The Hoya: January 19, 2018

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 99, No. 15, © 2018

friday, January 19, 2018

AGELESS ARCHITECTURE

Buildings in the Georgetown area highlight a hybrid of old and new styles.

EDITORIAL The university should commit to an election on a graduate student union.

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE After the president’s alleged vulgarities this week, immigrant Hoyas share their stories.

OPINION, A2

NEWS, A4

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MSFS Adviser Resigns Following Misogynistic Tweet Jeff Cirillo

Hoya Staff Writer

A member of the advisory board for Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program resigned Monday after posting a tweet on Saturday evening that appeared to condone sexual harassment of a female conservative commentator.

Jeff Bernstein (GRD ’85), formerly a managing director at Pennsylvania-based advisory firm Solebury Capital, left his role at Georgetown after telling Allie Stuckey, a conservative commentator, that he hopes she has a “#metoo moment” after she tweeted her views on sexual harassment and assault.

The hashtag #MeToo is used to identify as a survivor of sexual harassment and assault.

It has been popularized in recent months as a statement of solidarity with sexual assault survivors, following a deluge of sexual misconduct allegations leveled against prominent men in politics, media and business, including movie producer Harvey Weinstein and NBC News anchor Matt Lauer.

Referencing the #MeToo phenomenon Saturday, Stuckey tweeted that the problem was not a symptom of a broken legal system, but “a symptom of a broken world.”

Bernstein replied Saturday evening in a tweet reading: “Wishing you a #metoo moment. Maybe then you won’t be so insensitive.”

Bernstein later wrote that he had misinterpreted Stuckey’s tweet, believing she was criticizing the popular groundswell against sexual assault rather than sexual as-

sault itself.

Stuckey, 25, said she was initially confused by Bernstein’s response — she did not consider her original tweet insensitive, or even controversial. When she realized what Bernstein appeared to mean, she became upset.

“I thought, ‘Did this grown man actually just hope that I get sexually harassed or assaulted?’” Stuckey wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I considered all of the horrific stories I’ve read of sexual abuse and rape over the past few months and thought, ‘He wants me to go through that because he disagrees with me?’”

Stuckey responded later that evening by tweeting screenshots of her exchange with Bernstein and questioning his role at Georgetown: “Hi @Georgetown -- someone on your MSFS board just told me he hopes I get sexually harassed or assaulted. Is this the kind of standard your university holds for your advisors?”

Stuckey acknowledged she had criticized “certain tactics” of the #MeToo movement in the past, but said she takes sexual assault and its victims “very seriously.”

“And though I’m no stranger to disagreeable, sexist Internet trolls, to me, this was too far,” Stuckey wrote.

Georgetown agreed. School of Foreign Service Dean Joel Hellman announced that the university accepted Bernstein’s resignation in a news release Monday.

“Encouraging, threatening or condoning violence and harassment against another person, in any form and on any format, is deeply inconsistent See MSFS, A6

LAUREN SEIBEL/THE HOYA

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) criticized the president’s use of Twitter in escalating tensions with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a conversation hosted by the Lecture Fund in the Healey Family Student Center last night.

Senator Warns of North Korea Threat Duckworth raises alarm over effect of President Donald Trump’s rhetoric eRIN DOHERTY Hoya Staff Writer

The prospect of a war between the United States and a nuclear-capable North Korea has become increasingly likely, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Thursday night in a speech in the Healey Family Student Center, warning that President Donald Trump’s “irresponsible” rhetoric threatens U.S. national security.

“I am hearing the drums of war being heard again, and they are growing louder each and every day,” Duckworth told a capacity crowd of about 100 students. Her comments came in an event titled “The Rush to War on the Korean

Peninsula and Recalibrating Congressional War Powers,” the Georgetown University Lecture Fund’s inaugural event this semester.

Duckworth, first elected in 2012, previously represented the state’s 8th district for two terms in the House of Representatives. An Iraq War veteran, Duckworth is also the first woman with a disability to be elected to Congress and the first elected Asian-American congresswoman from Illinois.

The senator specifically called out a series of recent tweets, in which Trump taunted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and threatened him with the use of the U.S. nuclear arsenal, as drawing

GAGE Prepares for New Labor Activism Sarah Mendelsohn Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: ANNA KOVACEVICH/THE HOYA

Graduate students plan to revamp activism this semester by pushing for university support of a labor union.

featured

Students pursuing university recognition of a graduate teaching assistant labor union will continue activism to persuade administrators to accept their proposal for the right to vote following a university email announcing willingness to re-examine the issue of unionization.

In a Jan. 9 email, Provost Robert Groves and Executive Vice President for Health Sciences Edward Healton amended a Dec. 4 decision not to recognize a unionizing proposal from the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees, a graduate student group working with the American Federation of Teachers, to create a labor union. Groves and Healton wrote that the university would consider GAGE’s proposal to work with “a neutral third party rather than the NLRB.” GAGE plans to continue their efforts to unionize by

the United States closer to potential conflict.

In his most recent tweet about North Korea on Jan. 2, Trump appeared to mock the North Korean leader.

“North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works,” he tweeted.

“Donald Trump is basically writing Kim Jong Un’s propaganda for him,” Duckworth said. “With every threat, we get a little bit closer to war,

and we don’t have room to spare.”

Tensions with North Korea have escalated in recent months as the regime claims it has the capacity to launch an attack on the U.S. homeland. Fears of conflict escalated Saturday, when a Hawaii state agency accidentally sent a false emergency alert notification to state residents warning of an incoming ballistic missile.

Before entering politics, Duckworth served for 23 years in the U.S. Army Reserve Forces, including as a helicopter pilot in the Iraq War. She was awarded the Purple Heart See DUCKWORTH, A6

FREEDOM RINGs

organizing with the National Labor Relations Board or American Arbitration Association, groups that take action to safeguard employees’ right to organize and to decide whether to have unions serve as their bargaining representative with their employer.

GAGE members will accomplish this by administering elections in order to comply with the university’s request that all unions have a legal vote about whether or not they want union representation.

The Office of the Provost declined to recognize GAGE’s proposal, setting back a yearlong effort by graduate teaching assistants to establish a union, after saying the university regards its relationship with graduate student teaching assistants as that of an educational institution and its students, not of an employer and its employees, protected by its Just Employment Policy.

This new announcement

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

The “Let Freedom Ring!” event commemorated the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at the Kennedy Center on Monday. Story on A5.

See GAGE, A6

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

From A to D.C. Amazon plans to open its first brickand-mortar bookstore on M Street, featuring a new pricing system.

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Protecting Medicaid Imposing work requirements for Medicaid is inefficient and would target the least well-off in society.

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Worst Loss Since 1974 Georgetown men’s basketball fell to Villanova 88-56 Wednesday, the Hoyas’ largest defeat in 43 years.

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NEWS Homeless, Housed

opinion Learning From History

SPORTS The Rens Era Begins

A Mayor’s Office initiative secured permanent housing for 422 D.C. residents experiencing homelessness.

A9 Printed Fridays

Understanding our past failings is crucial to building a stronger, more inclusive future.

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New Georgetown volleyball coach Toby Rens was introduced to his new program on Monday.

A12 Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com

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OPINION

THE HOYA

friday, January 19, 2018

THE VERDICT

Allow GAGE a Vote Having opened the door for an election on graduate student unionization in a Jan. 9 community-wide email, Georgetown can no longer refrain from recognizing graduate students as workers.

The administration must therefore agree to the Georgetown Alliance for Graduate Employees and the American Federation of Teachers’ proposal for said vote to be administered by a third party other than the National Labor Relations Board.

That the university continues to hold on to the idea that the graduate students’ relationship with Georgetown is a “fundamentally educational one” is both ludicrous and contradictory. If graduate students are not workers protected by the university’s Just Employment Policy, the administration should not be even considering the possibility of unionization, let alone a proposal for a vote on the issue.

By publicizing its intention to do so, it has only muddled its stance. If the process is to continue, Georgetown must resolve the fundamental issue of what its graduate students’ relationship to the institution is. And having shown signs of yielding to GAGE and AFT’s demands, the university cannot afford to retract and adopt the stringent position it did when it first declined to recognize the graduate collective bargaining unit last December.

The administration must, therefore, fully acknowledge that Georgetown depends on graduate students’ contributions for the teaching and research that make it an elite institution and openly name them for what they are — employees.

Without graduate students serving as teaching assistants, the university would have to either invest a larger share of its money on adjunct professors — diverting funds from other important areas — or increase class sizes, while providing less support for profes-

sors and attention to students. And without graduate students as research assistants, the university’s faculty would not have some of the support with which it currently produces world-class research.

And as employees protected by the Just Employment Act, graduate students should be allowed to hold the vote for unionization while overseen by a third party other than the NLRB. The policy commits Georgetown to “respect the rights of employees to vote for or against union representation without intimidation, unjust pressure, undue delay or hindrance in accordance with applicable law.”

Members of GAGE have previously expressed concerns at the ability of President Donald Trump-appointed NLRB’s capacity to uphold the body’s 2016 decision that graduate students were university employees who could unionize. Moreover, the NLRB has already flip-flopped on the issue on four occasions between 1970 and 2016, three of them within the last 16 years.

It is clear that another more reliable entity must oversee the vote to ensure it is conducted without any trace of uncertainty.

Employing such an arbiter for such an election is not unprecedented. In 2016, Cornell University turned to the American Arbitration Association, a nonprofit organization that provides neutral, third-party dispute resolution, precisely because of a similar concern over the future of NLRB’s ruling. Administrators at Cornell, m-oreover, spoke favorably about the way the process was conducted.

As an approach that can satisfy both entities is achievable, Georgetown should stop sending confusing signals about its position toward the role graduate students play in the institution and continue delaying a yearlong issue. Instead, the administration must fulfill GAGE’s demands for a vote.

Virtual Insanity — Between Dec. 17 and Jan. 17, cryptocurrency Bitcoin lost over 50 percent of its value, dropping from an all-time high exchange rate of $19,783 per Bitcoin to a low of $9,685 per Bitcoin.

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EDITORIALS

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Founded January 14, 1920

Jobs Resurrected — Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company would contribute $350 million and 20,000 jobs to the U.S. economy over the next five years thanks in part to new tax reforms signed by President Donald Trump.

The Lone Ranger — British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed the first Minister for Loneliness, who is tasked with tackling the growing loneliness epidemic in workplaces and homes across the United Kingdom.

Watershed Moment — Rescuers in Australia used first-of-its-kind drone technology to save two teenagers stuck in dangerous waves. Receiving an inflatable raft from a drone above, the teenagers returned to shore unharmed.

Tentative Treatment — Hospitals in California, Missouri and Pennsylvania have struggled to treat the unusually high number of flu patients this season, requiring them to move patients into triage tents and, in some cases, treating patients in hallways.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Elinor Walker

Promote Inclusive Spaces With over 5,400 undergraduate students living on campus, Georgetown has an obligation to provide spaces where students can feel comfortable and thrive emotionally and psychologically.

Such a responsibility aligns with the university’s broader mission to “care for the whole person.”

But until last December, 10 years after the university-sanctioned “Out for Change” campaign launched, students from the LGBTQ community did not have such a space that was tailored to their needs, with a proposal for a Living Learning Community dedicated to this community rejected in 2016.

Now, with the “Crossroads: Gender and Sexuality” LLC set to launch in the 2018 – 19 school year, the university has taken an important step toward making LGBTQ students feel more accepted and supported at an institution whose religious affiliation might at first seem to conflict with their identities.

Yet, while this development is a step in the right direction, it should not be seen as the final step in creating an ideal environment for Hoyas belonging to the LGBTQ community.

Certainly, the decision to incorporate the LLC demonstrates that Georgetown believes that Jesuit values and the inclusion of the LGBTQ community can exist in tandem.

Although conservative commentators like The Washington Times’ Cheryl Chumley have condemned Georgetown for “water[ing] down the gender definitions” by not aligning themselves with the gender binary, these narrowminded arguments fail to see that Jesuit social teaching and respect for LGBTQ people do not have to be mutually exclusive. In the words of Fr. James Martin, S.J., “this is what God asks us to do: to love one another. That’s the most basic of commandments.”

The creation of an LLC further ensures that these students will be provided with the guidance to explore their identities and thrive as members of the Georgetown community.

Moreover, if the LLC’s residents engage in the kind of intersectional programming that other communities, including non-LLC spaces like La Casa Latina and The Black House, engage in, they will be able to build stronger bonds with the student body and feel more integrated into the Georgetown community.

By doing so, the LLC would also undermine

the argument that its creation advances a divisory agenda of identity politics.

Gender and sexuality are — on a practical level — crucial components of any individual’s personal life. If students cannot feel comfortable in the most personal instances, they cannot be expected to flourish in their academic, professional and social lives.

Besides, gender and sexuality are — on a practical level — crucial components of any individual’s identity. If students cannot feel comfortable in their daily surroundings, they cannot be expected to flourish in their academic, professional and social lives.

With this in mind, the university must continue to embrace the LGBTQ community by pursuing policies that further ensure students campus-wide can live with peers and in spaces that make them feel comfortable, safe and understood.

For instance, the university should consider the expansion of gender-neutral bathrooms in academic buildings and living spaces. Moreover, in residence halls with community bathrooms, resident assistants should be instructed to designate at least a bathroom per floor as genderneutral, to provide an alternative accessible to LGBTQ students.

The university should also remove the binary selection for gender identification that currently exists in StarRez, the portal through which all students apply for housing.

Although the university is committed to providing housing without regard to “gender identity or expression” or “sex [and] sexual orientation” and its policies state it assesses housing for transgender and gender-non-conforming students on a case-by-case basis, the lack of existence of an alternative to the gender binary could easily make students, freshmen in particular, feel alienated.

These two actions may seem simple, but they would be very significant to the purpose of making Georgetown more inclusive, signaling to gender non-conforming students that they are welcome even before they set foot on Georgetown’s campus. As we applaud the creation of the LLC, we should nonetheless keep in mind that there is much more progress left to be achieved in ensuring a more welcoming community for all Hoyas.

Ian Scoville, Editor-in-Chief Maya Gandhi, Executive Editor Christian Paz, Executive Editor Emma Wenzinger, Managing Editor Jeff Cirillo, News Editor Hannah Urtz, News Editor Dan Crosson, Sports Editor Mitchell Taylor, Sports Editor Kathryn Baker, Guide Editor Mac Dressman, Guide Editor Alfredo Carrillo, Opinion Editor Lisa Burgoa, Features Editor Anna Kovacevich, Photography Editor Saavan Chintalacheruvu, Design Editor Janine Karo, Copy Chief Katie Schluth, Social Media Editor Charlie Fritz, Blog Editor Anne-Isabelle de Bokay, Multimedia Editor

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Alfredo Carrillo, Chair

Alexandre Kleitman, Tanner Larkin, Emma Lux, Daniel Wassim, Alexandra Williams

HOYA HISTORY: Jan. 19, 1973

USSR Exiles Chalidze After GU Lectures Dr. Valery Chalidze, a prominent Soviet physicist, has been exiled from the Soviet Union as a result of the opinions he voiced in a series of lectures delivered at the Georgetown University Law Center last month.

