The Hoya: March 7, 2014

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 95, No. 39, © 2014

FRIDAY, march 7, 2014

FASHION ISSUE

EDITORIAL Decriminalization is not enough to solve law enforcement inequality.

Go bold with patterned pants and bright colors this spring.

SPECIAL PULLOUT GUIDE

A YEAR OF HEADLINES University President John J. DeGioia sat for an extended interview.

FINAL ROAD TEST Georgetown will face No. 6 Villanova in its regular season finale.

NEWS, A4

SPORTS, A12

OPINION, A2

Northeast Triangle Wins OGB Approval Two more rounds of approval needed before construction begins Molly Simio

Hoya Staff Writer

CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Former men’s basketball Head Coach John Thompson Jr. acknowledges his fans at Verizon Center during a halftime tribute at the game against Creighton on Tuesday evening. The IAC will be named after him.

IAC Named for Thompson Jr. Carolyn Maguire Hoya Staff Writer

Construction on the Intercollegiate Athletics Center, which will be named for former men’s basketball coach John Thompson Jr., will begin this summer, University President John J. DeGioia announced in a campus-wide email Tuesday.

The athletics department again announced the center’s full name, the John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletics Center, at halftime of the men’s basketball game at Verizon Center on Tuesday evening.

“It was very appropriate to have Coach Thompson Jr.’s name used on this facility,” Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Lee Reed told The Hoya. “He has meant so much,

not only to Georgetown athletics and basketball, but to this university.”

According to Vice President of Public Affairs Erik Smulson, the university did not consider any other namesakes for the IAC. Thompson served as the head coach of the men’s basketball team from 1972 to 1999 and, in 1984, became the first black coach to win a major collegiate title.

In his 27-year tenure, Thompson collected 596 wins and 13 Big East championships, including seven regular-season titles and six tournament titles. After his retirement in 1999, Thompson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“He has impacted professions beyond being a basketball coach. He is bigger than a basketball coach,”

Reed said. “To be able to now have him and his name on this great facility, people will now remember his legacy forever. It couldn’t have happened to a better, more deserving person.”

The IAC will replace the adjacent McDonough Arena as the primary athletic center for Georgetown.

When McDonough was built in 1951, there were 250 studentathletes and nine varsity sports at Georgetown. Today, however, there are 750 student-athletes and 29 varsity sports. Although McDonough is no longer capable of fully serving Georgetown athletics, it will still be used, according to Reed.

“McDonough still has life,” Reed said. “We will still use McDonough and repurpose it because the See IAC, A6

Marijuana Addressing Access, No Longer SAT Receives Revamp Criminal Mallika Sen Hoya Staff Writer

Suzanne Monyak Hoya Staff Writer

Possession and private use of marijuana will no longer be treated as a criminal offense in D.C. for individuals over 21 under a bill passed by the D.C. Council with a vote of 10 to one Tuesday, pending approval by Mayor Vincent Gray and Congress.

The bill will reduce the sentence for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana from a criminal offense of up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine to a civil offense with a fine of $25; reduce the sentence for smoking marijuana in public from up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine to 60 days in jail; and disallow police from detaining, frisking, searching and arresting individuals based on possession of less than an ounce of marijuana or just on the smell of marijuana.

According to Grant Smith, policy manager for the pro-legalization Drug Policy Alliance, decriminalization of marijuana possession should result in fewer arrests across the District, thus saving taxpayer dollars and reducing the number of youths with arrest records.

“Our view is that marijuana should be taxed and regulated like alcohol and should be available for adults, with proper regulations and with restrictions in place,” Smith said.

Legislative Counsel K.J. Bagchi, who spoke on behalf of Councilmember Jim Graham (D-Ward 1), emphasized Graham’s support for the bill as a way to provide aid for youths struggling with substance abuse.

See MARIJUANA, A6

The College Board announced extensive changes to the SAT on Wednesday that will eschew the mandatory timed essay and esoteric vocabulary to return to a two-section format with a maximum score of 1,600 points — rather than 2,400 — and an optional essay.

The changes, which will take effect in 2016, are designed to enable accessibility for students of all backgrounds and provide results more indicative of academic knowledge and capability, as well as to reduce the role of test preparation courses in determining a student’s score.

The writing and critical reading sections will be condensed into a singular category, with vocabulary questions testing

words more commonly used in university settings. The math section will also be altered to better reflect math skills students will need after high school, like percentages and ratios, as well as some algebra, equations and their applications. The onefourth point penalty for incorrect answers will be eliminated.

An elucidation of the full scope of the changes will be revealed April 16.

“We will honor the qualities which have made the SAT excellent. We will build on the remarkable care and expertise which statisticians have used to make the exam valid and predictive,” College Board President David Coleman said at the announcement event in Austin, Texas. “While we build on the See SAT, A6

After months of negotiations and redesigns, the university’s Northeast Triangle Residence Hall was awarded final concept approval by the Old Georgetown Board at its monthly meeting Thursday.

“We’re feeling very good about the direction the project is taking, so we have taken action to approve conceptual design,” OGB member David Cox said.

The meeting, held at the National Building Museum, was attended by several Georgetown representatives including Vice President for Planning and Facilities Management Robin Morey and architects representing Sasaki Associates, the architecture firm that designed the Northeast Triangle.

Since the university announced plans to construct a new dormitory July 5, the Northeast Triangle project has been beset with roadblocks. Original concept designs for the residence hall were reworked after concerns were raised by students and alumni about the design’s perceived architectural incoherence with respect to other university buildings. While the design received approval from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E in November, architects went back to the drawing board to win the approval of the Old Georgetown Board, and the project was forced to push back its scheduled completion date from fall 2015 to fall 2016.

Georgetown University Student Association Director of Student Space Jack Appelbaum (COL ’14), who served on the Northeast Triangle Planning Committee, expressed excitement that, with approval, students would

COURTESY SASAKI ASSOCIATES

Pending approvals, Northeast Triangle construction is set for summer.

soon be able to see more tangible aspects of the residence hall taking shape.

“I really think it’s an exciting and imporant step in the project,” Appelbaum said. “It’s definitely a big change we’ve seen from the initial concepts over the summer. I think it’s really exciting to see things progressing and moving forward, and I think it means that people are going to start seeing more realities of the project starting to pop up.

The university won the OGB’s approval after changing the design for the residence hall based on input received from the board. The OGB had previously approved the proposed dorm’s height, massing and siting at its meeting Dec. 5.

“We’ve continued our efforts in refining the design, integrating the feedback from the larger community and we have received what we consider significant, enthusiastic support from the larger community as well as our main clients, the student body,” Morey said in an interview with The Hoya.

The new dorm, which will house approximately 225 students in accordance with the 2010 Campus Plan agreement, will feature suite-style housing primarily for sophomore students, similar to Copley Hall.

Throughout the most recent stages of the design process, architects worked to incorporate the suggestions of the OGB without straying from the initial design concept released in June.

“We felt our team had done a good job of integrating the comments from the OGB while still respecting many of the primary tenants that students wanted to see in the building. There’s a fine balancing act there and I think that … we were successful in trying to balance all of this competing interest,” Morey said.

Although they granted concept approval, OGB members still had objections to certain aspects of the Northeast Triangle’s design.

After previous feedback suggested that the design did not address heavy foot traffic on the south side of the building, Sasaki Associates added a new primary entrance on the south side of the residence hall that will lead into a large open social space on the ground floor.

Cox said he thought that the design for this entrance could still be improved upon.

“At the south entry, you don’t have enough depth. It’s like you came to it late and it hasn’t yet taken on a stake in your minds as important,” Cox said.

The final concept also featured a facade that was altered to incorporate elements of stone, brick and glass that are reminiscent of the stone buildings surrounding Healy Lawn and the brick buildings like Henle Village on the north side of campus, after being contested by OGB members in December.

A second cause of concern was the varying sizes of windows throughout the building. In the current design, the windows vary in width, which OGB member H. Alan Brangman likened to the design of a prison.

“I’m struggling to understand the See NET, A6

Pope Francis’ Influence Reaches Georgetown Nick Simon

Hoya Staff Writer

COURTESY GEORGETOWN COLLEGE

Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J., has found that Pope Francis has affected discussions in his courses, including “Comparative Political Systems.”

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Already nicknamed “Francis the Frugal” by international media in the 11 months since his elevation to the papacy, Pope Francis has influenced global political thinking and prompted interfaith conversation within the Georgetown community.

Born Jorge Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1936, Francis became the first South American as well as the first Jesuit priest to hold the position of pope when he was chosen March 13, 2013.

Pope Francis’ influence on the American political dialogue has been especially visible in his increased emphasis on legislation

regarding poverty, according to Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J. “Some people who have been talking about poverty and inequality for a long time have been vindicated

by Pope Francis. Other people have been challenged,” Carnes said. “Poverty seems to be something that everyone seems to be on the same side on. That’s a remarkable change.”

Professor of ethics and global development Fr. Drew Christiansen, S.J., concurred, noting Francis’ seamless ability to transcend the religious realm and enter the political.

“World leaders need a way to express their conviction in a way that takes hold. Moral authority in this See FRANCIS, A6

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A2

OPINION

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014

THE VERDICT

C

Founded January 14, 1920

EDITORIALS

Demarginalizing Marijuana C The D.C. Council’s 10-1 vote to decriminalize marijuana is a welcome step to improving consistency in the enforcement of the city’s drug laws. While it is an encouraging sign that Mayor Vincent Gray (D) is expected to sign the bill into law, the District would do well to go further in its search for a just and efficient policy by legalizing the drug.

According to an ACLU study, the District’s marijuana crime per capita arrest rate is among the highest in the country. Fourteen percent of black D.C. residents and 12 percent of white D.C. residents admit to using marijuana. However, black arrests for marijuana possession outnumbered white arrests eight to one in 2010. The council decided to reduce sentences for possession of marijuana from fines reaching into the thousands and prison time of up to six months to a $25 fine; this is founded in a sound concern for social justice in D.C. The D.C. Council is correct that the policies of the status quo are broken. As evidenced by the District’s eight-to-one arrest

however, reveals the university’s priorities, and in this case, athletics won out.

It was especially off-putting to find that implementers of the 2010 Campus Plan agreement, which requires housing an additional 385 students on campus by fall 2015, would seriously consider housing students off campus in a satellite residence before they would float the option of using the space designated for the IAC to add beds to campus. The space next to McDonough would not be ideal for student housing, and the Northeast Triangle on the other side of campus is making strides toward meeting Georgetown’s housing requirement, but putting the IAC over on-campus life again shows the administration’s priorities.

The option of a satellite residence upset students enough to prompt an entire campaign against it. In circumstances that tense, one would hope that the university would evaluate all its options and that the many would come before the few. The fact that the IAC remained off the table shows that, at least in this instance, that was not the case.

in 2009, Snowmageddon in 2010 and this year’s Polar Vortex, the trend of heavy snowfall in D.C. is here to stay. Georgetown should prepare for the possibility of snow days by scheduling more study days than needed before final exams in May. This would allow professors and students to make up classes if necessary without jeopardizing preparation for final exams.

Even if these additional study days were to go unused in some years, students would stand only to gain from having additional time to prepare for exams. While the additional study days would extend the academic year by a day or two, such an extension is warranted if the alternatives are missing out on course material or failing to provide enough time for exam preparation.

With increased flexibility, the university would be able to base the decision to cancel classes with a focus on the safety of professors rather than the security of their syllabi.

Emma Hinchliffe, Editor-in-Chief TM Gibbons-Neff, Executive Editor Sheena Karkal, Managing Editor Lindsay Lee, Online Editor Mallika Sen, Campus News Editor Madison Ashley, City News Editor Carolyn Maguire, Sports Editor Kim Bussing, Guide Editor David Chardack, Opinion Editor Alexander Brown, Photography Editor Ian Tice, Layout Editor Robert DePaolo, Copy Chief Karl Pielmeier, Blog Editor

Contributing Editors

Katy Berk, Zoe Bertrand, Pat Curran, Victoria Edel, Danny Funt, Chris Grivas, Penny Hung, Sarah Kaplan, Hanaa Khadraoui, Hunter Main, Eitan Sayag, Sean Sullivan, Emory Wellman

Hoya-in-Law — Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) (LAW ’88) will make a $1 million gift to establish a Hillary Clinton Fellowship at Georgetown University Law Center.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Michelle Xu

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

A Snow Day Solution When many students were holding their breath in anticipation of a snow day Sunday evening, an email from University Registrar John Q. Pierce dampened the exciting prospect of a three-day weekend.

Almost three hours before students received notice that classes had been cancelled Monday, Pierce informed the Georgetown community that the university had exceeded its capacity for snow days. He proposed three alternatives in his email: synchronous online classes that day, asynchronous online classes later that week or using Tuesday, April 29 — a study day before final exams — to make up those classes.

Although the availability of university technology provides the opportunity to conduct makeup classes online, the option to hold “face to face instruction,” as Pierce called it, is inherently more enticing.

However, taking away one of the three study days scheduled before exams begin is not a fair solution. With Snowpocalypse

Down with the Law — Georgetown Law saw a 5 percent decrease in enrollment from 2012 to 2013.

ratio, it is clear that any tax dollars devoted to the prosecution of marijuana users are tax dollars funding discrimination against the city’s minorities.

Decriminalization breaks the tie between marijuana usage and socially destructive patterns of policing and arrest, reaffirming police officers’ focus on protecting and serving the people in their neighborhoods and preventing more serious crimes. However, while decriminalization will help to fight the trend toward discrimination in law enforcement, it will not eradicate it. Only legalization will fully prevent unequal enforcement, even if that enforcement is only of a small fine.

Decriminalization takes a valuable step forward, but the playing field is not yet leveled for all District residents. With the recent legalizations of marijuana in Washington and Colorado, D.C. should take the opportunity to profit off what is currently illegal economic activity and reorient law enforcement efforts toward community priorities.

For Athletes’ Use Only Universities have a lot to gain from varsity sports. Successful athletic programs bring widespread publicity and brand name recognition to university names.

When administering programs to benefit varsity athletes, however, the university should take care to ensure that non-athletes receive a fair amount of attention and funding as well. In the construction of the Intercollegiate Athletics Center, Georgetown has neglected to acknowledge this perspective.

The $60 million IAC, which will be built next to McDonough Arena with funding from the Campaign for Georgetown, promises to be a substantial and needed improvement over existing varsity athletic facilities. New locker rooms, coaches’ offices, training rooms, medical facilities and basketball courts will all serve varsity athletes well. And the construction of the IAC will certainly aid recruitment of top athletes to Georgetown.

