YEAR IN
REVIEW 2013-2014
Table of Contents
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Students Spurred to Advocacy From the Hilltop to Capitol Hill, students engaged in a wide variety of protests this year, many of which were fueled by social media.
Mayoral Election
Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) handily took the D.C. Democratic primary April 1.
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Transgender Rights
With vocal representation, transgender issues became increasingly visible on campus this year.
Housing Changes Hit Home
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From delays in construction of the Northeast Triangle to policy changes that incited concerns among students, housing in all its forms emerged as the key campus issue of the 2013-2014 academic year.
Donations Up
Left to Tell
With a $100 million gift from Frank McCourt, donations this year were the highest in Georgetown’s history.
Some stories are ongoing, including free speech and the arrest of Daniel Milzman (COL ’16) for ricin posession.
In Memoriam Georgetown mourned the deaths of beloved longtime professors and current students this year, including Wayne Knoll and Mark Adamsson (SFS ’15).
Drama Basks in Darker Elements
Campus theater took a turn for the macabre during the 2013-2014 season, dealing with themes like mental illness and betrayal.
Sports in Review
Despite individual successes of student athletes, Georgetown’s athletic programs were unable to achieve notable success in postseason play.
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10 Production Staff Emma hinchliffe Editor-in-Chief MALLIKA SEN Executive Editor
ROBERT DEPAOLO Managing Editor
IAN TICE Layout and Online Editor
MADISON ASHLEY Issue Editor
MICHELLE XU Photography Editor CAROLYN MAGUIRE Sports Editor
JESS KELHAM-HOHLER Guide Editor ZACK SARAVaY Copy Chief
Contributing Editors Alexander Brown, Sheena Karkal Cover photo: Alexander Brown This page: Daniel Smith, Alexander Brown, Erika Wong
The Year in Brief Code of Conduct
Divestment
Latin Honors
Justice and Peace
The Code of Student Conduct was modified twice this year, with the removal of category-based violations in the revision released Aug. 29 and the addition of a more comprehensive medical amnesty policy Feb. 4. An external review prompted the shift away from heavy bureaucracy, while the Medical Amnesty and Good Samaritan Policy were included to formalize the practice of protecting anyone in need of medical attention from facing disciplinary action because of the consumption of alcohol or drugs, as well as the person who calls for assistance.
GU Fossil Free began its campaign last year to divest the university endowment from fossil fuels with a presentation of a proposal to President John J. DeGioia. This year, the student group initially sought a student-body referendum on the investment in fossil fuels but decided to instead work with the GUSA senate to develop a resolution on the matter. Since then, the organization has met with administrators and the university’s Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility to advance its plan. The university has yet to issue a decisive verdict on the matter.
The university announced in January that Latin honors would be calculated by percentages rather than GPA cutoffs, reducing the number of students who graduate with that status. Currently, graduating summa cum laude requires a GPA of 3.9, while graduating magna cum laude or cum laude requires a GPA of 3.7 and 3.5, respectively. Beginning with the Class of 2017, summa cum laude will be the top 5 percent, magna cum laude will be the next 10 percent and cum laude will be the next 10 percent of students in each undergraduate school.
Georgetown College approved a major in justice and peace studies on Feb. 25 after students had campaigned for over a year to see the program expanded. In expanding the Program on Justice and Peace from a six-course minor, the interdisciplinary major will consist of 11 courses, three of which must be concentrated in subjects such as conflict transformation, social movements and humanitarian aid. The interdisciplinary program is designed to focus on social justice principles and actions.
Georgetown University Student Association
Jack, J.J. and John B. Carroll In late July, the future of Georgetown’s live mascot tradition hung in question after university officials announced that mascot-in-training Jack Jr. would be removed from campus and placed in private care. It was later revealed that the dog’s abrupt departure came after a settlement with the parents of a child that had been bitten by J.J. last fall. Two weeks later, the Bulldog Advisory Committee, composed of students and faculty, announced that it had chosen a new bulldog to replace the popular puppy. Christened John Carroll III, the puppy was given to the university by breeders Janice and Marcus Hochstedler, the same breeders who had given J.J. the year before. Along with the new dog would come changes in
DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA
John B. Carroll, who replaced J.J. in the fall, lives on 36th Street. conservatorship after Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J., who has cared for the university’s live mascot for the past 10 years, decided he would not care for the new addition. McKenzie Stough (COL ’13), a specialist in the Office of Communications, lives with the dog in a universityowned townhouse on 36th Street. Steck still retains care of the former mascot Jack, who lives out a quiet retirement in New South Hall.
While this year’s Georgetown University Student Association pushed through policy changes and programming overhauls, it also had its tense moments, with a contentious veto and battle for the senate speaker spot, in addition to the annual executive election. In October, GUSA President Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) vetoed a bill designed to confirm the Social Innovation and Public Fund’s ability to issue grants and loans through the Green Revolving Loan Fund. The presidential veto had not been exercised in three years, drawing accusations of high-handedness from senators. However, Tisa maintained that the bill’s wording rendered it weak. The senate revised the bill, which Tisa signed Nov. 4. In January, GUSA Election
Commissioner Ethan Chess (COL ’14) filed a petition with the Constitutional Council after then-senate Vice Speaker Sam Greco (SFS ’15) was defeated by Senator Emilie Siegler (SFS ’14) in an election to fill a vacancy in the senate speaker position. The council supported Chess’ argument that Greco should have automatically assumed the speaker’s chair, according to GUSA bylaws, and invalidated the election, thus clearing the way for Greco. In February, Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) and Omika Jikaria (SFS ’15) won the GUSA executive election, replacing Tisa and Vice President Adam Ramadan (SFS ’14), respectively. The pair beat three other tickets in an election that hinged on issues of free speech and advocacy. With
KAYLA NOGUCHI/THE HOYA
Then-Vice Speaker Sam Greco (SFS ’15), after losing the election. candid admission of membership in secret societies, the election remained largely free of the contention that defined last year’s race.
The Year in Gaston Hall
DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA
“Ethics, Power and Politics: A Night With Kevin Spacey and Ron Klain” Nov. 4, 2013
“I watch what’s going on in Washington and I think to myself, ‘our scripts aren’t that f – - – - ing crazy,’” actor Kevin Spacey said of his show “House of Cards.”
CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA
“Advancing Afghan Women” Nov. 15, 2013
“We all know that creating opportunities for women isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s a strategic necessity,” Secretary of State John Kerry said, featured along with Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush.
DANIEL SMITH/THE HOYA
“A Conversation with Nas and Michael Eric Dyson” March 27, 2014
“Just as we study a Homer, we study a Nas,” said “Sociology of Hip-Hop: Jay-Z” professor Michael Eric Dyson on stage with the “Illmatic” rapper.
