The Hoya: November 18, 2014

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 96, No. 23, © 2014

tuesDAY, november 18, 2014

MEN’S BASKETBALL

COMMENTARY After being mugged at gunpoint, reflecting on the crime’s motivations.

Freshman forward L.J. Peak led the Hoyas with 23 points in an 83-62 win.

SPORTS, A10

TEDx The fourth edition of the conference explored untrodden themes.

HECKLER A woman interrupted the first Friday Muslim service at the National Cathedral.

NEWS, A4

OPINION, A3

NEWS, A5

Access to Benefits Extended

Unrecognized groups get benefits through GUSA apparatus MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA

Amid debate over RA rights, a poster advertises the position to students.

RA Rights Await Clarification Suzanne Monyak & Katherine Richardson Hoya Staff Writers

Following widespread student concerns about the treatment of resident assistants and enforcement of the confidentiality policies all RAs must sign governing their interactions with residents, the university has yet to offer clarification or propose changes, prompting the Georgetown University Student Association to unanimously pass a bill Sunday calling for the administration to investigate all claims of RA mistreatment.

A viewpoint by RA Thomas Lloyd (SFS ’15) published in The Hoya (“Reflecting on the Ordeal of a Mishandled Ricin Case,” Nov. 11, 2014, A3) last week that detailed the university’s failure to provide him with support following his involvement with former student Daniel Milzman’s ricin case last year — by limiting the options for counseling available to him as an RA subject to confidentiality policy, among other actions — prompted other RAs to share their concerns regarding haphazard approaches to classifying RAs as university employees and limits on RAs’ ability to seek counseling and report instances of sexual assault involving residents.

Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson did not provide details on the confidentiality agreement that all RAs sign.

Amid confusion surrounding the confidentiality policies signed by RAs, Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson was not able to give any details on the definitions and boundaries of confidenSee RAs, A6

Molly Simio

FILE PHOTO: MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA

Hoya Staff Writer

Unrecognized student groups will now have some access to previously restricted benefits, such as co-hosting events with recognized groups and reserving campus space, after the creation of a GUSA apparatus to provide benefits announced yesterday.

Groups like H*yas for Choice, which have not been able to access the benefits available to recognized clubs because of lack of university recognition, will now be able to access benefits through a GUSA partnership. Unrecognized groups will be able to use storage space, reserve classrooms and use printing services through the GUSA executive, rather than through direct connection to university services and offices, like recognized student groups.

These groups will still lack university funding and will not be able to use the university logo, both of which are benefits delegated to recognized stu-

An annual protest for immigrant rights, pictured from 2013, starts on campus, before making its way to the Capitol. The university released updated guidelines for on-campus demonstrations on Monday.

Campus Protest Guidelines Clarified Molly Simio

Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: CHARLIE LOWE/THE HOYA

Removals of H*yas for Choice See BENEFITS, A7 tabling have sparked backlash.

The university released guidelines for campus protests and tabling in an update to the Speech and Expression Policy sent in a campus-wide email yesterday.

The new guidelines for campus protests specify areas of campus in which groups should protest, depending on where an event is held. Students are instructed to protest in the southwest corner of Copley Lawn when events are held

in Gaston Hall and in Red Square when events are held in Copley Formal Lounge or the Intercultural Center Auditorium.

These updates were released about two-and-a-half weeks after Hoyas United for Free Speech, a coalition of students advocating for free speech reform on campus, delivered a petition to Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson.

The petition garnered about 460 signatures and called for the exSee PROTEST, A6

DC Aids Homeless Veterans

VELVET’S SILVER ANNIVERSARY

Margaret Heftler Hoya Staff Writer

VALERIA BALZA/THE HOYA

25 years after the Velvet Revolution saw the peaceful overthrow of the communist regime, the Czech Embassy marked the anniversary Monday at the Davis Center for Performing Arts.

To Live in JesRes, Embody ‘Georgetown Spirit’ Xinlan Hu

than only a portion of the residence. The community will be the only LLC to encompass an entire The entire dorm replacing the dorm, and will be the largest LLC. old Jesuit residence in Ryan and The Spirit of Georgetown ResiMulledy Halls will be a Living dential Academy will join LLCs Learning Community dedicated to in living well, Jewish life, French the “spirit of Georgetown,” requir- language and culture, culture and ing applications from all 148 resi- performance, justice and diversity dents. in action, global living and Muslim Set to open interest. in fall 2015, the Applications LLC, which has are due in the bebeen named the ginning of DecemSpirit of Georgeber, and Director town Residential of Residential EduAcademy, will cation Ed Gilhool house 148 stusaid he expects a dents selected large pool. by the Office of The nine tenets MARY PATRONE (COL ’15) Planning Committee Representative Residential Livon which the LLC ing. The students will focus on will will be required to participate in include Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam monthly conversations with other (For the Greater Glory of God), Conresidents, host community-wide templatives in Action, Academic events and complete an ePortfolio Excellence, Educating the Whole detailing their contributions to the Person, Cura Personalis, Faith & university.

Justice, Women & Men for Others, Because of the buildings’ ties to Interreligious Understanding, and the Jesuit community and its cen- Community in Diversity. tral campus location opening onto “Given the rich history and locaDahlgren Quad, administrators tion of the buildings, the planning and others involved in the plan- team knew they wanted to offer ning process decided to dedicate See RESIDENCE, A6 the whole dorm to an LLC, rather

Hoya Staff Writer

“The vision is for it to be one cohesive community.”

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

The renovation of the Old Jesuit Residence will yield a dorm dedicated as a Living Learning Community for the “spirit of Georgetown.”

Newsroom: (202) 687-3415 Business: (202) 687-3947

Published Tuesdays and Fridays

A day before the Veterans Day Concert of Valor held on the National Mall honored those who served, the District of Columbia, behind Mayor Vincent Gray, broke ground on D.C.’s first permanent supportive housing to address veteran homelessness in D.C. Located at 1005 North Capitol St. NE, the John and Jill Ker Conway Residence is set to be completed by December 2015.

Gray released the Service Members, Veterans and Their Families Action Plan last week to advance progress toward the goal.

There are currently 499 homeless veterans on the streets of D.C., according to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

This new initiative incorporates the development of a new mixed income housing apartment building, which will include supportive housing for homeless veterans. The action plan will promote a new system that prioritizes the most vulnerable veterans, using a housing placement system in coordination with veterans’ outreach initiatives to place these veterans in housing services.

VA Medical Center Homeless Coordinator Kevin Morton explained that the organizations involved developed a vulnerability index to assess the relative need of individual veterans.

“We develop tools to assess everyone in the community and we have one resource list that all the partners in the community pull from to help house veterans …

We are able to identify veterans who are most vulnerable and have been homeless the longest and we use that tool to house the correct people,” Morton said. “We use vouchers that we get from the [Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing] program to house veterans that are currently homeless, who are most vulnerable.”

The District has recently seen a drop in veteran homelessness. According to data collected by the D.C. Department of Housing and Urban Development in January 2014, veteran homelessness rates have seen a 33-point drop, or a decrease by 24,837 people, since 2010.

With the recent decrease in veteran homelessness in the District, Pathways to Housing D.C. Executive Director See VETERANS, A6

Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com

A2

OPINION

THE HOYA

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014

THE VERDICT

C EDITORIALS Defending Our RAs’ Rights C C Founded January 14, 1920

After resident assistant Thomas Lloyd (SFS ’15) reported a Georgetown student in possession of ricin, whom he believed to be both willing and able to kill another student, it would have been reasonable to assume that he had gotten past the worst of a difficult situation. That assumption would be mistaken. As Lloyd revealed in a viewpoint in The Hoya last week, (“Reflecting on the Ordeal of a Mishandled Ricin Case,” A3, Nov. 11, 2014) reporting Daniel Milzman marked the beginning of his troubles.

What followed was a university response that treated Lloyd entirely and unambiguously inappropriately. Georgetown officials exploited his status as an RA, using it to the university’s advantage when it was convenient, and disregarding it all together when it was not.

RAs face a host of obstacles that impede fair treatment and must be remedied by the university without delay.

Status as a University Employee Ask any RAs if their jobs end when they are off duty, and the response would be a resounding no.

During training, in fact, the Office of Residential Living encourages RAs to remember that they are always RAs, a mindset that no doubt ensures the quality of campus life. But it is also a mindset that is plainly incompatible with what university legal counsel explained to Lloyd when he was told he was not guaranteed legal protection from the university because he was not Milzman’s assigned RA and it was not clear if he was acting as an RA in his conversation with Milzman.

Of course, this is inconsistent with Georgetown’s “always an RA” mantra. Even worse, Georgetown officials threatened Lloyd’s employment as an RA if he spoke to the press, citing his contract as a university employee.

Evidently, Georgetown decided Lloyd was subject to the restrictions of university employment, but not the benefits.

The unacceptability of this position is self-

evident. The university cannot have it both ways when it comes to deciding if RAs are entitled employee protection.

Discriminatory Compensation Differences in how RAs are compensated based on their financial aid statuses are another way in which RA treatment is exploitative. For regular students, when the total cost of attendance is subtracted from the amount a family can contribute, the remainder is considered demonstrated need and covered by Georgetown financial aid. When RAs apply for financial aid, room and board is not considered in the total cost of attendance, and, as such, the resulting financial aid award is, in many cases, considerably lower.

This practice is overtly discriminatory against students who receive financial aid and should be remedied immediately. Presently, students who receive financial aid must consider whether or not becoming an RA would hurt their overall economic status, a plainly undesirable reality.

These problems relating to employment status and compensation are not the only issues RAs face. Other serious concerns include safety on duty, intimidation related to limitations of speech and the workload inequality between freshman and upperclassman residences. While Lloyd’s situation exposed what is hopefully the worst of RA treatment and is deserving of immediate attention, other areas of the RA experience must also be improved upon.

It goes without saying that RAs provide an invaluable service to our undergraduate university community; their concerns should be taken seriously and remedied as soon as possible.

Christopher Wadibia, a resident assistant in Copley Hall, recused himself from voting on this editorial.

Rethinking DC’s Team With a potential name change for the Washington Redskins gaining popularity among the general public, yet another voice has been added to the debate — and this time, it’s a slightly more powerful one. Both houses of Congress have introduced legislation to strip the National Football League of its tax-exempt status if it does not address a team name that many find to be a racial slur.

Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) have both introduced bills in their respective houses of Congress that would strip the National Football League of its long-held tax-exempt status, which it is granted nonprofit status under current tax laws.

Technically, only the NFL League Office is tax-exempt, because it is classified as a trade organization that is financed by its 32 teams. Individual member teams pay taxes on their own revenue in terms of the NFL as a whole.

By targeting the NFL’s tax-exempt status, Norton and Cantwell are sending a strong message to the NFL that allowing a name like “Redskins” is both offensive and a problem that pertains to the league as a whole, since its 32 owners share the revenues from all 32 teams, Redskins included. While this bill does not target the Redskins organization directly, it

does target the person that perhaps has the greatest power to compel the team to change the name — Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Some critics of the name change paint this case as yet another example of political correctness gone awry and point to the team’s long-standing traditional support in the D.C. area as proof that its fans do not want the name changed. However, these critics fail to acknowledge that the name is offensive to people far beyond D.C., who still have every right to participate as NFL fans without being forced to encounter what many would consider a racial slur. Inconclusive polling and anecdotal evidence from ardent fans of the franchise is not enough to override the standards of decency to which a league as powerful and influential as the NFL must hold itself.

A bill such as this could potentially force the hand of Goodell to take those opposed to the name seriously. Since Redskins owner Dan Snyder has held firm on his right to keep the moniker, this bill’s passage would put the onus on the NFL community as a whole. This is a message that needs to be sent, and given the NFL’s penchant for controversy in recent months, Goodell should heed this message and not take this issue lightly.

Emma Hinchliffe, Editor-in-Chief Mallika Sen, Executive Editor Robert DePaolo, Managing Editor Ian Tice, Online Editor Molly Simio, Campus News Editor Suzanne Monyak, City News Editor Sam Abrams, Sports Editor Jess Kelham-Hohler, Guide Editor David Chardack, Opinion Editor Michelle Xu, Photography Editor Zack Saravay, Copy Chief Emma Holland, Blog Editor

Contributing Editors

Zoe Bertrand, TM Gibbons-Neff, Penny Hung, Nicole Jarvis, Hanaa Khadraoui, Sheena Karkal, Jackie McCadden, Sean Sullivan, Laura Wagner, Emory Wellman

Katherine Richardson Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy City News Editor Kshithij Shrinath Deputy Business News Editor Kim Bussing Deputy Sports Editor Andrew May Sports Blog Editor Max Wheeler Deputy Guide Editor Allison Hillsbery Deputy Guide Edtior Hannah Kaufman Opinion Blog Editor Jinwoo Chong Deputy Opinion Editor Ben Germano Deputy Photography Editor Julia Hennrikus Deputy Photography Editor Daniel Smith Deputy Photography Editor Natasha Thomson Acting Layout Editor Zoe Bertrand Acting Layout Editor Emory Wellman Deputy Copy Editor Gabi Hasson Deputy Copy Editor Katie Haynes Deputy Copy Editor Sharanya Sriram Deputy Blog Editor Emily Min

C C

Hungry for More — The third installment of the popular “Hunger Games” series is set to hit theaters worldwide on this Friday, Nov 21 of November. The series, which so far has accumulated roughly US$1.5 billion, might top the U.S. $2 billion mark with the upcoming installment.

Storms a-brewin’ — Temperatures are expected to oscillate around the 20s and 30s for the rest of the week, with Tuesday bringing in a week low of a chilly 18 degrees. Californians and Southerners everywhere have been seen complaining, while weatherworn Michiganders have been reported to be chuckling to themselves.

Invisible Royalty — The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Catherine, will be making a stop in D.C. this December. Unfortunately for all royalty-enthusiasts, they will be on a tight, short schedule, driving chances of seeing William in person close to zero.

Uberfy — Uber and Spotify have launched a recent partnership so that you can stream your playlists in the car. College students everywhere cannot contain their excitement.

Affordability — D.C. has been given a C in housing affordability, with median home prices coming in at $403,600, median property taxes at $3723, while median income stands at $90,149. These numbers point to the continuing trend that that middle-income families are unable to afford the median-priced homes in the area.