The decision to devote significant campus space and capital campaign funding to a facility exclusively for the use of athletics when so many other needs abound,

In Like a Lion — African lion Shera gave birth to four cubs Sunday at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Deputy Campus News Editor Sam Abrams Deputy Campus News Editor Kit Clemente Deputy City News Editor Suzanne Monyak Deputy Business Editor Natasha Khan Deputy Sports Editor Andrew May Deputy Sports Editor Tom Schnoor Sports Blog Editor Max Wheeler Deputy Guide Editor Allison Hillsbery Deputy Guide Editor Jess Kelham-Hohler Deputy Opinion Editor Matthew Grisier Deputy Photography Editor Julia Hennrikus Deputy Photography Editor Daniel Smith Deputy Photography Editor Michelle Xu Deputy Layout Editor Michelle Cardona Deputy Layout Editor Kennedy Shields Deputy Copy Editor Jackie McCadden Deputy Copy Editor Zack Saravay Deputy Copy Editor Sharanya Sriram Deputy Blog Editor Emma Holland

Editorial Board David Chardack, Chair Katy Berk, Taylor Coles, Patrick Drown, Ben Germano, Kelly Nosé

Overplayed Criticism for TFA To the Editor: After reading Bridget McElroy’s article, “A Valuable Lesson for Teach for America” [The Hoya, A3, Feb. 28, 2014] I thought it imperative to share my own perspective as a teacher and 2013 member of Teach for America.

First, please don’t tell me what I fail to consider as a teacher. In your article, you criticize “TFA corps members … for failing to consider the entrenched socioeconomic and racial inequities facing underprivileged students.” If there is one thing that TFA focuses on, it’s the challenges facing underprivileged students.

During the five-week training program, TFA requires that each of its members partake in diversity, community and achievement sessions. These sessions focus on classroom equity and social justice and allow corps members to talk about these issues openly. Concurrently, corps members are collaborating with three other teachers in the running of an actual classroom. DCA sessions allow corps members to reflect on how their teaching “considers the entrenched socioeconomic and racial inequities facing underprivileged students” in real time.

Once in your actual classroom, TFA hosts a daylong training session every two months.

During that time, we have sessions on “identity, diversity & inclusiveness.” These sessions

D.J. Wise COL ’13

Israel Needs a Mandela To the Editor: According to Students for Justice in Palestine President Leila Shebaro (SFS ’15), “a two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian question “is not generally accepted by members of the SJP” [The Hoya, “Israeli Apartheid: More Than a Metaphor,” A3, Feb. 25, 2014].

This statement exemplifies the problem with SJP’s campaign to depict the situation in Israel as apartheid.

Nelson Mandela often gets credit for the downfall of apartheid after years of unrest and turmoil in South Africa. Riots, bombings and brutal martial law were the order of the day; any semblance of racial harmony must have seemed impossibly remote. Today, South Africa is not without racial tensions, but violence is no longer a normal vehicle of politics.

How was Mandela able to end apartheid amid chaos? According to F. W. de Klerk, Mandela “lived reconciliation” and was “a great unifier.” Mandela treated whites not as perpetrators of apartheid, but as partners for achieving justice. He respected their concerns and did not threaten their livelihoods. He reached out with an open

Michal Grabias, General Manager Jason Yoffe, Director of Accounting Christina Wing, Director of Corporate Development Nicole Foggan, Director of Marketing Addie Fleron, Director of Personnel Brian Carden, Director of Sales Nick DeLessio, Director of Technology Clara Cheng Kevin Wilson Tessa Bell Sean Choksi Laura Tonnessen Chris Amaya Dimitri Roumeliotis Natasha Patel Charles Lee Nicole Yuksel Ellen Zamsky Emily Manbeck Christine Cha Chris Hedley Katherine Seder Matthew De Silva Casandra Schwartz Janet Zhu

are tailored to each corps member’s understanding of their own racial and socioeconomic identity and their realization of the identity of their students. Corps members work together with staff members and fellow teachers to better understand the specific hardships facing our students and to address those concerns in the classroom.

My final concern is with your use of the word “temptation.” I wasn’t drawn to TFA for any other reason than that I wanted to affect the lives of 180 students upon leaving Georgetown. I do not believe that I am changing the whole state of education simply by being a teacher. Waking at 4 a.m. every day to arrive at school early enough to prepare for the day is not tempting. Working 15 or more hours each weekend designing a curriculum centered on social justice is not tempting. No, tempting is not the right word: It is rewarding. Yes, that is it. TFA is rewarding because I am affecting the lives of 180 students every day. I am changing education not from the outside but from within.

That is where the real struggle is every day: The struggle for educational reform takes place in room 814 at Canyon Springs High School. Feel free to stop by and learn a thing or two.

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Consultants Kent Carlson, Kevin Tian, Mary Nancy Walter, Mullin Weerakoon, Simon Wu

hand, not an angry fist.

SJP accuses Israel of “apartheid” and practices “anti-normalization,” rejecting dialogue without rhetorical preconditions. Earlier this year, the SJP withdrew from an event it was to co-host with pro-peace Israel advocacy groups. That some members refuse to accept the existence of a Jewish state is even worse.

SJP’s approach reflects an utter disregard for Israeli society and Jewish communities. It deliberately refuses to consider the interests, concerns or livelihoods of Israelis.

Mandela knew he would never end apartheid and racial strife if he demonized whites and demanded indemnity from them. SJP should likewise recognize that its approach, if continued, will turn Israelis and Jews against negotiation and will only prolong Palestinian suffering. Israel and its supporters also have some rethinking to do: The government must begin to treat Palestinian civilians with dignity.

Nevertheless, SJP should work for progress via dialogue, not vindictive ostracism.

Ben Brown SFS ’17

Board of Directors

Evan Hollander, Chair

Michal Grabias, Emma Hinchliffe, Hanaa Khadraoui, Vidur Khatri, Hunter Main, Braden McDonald 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.

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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.

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OPINION

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014

THE HOYA

A3

CALLING MY SHOT

VIEWPOINT • Chisholm

Striving to An Open Invitation to Kanye West Untether D Ourselves ‘Y

ou’re not from around here, are you?”

For a girl whose identity thrives on evanescence, this question is music to my ears. For me, it’s a lifestyle, sewn into my roots by capricious parents whose home was the road.

Back then, I was a participant in their incessant relocation, and begrudgingly so. Every two years, I adjusted to a new school system, a new social system or a new weather system. Alaska, Florida, Montana, Virginia, Hawaii — the list goes on. The two years would allot me just about enough time to unpack, introduce myself, pack up again and say goodbye.

Certainly, it was an acquired taste.

Travel — especially long term — imposes an isolation that necessitates our most adaptive natures. For me, it encouraged a personality of independence and selfsufficiency. Even more valuable were the multitudes of people I encountered, so colorfully variant in their individuality. So then, why doesn’t everyone else live that way?

Though in my younger years I was naive to the alternative, since I’ve been at Georgetown, I have begun to understand the more cyclical lifestyle approach that fosters advantages of its own. For one, it establishes a setting, a constant upon which we interpret and understand the variables in life.

It grants us the freedom to cultivate enduring relationships, or at least the time to try. But we all eventually graduate from Georgetown, and so imposed on us will be the obligation to make the first adult decision of our lives: “Where do I go from here?”

The choice is daunting, and for many of us, the outcome will play a pivotal role for our futures. Opportunity will beckon, and our hearts will tug us obstinately in different directions. And yet even though our freedom is ripe, the sprouting of obligation is as inconspicuous as it is insidious: You get a job, then a dog, a significant other, a lease, a better job (with benefits), a child, a house — and in all the commotion you may not even register the tightening tendrils of liability around your ankles.

And thus, you are rooted.

There are still more doors open to us than we can fathom, but some of

When everybody lives for tomorrow, who lives for today? those doors close if we wait too long, and others lock behind us as we walk through. Some paths might promise success. There are some that ensure tranquility. Others still which promise nothing more than a good story to tell afterwards. Whatever the route I wend, a simple and unwavering aim endures: to live a fulfilling life.

To be happy and successful requires more than simple elbow grease; it is a blossoming, an upward and outward growth to our matured forms. I’m not saying jump ship and swim to Cancun.

Rather, there is a way to establish balance between the search for novelty and the gradual institution of routine.

When we live a patterned existence, we stop processing or remembering periodic activities, such as the routine drive to work, another morning lost in its own shuffle.

Now and then, I grow restless. Partially, it is a product of the wanderlust that was disseminated to a young pup by her pack of frontier hunters. More than that, though, it is that I now have familiarity with the urge myself. It grows first as a curiosity, then before long, it metastasizes to this extensive, immutable fascination. Often times it is a place, but more generally it is a concept that commands my attention.

But back when I was a child, I had no say in where I was taken to, skipping what was arguably the most profoundly rewarding element of the entire experience. As my father called it, it was the “anticipatory delight.”

I know that one day I will tether myself to obligation, but part of this balancing act is learning to live in the present. There is an unmistakable irony to it: You consume the majority of your adolescence pushing for acceptance to your dream university, you devote your collegiate life to the prospect of a respectable career, you dedicate your paychecks to educate your kids and they lather, rinse and repeat. When everybody lives for tomorrow, who lives for today?

So, take those chances of yours and shelve them if you want, but Drake counted right when he said you only live once. That foreignness is out there.

It waits for me, with a magnetism that is authentic and palpable, and I embrace it. I want to embody it, to become it. Because I know what people mean when they say I’m not “from around here.”

To me, it says, “You’re different, and I can tell.”

CELESTE CHISHOLM is a junior in the College.

ear Mr. West: I would like to cordially invite you to be interviewed at Georgetown University, in one of our historic campus venues.

Some readers will undoubtedly mock this as frivolous fan mail instead of an appeal to a leading social pioneer, which is exactly why I urge you to accept the offer.

While promoting the Yeezus Tour this winter, you addressed an array of profound cultural controversies, ranging from marginalization of artists and classist antagonism to the mental enslavement that pervades society through the shackles of conformity. Yet, too many Americans have either misunderstood that message or failed to hear it in the first place, and I believe your remarks have scratched the surface of their potential to stir and shape public discourse.

Only so much can be accomplished with interviews at music radio stations and on TV talk shows, partly because those hosts incessantly divert to tabloid headlines. At Georgetown, students would be eager to engage you in a deeper discussion of these provocative but pivotal issues. You have said before that some people are raised by their parents to understand your message while others are not. I believe those on campus are more receptive and impressionable than you give them credit for, and this interview is a chance to prove that point.

We should discuss the racist and classist aspects of your professional frustrations. You have been marginalized by the fashion industry because you are a black celebrity, and the idea of a modern Renaissance man is dismissed by corporate insiders. The public still fails to see that your desire for creative and economic empowerment is not driven by materialism or greed. After all, you once said, “We buy our way out of jail, but we can’t buy freedom.”

We should discuss the homophobia that you have criticized for years in hip-hop. We should use this Catholic campus to dis-

Georgetown students would be eager to engage Mr. West in a discussion of provocative but pivotal issues. cuss the motivation you get from your religious beliefs. We should discuss the expansive vision you have for your production company, DONDA. We should discuss the failure of music critics to properly recognize high-end artistry. Cultural criticism has a social function, yet throughout your career you have identified the racial under-

tones and institutional biases that undermine reviews and award shows. Instead of appreciating that systemic unfairness, people continue to fixate on the Taylor Swift moment without understanding its real implications.

We should discuss the common inability to differentiate ambition and confidence from egoism and arrogance. People often attack

dreamers because of their own insecurities, and you have noted the way we adopt self-imposed limitations in life when we are taught to think less of ourselves.

When one radio host heard you complain about classist marginalization and asked, “Why don’t you just work at Walmart?” he represented a tragic misunderstanding of what you are out to accomplish.

In a column last October [“Kanye West Is, Indeed, A God,” THE HOYA, A3, Oct. 1, 2013], I wrote, “At a time when lackluster music quality, corporate influence and waning interest in the arts are so prevalent, it’s disheartening that someone like Kanye West is dismissed, not celebrated. Those who say he should be content with fame miss the direction of his motives; those who say he’s an egomaniac miss the purpose of his passion.”

The confusion I referenced extends beyond bloggers and YouTube commenters to people such as South Carolina State Rep. Bakari Sellers (D), who said in a radio interview in New York City last month, “I don’t think there’s a political statement that Kanye West can make that I would entertain.”

People like President Obama or Sellers should be among your biggest allies, and the Georgetown platform can help further the credibility of your social commentary to a broader audience.

“Just the fact that I’m willing to lose is an inspiration to try” is motivation enough for me to extend this invitation. When you reach out to people like former Google CEO Eric Schmidt for support, you’ve noted that even Michelangelo needed the Medici family.

Well, even Steve Jobs benefitted from Walter Isaacson.

Your debut album “The College Dropout” was released 10 years ago. Maybe now is the perfect time to return to campus. We would be honored to have you.

Danny Funt is a senior in the College. He is the former editor-inchief of The Hoya. CALLING MY SHOT appears every other Friday.

VIEWPOINT • Alfonzo

AS THIS JESUIT SEES IT ...

Where Is the Outrage A Passion for Reading Outside Academic Texts Over Venezuela?

S

hortly before being named nationWe now know that reading changes al security adviser in 2000, Con- us. Studies conducted last year at the doleezza Rice admitted in a news- New School of Social Research showed paper profile that she had “stopped that reading literary fiction increases reading for pleasure” early in life. Hers our ability to detect and understand was a driven childhood, in which her the emotions of others. It enhances our parents and teachers pushed her to ex- empathy, making us more effective at cel, and she was pushed into so many navigating social relationships. This book clubs that she “never developed effect is most pronounced for fiction the fine art of recreational reading.” that requires us to “fill in the gaps” Of course, she still read — extensively as we imagine the motives and meanand productively, en route to an impres- ings behind the words on the pages. As sive academic and government career — characters come to life for us, we carry but it was always work for her. them with us beyond the page, ponderI remember hearing this fact at the ing their decisions and imagining how time and thinking that it was nothing we might have acted in their place. less than tragic. I immediately thought The Jesuit mindset has a natural afof how much pleasure finity for this kind of reading had brought immersive reading. As me through the years: a young man, St. Ignatiintellectual discovery, us Loyola loved to read knowledge of the world the stories of courtly and, most importantly, love that were popular an awareness of what in his day. He would let it means to be human. his imagination run Even though I identiwild as he reflected fied with her sense of on each knight’s virbeing overwhelmed by Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J. tues and every heroic so much to read — and I event. When he was worried a bit about the later injured in battle, amount of reading I ashe would read the “Life These days, I often sign for my courses — I of Christ” in the same dedicate myself to could not imagine life way, imagining each without the joy of readreading for renewal. of the scenes as vividly ing. as a motion picture.

I’m especially aware In this way, he began of my love of reading this week, as we dreaming of doing great things in serbegin spring break. These days, I often vice of God and the poor. dedicate myself to what I call “reading The first Jesuits were considered for renewal.” I let go of some of the radical because they incorporated work reading, and I let my mind be into their schools humanist writing, drawn to whatever attracts my fancy. especially drama, poetry, oratory and I cherish the chance to page through history. They recognized that richly recent issues of The New Yorker and depicted stories capture our hearts and The Economist and The Atlantic, lin- imaginations in ways that discursive gering over the immersive accounts of texts rarely do, inspiring us to contemwhat has now come to be called “long- plate what kinds of people we want to form journalism.” The stories take me be, what values we want to embrace around the globe, introduce me to and what kinds of work and service we fascinating people and often leave me feel called to perform. with new perspectives to ponder.