Prof. Samuel Dash, director of the Institute of Criminal Law and Procedure at the Law Center, invited Chalidze to the lecture series. Dash has filed a letter of protest with the Soviet Embassy here. Law Center Dean Adrian S. Fisher and University President Rev. R. J. Henle have filed similar letters.

Chalidze was made aware of the sanction while lecturing at Yale in December. Prof.

Dash said that Chalidze was

approached in his hotel room by two Soviet officials who demanded to see his passport.

The officials confiscated the passport and informed him that his Soviet citizenship was officially revoked by the Supreme Soviet in Moscow.

He would not be allowed to return to the Soviet Union, the officials said.

Dash, a close friend of Chalidze, pointed out the Soviet physicist did not speak against the Soviet government once throughout his lectures. “Chalidze does not speak against his government. He speaks for Soviet Constitutional rights,” Dash said. “These rights exist, but he claims that they are not being protected.”

Chalidze was a member of the Human Rights Committee in Moscow, a group that includes nuclear physicist Andrei Sakharov and Nobel Prizewinning novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn. The group has been feeling pressure for the past several months and the civil rights movement in the Soviet Union is deteriorating, Dash said.

As Soviet agents began arresting one member of the organization after another, an invitation was extended to Chalidze to visit the United States. Chalidze accepted the invitation although he was aware the Soviet government would take steps to remove him from the scene.

Ron Klain Hoya Contributing Editor

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OPINION

friday, January 19, 2018

THE HOYA

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VIEWPOINT • FRIEDLAND

Navigating intersections

Sonia Adjroud

U

Crafting My List

pper-Middle Class/Person of Color. Algerian/ American. First-Generation American/Elite University Student.

Queer/Muslim.

Indigenous Ancestry/Settler-Colonizer.

These words are not a list of oxymorons or incompatible identities. A slash does not represent “or” — it symbolizes “and.” And the periods? They symbolize “and” as well. I am a living proof that these slashed lines and periods can be blurred to form bridges of connection and create intersections.

I started my college experience by falling headfirst into the identity politics-governed culture of “social justice” spaces at Georgetown. People — and leaders — of these spaces saw me, the newcomer, and assessed the worth of my opinions based solely on my position in the broader social structure. They expected me to list my identities each time I spoke, as if my lived experiences could only be validated by attaching them to the structural experiences of identity groups.

Yet, when I entered college, I did not know who I was at all. At a time when I was still searching for a community, I felt isolated.

In crafting my list of identities, I was challenged to think deeply and critically about who I was in ways that I had not previously done. Through deconstructing internalized homophobia and Islamophobia, I acknowledged the existence of deeper parts of myself for the first time.

By the time I left campus for the Worker Justice D.C. Alternative Breaks Program, I had grown into myself and my list had started to develop. However, growth does not come without growing pains. After spending six months breaking myself down into isolated identity pieces, I was struggling to pick them up and assemble myself together as a whole being.

On my ABP trip, the word “intersectionality” was thrown around a lot to describe how social justice spaces, movements

or organizations could be more inclusive of people from different backgrounds as the key to liberation. But we did not talk about these intersections existing within a singular person — the human was not a suitable subject for this description.

In many ways, society tells us that some intersections do not exist within one person. If they do happen to exist, these people are exceptions, flukes and paradoxes.

Society tells me that I cannot be rich and a person of color because to be rich is synonymous with the privilege of whiteness.

Society tells me I cannot be both Algerian and American because I need to choose where my true loyalty lies. Society tells me that I cannot be a first-generation American and a student at an elite university because children of immigrants do not go to class with Mayflower descendants. Society tells me I cannot be queer and Muslim because some Muslims are homophobic and some queer people are Islamophobic. Society tells me that with my indigenous Kabyle Berber blood I cannot participate in settler-colonization culture, yet here I am, having lived my whole life on stolen land.

Society tells me that I can never exist as “and,” only “or,” and that everything is a choice between one identity and the other.

Society tells me that I do not and should not exist.

Allowing myself to fully be myself has required a lot of compassion and empathy. Some days, the pieces do not fit perfectly together, and I know that I have not found all of them yet.

Still, I will continue to make sure that the slashes in my list are not barriers of separation between parts of a paradox and that the periods are not endings, but are points of intersection.

Sonia Adjroud is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service.

Navigating Intersections appears online every other Monday. Read the full piece at thehoya.com/opinion.

There is little doubt that the primary purpose of Kentucky’s waiver is to discourage and deny Kentuckians with very low incomes from obtaining health insurance.

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A Solution in Search of a Problem

ast week, the Trump administration approved Kentucky’s request to waive the federal law prohibiting states from attaching a work requirement to Medicaid benefits.

Under the waiver, Kentucky can exclude people ages 19 to 64 who are not pregnant or do not have a total permanent disability from Medicaid unless they are working 80 hours a month, attending school full time, enrolled in an approved job-training course or volunteering. In addition, Medicaid beneficiaries will be required to pay up to a $15 per month premium.

There is little doubt that the primary purpose of Kentucky’s waiver is to discourage and deny Kentuckians with very low incomes from obtaining health insurance.

But by doing so, instead of solving any problem, the waiver will drain state resources and hurt people with health insurance.

Medicaid provides health insurance to over 74 million lowincome families. Prior to 2013, Medicaid eligibility was based on three criteria: first, fitting into one of over 25 specific categories, such as being totally disabled; second, having few financial assets; and third, receiving an income lower than the poverty threshold. If you did not fit one of the specific categories for coverage, Medicaid was not available — even if you had no income or savings.

In 2013, the Affordable Care Act

allowed states to use federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage to anyone, as long as that person’s family income was less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

Thirty-two states, including Kentucky, recognized the value of this offer; these states added about 13.9 million people to Medicaid. By embracing the ACA, the proportion of Kentuckians without health insurance declined from 14 percent in 2013 to 6 percent in 2015.

Overall, perhaps 8 percent of able-bodied working-age enrollees are not working. Surveys indicate that the primary reason this population is not working is because of a medical condition or because those people serve as the primary caregiver for a family member in poor health.

Prior to his election, Gov. Matt Bevin (R-Ky.) promised to repeal the optional Medicaid expansion. While he has been governor, there has not been an effort to repeal the program. Instead, his administration sought to impose a work requirement and add the $15 monthly premium.

In announcing that Kentucky had been granted the waiver, Bevin argued there “is dignity associated with earning the value of something that you receive.”

State officials have acknowledged they expect these changes will reduce the number of Kentuckians receiving Medicaid, but this new system will hardly be ef-

ficient. The administrative effort to determine, on a monthly basis, people’s ability to work and then police their community engagement is intrusive and expensive.

The process would require verification, such as medical records, pay stubs, class schedules and — to ensure appropriate due process — an appeals process.

Low income families that seek financial assistance through either the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program are already subject to work requirements. When work requirements were added to those programs, political leaders argued that they were in the best interest of beneficiaries, under the assumption that the poor were poor because they did not want to work. Forcing the poor to enroll in job-training programs and seek employment, it was argued, would help welfare recipients escape poverty.

More than a decade later, little empirical evidence supports these claims. Work requirements reduced the number of people not receiving assistance but only had a minor impact on moving families out of poverty. Given this history, political leaders’ claims about the role of the work requirement for health insurance are either wishful thinking or intellectually dishonest.

Welfare programs provide direct benefits that meet immediate

needs. The benefits of a health insurance card are comparatively far less immediate, less direct and less predictable. You cannot use health insurance to pay rent or buy groceries, but it does ensure access to a regular source of care and reduces financial stress when ill.

Moreover, welfare checks and food stamps finance individual benefits, not apartment buildings or grocery stores whose benefits can be shared with rest of the community.

Medical care, on the other hand, is financed by health insurance, and therefore a large share of the benefits of providing health insurance to low-income families is shared with the community.

As uninsured people who do not contribute to funding also seek medical care when very ill, medical care providers are placed in the difficult position of finding ways to finance care that are not covered by insurance. Much of this additional cost eventually falls to taxpayers and health insurance holders.

Imposing work requirements to discourage people from enrolling in Medicaid is degrading, meanspirited and counterproductive to the health of individuals and the fiscal well-being of the community.

ROBERT FRIEDLAND is the director of the Health Care Management and Policy program in the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

VIEWPOINT • LAMBROZA

THIS WEEK IN HISTORY

Revise Sexual Assault Procedures

The Wounded Knee Massacre

A

llegations of sexual assault and harassment against Hollywood moguls and members of Congress have left our nation steeped in the tumultuous and divisive conversation about sexual misconduct.

While these accusations have earned the attention they deserve in the public realm, they also open a space for Georgetown to reflect on its own procedures for handling cases of on-campus sexual assault.

As Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos advocates for dismantling former President Barack Obama’s regulations to address sexual assault on campus, re-evaluating Georgetown University’s standards for dealing with sexual assault should be more important to the campus community than the news on actor Kevin Spacey, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein or Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.).

As it stands, the university’s system is an ineffective means of pursuing justice because it discourages survivors from reporting, leaving them silent.

The 2016 Sexual Assault Climate Survey, which collected data from 51 percent of the student body, revealed the worrisome finding that one in four of all female students reported forced or unwanted penetration, with female undergraduate freshmen experiencing rates of sexual assault twice as high as female seniors.

The reason? More than 40 percent of surveyed female undergraduates said they believed campus officials were “somewhat” likely to “conduct a fair investigation,” while 37.3 percent said campus officials were “somewhat” likely to “protect the safety of the person making the report.” Within this same group, 37 percent also said campus officials were “somewhat” likely to “take the report seriously,” with 17.3 percent answering that it was only “a little” likely.

Among female students who answered that they had

experienced forced penetration, 77 percent of them responded to the survey that they did not report to any university program, including fully confidential services such as Counseling and Psychiatric Services. A quarter of these women said they “did not think anything would be done.”

Such distrust of Georgetown’s ability to conduct fair investigations and hearings is one explanation for the pervasive underreporting in the Georgetown community.

As it stands, the university’s system is an ineffective means of pursuing justice because it discourages survivors from reporting, leaving them silent.

To mitigate this skepticism, the university should begin by addressing the flawed sexual assault conduct policies and procedures prescribed in Georgetown’s Code of Student Conduct.

The makeup of the committee that hears the case, the rules of evidence and the role of attorneys for respondents and complainants are glaring flaws in the sexual misconduct procedures.

Two faculty members and one student are first chosen from the pool of members of the Sexual Misconduct Panel. These three individuals, who have undergone specific training in cases of sexual assault, then listen to testimonies, evaluate the evidence collected by the university’s police department, instruct questioning, reach verdicts and, if applicable, provide subsequent sanctioning.

With respondents’ and complainants’ lawyers only being allowed to act as “moral support,” deprived of any agency to act on behalf of their clients and prohibited

from actively partaking in the hearing, students may find themselves making statements and giving testimony that could later be used against them in a civil suit or criminal trial.

Moreover, Georgetown only permits the consideration of prior verdicts or charges of sexual assault to inform sanctioning if the respondent is found guilty, but not as evidence during the trial itself.

By outlawing the use of past incidences of sexual assault as evidence during the hearing process — unlike the criminal justice system, which considers past guilty sexual assault verdicts to accurately assess present charges — the Judicial Hearing Board remains ignorant of pertinent information in reaching a just verdict.

Each of these factors is worrisome by itself, but together they render the system ineffective, potentially leading survivors to feel as though the school does not offer a viable means of seeking justice.

To create a system that encourages survivors to come forward and instill a sense of faith in the university’s process, prior responsible verdicts of sexual assault should be admissible as evidence.

There should also be an independent third party, who represents a nongovernmental organization dealing with sexual assault like the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, sitting on the committee that hears cases of sexual assault and ensures unbiased decisions. Additionally, attorneys of respondents and complainants should be given a voice to prevent the utterance of statements that can later be used against the parties in a court of law.

With the country’s eyes and ears focused on sexual assault, now is the time to identify these shortcomings and make these substantive changes in a system that directly influences our peers.

Kate lambroza is a senior in the College.

T

he Wounded Knee Massacre, the murder of Lakota refugees by the U.S. Cavalry in 1890, was inevitable. This atrocity was the culmination of the centuries-long effort by European immigrants to exterminate the indigenous peoples of the Plains, an indelible desire to expand fueled

by Manifest Destiny.

Despite the infamy of its name and its key role in American history, Wounded Knee is not understood in terms of the relevant warnings it offers. Contemporary issues involving inclusivity, nationalism, xenophobia and historical integrity can be better confronted by learning from this harrowing event.

Coming to terms with our past is a great struggle for Americans, yet by failing to do so we are not only neglecting our mistakes and ignoring valuable lessons, but also committing an injustice against those who suffered – and continue to do so.

Contemporary issues involving inclusivity, nationalism, xenophobia and historical integrity can be better confronted by learning from this harrowing event.

The “Ghost Dance,” taught by the Paiute Wovoka, played a central role in the events at Wounded Knee. Wovoka envisioned the coming of a messianic character who would liberate the natives from their European oppressors, re-establishing the bygone era. As the spiritual movement spread across the Plains, it worried the American cavalry, who interpreted it as a signal for revolt and insurgency.

Lakota Chief Sitting Bull, the hero of the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, had been killed earlier in 1890 for his participation in the movement. Mounting tension led around 300 Lakota, the Miniconjous, to seek safety at the Pine Ridge Reservation in December of

that year.

On Dec. 29, the Lakota refugees, escorted by American cavalrymen, began performing the Ghost Dance on the banks of Wounded Knee Creek. The soldiers ordered disarmament of the civilians, which one man resisted. His rifle discharged, causing the soldiers to open fire, and chaos ensued.

Nabil Kapasi Dead bodies were found for three miles around the camp; they were then dumped in a mass grave. At least half, – possibly all,– of the 300 civilians were shot down.

Wounded Knee was the last major confrontation between the U.S. Cavalry and Plains tribes, officially closing off the western frontier and indigenous resistance to American expansion. The “Wild” West, with all its gore and glory, faded into antiquity.

Applauded by the American people, members of the 7th Cavalry who fought in the massacre were awarded Medals of Honor.

Indigenous peoples around the world have faced vicious attempts to destroy their way of life for years. From the Nagas in India to Mapuche in Chile, original inhabitants have consistently been discriminated against and ravaged by those desiring their land or fearing their lifestyle.

Part of the problem is the struggle to incorporate diverse peoples into one nation, to assimilate them into one identity. It is difficult to find compromise between people of different backgrounds, especially when placed in close quarters.