BENJAMIN APPLEY EPSTEIN/THE HOYA
“A Life in the Law” April 2, 2014
“You have to believe that this group of nine is passionate about finding the right answer. No matter what we all think the right answer is, we’re all filled with the same passion,” said Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, left, with law professor Eloise Pasachoff.
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Protest Thrives in Diverse Forms Students advocate on campus, at the White House and online
SUZANNE MONYAK Hoya Staff Writer
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rom online movements combatting microaggressions at universities nationwide to student-led rallies calling for reform at the gates of the White House, the past year has seen prolific Georgetown student activism. ONLINE ADVOCACY Inspired by #BBUM, or Being Black at the University of Michigan, students created their own Twitter movements documenting minorities’ experiences at Georgetown, including #BBGU (Being Black at Georgetown University), #BAGU (Being Asian at Georgetown University), #BLGU (Being Latino/a at Georgetown University), #BDGU (Being Disabled at Georgetown University) and #DBKGU (Dangerous Black Kids of Georgetown University). “There’s definitely a movement of students challenging their respective institutions to think critically about these issues, and I’m happy that I’m a part of it or could be a part of it, to see this happening, because I think it’s a very great way for our generation to speak to larger issues about race and class and diversity,” #BBGU organizer Aya Waller-Bey (COL ’14) said. #BBGU, Georgetown’s first Twitter movement, launched in December 2013 to create a public and safe space for black students to voice their grievances and speak on behalf of their experiences as members of the Georgetown community, notably on the existence of microaggressions, or means of communication concealing offensive or discriminatory undertones. This movement inspired the subsequent rise of #BLGU and #BAGU, which also promoted awareness of racially charged microaggressions. #DBKGU, a similar protest launched in February on Facebook and Tumblr, more closely followed the format of “I, Too, Am Harvard,” a photo campaign aiming to promote awareness of the prevalence of microaggressions as
PROTEST MOVES ONLINE @ChantalPortillo Dec. 12 Regularly reminding yourself that you’ve made it this far - a reality that’ll never fade since you’re still in the margins #BLGU_ #BLGU @czmari Dec. 16 “The professor doesn’t even speak English.” Yes, yes she does. Don’t undermine intellect just because of an accent. #bagu @PrincessuniQueL33 Dec. 5 “do black people...?” Do I look like the ambassador for African-Americans worldwide? #BBGU
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KRISTEN SKILLMAN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
A march to the White House to protest the XL Keystone Pipeline under consideration by President Obama began in Healy Circle.
Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) speaks at the One Georgetown, One Campus launch Sept. 8 protesting the proposed satellite residence.
well as challenge racial stereotypes and show diversity within Harvard. Shavonnia CorbinJohnson (SFS ’14), the founder of #DBKGU, organized the movement as a way to critique the negative images society often associates with the black community. The page has amassed more than 1,400 likes to date. “I actually didn’t think it would get as large as it did,” Corbin-Johnson said. According to Lydia Brown (COL ’15), one of the primary #BDGU organizers, #BDGU has yet to galvanize the support among Georgetown administrators that the movement would require to be successful. “In our primary aim, I believe we had limited success. A number of prominent student leaders … knew about or participated in the conversation. There is still a long way to go. So far, no official statement from the administration has been forthcoming regarding plans for a Disability Cultural Center, nor have any of the major institutional barriers to access for students with disabilities been changed,” Brown wrote in an email. PROTEST WITHIN THE FRONT GATES Georgetown students’ protests, however, weren’t limited to the screen this year. After university officials proposed the creation of a satellite residence to house undergraduate students Sept. 8, members of the Georgetown University Student Association launched the One Georgetown, One Campus campaign for a student-wide referendum the following day, gathering 400 signatures within three hours. In the subsequent referendum, the student body voted overwhelmingly against the university’s proposal, with just 7 percent of students saying they were in fa-
vor of the creation of a satellite campus. Students also successfully challenged the administration to protest proposed changes to the housing process for current sophomores in February. After student pushback, policy implementation was delayed. In October, representatives from GU Pride sat in on a Love Saxa event, protesting the Campus Ministry-affiliated organization, which aims to counter campus hookup culture, for its recent choice of allegedly homophobic speakers, including Mark Regnerus, who condemns same-sex parenting. On-campus protest extended to employers within the front gates. The Georgetown Solidarity Committee, aided by the Georgetown chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Hoyas for Immigrant Rights and GUSA, organized a march in November on restaurant Epicurean and Co. to present its owner, Chang Wook Chon, with a petition demanding fair treatment of the restaurant’s workers. In response, Chon issued a statement in December restating his commitment to upholding Georgetown’s Just Employment Policy but said that he did not intend to change his business practices as a result of the petition. “I have taken many steps to show my commitment to Epicurean employees, to Georgetown University and to the Just Employment Policy,” Chon wrote. “I will continue to work with the associate vice president of auxiliary services and the greater Georgetown University administration on the Just Employment Policy.” Not all on-campus protests were successful. On January 20, members of H*yas for Choice were removed from Healy Circle by George-
town University Police Department officers just 18 minutes after they had settled in to protest the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life outside of their usual Red Square setting. ACTIVISTS RALLY AT WHITE HOUSE Student activism also extended beyond the Hilltop, as Georgetown students joined with hundreds of universities around the country to protest the construction of the XL Keystone Pipeline on March 2. The protesters marched to the White House and zip-tied themselves to the North Lawn fence, sprawling out on a mock plastic oil spill. Of the 10 Georgetown students who participated, three were arrested, including Caroline James (COL ’16), Chloe Lazarus (COL ’16) and Michelle Stearn (SFS ’15). Despite the march’s start on campus, the 10 Georgetown students were few in number among the 1,000 protesters. Student immigration activists’ voices also rang loudly weeks later when, on April 5, more than 100 Georgetown students marched to the White House as part of a National Day of Action, shouting “Obama, escucha, estamos en lucha,” or “Obama, listen, we are fighting,” to protest the record number of deportations that have occurred under the Obama administration. Hoyas for Immigrant Rights President Citlalli Alvarez (COL ’16) called the protest a success, praising it for bringing together Georgetown students and the outside community. “That, for me, signified the success more than anything, the way in which we were able to support that community more,” Alvarez said.
