what we can do, to always aim for health equity, to stop the siloed and politicizing of health care.”

GU Removes Offensive Books From Reynolds, McCarthy Libraries KELLY ANDERSON Hoya Staff Writer

This article describes racist and sexist content. Please refer to the end of the article for on- and offcampus resources.

Shelves of books in the Reynolds and McCarthy libraries featuring racist and sexist content were removed by university officials last week after students reported the books to Georgetown University Residential Living staff.

News of the books’ removal was first reported in an article written by Jacob Adams (SFS ’23) and Justin Drewer (COL ’23), editors-in-chief of The Georgetown Review, a student news organization that bills itself as an independent journal of politics and world affairs, according to its website. Student members of “The Hilltop Show,” an online political comedy group, first noticed the content of the books after a group meeting in the McCarthy library Jan. 22.

While walking out of a meeting Jan. 22, one student noticed a book entitled “Cherokee” on a bookshelf, Alexandra Bowman (COL ’22), a cartoonist for The Georgetown Review and member of “The Hilltop Show,” said. The cover of the book, a 1958 novel published

by Don Tracy, features an illustration of a young Native American woman in distress with blood on her clothes.

The group then decided to investigate the books remaining on the shelves, according to Bowman.

“Upon looking further at the collection of books in the library, we noticed other serialized books, most published in the mid-20th century, with similar pornographic, racially derogatory themes,” Bowman wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Ultimately, the removal of the books was what we expected to come as a result of our inquiry.”

The content of many of the other books included pornographic references and sexist depictions of women, as well as racist themes and slurs, according to Bowman.

“While some were simply raucous crime noir murder mysteries representative of the literary and cultural time in which they were written, other books included extremely problematic and damaging elements, including the glamorization of rape, including that of underage girls,” Bowman wrote. “Completely naked women of all races were fre-

YICHU HUANG/THE HOYA

Students in “The Hilltop Show” first noticed the offensive content of some of the books in the library after a Jan. 22 meeting in the McCarthy Library. quently featured on these books’ covers. Further, many books fetishized young nonwhite women.”

Bowman then decided to help research the story, later published by The Georgetown Review. (Full disclosure: Bowman previously served as a Hoya Staff Writer and cartoonist for The Hoya.)

A separate staff member of “The Hilltop Show” found similarly offensive books in the library in Reynolds Hall over the course of their investigation, according to Bowman.

Both libraries were created on the first floor of Reynolds and McCarthy in 2003 when the Southwest Quadrangle opened. The libraries began with a book donation and is donor-funded, according to a university spokesperson.

There is no formal checkout or cataloging system in place at either library. Instead, students are allowed to borrow and leave books for others on a regular basis. The books had not been monitored, the university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The university led an investigation into the content of both libraries’ collections after receiving email inquiries from Bowman and the team of researchers, a university spokesperson wrote.

“When we received messages in the past few weeks regarding the nature of the books that had been left, members of our Residential Life team investigated the bookshelves and discovered books had been left with titles, topics, and images that raised concerns for students and staff. The decision was made to remove these books

from the public space,” the spokesperson wrote.

The books with explicit content and offensive content were ultimately removed Jan. 31, leaving only various textbooks and board games on the shelves, according to Bowman.

While removing the books may be considered a form of censorship, the university needed to provide the historical context behind the books, Adams and Drewer wrote in The Georgetown Review article.

“To be clear, The Georgetown Review does not support censorship in any form, since history is only useful if we learn from it, and learn from it all, unrestricted,” the article said. “However, when providing access to historical texts—written during a different time in American history, during times of different moral and social standards—providing context is equally critical to the learning experience.”

Though the decision to remove the books was ultimately the correct decision, the university’s process regarding the removal could have been more transparent, according to Bowman.

“While I believe they went about it the wrong way, I believe the university was right to remove the books,” Bowman wrote. “The university could also have placed the books in a location that put the books in their cultural context.”

Resources: On-campus confidential resources include Health Education Services (202-687-8949) and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (202687-6985).

A10

SPORTS

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgetown Topples SJU Hoyas Handed 2 More Losses 73-72 in Last 10 Seconds By Seton Hall, St. John’s SEAN HAGGERTY Hoya Staff Writer

Without star sophomore guard Mac McClung, the Georgetown men’s basketball team defeated the St. John’s Red Storm 73-72 on a layup by senior center Omer Yurtseven with 10 seconds on the clock. Despite trailing the Red Storm by as many as 17 points in the second half, the Hoyas pulled off the comeback behind junior guard Jahvon Blair’s career-high 23 points, earning him recognition on the Big East Weekly Honor Roll.

The Hoyas (13-9, 3-6 Big East) topped the Red Storm (13-10, 2-8 Big East) for the second time this month, with this battle occurring in front of 8,000 fans at Madison Square Garden.

With only a six-man rotation, the few Georgetown players shined in their return to Madison Square Garden, where they had previously defeated the then-ranked Texas Longhorns on Nov. 21 and kept it close with thenno. 1 Duke on Nov. 22. Blair went 9 for 19 on the floor with three rebounds to combine with Yurtseven, who contributed his 12th doubledouble of the season with 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Yurtseven overcame a slow start to his shooting performance to shoot 5 for 5 in the second half.