Existential war cannot be the solution. How, then, will we react to a continually globalizing world, where distinct peoples interact more than ever?

In many ways, the recent nationalist sentiments spreading interna-

tionally seem to be from the same vein as wars upon indigenous peoples. Efforts to define a nation have caused great suffering for those alienated in this endeavor.

The targets of these feelings, whether indigenous peoples or immigrants, usually have much to offer in a shared society. Before colonialism, for example, Native Americans had achieved greater developments in agriculture, medicine and democracy than their European counterparts, as shown in renowned anthropologist Jack Weatherford’s book “Indian Givers”. Instead of hatred, cooperation and mutual respect can bring peace and prosperity in a greater form.

For our country, acknowledging uncomfortable histories is a touchy subject. In the past year, Civil War monuments, Ken Burns’ “Vietnam War” and the behavior of powerful men have shed light upon dark histories — histories that we must acknowledge. The genocidal actions against Native Americans are an inescapable stain on our history. We must recognize and emphasize it as an unforgettable part of our shared heritage. Not doing so is an injustice.

One of the primary reasons I chose to write this column is to remember our history and demonstrate its contemporary importance. People quickly forget what happened: a dangerous and unacceptable path to follow.

In former Yugoslavia, political desires have manifested in rejection of the genocide at Srebrenica.

The growing denial of the Nanjing Massacre in Japan is a concerning development. American actions involving slavery, Native Americans and foreign wars consistently plague our consciousness.

Instead of forgetting Wounded Knee, let us memorialize it by drawing a line in the sand, by striving to uphold the truth and to move toward a more inclusive society. By doing so, this tragic history can form the foundation for a better world.

Nabil Kapasi is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service.

This Week in History appears online every other Thursday.

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INSIDE THIS ISSUE The Corp’s latest storefront, Grounded, will be revamped by the end of the month.

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What this means for the LGBTQ campus community is, in so many words, an assurance of safety and comfortability.”

GUPride President Chad Gasman (COL ’20) on the new Gender and Sexuality LLC. Story on A8.

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GEORGETOWN BASKETBALL FOR NARPS 4E takes you to the world of Georgetown basketball, because how much can you really learn from your friend’s 87 second Snapchat story?

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Following Trump’s alleged remarks calling Haiti, El Salvador and African states “s---hole countries,” The Hoya sat down with five members of the Georgetown community to share their family stories from Haiti, Cameroon, El Salvador and South Sudan.

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Q&A: Former Professor Reflects on Time in Qatar BELLA AVALOS Hoya Staff Writer

American values are not always so dissimilar from those in conservative Muslim countries, posits Gary Wasserman (SFS ’66), a former professor of government at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Doha, Qatar, in his recent book reflecting on his experiences living and working in Doha.

Wasserman taught from 2006 to 2014, joining the SFSQ faculty just one year after the institution opened its doors.

Since his return to the United States from Doha, Wasserman has dedicated his time to writing his book, “The Doha Experiment: Arab Kingdom, Catholic College, Jewish Teacher,” which was published Nov. 14 and discusses his eight years in the region.

Wasserman highlights his efforts to reach across boundaries and describes his experience administering a liberal education in a region of the world unfamiliar to many Americans. Through personal anecdotes, Wasserman discusses not only the lessons he sought to teach but also how his interactions with his students changed his own understanding of the world.

THE HOYA sat down with Wasserman to learn more about his experience abroad.

You have previously mentioned the unusual nature of teaching as a Jewish professor at a Catholic school in a predominantly Muslim country, so what inspired you to go to Qatar?

I had been working mostly in Washington as a political consultant, then I taught for a year in China, and I enjoyed the experience of teaching overseas. It was frankly easier to get a job overseas, and I also thought this would be an interesting, challenging opportunity. Now, unfortunately, when I told my family and friends about this, they all looked at me like I was crazy, you know?

This was a few years after 9/11, and a Jewish professor going to the Middle East to teach sounded to many of them like an act of lunacy, and I began to wonder about my own sanity. I talk in the book about how you have

to start out with a kind of “You’re going to do what?” to getting to know real people on the ground and finding that the categories that we use for understanding people we don’t know very well tend to fall away.

Your book talks about the tension between Qatar’s traditional society and Georgetown’s mission of liberal education. Can you elaborate on that?

Georgetown was set up for foreign service, essentially to educate bureaucrats in becoming administrators, but Georgetown itself — the administrators and teachers — saw themselves as providing a liberal education.

Grounding in philosophy and economics and history and politics, which was more oriented to educating the whole person, they weren’t trying to train students into a certain profession.

They were trying to educate young people in this tradition of liberal education. There was that disagreement and a kind of implicit misunderstanding, but I think the Qataris and the Qatari leaders were very welcoming of what Georgetown was doing, including courses like “The Problem of God” for instance, and respecting Georgetown’s scholars’ willingness to take on what they were doing. They gave Georgetown a lot of scope to do what they were going to do.

You also talked about how Qatar was very different from its other Middle Eastern counterparts in terms of its willingness to globalize and its acceptance of Western cultural attitudes. Do you think that these schools that are coming in are a positive force in this regard?

Qatar and many of the nations are in flux. They’re very much sorting through what parts of their tradition they want to retain and what parts have to be adapted to the modern world. We’re not exactly the epitome of liberal societies now in the world. I think all countries adapt themselves in different ways to different pressures, different interests and different values. They are going through that adaptation, and I think they’re doing it with the resources they have. They have a lot of resources, a lot of money, and they have an enlightened leadership that I

think understands that Qatar is going to prosper and survive in the world, and in the future they’re going to have to adapt to that globalized world.

Can you share one of those experiences that you thought was one of the more interesting ones you had there or that struck you?

I had a student in one of my classes who was always kind of bringing up Israel or Zionism in an international relations class; it seemed to always go back to the question of the involvement of Zionists in a little bit of conspiratorial stuff he was thinking. And it came out frequently in class, and we talked about it in private, in quiet, and of course, he didn’t quite see it that way.

I suggested he look more into the topic, but I didn’t think it was a very successful discussion that we had.

About a year or two later, he came back, and he had spent a semester at Georgetown’s main campus, and he had taken a class in Jewish civilization. He came back and he said, “You know, I never would have taken this class if I hadn’t been in your course.” It was one of those unexpected benefits. You have those kind of encounters that you don’t think are having an impact, but in fact, they do.

You mention you wanted SFS-Q to be a positive, vital force in the region.

Do you think we’re succeeding?

I would say it’s incomplete. I think it’s succeeding in that it’s surviving and it’s adapting to the environment, and it’s succeeding in that it’s continuing to educate students. They’re continuing to graduate, and they’re continuing to think well of their experience at Georgetown and influencing the broader society.

I think it is succeeding.

Whether it succeeds sufficiently and whether it is preserved remains to be seen, and part of it is how people kind of engage in what’s going on and spread some of the liberal ideas. Does press freedom expand in the society? Do women have more rights than they now have?

There will be different markers, and I don’t think you go in there thinking your university is going to change the broader society or the broader region, but you do hope that over time, some of the ideas you’ve talked about have an impact.

What is something that you would like to see mentioned or focused on more?

I would like to see more interaction between the campuses.

I’d like to see more people not interacting on the basis of religion, but just more connections

between the main campus and Doha, between the very active Jewish civilization groups on the campus and more student activities between the campuses — a little bit of understanding of the students — because I think the students there have something to offer the main campus and vice versa, kind of getting away from these stereotypes, getting to know real people.

Is there anything you would like to add? Anything you think is important to you or to the book or to your experience in Doha?

What we’re doing in Doha is lowering walls. I think we came with the idea of being a modern missionary. We were going to deliver the truth in our campuses, and I think over time we’ve seen the importance of listening and trying to lower the walls a little bit between us and the rest of the region.

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY QATAR

Gary Wasserman (SFS ’66) was a professor of government at Georgetown University’s campus in Qatar from 2006 until 2014.

Since returning to the United States, he has published a book on his experiences from the time he spent teaching there.

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‘Let Freedom Ring!’ Ceremony Honors MLK’s Legacy Erin doherty Hoya Staff Writer

John Thompson Jr., Georgetown University’s men’s basketball coach from 1972 through 1999, was known for his commitment to helping his students. He symbolized his investment in his players with a deflated basketball placed prominently on his desk that reminded players their lives were not measured solely by their performance on the basketball court.

Thompson’s spirit was on display Monday evening at the annual “Let Freedom Ring!” event at the Kennedy Center. The program honors the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by awarding an individual with the John Thompson Jr. Legacy of a Dream Award based on the recipient’s commitment to service in the community.

Georgetown presented

the 16th annual Legacy of a Dream Award to Steve Park, the executive director and founder of Little Lights Urban Ministries. This organization works with families living in public housing communities in the Washington, D.C. area by providing familial, economic and spiritual support.

“There’s a part of D.C. that is often ignored, and what Little Lights tries to do is go into these public housing communities like Potomac Gardens, Hopkins and Benning Terrace, and to do it long term,” Park said in the video tribute at the program.

The event was hosted jointly by Georgetown University and the Kennedy Center and included a speech by University President John J. DeGioia and video tributes to Park, Thompson and King.

In a speech, DeGioia quoted a segment from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech from the

day before he died, echoing, as Park has done, the importance of helping others and taking action to spark change in the D.C. community.

“Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge, to make America what it ought to be,” DeGioia said, quoting King.

“We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.”

The event also featured musical performances by Grammywinning and Tony-nominated performer Vanessa Williams, the Let Freedom Ring Choir led by musical director Rev. Nolan Williams, Georgetown’s Jazz Ensemble and members of the department of performing arts.

Since its inception as an after-school program in Park’s parents’ Tae Kwon Do stu-

dio in 1995, Little Lights has served over 900 children and families in public housing communities in Southeast D.C. — communities where many families live on less than $12,000 a year. The program has since expanded into six different sites.

Today, in addition to afterschool tutoring for students, Little Lights offers summer camp programs and Christian mentoring. The organization also supports families by hosting economic empowerment events for adults, including job training and Friday night dinners with worship.

Little Lights is committed to providing support for children and adults who otherwise might not have a strong network, Crystal Jenkins, a program coordinator for Little Lights, said in the video at the program.

“A lot of kids don’t have anyone to help them with home-

work when they get home,” Jenkins said, “But when they come to Little Lights, it’s a place for them to come and get love.”

Anthony Minter, a Little Lights board member and minister at the First Rock Baptist Church in D.C., said that Little Lights is committed to making long-term impacts on individuals in these communities.

“It’s one of the greatest challenges that we need to figure out: How do we improve the whole living situation for those who are in some challenging lifestyles?”

Minter said. “How do we help to raise them up without pushing them out?”

In keeping with its commitment to developing permanent solutions for local community members, Little Lights attempts to hire from within these communities and offers job training for

adults.

Park’s obvious passion for helping others also stands out to colleagues.

“There’s not a lot of words to describe [Park], because I’ve never met anyone like this guy,” Jenkins said.

Minter echoed Jenkins’ comments.

“The work that [Park] is doing, I just believe is monumental. He has a heart for people, certainly for the kids, but not just for the kids, I think just for people,” Minter said.

“I think it’s more important in life for those kids when they leave here and they use the good education they got at Georgetown and they go out into the world and apply what they did and they try to help somebody else, or they try to educate somebody else,” Thompson said in a video played at the event.

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Grammy-winning singer Vanessa Williams performed at the “Let Freedom Ring!” ceremony, co-hosted by Georgetown University and the Kennedy Center, to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy on Monday evening.

Williams performed alongside the Let Freedom Ring Choir led by the musical director Reverend Nolan Williams, Georgetown’s Jazz Ensemble and members of the department of performing arts.

Provost Announces Young Democrat Runs in Georgia Tuition Increase paula hong

Hoya Staff Writer

Elizabeth ash Hoya Staff Writer

Undergraduate tuition rates in the 2018-19 academic year are set to increase by 3.5 percent to $53,520 from $51,720, Provost Robert Groves announced in a campuswide email Wednesday.

The increase, identical to last year’s change, falls below the university’s earlier projections for 4 percent hikes through 2020. Tuition has risen every year since 2012, when full-time undergraduates paid $46,200 annually. The rate of increase has slowed slightly in more recent years. Last year’s 3.5 percent hike followed a 4 percent increase in 2016 and a 4.3 percent increase in 2015.

Groves emphasized greater support for students in the form of financial aid. Specifically, he committed to allocating over $200 million for financial aid next year, the university’s largest ever investment according to Groves.

Rates for housing are also slated to increase, according to Groves. Room rates for residence halls, upperclassmen suites and apartments will increase by 2 percent and rates for townhouses will increase 3.6 percent for single rooms and 4 percent for double and triple rooms.

Meal plan costs are set to increase by 4 percent from the 201718 academic year level, though students will be offered a range of new meal plans to customize their spending. The cost of study abroad programs will also increase to $26,670 from $25,860, in line with the overall rise.

“In setting tuition rates, we must balance the competing needs of academic programs, students, faculty, staff, facilities and infrastructure,” Groves wrote in the email. “We continue to prioritize cost containment efforts, and have renewed our commitment to securing scholarship funding.”

To fulfill its competing interests, the university expects to direct 43 percent of tuition

funds to instruction and 21 percent to financial aid and graduate student support.

“We are actively working to minimize tuition increases, and we maintain our deep commitment to attracting the brightest students regardless of their financial circumstances,” Groves wrote.

Georgetown relies on withdrawals from its endowment – 5.6 percent of the total fund, according to the Investment Office – to finance scholarships.

Compared to the endowments of top 20 schools on U.S. News and World Report’s National Universities Ranking, Georgetown’s $1.484 billion endowment is the smallest. Emory University and University of California Berkeley, which rank directly below Georgetown, have endowments of $6.402 billion and $4.045 billion, respectively.

“Georgetown is one of only a few dozen colleges that maintain a commitment to a ‘needblind, meet-full-need’ admission and financial aid policy for undergraduates, meaning that every student admitted to Georgetown through a rigorous selection process can attend regardless of their ability to pay,” Groves wrote.

The Office of the Provost, Georgetown University Student Association and Georgetown University Graduate Student Government hosted a roundtable on tuition in November to solicit student feedback and explain university expenses.

In his campuswide email, Groves acknowledged the burden on students inevitable in increasing tuition.

“We are very much aware of the significant investments students and families make to pursue a Georgetown education,” Groves wrote. “University leaders, faculty and staff take these investments seriously and work hard each year to reduce direct costs, increase philanthropic support for scholarships and mitigate rising expenses of providing a Georgetown education.”

When Kyle Rinaudo (SFS ’17) threw his cap in the air last May to signify the end of his undergraduate education, he had no idea he would soon be running to represent Georgia’s 35th District in the state House of Representatives. If elected, the 21-year-old Acworth, Ga. native would become the state’s youngest representative and first Democrat in nearly two decades to represent his community.