Mayoral Race Engages District, but Not Hilltop Bowser bests Gray in Democratic primary with Catania ahead in November
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fter a rollercoaster campaign marred by the specter of a campaign finance scandal, D.C. Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) unseated incumbent Mayor Vincent Gray in the April 1 Democratic primary, preparing her to face Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large) in the Nov. 4 general election for mayor. Former commissioner for Advisory Neighborhood Commission 4B and local political activist Bowser, 41, attracted voters as a turn from D.C.’s tradition of political corruption and separated herself from a crowded field of challengers that included fellow councilmembers Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Vincent Orange (D-At Large), as well as restaurateur Andy Shallal and U.S. State Department official Reta Jo Lewis. “People are responding to our message of a fresh start and the promise of a government you can actually be proud of,” Bowser said after a February debate. Gray was repeatedly hounded by opponents and voters alike who demanded answers stemming from alleged wrongdoing that took place during his 2010 campaign for mayor, including the acceptance of over $600,000 in illegal campaign contributions from businessman Jeffrey Thompson. Exuding confidence in mayoral forums and debates throughout January and Febru-
ary, Gray seemed content to let challengers fight among themselves, choosing instead to highlight his administration’s accomplishments in education and budgetary management. “We’ve seen the unemployment rate drop to 8.9 percent, we have the most robust early childhood education program in the nation. This administration has made this city better over the last three-and-a-half years,” Gray said at a January mayoral forum. Boosted by an aggressive ground campaign and an endorsement from The Washington Post, Bowser began to emerge in midFebruary as the clear challenger to Gray. While Gray maintained a slight lead heading into March, not even his team of D.C. political heavyweights could have anticipated the events of March 14, when U.S. Attorney Ron Machen announced that Thompson had implicated Gray in his guilty plea to conspiracy charges. Meanwhile, Bowser continued to climb in the polls, pulling dead even in the weeks leading up to Election Day. April 1 brought a historically low voter turnout of 27 percent, a number not seen since 1974. The day also brought a resounding victory for Bowser, who won 44 percent of the vote to Gray’s 33 percent and carried many precincts Gray had previously won in 2010. Interest in the election among George-
town students, most of whom are not registered to vote in D.C., was lacking throughout this year. Students interviewed shortly before the primary (“In Local Politics, Student Interest Wanes,” The Hoya, A1, March 28, 2014) showed marked disinterest in the race. “It is hard to be a convincing voting bloc since most students are not registered to vote in D.C.,” Georgetown University Student Association Undersecretary for D.C. Relations Callie Hinerfeld (SFS ’17) said in March. While the general mayoral election is normally a formality in the heavily Democratic District, Bowser now goes on to face a significant challenge from Catania in the November election. Catania, a former Republican, would be the first openly gay mayor and first non-Democratic, white mayor to be elected since 1973. While the general election will not heat up until late summer, the race promises to highlight education policy as well as inequalities across the wards. “We’re going into the general election with the same strategy, knocking on every door, going across this city to make sure people know our message and know what we’re bringing to the table,” Bowser campaign manager Bo Shuff said. The general election for mayor will be held along with national elections for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives on Nov. 4.
JOHNNY VERHOVEK Hoya Staff Writer
NATAHSA THOMSON/THE HOYA
MALLIKA SEN/THE HOYA, ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
Clockwise from top: Muriel Bowser, Jack Evans, Tommy Wells, Vincent Gray
Transgender Students Enter Campus Spotlight Vocal out community and student-group advocacy combine to spur progress
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ast year’s Year in Review highlighted the progression of LGBTQ student groups on campus, as well as LGBTQ rights nationally, as evidenced by the legalization of gay marriage in states across the country. This year, one part of that acronym that had been
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Lexi Dever (COL ’16), center, takes part in Coming Out Day in Red Square Oct. 11.
overlooked in the past emerged as a key priority and force for progress on Georgetown’s campus: transgender students. For the first time in Georgetown’s history, a visible population of transgender students brought transgender issues to the attention of the wider Georgetown community. The willingness of these students to speak publicly about their experiences, coupled with structural changes to LGBTQ organizations, amplified the student body’s knowledge of the experience of transgender students. At the beginning of the year, GU Pride added a trans* representative to its executive board, electing Celeste Chisholm (COL ’15) to the position. In her role, Chisholm, who is spending this semester in Japan, spoke frequently to campus media and led programming and advocacy. “Once there was the very visible transgender rep position, as well as a more visible community, it encouraged The Hoya and the Voice to cover these issues, and that led to more transgender-led initiatives,” GU Pride President Thomas Lloyd (SFS ’15) said. “Part of it was by happenstance of having a larger out community, and part was action by Pride and other folks to make transgender issues a
priority.” LGBTQ Center Director Shiva Subbaraman connected changing attitudes at Georgetown to a changing climate nationally. “There have always been trans students on campus, but I think the level of comfort and general level of openness around trans issues has certainly been more this year. Some of it has changed nationally — nationally there’s more awareness around trans issues,” Subbaraman said. Lloyd identified several key moments for transgender rights over the course of the year, including a commitment to add a unisex bathroom to every floor of the Northeast Triangle Residence Hall and other dorms going forward, and a moment during the vice presidential debate in the Georgetown University Student Association executive race in which every candidate said his or her ticket would support gender-neutral housing. Lexi Dever (COL ’16), the current GU Pride trans* representative, pointed to the importance of awareness over this year. “People are more aware we exist, and we have a lot of things we have to deal with to have the same basic privileges other Georgetown students have,” Dever said.
EMMA HINCHLIFFE Hoya Staff Writer Dever credited an article published in September (“Trans* Students Share Their Stories,” The Hoya, B1, Sept. 20, 2013) for beginning the yearlong push for awareness of transgender issues. Later in the year, Dever authored a viewpoint (“Hurdles for a Life in Transition,” The Hoya, A3, Feb. 21, 2014) further explaining the challenges transgender students face in everyday matters such as living with students of the same gender or changing their names through the University Registrar. Over the next year, advocates for transgender rights expect to see greater push for policy changes as well as continued expansion of cultural acceptance. Dever met with university officials earlier this week to discuss easing the process of name changes for transgender students and removing quotations from changed names on university documents for all students who request such changes. “Every year we hope it will get better and students will be more empowered to be who they are,” Subbaraman said. “Being trans is just part of who they are — that they’re not just present on campus as a trans person, that they’re present on campus as artists and musicians, and OAs and RAs and what they love to do.”
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Among Campus Issues, Housing Hit
Dorm designs and locations, campus policy garner community react
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ast summer, administrators ran into an unexpected roadblock after releasing designs for the Northeast Triangle Residence Hall: impassioned alumni and student objection to the dorm’s appearance. This objection eventually led to the delay of the new residence hall from fall 2015 to fall 2016 and a search for a new look that could be accepted by the Georgetown community. When students returned to campus in the fall, housing continued to dominate university announcements and news throughout the year. In some cases, similarly strong reactions again stopped university projects, including a proposed satellite residence and changes to the housing process for current sophomores. As the year winds down, construction is set to begin on the Northeast Triangle pending another round of approval by the Old Georgetown Board, and a third-year housing requirement for all students is now official. Housing will likely continue to play an important role in student-administrator interactions as some of the headlines that garnered student attention this year take shape on campus. Northeast Triangle Moves Forward Plans for the Northeast Triangle met their first obstacle at the OGB’s June meeting. The board rejected the university’s original proposal — a seven-story building that would house 250 students — and suggested that administrators present alternative housing options as well as adapt the design for the Northeast Triangle in accordance with student and alumni opinions. Prior to the June meeting, OGB members received approximately 20 emails from students expressing their distaste for the new residence.