This A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD US ...

week on

@BenStandig

Nov. 15 “On the eve of Georgetown’s season opener, @thehoyasports ponders whether JT3 is on the hot seat. thehoya.com/poor-results-t…” @SnobhillPoser

Nov. 15 “in the US he is merely another Mr Windsor; we don’t believe in kings, dear MT @emmahinchtwiffe @thehoya4E Prince (sic) William coming to DC” @TEDxGeorgetown

Nov. 14 “So proud ‘@thehoyaguide: The @TEDxGeorgetown team discusses the work behind the conference. | bit.ly/1uiMdF1 ’”

This week on

Be sure to check Chatter, The Hoya’s online opinion section, throughout the week for additional opinion pieces.

Lauren Gros (COL ’18) debates the pros and cons of genetically modified organisms and their place in our modern economy: Approvals by multiple food safety organizations like the FDA have confirmed GMO crops on the market are safe for eating. Many of the crops we eat today are genetically modified and no cases of harmful side effects have been reported. However, the question of if GMOs are actually safe remains highly controversial.”

“

Connor Maytnier (COL ’17) comments on Georgetown’s promising basketball season: The Big East needs to prove itself with a strong showing in the nonconference slate. Villanova took down national powerhouse Kansas last year, and Georgetown has the opportunity to do the same this season. Top to bottom however, teams must succeed when pitted against foes from the power conferences. But above all else, success in March is paramount. The Big East needs to be a force when March Madness rolls around. A repeat of last season will do nothing to increase the value of the brand.

“

The Big East needs a big year — perhaps the Hoyas can provide the spark.”

Find this and more at

thehoya.com/chatter

CORRECTION The article “Last Shot for Josh Smith,” [Basketball Preview, 9] originally said Josh Smith’s first game with the Hoyas was at Oregon State University. It was against the University of Oregon.

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Editorial Board

Consultants

David Chardack, Chair

Nick DeLessio, Kevin Tian

Celeste Chisholm, Kit Clemente, Ben Germano, Johnny Verhovek, Christopher Wadibia

[ CHATTER ]

Michal Grabias, General Manager

Tessa Bell Laura Tonnessen Joseph Scudiero Monika Patel Tessa Guiv Catherine Huber Christine Cha Sarah Hannigan Gregory Saydah Lena Duffield Matthew Da Silva

[ CHATTER ]

@CasualHoya

Nov. 16 “This is dumb. RT @thehoyasports: After a rash of postseason failures is Head Coach John Thompson III on the hot seat? bit. ly/1ueObF1”

Board of Directors

Sheena Karkal, Chair

Michal Grabias, Emma Hinchliffe, Hanaa Khadraoui, Hunter Main, Zach Singer, Laura Wagner Letter to the Editor & Viewpoint Policies The Hoya welcomes letters and viewpoints from our readers and will print as many as possible. To be eligible for publication, letters should specifically address a recent campus issue or Hoya story.

Letters should not exceed 300 words.

Viewpoints are always welcome from all members of the Georgetown community on any topic, but priority will be given to relevant campus issues. Viewpoint submissions should be between 600-800 words.

Send all submissions to: opinion@thehoya.com.

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OPINION

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014

CULTURE CLASH

THE HOYA

A3

VIEWPOINT • Brown

5 Steps to Fight Ableism at Georgetown I

Cholvin & Christiansen

Freeing RAs From Their Fetters T

he publication of an op-ed by Thomas Lloyd (SFS ’15) in this paper last week has had profound effects on campus since it went to press. His account of how systemic mismanagement and stonewalling by the Office of Residential Living left him without help or support shocked many and has been received with less-than-open arms

by Harbin 100.

For many resident assistants, Lloyd’s piece (“Reflecting on the Ordeal of a Mishandled Ricin Case,” Nov. 11, 2014, A3) has created an important opportunity to speak candidly, openly and in many cases, quite damningly of how Residential Living has failed its student employees when they desperately needed help.

It’s important to remember that RAs are student employees first and foremost, though ORL and RAs themselves might forget. RAs often see their position as somewhere between an extracurricular commitment, a job and a lifestyle, albeit one that requires them to hop out of bed at 4 a.m. when you lock yourself out. (We may forget, but never forgive.)

But being an RA is a job and an important one. However committed Tucker is to the Lecture Fund, he would not attempt to chase after vomiting sophomores at 2 a.m. for it. On the other hand, Tucker has done this (unfortunately) multiple times as an RA. Why? Because it’s his job. He has responsibilities and he holds up his end of the bargain, despite the vomit.

But if Lloyd’s allegations and those of numerous RAs published subsequently in the Georgetown Voice are factual — and this RA has little reason to doubt that they are — then Residential Living has not been holding up its end of the bargain. RAs have come forward as being survivors of sexual assault and stalking, have shared stories of being ignored or belittled by ORL and many other incidents.

There are very few jobs that carry direct implications for both an individual’s housing and education, but being an RA is one of them. Upon termination from her or his position, an RA automatically loses housing. Few things can be so disruptive to both personal wellness and academic success as a university-enforced eviction, but it remains Georgetown’s stated policy for RAs. More seriously, for the multitude of RAs for whom the financial benefits make attending Georgetown possible, termination from the RA position is really termination from Georgetown. If you have lived in student housing, chances are, you had an RA who depended on the financial benefits of his or her position to return to campus each fall.

As a result, it’s little wonder that you don’t often hear about an RA being fired on this campus. For RAs, the costs are simply too high to contemplate risking their employment.

Whether consciously or not, Residential Living and the university have RAs pinned.

As the testimonials have shown, RAs can fight bureaucracy, incompetence and insensitivity, but only to a point. When push comes to shove, RAs know their employer, Georgetown University, can completely upend their lives should it so decide. In this way, they are perhaps more vulnerable to workplace abuse and short shrift than any other student workers.

This is why RAs need serious help and immediate change on this campus. As advocates for students, they work harder than their supervisors or residents may ever realize. But when an RA needs an advocate, there’s no duty phone to call. RAs need someone on the other end of the line. Right now, no one is answering.

Georgetown University Student Association’s recent establishment of the Office of the Student Worker Advocate is a step in the right direction. If there was ever a time that student workers needed an advocate, it’s now.

In the coming weeks and months, OSWA and GUSA must critically and unrelentingly engage more broadly with Residential Living and Student Affairs to meaningfully address the concerns that RAs have raised.

However, these concerns will never be satisfactorily addressed until Residential Living makes students’ concerns its own concerns.

And to do that, it must first start engaging with students instead of issuing marching orders. In the last week, Residential Living central staff members have opened their doors to RAs to voice concerns. This is good; more is better.

ORL must establish an ombudsman or advocate within its office charged specifically with the welfare of RAs and addressing the concerns that have been raised. RAs need someone beyond their community director to whom they can bring private issues and problems, without the fear of reprisal or termination.

The current system is flawed, and a new one is necessary. Until Residential Living takes serious action, it continues to endorse the status quo.

Tucker Cholvin and Thomas Christiansen are seniors in the School of Foreign Service. This is the final appearance of CULTURE CLASH this semester.

n mid-September, both Copley elevators broke down, stranding every physically disabled student living on campus. After the Healey Family Student Center opened this semester, it took over a month for automatic buttons to be installed in the only available entrance. Last spring, a deaf student was denied access to American Sign Language interpretation for a sponsored test prep course.

Two years ago, when Regents Hall opened, the first-floor elevators were located behind two heavy doors with no automatic button.

Before that, the Braille sign for the LGBTQ Resource Center was above the doorframe. A blind student requesting Braille materials was outright denied. Prospective students using wheelchairs were told they would have to be carried during a campus tour because of physical inaccessibility.

Every semester, I am contacted by students being forced away from Georgetown through involuntary medical leaves of absence. These students, many of whom have disabilities, are disproportionately drawn from gender, sexual and racial minorities.

These incidents are connected to the common theme of ableism — systematic, institutionalized prejudice against disabled members of societies that values certain kinds of bodies and minds over others.

For more than two years, I have been advocating for the creation of a Disability Cultural Center as a complement to our existing diversity centers. The administration has failed to acknowledge the proposal, let alone commit to any plan for a DCC. A DCC would serve as a central hub for disabled students and allies, disability studies resources, involvement in disability rights and social justice work as well as provided an additional community and pride for those with disabilities.

In spring 2014, Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Academic Resource Center Director Jane Holahan formed a working group on

We ignore disability issues because we ignore ableism. disability as a social justice issue. We are about to have our third meeting, and so far there has not been one concrete commitment to any changes, neither policy changes that require no funding to implement nor those with significant financial implications. The administration has consistently taken only the most minimal steps necessary to create the appearance of change while offering little of substance.

A large part of our reluctance to engage in disability issues stems from general ignorance of ableism on campus in addition to broader society.

Students otherwise concerned with social justice frequently know little of the ongoing struggle to eliminate subminimum wage for those with disabilities, high rates of police brutality and criminalization of disabled individuals of color, legal structures that prevent the disabled (especially those who identify with the LBGTQ community) from exercising sexual agency and disabled parents from keeping their children, in addition

to rampant medical abuses and widespread denial of life-saving treatment for those with disabilities.

Back on campus, Holahan told The Hoya last spring that she believes ableism does not exist at Georgetown.

“Are some people feeling that people with disabilities are being looked down upon? That people are being discriminated against?” she said.“I don’t see that. I will say that in respect to the individuals who might see that, that’s a perception they have, and I have to respect that perception.”

Quite frankly, it is appalling that the university official theoretically responsible for advocating for students with disabilities does not recognize the ableism underpinning every relevant issue.

In a November 2002 interview for the Voice, Holahan responded to disabled students’ criticisms by insisting that change is gradual.

“Not everything will be solved overnight,” she said.

Twelve years later, in a town hall

meeting last week, Olson reiterated the same cop-out. Given the apparent attitude that vocal student activists’ departure after their graduation negates the need for permanent change, it is not surprising we have made frustratingly little progress.

Right now, our administration is capable of committing to both immediate and long-term changes to confront the ableism that deeply pervades our campus community: First, commit to a firm timeline for a Disability Cultural Center, including space, financial and personnel considerations.

Second, provide increased curricular support to courses focused on disability studies, with a long-term plan for a disability studies minor.

Third, create a transparent, central funding mechanism and hire a dedicated staffer to coordinate ASL interpretation and related services at public programming sponsored by university entities.

Fourth, reform involuntary medical leave of absence to eliminate the current closed-doors, coercive and discriminatory process and implement a student-centered, transparent process with room for negotiation.

Fifth, conduct an immediate public review of physical accessibility of campus infrastructure, including transportation, housing, administrative buildings, academic buildings and open spaces — and initiate any necessary renovations to remedy areas of inaccessibility.

The provost’s support for the first Disability Cultural Month, the formation of a working group and increased awareness of disability issues on campus are good signs. But these are only starting points, and real change must take place before Georgetown can claim to be genuinely committed to diversity and inclusion.

Lydia Brown is a senior in the College. She is the GUSA Undersecretary for Disability Affairs, and cofounder of the Washington Metro Disabled Students Collective.

VIEWPOINT • Friedfeld

VIEWPOINT • Chisholm

I Was Mugged, and Finding the Place for FOMO at Georgetown I Understand Why

C

ollege life is different for everyone, but one aspect is common for most: four years of adjusting to a new environment. But for a plurality of us, the difficult process of forging new relationships, reacquainting ourselves to our new setting and understanding where we fit in the bigger picture is a constant reminder of what we need to accomplish and makes it even more difficult. For some of us, it is four years of getting used to not being used to anything.

Many opportunities arise that draw students away from a campus. There are those who take chances to study abroad, those who arrive at Georgetown as transfer students and those who need to take a semester off. Summarily, a significant number are left excluded from a fully contiguous Georgetown experience.

Parallel to this variation in one’s Georgetown experience is a difference in one’s Georgetown perception.

My time as a first year spent at the University of Hawai’i gave rise to an appreciation of an efficient, knowledgeable and caring bureaucracy, or lack thereof. Spending a semester abroad in Japan exemplified the stark divide between a politically active campus and a politically indifferent one.

And yet for me, even missing a single Georgetown Day or a failure to attend any of the high-profile speakers on campus begets a concentrated “fear of missing out.”

But perhaps that is all it is, for Georgetown is not so easily condensed into a set of core classes, cliques or events.

It is arguable, though, that an individual’s duration truncated from the maximum four years may yield an abbreviated understanding of what it means to be a student at the Hilltop. Divorced from the Georgetown culture, one can only growapart from it.

Furthermore, the university as an institution maintains the notion that there is something essential and formative to the branded “Georgetown experience.” But what, exactly, is it about having a full “experience?”

To even presume that there is an inherent centrality to the Georgetown experience necessitates that some activities are more consti-

tutive than others. While some tracks may be more common, the Georgetown experience is a conglomeration of these myriad experiences, not an average, and made whole only by the sum of its parts.

If college is four years of getting used to new environments, then it becomes obligatory that the experience is varied and stimulating, and that we as students must in some way add to it. By thislogic, those who leave the Hilltop and return with something new become essential complements to the rest who stay and preserve the status quo.

It is here that we see both continuity and change enhancing the university. In how we grow and incorporate new ideas, we also see what endures.

But then why all the FOMO? For me, exposure to “Georgetown culture” has been an exposure to the mean, which is to ignore and exclude any outlying experiences, instead of accounting for them. And yet, for every portrayal of the general experience as average or mundane, there are just as many who see it as idyllic and essential. But is it essential for everyone to study government, just because we live in the nation’s capital? Is it compulsory to reap the maximum benefits that this place can offer, just because we can?

To feel uneasy by omitting a portion of the possible four years at Georgetown is an internal pressure, not an external one, and it is a natural compulsion. We are all pulled in the direction of our desires, as some of us want to graduate as fast as we can, while others cannot imagine spending time anywhere else. Some pour their ambition into depth, and others find interest in a diverse breadth.

That distinction is up to you. The onus of creating the Georgetown experience has and will continue to fall on the individual Georgetown student. No matter the dilemma of FOMO — we will all miss out on something here. Do not be afraid to change, and do not feel obliged to do so either. Just choose wisely, and always choose for yourself.

The onus of creating the Georgetown experience has and will continue to fall on the individual Georgetown student.

CELESTE CHISHOLM is a senior in the College. She is a member of The Hoya’s editorial board.

L

ast weekend, my housemate and I were mugged at gunpoint while walking home from Dupont Circle. The entire incident lasted under a minute, as I was forced to the floor, handed over my phone and was patted down.