Lackluster job opportunities led Rinaudo to consider alternate career paths as he looked for professional ways to serve his community after graduation.

“The idea of making money for myself seemed very selfish of me, and none of what I had applied for really worked out,” Rinaudo said.

“What I really wanted to do was get involved in campaigns here near my home.”

Rinaudo said that after asking around, he realized no one was running against incumbent Republican leader Rep. Ed Setzler, who has served the people of Acworth and Kennesaw for over 13 years. Setzler has run unopposed in the past several elections.

“Nobody was contesting [the seat], so I said I constitutionally am able, so I am going to do it,” Rinaudo said.

He credits both religion and his mother for encouraging him to take leadership in his community.

“My principles and my policies were formed from two places,” Rinaudo said. “My church and my mother.”

Georgetown’s focus on Jesuit values also helped shape who he is today and his decision to run, Rinaudo explained.

“Whenever people ask me ‘What was your favorite part about Georgetown?’ it is the Jesuit community there,” Rinaudo said. “Getting to know them as chaplains or just people walking around on campus [and] their preaching of the God’s service every day is what really made a big impact on me.”

Despite his focus on international affairs during his time in college, Rinaudo said he has always been interested in government in general, which drove him to become more involved in domestic politics.

He credits one of his favorite authors, Krista Tippett, for inspiring

his campaign.

“American journalist, author and philosopher Krista Tippett, who I absolutely adore, mentioned that big change does not happen in huge, cataclysmic moments,” Rinaudo said. “If you want the world to change, you want them to change in little tiny bits, and we cannot expect somebody else to be the person doing this change.”

“It’s no secret that a government of incumbent politicians for almost two decades has not been able to accomplish a whole lot,” Rinaudo said.

Rinaudo and his team released a video at the beginning of the month outlining his platform. He said he would focus on health care, public school funding and transportation if elected to the position — issues he believes are important to residents of his district on both

sides of the aisle.

“You go anywhere in my hometown, which is Acworth, or our neighboring town, which is Kennesaw, and ask the people what they think the government should be doing better, and those are the three things they are going to tell you,” Rinaudo said. “To me, these are the things that matter because if you ask anyone around [Acworth], these are the things that matter to them — Republican or Democrat.”

Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J., who knew Rinaudo from his time as an residential assistant in New South Hall, praised him for his compassion and positivity.

“Kyle loves engaging people — in conversation, in debates, in negotiations to resolve issues,” Steck said. “He is extremely bright and knowledgeable about local

and world affairs. He always has a smile on his face and exudes enthusiasm. Being an RA is a tough job. He was wise and compassionate in dealing with the various issues and concerns that arose on the floor and never let them dampen his positive spirit. I think he’ll do great.”

While it is unusual for someone as young as Rinaudo to run for office, he sees his candidacy as an opportunity to make a difference in his community.

“The only thing that matters is doing the most good you can given the situation that you have,” Rinaudo said. “It does not have to be a humongous act, but it is the little tiny change that matters. If nothing else, Georgetown reinforced that for me. If we want to see good happen, we have to be the ones doing it.”

KYLE RINAUDO

At 21 years old, Kyle Rinaudo (SFS ’17) would become the youngest current member of Georgia’s House of Representatives if elected. He told The Hoya his Jesuit values helped inspire his candidacy.

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MSFS Board Member Resigns After Dispute MSFS, from A1 with the values of the program, our school and our university,” the statement reads. “The Masters of Science in Foreign Service (MSFS) program at Georgetown University is deeply committed to fostering the role of women in international affairs and promoting respectful dialogue and debate on the critical issues facing our world.”

Hellman added that the university appreciated Bernstein’s “efforts to apologize.”

Bernstein was a member of the MSFS advisory board, which is designed to advise the MSFS program on matters relating to curriculum, career development, alumni relations and fundraising, according to the MSFS website.

First convened in 2011, the board is now composed of 36 alumni and professors and meets annually at Georgetown.

Bernstein was also fired from his job at Solebury Capital as a result of his conduct. Solebury learned of Bernstein’s conduct Sunday evening and “immediately investigated the matter,” according to Lisa Wolford, a spokeswoman for Solebury.

“Based on that review, we promptly terminated his employment with Solebury,” Wolford wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Bernstein deleted his tweet a few hours after it was pub-

lished. In a subsequent series of tweets, Bernstein repeatedly apologized to Stuckey and denied that his comments were intended to condone harassment. He said that he “would never wish harm on anyone” and only meant to say Stuckey — whom he accused of making disparaging statements about women, immigrants, people of color and others — “needed a moment of truth.”

Bernstein later wrote in a Twitter direct message to The Hoya that he had “apologized profusely” to Stuckey and feels “terribly” about the incident. He also said he has “incredible love for MSFS and Georgetown.”

Stuckey noted that Bernstein later sent her what she considers a sincere apology, “albeit after many insincere apologies and after having his name dragged through the mud.”

“I do forgive him. I really do,” Stuckey wrote.

Bernstein had deleted his Twitter account by Monday morning and could not be reached for additional comments about his resignation from the MSFS advisory board or termination from Solebury.

Stuckey said she appreciated the university’s “adherence to their proclaimed values.”

“Sexual harassment and assault — and online bullying — are not to be taken lightly,” Stuckey wrote.

lauren seibel/THE HOYA

Michael Green, director of Georgetown University’s Asian Studies program, left, joined Oriana Skylar Mastro, assistant professor of security studies, School of Foreign Service Senior Associate Dean Anthony Arend and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) on Thursday.

Duckworth Warns of Nuclear Conflict DUCKWORTH, from A1 after losing both legs piloting a Black Hawk helicopter over Iraq in 2004.

Duckworth’s range of political and military experiences makes her particularly knowledgeable on the threat North Korea poses to U.S. security. Lecture Fund Chair Aiden Johnson (COL ’19) said while introducing Duckworth to the audience.

For Duckworth, who returned from a trip to the Korean Peninsula just two days before the event, the threat North Korea poses to the United States and its allies is unquestionably serious, but the specific risks are still surfacing.

“Much of what will unfold in

the coming months is still unclear, but one thing is very clear,” Duckworth said. “Kim Jong Un poses a serious and deadly threat.”

The United States must try to understand North Korea’s capabilities so they can develop an effective counterapproach, Duckworth said.

“I don’t think most Americans have a full grasp of what’s really at stake here,” Duckworth said.

“There’s a lot more Congress should be doing to ensure that the military is prepared for whatever comes their way.”

To develop answers to these questions, Congressional committees must have extensive discussions, Duckworth said, even if Trump continues to act “irresponsibly.”

“Trump may be acting irresponsibly, but that doesn’t mean Congress should also,” Duckworth said. “Congress must have an honest debate about what going to war really means for our service members and the future of our country.”

Duckworth said ultimately any U.S. military action in North Korea would likely result in mass civilian and military casualties.

Various options floated by foreign policy professionals for potential U.S. strikes in North Korea include attempting to destroying the regime’s nuclear launch sites, a targeted attack on the state’s political leadership or a one-off “bloody nose” attack that would frighten Kim Jong Un into negotiation.

Some policy experts have said any of these strikes could lead to all-out war on the Korean continent, if not strikes on the U.S. homeland.

“There’s no such thing as a surgical strike when it comes to North Korea,” Duckworth said, “Once you strike North Korea, you’re talking about a ground invasion.”

Concluding her speech, Duckworth touted Americans’ strength to overcome military threats.

“Our troops need to know they have the legal backing of our country,” Duckworth said.

“The strength of our nation doesn’t come from a president flaunting our nuclear weapons, it comes from our people and our values.”

Graduate Students Continue to Push for Representation GAGE, from A1 also comes after the Dec. 7 resignation of seven of the eleven committee members of the Advisory Committee on Business Practices, a group of students, professors and administrators formed by President DeGioia in 2004 to address labor compensation and other workplace issues at Georgetown.

Members of the ACBP resigned after unanimously passing a resolution urging the university to recognize the rights of graduate students to unionize during a meeting with the Provost and other senior administrators Dec. 7.

“Instead of raising this issue with the standing university committee created by President DeGioia specifically to consider labor issues on campus and to advise on the implementation of the JEP, the university opted for a rushed, unilateral, and poorly considered decision-making process,” members of the ACBP wrote in their letter of resignation.

While this language was repeated in the Jan. 9 letter, Groves and Healton expressed the university’s willingness to reconsider GAGE’s proposal.

“Georgetown is seriously considering this proposal to determine whether it might provide an opportunity for a framework that recognizes that our graduate students’ relationship with the University is fundamentally an educational one, while also responding to some graduate students’ desire to have a stronger voice in our continuing work to create the conditions under which

they can flourish,” Groves and Hearst wrote.

According to the letter, this decision was reached in part due to GAGE’s willingness to enter into an agreement for an election that would be administered by a neutral third party rather than the NLRB. Former members of the ACBP said failing to recognize graduate students’ rights to unionize flouts Georgetown values and national labor law.

The NLRB has issued varied rulings over the past four decades on whether graduate students in certain teaching and research positions at private universities are eligible for unionization. The NLRB ruled in 2016 the graduate assistants are employees.

“To uphold current labor law, our values, and our institutional integrity, the university should recognize the rights of graduate assistants to hold a union election. By refusing to recognize these rights, the university is abandoning its principles and its past practice of recognizing the rights of workers to choose a representative for collective bargaining,” former ACPB members wrote in their resolution.

Obed Ventura (SFS ’19), one of the members of ACBP who resigned in December, has cast doubt that the university’s recent response reflects its genuine intentions.

“They are blatantly violating a ruling, in my opinion, in order to wait until Trump’s appointments to the [NLRB] have a chance to reverse their previous ruling,” Ventura wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Deidre Nelms, a third-year

doctoral student and a member of GAGE, said the efforts conducted by members of GAGE, including a letter written and signed by 50 faculty members, planting flags in Healy circle and the resignation of members of the ACBP all contributed to the change in the University’s policy towards graduate student unionization.

“The university has since changed its stance, as a result of public pressure and graduate organizing,” Nelms wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Ventura said he hopes the resignation of the majority of ACBP members will push the university to listen to the demands of students and committees before students must resort to more extreme actions like sit-ins and resignations.

“I hope they realize they cannot just establish committees and then not go to them because they don’t like the advice we will give them,” Ventura wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Groves and Healton said the administration is willing to work with GAGE to improve graduate student resources.

“We want to continue working with graduate students, including all of you, to determine how best to enhance the resources offered to students.

We will continue, for example, to increase stipends and to work with students on ideas for enhancing graduate-student health insurance, working with outside experts to develop specific options for consideration,” they wrote in a letter to GAGE members Dec. 4.

Anna Kovacevich for THE HOYA

Members of the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees demanded recognition and support from the university as they seek to form a labor union.

anna Kovacevich for THE HOYA

Emma Kovacevich for THE HOYA

Graduate student workers planted flags in Healy Circle as a part of protest efforts Dec. 8. The Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees sought recognition from Georgetown for their union.

Members of the Georgetown Alliance of Graduate Employees marched through Red Square and across campus to protest the university’s Dec. 6 decision not to recognize their efforts.

News

friday, january 19, 2018

Dry Ice Is District’s Newest Weapon in Battle Against Rats Erin Doherty Hoya Staff Writer

Washington, D.C. officials have started to use dry ice in a renewed attempt to combat the District’s growing rat population, according to Gerard Brown, the program manager of the D.C. Department of Health’s rodent control division, earlier this month.

There was a 64 percent surge in rat sightings and complaints filed

by D.C. residents to the 311 city services helpline in 2016 from 2015.

With the city’s rat population reaching a four-year high, the D.C. DOH continues to look for new ways to kill the rodents.

Its latest tool is dry ice, or the solid form of carbon dioxide, which will be used in conjunction with the poison that city officials currently use in their pest control efforts. Dry ice suffocates the rats when it is placed in their nests, according to Brown.

“It’s just going to be another tool in our toolbox,” Brown said to The Washington Post on Jan. 3. “The CO2 that emanates from the dry ice suffocates the rats, and their homes become their graves.”

Despite Georgetown University’s rat population being similar to that of the District, there have been fewer calls for pest control this year, Vice President for Planning and Facilities Management Robin Morey told The Hoya in October. Morey attributed this trend to Georgetown’s improved response to the rodents.

Still, Georgetown students have expressed concern on social media regarding rat sightings in O’Donovan Hall and residence halls in recent weeks. A post in a Facebook group showing rats running around the second floor of Leo’s garnered 613 likes Jan. 13.

Planning and Facilities Management did not immediately respond to The Hoya’s request for a comment on whether Georgetown’s campus will begin to use dry ice.

The use of dry ice is part of an

ongoing initiative by the D.C. DOH to combat the growing rat population. Previously, the District installed solar trash cans at a cost of $85,000 per year in areas where rats are found in high numbers.

According to D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6), new control initiatives are important, but the greater focus should be on keeping trash contained.

“We need [DOH] to be going as aggressive as they can,” Allen told The Washington Post on Jan. 3.

“But it comes down to managing our trash the right way — not having food waste that is out in the alley.”

Officials are encouraging D.C. residents to purchase dry ice to kill the rodents, touting the agent’s relatively low price and ease of use.

Tommy Wells, director of the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, noted that dogs and cats are unlikely to consume the substance, making it a pet-friendly option.

Stephanie Bell, the senior director of cruelty casework for proanimal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said that dry ice is a better pest control option than many other common methods. “[It’s] more humane than certain poisons and backbreaking or suffocating sticky glue traps,” Bell told The Washington Post on Jan. 3.

As D.C. begins to use dry ice to control the rat population in the District, officials hope to remove D.C. from the “Pest-iest States” list compiled by Terminix, a pestcontrol firm, which ranked Washington first in 2017.

Regardless of whether Georgetown University decides to use dry ice, it is very clear that students are not welcoming of their furry neighbors.

“Nothing’s worse than coming back from a late night in [Lauinger Library] and seeing a rat run through the lobby of your building,” Peter Hunziker (MSB ’20) wrote in an email to The Hoya.

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Amazon Books to Open First DC Location Katrina Schmidt Hoya Staff Writer

Amazon Books’ first Washington, D.C. location is set to open on M Street in Georgetown as the latest installment in the tech giant’s foray into brick-and-mortar retail.

An Amazon representative declined to give details on the opening date of the store, which will be the 14th Amazon Books location nationwide. The storefront is located at 3040 M St. NW, a space previously occupied by Barneys New York. The 10,000-square-foot space is just under a mile from Georgetown University’s front gates.

With the exception of the Barnes & Noble bookstore on Georgetown University’s campus, the Amazon Books storefront will be the closest bookseller to campus marketing new books. The Lantern Bookshop on P Street and Books Used and Rare on Wisconsin Avenue are slightly closer, but only sell used books. The Amazon location will also sell Amazon electronic devices like the Kindle e-reader and

the smart house assistant Echo.