As you embark on spring break, I inAs I travel on planes or buses dur- vite you to be as radical as those first Jeing break, I particularly love to read suits and make reading for renewal part novels. They allow me to explore other of your journey. Pick up a novel or nonworlds and inhabit the minds and fiction book or article you have wanted experiences of people wildly differ- read. Put away the smartphone and let ent from myself. In recent months, yourself be transported to worlds far I have lived in David Egger’s privacy- beyond the Hilltop. This is not escapinvading Silicon Valley in “The Circle,” ism from your academic work, but the contemplated moments of soaring fulfillment of your Jesuit education triumph and aching depth in Colum at Georgetown, which is just as much McCann’s “Let the Great World Spin” about the heart — and imagination and and entered into the lives of what empathy — as it is about the mind. seemed like a thousand characters in the “Game of Thrones” series. Each Fr. Matthew Carnes, S.J., is an ashas become for me a new landscape, sistant professor in the government sometimes frightening, other times department. He is one of the alterinviting and inspiring, but always nating writers for AS THIS JESUIT SEES mind-expanding.

IT ... which appears every other Friday.

O

ver the past month, thousands of students from universities all over Venezuela have staged massive protests against President Nicolas Maduro. The streets of Venezuelan cities have been flooded with people showing their discontent for the president’s social and economic policies, which have driven the country to its worst economic condition in decades and have made the capital of Caracas a hotbed for kidnappings and violent crime.

In Maduro’s tenure, the country has seen some of its gravest domestic concerns yet. Rising inflation rates h a v e depreciated Venezuelans’ a c qu i s i tive purchasing power.

Government delinquency and impunity have taken the lives of 25,000 ordinary citizens without bringing the responsible parties to justice.

A government monopoly on news channels has violated our fundamental rights of free speech and the ability to convey information from person to person. It is no wonder why so many students have decided to take to the streets and express their discontent with the situation in which they live.

But solutions to these domestic problems are within the parameters of the government and the constitution — though the constitution, too, has been manipulated by the government. Rather, Venezuela needs attention from the international community because of the other crimes committed against its people: the oppression and persecution of harmless students on the streets, 15 of whose lives have already been taken by government forces.

Venezuelan citizens face extreme injustice as the national armed forces and government-supporting armed gangs violently subjugate anyone who takes to the

streets to express discontent.

But protesting is something we should fundamentally be able to do in a free country.

To quote Martin Luther King Jr., one of the greatest defenders of civil rights, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

We can all agree that, as rational beings raised in a democratic community, we should stand against any such aggression and injustice as if it were happening in our own streets. This case is no exception — as members of the international community, we cannot stay silent and merely watch these horrible crimes t h a t have destroyed t h e streets and the families of Venezuela.

It is our duty as members of just societies and defenders of freedom to extend our help to those communities struggling with violations of human rights.

The international community must not stand behind the barrier that the government has imposed to blatantly try to hide the human rights violations currently happening in Venezuela.

Organizations like the United Nations were founded during an era of rebuilding after one of humanity’s most horrific wars under the premise that it would help defend human rights around the world. It is now time to use this international power to break the silence and prevent the bloodshed of peaceful protesters who dream only of a country where they can have a voice capable of changing their government.

I speak not only as a Venezuelan by birth and of heart, but as a Venezuelan watching the terrible events that have unfolded over the past month. It’s time to act.

We should stand against any injustice as if it were happening in our own streets.

ALBERTO ALFONZO is a freshman in the School of Foreign Service.

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THE HOYA

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NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Ambassador Barbara Bodine will head the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.

See story at thehoya.com.

Your news — from every corner of The Hoya.

IN FOCUS

verbatim

RUSSIAN RANCOR

“ [It] is quite an act of bravura, I must say.

”

U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Deborah McCarthy (GRD ’79) on Lithuania’s stance against Russia.

See story at thehoya.com.

from

DCLIVING.COM

COURTESY ALEXIS CARLSON

Protestors opposed to recent Russian military incursions into the Crimean peninsula, which belongs to Ukraine, amassed for two hours outside the Russian Federation’s embassy, located at 2650 Wisconsin Ave. NW, on Thursday afternoon.

THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ADAMS MORGAN 4E features some of the liveliest nightlife locations in one of the District’s most vibrant neighborhoods. blog.thehoya.com

A Year’s Worth of Headlines: The DeGioia Interview DANNY FUNT

Hoya Staff Writer

University President John J. DeGioia has spent virtually his entire adult life on the Hilltop, and under his leadership, Georgetown has launched two major fundraising campaigns, expanded campus facilities dramatically and adapted academics to the new millennium. But President DeGioia doesn’t do many interviews, and we were pleased to finally speak with him March 4 and address an accumulation of questions from a year’s worth of headlines.

Below is an abridged transcript.

For the complete video, visit thehoya.com.

There’s that very memorable photograph of the three-way handshake between you, Mayor Gray and the community leader Ron Lewis after the 2010 Campus Plan agreement was reached in the summer of 2012.

But in seeing the aftermath across so many areas of campus life, is there any denying that students were on the losing end of that bargain?

I would never characterize it that way. We actually have had the most positive working relationship with the neighborhood during my years at the university, going all the way back to my student years. We are able now to move forward and continue our efforts to expand oncampus residential capacity with the new Northeast Triangle and renovation of the old Jesuit Residence. That agreement enables us to strengthen the student experience and have a clear framework for growth.

Maybe the biggest story on campus this year has been the possibility that an undergraduate dormitory would be acquired several miles off campus, and there was overwhelming disapproval from students and recent alumni upon hearing that news. That plan has been scrapped for now, but where did you stand on the satellite residence?

We’ve had them before. During my undergraduate years we had one right on Massachusetts Avenue — Alban Towers, it was called. We had between 800 and 900 students living there. It was never ideal, and when we had the opportunity to build more on-campus housing and sell Alban Towers we did so. We were looking at a range of options. Our preference was always to find on-campus possibilities, and we needed to do the work to be able to determine if we could fit a residence hall next to Reiss; could we convert the old Jesuit Residence. Pieces of that puzzle weren’t clear.

In November, you unveiled your Defining the Future of Higher Education Initiative. At that time, you noted that higher education is at a critical turning point, but you also said that it may have lost its way recently, including at Georgetown. What did you mean by that?

The key point that I was trying to address was this question that in the face of unprecedented challenges in our lifetimes to the traditional model for higher education, how do we understand those challenges as potential opportunities? What is it that we have to protect, and what is it that we need to engage? There are three elements of the university that must be understood and protected: the formation of students, the inquiry of our faculty and the commitment of the university to contribute to the common good.

Those three elements are inextricably linked, and one of the mistakes that’s being made right now is the idea that you might be able to isolate pieces of this from the other elements.

There seems to be a growing emphasis among students on the pre-professional aspects of a Georgetown education. Is any reform needed to counter that career-oriented approach to academics?

On the one hand, we fully recognize the interests of our students entering an ever-more complex workforce, and there are some core skills that it would be great if we could ensure that they pick up while they’re here. The question we’re wrestling with right now is does that have to happen in our traditional curriculum? I joke that we offer the minor in the College in business just to bring peace to the Thanksgiving dinner table, so that anybody going home with an English, theology or philosophy major could be able to say to their folks, “Well, I got this covered.” The idea that we’ve got to find the right balance is very important for the lived reality of our students.

The cost of attending Georgetown has more than doubled since you took office. Do you fear that barriers are only getting higher to studying on the Hilltop?

It’s never been more challenging for us to ensure that anybody who wants to study here can study here. In 1978, it cost us $2 million to meet the cost of our full-need financial aid policy. This year, it will cost us $107 million. We’ve sustained the policy, and it still sends the signal to students anywhere in the country that this a place that’s realistic and affordable.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

University President John J. DeGioia sat down with The Hoya for an interview Tuesday, fielding questions on financial aid, the McCourt donation and Big East realignment. For a complete video, visit thehoya.com.

When you think about people like Edward Bunn, Francis Healy and Joseph Lauinger, who are immortalized around campus, does someone like Frank McCourt, who has faced serious criticism for the way he accumulated his fortune, belong in that company?

Frank McCourt is from a three-generation legacy family at Georgetown.

His contribution came from a life of hard work and engagement. He felt it appropriate to give back to the university at this time in his life. I recognize that there was lots of public criticism of Mr. McCourt, but none of that in any way should result in a criticism of his generosity to support the mission of this university.

You had a prominent role in Big East realignment. Last fall, Dean of Under-

graduate Admissions Charles Deacon told me in an interview, “From an institutional basis, the only negative is that we are probably taking a step backward in the national spotlight.”

As important as basketball has been for growing our national reputation, is there any concern the new arrangement could diminish that?

The only way it will be a step backward is if the Big East doesn’t play basketball at the highest possible level. This season is a good indication that this a group of schools that will be able to play at the highest level. We can just give it a little bit of time.

At your inaugural address in 2001, you identified the tension between Catholic values and the practices of the academy. As president, what

has been the most challenging instance when you’ve had to navigate that tension?

I suppose the most public, and significant challenge, was dealing with the implications of the Affordable Care Act. We wanted to be sure that we had fidelity to the deepest values that have animated this university for 225 years.

If you were in a position to choose your successor, and after reviewing all the candidates, the most qualified person happened to be gay, would he or she get the job?

I can’t imagine that our board of directors would discriminate for any candidate regardless of the criteria.

So that’s a yes, potentially?

Absolutely.

NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014

THE HOYA

A5

Winter Hurts Homeless MADDY MOORE Special to The Hoya

MARY MURTAUGH FOR THE HOYA

Preliminary renovations to Lauinger Library’s Special Collections Research Center commenced this week to enhance reading rooms, classrooms and exhibit spaces.

Renovations Begin on Lau Special Collections ASHLEY MILLER Hoya Staff Writer

Lauinger Library has entered the beginning stages of renovations to the Special Collections Research Center on the fifth floor to update and expand the space, this week.

Throughout the renovations, designed

by Bowie Gridley Architects, administrators hope to keep the noise and disruptions to students in the library at a minimum. Construction, led by Manhattan Construction, will take place Monday through Friday, from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We found that especially our undergraduate users tend to be here late afternoon and all through the night and so our hope is that the disruption will be minimal,” University Librarian Artemis Kirk said.

The renovation will not only update the Special Collections Research Center, but also move some of the crucial materials and staff to the first floor in order to continue services.

“We are redoing that space. It will be temporary space for special collections folk and some materials from which they will continue their service,” Kirk said.

Updates will feature a state-of-the-art shelving area and vault, which will be environmentally controlled. A classroom for teaching with special collections will be added, along with an enhanced reading room for researchers, a separate reception area and improved exhibition spaces. Collaborative study space for faculty, staff and students will also be added.

The renovations are taking place after years of planning to update the standards of the Special Collections Research Center to meet current preservation standards.

“During this 40-year period of time, in addition to having received so many more materials and the need to store them and keep them and preserve them, the standards have changed in preservation, so we are updating and upgrading the systems,” Kirk said.

This renovation is an opportunity to strengthen scholarly research possibilities by taking care of the collection and expanding research space. According to the website, the project costs $5 million and will be mainly funded through philanthropy.

“Because our job as librarians is to see to it that the scholarly communications continuum exists and that people use the materials that we have here to create new knowledge for the future but to make sure that we preserve all these things,” Kirk said.

There will be no construction during the exam period and Kirk stated that most of the loud and disruptive construction will be happening over the summer.

Kirk anticipates little concern over the renovation’s effect on study space on the floor itself.

“The Special Collections really wasn’t a study space to begin with, in the way that a lot of students would come in and expect to do their own assignments,” Kirk said.

However, Vice President for Planning and Facilities Robin Morey acknowledged that the renovations would spill over to the third floor, causing the Pierce Reading Room to be closed temporarily.

“The schedule contains a three-week period when the third-floor reading room will be closed. The work will be scheduled ahead of time with sufficient notice to users,” Morey said.

However, according to Coordinator of Communications, Outreach and Programming Jennifer Smith, these plans have not been finalized.

Kirk explained that the closure may occur because the heating systems between the fifth floor and the reading room are connected.

For students, these renovations may disrupt their regular study patterns. However, the updates will enhance study life.

For students, the renovations may be welcomed, as better study space is made available.

“Right now it’s kind of barren and a little dated, so [the construction] is encouraging, I knowitwillfacilitatelearning,”ThomasMcAuley (COL ’17) said of the planned renovations.

Although McAuley frequently studies on the fifth floor, he said he would not be bothered by the construction.

“It probably will annoy some people, but there’s four other floors and it’s probably worth it. … It sounds like they’re trying to do their best to make it convenient and not disruptive to everyone, so I’m not going to be bothered by it, I’ll still go to Lau 5,” McAuley said.

The hours of renovation also will allow students who study frequently at night to avoid disruption. According to McAuley, he normally studies after the 6 p.m., after the end of construction.

“If I’m studying earlier, I go to a different floor because earlier in the day the other floors aren’t as crowded, the only reason I go to Lau 5 is because it’s not very crowded,” McAuley said.

Volunteers Needed for Tanning Research!

Are you a woman between the ages of 18 and 30 who has used an indoor tanning bed in the past year?

Researchers at Georgetown University are looking for young adult women to volunteer for a research study about tanning and skin cancer risk. The principal investigator is Dr. Darren Mays, PhD, MPH. The purpose of the study is to learn more about how young adult women use indoor tanning beds and how that may relate to skin cancer risk.

What’s Involved?

• Females ages 18 to 25 who have used a tanning bed or other indoor tanning device • Complete a brief online survey • Some will be asked to provide a DNA sample and complete up to two telephone interviews • Receive up to $70 in gift cards for your time

Interested? Please email habit@georgetown.edu or call (202) 784-2202

Since Feb. 1, D.C. Alert has issued 27 hypothermia alerts urging residents to stay indoors. For the approximately 7,000 individuals that make up D.C.’s homeless population, this past winter has been unforgiving.

As one of the few cities in the United States with a right-to-shelter policy in place on freezing nights, D.C. has turned to alternate forms of shelter, including churches and community centers, to house its increasingly large homeless population has seen a 135 percent increase this winter, among other reasons, because of a sharp decrease in the District’s affordable housing units.

“People are more aware of the large homeless population just because it’s been so brutally cold. ... It’s the coldest winter in more than 20 years,” said Gunther Stern, executive director of the Georgetown Ministry Center, which operates a homeless shelter from November to March.

In response to the overflow, Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration has resorted to renting motel rooms in the District and nearby Maryland to accommodate the overflow of homeless individuals.

Sarah Baran (COL ’14), a program assistant at the GMC founded in 1987 by the university in partnership with the Georgetown Clergy Association, has noticed an increase in homeless people coming into the shelter this winter.

“They are getting more people because it’s been so cold and because of the snow.

It’s been hard on them to get more resources and accommodate the increased number,” Baran said.

James Gadea (SFS ’16), a coordinator with the Mobile Soup Kitchen, which takes soup and other foods to parks in D.C., has also noticed an increase in the District’s homeless population in recent months.