And yet, when a reporter asked whether I was surprised that this happened in Georgetown, I immediately answered: “Not at all.” It was so clear to me that we live in the most privileged neighborhood within a city that has historically been, and continues to be, harshly unequal. While we aren’t often confronted by this stark reality west of Rock Creek Park, the economic inequality is very real.

Year after year, Washington, D.C., is ranked among the most unequal cities in the country, with the wealthiest 5 percent earning an estimated 54 times more than the poorest 20 percent. According to the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute, just under 20 percent of D.C. residents live below the poverty line.

What has been most startling to me, even more so than the incident itself, have been the reactions I’ve gotten. I kept hearing “thugs,” “criminals” and “bad people.” While I understand why one might jump to that conclusion, I don’t think this is fair.

Not once did I consider our attackers to be “bad people.” I trust that they weren’t trying to hurt me. In fact, if they knew me, I bet they’d think I was okay. They wanted my stuff, not me. While I don’t know what exactly they needed the money for, I do know that I’ve never once had to think about going out on a Saturday night to mug people. I had never before seen a gun, let alone known where to get one. The fact that these two kids, who appeared younger than I, have even had to entertain these questions suggests their universes are light years away from mine.

I come from a solidly middleclass family, and, with relatives in Mexico City, certainly don’t consider myself entirely shielded from poverty. And yet I’d venture to guess that our attackers have had to experience things I’ve never dreamed of.

When I struggled in school, I had parents who willingly sat down with me and helped me work through it. When I have a problem, I have countless peo-

ple who I can turn to for solid advice.

When I walk around at 2 a.m., nobody looks at me suspiciously, and police don’t ask me any questions. I wonder if our attackers could say the same.

Who am I to stand from my perch of privilege, surrounded by million-dollar homes and paying for a $60,000 education, to condemn these young men as “thugs?” It’s precisely this kind of “otherization” that fuels the problem.

Young people who willingly or unwillingly go down this road have been dealt a bad hand. While speaking with a D.C. police officer after the incident, he explained that he too had come from difficult circumstances, and yet had made the decision not to get involved in crime. This is a very fair point — we all make decisions. Yet I’ve never had to decide whether or not to steal from people. We’re all capable of good and bad, but it’s a whole lot easier for me to choose good than it may be for them to.

If we ever want opportunistic crime to end, we should look at ourselves first. Simply amplifying police presence will not solve the issue. Police protect us by keeping those “bad people” out of our neighborhood, and I’m grateful for it. And yet, I realize it’s self-serving and doesn’t actually fix anything.

When we play along with a system that fuels this kind of desperation, we can’t be surprised when we’re touched by it. Maybe these two kids are caught, and this recent crime wave dies down, but it will return because the demand is still there, and the supply is still here. We have a lot, and plenty of opportunities to make even more. They have very little, and few opportunities to make ends meet.

The millennial generation is taking over the reins of the world, and thus we are presented with a wonderful opportunity to right some of the wrongs of the past. As young people, we need to devote real energy to solving what are collective challenges. Until we do so, we should get comfortable with sporadic muggings and breakins. I can hardly blame them.

The cards are all in our hands, and we’re not playing them.

OLIVER FRIEDFELD is a senior in the School of Foreign Service

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NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014

INSIDE THIS ISSUE Yeonmi Park spoke about her experience defecting from North Korea and adjusting to life afterward. See story on A7.

Your news — from every corner of The Hoya.

IN FOCUS

verbatim

DANCE SHOWCASE

“

Relief from taxes should no longer be given to a league that profits from the continued use of a racial slur.”

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton on a bill that supports the “Redskins” name change. See story on A5.

from

US MAGAZINE

VALERIA BALZA/THE HOYA

GU Dance Company performed its end-of-semester showcase, “In Motion,” on Friday and Saturday in Walsh Black Box. The performance was choreographed by Faculty Artistic Director Kimberly Parmer.

THE BRITISH ARE COMING Prince William will be in D.C. for a conference at the World Bank as part of his and Kate’s visit to the States in December. blog.thehoya.com

TEDx Speakers Share Stories of Self-Discovery LAURA OWSIANY Hoya Staff Writer

The fourth annual TEDxGeorgetown event entitled “Ithaca: The Road Less Traveled,” focused on stories about journeys, drawing around 500 attendees on Saturday.

Talks from students, faculty members, staff members and individuals from outside of the university community were separated into three sessions, titled “Formation,” “Trials” and “Coda,” with breakout groups including individual speakers following each session, a new addition.

Conference Chair Cheryl Lau (SFS ’16) said these additions made the event more interactive than in previous years. She added the breakout sessions improved the overall experience of the event.

“We wanted people to talk to the speakers, get to know them on a human level, and really think about all these ideas rattling around in their head,” Lau said.

‘FORMATION’ University President John J. DeGioia opened the event, setting a tone of self-discovery with a purpose that was woven throughout the conference.

“What is formation? This is the process through which we discover a most authentic self, a self that only we are called to be,” DeGioia said.

The first speaker, Center for Social Justice Executive Director Andria Wisler, shared her story of personal formation teaching at a school for at-risk girls, emphasizing that while she may have told her story alone on stage, formation cannot happen alone. She also encouraged students not to delay service and social justice until after college.

“This denial of the college years as the real world, sarcastically or seriously stated, acutely diminishes the hope for any personal transformation, as well as transformation of our communities, starting with our shared communities here on the Hilltop,” Wisler said. “College is not a time separate from some larger, bigger, better life. Believe me, this is the real world.”

Vice Provost for Education Randall Bass spoke about redesigning the university to include high-impact formal learning and experiential cocurricular learning.

“It’s already starting that for the first time now in maybe a thousand years, the university no longer has a monopoly on learning and certification,” Bass said.

Davis Performing Arts Center Artistic Director Derek Goldman framed his discussion of theater in a global context by a performance of his own.

Goldman described the importance of theater in areas of limited free speech, such as Belarus, Poland and Sudan, and detailed the interdisciplinary work of the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics and his courses at Georgetown.

“The things that make me believe in Georgetown and the things that make me believe in theater are profoundly linked: belief in the power of looking inward and outward at the same time, the importance of listening and attending, cultivating one’s own voice, pursuing the common good,” Goldman said. “In its essential nature, theater is all about process not product.”

‘TRIALS’ Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and current opposition leader Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim detailed his experience with police brutality and unfair detention as a political dissident in Malaysia and his return despite the threat of re-imprisonment.

“I think the cause for democracy, for freedom, for justice, is not a theoretical principle,” Ibrahim said. “It is an issue of conviction, an issue of courage of conviction, of felicity of purpose. It is faith and values. It is ethics. It is a principle that you cannot compromise with.”

Josephine Moore (SFS ’16) addressed eating disorders as addictions in her speech, drawing from her personal experiences. She emphasized that eating disorders are addictions with psychological foundations, and not just body image issues. Moore encouraged those suffering from eating disorders to seek help from friends and loved ones, and urged the Georgetown community to break the silence surrounding the issue.

“Eating disorders are coping mechanisms, your way to deal with your problems when everything in your life seems out of control and unmanageable,” Moore said.

Alisha “M’Jestie” Brooks, songwriter and founder of Dream City University, told her story of becoming a songwriter as a teenage mother. After achieving success writing for Rihanna and Victoria Beckham, however, Brooks wanted to expand her work to realizing the dreams of others.

“My dream was to have the attention of the world. I had that and all I said was ‘Turn the music up.’ That’s pretty sad, right? I wanted something different,” Brooks said.

Brooks founded Dream Little Dreamer, now known as Dream City University, a company that educates young people about how to break into the entertainment industry.

BANGS Shoes Founder and CEO Hannah Davis spoke about her success founding a shoe company that

NATASHA THOMSON/THE HOYA

Former Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim spoke about his experiences with police brutality as part of the “Trials” session at the TEDxGeorgetown event in Gaston Hall on Saturday afternoon. reinvests in small business development with partner Kiva International.

“When you help somebody start a business, you’re not only removing dependence on a third-party organization, you’re boosting local economies, and I think that the most important part about helping someone start a business is you are instilling the power of change and the power of development within their own selves,” Davis said.

GU Pride President Thomas Lloyd (SFS ’15) closed out the second session with his story of LBGTQ advocacy, an answer to the question that titled his presentation, “Why Am I So Gay?” “For me it comes down to three things,” Lloyd said. “One is my obligations to history. Two are the realities of my own identity. And lastly are obligations for those yet to come.”

Lloyd described his struggle to accept himself and discussed building off of the experiences of those who came before and working for the futures of others at his high school and at Georgetown, despite its checkered history toward LGBTQ students.

“Part of Georgetown owning its history and owning its identity means now that other institutions, our peer Jesuit and Catholic institutions, and any other faith-based institution cannot say that they have this irreconcilable difference with their LGBTQ students,” Lloyd said. “Georgetown is more Catholic today because there are fewer hate crimes.”

‘CODA’ The event closed with a session emphasizing forward motion.

Adan Gonzalez (COL ’15), a firstgeneration Latino college student from a low-income background spoke of his challenges and the work yet to be done in expanding opportunity in the United States. He founded the Sí Se Puede Network and has worked with over 100,000 students and parents to provide resources for education.

“Live to serve for a greater good.

What does that mean? Our communities do not need a superman. We need each other to help discover our own powers,” Gonzalez said.

At the end of his talk, Gonzalez brought his father, who had never before been able to travel to see his son at Georgetown, onstage to a standing ovation.

Omékongo Dibinga, a spoken word poet, activist and educator, gave another less conventional talk. He opened and closed with spoken word poems involving audience participation.

Dibinga’s background from a lowincome Congolese family inspired him to start his organization, UPstander International.

“My organization is called UPstander International because I’m part of a community that takes a stand when we hear about these issues,” Dibinga said. “And so with my work, we speak to people. Maybe not a lot of people are listening, but we never stop. Many of us got this education and don’t know a lot about what’s happening

outside of these doors. But you’re directly connected to a world community.”

Sheryll Cashin, professor of law at the Georgetown Law Center and author of “Place Not Race: A New Vision of Opportunity in America,” gave a talk paraphrasing a letter to her two sons from her book, touching on perseverance, family legacy and race.

“One day, you will cease being adorable in the eyes of other people,” Cashin said. “And all I can do is prepare you for that. Before your first facial hairs emerge, you will notice that some people are afraid of you. I take heart in the fact that your generation will be better. … But you won’t realize your potential if you don’t consciously try to build multiracial coalitions for the common good.”

The event ended with Christoper Wadibia’s (COL ’16) talk on faith. As the first student from his high school to attend an elite university, Wadibia presented his idea of church nationalism, faith outside of the context of culture-based organized religion.

“Church nationalism promotes the idea that it’s not about titles and affiliations. It’s about the sincerity of your existence,” Wadibia said. “It’s about the disposition of your heart, your relation to God, the curiosity that is within your heart and your hunger to understand the divine in some capacity. Church nationalism is also about the idea of your outward behavior matching your inward passion, your inward joy.”

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GU Fossil Free Rallies for Meeting With DeGioia Jack Bennett Hoya Staff Writer

GU Fossil Free successfully scheduled a meeting with University President John J. DeGioia to discuss divestment options for the university after a meeting with DeGioia’s Chief of Staff Joseph Ferrara (GRD ’96) Thursday and a rally Friday.

At the meeting with Ferrara, GU Fossil Free demanded to meet with the DeGioia within the next week in order to have its proposal put forward to the university’s board of directors during their February 2015 meeting.

Although Ferrara was unable to schedule a meeting with DeGioia by next week since DeGioia will be in Tokyo for most of the week, he was able to secure a meeting for GU Fossil Free for Nov. 25.

Despite Ferrara’s agreement, GU Fossil Free followed through with a rally in Red Square and a march to DeGioia’s office in Healy Hall on Friday, demanding to meet with DeGioia. At the office, the students were again greeted by Ferrara who informed them that DeGioia was not on campus at that time.

Around 20 students attended the rally, including those from other campus groups such as Students for Justice in Palestine and Hoyas United for Free Speech. The students carried signs that said “Say Yes To Divest” and“1,700 Hoyas for Divestment.”

The group requested photographic proof that they had indeed stormed the office. DeGioia’s secretary obliged, and snapped a panoramic photo of the protesters and their signage.

During Thursday’s meeting with Ferrara, GU Fossil Free member Patricia Cipollitti (SFS ’15) expressed her frustration with the Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility’s decision to not meet again until next semester, therefore delaying the process. She added that this contributes to GU Fossil Free’s need to speak with DeGioia.

“It’s clear that [CISR] won’t vote on it in time, so we wanted to speak to the president to convince him of the urgency of this issue and why time is of the essence for us to get on the board of directors meeting in February because we think that the CISR is unresponsive to that ur-

gency,” Cipollitti said.

GU Fossil Free member Theo Montgomery (SFS ’17) said divestment would benefit the endowment.

“We do think that it will actually give us more [money] than traditional oil and coal investments in the future,” Montgomery said. “We think that it will actually perform better.”

Once the group reached the office, Ferrara passed on a letter that DeGioia addressed to GU Fossil Free, lauding the group’s efforts and agreeing to meet with them.

“I will be working with my colleagues on the days ahead to determine the most efficient and appropriate way to bring this matter before our board of directors,” DeGioia wrote.

Ferrara emphasized DeGioia’s intentions of cooperating with GU Fossil Free in future meetings.

“He definitely wants to meet with you. He wants to have a conversation. He wants to talk about the best and most appropriate way to get [the proposal] in front of the board of directors,” Ferrara told GU Fossil Free members.

NATASHA THOMSON/THE HOYA

GU Fossil Free marched to President John J. DeGioia’s office on Friday.

GU Fossil Free member Mandy Lee (SFS ’17) said she felt GU Fossil Free was at a tipping point for completing its objectives, and that divestment would be a political statement for the university.

“Divestment essentially is withdrawing our investments in the top 200 fossil fuel companies,” Lee said. “What it would do is express our commitment to social responsibility in a really important way. … In a way our investments in these companies are very small. We’re a

drop in the bucket, but what this does is make a huge political statement.”

Cippolliti said that she counted the day as a win for divestment and expected future success.

“I think it went well and that we made the right decision to continue on with the action because the administration responded to our requests after we had met with them but they did so because we expressed to them there was going to be a demonstration,” Cipolliti said.

Woman Interrupts National Bill Decries ‘Redskins’ Name Cathedral Muslim Service Matthew Larson Hoya Staff Writer

Kshithij Shrinath Hoya Staff Writer

The Washington National Cathedral hosted its first-ever recitation of Friday Muslim prayers in a service last week, though a heckler interrupted the ceremony.