Amazon Books is designed as a bookstore for the digital age.

The shop is cashless and does not list prices on products like normal stores, in line with Amazon’s shifting prices — instead, customers can check prices at price check stations in the store or by scanning a book with the mobile Amazon shopping app.

Amazon Prime customers are entitled to certain discounts.

Amazon uses customer data to help determine the products it offers at its bookstores, calculating a combination of Goodreads popularity, Amazon. com ratings, sales and customer pre-orders.

Nearly all the books sold in the stores have received over four stars on Amazon.com reviews; however, a quick search on Amazon.com reveals 3,968,154 results for all books rated over four stars.

In addition to the algorithm, Amazon employs book curators to select books to stock in store.

Jennifer Cast, vice president of Amazon Books, has referred to the stocking approach as “data with heart.” Amazon Books cu-

rators aim to add an element of discovery to the shopping experience, according to Cast.

Micah Musser (COL ’19), president of the Tocqueville Forum Student Fellows, a student group that engages with political philosophy through weekly reading groups and talks by professors on their favorite works, said the group usually purchases its books through Amazon.

“It’s just the most convenient,” Musser said.

Nonetheless, the Tocqueville Forum Student Fellows shows used bookstore appreciation in its programming, hosting a local used bookstore tour at the end of every semester.

Despite Musser’s familiarity with Amazon, he has doubts that the company’s brick-andmortar outpost will provide the same experience as D.C.’s local bookstores.

“I think one of the greatest allures of the local bookstores is that you don’t really know what you want when you go in,” Musser said. “There’s never really going to be an authentic surprise.”

Musser is not the only one

hesitant about Amazon’s move into the physical world. Reviewers of the stores for The New Yorker, the Chicago Tribune and The New York Times have all expressed discomfort at the new Amazon model.

A review in The New Yorker ran with the headline, “Amazon’s Brick-and-Mortar Bookstores Are Not Built for People Who Actually Read.” The Chicago Tribune noted the irony of Amazon’s initial crowding out of the physical bookstore market in favor of online shopping, only to later move into the brick-andmortar space.

With the imminent arrival of Amazon Books, Georgetown may epitomize this phenomenon. The new location on M Street is next door to a Nike store that used to be a Barnes & Noble.

That Barnes & Noble closed in 2011 — the same year Amazon celebrated its fastest revenue growth since 2001, announced the Kindle Fire e-reader and purchased a rival British bookseller, Book Depository.

Seven years later, it is Amazon’s turn on the block.

Anne stonecipher/The Hoya

The tech giant Amazon is set to open its first Washington, D.C. brick-and-mortar bookstore on M Street, featuring a new way for customers to check prices based on market demand. Developers have yet to announce an opening date for the storefront.

SaxaFund Projects Include Leavey Beergarden, Citizen Scholarship Deepika Jonnalagadda Hoya Staff Writer

SaxaFund, a crowdfunding platform for Georgetown University student initiatives launched last March, announced Thursday five campaigns it is sponsoring for donations on its new website.

The five projects include the Leavey Beergarden, a $3,000 concept that would turn part of the Leavey Esplanade into a social hub for drinking-age students with six beer hall tables, a heat lamp and a set of cornhole boards. A second project, Hilltop Compost, hopes to raise $1,215 to develop an independent composting service for campus events.

SaxaFund is also fundraising for a stipend program for off-campus mental health therapy as advocat-

ed by the Georgetown University Student Association, as well as for We for She, a project that aims to install free feminine hygiene product dispensers in all public on-campus restrooms.

Finally, the platform is sponsoring the Citizenship Scholarship, which will subsidize the citizenship process for four immigrant facilities workers. Started by the philanthropy branch of Students of Georgetown, Inc., the scholarship project has been operated since 2016 by The Corp’s Social Impact Committee, a team tasked to implement initiatives dedicated to philanthropic ventures that serve the wider campus community.

SaxaFund is a student-alumni collaboration between GUSA, the Georgetown University Alumni and Student Federal Credit Union

and The Corp. Projects on SaxaFund receive funding primarily from alumni donations. At press time, the five current projects have raised a total of $490.14. SaxaFund operates as an entity that is independent from the university.

Any Georgetown student or on-campus student organization can submit a project proposal to SaxaFund. The SaxaFund board is composed of students from The Corp, GUSA and GUASFCU, as well as Ann Yang (SFS ’16), Phil Wong (SFS ’15) and George Peacock (COL ’84), all of whom are alumni and faculty representatives. The board reviews and votes on the eligibility of the projects based on criteria established on the SaxaFund website.

A crucial criterion in the board’s evaluation is the magnitude of the

project’s impact on the Georgetown community, according to Max Rosner (SFS ’18), executive director of SaxaFund.

Once the SaxaFund board selects a project to feature, it works with the teams behind the projects to ensure that their fundraising plans are feasible. Donations to projects are processed through PayPal and sent directly to SaxaFund’s bank account at GUASFCU, according to the SaxaFund website. SaxaFund then transfers the donations to the project team either after a project meets its goal or passes its deadline.

The fund enables effective and pertinent improvements for the Georgetown community, according to Rosner.

“Normally, GUSA, The Corp and GUASFCU all have their own

interests, missions and approaches to improving campus,” Rosner wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“Saxafund is so unique because it brings these groups to the table while still improving the campus in a really organic and grassroots way.”

The Citizenship Scholarship project is one of several proposals introduced by The Corp’s Philanthropy Committee that raises funds for other student groups, individuals or the university.

The Corp plans to source funding for the project from SaxaFund temporarily, until it can receive institutional support from the university, Corp CEO Melina Hsiao (COL ’18) said.

“We hope that the Citizenship Scholarship will be similarly supported by Georgetown; however,

until this can be confirmed, we want to ensure we could continue to support this scholarship fund,” Hsiao said. “We thought that SaxaFund was the perfect platform for finding this support.”

While only five projects are currently live on the website, the platform plans to expand the campaigns offered once the financial goals of the current projects are reached, according to Rosner.

These five projects are not the first that SaxaFund has sponsored. Three student initiatives successfully received funding from online community donations through SaxaFund last year, including portable field lights for club sports teams, a student-produced film and a GUASFCU program for building credit history.

Southeast DC Without Maternity Care Wards After Closings Georgia Payne Hoya Staff Writer

Washington, D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8 were left in need of maternity care centers after two birthing wards servicing the area closed late last year.

Well-known in the D.C. area for serving individuals in need as it accepted patients without regard for their legal status or ability to pay, Providence Hospital set affordable rates and offered char-

ity to the District’s poorest. The hospital, located in the northeast D.C. neighborhood of Michigan Park, closed its birthing ward Oct. 16.

Now that D.C.’s only public, non-profit hospital, United Medical Care — which serves Southeast Washington — closed its birthing ward following a December board vote, no labor and delivery services remain operational in Washington’s eastern quadrants.

UMC has made arrangements

with Howard University Hospital and Unity Healthcare to provide prenatal care at community clinics in Wards 7 and 8. A Dec. 16 UMC news release asserted that other D.C. hospitals are well below capacity and should be able to provide care to affected mothers.

UMC originally closed its birthing ward in August after the D.C. Department of Health Services found deficiencies in the quality of care provided there. On

Dec. 14, UMC announced that it would not seek to renew its obstetrical services license.

Although these two closures are not related, they exacerbate the shortage of prenatal and natal care that had already existed in the D.C. area.

Aza Nedhari, founder of Mamatoto Village, a D.C. nonprofit group that works with low-income women, fears that sending these mothers to other hospitals could overwhelm birthing wards.

United medical center

After the closure of two birthing wards in the eastern half of Washington, D.C., in October and December, residents of Wards 7 and 8 must now travel to Howard University Hospital to access safe prenatal care. The closures exacerbate the shortage of child care in the D.C. area.

Even if other D.C. hospitals like MedStar Washington Hospital Center and The George Washington University Hospital can accommodate the influx of mothers, Ward 7 and 8 mothers will face yet another hurdle as they struggle to coordinate their prenatal care from community clinics with their deliveries at a hospital, according to Nedhari.

“What I feel is going to end up happening is when you increase capacity you diminish quality,” Nedhari told The Washington Post on Oct. 28.

Even if mothers deliver children in emergency wards, they will likely need prenatal care from an obstetrics ward prior to giving birth, according to Melissa Fries, chairman of Women’s and Infants’ Services at Washington National Hospital Center.

“The biggest risk factor for infant and maternal mortality is a lack of prenatal and obstetric care,” Fries told The Washington Post on Jan. 16.

However, the location change still presents a strain to Ward 7 and 8 mothers, and there is concern that larger institutions in the city will be unable to absorb the added patients.

Additionally, many of the mothers in Wards 7 and 8 are members of minority groups, whose pregnancies have an infant mortality rate that averages 8.2 per 1,000 births, compared to 1.7 per 1,000 among white mothers, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The UMC Board reviewed sev-

eral options before ultimately deciding to keep its birthing ward closed. Alternatives included reopening the ward with the same services as before after addressing the DHS’s concerns and reopening the ward under a new policy.

The press release from UMC stated the decision leaves room to revisit implementing the new policy later “due to the investments of time, management, and resources that would be needed for such an approach to be successful.”

According to UMC, most mothers deliver while in the emergency ward.

UMC holds that their ward failed previously because of the low volume of patients, which made it challenging to provide proper care and staffing to the ward said UMC Board Chair Ruby LeMay. “We remain committed to the residents and patients of this community. The unfortunate reality about OB is this: long before the DOH decision to restrict OB, mothers made a conscious choice not to deliver their babies at United Medical Center,” LeMay wrote in the news release.

According to LeMay, UMC will be assisting with this changeover process.

“We will work with the DOH through this transition period and look forward to doubling down our efforts to deliver highquality in all the other services that we offer at United Medical Center,” LeMay said.

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THE HOYA

friday, january 19, 2018

Gender and Sexuality LLC Approved, Sparking Backlash Will Cassou Hoya Staff Writer

caroline pappas/the hoya

The latest addition to the Students of Georgetown, Inc. store lineup, Grounded, is located within The Hilltoss and is expected to unveil its new breakfast and espresso menu at the end of January.

Corp to Revamp Grounded Location With New Options Meena Morar Hoya Staff Writer

Grounded, the newest Students of Georgetown, Inc. storefront in The Hilltoss, is gearing up for a revamp this month, replacing its smoothie and acai bowl station with a new espresso bar and expanded breakfast menu by Jan. 25.

The Corp first launched Grounded to meet the demand for coffee in the Healey Family Student Center. Grounded currently sells coffee, tea, nonespresso-based specialty drinks, smoothies and acai bowls.

The new menu is slated to incorporate elements of staple Corp items and exclusive specialty drinks and breakfast options, according to Emily Leeser (COL ’18), director of The Hilltoss. The improved Grounded plans to offer espresso, tea, toasts and bagel sandwiches, as well as snacks, bottled beverages, oatmeal and yogurt parfaits.

With the launch of the espresso bar, Grounded is set to remain open until 1 a.m. on weekdays, Corp CEO Melina Hsiao (COL ’18) said.

Grounded currently closes at 9 p.m., according to The Corp’s website.

The Corp plans to price all new breakfast items under $6, with the hope of integrating

the newly expanded Grounded menu with pre-existing Corp offerings, Leeser said.

“The coffee prices will be the same as at other Corp locations,” Leeser said. “We will have a different drink selection — our signature drink section will look a little bit different — but our prices will be comparable to other services.”

Hsiao said The Hilltoss will not expand its staff with the relaunch of Grounded. Instead, the current acai and smoothie shifts are now to be allocated to coffee service.

The renovation is expected to last three days — most likely over a weekend — and will preserve the same Hilltoss layout, according to Hsiao.

“It is a pretty low-cost renovation; they’re calling it a service agreement,” Hsiao said.

“It’s basically changes to electric and water output. It’s really a facility project.”

The Corp has contracted an external company to deal with the renovations, though the group still awaits university approval for its renovation plans and dates, Hsiao said.

The Corp decided to change the menu and offerings in response to a survey conducted about the HFSC. Patrick Ledesma, director of the student center, said the survey found that 88 percent of students

supported increased coffee options within the study space.

“The majority of the students that use the HFSC actually come after 7 p.m.,” Ledesma said. “The highest numbers where we record usage in this case is from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. [or] 12 a.m. So, you can tell that people are probably looking for coffee at night.

We thought it was a good idea for somebody to serve coffee, so we gave the information to the operators of the [Bulldog] Tavern and Hilltoss, and Hilltoss this year decided to move forward with those options.”

The Corp’s upper management had been talking about this shift in service since the summer, as the group felt it was not meeting the needs of the entire student body, Hsiao said.

With the expansion of Grounded, The Corp hopes to provide late-night drink and snack options for students studying in the HFSC area when its competitors are closed.

“We hope that Grounded will become a coffee option in the morning before class, but [we] are more focused on offering coffee and espresso options in the HFSC area of campus in the evenings when Whisk and other vendors are closed,” Hsiao said.

A newly proposed Living Learning Community providing a space for students to explore gender and sexuality received approval from Georgetown University’s Office of Residential Living last month.

The LLC, called “Crossroads: Gender and Sexuality,” is intended to serve as a community space for conversations about inclusivity issues pertaining to gender and sexual orientation while remaining true to Georgetown’s Jesuit values, according to Todd Olson, vice president of student affairs.

“Our Catholic and Jesuit values call on us to engage with ‘respect, compassion, and sensitivity’ with our LGBTQ community. It is in keeping with our Catholic and Jesuit values to provide a language, perspective, and sense of inclusion for deepening our sense of cura personalis,” Olson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

LLCs are residential communities “where like-minded individuals can share and deepen their passions through social, educational, and reflective activities,” according to the Office of Residential Living’s website. Student proposals for new LLCs are accepted and reviewed annually.

About 500 students currently live in Georgetown’s 13 residential LLCs, according to Olson. The themes of other LLCs include culture and the arts, entrepreneurship and intercultural living.

Administrators have not yet announced the size and location of the Crossroads LLC, which will launch in the 2018-19 school year. The proposal was co-authored by Grace Smith (COL ’18) and Henry Callander (COL ’18).

Smith, also the co-chair of the Georgetown University Student Association’s LGBTQ+ Advocacy and Policy coalition, said the new LLC’s approval signifies Georgetown’s acknowledgement of the importance of gender and sexuality in student life.

“This is a major and unprecedented accomplishment for a Catholic university,” Smith wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“It makes a profound and radical statement that religion does not have to be mutually exclusive with the freedom to understand, challenge, and grow through and with expressions of and reflection on

gender and sexuality. It says: come as you are; be who you are; love how you do; and we’ll make a home for you.”