“Franklin Park is complete-

ly full on the weekends,” Gadea said. “All kinds of people come. It’s not just the homeless people that you would expect to see. There are people in suits there that come and get food as well. ... The diversity of the homeless population and the number specifically at Franklin Park is tremendous.”

D.C.’s homeless population has seen a 9.3 percent increase since 2008 to 7,000 individuals, a number not seen since the 1980s, according to the Washington Post. About half of this population receives absolutely no income, according to the nonprofit organization Thrive D.C. With the Democratic mayoral primary April 1, the issue of homelessness has been a more than frequent buzzword for D.C. politicians in recent weeks. Former events promoter and longshot mayoral candidate Carlos Allen outlined the importance of incorporating compassion into the city’s homeless agenda in a mayoral debate Feb. 26.

“I was homeless once in this city. I know what it’s like to get back on your feet. What is missing is communication between the city and those people out on the street to let them know that there are resources available to help them move forward in their lives. It’s all about bringing compassion back to this city,” Allen said.

Local politician Carolyn Cook had a different suggestion.

Cook, a commissioner for the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in Ward 4, urged the government to develop a program providing seasonal jobs like raking leaves or shoveling snow as a source of income for the homeless but received little response last year.

“It would be great for the District government to consider a plan like hiring seasonal employees. They are putting people who might be long-term unemployed into jobs,” Cook said. “They have sort of fallen through the cracks not having a home or

stability in their lives with not having an income.”

The proposal was inspired by a conversation Cook overheard at a local community center for the elderly where neighbors were discussing the difficulty and danger of shoveling their own sidewalks, which is required under D.C. law. Cook also interacted with homeless people looking for warmth at the community center and seized upon the opportunity to simultaneously help both populations in need.

“The District needs to weigh at what point are people trying to increase revenue [through fines] versus putting people’s lives in danger,” Cook said. “It would be great to hire homeless people to earn some money, feel like they are contributing and see the results of their efforts.”

According to Stern, Cook’s proposal was not new to the District.

“A lot of homeless people, when it snows, head out and offer to shovel people’s homes for money,” Stern said. “They know there is a need for help and they can earn extra money.”

Cook expressed concern that resources are concentrated in certain areas of the District, leaving certain populations of homeless groups marginalized.

“We are focused on putting out the fires on the ones that need far more support than the system can provide,” Cook said. “Homeless in upper northwest, for example, have decided the homeless shelters are scary and overcrowded.

For those folks, they have decided they don’t want to seek shelter, even when it’s super cold outside.”

According to Baran, Georgetown has an imperative to help the District’s homeless.

“Georgetown should do more in terms of homeless outreach. I know that the bookstore donated leftover clothes, and there are other ways like that to help out.

We need partnerships to be formed and a call to action,” Baran said.

MAYORAL RACE

HIV Overlooked on Platforms JOHNNY VERHOVEK Hoya Staff Writer

While the issue may not garner much attention from candidates and the media on the campaign trial, the epidemic of HIV in the District of Columbia is a crisis that will need to be addressed by whomever is elected the city’s next mayor come November.

According to Michael Kharfen, Senior Deputy Director of the D.C. Department of Health HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Tuberculosis Administration, about 2.4 percent of the District’s population, or over 15,000 individuals, is currently living with HIV. This is four times the national prevalence rate of 0.6 percent for the disease, according to 2011 data from the Centers for Disease Control.

“We have a significant epidemic in the District of Columbia, which is what the World Health Organization defines as any disease that affects more than one percent of a city’s population,” Kharfen said.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, who is facing a crowded field in the April 1 Democratic mayoral primary, appointed Kharfen to head HAHSTA in July 2013. During Kharfen’s tenure, D.C. government has focused on expanding access to treatment for HIV, as well continuing to develop and market the city’s condom distribution program, which, according to Kharfen, is one of the most aggressive in the nation.

“Condoms are the only devices that we know of that do effectively prevent HIV. We distributed nearly seven million condoms in 2013. That’s more per capita than any city in the United States,” Kharfen said.

But Gray’s challengers, like Councilmember Jack Evans (D-Ward 2), were quick to tout their own roles in the implementation of recent HIV prevention programs in the District.

“Many successful tools now used to fight this epidemic — from condom availability to needle exchange programs, medical marijuana, patient safeguards — exist because Jack

worked for years with community leaders on these efforts to make them a reality,” Evans’ Communications Director Jermaine House said.

Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) called for a continuation of these programs, but also a more targeted focus on certain communities affected by HIV in the District, in a 2012 questionnaire issued by the Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance of Washington, D.C. “HAHSTA has implemented an award-winning social marketing and community based prevention campaign that focuses on HIV testing, condom education and distribution and accelerated treatment.

Clearly there needs to be more intensive focus on transgender, Latino, youth and MSM (men who have sex with men) populations,” Bowser said.

Kharfen reiterated the importance of greater outreach to the younger generation — especially the 20 to 29 year old demographic among whom the HIV transmission rate in 2010 was one percent — but said the city’s more generalized approach is better suited to address the epidemic District-wide.

“HIV is a condition that doesn’t make choices regarding who, what that person’s race or ethnicity is, what their age is, their gender or where they live. HIV affects everyone in the District,” Kharfen said.

“However, reaching that 20-29 year old age group is a difficult task. That’s why we’re looking at different social media strategies and new ways to engage young people in this effort.”

Jack Pfeiffer, Communications Director for mayoral candidate Councilmember Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6), pointed to various initiatives Wells has worked on as evidence of his commitment to achieving the city’s goal of reducing new HIV cases as much as possible.

“Councilmember Wells has supported and worked on several bills to address HIV and AIDS in the District since he was elected to the Council, including the Effi Barry HIV/ AIDS Program and various other bills during his time on

the Council,” Pfeiffer said, referencing a program that aims to harness various community organizations such as churches and other groups in a more effective response to the epidemic.

John Kraemer (LAW ’08), assistant professor in the School of Nursing & Health Studies’ department of health systems administration, praised the city’s heightened approach to combatting HIV, though he acknowledged that the preexisting high prevalence rates from before the city increased its efforts to combat the disease have made prevention more difficult.

“D.C. is obviously way behind the 8-ball because prevalence rates are so high here.

For so long the response was challenged, so that now it’s trying to dig itself out of a pretty big hole, but I think the city is doing things in a sensible way,” Kraemer said.

While lauding D.C.’s condom distribution program, which has over 140 sites in the District, Kraemer emphasized that the initiative must be coupled with an aggressive behavioral campaign if the city wants to maximize its effectiveness.

“If you want people not to get HIV, you have to make it easy for them to get condoms.

Period. Having condoms is necessary, but not sufficient. You have to have good behavioral campaigns, you have to empower people to be in the position to bargain for condoms in sexual relationships,” Kramer said.

While candidates agreed that progress has been made, the consensus was that much more work has to be done to curb the HIV epidemic that has plagued the District for decades.

“We still have around 700 new cases of HIV in the District each year, and that is still 700 more cases than we would like to see,” Kharfen said.

The Democratic primary for D.C. mayor will be held on April 1, giving candidates less than a month to make their final pushes to earn a spot on the November general election ballot.

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news

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, march 7, 2014

College Board Overhauls SAT Pope’s Influence SAT, from A1 best of the past, we commit today that the redesigned SAT will be more focused and useful, more clear and open than ever before.”

Georgetown Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Charles Deacon (CAS ’64, GRD ’69) praised the College Board’s decision.

“We’re very happy they’ve done what they’ve done. In my perfect world, I would say keep it stupid, keep it simple, go back and call it ‘verbal,’” Deacon said.

Deacon was apprised of potential changes at a meeting in the fall between the College Board and the deans of admissions of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education schools, a group of 31 private institutions that collaborate on financial issues. The deans were not informed as to the specificities at the time.

“This group objected a little bit to some of the terminology they were talking about. They were saying we need to have this ‘college- and career-ready,’ and people were saying, ‘Well what does that mean?’” Deacon said. “I think the College Board was trying to position themselves out there publicly in a way that made them seem more relevant. I know they wanted to respond to the fact that the test wasn’t really testing what students learned.”

The College Board will also offer fee waivers for the examination and four college applications to those eligible by family income, in a bid to provide more equitable opportunities to low-income students. To this end, the organization has partnered with the nonprofit online education website Khan Academy for provision of free test preparation, to counter the expense and culture of the test prep industry.

The current standard SAT registration fee is $51, which includes four score reports at no additional cost. Additional reports cost $11.25 each. The most popular Kaplan Test Prep course option, the SAT Classroom, is $699, while some private tutors charge upward of $100 per session.

“I agree with their goal, it might be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If they say it, people will think it,” Deacon said, also noting that a shortened test would ideally be cheaper. “We want more low-income students to go through the system.”

Members of Strive for College, a group that assists low-income D.C. high school students with the college application process, spoke highly of these steps.

“The larger issues is that the SAT is no

longer a great measure of aptitude, just how well a student can take a test,” Eric Vorchheimer (MSB ’14), a former president of Strive for College, said. “Adapting the material to what is actually being taught in high school helps take down some of the barrier that are raised by the preparation process.”

Georgetown has never considered the writing section, which first appeared in 2005, in the admissions process, instead requiring applicants to submit critical reading and mathematics scores from all sittings of the assessment.

“We felt it was an unnecessary addition of time, and cost to students, which is significant. And then, thirdly, we thought it was a less accurate indicator because a piece of this test was this writing sample that was graded by 10,000 readers. It wasn’t done statistically correctly,” Deacon said. He also alluded to studies that identified a correlation between score and essay length.

Deacon said that the SAT Subject Tests — known as SAT IIs — that test specific academic subjects, of which Georgetown “strongly recommends” three, provide valuable insight into a student’s performance that supplants and exceeds the capability of the current writing section.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions does not anticipate modifying the lens with which it examines scores. Paramount priority rests with those scoring at the top of the range, as, according to Deacon, 11 percent of the total testtaking population scoring over 700 in a section apply to Georgetown.

“We’ll probably get virtually the same score we would get before. … They’re going to norm it anyway so it comes our pretty much the same,” Deacon said.

The Georgetown admissions decision process does not assign a quantitative value to testing, but considers scores in conjunction with academic achievement, which is more heavily weighted, to predict freshman year performance.

The College Board’s changes also come on the heels of it ceding primacy in total student customers to the shorter ACT, whose writing portion is optional.

According to Deacon, 25 percent of Georgetown applicants submit ACT scores, while 90 percent submit SAT scores, resulting in a 15 percent overlap.

“There’s no doubt that there’s been market pressure. The SAT, as we’ve known it for the past 10 years, was like it was because of market pressure,” Deacon said. “And the ACT has been gaining ground.”

Current Strive for College Co-President Megan McGlinchey (COL ’16) said

that the changes had the potential to alter the advice the group offers to high school students.

“We definitely encourage kids to take both the SAT and ACT, but recently there’s been a greater push for the ACT because of the essay. Now, we might be encouraging the SAT,” she said.

Most changes have found popularity among high school students — despite the fact that current ninth graders will be the first to take the new test.

“I think a lot about the new format is it’s more related to what we’re actually studying in high school. I feel like I wouldn’t have had to spend as much on prep courses to learn little tricks and ways to solve problems,” said Tyler Winther, a senior at Glen Ridge High School in Glen Ridge, N.J. “It makes the SAT more of an achievement-based test than an aptitude test, which is what I think it should be. Unfortunately, they decided to do it after I’ve already taken the SAT three times.”

Danny Licht, a senior at Beverly Hills High School in Beverly Hills, Calif., echoed Winther’s sentiments.

“I think it’s great what they’re doing in terms of democratizing the process, in doing Khan Academy, by making the content more accessible to people and making the test prep centers less relevant,” he said.

Licht, however, expressed dissatisfaction at the modifications to vocabulary, while Winther disapproved of the elimination of the compulsory essay.

“I think it makes it more boring, dumbing down the vocabulary,” Licht said. “I think just by virtue of them having arcane words, people improved their vocabulary while studying. We probably wouldn’t have had all those vocabulary tests without the SAT.” “I don’t like that they’re making the essay optional. I think it’s one of the only real indicators of validity of the test,” Winther said.

Deacon, who says the College Board has reached out to Georgetown to ensure understanding and support, is a strong proponent of a future computer-based test. For now, he anticipates a streamlined and more accessible examination.

“In today’s world, the SAT should be computer-based. It’s much more efficient,” he said. “The test should be shorter, should be less expensive, should be amenable to be taken on a computer.”

Hoya Staff Writers Sam Abrams and Emma Hinchliffe contributed reporting.

Marijuana Decriminalized in DC MARIJUANA, from A1 “[Graham] understands that his focus has always been about better substance abuse treatment, and to have a system where we say, ‘Hey look, we’re going to decriminalize the use of marijuana ’” Bagchi said.

According to a 2013 report issued by the American Civil Liberties Union, D.C. touts more marijuana arrests than any U.S. state, reaching 846 arrests per 100,000 residents in 2010, a marked increase from the national average of 256 arrests per 100,000 in the same year.

D.C. marijuana arrest records also reveal a high degree of racial disparity.

According to a report by the Washington Lawyers Committee, 91 percent of drug arrests made from 2009 to 2011 in D.C. were of blacks. Eighty-seven percent of blacks in D.C. live in Wards 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, which is where seven out of 10 marijuana arrests were made.

Even though a much higher percentage of blacks are arrested for marijuana possession than whites, blacks and whites report using marijuana about equally. According to the ACLU report, in 2010, 14 percent of blacks and 12 percent of whites had admitted to using marijuana in the past year.

“Those two reports actually are what really served as impetus for this legis-

lation to move through the council,” Smith said.

Councilmember Tommy Wells (DWard 6) agreed that the racial disparities in these two reports were important factors in getting this bill passed.

He said that he hopes the bill’s emphasis on social justice will help it advance through Congress.

“But with Congress sitting on our shoulder, I’m crossing my fingers to see if I can get decriminalization through. I feel like I’ve handled it in a way that I’ve made it about social justice, instead of a right to smoke pot,” Wells said in an interview with The Hoya’s editorial board regarding his mayoral candidacy.

As lead sponsor of the bill, Wells also voiced his support for the legislation as a means of curbing the racial inequality of marijuana arrests.

“This bill is a tremendous stride to end the disproportionate impact of marijuana arrests that keep our residents from jobs, higher education and housing opportunities. The evidence of racial disparities in arrests and the failures of the war on drugs are undeniable and the negative socioeconomic impacts on African American residents are indisputable,” Wells said in a press release. The legislation enjoyed nearly full support from the D.C. Council, as Councilmember Yvette Alexander (D-

Ward 7) was the only member to vote against the legislation.

“There will not be any reduction in the amount of arrests because there will still be arrests when someone is smoking marijuana on the corner or when someone is selling marijuana on the corner,” Alexander told The Washington Post.

The D.C. Council chose not to take the opportunity to decriminalize public use of marijuana, sale of marijuana or possession of over an ounce of the drug in their ruling Tuesday. Grant agreed with Alexander that, until these three offenses are decriminalized, arrests will continue to happen.