Senior guard Jagan Mosely rounded out the set of the team’s strong performers with 16 points, seven rebounds and five assists of his own. Georgetown concluded

the game shooting 41.3% from the floor compared to St. John’s 40.9%. The Hoyas also outrebounded the Red Storm 43-37.

In front of a raucous New York City crowd of over 8,000, the Hoyas struggled from the tipoff. Both teams exchanged buckets early, but St. John’s used its home court advantage and momentum from the crowd to take an early 36-24 lead on a 9-0 run in the first half. In response to the Red Storm’s nine consecutive points, Mosely converted a three-pointer to end the run and bring the score to 38-29 at the half.

St. John’s came storming out of the tunnel at halftime to extend its lead to 50-33.

When it seemed Georgetown was out of the game, Blair hit a shot from beyond the arc followed by a slam from Mosely to charge up the Hoyas bench with 15:09 remaining.

Georgetown pulled off a 12-5 run after facing the 17 point deficit, capped by two sunk free throws from graduate student guard Terrell Allen to pull within 10 of St. John’s.

The Blue and Gray continued to chip away at the Red Storm’s lead as Blair’s threepointers cut the lead to 64-62 with under eight minutes to go in the contest. Blair then converted another threepointer followed by a powerful slam from Yurtseven to tie the game at 64 and officially end the St. John’s advantage that had persisted over the previous 25 minutes.

After St. John’s took back the lead at 72-69 behind successful free throw shooting

and two field goals, Mosely assisted Yurtseven on a jumper to propel Georgetown within one of St. John’s with 50 seconds to play. The Red Storm, plagued by two missed field goals as the clock ticked down, turned the ball over to the Hoyas with just 20 seconds left in regulation. The play prompted a Georgetown timeout as the Blue and Gray gained possession and stood poised with the opportunity to claim its first victory in over two weeks.

With the game on the line, Mosely dribbled up the floor on the inbound pass and found Yurtseven in the paint for the game-winning bucket to make the game 73-72 Georgetown. The Hoyas capped off the double-digit comeback to snap its three game losing streak and leave the Garden with their third Big East win in a season of continued conference struggles.

Head Coach Patrick Ewing recognized the importance of the victory in his team’s tumultuous season, nodding to his players’ resilience in overcoming a depleted roster.

“To me, this is a great win.

Undermanned, we were down 12 at one point, and my team didn’t give up. They keep fighting, they kept making plays,” Ewing said in an interview with GUHoyas.

Despite the momentum gained from their narrow win over the Red Storm, the Hoyas fell once again in conference play to Seton Hall by a score of 78-71 at Capital One Arena on Feb. 5, falling to 3-7 in the Big East.

MEN’S & WOMEN’S TENNIS

GU Splits Dual Matches, Women Notch Big East Win JOANNA LACOPPOLA Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown women’s tennis team began on a high note in Big East play with a 4-0 sweep over rival Seton Hall 4-0 on Feb. 2. to notch its first victory of the season after losing a close matchup to Army 4-3 on Feb. 1. The men’s team also split its two-match roadtrip, defeating Binghamton University 5-2 on Feb. 1 before losing 4-2 against Army on Feb. 2.

The Georgetown women’s team (1-3) won three of the six singles matches against Army (4-2) on Feb. 1. Junior Sofie Moenster won her match in three sets with scores of 6-3, 4-6 and 10-5. Freshman Agata Mikos also won her singles match after playing three sets with scores of 4-6, 6-3, and 10-6.

Freshmen Olivia Ashton rounded out the victories with the quick win in her singles match, coming out on top in the first two sets with identical scores of 6-4. The other three singles matches were won by Army, giving each side three singles victories.

The winner remained undetermined until the doubles point.

The duo of Ashton and Mikos took on Stephanie Dolehide and Caroline Vincent from Army, losing 6-2 in the Hoyas’ first doubles matchup of the day.

The second doubles match consisted of sophomore Elena De Santis and senior Anna Short playing against Army’s Ana Joyner and Sam Dimaio. De Santis and Short were unable to secure the win, losing 6-2 to give Army the point they needed to defeat the Blue and Gray.

The Hoyas quickly came back from the loss with a dominant victory over the Pirates (1-1), their first Big East opponent of the season.

Mikos clinched her second singles match win of the weekend in two sets, both with a score of 6-1. Ashton contributed another win in her singles match, taking the first set 6-1 and the second set 6-3. Freshman Chloe Bendetti earned the Hoyas’ third singles match victory with a 6-2 win in the first set, followed by a 6-4 win in the second.

Ashton and Mikos teamed up again in the doubles matches to take on Hermehr Kaur and Aina Plana Ventosa, ultimately snagging a 6-3 victory. Bendetti and Moenster won their doubles match as well, also earning a

BRENDAN DOLAN Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown women's basketball team returned home to drop a pair of in-conference battles, falling to Seton Hall 61-47 Jan. 31 in its second defeat by the Pirates this season before dropping 74-68 to St. John’s just under 48 hours later.

After tallying the two losses, Georgetown (4-18, 1-10 Big East) has now dropped nine games in a row and sits at the bottom of the Big East standings at 1-10.