Chad Gasman (COL ’20), president of the LGBTQ advocacy group GUPride and a coordinator for the LLC, said that, in addition to providing a student-led space as a resource for queer students, this LLC will also ease the housing process for LGBTQ students.

“We can and must advocate for respect, inclusion, understanding, safety, mentoring, dignity, growth and equal opportunity.”

JOHN J. DEGIOIA Georgetown University President

“For trans students especially, housing is a very difficult and stressful process,” Gasman wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I know I spent many nights sleeplessly trying to figure out where to live that was going to get me both an accepting roommate and also an accepting floor community, and having an assurance that a floor on campus is not only geared towards queer and trans issues, but is going to be heavily, if not entirely, filled with fellow queer and trans students is undoubtedly a load off trans students’ minds when housing selection rolls around.”

Gasman added, “What this means for the LGBTQ campus community is, in so many words, an assurance of safety and comfortability.”

The LLC’s approval has drawn media criticism, particularly from religious and conservative circles. Washington Times columnist Cheryl Chumley wrote that the LLC would “water down the gender definitions even further” while “ratcheting confusions and political correctness and fears to speak truthfully about the role of biology and God in determining sex.”

The Office of Residential Living rejected the Crossroads LLC proposal last year. In an April 2017 interview with The Hoya, Smith, who helped author the initial proposal, said she believed the university perceived the LLC as part of a “much larger fight over how

Georgetown wants to live its Catholic values and what those Catholic values are.”

Addressing why the application was successful this year after the earlier rejection, Smith pointed to the 10th anniversary of Georgetown’s Out for Change campaign, which was commemorated this year by Georgetown in an event titled “Discerning Our Past: Townhall Revisited.”

“In the wake of the tenth anniversary of the Out for Change campaign at Georgetown and in a time when community and solitary feel especially important, this year is a distinctly powerful and critical one,” Smith wrote.

Georgetown launched the Out for Change campaign in 2007 in response to alleged bias-related incidents that occurred on campus, which sparked a historic town hall held by University President John J. DeGioia on LGBTQ inclusivity. The aftermath of the campaign, the town hall and the incidents led to the improvement of procedure to formally report and record incidents of bias against the LBGTQ community and the establishment of the LBGTQ Resource Center, the first of its kind for a Catholic university in the United States.

At the town hall, DeGioia said that Georgetown must uphold its Catholic heritage in all its actions as a university while also supporting its LGBTQ students.

“We can and must advocate for respect, inclusion, understanding, safety, mentoring, dignity, growth and equal opportunity. We can and must advocate for freedom from prejudice, exclusion, discrimination and homophobia,” DeGioia said.

Smith said the approval of the Crossroads LLC is a major step forward, but room for improvement remains for LGBTQ inclusion at Georgetown.

“Housing and residential life is fundamentally a process of creating a space of home for students on this campus,” Smith wrote. “And this only succeeds if and when the university is willing to recognize the diversity of all its students at an institutional level and allows them to choose the residential conditions that give them a place from which to thrive. This requires a holistic commitment to making residential spaces inclusive — from all-gender bathrooms on every single hall to a housing selection process that is grounded in choice and not policy.”

Online Sexual Assault and Misconduct Resources Launched Emily Leng

Hoya Staff Writer

An online reporting form for sexual assault and misconduct concerns and an online resource center were launched by the university last Wednesday in response to findings from the 2016 Sexual Assault and Misconduct Climate Survey.

The two new resources are intended to help guide students during the reporting process, as well as compile available information regarding instances of sexual assault and harassment on campus. The goal of both tools is to enable students to communicate incidents of sexual assault in a more comfortable and easily accessible manner.

The results from Georgetown’s 2016 Sexual Assault and Misconduct Climate Survey reported that many students were unaware of available sexual misconduct resources and that there was a desire for a more centralized platform to access them.

According to the survey, 18.9 percent of students claim to be “very” or “extremely” knowledgeable about where to report an incident of sexual assault or misconduct.

Rosemary Kilkenny, the vice president for institutional diversity, equity and affirmative action said that the goal of these initiatives is to create a healthy campus climate for all members of the Georgetown community.

“It is also critical for students to be armed with knowledge of how to address this issue not only on campus, but also as they navigate life in society,” Kilkenny wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Sylvia Levy (SFS ’18), the vice speaker of the George-

town University Student Association senate, emphasized the importance of student contributions to the creation of these resources and Georgetown’s other efforts to combat sexual misconduct.

“For a few years, students in GUSA have been pushing for the University to make an online reporting form available, so this addition is more than welcome,” Levy wrote in an email to The Hoya. “GUSA as a whole is completely committed to this work and will continue to try to work with administrators to get more resources for survivors and make campus a safer place.”

Before the launch of this online forum, students wishing to report an instance of sexual misconduct were able to do so by going directly to the Office of Student Conduct, the Title IX coordinator or the Georgetown University Police Department. Ultimately, reports are also sent to the office of the Title IX coordinator, who works with students on a case-bycase basis to provide adequate resources and support, as well as explore potential avenues for recourse. When reports are made to the Title IX coordinator or the deputy Title IX coordinator, the university has an obligation to review all reports and respond appropriately, according to the Georgetown website for sexual misconduct.

According to Laura Cutway, the university’s Title IX coordinator, the Sexual Assault and Misconduct Task Force’s recommendations were also a contributing factor in the creation of these platforms.

University President John J. DeGioia established the task force in 2016 to help the university obtain a broader understanding of sexual assault

on campus.

The Sexual Assault and Misconduct Advisory Committee was created in fall 2017 to implement the recommendations made by the Sexual Assault and Misconduct Task Force.

Cutway also highlighted other university initiatives to combat sexual misconduct, including adding two fulltime professional roles in the Office of Title IX Compliance and one full-time professional role in Health Education Services.

Although the new online resources represent a promising step, there is still progress to be made, according to Kory Stuer (COL ’19), administrative chair of Sexual Assault Peer Educators, a student group that facilitates interactive discussions that promote healthy relationships, define consent, dispel myths about interpersonal violence, provide bystander intervention strategies and highlight available resources.

Stuer praised the university’s commitment to addressing the issue, but also pointed out areas for improvement, particularly regarding more vulnerable groups such as students of color, LGBTQ students and students with disabilities.

Stuer said members of these groups experience sexual misconduct at disproportionately high levels.

“Responding to sexual violence in our community takes a dedication that goes beyond just words, and we hope that Georgetown continues to commit the necessary resources to Health Education Services and the other offices supporting our community,” Stuer wrote in an email to The Hoya.

ali enright/the hoya

New online resources are intended to help guide students during the reporting process for sexual misconduct and help compile available information regarding reported cases.

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friday, January 19, 2018

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422 DC Residents Granted Permanent Housing madeline charbonneau Hoya Staff Writer

The Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) granted permanent housing to 422 Washington, D.C. residents who formerly experienced homelessness through its Home for the Holidays initiative, which began in November 2017 and concluded Jan. 10.

The initiative, which exceeded its original goal of placing 400 residents into permanent residences in two months, is part of Bowser’s five-year plan to improve services for individuals experiencing homelessness and reduce the occurrence of homelessness in the District.

Bowser announced this plan, Homeward D.C., in 2015.

The rate of homelessness in the District fell 10.5 percent from 2016 to 2017 — the first full year of the program’s implementation — according to a Jan. 10 news release from Mayor Bowser’s office.

More specifically, rates fell 22 percent among families, 15 percent among veterans and 3 percent among individuals. Through-

out the winter campaign, the D.C. Department of Human Services coordinated with local landlords to provide affordable housing for participants in the program and will continue to do so after the end of the initiative, Bowser said.

“Over the past two months, we’ve seen landlords step up and answer our call. Now, we want to build on that momentum,” Bowser wrote in the news release. “This campaign may be ending, but our efforts to partner with landlords to get more residents on pathways to the middle class will continue until every resident has a safe place to call home.”

Bowser established the Landlord Partnership Fund in October 2017 to encourage landlords to provide affordable housing for Homeward D.C. targets. The fund was designed by the Downtown DC Business Improvement District and the Coalition for Non-Profit Housing and Economic Development and is designed to cover some costs for landlords with tenants whose rent is subsidized by the DHS. Covered costs include property damage or unpaid rent.

Combatting rampant homelessness in the District has been a key component of Bowser’s term.

“My Administration is committed to making homelessness in D.C. rare, brief, and nonrecurring and the Landlord Partnership Fund as well as the improvements we are making to our homeless services system are going to help us reach that goal,” Bowser wrote in an Oct. 6 news release.

Residents who have been placed in housing through the Home for the Holidays initiative will pay rent, but will receive aid through subsidies determined by their financial situation.

In addition to landlords providing affordable housing, community members donated new and gently used home goods and children’s toys for the newly housed.

DHS Director Laura Zeilinger said the initiative would not have been successful without community members’ support.

“It’s through the gracious and rapid response of our community partners and stakeholders that we’ve reached the place-

ment goal of this ambitious campaign,” Zeilinger wrote in the Jan. 10 news release. “Our work doesn’t end here. We continue to ask landlords and District residents to work with us to reform the homeless services system and end long-term homelessness in the District.”

The final week of the program coincided with #PathwaysTotheMiddleClass Week, during which Mayor Bowser highlighted several of the programs her administration launched to expand economic prosperity across the District.

Home for the Holidays, as well as the greater Homeward D.C. plan, has eased the struggle to find affordable housing experienced by the District’s poorest.

Edweana Rucker, a student who has a 2-year-old son and works part time, expressed her appreciation for the assistance provided by the initiative.

“It’s been a real struggle for me, so this is a very good opportunity,” Rucker told the WTOP FM radio station in December.

“We’re excited, so thank you.”

file photo: spencer cook/the hoya

Residents who formerly experienced homelessness were granted permanent housing through the Home for the Holidays program.

University, Neighbors Fight Increased Airplane Noise Sophie Rosenzweig Hoya Staff Writer

Members of the D.C. Fair Skies Coalition, including Georgetown community members, argued at the D.C. Circuit Court on Thursday against flight paths out of Reagan National Airport that have led to increased noise over the Georgetown neighborhood.

The oral argument marks the most recent development in a lawsuit filed by local neighborhood groups and Georgetown University challenging northbound flight routes out of DCA. The routes, launched by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2013 to save flight time and reduce fuel emissions, direct planes in a scattered pattern over Washington, D.C.-area neighborhoods. The suit seeks to suspend a northern route and reinstate the prior flight path, which tracked up the west bank of the Potomac River.

Community members in the D.C. area have opposed the route, called LAZIR, maligning the increased air traffic and noise. Activists formed the D.C. Fair Skies Coalition, which aims to “restore the peace and quiet of established and historic neighborhoods in D.C. and the safety of their residents,” according to the coalition’s website.

Roughly 23.6 million passengers travelled through Reagan airport in 2016, according to data recorded by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.

The coalition urged the D.C. Circuit in January 2017 to discard the new routes on the grounds that the agency had not properly assessed the noise and air pollution from planes f lying planes over neighborhoods, including Hillandale, Burleith, Georgetown, Colony Hill, Foxhall, Foggy Bottom and the Palisades.

The coalition has also argued that the FAA did not properly involve the D.C. community before implementing the route. Since the court case was originally filed in August 2015, the FAA has failed to have it dismissed on grounds the groups had filed it too late.

The FAA declined to reverse the new f light route six days prior to the oral argument last week.

Christopher Murphy, vice president of Government Relations and Community Engagement at Georgetown University, has been actively involved with the coalition, and is pleased with the citywide support the coalition has garnered.

“Support for the D.C. Fair Skies Coalition has been overwhelming. I can’t think

of another issue facing our community that has united so many different neighborhoods, citizens associations, elected leaders, and other important institutions that call the District home,” Murphy wrote in an email to T he H oya.

Ari Goldstein (COL ’18), the only Georgetown student in attendance at the Thursday hearing, became involved with the D.C. Fair Skies Coalition in 2015. As a Blue and Gray tour guide, Goldstein said the planes’ new route causes disruptions at least once during each of his tours.

“All the time when I’m giving tours I have to stop and wait for a plane to pass, and it’s really awkward,” Goldstein said. “On almost every single tour I get a question from a prospective parent like, ‘Is it always like this?

Do you just get used to this?’ and it’s an awkward question to answer.

Murphy said he is optimistic about the court’s decision.

“We are hopeful the Court will direct the FAA to go back to the beginning and run an open and inclusive process to consider changes to routes — but this time ensure District residents and other impacted organizations like the University have a say,” Murphy wrote.

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

Marta Aparicio (COL ’14) joined current students Kala Deterville (COL ’18) and Sofia Gomez (SFS ’18) in receiving the competitive 2018 Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship.

GU Students, Alumna Receive Rangel Fellowship katrina schmidt Hoya Staff Writer

Two Georgetown seniors and one alumna received the competitive 2018 Charles B. Rangel Graduate Fellowship, a State Department program that provides financial support to students pursuing careers in the foreign service for two years of graduate study, internships, mentoring and professional development activities.

Among this year’s 30 fellows are Marta Aparicio (COL ’14), Kala Deterville (COL ’18) and Sofia Gomez (SFS ’18). Georgetown tied with Florida State University this year for most fellows selected from a single institution.

John Glavin, director of the Office of Fellowships, Awards and Resources, said Georgetown’s Jesuit values permeate the fellows’ career paths.

“Once again, we see the ongoing power of the Jesuit ideal, training men and women who will work not only for their own success, but also for the wellbeing of humankind,” Glavin said in a Georgetown University news release.

The Rangel Fellowship is considered one of the United States’ most prestigious diversity fellowships and was created to equip highly qualified applicants from diverse economic and racial backgrounds for careers in foreign service roles. Fellows who success-

fully complete the program and meet the rigorous foreign service entry requirements receive appointments as foreign service officers.

The Rangel Fellowship program, established by the State Department in 2002, was threatened last year when the department announced it was suspending two classes of the Rangel Fellowship and the Charles R. Pickering Fellowship, a similar diversityoriented fellowship, instead giving graduates the option to do administrative consular work or wait until foreign service positions reopened.

The decision was reversed within a few weeks following opposition from leaders in the international affairs academic community, including School of Foreign Service Dean Joel Hellman, who voiced opposition in a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The three Rangel fellows from Georgetown have followed varied paths to the program, but all say they are ultimately driven to pursue careers in the foreign service.

A double major in sociology and government, Aparicio said her experience as a first-generation student inspired her to become a diplomat. With help from an American diplomat stationed in Guatemala City who granted her a visa, Aparicio reunited with her parents after 11 years apart.

Aparicio said the diplomat’s act

influenced her decision to follow the same career path.

“I know the efficacy of giving and receiving help,” Aparicio said in the news release.

Gomez, an international politics major pursuing a certificate in Arab studies, said her family history also played a role in her diplomatic aspirations. Her father was a political refugee from Cuba, and the State Department helped him establish his new life in the United States.