The closed ceremony invited special guests and a few hundred Muslims to pray at the cathedral, featuring the weekly prayers and a sermon from Ebrahim Rasool, South Africa’s ambassador to the United States.

“We come to this cathedral with sensitivity and humility but keenly aware that it is not a time for platitudes, because mischief is threatening the world,” Rasool said in his sermon, according to The Washington Post. “The challenge for us today is to reconstitute a middle ground of good people … whose very existence threatens extremism.”

A Michigan woman named Christine Weick drove up from Tennessee when she heard about the service at the Episcopal cathedral.

The Washington Post reported that Weick interrupted the prayer service to announce: “Jesus Christ died on that cross. He is the reason we are to worship only him. Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior. We have built … allowed you your mosques in this country. Why don’t you worship in your mosques and leave our churches alone? We are a country founded on Christian principles.”

According to The Washington Post, she was quickly removed from the cathedral, and the service continued. Other community leaders,

including officials from the cathedral and local Muslims, followed Rasool, calling for increased interfaith dialogue and rejection of religious extremism.

Though this is the first time the weekly prayers have been invited into the cathedral, the church has previously hosted other interfaith events — including a prayer for Japan in 2011 after the tsunami and two Christian-Muslim summits involving dialogues between prominent faith leaders of both religions in 2010 and 2012.

“Washington National Cathedral is a house of prayer for all people, opening its doors to Americans of all faiths. It is an Episcopal church that recognizes that the United States is home to people of many faiths. The cathedral has long been home to interfaith gatherings and the call to prayer has been made within its walls by Christians, Muslims and Jews,” the Washington National Cathedral said in a statement to The Hoya.

This event originated from the cathedral’s relationship with Rasool, who had previously organized the cathedral’s honoring of Nelson Mandela after the South African leader’s death.

The occasion featured heavy security that the organizers attributed to threats received by the cathedral in response to the service.

Despite the interruption, the cathedral reported positive reviews of the service.

“Participants, both Christians and Muslims, found it moving to witness each other’s prayers and sacred space,” the Washington National Cathedral said.

Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) introduced legislation Nov. 12 that would strip the National Football League of its tax-exempt status if it continues to support the official team name of the Washington Redskins.

Norton proposed the bill after a perceived lack of action by the NFL, Federal Communications Commission and the Redskins organization on the issue. If passed, the bill will reduce the overall profits of NFL teams as long as they continue to support the “Redskins” team name.

Currently, the NFL operates as a not-for-profit business league organization and is therefore tax-exempt.

“The time has come to get the attention of the NFL, which shares in the profits of our team, by hitting them in their wallet,” Norton said. “The Washington football team name is derogatory.”

Earlier this year, the U.S. Patent and Trade Office revoked the patent for the team name, saying that “Redskins” is offensive to Native Americans, prompting an appeal from team owner Dan Snyder. That case is ongoing.

Norton cited the copyright revocation decision and the complaints of Native Americans as grounds to introduce this legislation.

“Don’t just take my word,” she said. “If the word of the majority of Native Americans isn’t good enough, take the official word of the agency with jurisdiction over U.S. trademarks, the U.S. Patent and Trade Office.”

In her introduction of the bill, Norton said that the government involvement with subsidies justifies Congress’s involvement with the issue.

“American taxpayers have been subsidizing a multibillion dollar league that promotes what has now been officially found to be a racial slur for profitable gain,” she said. “Relief from taxes should no longer be given to a league that profits from the continued use of a racial slur, which degrades some Americans.”

The Redskins organization declined to comment. The NFL could not be reached for comment.

In a previous statement to The New York Times, Tony Wyllie, a Redskins team spokesperson, derided congressional action in response to a letter sent earlier this year from congressional leaders, including Norton, who urged a change in name.

“With all the important issues Congress has to deal with, such as a war in Afghanistan to deficits to health care, don’t they have more important issues to worry about than a football team’s name?” Wyllie wrote in the statement.

Norton’s bill follows a similar

bill introduced in the Senate by Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and co-sponsored by Tim Johnson (D-S.D.) and Harry Reid (DNev.) in September. Norton’s bill has not received any cosponsors.

Annapolis, Md., resident Madison Fisher (COL ’17) believes that the Washington football team should change its name and believes that taking away the NFL’s tax-exempt status would force it into doing so.

“The NFL is a huge moneymaking business,” she said. “I think that taking away their tax-exempt status would put pressure on them and call for some big changes.”

However, Fisher was skeptical about the legislation’s chances.

“I’m surprised Congress is getting involved,” she said.

“I don’t know if that’s really their place, but … I don’t see the measure passing.”

Football fan Aditya Pande (SFS ’18) disagreed, arguing that congressional action is not warranted and that if a name change were to occur, the pressure should come from fans of the Washington football team.

“I think that this is a problem of the NFL, a private organization,” he said. “I think Congress has a lot more important things to be doing, like fixing the economy, for example.”

Scores Rise for Hispanic Students Natalie LaRue Hoya Staff Writer

Hispanic students have made significant strides toward increasing the average scores on national math tests over the course of the last decade, with public school students in cities including Washington, D.C., making some of the most impressive progress, according to a study released Monday by the Child Trends Hispanic Institute.

According to the National Assessment on Education Progress, a biennially released measure of progress

by K-12 public school students across the country, Hispanic students’ average math scores rose by 13 points in eighth grade and nine points in fourth grade between 2003 and 2013 nationally. In the public schools in the District, scores rose 21 points for fourth-graders and 16 points for eighth-graders between those dates.

Natalie Pane, author of the study and senior vice president of research operations at Child Trends, said that the results reflected an increased quality of education from D.C. public schools.

“Washington, D.C., was named as one of our honorable mentions,” Pane said.

“This was because D.C. [made] … significant gains statistically and educationally. [D.C.] was able to come from near the bottom and move up into the mid-range of scores for 2013, an impressive feat.”

However, D.C.’s consistent growth has paled in comparison to the significant progress made by schools in Miami, Charlotte, Houston, Boston, Dallas and Austin. Washington has seen no significant short-term increase in scores in recent years, Pane said.

“D.C. was not named as a top-tier notable district be-

cause, after many years of consistent and strong gains, the recent scores have been level. There were no statistically significant increases in the short-term,” Pane said.

Over the long term, however, Pane noted that the trends in D.C. related to Hispanic students were moving in a positive direction. In 2003, 8 percent of students taking the grade-four NAEP assessment in District schools were Hispanic. By 2013, 14 percent of the students were Hispanic.

At the same time, however, the percentage of English language learners who are Hispanic in D.C. dropped from 51 percent in 2003 to only 37 percent in 2013. “[But] this change was not enough to account for much of the score increases,” Pane said.

According to D.C. Schools Coordinator Sinead Carolan (COL ’17), the progress of Hispanic students has been reflected in their attitudes toward school and learning.

“Several of our tutees really enjoy doing their math homework above their reading homework,” Carolan said. “[This] is potentially a result of the fact that they cannot speak English very well, but have an easier time understanding the universal language of numbers.”

Education reform has been a contested issue in District politics, featured prominently in the mayoral election campaign earlier this month.

Current Mayor Vincent Gray emphasized the issue throughout his term as well, claiming credit for the substantial improvements.

“Our education reforms [are yielding] positive results and businesses are eager to stake their claim in the District,” Gray said in a statement on his website.

Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser

promised to keep education reform central to her campaign a priority during her term, as the quality of public schools in the District is very unequal across wards.

According to Pane, this level of inequality between schools is not uncommon in large cosmopolitan areas.

“The District has rates of poverty comparable to other large urban districts,” Pane said.

In the United States as a whole, there has been a large increase in the size of the Hispanic population, pointing to the necessity of improving the performance of Hispanic students and developing ways to measure this performance.

According to the 2012 U.S. Census, within the next 50 years, America will “become a plurality nation, where the non-Hispanic white population remains the largest single group, but no group is in the majority.”

Pane explained that the NAEP provides a standard of comparison across diverse states.

“The NAEP is critical to our understanding of what students across the United States know and can do,” Pane said.

“Each state sets its own standards for proficiency on their state tests. NAEP proficiency is the same for everyone.”

Pane is hopeful that the prominence of the NAEP and the work of Child Trends will draw attention to the importance of education reform.

“Investment in education reform is justifiable for our economic growth and stability, our health and well-being, and maintaining a civil and just society,” Pane said. “Even though we don’t know exactly how to push the lever at full scale, we have enough examples of successful changes that we know we can do it better.”

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RA Rights Remain Vague JesRes to Be Home to RAs, from A1 tiality, when confidentiality does and does not take effect or when the university would finish discussions surrounding this issue and develop a clearer definition of the policy.

He said, however, that the university is committed to fostering open dialogue with RAs and to looking into these issues, and that Lloyd will not be fired for sharing his experiences, as some RAs had speculated. He did not specify whether or not Lloyd’s piece was a breach of confidentiality or why, as compared to past enforcement of the RA confidentiality policy.

“We work to make responsible judgments and we certainly are looking at and asking ourselves are there ways to provide more clarity to RAs as we go forward,” Olson said in a conference call with Georgetown University Director of Media Relations Rachel Pugh.

Olson, Assistant Dean of Residential Life Stephanie Lynch, and Residential Education Director Ed Gilhool sent out a joint email Friday evening to all RAs describing the appropriate support options for RAs. Olson said that this email served as a message to convey that the university is willing to listen to the RAs and to remind them of the university’s pre-existing policies, not to introduce new policy revisions.

“I would actually say that this message was more of

re-emphasizing the commitments that were there, and acknowledging that for some students there were certainly concerns that have been raised, but I characterize it more as a good reminder and an emphasis than a brand new set of policies or approaches,” Olson said.

In an interview, Lloyd stressed the need for a clearer definition of the RA confidentiality policy.

“Ambiguities in the roles of RAs on campus allow for potential exploitation of that role, if something were to happen in a confidential situation,” Lloyd said.

In an email sent to all RAs, Title IX Coordinator Rosemary Kilkenny and Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Undergraduates Jeanne Lord on Saturday night clarified that reporting a sexual assault would not affect RA employment.

“We want to be clear that reporting that you or someone you know has been involved in an incident involving sexual misconduct does not have any effect on your role as an RA,” Kilkenny and Lord wrote in the email.

Several RAs raised concerns about knowing when they are acting as an RA or when they are off duty.

Olson declined to comment on any details about this distinction, but said the university is working to more clearly define what he described as a “gray area.”

“I would say there are some

situations that are very clear.

When an RA is on-duty in their buildings and they’re interacting as part of their duty rotations, that’s pretty clear.

There are some other situation where RAs are on campus that’s not as clear, and that’s what we’re working through, is those, maybe more gray areas,” Olson said.

The GUSA bill urges the administration to address these issues.

“If you’re an RA and you’re wondering right now… ‘Am I going to sign a contract, what are my rights, what am I guaranteed? Will I have legal protection? What if I’m assaulted?’

Things need to be spelled out,” GUSA senate Speaker Tyler Bridge (COL ’17) said. “Students at Georgetown should not have to have a law degree to become an RA and not know exactly what they’re getting when they sign that form.”

Chairperson of the GUSA Intellectual Life Committee Elizabeth Oh (SFS ’16) led the drafting of the bill, which GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) signed Monday night, and said that she hopes it will force the administration to make substantive changes to its policies.

“The senate passed this bill to hold the administration accountable for investigating the mishandling of some of the past cases, and also encourage them to continuously and cooperatively work with RAs so that they are safe and supported throughout their employment,” Oh wrote in an email.

New Shelter HousesVeterans VETERANS, from A1 Christine Respress credits the District’s success to the inclusion of more community partners via the Veterans NOW campaign, targeting veterans who previously did not feel comfortable interacting with the VA to access more services.

“The VA have done things they haven’t before such as including community partners because they don’t have the ability to house every veteran on their own, so including community partners to complement the resources they have,” Respress said. “We all have this shared commitment and vision to ending homelessness for veterans. … It’s forced us to get creative in a way that’s been really powerful and has had dramatic success.”

Hoya/Homeless Outreach Programs & Education President Chantelle Johnson (MSB ’16) was impressed with the recent introduction of 200 new beds for homeless veterans in D.C. and its future prospects.

“If we only have 500 homeless veterans in D.C, I definitely think it shouldn’t be that hard

for us to provide housing for 300 more,” Johnson said.

Morton noted that this problem still prevails in the District, however, with the high housing costs in the area.

“Housing is so expensive in D.C.,” Morton said. “A lot of veterans also have mental health issues and substance abuse issues.”

Johnson noted that homelessness is particularly devastating to veterans.

“I’ve come to realize that being homeless is degrading to veterans not only because of them not having a place to come home but the fact of them knowing they put their lives on the line to protect our country and not having a place to go after the fact,” Johnson said.

Despite the improvements in veterans administration, Johnson urged the VA to develop better communications with veterans.

“I just feel like [the VA] should do a better job at first reaching out, because some people don’t go to the VA and don’t know what’s available, and then, second, making sure

resources are actually available,” she said.

On top of governmental oversight, Respress also emphasized the importance of individuals showing their support to the D.C. council for ending veteran homelessness, both in D.C. and in their own hometowns.

“What’s really important for us is that if people are interested in getting involved, they should let their policymakers know this is an issue that means something to them because with that kind of advocacy we really will reach our goal of ending veteran homelessness,” she said.

Johnson also emphasized the necessity of community support in ending veteran homelessness.

“If you go to the VA … a big thing they say is that they need community help and support, so I think programs, such as HOPE and other things the CSJ has going on, are very crucial,” she said. “The VA can’t accommodate everyone due to funding issues … [so] it has to be community effort to get veterans off the street.”

GU Updates Speech Policy PROTEST, from A1 pansion of free speech zones on campus, the expansion of accessibility for disabled students and the diversification of views presented in class curriculum.

“While HUFS appreciates the changes that the university made in updating the Speech and Expression Policy, we still have several concerns with how the policy now stands,” HUFS founder Vincent DeLaurentis (SFS ’17) wrote in an email.

Specifically, DeLaurentis said that the university should provide training to the university community about the changes to the policy and that the policy must be carried out correctly.

“More so, the release of a new policy does not signal the end of student concern around speech,” DeLaurentis wrote. “HUFS and individual students remain concerned about the protection of free speech and expression on campus and will keep a vigilant eye on university actions related to speech.”