In response to student and alumni criticism of the building’s design and location on one of the only remaining green spaces on the north side of campus, administrators and architects from Sasaki Architect Company held a series of forums throughout the summer and fall semesters. Additionally, administrators met with certain “target” student groups, such as Residence Hall Office managers, resident assistants and the InterHall Council, to garner more feedback. “Backing up and going through all of the student-engagement process really got to the crux of what it was to be a building on Georgetown and for Georgetown and what it meant to build within the context of not only the history, but the existing campus plan and also to build for the future,” Associate University Architect Jodi Ernst said. In February, architects presented updated plans for the building that were based on student input and OGB’s suggestions. The eight-story building will include a variety of semi-suites consisting of two, four or six beds and a compartmentalized bathroom. Additionally, each residential floor will have a common room and a kitchen. With GOCard room access, the Northeast Triangle will be Georgetown’s first keyless residence hall. The ground floor of the building will have a large, open engagement space, which will include a large workroom, a multipurpose room that can be divided into two smaller rooms and a kitchen. The building’s exterior was designed to connect the stone buildings in the Dahlgren Quadrangle and Red Square with the brick buildings, like those in Henle Village and the Leavey Center, on the north side of campus. The residence hall
will also feature a varied window pattern. “The student input, once we pulled back and took a look at what we were doing, really turned the building from being sort of a materiality that wasn’t present at Georgetown into a building that more closely relates to what we have going on. It fits into our history and also looks forward,” Ernst said. A green terrace with concrete seat edges will lead up to the building; administrators plan to install new benches as well as movable tables and chairs. The Northeast Triangle received OGB concept approval in March. The university will go before the OGB again in June for design-development approval. “What we have now is a building that is very thoughtfully designed, and we’re going to begin construction there later this summer,” Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson said. If the university receives OGB approval in June, it will begin site-utility relocation later that month. Construction of the Northeast Triangle is scheduled to commence in October, after the preexisting water and electrical utilities are relocated from underneath the area where the residence will be built. “We’re trying to make sure that there are no gaps, so that once we start, it’s sequenced in a way that is logical,” Ernst said. Satellite Residence Considered With the Northeast Triangle set to be home to approximately 225 students, the university continued to search for additional housing options in order to comply with the 2010 Campus Plan agreement, which dictates that 385 students must be moved out of the Georgetown neighborhood’s
20007 zip code by fall 2015. The university announced in September that a satellite undergraduate residence was under consideration, meeting immediate student opposition. In order to get students out of the immediate neighborhood, administrators considered locations such as Clarendon, Va., a site near Capitol Hill and an area north of campus on Wisconsin Avenue. “We needed to explore all of our options at our disposal and we wanted to do our due diligence to make sure we were looking through all of the possibilities,” Olson said. Administrators proposed busing students back and forth between the satellite residence and the main campus and dabbled in the idea of incentivizing the residence by ensuring that it was of a higher quality than on-campus dormitories. Nevertheless, students quickly expressed their distaste for the plan. A few days after administrators announced that a satellite residence was under consideration, students launched the “One Georgetown, One Campus” campaign in order to voice opposition to the creation of any residence outside of the Georgetown neighborhood. In addition to staging a demonstration near the front gates, the campaign’s supporters circulated a petition to bring the issue to a Georgetown University Student Association referendum in order to gauge student opinion and communicate with the administration. “We kept the lines of communication open, and I think [the administration] really understood and respected that our passion was coming from a place of really caring about Georgetown,” former GUSA President Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) said. The petition received 412 signatures, exceed-
COLOR CONCEPTS COURTESY SASAKI ASSOCIATES; BLACK AND WHITE CONCEPT COURTESY GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION
After impassioned alumni and student distaste for the first Northeast Triangle Residence Hall design, far left, Sasaki Associates redesigned the dormitory to reach its current incarnation, far right. Changes from August to now aimed to better integrate the building with Georgetown’s existing architecture, both by the front gates and on the north side of campus.
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its Home
tion
HOUSING IN REVIEW Summer 2013
The university submitted a plan for the Northeast Triangle to the Old Georgetown Board, drawing criticism for failing to solicit student and alumni feedback. After the OGB rejected the proposal, revised plans were met with a more favorable opinion in August.
MOLLY SIMIO Hoya Staff Writer
ing the 300 signatures necessary to create a GUSA referendum. At the end of September, 2,746 out of 2,966 students voted against the creation of a satellite residence. Just 7 percent of voters indicated that they were in favor of university housing outside of the Georgetown neighborhood. “I think very quickly [the administration] saw that it wasn’t just one or two GUSA representatives who were upset about [the satellite residency],” Tisa said. “It very quickly became clear that a cross section of campus organizations were pretty miffed about it for various reasons.” Housed in History Influenced by the outcome of the referendum, administrators announced in November that a satellite residence was off the table. Instead, Ryan and Mulledy Halls, the former Jesuit residence in Dahlgren Quadrangle, will be converted into student housing to bring approximately 160 new beds to campus. “We listened in a very serious way to student input and student views on this,” Olson said. Although originally considered as a temporary solution to meeting the housing requirement, Ryan and Mulledy will be made into a long-term student residence. “There were a lot of conversations among administrators and involving students as part of the process, as well, to just look creatively at all of the options on campus, and after careful review we determined that [Ryan and Mulledy] was a promising opportunity to pursue,” Olson said. Once it is converted, the residence will consist of primarily suite-style rooms, which will include private bathrooms and living areas in addition to bedrooms. Because of the buildings’ structural constraints, there will also be a small number of semi-suites, like those in Copley Hall, which will not include private living areas. Architects from Ayers Saint Gross are working to maintain certain aspects of the buildings’ design, such as the large windows and the high ceilings. Additionally, spaces such as the buildings’ chapel and the old Jesuit dining room, which will be made into a common gathering space, will be preserved because of their historical significance. “We’ve worked hard to involve our Jesuit community in the planning because of the historic ties and nature of the building, and their perspectives have enriched the project,” Olson said. The first stages of the construction process will commence next month, and the conversion is expected to be finished by fall 2015. Housing Policy Along with construction and campus plan changes, the 2013-2014 academic year also saw revisions to the university’s housing policy for third-year students and those studying abroad. On Jan. 16, the Office of Residential Living announced that beginning with the Class of 2016, students studying abroad in the fall semester would have to renounce both their eligibility
September 2013
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