Gomez said she has wanted to join the foreign service since high school.

Deterville’s exposure to the international community drove her interest in the foreign service, though in a slightly different way.

Majoring in Japanese and government, Deterville said that growing up, her family hosted foreign exchange students from all over the world. According to Deterville, the cultural interchange she witnessed at home expanded her knowledge of the world and precipitated the beginning of an internationally minded career.

Deterville, who studied abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo, hopes to be appointed to a foreign service officer position in Japan.

“As I gain experience and rank, I hope to be recognized for my commitment to ensure U.S. national security and be appointed as the first female African-American U.S. Ambassador to Japan,” Deterville said in the news release.

file photo: richard schofield/the hoya

Oral arguments were heard last week in a lawsuit brought by Georgetown University and D.C. residents fighting new airplane flight patterns that increased noise over the District.

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THE HOYA

friday, jANUARY 19, 2018

Men's TRack & field

Distance Runners Shine at Nittany Lion Challenge eTHAN cOHN

Hoya Staff Writer

At the Nittany Lion Challenge in Pennsylvania last weekend, Georgetown men’s track and field team finished in the top five in four different events: the 600 meter, the mile, the 3000m and the 4x800m relay.

The meet marks the team’s fourth of the indoor track season. The team sought to build on its first three performances in the indoor track season and improve its No. 23 overall ranking in the country, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Coach Julie Culley said she was impressed with the team’s performance.

“They’ve been doing great and they’re ranked in the top 25 in the country right now which is very exciting for us,” Culley said.

In the 3000m, graduate student distance runner Jonathan Green and junior middle distance runner Spencer Brown finished first and second with times of 8:11.65 and 8:11.67, respectively.

Culley was impressed with the two upperclassmen’s performances, saying Green's and Brown’s times are good

signs as they move forward in the season and try to qualify for the NCAAs.

“John will be trying to qualify for NCAAs in the 5000m, Spencer will definitely be on the relay and potentially going after an NCAA mark in the mile.”

Julie Culley Director of Track and Field

“It was a really nice indicator for both of them where their fitness is…running right around 8:11…I know they’re going to be getting after it later in the season. John will be trying to qualify for NCAAs in the 5000m, Spencer will definitely be on the relay and potentially going after an NCAA mark in the mile,” Culley said.

Green also finished the weekend with a fourth-place finish in the mile with a time of 4:08.62.

The men’s 4 x 800m relay,

composed of juniors Nick Wareham and Adam Barnard and sophomores Jack Salisbury and Dylan Fine, finished third behind Penn State’s A and B relays with a time of 7:53.52.

Sophomore Kenny Rowe finished second in the 600m run, losing to a Villanova runner by just half a second. In addition to his second-place finish in the 600m, Rowe also helped the Hoyas finish sixth in the 4x400m relay.

As the season progresses, Culley will be looking for continued leadership and success from senior runners Jonathan Green, Amos Bartelsmeyer, Joe White and Scott Carpenter. She expressed sadness that the seniors will be graduating and praised their leadership and stewardship of the Georgetown program.

“They’ve done a fantastic job leading this group and setting the stage for the next generation at Georgetown. Those are the guys that scored at NCAAs, that got us 12th place overall at the national championship meet, which is just astounding. The younger guys on the team really look up to them. It’s been a really special group at our program,” Culley said.

kICKING AND SCREAMING

GUHOYAS

Graduate student distance runner Jonathan Green won the 3000-meter run with a 8:11.65 time. This fall, he earned All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in cross country.

Going forward, the Hoyas will be looking to qualify for the NCAA championship meet at the end of the season. The Hoyas’ first attempt to qualify for the NCAAs will

take place at the Columbia Challenge in New York in two weeks.

“The Columbia Challenge is going to be where they try to hit their qualifier for the NCAA meet

in the distance medley relay.

We’re putting together our best lineup at the current moment… and taking a shot at it…Hopefully it will be one and done,” Culleysaid.

SWIMMING & DIVING

Women Sweep Rivals, Men Split Meets Mary Burke

Hoya Staff Writer

Drew Sewall

Gambling Vexes English Soccer I

t is virtually impossible to watch a Premier League match and avoid seeing the gambling advertisements that are so visibly featured on the front of nearly half of Premier League kits and plastered on advertising boards surrounding the pitch.

The environment created by the presence of these advertisements, however, has contradicted the British Football Association’s tough stance on gambling among players.

Since the Premier League’s inception in 1992, companies have continued to pay increasingly more money to have their names featured on the breast of teams' kits. In the beginning, beer and consumer electronics sponsorships ran rampant, with half of the team’s shirts sponsored by companies in those sectors in 1992. Beer and electronics companies continued to be a regular presence on the front of kits for the remainder of the 1990s before finally beginning to taper out in the beginning of the 2000s.

As the beer and electronics sponsors dwindled, the Premier League saw its first team sponsored by a gambling company when Betfair appeared on the front of Fulham’s uniforms in the 20022003 season. At the time, it seemed unconventional and tacky for a gambling company to be featured on the front of a kit, but now it is ubiquitous. Since 2002, the number of teams sponsored by gambling companies has steadily increased, until peaking in the 2016-17 season with half of the teams prominently featuring gambling companies on the front of their jerseys.

However, this advertising surge creates a moral quandary for the British Football Association. The FA has taken an anti-gambling stance, severely punishing footballers who are found to have bet on any Premier League games. Logically, this stance makes sense. Players should not be betting on games if they could have even the slightest chance of affecting its outcome.

The issue regarding gambling sponsorships came to light when Burnley midfielder Joey Barton was issued an 18-month ban by the FA for gambling allegations.

He was never under any suspicion of match-fixing, but he did clearly break the rules set by the FA regarding gambling. He bet on matches that his team played in, sometimes betting on them to win, and sometimes betting on them to lose.

It is, however, important to note that each time he bet the team to lose, he never played a minute in any of those matches. Nevertheless, the FA correctly came down hard on him and issued him a ban.

Yet, after the ban was

announced, Barton issued a long statement, highlighting some of the FA’s contradictions..

“Surely [the FA] needs to accept there is a huge clash between their rules and the culture that surrounds the modern game, where anyone who follows football on TV or in the stadia is bombarded by marketing, advertising and sponsorship by betting companies,” Barton said in an official statement.

Barton faulted the FA’s advertising campaigns as a fuel for gambling addictions among players.

“This is not an easy environment in which to try to stop gambling, or even to encourage people within the sport that betting is wrong,” Barton said. “It is like asking a recovering alcoholic to spend all his time in a pub or a brewery.”

Barton, a player who has long been known to have a severe gambling addiction and has provided the medical documents to prove it, raised some valid points in his statement. He accepted blame but also stressed the difficulty of working in an environment where gambling advertisements are pervasive. The temptations were everywhere, and for an addict like Barton, it was only a matter of time before he finally gave in.

His addiction certainly does not absolve Barton of his shortcomings, nor should it. But, it does certainly bring to light some serious inconsistencies in the FA’s gambling policies. If the FA hopes to eradicate gambling from the sport, it should be much more mindful of the advertisements they show and who they allow the clubs themselves to associate with.

There is precedent for this change, as in 2005 when cigarette firms were banned from sponsoring clubs with the basis for the ban being the fact that smoking is harmful.

It is also evident that gambling can cause extreme harm. In 2017 the Gambling Commission found there were over 430,000 problem gamblers in the United Kingdom.

This number has only continued to rise. In fairness, the FA took a huge first step in distancing itself from gambling when it terminated an agreement with Ladbrokes, a British-based gambling company, at a loss of an estimated £12 million.

But until the FA completely bans gambling companies from being shown on the front of teams’ kits and on video boards surrounding the pitch, the gambling industry as a whole will continue to cast a dark shadow over British football.

The gambling sponsors must go.

The Georgetown swimming and diving teams began the second half of their season this past weekend with victories against The George Washington University and American University during a meet at American’s Reeves Aquatic Center.

The women’s team swept both teams with scores of 127-115 and 175.5-64.5, respectively. The men’s team defeated American 166-56, but fell short to GWU 153-72.

The men’s and women’s teams had not raced since the Bucknell Invitational in late November, but the teams gathered over the break for a weeklong training trip in Bermuda.

Both teams are preparing to host Drexel University this Saturday for the last home meet of the season.

Head Coach Jack Leavitt said the focus in preparation changed after a rigorous week of training.

“This week, we are focusing on speed development,” Leavitt said. “Now we are trying to get up on the blocks, go fast in practice and see how fast we can be for the last few weeks of the season before resting up for the Big East Championships.”

The 200-yard medley relay team of freshman Alexandra Rieker, senior Molly Fitzpatrick, sophomore Lauren Henasey and freshman Belinda Donohoe captured first place for the women’s team. Fitzpatrick also placed first in her 100 breaststroke, defeating the second place finisher, GWU junior Emily Zhang, by almost a full second.

Sophomore Cristina Barrett placed in both of her events, winning the 1000 freestyle and placing second in 500 freestyle.

Barrett said that working on finishing races strong in training helped her succeed last weekend.

“I have been working a lot on back-half speed, and I can definitely see that paying off in both the 1000 and 500. I have been

seeing that all year as well,” Barret said.

Leavitt commended Barrett’s consistency in these long-distance events.

“If you look at her results from the entire year, they are all within a few seconds of each other,” Leavitt said. “She is always the rock in that distance event where we can depend on her because she always does the job.”

On the men’s team, freshman Andrew Stange won the 200 freestyle by over a full second and fell just 0.31 seconds short of placing first in the 100 freestyle. Freshman Drew Carbone captured first in the 200 IM, touching the wall 0.17 seconds before his GWU opponent.

Carbone credited work over the break on the 200 for his performance.

“I could feel all of the endurance work and stamina: it felt different than it had in the fall, so I can tell the training is really paying off,” Carbone said.

Barrett and Carbone both said the meet was a team effort.

“When we got to the meet, we were definitely sore and tired, but people stepped up for the meet.

Even if at times we weren’t exactly where we wanted to be, everyone came to race,” Barrett said.

Carbone said the week brought the team together.

“We felt good as a team and a lot stronger getting into a race setting again,” Carbone added.

Heading into the last home meet of the season, Barrett and Carbone expressed the team’s emphasis on maintaining their excitement and energy.

“Positivity and keeping our morale up is something that is really important to us as a team. Going into this weekend, coming off our training trip, we really wanted to keep our positive vibes up because it is a competitive meet and we do want to win,” Barrett said.

The Hoyas will host Drexel University this Saturday, Jan. 20 at the McCarthy Pool at 1 p.m.

women's track & field

GUHOYAS

Senior distance runner Piper Donaghu came in second in the 1000-meter run at the Nittany Lion Challenge with a time of 2:48.57. She was also a member of the first-place 4x800m relay team with sophomore Kate Gobi and fellow seniors Josette Norris and Autumn Eastman.

GU Hits Stride With 2 Wins After Break Madeline Cusick Special to the Hoya

The Georgetown women’s track team took first place in two events and secured spots in the top five in several others at the Nittany Lion Challenge in State College, Pa., building on a strong start to indoor track and field after the Navy Lid Lifter in December.

Director of Track and Field Julie Culley spoke positively about the results of this meet, given the short turnaround from winter break.

“When you let everybody go home over break, and especially with some of the really nasty weather that the Northeast and Midwest have

had through the months of December and January, we had so many of our kids on treadmills and just piecing together their training where they could,” Culley said.

Given these circumstances, Culley said that the team performed well at Penn State.

“You almost think of it as a rust-buster,” Culley said.

Graduate student Taylor Williams won the 200-meter dash for a second consecutive meet with a time of 24.72, showing improvement from her former winning time of 24.91 and marking a new season-best for the graduate student.

In the 3000m race, sophomore Paige Hofstad earned Georgetown’s other victory

in her collegiate debut in the event. Her time of 9:34.00 won her first and brought her into the top 20 in country for the event. Senior Madeline Perez finished fifth in the 3000m with a time of 9:52.25.

After notching a victory and setting a personal record at the Navy Lid Lifter, senior Jody-Ann Knight came close to repeating her success as she placed fourth in the 400m dash with a time of 57.12.

In her first appearance in the 1000m for the Hoyas, senior Piper Donaghu came in second with a time of 2:48.57.

Georgetown’s 4x800m relay team, consisting of Donaghu, seniors Josette Norris and Autumn Eastman and sophomore

Kate Gobi, finished with a time of 9:12.42 to earn third in the event. Although the Hoyas did not emerge victorious in this relay, the outcome marked an improvement from the previous meet’s time.

Looking ahead to the next competition, Culley said that the team faces a major test.

“We look at Columbia Challenge as, I don’t want to say a focal point, but more of a first real test of the season,” Culley said. “That’s a 13-team competition. Some of the best teams in the country will be there.”

Culley expressed excitement regarding the location.

“It’s a historic venue and the energy is fantastic,” she said.

SPORTS

friday, january 19, 2018

Venson’s 28 Points No Match for Pirates RED STORM, from A12

SUBUL MALIK/THE HOYA

Sophomore guard Jagan Mosely scored 6 points in Wednesday’s contest against Villanova, the team’s largest loss since 1974.

Wright’s Wildcats Overpower Hoyas

Big East) went on an 18-0 run over the next four minutes, highlighted by five consecutive possessions with successful three-point attempts.

By halftime, Villanova had made 10 three pointers, with 30 of its first 42 points coming from deep. On the other side, Georgetown turned the ball over nine times in the first half and went 0-8 from three-point range.

“We were right there and then we turned it over a few times,” Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) said post-game.” But they were hot, they shot the heck out of the ball.”

The intermission did not cause the Wildcats to lose their shooting touch, as they quickly went on an 18-2 run to start the half. Georgetown senior forward Kaleb Johnson ended the Hoyas’ shooting woes from deep with the team’s first three-pointer of the game, which put the Hoyas down 60-25 with 14:45 to play.

“We just tried to keep fighting.

They kept making tough shots, they’re a real disciplined team and they really play together. So, we just tried to stop them on defense and execute our offense,” Georgetown junior center Jesse Govan said.

However, Georgetown had trouble stopping Villanova’s backcourt pair of junior guard Jalen Brunson and redshirt junior guard Mikal Bridges. Brunson and Bridges scored 18 and 17 points, respectively, and each made four threepointers.

“They all can score,” Govan said post-game of the Villanova guards.

“They had six players in double

figures, it just shows how versatile they are. Bridges is probably the lankiest player in college basketball, he’s really a force up there,” Govan said.

The Wildcats led by 44 points with 3:44 remaining before the benches cleared for the final minutes. For the game, Villanova shot 60 percent from the field and 52 percent from three-point range, its best marks in Big East play and its second highest of the season.

“They’re a good ball club; they’re ranked number one for a reason,” Ewing said.