Georgetown took the floor against the Pirates (14-8, 7-4 Big East) with a depleted bench due to an illness that had swept throughout the locker room. The Hoyas, however, still managed to remain even with the Pirates initially and jumped out to a 16-12 lead after one quarter. Sophomore guard Nikola Kovacikova and senior forward Anita Kelava powered the Hoyas out of the gates by combining for 12 of the Blue and Gray’s 16 points in the quarter. Seton Hall was able to close the gap as time wound down in the period despite falling behind 12-4 in the opening minutes.

Clinging to a small lead, Georgetown extended its advantage to six after graduate student guard Brianna Jones knocked down a three-pointer in transition with 6:03 left in the second quarter. For the remainder of the quarter, however, Georgetown’s offense could not keep pace with the Pirates, who knotted the game at 25 as the second quarter clock hit zero.

Kovacikova’s early three-pointer helped the Blue and Gray regain the lead coming out onto the court for the second half.

The lead, however, would soon dwindle and mark the last time Georgetown held the advantage for the evening.

In the third quarter, Seton Hall ran away with the lead as the Hoyas scored just six points in the period. The Pirates’ lead expanded to 13 before Kovacikova stopped an 8-0 Seton Hall run with another three-pointer in the final minute of the quarter.

Entering the final quarter down 12, the Hoyas’ offense could not keep up with the Seton Hall offense, as the Pirates’ lead ballooned to as many as 18 in the period. When the horn sounded, Georgetown had fallen by a margin of 14, with the final

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

Sophomore guard Nikola Kovacikova drives past a Seton Hall defender.

Kovacikova had 20 points and 12 rebounds in the loss to the Pirates. score reading 61-47.

Kovacikova proved a dominant offensive force for the Hoyas, tallying 20 of the team’s 47 points and pulling in 12 rebounds for her first career double-double.

The Hoyas next took the floor Feb. 2 against St. John’s (14-8, 7-4 Big East), who came into the game at 6-4 in conference play and had recently beaten Seton Hall.

Georgetown kept up with the Red Storm early in the ball game and trailed by just five at the end of the first period. A pair of buckets each by graduate student guard Taylor Barnes and senior guard Marvellous Osagie-Erese helped Georgetown remain in the game trailing 20-15.

The Hoyas quickly found themselves down nine in the second quarter, however, before consecutive baskets from Kelava trimmed the margin down to five. From there, Georgetown caught fire offensively, as Gordon, Kelava, Barnes and Jones all chipped in to secure the Blue and Gray’s first lead since the beginning of the first quarter at 29-28. This group continued their strong performance as the time ran down and propelled the Hoyas to a 36-32 lead over the Red Storm at the half.

On Georgetown’s first possession of the third quarter, OsagieErese buried a jumper to extend the Hoyas’ advantage to six. The Blue and Gray would hang on to a four-point lead for the next several minutes as both teams

entered an offensive dry spell.

With the Hoyas up seven halfway through the quarter, their largest lead of the weekend, St. John’s narrowed the gap following a 9-2 run that evened the game at 45. Their offensive surge would not stop there, however, as the Red Storm overtook the Hoyas shortly thereafter and ended the quarter with a 51-49 lead.

St. John’s refused to relinquish their lead from this point forward, though the Hoyas battled back throughout the period, eventually cutting the deficit down to two with slightly over six minutes remaining.

Georgetown, however, could not stop St. John’s offensively, as a three-pointer by the Red Storm with just under two minutes remaining pushed Georgetown’s deficit to eight and forced Head Coach James Howard to call a timeout. Though the Hoyas were able to make it a four-point game in the final 30 seconds, a pair of free throws helped secure a sixpoint win for the Red Storm at 74-68.

Posting 22 points, Barnes was the high scorer for Georgetown, while Kelava and Osagie-Erese both boasted 12 points in the game and Jones supported with 10 points.

Georgetown next takes to the road again for its matchup against Butler, who currently sits in third place in the Big East.

Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

PLAYING FOR PROFIT

Bryant’s Legacy Includes His Passion for Business GUHOYAS

Freshman Agata Mikos focuses in as she finishes a swing. Mikos earned the title of Big East Athlete of the Week, going 2-0 in her singles matches.

6-3 victory. The team finished the day without any defeats, tying one doubles match and one singles match and ending each unfinished match with the leading score.

Since the two-game road trip, Mikos has been named the Big East Tennis Athlete of the Week for her 2-0 singles performance and 1-1 doubles record in the dual match.

Head Coach Courtney Dolehide emphasized her team’s impressive start to conference play and the precedent the win has set for the Hoyas’ spring season.

"To get a win over our inconference rival, Seton Hall, is a huge step in the right direction for our ladies and is displaying the positive trajectory of our program, after having lost to them last year," Dolehid said in an interview with GUHoyas.

The Georgetown men’s team (2-2) started off the dual match with a 5-2 victory over Binghamton (3-5), secured by the Hoyas’ strong performances in doubles.

Junior Rohan Kamdar and sophomore Andrew Rozanov defeated Alejandro Pena and Michael Pawlowicz 6-4 to gain one doubles-match victory for Georgetown while the second victory would come from junior duo Charlie Sharton and Connor Lee, who secured a 6-2 win.