Olson said the updates represent a continuation of ongoing modifications to the Speech and Expression Policy, and minimal substantive change.

“This email was not actually a new policy change — it was the announcement that provided final details on implementation of the changes that we worked through over the past year,” Olson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

The university-wide email from Olson noted that “public squares” where students are allowed to table include Regents Lawn, Library Walk and the Healey Family Student Center. Groups are also now permitted to table in residential areas such as the Alumni Square courtyard and the patio at the base of steps between Henle Village and Darnall Hall, so long as the groups do not become disruptive to residents.

Additionally, Olson’s email stated that the Speech and Expression Committee will issue opinions based on complaints about possible violations of the Speech and Expression Policy so that they can be used as a reference for future complaints.

“I think the most notable change here is that the updates provide greater clarity on key issues of student concern — including expanding tabling locations, policies on student media and a clearer system for students to bring complaints about issues related to speech and expression,” Olson wrote in his email to The Hoya.

Olson’s email included a link to a map that details exactly where groups are allowed to table, which GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) and Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ’15) helped to develop. Tezel and Jikaria have worked with the university since the spring to create the map.

“We now have a specific tabling map that we have been

pushing for a while, that will lay out clearly to student groups where they can lay out tables and where they can’t,” Tezel said. “We are encouraged by the decision the committee made … and this is now the groundwork for a new culture around speech and expression at Georgetown, though the work is by no means done and we’ll need to stay vigilant.”

H*yas for Choice President Abby Grace (SFS ’16) said that while she is happy with the ways that the policy updates accommodate unrecognized student groups, she would like the university to allow tabling on the sidewalk in front of Healy Hall, among other further measures.

H*yas for Choice was removed from Healy Circle by the Georgetown University Police Department last January when they tabled outside of the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life.

While students are allowed to demonstrate in other ways in that area, they are not allowed to place tables in Healy Circle. “[The university] always uses the justification that you can sit there without the table and it would be just fine, but for us, what’s important is that the tabling is what we do every day,” Grace said.

“Most of the time, when we’re trying to make our presence known at these events, we’re trying to make a statement by participating in the same action that we participate in on a daily basis.”

‘Spirit of Georgetown’ LLC RESIDENCE, from A1 something special in this community and for our upper-class students,” Gilhool wrote in an email.

“Inspired by the ‘Residential College’ models seen on campuses such as Stanford and Cornell, the Residential Academy will offer students a unique and focused living experience that will allow them to explore in depth their Georgetown education.”

According to Catholic Chaplain Fr. Gregory Schenden, S.J., a member of the planning committee, the Residential Academy will further the reallife application of Jesuit values on campus.

“What will make this residence unique (even in terms of Living and Learning Communities) is that the ‘philosophy’ of the residence will be built upon the nine tenets of the Spirit of Georgetown,” Schenden wrote in an email. “The desire is that these tenets, while very much at work in all facets of Georgetown life already, will be experienced or lived in a more explicit, intentional and mindful way in this new residence. I feel that this will garner interest in terms of applying to live in the residence.”

Schenden said that the Residential Academy will make a powerful historical connection to the Jesuits who previously resided in Ryan and Mulledy Halls.

“That a new residence is being created and based explicitly and mindfully upon the Spirit of Georgetown tenets, which are rooted in our greater Ignatian or Jesuit tradition in the buildings that have historically been home to the Jesuits here at Georgetown, makes for a powerful historical connection,” Schenden wrote. “It is wonderful that the buildings will once again be used residentially and devoted to the tenets of our Ignatian or Jesuit heritage.”

Mary Petrone (COL ’15), a residential assistant representative on the planning committee, said that the Residential Academy will be unique in creating a cohesive community by encompassing a whole residential building.

“Unlike other Living and Learning Communities that are going to take a floor of the building, this will be the entire building. The vision is for it to be

one cohesive community,” Petrone said.

Petrone said that buildings’ ties with Georgetown’s Jesuit values deserved preservation.

“The buildings that are remodeled right now, the former Jesuit Residence, are very old and are very significant on our Georgetown campus because of their nature, their ties with the Jesuit tradition here,” Petrone said. “And also the location of the buildings open out to Dahlgren Quad, which is a very sacred space. We want it to preserve that. We want to be mindful of that history and tradition in modern-day campus. We want to do something that is different and make the building a threshold that ties into the spiritual aspect of the campus.”

The former Jesuit Residence will feature semisuites and apartments with two, four, six, eight and nine-person units. Some of the rooms will have lofts and balconies facing the Potomac River.

Petrone said that this renovation will appeal to students looking for new housing arrangements.

“The building is going to offer new style of living that is not offered by other residence halls on campus, so that’s going to have a big appeal,” Petrone said. “That’s the purpose of shaping new building structure, to make it more appealing to students.”

Petrone said that while the Residential Academy appeals to students religious in the Catholic faith, it will be inclusive to all students, regardless of their religion.

“I think it would initially attract students that are more religious in the Catholic faith,” Petrone said. “I hope it would advent to be more inclusive to the student body because even if you are not particularly religious, the Jesuit values and reflecting college traditions are just something that is very important for all college kids. I hope that everyone can find value in it.”

Regardless, some students said that an LLC focusing on Jesuit values would not be appealing to them because of its religious connections.

“I think it would be really interesting to live in the Jesuit residence,” Emily Lau (NHS ’17) said. “But I guess if they change it into a living and learning community for Jesuit values, I’m not sure if I would apply because I am not very religious.”

Pilot Study Addresses Past Research Wrongs Andrew Wallender Hoya Staff Writer

National Center for Cultural Competence Director Tawara Goode conducted a pilot study earlier this year exploring the impact of “Truth and Reconciliation” community forums on overcoming barriers to racial and ethnic participation in the health care system. The study also noted ways to restore trust in the research community after various injustices over the past century.

The study, conducted in association with the Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical and Translational Science, brought 29 people to the community forums held in Washington, D.C., in January and May 2014.

Goode researched whether the forums could reduce ethnic research barriers.

“What I did with this research was to formulate a question that looked at barriers to participation in research — and this is by racial and ethnic groups other than non-Hispanic white — can they be reduced by truth and reconciliation forums,” Goode said.

Participants completed questionnaires before and after the forums, revealing reluctance to participate in studies that required overnight stays in hospitals or the usage of experimental drugs.

According to a report of the experiment presented by Brian Clark of the Catholic University of America, a research intern on the experiment, the four main themes that emerged from the study were fear of and lack of trust toward the research community, lack of knowledge or information about research and a lack of inconvenience of the study or logistical issues.

Goode and the other researchers are still analyzing the data from the study after completing the pilot research, but according to Clark’s report, the research found that “respondents were less willing to participate in studies the more invasive the procedures.”

The January forum focused on acknowledging past wrongs carried out by the research com-

munity during the 20th century. It addressed the Tuskegee syphilis experiment in which African Americans sharecroppers participated in a government study of syphilis but were never informed that they had the diseases, as well as the unknown usage of cells from Henrietta Lacks to conduct medical experiments.

During the session, Goode and the other researchers issued an apology on behalf of the research community. Participants then looked at the safeguards in place to prevent any discrimination by researchers.

“I was absolutely shocked — just blown away,” participant Allyson Coleman said after learning about the research injustices, according to a press release from the Georgetown University Medical Center.

At the May forum, participants looked into disparities in the District and how those disparities influence D.C. residents, then brainstormed how to overcome these barriers to research that exist in communities.

Goode said that community members are often unaware of ways to get involved in research besides simply participating as a subject, pointing to help with data collection and writing of articles to spread information as other potential areas of contribution.

“There is not this one way that you can participate in research. It is very empowering that you can participate in different ways,” Goode said.

Goode hoped to receive additional funding to conduct the Truth and Reconciliation Forums on a larger scale than the original 29 participants. Goode said that her study has significant implications and warrants further research.

“We need to know whether or not apologies can make a difference,” Goode said, “I think that the other thing is that when you engage communities in such dynamic forums, that you demystify research, that you break down some of the barriers between people you want to participate in research and those research institutions.”

news

tuesday, november 18, 2014

THE HOYA

A7

DC Limits Lung Cancer Costs Unofficial Groups Receive Benefits Tom Garzillo Hoya Staff Writer

Washington, D.C., is the second-best place in the country at combatting the costs of lung cancer, according to the financial website Wallethub.

Wallethub ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on their efforts to combat the economic and societal impacts of the disease, analyzing air quality, death rates from lung cancer, the number of tobacco users per capita and various other elements.

Hawaii was the only state to be ranked above the District, with Alaska, Utah and New Jersey rounding out the top five.

The final rankings were a composite of two factors: “favorable environment for avoiding lung cancer” and “lung cancer prevalence and prevention.”

D.C. was ranked 14th and fourth, respectively.

According to the American Lung Association, the economic costs of smoking and lung cancer in D.C. exceed $600 million per year. There are over 650 cases of smoking-related cancer in the District each year, about 400 of which are lung cancer.

Roughly 20 percent of adults and 13 percent of high school students in D.C. smoke, with an estimated economic cost due to smoking of almost $627,000.

In 2013, there were 724 deaths in D.C. attributable to smoking.

Wallethub’s study ranked D.C. fourth in the country for the lowest death rate from lung cancer, and fifth for the highest percentage of smokers who attempted to quit.

Despite the positive feedback from

Wallethub, Kenneth Tercyak, a professor in the departments of oncology and pediatrics at the Georgetown University School of Medicine, said that state governments are not doing enough to prevent tobacco use.

“In D.C., we have smoke-free air laws and moderately high cigarette taxes,” Tercyak said. “However, the level of resources devoted to tobacco prevention and cessation fall short of national spending guidelines recommended by [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention].”

The American Lung Association assigns D.C. a letter grade of F in tobacco prevention and cessation coverage, but an A in smoke-free air and a B in cigarette taxes. Out of the estimated 1,030 people in D.C. who died from cancer in 2013, one in four died of lung cancer.

Lung cancer claims more lives in the United States than the next three most common types of cancer with a survival rate under 17 percent, and over 224,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with lung cancer this year, according to the CDC. The disease has a high financial toll as well. According to the National Institute of Health, lung cancer accounts for over $12 billion of total cancer costs around the United States. Premature death from lung cancer among adults aged 20 and older results in over $36 billion in lost productivity each year.

Indiana University health science professor Jon Macy explained that preventing people from smoking is the most effective way to prevent lung cancer.

“State and local governments should implement comprehensive tobacco prevention and cessation programs,” Macy

said. “Such programs would include increasing the cost of tobacco by raising taxes, adopting smoke-free air laws that prohibit smoking in all public places and workplaces, and providing access to proven tobacco cessation treatment.”

According to Chris Davis of the Lung Cancer Alliance, early detection is crucial in fighting the disease.

“Education and wellness programs as well as screening initiatives help combat lung cancer,” Davis said. “In fact, screening programs are already in place to help catch the disease earlier. We know that lung cancer screening can save lives when carried out responsibly and following current best practices.”

In the battle against lung cancer and smoking, a large disparity exists between states. For example, in terms of cigarette taxes, New York’s taxes, the highest in the nation, are 26 times higher than those in Missouri, the lowest.

“States vary considerably in their policies,” Macy said. “Some states still have tobacco taxes that are too low, some states still have smoke-free air laws that are too weak, and all states underfund their tobacco prevention and cessation programs.”

Despite the reduction in cigarette smoking across the country over the past 60 years, Macy warned that this progress was fragile.

“I think we are at a very important point in the fight against lung cancer,” Macy said. “If we adequately fund tobacco prevention and cessation programs, then we can continue this success and see further reductions in smoking-related diseases, including lung cancer. If we don’t, then I don’t think we will see much progress.”

BENEFITS, from A1 dent groups.

The changes were not addressed in a campus-wide email sent by Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) announcing changes to the Speech and Expression Policy on Monday, but were announced via a GUSA press release championing the change for unrecognized groups.

Since the ability to access these benefits stems from a GUSA apparatus, the change did not require any university policy modifications.

The university gave storage space on the mezzanine level of Regents Hall to GUSA, which will delegate it to non-recognized student groups, pending approval from the GUSA Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.

“That is pending approval, but we’re pretty confident that it will pass. This combination of new benefits for students will really help benefit free speech on campus,” Tezel said.

H*yas for Choice President Abby Grace (SFS ’16) said that she is excited about the new storage space that will be available to clubs without access to benefits.

“That’s something we’ve definitely talked about working toward. We’ve sat down and had extensive meetings with them on pretty much what it means what are the barriers we see we’re working with,” Grace said.

“And to be completely frank with you, I have like 2,000 condoms in my living room right now.”

While most of the access to benefits changes are through a GUSA initiative, the updated university Speech and Expression Policy has also changed to allow recognized student groups to co-sponsor events with any other group, regardless of its access-to-benefits status.

These co-sponsorships will still have to follow the guidelines for co-sponsorship outlined by the Center for Student Engagement.

Grace said that this policy change will make event sponsorship easier for H*yas for Choice and other unrecognized groups.

“That’s definitely one of our biggest problems when coordinating other groups on campus that might have similar interests on specific events, making sure that they’re not facing any backlash from the administration for working with us,” Grace said.

College Scraps Unpopular SFS Offers Credit to Interns Classes Before Add-Drop Charlotte Allen Hoya Staff Writer

Toby Hung

Hoya Staff Writer

The Office of the College Dean has instructed department heads to delete courses that do not meet an eight-student enrollment minimum during pre-registration in order to minimize costs and inefficiency, denying students the chance to add these classes to their schedules during the add-drop period at the beginning of the semester.

This guideline was implemented in an email sent to department chairs in August.

Several faculty members objected to the policy, resulting in the appointment of a committee to propose changes to the dean.

“We’re still trying to manage our resources, but we’re doing it at the planning stage, not at the last-minute stage in terms of cancellation,” College Senior Associate Dean of Faculty and Strategic Planning Jeff Connor-Linton said.

“Often, policies evolve, and we’re trying to find the right balance. It was not workable. It was not the right way to go.”

Department heads have been asked to plan course offerings according to enrollment data from previous years, in order to meet the eightstudent minimum.

“What we’ve asked department chairs to do for this spring is to look at enrollment data from the last several years, and if a course that they planned to offer had had enrollments under eight, to let us know why that was necessary and why they thought it would have more enrollment this time,” Connor-Linton said.

Connor-Linton added that many courses are exempt from cancellation, such as courses that fulfill general education requirements, major requirements and upper-level language courses.