“All three of these things are going to continue to drive an underground economy, an illegal underground economy, that’s going to continue to result in arrests, convictions, life-long records for people in D.C., and it runs contrary to what D.C. residents want, and that is a legal tax and regulated market for adults to buy marijuana, similar to what we’ve seen in Colorado and Washington,” Grant said.

The legislation, once signed by Gray, who expressed his intent to sign the bill, will go through Congress for a 60-day review period. Only three bills since 1979 have been rejected at this stage.

Thompson Honored at Halftime IAC, from A1 community values McDonough because there has been so much history there.”

The $60 million IAC, which is funded by the Campaign for Georgetown, will serve all 29 varsity programs and will include practice courts, suites and offices for the men’s and women’s basketball programs, locker rooms for the men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse teams, meeting rooms, weight training and sports medicine facilities, a study lounge for athletes and a new space for the Athletic Hall of Fame.

“We want [student-athletes] to come here and be efficient. Then we can get them back out to campus where they can study and do the things they need to do and really embrace all they can at Georgetown University,” Reed said.

Athletics department administrative offices will remain in McDonough, while a use for the arena’s court and training facilities is yet to be determined.

Although the 130,000 square-foot IAC will be exclusively used by varsity student-athletes, Reed believes that the center’s effect of freeing up Yates Field House will benefit the wider George-

town community.

“We will be able to pull the varsity activities out of Yates,” Reed said. “The IAC [will] free up more space and time in Yates for the general student activities.”

After breaking ground this summer, construction of the IAC, which is expected to take 18 to 24 months, is being run by the same company that is building the Healey Family Student Center in New South, the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company.

Construction for the HFSC will run concurrently and is scheduled to conclude in fall. Lauinger Library, too, is undergoing a yearlong renovation to its Special Collections Research Center on the fifth floor, beginning this week.

“Whiting and Turner have a plan for how they will construct the building which will have a minimal impact on the rest of campus and our facilities,” Reed said. “Whiting and Turner has done a lot of work on campus so they understand how to do construction in tight spaces and protect our students, faculty and staff.”

Because the facility will replace the tennis courts currently located in front of McDonough Arena, the university is exploring options for new courts.

“We are really close to working through

some plans and mapping out some plans to have tennis courts somewhere on campus or close to campus,” Reed said.

Design adjustments, including removing a proposed glass wall that would face West Road as well as a proposed wing that would partially obstruct McDonough, addressed the Old Georgetown Board’s concerns over size and design. The board criticized initial IAC designs in October 2011, describing the building as too dormitory-like and awkward, in addition to a dislike of the glass wall. The OGB provided permission to proceed with the project in September 2013, after the D.C. Zoning Commission approved plans in April 2012. Reed said he believes these adjustments created a better facility.

“During the process, we came together as two different communities,” Reed said, referring to the OGB and the university. “It looks better. It is going to be operationally and functionally better.”

Smulson stressed the widespread enthusiasm for the project.

“It is one of these unique projects that galvanize the Georgetown community and the entire Washington, D.C., community because they understand how important athletics is to Georgetown and the entire community,” he said.

Hits the Hilltop FRANCIS, from A1 world is very fragmented, and politicians have lots of competition for attention from other politicians and from the media and entertainment. The pope seems to gather attention the way few others have done, and so he has such a decisive impact that politicians want to go to him,” Christiansen said.

Carnes, an assistant professor of government at Georgetown, has observed Francis’ rhetoric affecting dialogue in his classrooms.

“I think he’s opened [students’] eyes and given them a chance to look at the Church again and understand it in a new way. I think people actually find a hope in Francis, a reason to open up and maybe believe,” Carnes said.

Patrick Denenea (COL ’17), who is Catholic, said he has seen a notable influence outside of the classroom as well.

“I definitely think that his teachings and actions have noticeably influenced how Catholics at Georgetown describe their own faith with each other and with others. Francis’ example is often turned to in homilies and spiritual discussions. I’ve also heard a lot of, ‘I’m not Catholic, but I really like your new pope,’” Denenea said.

Outside Guard for the Knights of Columbus Pat Brookhouser (SFS ’15) credited Francis’ positive influence on the Catholic community to his Jesuit roots.

“I’d say that Francis has been a great blessing for the Church. He has lived out what he said upon the announcement of his election; he has shown that the Church is not just another [nongovernmental organization]. Ultimately I think it goes back to his Jesuit formation where he experienced Christ’s infinite redemptive love and was set ablaze with the desire to proclaim that love in deed and word to the entire world,” Brookhouser said.

According to Carnes, whose research focuses on Latin America, Francis’ Latin American origins have also had a significant influence on his papal agenda.

“Historically, Latin America has the highest degree of income inequality in the world. In the pope’s experience, he regularly saw the wide wealth disparity between the poor who were living in what Argentinians call villas miserias and the big city, and these are often within a hundred yards of each other,” Carnes said.

Liberation theology, a Catholic movement that interprets Catholic teachings in relation to the poor’s suffering, has also played a decisive role in Francis’ actions as pope. Liberation theology gained popularity in Latin America throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

“You can know a man by his friends. A lot of his friends — theologically, socially and otherwise — are people who embraced a critical version of liberation theology — not

the first raw versions that were more Marxist than they were Gospel, but the second-generation thinkers that took what was best with those movements and combined them with the love of Jesus,” Program for Jewish Civilization professor Fr. Dennis McManus, S.J., said.

McManus said Francis has clearly demonstrated Jesuit philosophy in the way he has presented himself.

“The Jesuit way is the way he integrates everything in his life; it is the key to everything. He says, ‘I’m human, I’m imperfect, I love people, I try hard, but it’s really God who’s looked on me in my misery and lifts me up.’ That’s Jesuit life,” McManus said.

In contrast to his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI, Francis has placed an emphasis on using his personal instinct in the papacy — leading many to categorize him as more radical.

“Pope Francis’ mind works in a pastoral rather than an academic way. Pope Francis is trained in theology like any bishop, but he operates intuitively with people.

Because he sees things through the heart, his answers are often radical compared to Western political thinking,” ERVA Khan (NHS ’15) McManus said.

Christiansen agreed.

“He’s speaks out so strongly and does it so vividly that it’s out there in a way that has a lot of conviction.

It’s no longer a teaching. It’s the pope expressing his deepest convictions,” Christiansen said.

Carnes pointed out that while Francis’ rhetoric about poverty is no different from that of his predecessors, he has managed to bring more attention to this rhetoric by backing it up with action.

“You understand Francis’ concern for the poor not just because of the words he says, but because you see him walking into the favela or the poorer areas of Rome. You see it and it gets you in the gut. The words are similar, but the gestures mean a lot, too.”

Francis’ reach is not limited to those within the Catholic faith.

Muslim Students Association President Erva Khan (NHS ’15) applauded the pope for his promotion of interfaith dialogue and cultivation of Catholic-Muslim relations.

“As a Muslim, I commend Pope Francis for the work he has done, especially in terms of promotion of conflict resolution and interfaith understanding. I look forward to seeing the progress made by Pope Francis and the Church in the coming years, and I have high hopes that there will be great strides in Muslim-Christian understanding,” Khan said.

Secular Student Alliance Member Nicolò Donà dalle Rose (SFS ’15) echoed support for the pope’s social-justice-motivated rhetoric.

“I’m very curious to see what he will do. I think he’s changed the conversation. There’s a more open-minded approach to a lot of social justice issues,” Rose said.

“As a Muslim, I commend Pope Francis for the work he has done.”

OGB Clears Northeast Triangle Dorm NET, from A1 rationale behind the window configuration,” Brangman said. “As windows start to get slimmer, it starts to become reminiscent of another type of residence.”

Architects said they incorporated the window design scheme in order to maintain a high quality of natural light in the building as well as enhance the appearance of the building.

“There was a sense that there was a certain monotony to the standard repetition of the windows,” Sasaki architect Vinicius Gorgati said.

OGB members also criticized a lack of continuity between the pavement that will surround the new residence hall and those that are present already throughout campus. Architects proposed using water-resistant — or non-pervious — asphalt pavement around the Northeast Triangle to allow emergency vehicles to drive in that area.

“You’re leaving Red Square, which is all brick, and that whole sidewalk that goes behind Reiss [Science Building] is all brick, and then you transition to asphalt for this new walkway. … It doesn’t make a lot of sense that you wouldn’t want to tie this in,” Brangman said.

On March 20, the university will seek concept approval from the

Commission of Fine Arts, which oversees the OGB. According to Morey, approval is anticipated.

“It’s not likely that [the Commission of Fine Arts] would overturn what the OGB does,” Morey said.

The D.C. Zoning Commission indicated that it would also issue approval after the OGB released its decision.

After receiving final concept approval, architects will continue to refine the design for the residence hall and make changes to the building based on OGB’s comments, focusing mainly on details, such as selecting the exact materials for the building. The university will seek design development approval from the OGB in May at which point it will be eligible to apply for a building permit.

Construction is expected to last anywhere from 14 to 20 months.

“This allows us to really focus our resources. We know we have the concept and where we’re going with the concept, so we can further refine and design as is.

We’re not going to have to do any redesign,” Morey said.

Construction of the new dorm is slated to begin in late spring or summer 2014, alongside renovations to Lauinger Library and the construction of the John R. Thompson Jr. Intercollegiate Athletic Center, and is scheduled to be completed by fall 2016.

NEWS

friday, MARCH 7, 2014

THE HOYA

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AIPAC Draws GU Interest New Initiatives Grow Chris Balthazard Special to The Hoya

Several Georgetown students and professors took part in the 2014 American Israel Public Affairs Committee Policy Conference Sunday through Tuesday, held at the Washington Convention Center.

Despite Monday’s snowstorm, the AIPAC conference amassed over 14,000 delegates in attendance and featured speakers such as Secretary of State John Kerry, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), Representative Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

AIPAC, a lobbying group that promotes a strong U.S. relationship with Israel, is widely considered to be a strong force in shaping how the U.S government relates to Israel.

About 10 Georgetown students attended the conference and six Georgetown professors led breakout sessions following the major speakers on specialized topics, such as Israeli innovation in missile defense.

“The coolest part about the conference is not just the learning you have in sessions you sit through, but it’s in the relationships you have,” Michail Woods (SFS ’14) said. “Because you have people, from Latinos to African-Americans to evangelical Christians to, obviously, Jews, from all over the United States, and a lot of people come from even overseas to come together for one thing. … We all come together to support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Additionally, Woods said the conference functioned as a quasitraining session for the next gen-

eration’s AIPAC leaders.

“Any organization, to maintain its leadership, it’s like a showcase to say this is what we’re doing, these are the issues we need to be passionate about; and this is essentially why this organization still matters to you and why you should still be a part of it,” Woods said.

Josh Goldberg (COL ’17) additionally felt the conference allowed attendees a chance to showcase prominent leaders in the field.

“I attended the AIPAC Policy Conference because I am interested in getting a better understanding of U.S.-Israel relations and the ongoing political issues in the Middle East. … I really enjoyed the conference because it was a good opportunity to hear many national speakers and to take advantage of being in a university in the nation’s capital,” Goldberg wrote in an email.

For Goldberg, who attended a breakout session about Middle East Politics, the conference allowed him to get more involved with the issues at hand.

“I hope to get further involved in AIPAC and learn what I can do to help promote U.S.Israel relations,” Goldberg said.

This winter, AIPAC lobbied Congress to pass sanctions on Iran, although this effort failed.

“One of the main points of the conference, to get a member of Congress and raise awareness for it, is the issue of Iran,” Woods said.

“Marrying a radical regime with weapons of mass destruction is a recipe for disaster.”

As a nonprofit, Georgetown cannot contribute money to any PACs,

but it can and does provide resources for students to attend conferences such as the AIPAC conference.

“As a rabbi and director of the Jewish Chaplaincy, perhaps my primary role is to nurture and support the development of Jewish students, Judaism and their Jewish identity,” Rabbi Rachel Gartner said. “And for many of our Jewish students, a relationship with Israel is a core part of that identity. And for some, it is not; the focus of their Judaism is on their American-Jewish experience.”

In the past, Georgetown and the Jewish chaplaincy supported student trips ranging from the Jewish Film Festival and seeing Klezmer at the Kennedy Center to more politically oriented events like the AIPAC conference and the J Street conference.

“My approach to the AIPAC conference, to the J Street conference, is to be supportive of any students who come forward and say, ‘Hey, I want to go, but I don’t have the finances’ or, ‘Hey, I want to go, but I don’t know anybody else who’s going, do you know who’s going?’

So I share information and also support them with resources and subsidies,” Gartner said.

The crowd of 14,000, the largest gathering of America’s pro-Israel community, according to AIPAC’s website, consisted of approximately 2,200 college students and included about two-thirds of Congress.

“I’m not a big fan of the term pro-Israel or the term anti-Israel,” Gartner said. “Because I think it oversimplifies the range of ways that people can be pro-Israel and, I’m sure, the range of ways that people can be anti-Israel as well.”

Students Sample Hilltoss Salads Ashley Miller Hoya Staff Writer

At an official unveiling in Sellinger Lounge, employees at Hilltoss, a new Students of Georgetown Inc. location that will sell salads, smoothies and frozen yogurt, gave out free samples and solicited student input.

“The main point of this installation … is to communicate to the Georgetown community first of all what our product offering is for both the Farmers’ Market this spring and in the fall, actually in the academic year of 2014 to 2015, in the actual store,” Director of Hilltoss Dana Mitchell (MSB ’15) said.

Although a Hilltoss stand will open from March 19 to April 30 at the Georgetown University Farmers’ Market, the actual location in the Healey Family Student Center will not open until fall 2014.

The installation also revealed the newly designed Hilltoss logo.

“We kind of sat down and brainstormed — what does the Hilltoss mean; how does it fit in the Hilltop; and then how can we translate that visually into the logo,’” Mitchell said.

The logo depicts a leaf sprouting out of the store’s name.

A major part of the installation focused on receiving student input.

“A huge point of this isn’t just the event and the sampling of the salads, it’s us being able to talk to them [the students] and see what they are looking for in the Hilltoss,” Mitchell said.

This solicitation continued the crowdsourcing aspect of the new storefront’s development.

“If you remember last year, we sourced the name in a competition, in a submission style Google form where every single name that we looked at came from the Georgetown community and came from students,” Mitchell

COURTESY STUDENTS OF GEORGETOWN, INC.

The Corp’s Hilltoss will operate a stand at the Georgetown University Farmers’ Market in anticipation of its fall 2014 opening. said.

In order to continue including student input, Hilltoss will have a suggestion box at its market stand.

“One thing we’d like to include is a submission box, or something like that, maybe a Google form, some activity to really get people to participate in our recipes and in our operations and to communicate with us … so we can really take into account what the students want from the Hilltoss. That’s our number one priority,” Mitchell said.

Student input will help Hilltoss put its best products forward when the location opens.