Housing construction and policy dominated this year’s headlines, with students and alumni passionate about maintaining Georgetown’s architectural spirit in future designs. and place in the housing lottery for the coming semester. Student response was swift, with a GUSA resolution challenging the policy and the subsequent creation of a Facebook page, “Students Against Restrictive Housing,” that garnered over 700 likes in two weeks. On Feb. 11, Residential Living announced that it intended to maintain the policy but that it would postpone its implementation until fall 2015. Another policy change came from students, rather than the administration. In November, GUSA announced the creation of “What’s a Hoya?” to tie housing points for freshmen to attendance of seminars on issues such as diversity and sexual assault. The past semester also brought policy changes to help meet the campus plan’s stipulation that the university house an additional 385 students on campus by fall 2015. Other measures taken throughout the year, like converting more Southwest Quad rooms into triples, also worked toward this goal. In an email to the Georgetown community Wednesday, Olson announced that, beginning with the Class of 2017, students would be required to live in university housing for three years, with exceptions for transfer students and students who study abroad. Delays Spur Quick Fixes While plans for the conversion of the old Jesuit residence were underway, the advancement of the Northeast Triangle lagged. The new residence, which was originally scheduled to open in fall 2015, is now not expected to be complete until fall 2016 because of delays in the approvals process. In order to meet the fall 2015 deadline, the university would have had to receive OGB concept approval when it initially went before the board last June. “We would have had to go through the process in a more orderly fashion in June to get the approvals at the points in time that we needed the approvals in order to meet the fall 2015 deadline,” Ernst said. “The decision that was made was the right decision, and that was not to force a design through that didn’t have universal buy-in.” By extending the design process to incorporate feedback from students, alumni and the OGB, administrators prolonged the approvals process. Despite the delay, administrators said that they do
not doubt that they made the right decision. “We wanted to move forward very enthusiastically on that project once we identified the site,” Olson said. “We know that there were some questions about the appearance of the building — how well it fits with the character of the campus — that we wanted to take seriously and so we think it was a very reasonable pause to make sure we were listening to all of the voices, taking student and alumni feedback seriously, taking seriously feedback from the Old Georgetown Board as they reviewed the project and making sure that the project made sense to all the key stakeholders.” In light of this delay, administrators reconsidered converting the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center into student housing. The hotel had previously been reviewed as a potential housing option in 2012, but administrators ruled out the idea because of the revenue loss that would result from losing the hotel space. Administrators announced in December that two of the hotel’s four floors would be converted to house 120 students for the 2015-2016 school year. By maintaining half of the hotel space, revenue loss will be minimized. Few details about the temporary conversion have been determined. In order to add 385 beds to campus, administrators are also considering modifying existing space in residence halls such as LXR, Village C East and the Southwest Quad to include additional dorms. “We’re looking at both hotel space and space in existing residence halls, and that’s a process we’re committed to following through on,” Olson said. “It’s earlier in that design process.” While administrators must try to make the most of pre-existing spaces in order to comply with the campus plan because of delays with the Northeast Triangle, Olson said that the university was prepared to deal with such setbacks. “In general, on our very compact urban campus, any new project like this is going to have a set of challenges that go with figuring out how to do this project in a way that meets our programmatic needs, that respects the historic nature of our campus and that takes the needs of all of the stakeholders involved seriously,” Olson said. “There’s not any capital project that we’ll do on this campus that is simple, and that’s without those issues to think through, so I think that the issues we faced were to be expected in our environment here.”
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
Resistance to a satellite residence coalesced into the “One Georgetown, One Campus” campaign, led by GUSA members including Nate Tisa (SFS ’14), above. A campuswide referendum supported the campaign, with 93 percent voting against the off-campus move. Housing selection for rising juniors and seniors moved to the spring from early fall, joining rising sophomores.
October 2013
The university relented on the satellite campus housing option, announcing the repurposing of Ryan and Mulledy halls as a student residence.
November 2013
NATASHA THOMSON/THE HOYA
GUSA and the Office of Residential Living created the “What’s a Hoya?” program, which tied housing points for freshmen to attendance at a series of educational seminars.
January 2014
Students studying abroad were dropped from the housing lottery, prompting protest. The residential living policy was subsequently delayed to spare the Class of 2016.
February 2014
The 2015-2016 school year will see a shift in housing selection priority to seniors, over juniors.
April 2014
The university will mandate a three-year housing requirement, beginning with the Class of 2017 in fall 2015.
4.25.14 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 7
McCourt, Beecks Lead Record Year for Fundraising $189 million raised this year; capital campaign on way to 2016 goal with $1.26 billion
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eginning with a record-breaking $100 million gift from Frank McCourt Jr. (CAS ’75) in September, this fiscal year was the most successful fundraising year in Georgetown’s 225-year history. On Sept. 18, the university announced that McCourt, the former owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, would fund the creation of the McCourt School of Public Policy, replacing the Georgetown Public Policy Institute. However, McCourt’s gift was not without controversy, stemming from his past outside of Georgetown. During McCourt’s tenure as Dodgers owner, the team became mired in over $600 million of debt and was at the center of McCourt’s very public 2009 divorce, the most costly in California’s history. The university honored McCourt’s gift with an academic ceremony Oct. 8 as well as a larger black-tie ceremony featuring members of Congress the following day. Georgetown also received a second large gift, a $10 million donation from Alberto and Olga Maria Beeck (SFS ’81), to fund the creation of the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation in February. According to Vice President for Advancement R. Bartley Moore, this corresponds with a nationwide move toward strategy- and initiative-based gifts. “Donors of larger gifts increasingly want
to connect their gift with an explicit strategy for the growth of the institution,” Moore said. “Giving is less charitable, and it’s more of a philanthropic investment. That’s not to say that giving is not a form of charity — the donors do not want anything material in exchange for their generosity, but they want to know that they will have an impact.” According to Moore, by March 31 the university raised $189 million in new commitments and pledges, surpassing its original goal of $166 million. With three more months to go in the university’s fiscal year, Moore projected that the university would raise a total of $225 million by June 30. “We are confident that we will break the record for total dollars this year,” Moore said. The $189 million includes several donations of hundreds or thousands of dollars as well a smaller — but potentially record — number of principal gifts, which are over $1 million. At this point, the total number of principal gifts, 18, is lower than last year’s 21 at this point. Moore said he expected the fiscal-year-end total to be 25 or 26, compared to last year’s 28. The Office of Advancement has also been tracking the percentage of undergraduate alumni donors that give to the university each year, which historically averages 25 percent. Moore said he expected over 33 percent of undergraduate alumni to give this year, an in-
PENNY HUNG Hoya Staff Writer
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
University President John J. DeGioia thanks Frank McCourt (CAS ’75) at the ceremony honoring McCourt’s $100 million donation to the university in October. crease from last year’s 32 percent. “We are very, very proud of that progress, but we’re aiming for 35 percent in 2016,” Moore said. Ultimately, this year’s fundraising success brings the Campaign for Georgetown closer to its 2016 end goal of $1.5 billion. Moore said that, by March 31, the capital campaign had
reached $1.26 billion, and is expected to hit $1.3 billion by the end of the fiscal year. “We could finish $150 million ahead of our total goal,” Moore said. “The projection that I’ve been making to our leadership and board of directors is that success in the $1.5 billion goal is feeling increasingly confident.”