Georgetown also won four out of the six singles matches.

Lee won his singles match in two sets, each with a score of 6-2. Junior Mark Militzer earned

a dominant victory, defeating his opponent in two sets each with the final score of 6-1.

Junior Luke Ross contributed another win for the Hoyas, defeating his opponent in a more closely contested match of three sets. He lost his first set 2-6 before a strong comeback in the second and third sets to snag the win with two 6-2 wins. Rozanov gave the Hoyas their fourth and final singles-match victory, winning in two sets 6-3, 6-2.

The Hoyas could not secure another victory, falling 4-2 to Army (4-3). In the loss, the Blue and Gray conceded four of its six matches in singles play to the Black Knights. Freshman Kieran Foster secured one of Georgetowns’ two singles victories, beating his opponent in two straight sets 6-2, 6-1. Ross took home the second win in the fifth position, sweeping his competitor 6-3, 6-4.

The Blue and Gray came out stronger in its doubles matches, claiming victory in the first position matchup 6-3 behind Rozanov and Kamdar.

The Black Knights, however, would take the two remaining doubles matches to tally the doubles point and emerge victorious on the day.

The women and men’s teams will return to action this upcoming weekend. The women will travel to Annapolis, Md., to compete against Navy on Feb. 8 at 12:30 p.m. The men’s team will play against Navy in Annapolis, Md., on Feb. 8 at 9 a.m.

Matt Sachs After the loss of NBA great Kobe Bryant, many fans gathered to mourn the passing of an icon for the game of basketball.

Losing a transcendent player, star and father like Bryant at the age of 41 cannot be measured in words, and the tributes to his life cannot do it justice. As we remember Kobe, however, we should not forget his life beyond the basketball court. In particular, Bryant’s death brings an abrupt end to his immense involvement in the business world.

Bryant was a shrewd investor.

In 2014, he famously made a $6 million investment in BodyArmor Sports Drinks. Quickly after Coca-Cola invested in the company to compete with Gatorade, Bryant’s investment grew to $200 million in value.

Bryant also started a venture capital fund with investor Jeff Stibel shortly after his retirement.

The fund specialized in investing in media and technology companies. Through sound investing in companies such as Dell and Epic Games, the maker of video game sensation Fortnite, the fund took off. Originally managing $100 million, it grew to $2 billion in capital as of late 2019.

Beyond making smart investments, Bryant also contributed massively to the entertainment and sports culture world.

Bryant’s most recent obsession was storytelling, specifically illuminating stories through film.

To bring his stories to life, Bryant founded Bryant Studios, later re-

named to Granity Studios. The company famously produced a short animated film “Dear Basketball” inspired by the letter Bryant wrote upon retirement in 2016. Bryant’s film went on to take home the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2018. For Bryant, the award recognized his efforts to move beyond the realm of professional sports and into another passion.

“As basketball players, we’re supposed to just shut up and dribble. I am glad we did a little more than that,” Bryant said in his poignant acceptance speech.

Granity Studios also helped produce Bryant’s own ESPN+ show “Detail,” in which Kobe analyzed game film of different NBA stars in an instructional but engaging manner that fans could connect with. “Detail” soon took off, drawing in retired NFL quarterback Peyton Manning to take part in the program by analyzing football and taking on former MMA fighter Daniel Cormier to break down UFC action, among other famous sports figures.

Bryant even continued as a Nike ambassador after retiring, helping design retro versions of his shoes for both young and professional players to wear. According to ESPN, 102 players across the NBA wear Bryant’s retro sneakers and among Nike athletes, Bryant’s sneakers are more popular than those of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.

Everything Kobe touched in the business world seemed to turn to gold. His success derived from his outstanding work ethic, which he learned in his basketball career. He had a burning desire to be great at the things he spent time working for.

Back when Bryant still played in the NBA, he had his sights set on becoming an investor and approached many prominent figures in the business world to pick their brain, including bil-

lionaire Chris Sacca, founder of Lowercase Capital.

“Literally at 3 a.m. he would be on his physical therapy treadmill and call me,” Sacca told the LA Times. “His obsession with learning this stuff was so 24/7.”

Mike Repole, the founder and chairman of BodyArmor, told a story of a time he texted Bryant at 3 a.m. and got a response one minute later, realizing that Bryant was “as psychotic as [he] was.”

Bryant responded, "We wouldn't want to be doing anything other than what we are doing. That's where obsession comes in — when you care about something 24 hours a day."

The sadness in all of this comes not because Kobe had a desire to make money post retirement but because he was truly passionate about his business ventures.

One of the highest-paid basketball players in NBA history, Bryant’s net worth was estimated at over $680 million at retirement, meaning he had no financial need to pursue any investment after his career.

At the end of the day, Kobe deeply enjoyed being a businessman, even more so than people gave him credit for.

“I got tired of telling people I loved business as much as I did basketball because people would look at me like I had three heads.

But I do,” Bryant said to ESPN back in 2017.

Everyone will remember Kobe’s first act from his playing days — the 81-point game, the five NBA championships, the Mamba Mentality. His second act in business, however, often goes unrecognized and tragically came to an end with his death last month.

Matt Sachs is a senior in the College. PLAYING FOR PROFIT appears online and in print every other Friday.