“I think in terms of vibes for the Farmers’ Market, again we are definitely looking for input from the Georgetown community because we want to keep reevaluating our quality and really have an introspective approach to our product offering,” Mitchell said, “Our number one priority for this service is high-quality products, and I think we are willing to take suggestions from the community, from students and make adjustments as need be.”

Corp CEO Sam Rodman (MSB ’15) believes that the market will give Hilltoss the opportunity to show the importance of students’ needs.

“The jump from coffee to a full-fledged restaurant style salad shop is a pretty big one and the Farmers’ Market is an

excellent opportunity for us to, number one, show students that we’ve been really committed to addressing their concerns and putting together a product that students are really going to fall in love with, and for us to really make sure we are meeting the best interests of students,” Rodman said.

The installation offered two different salads to sample. The Jay Gatsby summer salad featured strawberries, avocado, goat cheese, walnuts and strawberryblush dressing‬, while the Amalfi Coast Italian salad included mozzarella, tomato, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and a balsamic dressing.

Alex De Luca (COL ’15) expressed satisfaction with his sample. However, the presence of Sweetgreen still leaves Hilltoss with competition.

“I think next year I’m going to be living closer to campus, but I’m also going to be living like a block and half from Sweetgreen, so maybe if I’m on campus I’d rather go here than somewhere else,” De Luca said.

Although other students also enjoyed the salads, they expressed a desire for more options.

“I think it shouldn’t be just a salad place, like they should have other things,” Yue Ma (COL ’17) said, “I think it would be really cool if they opened something else to eat other than just salads and smoothies.”

CLASSIFIEDS INDEX FOR RENT 100

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Childcare For Family In Georgetown/ Palisades Area Looking for after school and early evening assistance with child care for two happy, spirited boys ages 13 and 10. Assistance needed with pick-ups after school, snacks and transportation to after school activities. Must have own transportation, references and safe driving record. $12.50-$15 per hour depending on experience. Gas stipend provided weekly.

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SIPS’ Campus Profile Molly Simio

Hoya Staff Writer

The Social Innovation Public Service Fund is raising its on-campus profile through several initiatives, including a business idea pitching competition and a summer fellowship program.

On Feb. 27, SIPS, Startup Hoyas, Global Social Enterprise Initiative and the newly launched Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation co-sponsored a Social Innovation Competition, which an opportunity for 10 teams of student entrepreneurs to pitch business ideas related to social impact and innovation. The competition drew around 110 people.

“We wanted to design an event that was entirely focused on students who have the creative drive and the capability to produce lasting effects for disadvantaged communities, and we wanted to channel that through entrepreneurship,” Startup Hoyas Chair Derek Embry (MSB ’15) said.

This is the first time that the SIPS Fund co-sponsored the competition, which is in its second year.

“SIPS was there to promote different projects that didn’t receive grants or funding or prizes there. They could go to SIPS potentially for funding in the future,” SIPS Fund Director of Development Kyle Rice (SFS ’16) said.

A panel, made up of eight judges, evaluated teams based on their presentations, the feasibility of their ideas and the social impact that their proposals will have. The judges consisted of entrepreneurs of the McDonough School of Business, local entrepreneurs and local professionals.

The judges selected Team Fresh Start, helmed by Shilpa Chandran (MSB ’15), Jack McCabe (MSB ’15), Phil Wong (SFS ’15) and Ann Yang (SFS ’15), to receive the $1,000 grand prize sponsored by Sweetgreen.

The team pitched an idea for a food truck business that sold juices and smoothies and that would also help combat the issues of food waste and neighborhoods lacking in fresh food.

The team intends to donate one pound of produce to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for every pound of produce that it sells as juice or smoothies.

“The innovation part is looking at how we can do something creative for a problem that’s been around for a really long time. … We thought about how we could combine the problems of both food waste and food deserts into one business idea,” Chandran said.

The team plans to utilize the prize money to purchase an industrial juicer and to begin sourcing fruit to launch its business.

Team WaterLily received the SIPS Fund People’s Choice Award. The team was selected by popular vote of the audience to receive a $250 prize from the SIPS Fund.

Nicolas Walker (SFS ’16) and David Burton (MSB ’15) presented for WaterLily. Christian Sparacino (COL ’14) and Frans Beerkens (COL ’14) are also members of the team but

did not attend the competition.

Walker and Burton pitched an idea for a water desalinization method known as capacitive deionization, which is an efficient and environmentally friendly method for removing salt from water. This process was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The team is working to obtain an evaluative license from MIT, which would allow them to experiment with the technology, develop a prototype and have exclusivity in the humanitarian market for as long as they hold the license.

This technology can be utilized to provide clean drinking water to people that currently cannot access it because of natural disasters or environmental constraints.

“The social innovation side of it is that we’re trying to make a backpack-sized device to be deployed in humanitarian work,” Walker said.

The team plans to utilize its prize money to offset the cost of its endeavor. Obtaining the evaluative license from MIT for six to 18 months will cost between $5,000 and $20,000, depending on the amount of time for which it will hold the license. “$250 isn’t that much money, but we’re looking to apply it any way we can … and just really make that money stretch as far is it can,” Burton said.

At an Executive Board meeting on Tuesday, the SIPS Fund, in an effort to expand on-campus presence, decided to grant $7,500 to Hilltop Microfinance Initiative to enable the provision of small loans to businesses and the development of its marketing team. The fund also gave $2,300 to the Georgetown Global Microfinance Initiative to help them strengthen its presence on campus through marketing.

This year, the SIPS Fund also launched a new summer scholarship program that will offer grants to students who are working on causes that align with the SIPS mission of social innovation and public service.

“We’d like to see applications from students who are volunteering abroad … who are doing research in environmentally friendly technologies, who are interning in a nonprofit on [Capitol] Hill,” Rice said.

Students can utilize these grants to fund travel, housing and other expenses over the summer.

It has yet to be determined the size of the grants or the number of students that will receive funding.

“A lot of it depends on what the average demonstrated need per student might be,” Rice said. “We do have a set amount to give out.”

Within the first week of the application going live, the SIPS Fund received about a dozen applications, which Rice said was an indicator of student interest in the SIPS Fund.

“SIPS really exists as a resource for students and alumni at Georgetown, and we really want to make sure that every student has heard our name,” Rice said.

With New Media Site, Georgetown Everywhere Katherine Richardson Hoya Staff Writer

The university announced a new video service called Georgetown Everywhere that provides media coverage of Georgetown events, but while the service looks to enrich the university’s image, it has drawn criticism from GUTV, a student-run service that provides similar multimedia services to the Hilltop.

The project, announced Feb. 28, is completely run by the administration and now available in both website and smartphone iterations. According to Vice President for Public Affairs Erik Smulson, Georgetown Everywhere was created to enhance Georgetown’s public image.

“We began developing Georgetown Everywhere about a year ago in an effort to centralize the terrific video content that was being created across campus by different departments and schools and engage the Georgetown community and others in new and exciting ways,” Smulson wrote in an email. “We wanted to create a platform that would make this content available across a wide array of mobile devices, tablets, websites and on TV to highlight the exceptional faculty and students and in general, all the extraordinary things happening at Georgetown everyday.”

The creation of Georgetown Everywhere came as a surprise to students in GUTV, a student-run news show. General Manager of GUTV Joseph Laposata (COL ’16) said that he was worried that the new platform would compete with the student publication.

“We’re a little dismayed because it’s very much what we’re doing, and in some aspects it could be seen as shoving us out,” Laposata said. “We’re not entirely at that point yet, but we’re talking with the administration about it because we’re a little worried it could go there.”

GUTV News Co-Director Elizabeth Teitz (COL ’16) does not see Georgetown Everywhere as direct competition, since the voice of each publication is very different.

“There’s definitely a little bit of competition in that we do have similar missions, but it’s really more complementary just in that they’re very different. … It’s really great in providing the administration perspective, but we do still have a really strong student voice,” Teitz said.

Despite this, Laposata sees that the fact

that Georgetown Everywhere pays its student employees, while GUTV cannot, is unjust.

“It is unfair,” Laposata said. “It would be great if I could pay my reporters. I’d have more of an incentive for people to do underreported stories, but it’s unfair in the sense that they’re doing a very similar job to what we’re doing, but because we’re doing it for fun and they’re doing it for the university, they get paid.”

Both Teitz and Laposata said that although they wish they had been informed about the new platform, they are eager to find ways to collaborate.

“We think that this is a prospect for collaboration,” Laposata said. “We have some things that we can offer. … First of all, we have manpower, and second of all, we have a student’s perspective. Georgetown Everywhere is great. It’s got a mobile app and students can access it very easily, but it only covers things that the university covers.”

Georgetown Everywhere will include event coverage, features on life at Georgetown and stories about university athletics.

In addition, the platform includes a studentproduced program entitled Georgetown Buzz. In this program, students report on news of their choice in small snippets to create a short news show. Currently, two students are working on creating Georgetown Buzz and both receive compensation from the university for their work.

Molly Mitchell (COL ’14), Georgetown Everywhere’s student reporter, said that the job has helped her learn about broadcast journalism.

“I’ve learned a lot about the process of making a video in general, video production and how to put things together and how to write a script better. … I think it’s the best way to interact with people. There’s something about watching a video about an event that’s just extremely impactful. It’s something I’ve always been extremely passionate about,” she said.

According to Smulson, the platform will expand in the future to include outside content.

“We’re especially excited to be featuring student content through the new Georgetown Buzz show,” Smulson wrote. “As we move forward, we’ll be developing ways for alumni and other members of the Georgetown community to submit content to be included in Georgetown Everywhere.”

A8

news

THE HOYA

Friday, march 7, 2014

Big Impact for Book Donation Program Laura Owsiany Special to The Hoya

OLIVIA HEWITT/THE HOYA

Republic of Korea Ambassador Ahn Ho-Young (GRD ’83) discussed his foreign service experience Wednesday.

Ambassador Alumnus Returns Gene Choi

Hoya Staff Writer

Ahn Ho-Young (GRD ’83), the Republic of Korea’s ambassador to the United States, spoke in McGhee Library Wednesday about his 35 years in foreign service and about his experience as a Georgetown student in the Masters of Science in Foreign Service program.

“I have always believed that I was a very lucky person in my professional life, but my life here as an MSFS student from 1981 to 1983 was when I felt I was the luckiest,” Ahn said.

Appointed ambassador to the United States in May 2013 by South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Ahn has made great efforts to build and reinforce relations between the United States and South Korea.

“Looking back at my 35 years of experience in foreign affairs, I found that I have been mostly engaged in matters regarding the U.S., and this is because Korea and the U.S. are one of the strongest allies and partners today,” Ahn said.

Ahn mentioned that the KoreaU.S. relationship began only as a strategic military cooperation rooted in necessity.

“Since the truce of 1953 between South and North Korea, the U.S. has been intimately involved in Korea’s security issues,” Ahn said. “The partnership continued to grow substantially over time, but until the 1980s the relationship was mainly security focused.”

This partnership became more multifaceted as economic relations

deepened and diplomatic ties were reinforced throughout the last two decades of the 20th century.

“In the 1980s, things changed since the Korea-U.S. relationship changed to the economic sector,” Ahn said. “And as Korea began normalizing relations with several other nations, we consulted the U.S. on many occasions, thereby strengthening our diplomatic ties as well.”

One manifestation of this economic collaboration is the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, which was officially implemented on March 15, 2012, and is currently seen as a big success for both South Korea and the United States.

“There is a saying in international trade that says there are no happy farmers,” Ahn said. “But my diplomatic trips to many different rural areas in the U.S. has confirmed that this was wrong. I met a lot of happy farmers who actually said their exports to Korea were exponentially growing.”

Asian Studies Program Director Victor Cha, who organized the event, noted that the success of the KORUS FTA has created debate about whether Korea’s negotiations on the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership will be as effective.

“The current economic discussion of the KORUS FTA leads us to a similar debate on the TPP,” Cha said. “The TPP has been increasingly discussed within Korea, but it is also an issue involving the U.S. to a significant degree.”

Ahn added that the discussion and concerns over Korea’s involvement in the TPP are because of a

belief that such engagement is too hasty at a time when the effects of the KORUS FTA have not yet been fully assessed.

“We Koreans like to traditionally do one task at a time,” Ahn said.

“That’s why this new talk on the TPP worries people who think that we will not be able to reap the benefits of neither the FTA nor the TPP if we get our hands too full.”

Ahn also took the time to focus on his personal experience as a Georgetown graduate student, something with which the attendees connected.

“I found it fascinating that he once used to be a Hoya, just like me,” Michelle Hur (SFS ’17) said. “I want to work for an NGO in the future to develop these Korea-U.S. ties further, and I find it very encouraging that Ambassador Ahn has paved the way for making my goals possible.”

Ahn continued to emphasize the unique perspective that Georgetown offers to its students, and especially how the SFS helps Georgetown students to shape a particular international political lens that helps assess events in professional life.

“Know that you are lucky to be sitting here, as I had felt before, and be responsible for the great education that you receive,” Ahn added. “My 35 years in foreign service, in building the relations between the U.S. and Korea, has been a very rewarding experience, and the School of Foreign Service helped me shape [my] abilit[ies] and unique perspective.”

The Bring on the Books Foundation, founded by Sohayle Sizar (COL ’14), continues to expand beyond the Hilltop as its annual Bring on the Books Drive enters its third year at Georgetown.

Sizar started the nonprofit in 2008 when he noticed that old books at his high school were going to waste — laying unused in storage closets or getting thrown out.

“For me when I was a kid, books were a way to escape the homogeneity of my neighborhood where I didn’t really have that many friends,” Sizar said. “For me, a book ... gave its entire existence to me, and I want to share that with other kids.”

Sizar says what started as an instinct to help his beloved books became a passion for sharing literature with children.

Bring on the Books has collected approximately 8,000 children’s books at Georgetown, plus another 75,000 books at other universities across the nation. Offshoot chapters are growing at New York University and at nearby University of Maryland.

Sizar credits Georgetown alumni with bringing the drive to the attention of organizations like Teach for America as well corporations such as Goldman Sachs.

Sizar’s long-term vision — expanding the organization nationally — appears to be well on its way.

However, at Georgetown, just four students manage the organization alongside Sizar: Charlie Long (COL ’15), who will take over the Georgetown chapter when Sizar graduates this spring, Kevin Lo (COL ’16), Jane Song (COL ’14) and Tyler Bridge (COL ’17).

The chapter works with other Georgetown groups and community partners to collect books annually; these books are then donated to Georgetown’s tutoring program, D.C. Reads, and — starting this year — the Family Literacy Project at the Georgetown University Law Center.

The foundation has received support from Students of Georgetown Inc., the Georgetown University Student Association, the Office of the Provost and various other student organizations.

The Corp has used its philanthropy committee to provide the foundation with funds; this year,

it will continue to designate its coffee shops as drop-off sites for the Bring on the Books Drive.

According to Sizar, the Office of the Provost has also allied with the organization. Professor James O’Donnell was the acting provost when Bring on the Books came to Georgetown in 2011. O’Donnell continues to support the foundation as a member of the board. “[I’m] a little bit cheerleader, a little bit mentor, a little bit quality control,” he said.