Ricin Case, Free Speech Remain Unresolved W hile the Year in Review highlights the events and themes that have defined the past year on the Hilltop, some stories have not been neatly tied up in time for the conclusion of classes.
MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
COURTESY H*YAS FOR CHOICE
Milzman and lawyer at detention hearing; H*yas for Choice’s short-lived protest.
8 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 4.25.14
STUDENT CHARGED WITH RICIN POSSESSION On the morning of March 18, residents of McCarthy Hall awoke in confusion to the sounds of sirens, and federal agents partitioning off a McCarthy 6 corridor. In the days that followed, it would be revealed that Daniel Milzman (COL ’16), a physics major on a pre-med track, had been manufacturing the biological toxin ricin in his dorm room. Milzman, 19, the son of a research director at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, with whom he has co-authored several articles, served as captain and founder of the Quiz Bowl team on campus as well as a member of the Secular Student Alliance. Since March 21, Milzman has been held in D.C. jail after U.S. District Court Chief Justice Richard Roberts overturned a magistrate judge’s earlier ruling to release Milzman into his parents’ care to pursue psychiatric treatment March 31, instead ruling that Milzman be placed under “rigorous suicide watch” due to the possibility that Milzman could have been manufacturing the toxin for use on other individu-
als or himself. A status hearing will take place May 1 with a trial date forthcoming.
FREE SPEECH POLICY AWAITS REVISION Eighteen minutes — the amount of time it took Georgetown University Police Department officials to remove members of H*yas for Choice attempting to table in Healy Circle during the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life in January. The group was attempting to test the university’s Free Speech Policy that claimed that free speech is allowed in places other than Red Square. At a subsequent speech forum Jan. 16, Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson told the campus community to expect a version of an updated free speech policy no later than the last day of classes. “By the end of the semester, we will produce a document that tries to really clarify and smooth out a lot of these issues. It will not solve all of them, but it is the best step forward to try to get clearer and more explicit,” Olson said at the time. “Before the last day of classes this semester, we will produce at least a version of that.” While the university has yet to produce the revision, Olson assured that it would be ready before students go home for summer. “We’re almost there. We’ve had very good work in the Speech and Expression
MADISON ASHLEY Hoya Staff Writer
Committee. It’s been intensive work during the semester and those folks are finalizing it and putting the finishing touches on it,” Olson said Wednesday of the work of the committee, which is composed of four faculty members and four student representatives. Olson highlighted some changes that can be expected from the revised policy. “It’s about expanding student opportunities for tabling around campus, it’s about clarifying rights and opportunities that exist for students, making sure students are aware of those,” Olson said. “It is aimed at providing a clear pathway for students who have concerns about the speech and expression policy to raise them and have them responded to in an effective way.” In the meantime, H*yas for Choice and fellow unrecognized campus organizations are waiting in limbo to determine how the new policies will affect their groups. “Until the Division of Student Affairs and other offices ensure that all members of the campus community are able to and feel comfortable expressing their own ideas, it is impossible for Georgetown to brand itself as an institution that promotes meaningful dialogue,” H*yas for Choice President Abby Grace (SFS ’16) wrote in an email.
In Memoriam
MALLIKA SEN Hoya Staff Writer Wayne Knoll Professor
Professor Wayne Knoll died Nov. 10, 2013, after a three-month battle with an incurable and inoperable cancerous tumor. The former Jesuit priest joined the Georgetown faculty in 1972, teaching English for 41 years. Knoll was renowned for his capacity for love, whether in regard to his students, which included University President John J. DeGioia, the university or his wife. He received the Edward B. Bunn Award for excellence in teaching in 2006.
BESS RoSENZWEIG
COURTESY CALEY BEARD
COURTESY ANNE GEHMAN
Recent Alumna
Ten weeks after her graduation from Georgetown, Bess Rosenzweig (COL ’13) died in a plane crash in Kenya on July 25 that also claimed the lives of her mother and the plane’s pilot. According to friends, the psychology major with a minor in French and a certificate in African studies epitomized the concept of a free spirit. An avid traveller, Rosenzweig, who was 22, relished the opportunity to explore different cultures — she had a particular affinity for the African continent — and connect with strangers and friends alike. She spent time volunteering as a teacher outside Nairobi, Kenya, and had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro.
PATRICK SHEEHAN Former Mascot
TOM QUINN
Alumnus and Boxing Trainer
Tom Quinn (CAS ’55) was a man of many titles: United States Marine, businessman, consultant, actor and Yates Field House employee. Yet one title has enshrined him in the pantheon of Georgetown legends: the 1955 NCAA Eastern heavyweight boxing champion. Quinn, who died Jan. 5 in Teaneck, N.J., at 79 from complications related to diabetes, was the university’s last title winner in boxing; his gloves hang in a case in McDonough Arena. After graduation, the Athletic Hall of Fame member held a variety of successful careers before pursuing acting, with parts in “Enemy of the State” and “The Wire,” in addition to his work in D.C. theater. He was hired as a boxing trainer at Yates in 2004, and was recognized by students as a friendly employee GOCards at the gym’s front desk.
COURTESY BRIAN MCGUIRE
FILE PHOTO: COURTESY TOM QUINN
The pioneer of Georgetown’s costumed mascot tradition, Patrick Sheehan (CAS ’81), was killed in a car crash in the Bronx, N.Y., on Nov. 9. Sheehan donned the first Jack the Bulldog suit in 1977, his freshman year, after an Alumni Association group chose him because of his enthusiasm and personality. His tenure as mascot aligned with the heyday of Georgetown men’s basketball, with the legendary coach John Thompson Jr.’s assumption of the helm in 1972. Sheehan was known for his antics during basketball games. Sheehan, 54, was a managing director for public finance at Wells Fargo & Co. in New York. His son George attends Georgetown.