SPORTS

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

TRACK & FIELD

THE HOYA

A11

MEN’S BASKETBALL

GU’s Late Comeback Fails in 78-71 Loss SETON HALL, from A12

GUHOYAS

Junior Nate Alleyne sprints down the lane. At the Penn State National, Alleyne raced into fourth place in the 300-meter with a time of 34.69.

Hoyas Take 10 Top-3 Finishes In 2-Day Meets TRACK & FIELD, from A12

by nearly five seconds. Freshman Tim McInerney ended the race in 4:11 for 11th place, and freshman Jantz Tostenson finished shortly behind in 4:13 to claim 12th.

In the 300m race, Drayton managed to run a 39.34 in a field of 18 other competitors to secure second place.

Drayton’s time puts her in second place all-time for Georgetown, gaining praise from Director of Track & Field Julie Culley.

“Certainly one of the biggest highlights of the weekend was Maya Drayton’s No. 2 all-time stellar performance in the 300-meter dash,” Culley said in an interview with GU Hoyas. “Her second-place finish of 39.34 is now in Georgetown’s record books, which is a huge feat for a freshman.”

In the men’s 300-me​ ter dash, junior Nate Alleyne finished in 34.69 for a fourth-place finish while sophomore D’Andre Barriffe came in behind at 35.11 to earn ninth place. Freshman

Malachi Quarles rounded out the field for the Hoyas with a time of 36.99 for a 14th-place finish. ​Over in Indiana, five Hoyas competed at the Indiana Relays. Junior Lawrence Leake ran a 21.67 200-meter dash, landing him in fifth overall while senior Kenny Rowe ran 1:51 for a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter dash.

In the mile, sophomore Maazin Ahmed ran 4:06 and placed sixth, graduate student Spencer Brown was close behind with 4:07 and an 11th-place finish, and freshman Matthew Payamps took 13th, crossing the line in 4:09.

In the distance medley relay, Payamps, Leake, Rowe and Brown finished in 9:41, garnering a sixth-place finish.

The Blue and Gray came away from the weekend with 10 top-three finishes as it looks toward the rest of its spring season. ​The Hoyas will be back in action on the road again Feb. 14 in Boston, Mass. at the Boston University Valentine’s Day Invitational.

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Graduate student guard Terrell Allen controls the ball as he rushes down the court. Against Seton Hall, Allen tallied 11 points to put himself among the three Hoyas with double digits on the day. son, Yurtseven finished the matchup with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting with 15 rebounds despite matching up against the taller Pirates’ center Romaro Gill. Gill had a strong performance, recording only six points and six rebounds but supplementing his stat line with eight blocks.

The block totals signaled the length of Seton Hall’s interior defenders and the high-quality shot selection for the Pirates, who recorded 11 blocks throughout the matchup while the Hoyas failed to record a single one

despite 34 minutes from 7’0” Yurtseven and 13 minutes from 6’11” freshman center Qudus Wahab.

The Hoyas now await the return of McClung, which could occur as soon as the next game, to help fix a rotation in need of a seventh player, as only Wahab saw any playing time off the bench in a close game in which all five starters played between 34 and 40 minutes.

The Hoyas return to action at Capital One Arena on Saturday, Feb. 8 against the DePaul Blue Demons (13-10, 1-9 Big East) at 12

p.m. The game will be televised on MASN2. points for the contest and a strong victory for a Butler team that had been cooling off after rising to number two in the AP poll.

Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) commented on the team’s dominant defensive efforts in the first that allowed the Blue and Gray to pull ahead of the Bulldogs.

“In the first half, we were getting stops. Our defense was fueling our offense and in the second half, it wasn’t the case,” Ewing said in an interview with GU Hoyas.

WOMEN’S SQUASH

Club Squash Moves to Varsity Stage SQAUSH, from A12

When it comes to promoting the squash team to the varsity level, the senior captains expressed gratitude for their involvement in the program’s long-awaited transition.

“We’re calling ourselves pioneers, even though we won’t be on the team. It’s been coming for a long time,” Forbess said in an interview with The Hoya.

When asked about the transition of the program and what it means for the team going forward, the captains provided insight on how important access to resources through the athletic department will improve the team.

“We already have the pool of people that a varsity squash team should pick from and we have the skill level and the dedication,” Hughes said. “But the resources have been lacking as a club team, obviously, and for how well we’ve done with the little that we have, I think being varsity we’re just going to skyrocket.”

For the women, having recognized varsity status means having access to a full-time head coach dedicated to the team’s improvement. Currently, the team has some support from coaching staff but does not identify a true head coach or have someone who travels with the team to its matches.

The seniors spoke of the need for a support structure and coaching staff for sustained success in a sport characterized by its individualistic nature.

When it comes to the changing team dynamic at the varsity level, the captains acknowledged how the transition to a varsity program recognizes their place as student-athletes.

“I sort of told them ‘Now, you’re going to be squash players and not just students at Georgetown who sometimes play squash,’” Hughes said.

Another major transition that comes with the promotion of a club program to varsity status lies in the commitment of the athletes. Currently, the team practices three days a week with each athlete required to attend two practices. On average, the team travels three weekends each season, including nationals each February, to satisfy the CSA’s 10-match minimum. As a varsity program, training and practices will become more rigorous, and the team can play up to 15 matches annually.