O’Donnell was attracted to the project’s intellectual priority — to foster literacy in young people — as well as its overarching pragmatism.

“I’ve seen a lot of student organizations, student groups [and] student ideas over the years, and the ones that worked best are the ones that get residents in the community and have resonance for the community, and I think this one can and has,” he said.

Provost Groves also supports Bring on the Books through campus-wide emails, enabling the team to communicate with other members of the university.

Lo, who handles the foundation’s outreach-and-communications initiatives, has enlisted help from several Greek organizations on campus, including the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity and Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

“There should be basically no group on campus that we couldn’t work with,” Lo said.

Lo also hopes to enlist Strive for College during future book-drive efforts.

“A lot of the kids that we’re helping [in Strive for College] kind of came from the same background as those who need them [the books], so it would become ‘do you want to help out, basically, those who will be in your spot later?’” Lo said.

Bring on the Books also works with local businesses and charity organizations, which provide donations to support the foundation’s mission.

“I think the vision is so much more beyond me. … It’s really about sharing the experience with others because it is a right,” Sizar said.

The Bring on the Books Drive takes place March 7 through April 25 this year. Donation sites are available at The Corp’s Midnight MUG, Uncommon Grounds and More Uncommon Grounds locations.

NEWS

friday, MARCH 7, 2014

THE HOYA

A9

Student Budget Drafts MSB Hosts Latin Students Tentatively Approved Katherine Richardson Hoya Staff Writer

Laura Owsiany Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown University Student Association Finance and Appropriations Committee released a budget draft Thursday for student organizations looking to receive funding from GUSA in the coming fiscal year.

The Division of Student Affairs had previously agreed to fund all student advocacy boards with 27.5 percent of the Division of Student Affairs’ overall budget. The remaining 72.5 percent will be funded through GUSA’s budget of $998,400 for the 2015 fiscal year, according to GUSA Finance and Appropriations Committee Chair Seamus Guerin (COL ’16).

The committee released the budget draft after hearing the final presentation from GUSA executive-elects Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) and Omika Jikaria (SFS ’15). Appeals to the budget are open until March 19 when a final budget will be released.

GUSA’s budget comes from a $150 student activity fee that each student pays, which is included in tuition. The total comes to around $1 million each year, which FinApp divides between student groups.

According to Guerin, the new allocation system was decided upon after problems with the previous system, in which several groups had control over how much funding student groups received, and funding was not distributed as proportionally.

“The problem was created then between the advisory boards, the Finance and Appropriations Committee and the Division of Student Affairs, so the relationship between the three [groups] and between any two actors was unsure at times,” Guerin said.

According to Guerin, the FinApp advocated for the change for the sake of clarity and equality.

Previously, advocacy boards received drastically different dollar amounts and proportional funding from Student Affairs. The Georgetown Program Board was previously allocated up to 50 percent of the GUSA budget, while the Advisory Board for Club Sports received only 3 percent. This year’s proposal apportions $125,000 to GPD and $170,000 to ABCS. The new system places the vast majority of funding for all advocacy boards in the hands of the FinApp, a move Guerin said will improve the student funding dynamic.

“To have student voices being heard throughout the process, I think, is enriching for the FinApp. I think it’s enriching for the students who are presenting; I think everybody learns something along the way,” Guerin said. A presentation in front of the FinApp does not guarantee funding, according to Guerin.

The dollar amounts that Student Affairs allocated for each student advisory board had not been changed or re-evaluated in years, according to Assistant Dean for Student Engagement Erika Cohen-Derr. The effectiveness of the new proportional system will be evaluated at the end of the next fiscal year and, proceeding, at two-year intervals.

The Georgetown University Lecture Fund, which seeks funding independently of any advisory board, is not subject to the Division of Student Affairs’ funding decisions.

According to Lecture Fund Executive Board Chair Chris Mulrooney (COL ’14), the student group requested more money than in previous years past because of an increase in speaker events.

“It has been increasingly hard for the Lecture Fund to work within our budget constraints given the level of student programming taking place on campus,” Mulrooney wrote in an email. “We’ve only been able to provide just under 50 percent of the funds requested from us due to an increased number of campus organizations submitting event proposals to the Lecture Fund.”

The Lecture Fund received $72,000 in funding.

The Georgetown Day Planning Committee also presented to the Finance and Appropriations Committee for the first time this year in order to bypass the arduous process of appealing to each advisory board for funding, but it will not receive a 27.5 percent share from Student Affairs.

The student group requested $20,000 from GUSA, equivalent to funds the group usually receives by advocating to each advisory board, receiving $16,900.

“It’s essentially the same money, just a roundabout way of getting it. … We’ll continue with our model of going from department to department asking for money, it just takes off a little bit of the burden by getting all of the advisory boards in one fell swoop,” Georgetown Day Planning Committee Chair Andi DeBellis (MSB ’14) said.

DeBellis did not anticipate impediments in procuring funding comparable to previous years from the Division of Student Affairs.

“It’s [Georgetown Day is] a very established day,” DeBellis said. “It’s not very logical why funding wasn’t established in the past because everybody expects year after year Georgetown Day to occur.”

The budget proposal also allows for $1,000 in discretionary funds for the GUSA executive and $2,000 in reserve funds. The GUSA General Fund, which featured prominently into GUSA candidates’ budgets, had a proposed allocation of $21,000.

The McDonough School of Business is currently accommodating 40 Latin American leaders for a 12-week Global Competitiveness Leadership Program that began in late January.

The GCL Program was founded in 2007 by Georgetown’s Latin American Board and has hosted around 250 fellows over the past seven years.

According to professor of operations and Global Logistics Research Program Co-Director Ricardo Ernst, the Latin American Board created the program to bring about change in Latin America.

“We came up with the idea that the best way to have an impact on the region was the creation of something that can help with applied leadership,” Ernst said. “In that process, we wanted to find a theme that would be relevant for all countries in the region without favoring one country over another.”

The program’s theme is competitiveness, and each class, activity and excursion is based upon this theme.

“Competitiveness is the best way that countries, companies and individuals can engage in what globalization is currently doing,” Ernst said. “I have this philosophy of globalization, competitiveness and governability being the three elements that actually determine how you should look at this region.

The basic premise is that globalization is here to stay, so rather than asking if globalization is good or bad, a more relevant question is how to take advantage of globalization.”

According to Latin American Board Program Coordinator Alexandra Vallina, the admissions team evaluates many different types of candidates.

“There’s no set profile that we look at, because our participants come from the private, public and corporate sectors,” Vallina said. “What we try to do is have 40 young leaders who can bring to the program their expertise and also they can learn from each other and benefit from the program to further their leadership skills [and] their political, economic and public knowledge.”

Accepted applicants receive a $25,000 scholarship from

Georgetown to attend the program but must pay an additional $1,250 of their own money.

Once at the program, the 40 participants live, attend classes and tour Washington, D.C., together for 12 weeks.

Michelle Sopper, a lawyer from Brazil who is participating in the GCL Program, said that she values this closeness with her colleagues.

“There are so many people that I would never get the chance to meet and to relate to and to exchange ideas, so I’m definitely having a more broad awareness of my region,” Sopper said. “Latin America before was something very ethereal, something that I couldn’t relate to, and now I can. When I hear something is going on in Venezuela, I feel very much closer.”

The participants take business classes each day from Georgetown professors as well as guest speakers. The classes focus on four pillars: business leadership, political leadership, nonprofit leadership and personal leadership. According to the GCL Program website, content for classes includes leadership ethics and values, foundations for democracy, public policy administration, project management, civil society and civic participation, as well as many others.

“We have very broad subject classes, from democracy to business classes, and we have teambuilding activities and a case competition that we had last week,” Sopper said. “It’s very challenging. We learn a lot and it’s been very interesting for me to dream a little more about what life can be and about what you can accomplish.”

In addition, the students visit various D.C. political landmarks and institutions and speak to professionals at each location to get a better sense of American policies towards their region.

“It’s important to know that it’s not just a cultural thing,” Ernst said. “When they go to the Pentagon, they talk to the person in charge of defining the strategy for the region, so the idea is for them to understand the reality of the U.S. and to understand how a system operates.”

After the program, each participant is required to return to his or her country and implement a project there to improve the country in some way. Ac-

COURTESY GCL

The 40 members of the 2014 GCL program aim to bring about change in Latin America. cording to Vallina, this project is meant to bring new ideas to the region so that they can grow and develop over time.

“By having [just] 40 participants every year, we know that the scale of the impact that we want to have is not going to be big in scope, so what we hope to have is have participants come, then go back to their countries to implement their projects and have a multiplier effect,” Vallina said. “That way, we can help out the region and change the dynamics and the situation.”

Sopper is pairing with another program participant from Mexico to create an app that encourages civic participation.

“We’re trying to develop a platform, most likely [a] mobile platform or application,” Sopper said. “Our dream is to draw people out of political apathy and make people engage themselves more in politics, even if it’s just to elect someone better or more consciously in the next election, but we’re hoping for more.”

Vallina said that each participant has great potential to make a change in Latin America.

“They’re very energetic and very passionate,” Vallina said.

“They’re innovators in their fields, and they’re looking forward to strengthening the region, to form a strong network among each other and to come here to Georgetown to acquire all the skills necessary to become better leaders and to make the Latin American region better.”

A10

Sports

THE HOYA

Friday, MARCH 7, 2014

Men’s Lacrosse

Tennis

GU Takes on West Coast Teams After 2 Losses, Harvard Madeline Auerbach Hoya Staff Writer

After a match against SUNYBinghamton for the men’s team and a week off for the women’s team, the entire Georgetown tennis program will travel across the country to compete in five matches against a variety of California state schools throughout spring break.

On March 8, 10 and 11, the men’s team (5-4) will take on University of California Santa Barbara, UC Riverside and UC Irvine, respectively. The women (2-7, 0-2 Big East) meanwhile will first compete against California State University, Fullerton on March 8, and continue to UC Riverside on March 11.

For the women’s team, a victory over Montana State two weeks ago provides a fitting backdrop for improving its 2-7 record. On the other hand, the men’s team is coming off a 4-1 loss to Binghamton. Although the team dropped a couple of its matches recently, according to Head Coach Gordie Ernst, there is no reason to be concerned.

“I’m not worried at all right now. Of course I’d like to have the Bryant match back, the Yale match back, but we were just a couple points away from beating Binghamton in those third sets.

[Senior co-captain Casey Distaso] and [junior Alex] Tropiano lost in third set matches, and if we had won those we would have won the match,” Ernst said.

The matches on the west coast will present new conditions and unfamiliar competitors for the Hoyas. Because of its previous matches this season, Georgetown has become accustomed

to indoor matches; the outdoor, warm-weather setting in California will be an obvious change.

“It could help us or it could hurt us; we’re not used to playing outside, unlike these California teams,” Ernst said. “Playing them is a rarity.”

The first of the five matches will be a battle between the men’s team and UC Santa Barbara (3-8), a meeting that is happening for the first time in six years.

Though UCSB has managed only three wins this season, it enters this match with momentum. After suffering a five-match losing streak, the Gauchos celebrated a 6-1 victory over the University of the Pacific on March 2. They captured the doubles point early and dominated in singles play, taking five of the six matches with their only loss coming at second singles.

Also March 8, the women’s team will compete with Cal State Fullerton (3-7). Like the men’s team, the women have little history with west coast programs.

Fullerton has won two out of its last three matches, sweeping UC San Diego on Feb. 26. However, Fullerton’s potential weaknesses lie in its extensive five-game losing streak, which stretched from January to February. Both Georgetown and Fullerton have had a long break since their last matches.

The men have two-days off after the UCSB match and return March 10 to face UC Riverside.

The quick turnaround between matches is a test of endurance for the Blue and Gray — a necessary challenge, according to Ernst.

“They have to get used to that.

That’s the real world, especially going into the Big East tourna-

ment,” Ernst said. “In the Big East tournament we’re going to have to win three, four matches in a row, so there’s a fine line between worrying about their fatigue and then getting into shape. We need to do more backto-back matches because there are some teams that are playing in two matches per day.”

On March 11, UC Irvine (2-9) will be the third and final competitor for the men’s trio of west coast matches. Two days later, the women’s team will compete against the winless UC Riverside (0-11).

One advantage of the Californian competition is that it provides several Hoyas with the feeling of a home match. Senior co-captain Madeline Jaeger and junior Shane Korber, two of the more experienced players in the program, are both California natives from Laguna Beach and Newport Beach, respectively.

“It’s really for Maddie Jaeger and Shane Korber; they’re both from there,” Ernst said. “They’re two great kids, and if we could do it [play in California] one time out of their four years then this is the perfect year to do it.”

After all of the California matches, Georgetown will begin a stretch of matches which includes more Big East opponents.

The conference matchups may bring on new challenges for the Hoyas, but as of right now Ernst is happy with the way the teams are playing.

“There aren’t a lot of changes we need to make … right now. It’s about helping them get better,” Ernst said.

The two matches on March 8 are both scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. ET.

The Sporting Life

NFL Needs to Change PAT I

n a sport filled with strategic and necessary stalls, the Point After Touchdown is a colossal waste of time. Kickers converted 99.6 percent of their PATs this past season, inviting the question as to why the NFL even bothers to keep the ordeal in place. After all, it’s just another opportunity for players (such as Rob Gronkowski two seasons ago) to get injured for no reason.

If a game is decided by one of these near-mythical PAT misses, it seems almost cheap; is it fair that something so trivial decides a game where bruised men maul each other for every inch? This is why the PAT system needs to be fixed; however, the current proposal being discussed by the NFL — moving the ball back from the 2-yard line to the 25-yard line on PATs — does not solve the problem.

Making the extra point a 42yard kick instead of a 19-yard attempt only makes matters worse.

NFL kickers will still make the kick a large majority of the time.

In fact, kickers converted 83 percent of kicks from between 40 yards and 49 yards this past season.

Additionally, tacking a midrange field goal onto the end of a touchdown drive won’t recreate the energy of an actual field goal for players, and with just one point hanging in the balance, it certainly won’t excite the fans either. The enthusiasm for a field goal is largely derived from the drive that led to it, be it an offense building some momentum, or a pivotal hold for a defense.

Two other potential solutions to the PAT problem make much more sense. The simpler of these

is just to give teams the extra point for free. Teams could still choose to go for two, but the PAT would be theirs if they want it.

This wouldn’t alter the game much, and it doesn’t add unnecessary influence to the extra point. Additionally, it cuts out the wasted time and injury risk that comes with actually going through with the kick. Most importantly, it takes away the head-

Darius Majd

The system the NFL has for the extra point doesn’t satisfy anyone. ache of a fluke miss that decides a game in the most trivial way possible.

The other option would be to eliminate the extra point altogether, and instead make teams go for two every time. This would place perhaps too much emphasis on the PAT, but would make up for it with the excitement of another goal-line play.

Just imagine how much more exciting it would be to watch a late touchdown by a team that trails by seven. Whereas the current rules ensure that the game will almost surely go to overtime, the stakes would be raised under the new system to a do-or-die situation for both teams.