ADHIP CHAUDhuRI Professor
Former professor and economist Adhip Chaudhuri, who retired last year, died Jan. 13 after a three-year battle with lung cancer. Chaudhuri, who was born in India and immigrated to the United States in 1972, taught international economics at Georgetown in both D.C. and Doha, Qatar, for 34 years, twice winning professor of the year. Chaudhuri encouraged students to incorporate social justice into all aspects of their Georgetown education. His children, Maya (SFS ’13) and Neal (COL ’16) Chaudhuri, followed their father to Georgetown, where they, too, participated in social justice programs. Above all, Chaudhuri, at 62, remained devoted to knowledge and education. “Right until the very end when he couldn’t stand up to teach, he would say to me, ‘I have to sit down and do this,’ but he did it because he loved doing it,” Chaudhuri’s friend Amit Shah said.
MARK ADAMSSON Student
COURTESY AMIT SHAH
Mark Adamsson (SFS ’15) died from lung and heart failure attributed to medical reasons in the Dominican Republic during spring break this past March. Adamsson, 22, a Swedish international student, was universally described as academically strong and curious. He attended Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass., where he captained the varsity tennis team, which remained undefeated and won the Class A New England Championship his senior year. “He was a very positive and optimistic person who would discover good and redeeming qualities in himself and also in others,” French professor Peter Janssens said.
4.25.14 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 9
Dramas Explore Psychological Conflicts Emotional complexity, paranoia and intensity dominate this year’s theater performances
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ehavioral and psychological questions are at the center of many of the issues facing our generation. This year, Georgetown theater productions dove into these complex concepts, working to expose and understand problems of varying intensity. The plays “Hamlet,” “A Mouthful of Birds,” “Proof” and “Doubt” explored the darker areas of our not-so-perfect lives. Most Georgetown students have likely studied the depth of characters in “Hamlet,” but without much emphasis on why we should care. Through his time playing Hamlet on stage, Addison Williams (COL ’14) said he further discovered why those lessons stay relevant outside the English classroom. “Shakespeare and his stories transcend the divisions of time, culture, politics,” Williams said. It is for the sake of this timelessness that theater and performance studies professor Derek A. Goldman, who directed the play, decided to shift his version of “Hamlet,” which ran in November, to a 21st-century setting. Social media was thrust into the already complex web of emotions, bringing out the darker elements of the play by relating them to the potential dangers of the online world corrupting real lives. “The moment our modern interpretation clicked for me as resonant of the universal issue was when someone related the feeling Hamlet experiences of paranoia, of standing on the outside of a collective secret he cannot penetrate, to the feeling one gets when people are texting around him,” Williams said. While “Hamlet” emphasized the theme of paranoia through the use of modern technology in a contemporary setting, “Doubt” did just the opposite. The preservation of the 1964 setting became integral in developing its plot.
Williams, who also alternated playing the character Fr. Flynn, found intriguing psychological questions in the play, which was performed in April. “When Mrs. Mueller suggests that ‘sometimes things aren’t black and white,’ her message reverberates throughout the many issues dealt with in the drama,” Williams said. “Characters confront issues of age (young versus old), philosophy (the onset of Vatican II), race (the play takes place in 1964), gender (the patriarchy of the church), sexuality (its many complications) and trust (when is it appropriate to trust and when must we be skeptical).” The play’s director, professor Mary Roth, ensured that this production emphasized the destructive nature of secrecy and manipulation through gossip. False appearances left the audience feeling constantly unsure of whom to trust, drawing them into the tensions being played out onstage. “Doubt” reminded us how complex each person can be. Different motives and interpretations of events drive the characters in the story, and these contradictory opinions constantly clash. Likewise, “Proof,” performed in February, questioned our basis for assumptions. “Two really important issues the characters struggle with are how to balance the relational and intellectual sides of ourselves and how we decide who we trust,” “Proof” producer Allie Van Dine (SFS ’14) said. “Proof” also explored a psychological issue that resides close to the hearts of Georgetown students. “I think this campus on a whole has a really hard time striking the right balance between what makes us smart and what makes us human,” Van Dine said. In an intellectually driven environment,
HANNAH KAUFMAN Hoya Staff Writer the pressure to succeed often trumps all else. “Proof” demonstrated that our education comes from our daily lives aswell as the classroom. However, the raw and strained performance by Katie Bellamy Mitchell (COL ’15) provided a haunting look at the dangers of extreme academic pressure. While these plays brought forward more widely acknowledged issues, “A Mouthful of Birds” explored topics often regarded as taboo during its run in January. “The psychological and spiritual issues in ‘A Mouthful of Birds’ resemble illnesses that we are more familiar with — postpartum depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism — but these terms are never stated,” director Brendan Quinn (COL ’14) said. By portraying these complex mental issues through physical expression, the play confronted the audience with the dark struggles that appearances can usually conceal. “By symbolizing this inner struggle in another physical body, we can see someone’s deepest fears and psychological trauma literally sit at the kitchen table with the character; the issues at stake are not locked up in some unknowable or un-relatable mind,” Quinn said. From the traditional style of “Doubt” and “Proof” to the experimental vignettes of “A Mouthful of Birds” and the contemporary hybrid “Hamlet,” each play added a piece to the psychological puzzle. Characters in each play faced problems that are still wholly relevant to our own lives. Each production drew the audience into the conflicts on stage, leaving them unsettled by the unavoidable, intense psychological themes. Overall, this created a bold and intriguing year of theater. Full theater highlights at thehoya.com
CLAIRE SOISSON FOR THE HOYA
Shannon Walsh (COL ’15) tackled a gritty role on the intimate set of “A Mouthful of Birds.”
OLIVIA HEWITT FOR THE HOYA
Katie Bellamy Marshall (COL ’15) and Sean Craig (COL ’16) in a scene from “Proof.”
ERICA WONG FOR THE HOYA
OLIVIA HEWITT FOR THE HOYA
“A Mouthful of Birds” tackled the difficult issue of mental illness with physical performances from Omika Jikaria (SFS ’15), Mack Krebs (COL ’16) and Maddie Kelley (COL ’16).
Maddie Kelley (COL ’16) and Addison Williams (COL ’14) pulled the audience into a sinister web of suspicion in “Doubt: A Parable.”