As of now, the club team consists of 16 members, including its three graduating senior captains.

Of its 16 members, 10 currently compete in matches. Myers explained that all of the women currently on the club team can transition to the varsity level next fall and are encouraged to do so. In accordance with the policies of many of the other varsity sports on the Hilltop, open tryouts will be held early in the fall of the next academic year once a coach is hired later this spring.

An open house will also be held this spring for anyone interested in the new program.

For the current members, the news of varsity status comes quite unexpectedly although the team has been working toward the status for years.

“It makes so much sense for Georgetown as a school and the students that Georgetown attracts,” said Hughes. “It was something where I was always like, ‘I don’t get why this

hasn’t happened’ but it wasn’t something I ever saw happening anytime soon.”

Myers, who is new to the position and joined the initiative to make squash a varsity sport back in November, explained that conversations surrounding the transition have been happening for years. For the athletic department, seeing the transition to fruition began with getting people to take the conversation seriously and to push for its implementation in the fiscal year of 2021.

Since applying for CSA membership back in the fall, Myers noted the tremendous reception the program has received. The transition was rather seamless, according to Myers, as the collegiate association and its current teams are eager to add new members to the league.

The deciding factor for the athletic department in selecting this women’s squash team came down to how well the program aligned with the athletics department, especially in terms of what the department could take on given the other 29 sports currently managed. Myers acknowledged the team as a perfect fit given their overwhelming success since 2007, their alreadyestablished competition and practice site and their inclusion in the CSA. In the fall, the squash team will call the Squash on Fire facility, located two miles from the Hilltop, home for its matches.

Myers, who pointed to Georgetown’s limited facilities for athletic programs, also noted that the addition of the women’s team would not add additional strain to venues on campus, allowing for a seamless transition.

Lastly, this transition coincides with the athletic department’s mission to promote women’s sports on the Hilltop. Myers spoke to the program’s desire to increase representation of young women in the athletic department, saying that the department is prioritizing the women’s squash program and does not have plans to facilitate a transition of the men’s club team.

“We’re adding opportunities for women student athletes and the underrepresented sex so that’s really for us to add women’s squash, to add them into the department, that’s our priority right now. We’re disproportional in numbers in terms of the number of women competing in sports versus our men at Georgetown,” said Myers. “This is really about us increasing opportunities for women. Right now, there’s no immediate or future plan to add another men’s sport.”

The women’s squash team officially begins its inaugural varsity season in early November and competes through the end of February. While the team has faced varsity programs before, including three this season, its future schedule will feature greater competition on the varsity level in the Mid-Atlantic Squash Conference, including opponents like George Washington, Drexel University and University of Virginia.

The CSA does not allow collegiate teams to compete on both the club and varsity level, meaning the women’s club squash program will no longer be in existence following the transition.

The entire program now enters the athletics program with ambitions of increasing opportunities for female athletes on campus.

BEHIND THE GRIDIRON

Last issue’s solutions

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For the second straight game, the Hoyas were without McClung, who has been nursing a foot injury. The burden of replacing the star guard and the team’s leading per-game scorer fell primarily to junior guard Jahvon Blair, a streaky three-point shooter who has mostly come off of the bench this season, averaging 8.7 points per game.

Blair was unable to emulate his performance from the previous game, his best of the season, in which he scored a career-high 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting.

Against the Pirates, however, Blair still notched 18 points, including the first five Georgetown points on their comeback run from a 16-0 deficit, shooting four of 16 from the field.

The Pirates were led from the beginning by Powell, a member of the All-Big East First team for the 2018-19 season. Powell scored 18 of his team’s first 32 points, finishing the game with 34 points on 50% shooting from the field. Powell has long been a threat to the Hoyas, scoring more than 30 points in four of the last five Georgetown-Seton Hall matchups.

Yurtseven proved to be the leader of the game for the Blue and Gray, posting a strong second-half performance in which he made seven field goals and scored 15 points. After a quiet first half offensively, a difficulty the seven-foot center has faced throughout the sea-

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Even Without A-Game, Mahomes Wins VANDERZWAAG, from A12

key factor for sustained success — finding ways to win even without one’s best skills.

“To me, my mindset is always play and compete to the last whistle, until that clock strikes zero,” Mahomes told the media after the game. “So I just went out there and kept competing.”

Regardless of Mahomes’ impressive comeback performance under pressure, he was not at his best. In fact, he was far from it. On surface level, it was clearly his worst outing of the playoffs and one of his weakest this entire season. Mahomes’ two Super Bowl interceptions were his only of the playoffs, and Sunday’s game was

his first multi-interception game since Week 12 of 2018.

Mahomes finished with 6.81 yards per attempt, his thirdworst of the season and well below his season average of 8.3. To further prove the mediocrity of his performance, Mahomes’ passer rating of 78.1 was his second-lowest of the season.

Despite all this, Mahomes was able to lead his team in scoring 21 unanswered fourth quarter points, tying the second-largest comeback in Super Bowl history. This comeback is what makes Mahomes’ outing all the more impressive. Even without his best stuff, Mahomes elevated his play when it mattered most and took home the trophy. For that, he is more

than deserving of the recognition as the youngest Super Bowl MVP ever.