“Half of the curriculum is protected from low enrollment issues anyway. Another 40 percent of courses are protected by the fact that they never have under-enrollments,” he said.

“Last year, a total of 5 percent of college courses had an enrolment under six students. It’s a very small slice anyway.”

According to the US News & World Report, 60 percent of classes in Georgetown have fewer than 20 students, with only 7 percent of classes including over 50 students.

Connor-Linton said that he predicts that most of the courses that will be affected by the

policy will be electives. The policy will result in classes that do not meet the eight-student minimum being offered less frequently.

“What we’re trying to do is make sure that the same small enrollment courses are not offered too frequently,” Connor-Linton said. “If you have a small enrollment course, that’s OK, but maybe offer it every third or fourth semester, so that demand builds up.”

Both Connor-Linton and Pierce foresee little impact on students’ course selections during pre-registration. Courses would be deleted after pre-registration but before the start of the add-drop period.

“If a class does have to be cancelled, it’ll happen between [pre-registration and add-drop], so when students hear about their courses, in the unlikely case that their first choice is cancelled, they’ll still get their alternate course,” Connor-Linton said.

According to the University Registrar and Assistant Provost John Q. Pierce, the enrollment minimum would have no impact on the adddrop process.

“The policy is aimed at determining which courses will be offered. I don’t expect that any noticeable impact will occur in add-drop,” Pierce said. “The thinking of the dean is that students would be better served by having the faculty member teach a course that would attract more student interest rather than a course that has never achieved much enrollment.”

Connor-Linton said that the policy would benefit both faculty members and students.

“There are pedagogical benefits for a small course. A lot of us feel that 12 is the minimum we really want in a class. If I only have six, there are a lot of things I can’t do,” Connor-Linton said. “It’s also an issue of fairness among the distribution of teaching load among faculty.

If you’re teaching four really small courses, you’re not carrying the same load as somebody else.”

Davis Wong (COL ’18) said that the enrollment minimum is a further threat to electives in the College.

“I feel like at a school like Georgetown, we don’t have enough of an emphasis on electives.

It’s easy to fall into a typical academic route, so I support anything that allows people to flesh themselves out more,” Wong said. “Besides, I would definitely enjoy being in smaller-sized classes.”

The School of Foreign Service will offer a one-credit, pass-fail course next semester that will grant academic credit to SFS students who hold internships.

This course, which is aimed toward juniors and seniors but will also be open to sophomores, will be taught by Associate Dean Emily Zenick.

“The class is intended to provide an academic framework to support students in setting goals for their internship and in reflecting upon the experience as it relates to their academic and career goals,” the course description states.

Similar courses stressing the connection between internships and academics already exist in the McDonough School of Business and the College.

“The SFS decided at the end of the summer that we needed to come up with our own class,” Zenick said. “The [MSB] and the College have similar classes, and we wanted to articulate the connection between work done during an internship and a student’s academics and major.”

The class will be based on Blackboard and will be capped at a size of 20 students. Qualified students must work in an internship for a minimum total of 75 hours during the academic term in which the course is offered.

Total class time will add up to about five hours a week of supplemental work, group reflection discussions and meetings with the course convener.

Additionally, students will be assigned 20 to 25 pages of reading a week, complete consistent blog posts and assignments and choose a book to read in its entirety throughout

the course. “[The course will] bring individual students’ reflection and an integration of experiences to get them to think strategically about how their internship was related to the major they studied in addition to classes and long-term research,” Zenick said.

SFS Academic Council President Megan Murday (SFS ’15) helped develop the program and worked closely with the deans’ office in charge.

“It’s a fantastic program,” Murday said. “It directly ad-

“The one-credit course is a much-needed option for SFS students.”

Annie kennelly (SFS ’15) SFS Academic Council Senior Representative

dresses the need of students to tie professional experiences to academic experiences.”

Murday and Zenick both emphasized the importance of the course for some international students who, dependent on visa status, need academic credit from their school to participate in certain internships.

Additionally, they highlighted the importance of Georgetown providing support for students who choose to do internships while they are enrolled in the university and how imperative it is for students to have as complete an internship experience as is possible.

“The one-credit course is a much-needed option for SFS students,” SFS Academic Council Senior Representative An-

nie Kennelly (SFS ’15) wrote in an email, “Not only does it encourage students to gain experience in the professional world, but it also opens up additional opportunities for certain internships that require students to receive academic credit for their work.”

Some of the reading for the class will be slightly unconventional, according to Zenick.

“Students really don’t read these kinds of books,” Zenick said. “They are self-development texts that will help students understand themselves and the stage that they are at in livf.”

Murday said that this course recognizes internships as fundamental in educating the whole person.

“I hope that this signals broader encouragement and support for students that want to have internships while in school here,” Murday said. “An internship is fundamental when looking at educating the whole person, and it’s a great experience that you can bring back to the classroom.”

The course also aims to provide students in internships with the tools necessary to engage their employers and fellow colleagues, help them develop skills that will narrow their area of focus and give them the resources to translate their work into future opportunities.

Kennelly said that this course challenges the assumed boundary between Georgetown classrooms and the world outside.

“Georgetown is a forwardthinking university that really emphasizes a focus on the whole person, and this onecredit internship program will give students the opportunity to understand how to erase those boundaries and see Georgetown as an integral part of every aspect of their lives,” Kennelly wrote.

Defector Speaks on N. Korea Sarah Smith Hoya Staff Writer

North Korean defector Yeonmi Park spoke about her experience fleeing her home country in Gaston Hall on Sunday in an event hosted by student group Truth and Human Rights in North Korea.

Park spoke about her life in North Korea as well as her defection, which took her to China and later to South Korea. Growing up, she was without many of the things Westerners take for granted, but her living situation was not yet dire.

“There was no Internet, but I was not starving,” Park said.

Park said her life changed after her father was arrested for illegal trading. In the wake of the arrest, Park’s mother was interrogated by the government for two years.

These experiences led Park to defect when she was 23 with the help of smugglers, and with the help of the embassy in China, she entered university life. Park said that after defecting, she identified as a South Korean,

not wanting to reveal her past.

“I was so careful about my identity,” Park said.

Park was separated from her sister, who also defected, for seven years, and now that they have reunited, she said her goal is to help her sister adjust to life outside of North Korea.

“So now I am trying to tell her she is not the victim and she fought for her freedom and her life” Park said.

Park has become a media personality, and has said she hopes to share her story with as many people as she can.

“I decided to speak out and it became my kind of job,” Park said. “If I speak out, people will listen to me.”

The floor was later opened for a question-and-answer period in which guests asked Park about a range of topics, including what it was like to experience Western culture for the first time.

Halle Hagan (SFS ’18) said the program offered a chance to hear a firsthand account of what it was like to live in a communist nation.

“I have always been interested

NATASHA THOMSON/THE HOYA

Yeonmi Park spoke about fleeing from North Korea. in North Korea and other communist regimes, particularly because North Korea is one of the last couple that we have as modern day communist regimes and it was really fascinating to hear Yeonmi’s speech,” Hagan said. “I thought that she was really an inspiration,w especially as a young person for us to look up to as an example of someone who has used her experiences to do good and promote certain ideas throughout the world.”

A8

SPORTS

THE HOYA

wOMEN’S bASKETBALL

tuesDAY, November 18, 2014

Volleyball

Rebounding, Defense Key Hoyas’ Losing Streak Hits 6 1st Win of Season Richmond, from A10 If Adomako’s efforts showcased the quality and potential for success of the freshman class, then Vitalis exemplified the leadership and experience of the older members on the team.

Vitalis earned a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds against the Hawks and posted a game-high 19 points against the Spiders.

Although the Hoyas shot just 27.5 percent from the field Sunday, Vitalis was 6-of-13 shooting, earned seven of her 19 points from the free-throw line and embodied a physical play that was noticeably lacking among the other players.

“At halftime [Coach Adair] said, ‘We have to be physical. The refs are saying we’re not being physical enough so they’re not going to call it,’ so I made a point to definitely do my work early, box out and definitely get a lot more rebounds,” Vitalis said. “I don’t think collectively we were physical though. I think we should have done better at that.”

Despite the Hoyas’ dismal shooting performance against Richmond, the Spiders never gained more than an eight-point advantage over the Hoyas. Driven by the team’s 28 rebounds in the second half alone, the Hoyas stayed within striking distance of the Spiders and even led the game 50-48 with 7:53 to go in the second half.

However, Georgetown’s 21 offensive rebounds were not enough to secure the win.

Georgetown did not take advantage of its rebounds and finished with just 12 secondchance points in the game.

“I felt like we crashed the boards extremely well — 21 offensive rebounds is hard to do,” Adair said. “But now we have to translate those rebounds into points, and if we get at least half of those back [into the basket], it’s a different ballgame.”

The team’s inexperience became apparent in the final stretch of the game and was a key factor in the loss to Richmond.

“We have a young group and we have an inexperienced group. We’re still learning the chemistry, we’re still learning lineups and what works best,” Adair said. “My message to them was we learn from it, we have a short memory, we move on.”

In spite of the team’s tough loss to Richmond, Adair and her players are optimistic about what they can achieve as the season progresses and its players have more games under their belts.

“I think these two games have showed us a lot that we have to work on,” Vitalis said. “Once we iron out a lot of the [kinks] that we have to work on, I think that we’ll be okay.”

Sophomore guard and co-captain Tyshell King did not play against Richmond. King sat out after falling and hitting her head on the court midway through the second half of the game against UMES. She is listed as day-to-day.

Georgetown is scheduled to play its next four games in a span of five days, beginning with its second home game of the season against the Loyola University Maryland Greyhounds (0-2).

The game will tip off at 8 p.m. on Wednesday in McDonough Arena.

football

GU Defense Decimated

By Fordham in 52-7 Loss Carolyn Maguire Hoya Staff Writer

After a 2-2 start to the season, the Georgetown University football team (2-8, 0-5 Patriot League) looked poised to break its recent struggles. But in the ensuing two months, not much went right for the Georgetown football team. It has lost six consecutive games, including all five Patriot League games.

However, last Saturday, Georgetown had the opportunity to make a statement against FCS No. 8 Fordham University (101, 6-0 Patriot League). However, the Rams quickly outmatched the Hoyas in all facets of the game and cruised to a 52-7 victory.

Georgetown entered Saturday’s game with the best defense in the Patriot League in points allowed, as opponents average, only 20 points a game. But Fordham — the top-scoring offense in the Patriot League — overpowered the Georgetown defense and seemingly scored at will.

“We knew Fordham had a great offense going into the game and we just didn’t step up and make the plays we had to,” senior linebacker Alec May said.

Fordham established its dominance immediately. In its first possession, Fordham starting senior quarterback Mike Nebrich strung together a 10-play drive that culminated in a one-yard rushing touchdown.

In the second quarter, the Rams exploded for 17 points, to take a commanding 24-0

lead.

After Nebrich suffered an injury on the second possession of the second quarter, Fordham backup quarterback senior Peter Maetzold came in and threw for two touchdowns and 285 yards on 15-of-19 passing.

Meanwhile, on offense, the Hoyas’ woes continued. They struggled to get into a rhythm, managing only 13 first downs and 251 yards of total offense. The Rams held the Hoyas scoreless until the first possession of the fourth quarter. With the game far out of reach and 13 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Nolan dropped back and found senior wide receiver Jake DeCicco for a 33-yard touchdown.

Fordham would tack on one final touchdown in its final possession to make the final score 52-7.

Georgetown’s special teams also struggled in the loss, as Fordham blocked two punts.

The lone bright spot in Georgetown’s lackluster performance was junior running back Jo’el Kimpela, who rushed for a gamehigh 102 yards on 15 carries. Kimpela credited his teammates for his success.

“The offensive line worked hard all game long sustaining blocks and opening up holes for the running game,” Kimpela said.

“I can’t do it without those guys.”

Georgetown will look to conclude its disappointing season on a high note when it takes on Holy Cross (4-7, 2-3 Patriot League) next weekend.

FILE PHOTO: ERICA WONG/THE HOYA

Freshman setter Casey Speer recorded 39 assists against St. John’s on Friday in a 3-1 loss. She is second on the team in assists with 402, behind sophomore setter Caitlin Brauneis.

Tyler Park

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown volleyball team (9-20, 3-13 Big East) endured a pair of difficult losses over the weekend, dropping a 3-1 decision to St. John’s University (19-12, 8-8 Big East) on Friday before falling 3-0 to Providence College (6-24, 2-14 Big East) on Sunday. The Hoyas have now completed their road schedule and will finish their season with two home games next weekend.

Against St. John’s, senior outside hitter Alex Johnson led the Hoyas with 16 kills and sophomore middle blocker Ashlie Williams added nine more. Junior libero Emily Gisolfi had 13 digs and freshman setter Casey Speer recorded 39 assists.

Early in the first set, St. John’s went on a 6-1 run to earn a 9-4 lead that it would not relinquish en route to a relatively routine 25-17 set victory. In the second set, Georgetown fell behind 6-4 before rattling off seven consecutive points, including two Johnson kills and a service ace by Williams, to earn an 11-6 lead. After a timeout, St. John’s fought back to earn a 12-12 tie.

The Red Storm then won four consecutive points to extend to a 17-13 lead and the Hoyas were never able to close within two points for the remainder of the set, which St. John’s won by a score of 25-20.

The Red Storm maintained a small lead for most of the beginning of the third set, eventually stretching the score to 20-15. However, the Hoyas then mounted a spirited comeback, winning 10 of the next 12 points to grab the set, 25-22.

Head Coach Arlisa Williams was

pleased with her team’s performance in earning the third set victory.

“I think that it was a shift in our mindset more than anything else. We knew that we were playing close with St. John’s and that if we could just step it up with our defensive effort, get some more blocks, take a few smarter swings, that we would be right there and able to win, and that’s what we did.

We stepped it up,” Coach Williams said.

Unfortunately for the Hoyas, their momentum was shortlived as St. John’s began the fourth set with renewed energy and ran away with the set, 25-11. Speer credited the Red Storm for their effort in closing out the match.

“They were mad that we took the third set, so they came back really aggressive and we weren’t ready to combat that,” Speer said.

Junior Karin Palgutova and senior Aleksandra Wachowicz, who represent perhaps the most imposing pair of outside hitters in the Big East, led the Red Storm by recording 21 kills apiece.

“Both [Palgutova] and [Wachowicz] have every single shot in the book. They can swing line, then can swing cross-court, they can swing hard cross, they use hands, they’ll come in hard and then offspeed. And so they’re very difficult to defend and they’ve been that way all year,” Coach Williams said.