10 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 4.25.14
Great Expectations, Great Disappointments Across sports, Hoyas fail to live up to preseason potential
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ountless all-conference mentions. Fifteen All-American honors. Five Big East Players of the Year. Two Hermann Trophy Semifinalists. One Big East Freshman of the Year. Zero Big East Championships. In the 2013 and 2014 seasons, while Georgetown athletes achieved much personal success, the university’s athletic programs lacked the team success Georgetown has enjoyed in the past. POSTSEASON LETDOWNS Although Georgetown is traditionally known as a basketball and lacrosse powerhouse, its soccer teams have recently begun establishing themselves as elite programs. In 2012, both the men’s and women’s teams made their first Big East championship appearances since 1999 and continued their runs into the NCAA tournament. After a slow 2-2 start this season, the men’s soccer team rattled off a series of wins and was soon ranked second in the country. However, this success did not carry over to the postseason. As the number one seed in the Big East tournament, Georgetown earned a bye to the semifinals where it took on Providence. After 110 minutes of scoreless play, the game went to penalty kicks. There, the Friars bested the Hoyas 5-4 and advanced to the Big East finals. However, the Blue and Gray had the opportunity for redemption in the NCAA tournament. As an at-large bid, the Hoyas were a number six seed and faced off against the
11th-seeded Michigan State Spartans after defeating Old Dominion 3-0. In the 28th minute, the Spartans struck, taking a 1-0 lead on a header in the top corner. Despite ample chances, the Hoyas never found the back of the net, and the Spartans won 1-0. The Hoyas’ season ended with only one postseason win. The women’s team followed a similar narrative. The conference realignment significantly weakened the Big East, allowing the women to breeze through the regular season and finish with a 15-1-2 record — their only loss coming against Marquette. Georgetown was consistently in the NSCAA poll and was ranked as high as sixth, its highest ranking in program history. After a second-place regular-season finish earned the Hoyas a first-round bye in the Big East tournament, the team suffered a 1-0 upset loss to DePaul in the quarterfinals, despite outshooting the Blue Demons 26-2, resulting in elimination from the tournament. The Hoyas then received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. After an openinground win against La Salle, Georgetown struggled offensively against Virginia. It managed only one shot in the 1-0 loss, ending the season once again short of any real postseason success. BASKETBALL INCONSISTENCY Last year, then-sophomore forward Otto Porter decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft, and
ALL PHOTOS: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
Clockwise from left: senior Markel Starks; senior Emily Menges; redshirt senior Tyler Knarr. Despite these players’ accomplishments, all were part of disappointing teams.
CAROLYN MAGUIRE Hoya Staff Writer
guard Sugar Rodgers — the program’s all- block an opposing players’ shot. The play time leading scorer — graduated and was went viral and also appeared on SportsCendrafted by the Minnesota Lynx. Although ter’s “Not Top 10.” Cooper would play in one their departures were not expected to be more game for the Hoyas before she transeasy to overcome, predictions did not place ferred to Ohio State. the teams as bottom dwellers. The Hoyas would go on to win four conThe preseason coaches’ poll picked the ference games and end up 11-21 overall. But Georgetown men’s basketball team to fin- throughout the season Georgetown conish second behind Marquette. The confer- stantly beat itself. It committed the most ence was significantly weaker, and Porter’s turnovers in the Big East, and it also lost departure was countered with junior center seven games — three in overtime — by one Joshua Smith’s arrival from UCLA. possession. This team was constantly on the However, after Smith was lost for the year cusp of winning, but it rarely managed to for academic issues, it became evident that do so. the team would struggle on nights when In response to the disappointing season, senior guard Markel Starks and sophomore Georgetown announced Natasha Adair will guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera were not replace Lewis as the head coach. dominant. Despite the weaker conference, George- SLOW SPRING town struggled in conference play and stumAlthough their seasons are not over, neibled to an 8-10 record. ther the men’s nor the women’s lacrosse At times, however, the Hoyas showed their teams have lived up to expectations this potential. In a midseason nonconference spring. Early on in the season, both teams game, the Hoyas used a balanced attack to endured lengthy losing streaks; the men lost defeat then-No. 7 Michigan State 64-60. That four consecutive while the women lost six. same team returned to handle Creighton on The men’s team ended its skid with a win Senior Day. over Providence — its only conRegardless of these resume ference victory — but since then wins, Georgetown needed a the team has dropped two constrong showing at the Big East secutive games. Most recently, The number tournament if it stood any Georgetown suffered an overof Big East chance of making the NCAA time heartbreaker to Marquette. tournament. Facing last-seeded With the loss, the Hoyas’ hopes championships DePaul in the first round, the of competing in the Big East tourwon by GU Hoyas blew an early lead on their nament were eliminated. way to a 60-56 loss. After being picked to finish The loss secured Georgetown’s spot in the fifth in the Big East preseason poll, GeorgeNational Invitational Tournament. In the town currently sits in second-to-last place. first round, the team handled West Virginia Meanwhile, the women’s team entered in front of an electric crowd at McDonough the season ranked 10th in the country and Arena. Ultimately, though, the team’s sea- was the preseason favorite to win the Big son ended in a loss in the second round to East. However, after a 3-1 opening to its seaFlorida State. son, Georgetown lost six straight games. The Hoyas were hampered by inconsistenAlthough all of the losses were to ranked cy, playing well in spurts but unable to find opponents, the Hoyas were losing the same continued success. way — falling behind early and unable to The expectations for the women’s team complete a comeback. Unlike the men, were modest in comparison to those for the though, this team would respond. Georgemen. Although the Hoyas were returning town has rallied off five consecutive wins — two starters — senior guard Samisha Powell all against conference opponents — and on and senior forward Andrea White — and had April 19, it clinched the second seed in the a strong incoming freshman class, they were Big East tournament. picked to finish sixth in the Big East. The women still have the opportunity to The beginning of Georgetown’s season meet preseason expectations. With a win was marred by issues off the court. Former against Cincinnati in its regular season fiHead Coach Keith Brown resigned amid alle- nale, Georgetown will have the opportunity gations of player abuse just weeks before the to claim a portion of the Big East regular seaseason was set to begin, and interim Head son title. Coach Jim Lewis was hired as his replacement two weeks before the first game. DOWN THE ROAD Amid the coaching change, Georgetown Although Georgetown’s strong incomstill managed to win its first game — an 82- ing recruiting classes bode well for the pro78 thriller over Richmond. In the win, fresh- grams’ futures, it would be shortsighted to man forward Shayla Cooper had an impres- expect they will immediately return to their sive debut, scoring 17 points and amassing former glory. This isn’t to say that the 2014 seven rebounds and five assists. and 2015 seasons are destined for failure, Also in the Richmond game, Cooper in- Georgetown just has to put the pieces tofamously threw her shoe in an attempt to gether.
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4.25.14 | YEAR IN REVIEW | 11
THE YEAR IN SPORTS
A look at the achievements of Georgetown athletics
GUHOYAS
SAILING This fall, the sailing team won its 10th
national championship in program history.
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
SWIMMING & DIVING Freshman Jared Cooper- MEN’S SOCCER Senior forward Steve Neumann was named a Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, which is the highest individual
Vespa was one of 22 Hoyas named all-Big East.
award in intercollegiate soccer. Neumann was selected fourth overall by the New England Revolution in January’s MLS draft.
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
WOMEN’S LACROSSE On April 19, Georgetown defeated Temple 13-6. With the win, Head Coach Ricky Fried WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Center Natalie Butler was became the winningest coach in program history, recording 114 victories in 10 seasons at Georgetown.
named Big East Freshman of the Year.