As a generation of veteran star quarterbacks approach the end of their careers, including Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Drew Brees, and Tom Brady, it is Mahomes who has proven he is here to stay.

At the end of the day, a quarterback is going to be judged by how many games and, more importantly, how many Super Bowls he wins. Tom Brady stands alone with six Super Bowl rings, a feat that continues to astonish. He has reached such a high level of achievement due to many factors, but it is his ability to will his team to victory even when he does not play his best that trumps them all. For that rea-

son, the true predictor of sustained success is if a player can win without their A-game.

Before Sunday’s Super Bowl, there was no question Mahomes was a very talented quarterback — perhaps among the most talented in the league. His Super Bowl performance, however, proved his ability to overcome mistakes and secure the win even when he is not at the top of his game. Mahomes’ performance confirms that he will be back on this stage again. The question now is not if, but when.

Jacob Vanderzwaag is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service. BEHIND THE GRIDIRON appears online and in print every other Friday.

Sports

Women’s Lacrosse Georgetown vs. St. Joseph’s Saturday, Feb. 8, 2 p.m.

Cooper Field

FRIDAY, FEBR UARY 7, 2020

Yurtseven’s layup in the paint off a Mosely assist propels the Hoyas to a 73-72 victory over St. John’s in the last 10 seconds of play.

See A10

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Hoya Staff Writer

COURTESY BARBARA BARNES

Two women’s squash players practice at the Squash on Fire facility in Washington, D.C., which will become the varsity team’s home venue.

Squash Promoted To Varsity Status In an effort to promote opportunities for women athletes on the Hilltop, the Georgetown University Athletic Department announced Jan. 29 that the women’s club squash team will transition to a full varsity program in the next academic year, marking the department’s 30th varsity program.

Squash was first introduced as a sport on the Hilltop in 2007 as a club program. The team has risen to success that has culminated in two national championships in the club division and a third-place ranking among all club teams in the nation. The Blue and Gray also currently sits at 31st in the Collegiate Squash Association rankings, making it the nation’s top-ranked nonvarsity squash program.

Women’s Squash Captain Maddy Forbess

The current captains of the team, seniors Kaleigh O’Connor, Maddy Forbess and Kaitlin Hughes, have witnessed firsthand the program’s growth over their time on the Hilltop. The captains helped in the transition of the team from the club to varsity level, communicating with the athletics department and providing feedback during the transition. Chief of Staff and Associate Athletics Director for Sport Administration Kelli Myers praised the co-captains for their professional composure and dedication to the team.

“They’re not even as disappointed that they’re graduating as they are so proud that the program has taken the next leap,” Myers said in an interview with The Hoya.

See SQUASH, A11

With No. 13 Seton Hall sinking three-pointers on each of their first four possessions of the game, Georgetown found itself trailing 16-0 after three minutes and 31 seconds.

The Hoyas would eventually lose by a final score 78-71 Wednesday, Feb. 5 at Capital One Arena.

The loss for Georgetown (13-10, 3-7 Big East) comes after its comeback from a 17-point deficit to defeat the St. John’s Red Storm on Feb. 2. The Pirates (17-5, 9-1 Big East), on the other hand,

avoided a series of late comeback attempts by the Hoyas to secure a win that will help them achieve a higher seed in March Madness.

Seton Hall came out dominant in the first half, stringing together six buckets for a 16-0 run in the first three minutes. The uphill climb from the opening 16-point deficit was a slow one for the Hoyas, who inched their way to manageable deficits of 189, 29-19 and 36-30 before entering halftime with a 42-32 disadvantage.

The Hoyas made multiple runs throughout the first half, with timely baskets from ju-

The G ​ eorgetown men’s and women’s track and field team sent competitors to two different meets over the weekend, garnering a total of five firstplace finishes between both meets. While select men and women traveled to Bloomington, Ind., for the Indiana Relays, the remaining men and women’s team took to the road to compete at the Penn State National in State College, Pa. on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1.

On the first day of the Penn State National, the men’s team’s first-place finish came from senior Dylan Scarsone, who secured top marks with a time of 14:39 in the 5000-meter race, beating out his 19 competitors.

The women’s distance medley relay team of graduate student Alie Fordyce, freshman Maya Drayton, junior Lexi Del Gizzo and sophomore Sami Corman also took home the top spot in their event, crossing the line in 11:26. ​On Friday, Jan. 31, junior Cassidy Palmer posted a seasonbest 7.86 seconds in the 60-meter dash at the Penn State National, finishing in 32nd place overall. In the 60-meter hurdles, junior Malika Houston finished in 8.97 seconds in the preliminaries and 9.14 in the semifinals to claim 16th place. ​In the field, freshman Aniella Delafosse jumped 5.51 meters for a 15th-place finish in long jump, while Houston jumped 5.19m to claim a 24th-place finish. Sophomore Eni Akinniyi

Consecutive baskets from guard Myles Powell restored an eight-point lead for the Pirates with 16:19 left. When the Hoyas cut the deficit to 56-52 and the Pirates made one free throw on the ensuing possession, Powell began to take over once again, scoring on the next two possessions to propel Seton Hall to a 61-54 lead.