Govan led the Hoyas in scoring with 12 points and helped give the squad a 30-24 edge over the Wildcats in points in the paint with six rebounds. Junior forward Marcus Derrickson added a team-high eight rebounds as well.

The last time Georgetown lost by a such a large margin was in 1974 against the University of Maryland when the Hoyas fell 104-71.

The Hoyas return to action on Saturday against St. Johns as they play the middle of their threegame homestand. The contest will be the teams’ second meeting of the season, with Georgetown winning the first 69-66 in a tightly contested battle Jan. 9.

“It’s one game in a 30-game season. We can’t let this one turn into another loss. We have a quick turnaround, three days, and then another one against St. Johns on our home floor. I don’t think we have a home Big East win yet, so we’re going to try and get that Saturday,” Govan said.

Tipoff for Saturday’s game is set for 12 p.m. The game can be watched on Fox Sports 1 and heard locally on 99.1 FM.

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score to 33-20.

Despite a tenacious and physical third quarter, Georgetown was unable to mount a significant run in the second half, managing to only cut the lead to 13 a couple minutes into the third period. Leading by 17 points, entering the fourth quarter, St. John’s all but put away the game with some quick baskets at the start of the final period.

Junior guard Dionna White and senior guard Mikayla Venson carried a heavy load, combining to score 28 of the Hoyas’ 41 points.

White contributed 16, five of which came during Georgetown’s 9-0 run to start the second quarter.

The Red Storm were led by starters freshman guard Qadashah Hoppie, sophomore guard Alisha Kebbe and senior forward Maya Singleton, who scored 15, 12 and 11 points, respectively. Singleton contributed a game-high 14

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boards. Sophomore guard Andrayah Adams came off the bench to score 12 points in 16 minutes.

Against the Seton Hall Pirates (11-8, 3-5 Big East), the Hoyas once again struggled with efficiency, shooting 36 percent from the field and just 19 percent from threepoint range. Seton Hall shot 47 percent from the field and made 46 percent of three-pointers. Once again, the Hoyas committed fewer turnovers than their opponents, but the team was outrebounded 32-39 and had six total assists compared to Pirates’s 16.

Georgetown began the game sluggishly, and Seton Hall jumped to a 14-4 early lead. Critical baskets

by Venson and senior guard DiDi Burton, however, turned the momentum and resulted in the Hoyas tying the game at 18-18.

“We have a tendency to compete hard after getting behind early,” Howard said. “It shows that there’s fight and that we don’t give up,

but we’d like to see our team with more focus to start the game, more urgency from the beginning.”

The two teams continued to trade baskets, but after White converted on a three-point play, the score was tied at 25-25. The Pirates then went on a 9-2 run to end the half leading 34-27.

The Hoyas would trim the lead to five during the third quarter, but a pair of three-pointers by the Pirates gave them a 12-point lead that increased to13 by the end of the quarter. Georgetown entered the fourth quarter down 51-38.

The Hoyas then began to use a press defense that helped cut the lead to 65-63 with just over a minute left. However, the Pirates made critical free throws, and Georgetown failed to finish what would have been a magnificent comeback, losing 70-65.

Venson led the way for the

Hoyas with a career-high 28 points, 15 of which came during the fourth quarter comeback.

After playing so many minutes during the Hoyas’ recent stretch of games, Howard was impressed with Venson’s play in the fourth.

“Mikayla willed us back into that game with big shot after big shot,” Howard said.

White made 13 points and junior forward Cynthia Petke finished with 12 points and nine rebounds.

“We need this kind of effort from Mikayla every night for us to be at our best, because when Mikayla, Dionna and Cynthia aren’t scoring well, we’re not doing well,” Howard said.

Up next on the Hoyas’ schedule are the Marquette Golden Eagles (13-5, 7-0 Big East), who are sitting on top of the Big East conference.

The game will begin Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. in McDonough Arena.

WILL CROMARTY/THE HOYA

Senior forward Cynthia Petke is currently third on the team with 10.6 points per game, while ranking second with 2.8 assists per game. Petke tallied 12 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday’s 65-70 loss against Seton Hall.

VOLLEYBALL

Rens Brings Winning Record to Hilltop RENS, from A12

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VILLANOVA, from A12

THE HOYA

including an undefeated 12-0 record in conference play.

UMES appeared in the National Volleyball Invitational Championship while leading the NCAA in aces per set. The team ranked in the top-25 in both opponent hitting percentage and team hitting percentage and ranked 38th in winning percentage.

Rens hopes to continue his winning ways on the Hilltop.

“I am extremely grateful and feel very honored to be selected as the next head volleyball coach at Georgetown University,” Rens said. “I would like to thank President DeGioia, Erik Smulson, Lee Reed and Sharon Brummell for this opportunity.”

Rens also praised Georgetown’s volleyball program.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to become part of the Hoya family, fulfill a long-time wish of returning to my favorite city and coaching on the Hilltop,” Rens said. “I am truly blessed to be back in the Big East while representing the Hoyas because Georgetown offers one of the very best educations in the country.”

Rens previously spent time as a Big East competitor when he coached at Pittsburgh, a former member of the conference, from 2008 to 2012. Rens inherited a losing team, but transformed the program to five Big East Tournament appearances and coached them to four winning seasons in his five years there.

Having worked as an assistant coach at George Washington from 1994 to 1998, Rens is familiar with the allure of the na-

tion’s capital and hopes to bring local talent to Georgetown to keep McDonough Arena vibrant with fans.

“The Washington, D.C., Metro area also has some of the very best high school and club volleyball talent in the country,” Rens said. “I am going to recruit the most talented student-athletes in the nation while trying to keep more local talent at home playing in front of family and friends.”

In terms of recruiting, Rens readily acknowledges he is inheriting Williams’s team by joining the Hoya family.

“My predecessor was extremely professional and she built a good foundation while bringing in some very talented studentathletes,” Rens said. “I’m extremely excited to start working with the talent that we already

have in the gym while recruiting future Hoyas.”

The 2017 team graduates only one senior, setter and right-side hitter Meghan Richard, as well as graduate student middle-blocker Aima Eichie.

Besides these losses, the Hoyas will return the rest of their roster for the 2018 season. Fortunately, Rens will be able to rely on strong leadership from a trio of star seniors made up of setter Paige McKnight, outside hitter Alyssa Sinnette, and middle blocker Symone Speech. Speech was selected to All-Big East First team and named AVCA All-Region after the 2017 season.

Rens will look to lift Georgetown from the 8-22 regular record, 2-16 Big East record team it was in 2017 and transform it into a winning program next year.

the analyst

Unfair to Characterize Williams for Mistake CHRISTOVICH, from A12

In other words, Williams was largely responsible for why the Saints even held a one-point lead in the last 10 seconds of the NFC Divisional Playoff.

After the game, Williams and Head Coach Sean Payton explained that Williams missed the tackle in an attempt to carry out an “outside zone” defense.

If Williams had tackled Diggs out of bounds, then the Vikings could have kicked a field goal and would most likely have won the game anyway; making a tackle in bounds was the only surefire way to win. After that moment, Williams’ young legacy has been defined largely by an unfortunate but understandable — and even correct — choice.

Williams’ mishap illustrates

the nature of a legacy: It can be unfair and change in an instant, defined by one short moment over a season or career of work.

Consider how Williams’ legacy for the offseason — and even his career, if he does nothing else especially notable — would have changed if those few seconds had played out differently: If Williams had tackled Diggs but tackled him out of bounds, the Saints would likely have lost the game anyway. Instead of Williams being blamed for costing the Saints the 2017 season, however, media attention would have gone to the Vikings’ placekicker Kai Forbath, quarterback Case Keenum and, of course, Diggs, who gave Forbath that field position.

If Williams had missed Diggs but literally any other safety had been positioned in the backfield

to guard the end zone, then his blunder would have been all but forgotten in the celebrations that would have ensued as the Saints held onto their one-point lead.

And if Williams had successfully tackled Diggs in bounds, he would have been a small but integral part of one of the most incredible comeback wins in NFL playoff history. Instead of being known throughout the NFL community as the player who missed Diggs, he would be a lesser-known but still important young safety with a bright future ahead.

It is not valid to define athletes by one moment in their career and overlook their work as a whole.

Williams does not deserve the abuse, the blame and the legacy of the one mistake he made on

Sunday night. He is one of the reasons that the Saints were in that position to win the game in the first place.

Nonetheless, a sports legacy is often defined by one moment.

Whether it is one shining moment or one terrible mistake, the legacy of an athlete is often unfair and unfortunate — and mistakes like Marcus Williams’ will undoubtedly take an unprecedented number of better moments to erase.

But as a lifelong Saints fan, I am still proud of my team’s season. I am proud of Marcus Williams’ accomplishments, and I am looking forward to Williams rewriting his own story in the seasons to come.

Amanda Christovich is a junior in the College. The Analyst appears every other Friday.

Sports

Men’s Basketball Georgetown (12-6) vs. St. John’s (10-9) Saturday, 12:00 p.m.

Capital One Arena

friday, January 19, 2018

NUMBERS GAME

talkING POINTS

woMEn’s TRack & Field The Georgetown women’s track and field team notched two wins at the Nittany Lion Challenge last weekend.

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“

We have a tendency to compete hard after falling behind early.”

HEAD COACH JAMES HOWARD

32

Georgetown men’s basketball largest margin of defeat since 1974.

volleyball

Men’s basketball

Hoyas Suffer Worst Loss in 43 Years matt sachs

Hoya Staff Writer

At a packed Capital One Arena on Wednesday, Georgetown found itself on the losing end of a lopsided contest at home against No.1 Villanova. The team fell 88-56 to the top-ranked Wildcats in the

largest defeat in school history since 1974.

The Hoyas (12-6, 2-5 Big East) fought early on and kept the deficit to five points at 13-8 with 11:56 remaining in the first half. From there, however, Villanova (17-1, 5-1 See VILLANOVA, A11

GUHoyas

Georgetown introduced new volleyball head coach Toby Rens to the program on Monday. Rens was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2017 after leading Maryland Eastern Shore to the National Volleyball Invitational Championship.

Rens Introduced as New Head Coach Bridget mcelroy Hoya Staff Writer

Subul malik/The Hoya

Sophomore guard Jagan Mosely currently averages 7.2 points per game in addition to 3.2 rebounds per game.

With 19 seasons of headcoaching experience and six NCAA appearances under his belt, Toby Rens is ready to bring his expertise to the Hilltop. On Jan. 15, Rens began as the Head Coach of the Georgetown women’s volleyball team following the resignation of former head coach Arlisa Williams in November

— just one day after the conclusion of the 2017 volleyball season.

Before arriving at Georgetown, Rens had served as the head coach at Northern Michigan, Maryland Eastern Shore, LIU-Brooklyn, Pittsburgh and Chicago State. In 2005, while at LIU-Brooklyn, he was named Northeast Conference Coach of the Year.

While at UMES in 2002, and most recently during his sec-

women’s basketball

Hoyas Fall to 7-10 After Winless Road Trip

ond tenure with the Hawks in 2017, Rens was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Coach of the Year.

Georgetown Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed expressed his optimism about bringing Rens to campus.

“We are very excited to bring someone with Toby’s experience and leadership to the Hilltop,” Reed said. “He is a proven winner and we look forward to

the direction [in which] he will lead our program.”

Rens leaves UMES with not only his impressive Coach of the Year title but also many noteworthy stats that speak to his capacity to lead the Hoyas to a successful 2018 season. He boasts a 378-266 career record and, in his final season as a Hawk, he led the team to a 27-9 overall record, See RENS, A11

THE ANALYST

justin chen

Special to The Hoya

In its 16th and 17th games of the season, the Georgetown women’s basketball team suffered two tough losses on a road trip against St. John’s and Seton Hall. The Hoyas lost to the Red Storm 64-41 and to the Pirates 70-65, respectively.

The two losses bring Georgetown’s losing streak to four and drop the team’s record to 7-10 overall and 2-5 in conference play.

Against St. John’s (12-7, 5-3 Big East), Georgetown forced 18 turnovers while committing just 15 of its own, but shot only 27 percent from the field and 22 percent from three-point range.

The Red Storm shot 43 percent from the field and 41 percent from three-point range. Head Coach James Howard recognized the Hoyas need to do a better job making shots.

“If you look at the stat sheet, you can see that we’re taking more shots than our opponents almost every game, but we need to do a better job of capitalizing on our opportunities to score the basketball,” Howard said.

Georgetown also struggled to secure rebounds, making just 31 compared to St John’s 40. Furthermore, the Hoyas only assisted on one field goal, whereas 12 of St John’s were assisted.

In the first quarter, St. John’s dominated, ending the quarter on a 9-0 run and brought the score to 17-6.

At the start of the second quarter, the Hoyas went on a 11-2 run and trimmed the deficit to just two points. However, key threepointers by St. John’s quickly reversed the momentum. The Red Storm started a 13-0 run of their own, capped by three free throws made with with just one second left in the first half, pushing the See RED STORM, A11

Amanda Christovich

Missed Tackle Must Not Define Williams

Will cromarty/the hoya

Junior guard Dionna White notched 13 points and two steals in Wednesday’s loss to Seton Hall. White currently leads the Hoyas with 17.5 points per game and is third with 6.3 rebounds per game.

Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports

If you know me, you know that I’m a New Orleans Saints fan, and if you have even the slightest idea of what happened last Sunday night in Minneapolis, then you will understand that I refuse to provide a comprehensive recap for the game that I will address in this column.

The basic information that you will need — and about as much as I can bear to relive — is that the Saints lost in a heartbreaking divisional round to the Minnesota Vikings on a game-ending, 61yard touchdown reception and run by Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Saints rookie safety Marcus Williams missed a wide-open tackle and took out another Saint instead of Diggs.

Williams’ blunder, which ended in one of the most demoralizing losses in Saints history — and that’s really saying something — is a mistake that will haunt him for at least the rest of the offseason and potentially his whole career.

But Williams should not be defined by one missed tackle.

The Saints community could have blamed Williams for the loss; instead, in a true show of sportsmanship, many rallied around him. While countless headlines blamed Williams for the loss, and

enough abusive comments appeared on Williams’ Instagram account to cause him to disable the comments section, many players, coaches and fans supported the rookie with billboards, tweets and supportive comments to the press.

Those who credited Williams for a wellplayed season and forgave his blunder were not wrong to do so.

Those who credited Williams for a well-played season and forgave his blunder were not wrong to do so. Williams was not only a solid safety for the Saints this season on a defense that went from being ranked 27th to 17th

by ESPN in one year, but also served as the defensive back who made the third-quarter interception that allowed the Saints to score a touchdown and cut the Vikings lead to 17-14.

In other words, Williams was largely responsible for why the Saints even held a one-point lead in the last 10 seconds of the NFC Divisional Playoff.

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