The Hoya: September 28, 2018

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 100, No. 5, © 2018

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

Highlight Reel

Explore the District’s alternative film scene as independent theaters fight corporate competition.

EDITORIAL Georgetown must protect employees by investigating potential employment violations.

GUSA SENATE ELECTIONS Thirty-three candidates vie for 14 open GUSA senate seats this weekend.

OPINION, A2

NEWS, A9

B SECTION

In a First, Georgetown Launches Kavanaugh Hearing Elicits Racial Justice Institute Student, Alumni Responses MEENA MORAR Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University is set to begin faculty recruitment to launch the Institute for Racial Justice, a multidisciplinary research and advocacy organization, as part of a series of commitments the university made to racial equality. The institute’s launch will mark the completion of University President John J. DeGioia’s commitments made in February 2016 to expand the university’s commitment to racial justice. Other steps toward inclusivity included the establishment of an African American studies department, which was accomplished in June 2016, adding faculty to support these new institutions and the establishment of the Working Group on Racial Justice. Georgetown is recruiting four faculty members for the institute, according to an email from the Office of the Provost sent Thursday morning. The institute will be an outreach center to explore a range of racial inequities in health, education, income and employment, among other topics; it will bring together university scholars from Georgetown and other universities, according to the email. The university has not

announced an official launch date. On Oct. 4, 2017, Robert Groves, provost and executive vice president, extended an invitation for proposals from departments across the university for ideas on confronting racial inequities.

“Our focus is making sure that the most vulnerable members of our population are cared for.” CHRISTOPHER KING Director, Health Administration Graduate Program

The guidelines for proposals, which establish the goals each of the four new faculty members are to pursue, were based on themes established by the institute and the working group such as inequality and difference, and structures and solutions. A university faculty committee selected four proposals from the department of health systems administration in the School of Nursing and Health Studies, the departments of performing

arts and African American studies in Georgetown College, Georgetown University Law Center and the McCourt School of Public Policy to comprise the institute. Christopher King, director of the health administration graduate program, drafted a proposal to inform Georgetown students and those outside the community about how health care systems can be made more equal. “Our focus is making sure that the most vulnerable members of our population are cared for,” King said in an interview with THE HOYA. “In a health care space, we’re teaching our students on how to be leaders with a focus on making sure that the most vulnerable individuals have access to quality health care. … We want our department to be perceived as a national leader in academia in helping health systems across the country apply racial justice lens in how they deliver care.” In February 2016, DeGioia emphasized the need to confront the racial inequalities present in the United States, as well as on campus, at an address to the community. “The moral imperative for complete social justice continues to summon us not to discussion but to action and that summons will not go

Community responds to testimonies on Capitol Hill

See INSTITUTE, A6

See HEARING, A6

WILL CASSOU Hoya Staff Writer

Students and congressional alumni shared messages of support for Christine Blasey Ford after her Thursday testimony on Capitol Hill regarding allegations of sexual misconduct, but expressed unease about the greater implications of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s potential confirmation. Ford and Kavanaugh testified Thursday before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding Ford’s recent allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers. Ford’s account came out following Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearing Sept. 16; she accused him of sexually assaulting her in 1982, when she was 15 and he was 17. Kavanaugh has denied the accusations, along with two accusations that have surfaced since Ford’s came to light. In the days leading up to Ford’s testimony, Deborah Ramirez and Julie Swetnick came forward with allegations of sexual assault against Kavanaugh, and reports of Kavanaugh’s alleged heavy drinking in high school surfaced. Georgetown alumni on the

GU Votes Seeks to Bolster Absentee Ballots DEEPIKA JONNALAGADDA Hoya Staff Writer

Students can now request absentee ballots through a voter drop box system implemented in Residence Hall Offices across campus as part of an ongoing effort headed by the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service. The student-led voter registration initiative, called GU Votes, aims to simplify the voting process and increase student turnout rates on Election Day. The drop box system launched Sept. 24, and boxes will be checked nightly by GU Votes volunteers for absentee ballot requests through lateOctober. The development is part of GU Votes’ attempt to register students to vote in the upcoming Nov. 6 elections. Prior to the 2016 election, 90.4 percent of Georgetown students were registered to vote, with 71.1 percent of registered students turning out to vote and 64.2 percent of students voting nationwide, according to a 2016 report by the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement. Since the initiative was launched, GU Votes has helped either register or get absentee ballots for over a third of undergraduate students, according to GU Votes Co-President Andrew Starky

FEATURED

GU VOTES

GU Votes held a “Storm the Dorms” event Sept. 25 to register voters on campus in advance of November’s midterm elections. (COL ’20). Conveniently located in RHOs, the drop boxes simplify the process of requesting an absentee ballot for many students interested in voting, Starky said in an interview with THE HOYA. The typical process of casting your vote involves filling out a state-specific absentee ballot request form, printing

out and mailing the form, receiving the ballot in the mail, and then mailing the ballot back to a state or local registrar office. GU Votes hopes to reach every student on campus, Starky said. “We’re going to effectively reach every single Georgetown student at the undergraduate and graduate level,

CONNOR THOMAS FOR THE HOYA

Students participated in a walkout on Wednesday to show support for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who testified Thursday. committee, Sens. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) (SFS ’66, LAW ’69), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) (LAW ’64), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) (LAW ’78) all expressed support for Ford. Ford testified first, describing the incident and the impact it had on her life. Ford could not remember several details about the party at which she said the incident occurred, such as exactly when or where it was, but

said she could remember distinctly the feelings of Kavanaugh’s hand covering her mouth. When Leahy asked Ford how certain she was that Kavanaugh was her assailant, Ford responded, “100 percent.” H*yas for Choice President Angela Maske (COL ’19), Casey

RECKONING WITH SCANDAL

and it would not be possible without the level of support in Georgetown voter engagement across the board,” Starky said. “It’s something that everyone can get behind, and we’re just happy that we have the opportunity to be able to facilitate that process.” In partnership with the Office of Residential Living, GU Votes is providing prestamped envelopes at six RHO drop box locations, eliminating one step of the process. Ballot requests can also be dropped off at the GU Politics office located in Healy Hall. “Very few students know where you can buy a stamp on this campus, so that in itself can prevent a lot of people from voting,” Starky said. “If you’re passing by an RHO several times a week, there’s no reason why you can’t take the time to log on and vote if you’re interested in doing so.” Housed in the GU Politics office in the basement of Healy, GU Votes is funded by the Andrew Goodman Foundation, which works to inspire young voters; the Georgetown University Student Association; the Office of Student Affairs; and the Office of Federal Relations. GU Votes was founded in 2015 with the mission of registering more voters and increasing political participa-

At a discussion on Tuesday, panelists emphasized the significance of lay people in reforming the Catholic Church.

See VOTES, A6

See A7

AARON WEINMANN/THE HOYA

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

Wrongfully Convicted A Georgetown seminar helped exonerate a wrongfully convicted man, Valentino Dixon. A4

Finding God in Music Through singing in the chapel choir Truc Nguyen (NHS ’20) came to understand her Catholic faith more deeply. A3

Defense Shines The women’s soccer team recorded its sixth shutout of the season in its win over St. John’s. A12

NEWS Holy Hour

OPINION Advice from the Outside

SPORTS Comeback Falls Short

Catholic student groups held a prayer service for survivors of clerical church abuse. A7 Published Fridays

In a new miniseries about job hunting, a young alumna encourages students to highlight their unusual side. A3

The Georgetown football team lost 23-3 against Columbia on homecoming weekend. A12 Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com


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