The Hoyas pulled within four points of the Pirates on two occasions in the final nine minutes of the game but failed to cut the deficit any more, ultimately falling 7871 to their Big East foe.

See SETON HALL, A11

FILE PHOTO: KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

Road Trip Results in 5 Victories Hoya Staff Writer

nior forward Jamorko Pickett and graduate student guard Terrell Allen keeping the Hoyas within striking distance in a half in which sophomore guard Mac McClung remained absent due to injury and senior center Omer Yurtseven shot one for six from the field.

Yurtseven showed a newfound focus at the beginning of the second half, opening with a putback layup to begin a Blue and Gray run. A free throw from junior guard Jahvon Blair closed out the Hoyas’ opening 8-1 run in the second half to cut the deficit to 43-40 with 17:50 remaining on the clock.

Senior center Omer Yurtseven listens to advice from Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85). In the Hoyas’ game against the Pirates, Yurtseven dropped 19 points and pulled in 15 rebounds to lead the team in sophomore guard Mac McClung’s absence.

TRACK & FIELD

GRACE COHN

First-place finishes from the track and field team at the Penn State National, Indiana Relays

Seton Hall Opens 16-0, Hoyas Fall 78-71 JAKE WEXELBLATT

Hoya Staff Writer

5

We’re calling ourselves pioneers, even though we won’t be on the team. It’s been coming for a long time.”

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S SQUASH

RACHEL GAUDREAU

NUMBERS GAME

TALKING POINTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

and freshman Lyric Harris both placed among the top 20 for triple jump. For the men, junior Josiah Laney jumped 6.78m for a 15th-place finish in the long jump.

After wrapping up day one of competition, the Hoyas returned to State College on the second day with similar success. Junior Olivia Arizin nabbed another first-place finish for the Blue and Gray with a winning time of 1:34 in the 600-meter race. Freshman Malia Anderson came in two seconds behind Arizin at 1:36 to grab an eighth-place finish.

In the 600-meter invitational race, Del Gizzo ran 1:33, securing third place.

Sophomore Katie Dammer won the 1-mile race with a personal best time of 4:52.91

among seven other competitors in the event, marking her first indoor competition of the 2019-20 season. Freshman Kate Tavella followed Dammer with a 5:05 mile, placing her in eighth place overall. In the invitational mile, senior Margie Cullen recorded a 4:57 mile to earn fifth place.

Senior Eion Nohilly followed Dammer’s performance in the 1-mile event by besting his 18 opponents to take first in the men’s 1 mile with a time of 4:13, rounding out the competition with five first-place finishes.

Sophomore Tristan Forsythe closely tailed Nohilly in the 1 mile, finishing in 4:05 to claim second place and beat his previous personal best in the mile See TRACK & FIELD, A11

GUHOYAS

Junior middle distance runner Ruach Padhal finishes his race strong at an indoor meet. In State College, Pa., Padhal earned a third-place finish in the 800-meter run invitational with a time of 1:50.42 before claiming fourth as part of the 4x400 relay at 3:17.07.

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BEHIND THE GRIDIRON

Jacob Vanderzwaag

Mahomes Proves Resilient in Super Bowl Victory With 7:13 to play in Super Bowl LIV, Patrick Mahomes’ highly anticipated Super Bowl debut was not going according to plan. After throwing just five interceptions during the entire regular season, Mahomes had already turned the ball over twice, a big reason why his Kansas City Chiefs were trailing the San Francisco 49ers 20-10.

Despite the deficit, Mahomes resiliently led the Chiefs to a 22-point comeback to seal a 31-20 victory in the 54th Super Bowl.

For much of the game, however, victory seemed out of the Chiefs’ reach. After falling 10 points behind, the Chiefs faced a third down with 15 yards to go from their own 35-yard line.

Given the immense pressure of one of sports’ largest stages and a double-digit deficit, it had finally seemed as though the moment had become too much for the 24-year-old phenom.

Trailing by two scores, Kansas City could not afford to give the ball back to San Francisco. It was at this moment that Mahomes made his biggest throw of the night. Facing pressure up the middle, Mahomes stepped up and fired the ball, finding an open Tyreek Hill at the 49ers’ 22-yard line. Four plays later, Mahomes

linked up with his trusty tight end Travis Kelce for a one-yard touchdown pass, and the comeback began.

Over the next five minutes of game time, the Chiefs would find the end zone twice more, turning what was once a 10-point deficit into a comfortable 31-20 victory.

Kansas City claimed their first Super Bowl in 50 years, thanks in no small part to the resilient play of Mahomes. He had led comebacks before, but this one felt different, coming on the biggest night in the NFL. Even with the victory, Mahomes looked nothing like the player he was last season when he won the 2018 NFL MVP, recording 50 touchdowns and captivating fans with his cannon of an arm and surgeon-like precision.

Instead, he was missing completions and forcing his receivers to make difficult catches on offtarget throws. Eventually, these mistakes caught up to Mahomes, resulting in the two momentumswinging interceptions on the Chiefs’ first two drives of the second half. Mahomes’ ability to respond and come back from these errors, however, demonstrates a See VANDERZWAAG, A11