Against Providence, the Hoyas suffered an extremely disappointing loss to a team that they had defeated in straight sets on Oct. 17. Johnson recorded a double-double, with 11 kills and 10 digs, and Gisolfi led the team with 11 digs in

Rhode Island.

The Hoyas started slowly in each of the first two sets, falling behind by identical 8-3 deficits early in each set. In each case, Providence was able to maintain its lead en route to 25-18 set victories. Early in the third set, the Hoyas were able to stay close to the Friars, shrinking their deficit to one point at 9-8 after a kill by freshman outside hitter Terese Cannon. However, Providence then rattled off 11 consecutive points in a span that included two Georgetown timeouts. Despite another spirited comeback attempt, the Hoyas were unable to overcome such a significant deficit, eventually falling by a score of 25-22.

“We had a lot of unforced errors, like missed serves and not handling the easy balls, which we need to do. And it all kind of snowballed. It was not a good outcome,” Speer said.

The Hoyas were unable to stop Providence’s Kayla Johnson, as the sophomore outside hitter recorded 22 kills. Johnson was also incredibly efficient, as she recorded a 50 percent attack rate.

“We could not slow down [Kayla Johnson],” Coach Williams said. “She’s a small kid with a big jump and she had a field day against us. But the other thing is, we got out dug

by Providence, they hustled a little more than we did on that particular day.”

The Hoyas will look to close out their season on a positive note, as they will host Seton Hall University (25-6, 13-3 Big East) Friday, Nov. 21, and Villanova University (13-18, 6-10 Big East) on Sunday, Nov. 23. The game against Villanova will be Georgetown’s Senior Day.

Cross-Country

The water Cooler

2020 World Cup to Stay in Qatar Coogan, Carpenter Ippolito, from A10 Rented computers are supposedly to blame for Russia’s lack of information; Russia claims it rented out hard drives and servers for its bid process and when the hardware was returned to its owner, all of the information on the hard drives was destroyed and no longer exists. Subsequently, FIFA cleared Russia of any wrongdoing in a report released Nov. 12; noting that “the evidence available [was] not sufficient to support any findings of misconduct.”

The combination of coincidences that exonerate Russia should not be surprising for a nation that has violated the sovereignty of its neighbors and was billions of dollars over budget for the Winter Olympics, largely because of domestic corruption. Global sporting events such as the Olympics and World Cup were once used to bring the world together in spite of political differences, but now these events are legitimizing Russia’s actions and rewarding it for sparking geopolitical unrest.

Qatar is not as fortunate as Russia is when it comes to the quantity of its traceable evidence. Although the Qatar World Cup Organization, the group responsible for the nation’s bid, denies violating any rules, insider emails to FIFA executives allude to foul play. In May 2011, a leaked email from FIFA SecretaryGeneral Jérôme Valcke hinted that Qatar bought the rights to host the World Cup. The English newspaper The Sunday Times has been the lead media investigator into Qatari corruption claims and reports that Qatar paid out $5 million to voting officials in return for their support.

The traditional reasons for objecting to Qatar’s World Cup are already damn-

ing. The first and foremost issue is the practicality of playing soccer in an environment where summer temperatures average 105 degrees and can regularly hit 122 degrees. To cope with this issue, Qatar proposed artificial cloud cover and air-conditioned stadiums but since 2011, architects have doubted the feasibility and practicality of running massive air conditioners. Under the alternative scenario, using traditional fans, the temperature on the playing field could still be as high as 87 or 88 degrees. Heat at that level puts players at risk for excessive cramps and other injuries.

A second qualm is the moral opposition to letting Qatar play host. There have already been over 1,200 World Cuprelated migrant worker deaths in Qatar since 2010 and Qatar is notorious for seizing workers’ passports upon their arrival into the country. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International both agree that an updated workers’ rights plan does not go far enough and, like most past policies, lacks sufficient enforcement from the Qatari government.

The investigation centers around Mohamed bin Hammam, a Qatari citizen who received a lifetime ban from FIFA back in 2011 after he attempted to buy votes for himself in the FIFA presidency election. Qatar’s denial, combined with FIFA’s report repudiating the 2022 host nation’s claims, makes for a trying situation.

Qatar denies both that its bid team attempted to bribe anyone and that bin Hammam was associated with the bidding group. However, there are also bank documents that show direct payments between bin Hammam and African football officials. Although many of the officials who received compensation do not have a vote, the belief is that bin

Hammam’s bribes served to create unity among lower levels of African football members so they would pressure the voting members to support Qatar’s bid. One potential reason for targeting African voters is the availability of their votes; in essence, their votes could have functioned as swing votes because there were already establish groups supporting the Qataris and the Americans.

Qatar is simply denying its guilt, not the guilt of others acting on its behalf.

FIFA openly acknowledges that the actions of bin Hammam were consciously intended to convince voting officials to grant Qatar the World Cup, and “his actions ... influenced the voting process by eliminating votes for Australia (a direct Qatar 2022 competitor) and England.”

FIFA’s lack of transparency is alarming. It refuses to publish the full 450page report created by FIFA investigator and American attorney Michael Garcia and has not responded to Garcia’s claims that their summary misconstrues his findings.

Besides this legal scandal, there are other practical and ethical reasons as to why Qatar should not be given the privilege to host the World Cup. Soccer is the world’s game and arguably its most beautiful, but the problems that transpire off the pitch continually detract from the glories that happen on it. The Middle East does deserve a fair chance at hosting the world’s most prestigious tournament, but it is also clear that some nations are willing to pay any monetary or human price to make that happen, and the world needs to respond.

It’s high time to give Qatar a red card.

Mike Ippolito is a sophomore in the College. THE WATER COOLER appears every Tuesday.

Excel at Mid-Atlantic NCAA, from A10 them to exhibit emotional control.

Coogan said that the team learned to work together with the unusual tactic.

“Our pack started a little farther back than we would normally to practice moving through bodies and building throughout the race, specifically to practice moving together, which we did a great job of,” Coogan added.

The No. 14 Georgetown men’s team ranked second overall in its 10K race. Rival No. 7 Villanova placed first overall with 41 points, while Georgetown finished with 74 points. Four of Georgetown’s starters finished in the top 20. Sophomore Scott Carpenter finished sixth overall with a time of 30:23, while junior Darren Fahy finished eighth with a time of 30:24.

Senior John Murray and senior Ryan Gil finished 14th and 19th, respectively.

With a third place finish at the pre-NCAA meet, Georgetown was already likely locked in to an at-large bid. Still, finishing in the top two at the Mid-Atlantic meet guaranteed its spot in the NCAA championship.

“I think we were in a great situation — we’d performed well in the regular season so we were in a situation where maybe we didn’t have a ton of pressure ...

but it’s always a goal of ours to finish in the top two,” men’s distance Coach Brandon Bonsey said.

“I am really happy with our automatic spot to NCAAs,” Carpenter said. “Last year we did not qualify for the meet, but that does not mean we are content with the season up to this point. We want to go to nationals and compete as hard as we can. We have the potential to surprise some people across the country, and that’s exactly what we’re going there to do.”

Minor errors set Georgetown back in the meet. Graduate student Brian King lost a shoe at the 4.5-mile mark, while Carpenter fell with 1000m left in the race.

“He got up and was still able to finish sixth, so I think that was pretty incredible,” Bonsey said.

Though the Hoyas performed well overall at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, the NCAA championship meet will present a tougher pool of competitors that will challenge the Hoyas more considerably.

“There are going to be many more talented individual runners at nationals than we have run against so far this season …

As long as we stay composed to feed off of each other, we can run really well,” Carpenter said.

The NCAA championships will take place Saturday, Nov. 22, at Terre Haute, Ind.

SPORTS

tuesday, November 18, 2014

THE HOYA

men’s Basketball

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Men’s Soccer

St. Francis Proves No Match for Deep Hoyas No.11 Xavier TERRIERS, from A10 both halves,” St. Francis Head Coach Glenn Braica admitted postgame.

It was a complete team effort, as 11 Hoyas played five or more minutes and any minor hiccups were masked

by Peak’s memorable debut. The South Carolina native finished with a game-high 23 points on a perfect 9 - of- 9 shooting. “The natural scorer,” as Thompson described him, brought energy and swagger to the Hoyas in his 26 minutes of playing time.

Peak’s energetic performance was epitomized by a thunderous tomahawk dunk early in the second half.

The dunk capped a 12-3 run, which extended Georgetown’s six-point halftime lead to 49-34.

After his debut, even Braica acknowledged that Peak “is pretty good.”

Big East Preseason Player of the Year junior co-captain and guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera contributions, however, should not be overlooked. Although Georgetown’s leading scorer from a year ago only managed eight points, he accrued nine rebounds and six assists. These

atypical contributions perhaps demonstrate that he can co-exist with the Hoyas’ now diversified group of scoring threats.

Thompson was hesitant to call Smith-Rivera the “de-facto point guard” and noted that he does have “a lot of things he has to work on.”

Despite the convincing victory, Thompson acknowledged that there were areas for the Hoyas to improve.

Most alarmingly St. Francis Brooklyn pulled down 22 offensive rebounds in a scrappy game.

“It was a horrible job of rebounding today. Twenty-two boards … can’t happen,” Thompson said.

The Hoyas had a clear height advantage over the mid-major Terriers.

Georgetown has three regular rotational players, including 6-foot-10inch senior center Josh Smith, who are taller than St. Francis’ tallest athlete, 6-foot-7-inch junior forward Antonio Jenifer. Despite this physical advantage, the Hoyas were outrebounded by five, 45 to 40, on the day. “[St. Francis Brooklyn] were staying in the game because they were getting second shots,” senior for-

ward Mikael Hopkins, who led Georgetown with 10 rebounds, said postgame.

Lackluster, too, was Smith’s performance. In his final season of a turbulent college career, Smith is expected to make good on his endless potential. He showed flashes of that potential today, but ultimately he spent much of the game in foul trouble and produced an underwhelming stat line. In 19 minutes, Smith managed 10 points, but just two rebounds — both offensive boards of his own missed shots.

Thompson was least pleased with the senior’s performance, calling Smith’s play “unacceptable.” If the Hoyas are going to make any noise this season, they need Smith to clean up his defensive play, both in rebounding and preventing unnecessary fouls.

“We are going to have shaky periods,” Thompson assured the gathered reporters postgame.

However, Saturday’s game was the beginning of an era for the Hoyas.

Senior guard Jabril Trawick, who had 11 points in the win, was excited to see the freshman class make its

Downs No. 8 GU 1-0 XAVIER, from A10

MICHELLE XU/ THE HOYA

Junior guard and co-captain D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. mark in the opening game.

“We don’t have freshmen … we have basketball players,” Trawick said.

Georgetown will continue its early-season homestand when it hosts Texas A&M, Corpus Christi (1-0) at Verizon Center tonight at 7 p.m.

Commentary

Sixers Starters Feature Thompson, Sims Duo Hunter Main Hoya Staff Writer

It’s inevitable that each year, a few NBA teams — those lacking an offensive or defensive focal point, those with absolutely no chance of making the playoffs — purposely underperform in order to gain a better chance at a top pick in the next year’s draft. Even when tanking, however, franchises have to straddle the line between calculated failure and unwatchable incompetence; if a team plays too badly, it risks alienating its fan base and gaining a toxic reputation among free agents.

This year’s Philadelphia 76ers have not toed this line as much as they’ve tripped over it, crashed into the ground and broken every bone in their body. They’ve lost their first nine games of the season, some in historic fashion — in their Nov. 13 game against the Dallas Mavericks, a 123-70 loss, the Sixers trailed at the half by an almost comical 44 points, the second-largest halftime deficit in league history.

Not one sliver of schadenfreude could be felt from watching a Sixers loss, an ugly display of helplessness in which the Sixers committed the second-most turnovers in the NBA while scoring the second-least amount of points this season.

I’ve never been a fan of the team — in fact, as a New York Knicks fan growing up 40 minutes away from

Philadelphia, I have actively rooted against them — and this certainly wouldn’t be the year to start, especially with the local Washington Wizards looking like they could make a deep playoff run. But I’ve nonetheless tuned in to every game they’ve played — not out of some perverse curiosity or masochism but because unexpectedly, the 76ers start two former Hoyas.

Both center Henry Sims and shooting guard Hollis Thompson declared for the NBA draft in 2012, after leading what was thought to be an unremarkable Georgetown squad to an impressive year-end No. 15 ranking.

Before the season, Sims was seen as a solid but unspectacular senior center, a footnote in the school’s vaunted history of big men. Thompson, who had nearly left Georgetown the previous spring for the NBA, returned as the team’s main scoring option in his junior year, along with co-captain guard Jason Clark, but did not inspire the same confidence the now-graduated guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright had the year before. The two greatly exceeded expectations, however, with Sims proving he could play a complete offensive game and

Thompson cementing his reputation as a clutch sharpshooter.

That was my freshman year, and to tell you the truth, I don’t have the sort of relationship to that team that usually pre-empts this sort of nostalgia. I had season tickets — I was, after all, a freshman — but I only went to Verizon Center a handful of times. That year’s games invoke no particularly strong memories — nothing like the awed admiration I felt after former forward Otto Porter helped G e o r ge tow n quiet Syracuse’s Carrier Dome a year later. And worst of all, half of my heart still belonged to conference rival Providence, a team I had supported since childhood.

When I noticed in late October that both Sims and Thompson were not only still in the NBA but in a team’s starting lineup, however, I felt a pride in Georgetown basketball that I hadn’t felt since my first year here.

Like the Hoyas team they once led, Sims and Thompson weren’t given much hope; neither ended up being chosen in the draft and each bounced around teams and practice squads with little press or fanfare following them. By this point, I had expected them to join former teammate Clark

“This year’s 76ers have not toed this line as much as they’ve tripped over it.”

in Europe, still playing basketball but never again at the top level. But like that 2011-2012 Georgetown team, who before the season were predicted to finish just 10th in the Big East (instead, they ended up spending some time ranked in the top-10 nationally), Sims and Thompson defied expectations, finding themselves to be valuable contributors on an NBA roster.

Now, this may seem like a strange definition of success, starting for what is by far the worst team in the league and led by a front office more interested in next year’s No. 1 pick than any sort of achievement this year. Furthermore, I don’t expect Sims or Thompson to make a meaningful contribution to any team — apart from the Sixers — in the future; they simply aren’t good enough to be anything more than bench players on the average NBA roster.

But for whatever reason, I continue to watch them play.

Maybe it’s a form of Hoya solidarity. Maybe it’s my way of honoring that underdog 2011-2012 team. Maybe it’s a strange attempt to return to my freshman year, not because it was particularly great — it wasn’t.

One thing is for sure: although Sims and Thompson are far from NBA stars, they are making the most of their moment in the spotlight, and I’ll be sure to watch it.

Hunter Main is a senior in the College.

SUDOKU

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lot of chances at goal,” Wiese said. “It was a game about who was going to pick up second balls and who was able to play in the other team’s half.”

In the second half, the Georgetown offense ground to a halt. Xavier was able to string together more passes and hold the ball, and Georgetown’s high-pressing defense began to pay off less and less. For their part, the Musketeers began to test the Hoyas defense, but neither side seemed to hold an advantage until the 64th minute.

Xavier scored the only goal of the game 19 minutes into the second half. Freshman defender Cory Brown initiated a give-and-go at the top of Georgetown’s 18-yard box. He sped

by Rudy, who had been marking the Xavier defender, and received the ball behind the defense. Brown took the ball to the end line and crossed back in front of goal, where sophomore forward Jalen Brown easily found the back of the net.

“Their goal fundamentally came off of poor clearances. They picked it up, and it was a really well-taken goal on their end,” Wiese said.

That well-worked goal would prove to be one of the few moments of offensive production in the entire half, for either side. Turnley found himself in space in the 67th minute but missed his shot high, and Xavier had a series of dangerous shots in the 78th minute.

Georgetown pressed for the equalizer, especially in the last 10 minutes of the match, but the 1-0 score held until the final whistle.

“I don’t think we really responded as I had hoped we would,” Wiese said. “I don’t think we were as sharp. A lot of our guys were not firing on all cylinders, and [Xavier] is such a hard-working, disciplined group that they took advantage.”

Xavier went on to lose in Sunday’s Big East championship game against No. 23 Providence by a 2-1 score line.

The loss put the Hoyas in an unsure position in terms of their NCAA tournament bid. Georgetown is ranked seventh in Rating Percentage Index, which is based on record and strength of schedule, but has struggled to defeat top opponents at times this season.

The selection committee, however, rewarded the team for its tough schedule, placing the Hoyas as the eighth seed in the 48-team tournament. This means that the team will have a first-round bye and will play the winner of the Old Dominion-St. Francis game Thursday evening. In the meantime, Wiese and his team will be working to improve on Friday’s performance.

“From our end, as coaches, we are taking a good, hard look at how we are playing and what we are doing,” Wiese said. “We have to spend this week making some adjustments moving forward so that we are putting ourselves in a good position to be playing the game how we want to play and not be dictated to.”

The Hoyas will either host Old Dominion or St. Francis on Sunday at Shaw Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.

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The Georgetown women’s soccer team (11-3-7, 6-0-3 Big East) upset No. 7 West Virginia (16-2-4, 7-0-1 Big 12) in the first round of the NCAA tournament on a chilly Saturday afternoon in Morgantown W. Va., winning 4-3 on penalties after a 0-0 regulation and two scoreless overtimes.

The Hoyas advance to the second round for the third consecutive season and will take on No. 14 Virginia Tech (155-0, 5-5-0 ACC) on Friday at Penn State.

Georgetown has never progressed past the second round, falling to Virginia 1-0 last season and 2-1 in overtime to Baylor two years ago.

With junior defender Marina Paul injured, freshmen defenders Drew Topor and Liz Wenger both starred in central defense against the Mountaineers, who had just won the Big 12 for the third consecutive season.

Head Coach Dave Nolan said their tremendous performances, along with those of senior defender Jessie Clinton and junior forward and defender Sarah Adams — who played right back Saturday and made a couple strong tackles — proved crucial to the result of the match.

“I was so proud of both [Topor and Wenger],” Nolan said. “It was a tough ask for two freshmen to play center back against the physical toughness and athleticism and mentality that West Virginia have. They get after you. I was concerned going into the game about our ability to deal with corner kicks and free kicks, and could we physically match up with the kids they had up top. And I thought both of them did really well.”

Senior forward Vanessa Skrumbis had the game’s best chance when she found herself alone with the keeper, but West Virginia junior goalkeeper Hannah Steadman made a vital stop for the Mountaineers to send the match to overtime.

Senior midfielder Daphne Corboz clinched the penalty victory for the Hoyas in the fifth and final round of kicks.

Freshmen midfielders Rachel Corboz,

FILE PHOTO: NATE MOULTON/ THE HOYA

Junior defender Sarah Adams has contributed to a Hoyas defense that has recorded 11 shutouts, including one against West Virginia on Saturday.

Taylor Pak and Clinton all clinched their penalty kicks as well, while West Virginia missed its first two in the shootout.

It was Georgetown’s second 4-3 penalty win in nine days. The first came against St. John’s and clinched a spot in the Big East final against DePaul last Sunday.

“It really boils down to who’s going to keep their nerves,” Nolan said. “They missed their first two, which was huge for us. It gave us a little bit of comfort.

They shot first, and normally you want to shoot first, but it only works if you score. If you miss, you’re always playing catch up. ... And then it was Daphne for the fifth one. ... I never had any doubt.

When she had the ball, I never had any doubt she was going to score.”

With the clinching penalty, Corboz handed West Virginia its first loss since August. It was the only one of 16 topfour seeded teams in the tournament knocked out in the first round.

The only other Big East team in the tournament, No. 13 DePaul (16-1-4, 7-0-2 Big East), who went undefeated in the regular season and won the Big East, lost 2-0 on a snowy night against No. 9 Wisconsin (19-2-2, 9-2-2 Big Ten).

Senior Hoya goalkeeper and Big East Second Team member Emma Newins made a game-saving stop on a goal-mouth scrum late in regulation and impressed by shutting out a team which had scored three or more goals on eight occasions this season.

“I am very proud of our win over West Virginia this past weekend,” Newins said.

“Our defense really stepped up to play especially after losing Marina to injury.

Sarah performed well at right back and our freshman center backs, Drew and Liz, played with a lot of confidence.”

Nolan believed that Georgetown certainly did enough in attack to deserve the penalty victory this time around.

“I thought the first game, West Virginia could really walk off the field feeling like they should have got more out of the game,” Nolan said. “This game was different. This was a far more even game. They had us under pressure in the first 10 or 15 minutes. … But even in that 15 minute period, Daphne hit the crossbar and Grace hit a shot that was turned around the post … and after that I feel that the game was pretty even.”

SPORTS

Men’s Basketball Texas A&M CC (1-0) at Georgetown (1-0) Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Verizon Center

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2014

WOMEN’S SOCCER The Hoyas upset third-seed West Virginia on penalty kicks in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

See A9

TALKING POINTS

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NUMBERS GAME

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We have the potential to surprise some people across the country.

SOPHMORE RUNNER SCOTT CARPENTER

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Peak Steals Show in Home Win

The number of freshmen, including L.J. Peak, that have ever started on opening day under John Thompson III.

MEN’S SOCCER

PETER BARSTON Hoya Staff Writer

MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA

Freshman forward L.J. Peak went 9-for-9 from the field in Georgetown’s 83-62 win over St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday.

CROSS-COUNTRY

Squads Qualify for NCAAs MADDIE AUERBACH Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown’s women’s and men’s crosscountry teams will advance to the NCAA Championship after first- and second-place respective finishes at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Meet last Friday in State College, Pa. “The regional meets are the qualifiers for the national meet, so you have to be top two in the region, and then there are also some teams that get at-large bids for the nationals. Our goal is always the national championship,” Women’s Head Coach Michael Smith said.

The No. 2 Georgetown women’s team finished first overall at the conference meet, with four of its runners finishing in the top 10. Senior All-American Katrina Coogan finished first overall in the meet, with a time of 20:06 on the 6-kilometer course. Junior Haley Pierce finished seventh overall with a time of 20:39, while junior Samantha Nadel finished eighth with a matching time.

Graduate student Madeline Chambers finished 10th overall with a time of 20:46.

“I was happy that my performance could contribute so greatly to the team score,” Coogan said of her winning performance. “Going into the meet we had a goal of winning, practicing things that were going to help us at NCAAs, and having a really strong team performance, and the fact that I could contribute to that was great.”

Georgetown barely edged over secondplace finisher No. 7 West Virginia, with 38 points in comparison to West Virginia’s 42.

Considering the team’s race strategy, such a high overall result was very impressive.

The Hoyas purposefully started the race slowly in order to challenge their mental toughness, pacing and emotional discipline.

“We purposefully tried to start really far back, so we sent them out off the [starting] line really slow,” Smith said. “We had athletes finish in the top 10 but they were in around 150th place one mile into the race.”

Its regular-season success placed Georgetown in a position to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA championship regardless of the regional meet’s results. Because of this, the Hoyas used the conference race as an opportunity to improve their race tactics.

“Having them start so far back and have to work their way forward — there was a good chance we could lose the meet that way, but I think it was better to try something like that and get something out of it,” Smith said. “We tried to put them in a kind of mentally challenging position which forced See NCAA, A8

An offseason filled with anticipation came to fruition Saturday at Verizon Center. In the season opener, the freshman class lived up to its hype in Georgetown’s (1-0) 83-62 win against the St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (0-1). Led by forward L.J. Peak, the Hoyas’ five freshmen all received playing time and combined for 42 points.

After losing two starters — point guard Markel Starks and forward Nate Lubick — to graduation, Saturday’s team was a shell of last year’s disappointing team.

“We are a totally different team than we were last year,” Head Coach John Thompson III said postgame.

The new, win-now mentality was confirmed from the moment the starting lineups were announced. In a move that ran counter to much of the prevailing punditry, freshman L.J. Peak received the start at small forward over senior Aaron Bowen — the first Georgetown freshman since center Greg Monroe in 2008 to start in the first game.

Peak’s introduction into the lineup signaled a shift to an up-tempo offensive strategy and a departure from their usual Princeton offense.

“They really hurt us in transition in See TERRIERS, A9

THE WATER COOLER

FIFAMust Reconsider Russia, Qatar Decision FIFA has recently come under fire It is fair to say that American sports fans are used to scandals and, regarding the 2018 and 2022 World at times, incompetency within the Cups, which it awarded to Russia and major sports leagues. From base- Qatar, respectively, back in 2010. Both nations have since been acball’s handling of the cused of rigging the voting steroid narrative to footprocess by bribing memball’s objectively poor bers of the FIFA Executive handling of labor, conCommittee, the group cussion and domestic that determines future violence issues, we have World Cup sites, though become accustomed to accusations have focused and nearly desensitized primarily on Qatar mainly by institutional failure. because there was so little Then, there is FIFA: the Mike Ippolito information provided by international governRussia. ing body of soccer, with its president, Sepp Blatter, the Boss Tweed to FIFA’s Tammany Hall.

See IPPOLITO, A8

FILE PHOTO: JULIA HENNRIKUS/ THE HOYA

Junior defender and co-captain Keegan Rosenberry has featured in a defense that has averaged just 0.60 goals allowed per game.

Hoyas Fall, Still Earn NCAA Bid ANDREW MAY Hoya Staff Writer

The No. 8 Georgetown men’s soccer team (12-4-4, 7-3-1 Big East) lost in the semifinals of the Big East tournament for the second straight year, falling 1-0 to the No. 11 Xavier Musketeers (14-6-2, 7-2-2 Big East) on Friday evening in PPL Park in Philadelphia. The eight-seeded Hoyas will next Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament against the winner of Old Dominion (12-61, 7-3-1 Conference USA) and St. Francis, Brooklyn College (11-5-4, 4-1-2 Northeast).

“I think you have to give a lot of credit to Xavier. I think Xavier was really good on the day. We watch a lot of video on Xavier and see them a lot as a conference opponent, and that was maybe the best I have seen Xavier play,” Head Coach Brian Wiese said.

Georgetown last played Xavier on Oct. 29 and won that defensive

struggle on an overtime penalty kick. As Friday’s match started, it looked as if Georgetown would grab the victory in regular time.

It had the ball in Xavier’s half for much of the first 45 minutes, and crosses from wing players senior midfielder Austin Martz and junior defenders Josh Turnley and co-captain Keegan Rosenberry seemed sure to create a goal.

Despite outplaying the Musketeers, the Hoyas could not translate their performance into shots on goal. Senior midfielder and co-captain Tyler Rudy forced Xavier’s only save of the half early in the 12th minute, when he shot from well outside the 18-yard box.

Sophomore forward Brett Campbell had the best opportunity of the half, with a chance to tap in a cross into an open net in the 43rd minute, but was whistled offside.

“It was a game where neither team was really creating a whole See XAVIER, A9

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Adomako Stars in 1-1 Opening Weekend KARA AVANCEÑA

into its first weekend of the season looking first and foremost to gain experience for its players and to test its defensive strategy.

The results were encouraging — Georgetown (1-1) split its first two games of the year, dominating the

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks at home in an 88-75 game Friday before losing a tight contest against the University of Richmond by a score of 65-57 Sunday.

Strong performances from freshman guard Dorothy Adomako and

DAN GANNON/THE HOYA

junior forward Dominique Vitalis and key rebounding lifted Georgetown over UMES (0-2) and allowed the team to put up a valiant effort against Richmond (2-0) despite shooting only 27.5 percent from the field in the second game.

Adomako, one of two freshmen to start both games, made an immediate impact on both ends of the court in her debut. She took and made the first two shots in the game against UMES and had a steal early to set up her second shot.

“It was a great feeling — ‘Wow, my first college point,’” Adomako said. “I just played defense and let the game come to me.”

Adomako ultimately posted a double-double against UMES, capping the game with 17 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

“I think [Adomako] did a great job of being shot-ready, but I also think she played a complete game,” Head Coach Natasha Adair said. “She defended, she rebounded, she took disciplined shots in our offense. She made extra effort plays — going to the offensive glass, diving on loose balls.”

Adomako also finished with a double-double against Richmond, posting 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds for the Hoyas. Her performances earned the preseason Big East freshman of the year the first Big East Freshman of the Week award of the season.

Freshman guard Dorothy Adomako led the team in both games this weekend in rebounds, with 14 on Friday and 11 on Sunday. She ranks second on the team in average points per game with 14.

See RICHMOND, A8

Hoya Staff Writer

With its young roster, a new coach and a projected eighth-place finish in the 10-team Big East, the Georgetown’s women’s basketball team went

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