Think about the infamous Broncos-Chargers game in 2008 (and try to forget Ed Hochuli’s game-altering blunder). After scoring a touchdown to make the score 38-37 in the game’s closing seconds, Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan decided to go for two and end the game then and there. The Broncos converted to win 39-38, and the finish was as exciting as any other that season, regardless of controversy.

Imagine if Shanahan had settled for the PAT and we were treated to another boring overtime in which the team that won the coin toss took the ball and scored on a field goal to win.

I know the overtime rules have been altered slightly to avoid this, but the current system is a half-measure that does not eliminate the anticlimactic spirit of the NFL’s OT. A rule that mandated two-point conversions instead of PATs would make the end of games more in the spirit of college football’s exciting brand of OT. There are many ideas about what to do with the extra point, but I believe that the best solutions are strong and uncompromising. There are traditionalists who don’t want to make radical changes and there are others who want to make the PAT as exciting as possible. Both have valid arguments. But the system that the NFL is currently debating satisfies no one; it is just another half-measure that lacks the conviction needed to correct even the minor flaws in the sport.

Darius Majd is a junior in the College. The Sporting Life appears every Friday.

Men’s Basketball

Final Road Test Awaits Hoyas villanova, from A12 Just as important, Georgetown only made nine trips to the freethrow line compared to 23 for Villanova.

One of the biggest differences between the Georgetown team that will take the court this Saturday and the squad that lost to Villanova is personnel: Junior guard Jabril Trawick made his return from a broken jaw against the Wildcats, but he only saw 12 minutes of playing time. Since then, the Philadelphia native has emerged as a viable third scoring option and provided his usual tenacious defense.

“Having [Trawick] out there adds in a lot of ways — not just as it relates to depth — just because

of his toughness and his size, he can guard up [and] he can guard down,” Thompson said. “His intensity, his attitude is infectious and everybody feeds off it. He helps to give everyone else on our team courage.”

Georgetown will need all the courage it can muster to squeak out its first road win since its 7159 win at DePaul over a month ago. In all, the Hoyas only have two true road wins all season, the second of which was a 7067 overtime victory at Butler on Jan. 11. DePaul and Butler combine for five conference wins between the two of them — fewer than any other team in the Big East.

While Georgetown has struggled to find consistency since

the teams’ last meeting, Villanova has cruised through Big East play — with the exception of Creighton, who accounts for the Wildcats’ only two conference losses. Villanova easily handled conference opponents Butler and Marquette at home. Most recently, Villanova outlasted Xavier for a 77-70 win. With the win, the Wildcats clinched the Big East regular season championship.

It has taken almost an entire season, but it seems these Hoyas may have finally found out their basketball identity. Thompson certainly thinks so.

“I think we now know how to skin the cat,” Thompson said.

“Now we just have to go do it.”

Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m.

Provides Next Challenge Elizabeth Cavacos Hoya Staff Writer

This Saturday, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (2-2) will host Harvard (2-2) in Georgetown’s first home game since its season-opening win against Mount St. Mary’s.

Georgetown will be looking to utilize the home-field advantage after dropping two consecutive road games to Towson and Hofstra. Both games were decided by one goal and marked by long scoring droughts for the Hoyas that ultimately nulled their comeback efforts.

Georgetown Head Coach Kevin Warne hopes that the Hoyas can start to set the pace against their opponents, especially after observing the control that Towson and Hofstra established in the early stages of the two defeats.

“We just have to do a better job with our decision-making and be a little bit more poised,” Warne said.

“We need to have more game sense to understand what the tempo is during the game.”

In anticipation of the game against Harvard, Warne called for his players to make some adjustments in order to have more success on offense and less strain on defense.

“If we’ve played defense for a while, let’s not rush [on offense],” Warne said. “Let’s take our time and give our defense a little bit of a break, and now we can attack and do what we need to do on the offensive end.”

Georgetown will play Harvard Saturday for the fifth time in program history. All five games have taken place in the last five seasons, with the Hoyas being undefeated against the Crimson at home. Last season’s matchup at Harvard was fairly even-paced with backand-forth scoring from both teams; however, it ultimately resulted in an 8-6 loss for the Hoyas.

Harvard will take the field on Saturday currently winless on the road, which follows a predictable pattern.

So far during Head Coach Chris Wojcik’s four-year tenure, he has notched a 10-2 record at home, but just a 24-24 overall record.

However, the attributes of Harvard’s 2014 roster do not necessarily parallel those of past seasons, and this year it could perform better away from home as a result. Last season, the Crimson had a young team and the ninth most difficult schedule in the country, ending the season with a 6-8 overall record and a 2-4 record in the Ivy League. However, the challenges of last year built the foundation for a team that will

be a tough opponent this year.

For Harvard, the young and raw talent of the 2013 team will be replaced by more refined experience.

For Georgetown, returning team leaders will be playing alongside new underclassmen that have already begun to build up stock as regular contributors.

Warne acknowledged that Harvard and Georgetown will both have team dynamics that are unique from those of previous seasons.

“I would say that we’re both good teams,” Warne said. “Obviously we’ll play to our strengths and Harvard will play to their strengths. It’s March, so you’re still trying to find your identity, and every team has a different identity every year.”

Although it is still quite early in the season for the Crimson, they have already displayed acumen on the offensive side of the field. Under the guidance of Wojcik, a coach with years of experience as an offensive coordinator for several esteemed lacrosse programs, the Crimson outshot all of their opponents this season. Harvard has strong leaders on both attack and midfield that work to establish a lead early in the game when given the opportunity. This gives Georgetown even more of an incentive to control the pace early on.

Warne cautioned that Harvard’s abbreviated preseason will not affect the intensity it brings to the field.

“Some people have the [impression] that because [teams in] the Ivy League start later for practice they’re behind,” Warne said. “But Harvard is really talented. They have a lot of good players … and they’ll be ready to go coming down here on Saturday.”

Although establishing game tempo is important, it is just part of Georgetown’s larger goal, which is demonstrating consistency. After playing in games that have been characterized by unanswered scoring runs from opponents and offensive incoherence, Warne wants to focus on fine-tuning the basics and decreasing unforced errors. He emphasized that taking care of fundamentals Saturday will move the Blue and Gray closer to achieving both their short-term and long-term goals.

“We’re going to make sure that we just stick to our plan: playing hard, playing tough and making the game really simple,” Warne said. “We’re going to concentrate on the little things, and when we do that, the consistency will come over the 60 minutes, and I think that will give us the best opportunity to win.”

track & Field

Final Stretch of Indoor Season Starts in Boston Morgan Birck Hoya Staff Writer

The season is not over for those who will not be competing in the 2014 Indoor Track and Field NCAA Championships. Georgetown will travel to Boston on March 7 to compete in the IC4A/ECAC championships.

“Most of the people running in the NCAAs will not be going,” Director of Track and Field and Cross–Country Patrick Henner said. “But the rest of the team will be.”

The preliminary rounds begin Saturday morning, and final rounds will take place Sunday. Henner said that a team win is not the focus of this weekend’s meet.

“We just want some good competitive situations on a fast track,” Henner said. “If we could do well as a team, then that’s great, but that’s not the overriding concern. For most of them it’s just getting in a really good competitive situation on a nice track.”

For freshman Ryan Manahan — who just missed the cut for NCAAs by less than a tenth of a second — this is an opportunity to compete one last time on the indoor track.

This also gives a chance for seniors like Becca DeLoache, Shanique Dasilva and Bobby Peavey to run one last time at a competitive indoor meet.

On March 4, the full list of participants for the NCAA championships was announced. Georgetown is expected to send 13 runners to Albuquerque, N.M., on March 14 and 15.

Henner is satisfied with the team’s accomplishment.

“I’m very pleased, especially considering that we have a very young group,” Henner said. “I think that every single person that is going to run is going to be returning next year, so I’m really happy.”

During last weekend’s Boston University Last Chance Meet, the Hoyas broke two school records. The men’s distance medley relay team finished with a time of 9:29:11, and freshman Amos Bartelsmeyer set the record in

the 1200-meter frame at 2:53.3. This was enough to qualify the team for the NCAA championships.

Junior All-American Katrina Coogan set a second school record in the women’s mile with a time of 4:33.44. Though this was the thirdfastest time in the nation, Coogan did not earn a spot in the NCAA championship one-mile preliminaries. She did, however, earn a spot in the 3000m race.

Chosen to participate for the women are junior Andrea Keklak and freshman Sabrina Southerland in the 800m, Coogan in the 3000m and the women’s DMR team of junior Hannah Neczypor, junior Deseree King, freshman Emma Keenan, graduate student Amanda Kimbers, Keklak and Coogan.

For the men, senior Billy Leder will compete in the 800m, and the men’s DMR team will compete with sophomores Mike Andre, Ahmed Bile and Devante Washington and freshman Ryan Manahan, Bartelsmeyer and Ledder.

Though these Hoyas have made it to the NCAA championships, they haven’t made it to the finals yet.

Henner is realistic, but he believes his team can do it.

“Step one is to make the finals,” Henner said. “I believe they are very capable of making it to the final, but they have to be ready to go in the preliminary round on Friday. They have to be ready to go and ready to work.”

With a week left before the NCAA championships, the runners must balance staying in shape and not tiring themselves out.

“All the athletes are very well prepared and ready to go,” Henner said.

“So it’s just going to be that fine line of maintaining what we have and not getting stale. We want to keep going and get some good workouts in, but not overdo it either.”

As the Hoyas prepare for the last leg of their indoor season, they hope to finish on a high note in the IC4A/ ECAC and NCAA championship meets.

sports

friday, mARCH 7, 2014

women’s basketball

THE HOYA

A11

baseball

Despite Team Effort, GU Escapes for Tournament Hoyas Fall to DePaul Tony Baxter

Special to The Hoya

Matt Raab

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown women’s basketball team ended its regular season with a 91-74 loss to No. 25 DePaul, the Big East regular season champion, Tuesday night. After winning three of their previous six games, the Hoyas’ (10-20, 4-14 Big East) loss to the Blue Demons (24-6, 15-3 Big East), showcased many of the difficulties that have been plaguing them throughout the year.

The game featured similarities with Georgetown’s earlier matchup with DePaul this year — a 92-69 loss at home Jan. 22. The Hoyas were once again frustrated by the Blue Demons’ aggressive full-court pressure, which forced 24 Georgetown turnovers. Although this was six fewer turnovers than the Hoyas committed in the previous meeting, DePaul still managed 30 points off turnovers.

Georgetown was able to keep up with DePaul for a majority of the first half, and with five minutes remaining in it trailed by just two points. The Blue Demons, aided by hot three-point shooting, were able to expand their lead to 11 points.

“We learned more this time than we did the first time we played DePaul, but the similarities are too striking in that they turned us over,” Head Coach Jim Lewis said. “And when they didn’t turn us over we shot the ball with a high percentage.”

The Blue Demons were able to jump out to an early lead behind strong shooting and early turnovers by the Hoyas, but they were not firmly in control of the game until their three-point barrage at the end of the half. Georgetown demonstrated some resiliency as the first half progressed, slowly eating away at DePaul’s lead with 10 rebounds and eight points from freshman center Natalie Butler and 11 points from sophomore forward Logan Battle.

However, the Blue and Gray could not maintain that pace for the entire half.

“Therein lies the conundrum, we … have to handle this pressure better and make them pay,” Lewis said.

“The pace got out of control for us. It got to a place where we didn’t want it to be.”

Besides the decrease in turnovers, the Hoyas out-rebounded the Blue Demons 37-35 — something they were unable to do in the teams’ first matchup. The Blue and Gray also had four players finish in double-digits after only two did so

in the January matchup. On Tuesday night, senior co-captain and forward Andrea White put up 14 points. Battle and Butler finished with 17 and 15 points respectively, while freshman forward Faith Woodard had 11.

With the loss, Georgetown fell to 4-14 in the Big East. Despite the record, three Hoyas received Big East honors which were announced Wednesday. Butler was the unanimous choice for the 2014 Big East Women’s Basketball Freshman of the Year, was a unanimous selection to the Big East all-Freshman team and finally was named to the all-Big East second team.

Woodard joined Butler as a unanimous choice to the all-Freshman team while White was also named to the all-Big East second team.

For Butler, these recognitions top off a record-breaking year at Georgetown and in the conference as a whole. Her 248 rebounds during the season earned her both the overall and rookie rebounding records in the Big East. She also locked down the rebound-per-game records in the same categories with a 13-rebound night. Further, she finished the season with 23 double-doubles and tied the Big East single-game rebound record with 20.

After dropping both regular season chances to DePaul, Georgetown may face it again in the postseason.

With the current arrangement of the bracket, the eighth-seeded Hoyas are slated to play ninth-seeded Xavier in the first round. The winner of that game will advance to play DePaul in the quarterfinals.

Although Georgetown split the season series with Xavier, difficulties with DePaul will loom over the Hoyas’ heads from the start of the tournament.

“Here we are with an opportunity to put all the hard work and growth into one more effort,” Lewis said.

“It’s one game on the 8th against Xavier … and then hopefully we’ll see this team again.”

The Big East tournament will be held at DePaul, in the same arena where Georgetown witnessed its opponents cut down its nets less than a week earlier.

“We congratulate Doug Bruno and his great DePaul team for winning their first Big East regular season championship, and they played well again tonight,” Lewis said. “We know that they’re going to be a formidable opponent for anyone.”

Tipoff for Georgetown is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. March 8.

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Coming off a sweep at the hands of UNC-Greensboro last weekend, the Georgetown baseball team will head south to Port Charlotte, Fla., over spring break to participate in the Snowbird Classic. The Hoyas were originally scheduled to play at Navy on Wednesday, but because of poor field conditions, they were forced to postpone their midweek game for the second week in a row.

Georgetown participates in the Snowbird Classic every spring, and this year especially it represents an opportunity for players to knock some early season rust off while they wait for local weather to reach more proper baseball playing conditions.

“This is a critical portion of our season,” Head Coach Pete Wilk said.

“We have yet to practice on a baseball field. To be able to get down there and just think baseball for 10 or 11 straight days and have some practices will be nice.”

In their series last weekend, the Hoyas suffered from poor pitching, and their offense only came alive in the final game, which they lost on a walk-off home run. Wilk emphasized that improvements must be made in all phases of the game as Big East conference play nears.

“I think we need to move forward in all three aspects, not only in pitching but in defense too. Offensively, we’re starting [to play better], but good teams do all three aspects well,” Wilk said. “We have yet to put a game together where we have put all three aspects of the game into positive columns.”

In Florida, the Blue and Gray will take on Western Michigan in one game, South Dakota State in a two-game series, Saint Joseph’s in a three-game series and finally Iowa in a two-game set.

Wilk, who is expecting some good competition over the week, said that he expects Iowa to be the toughest opponent. The Hawkeyes (9-1), who play their trade in the Big

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Senior first baseman Steve Anderson has a .351 batting average this season. He leads the Hoyas in hits and RBIs. Ten, have started the season strong, and they have received top-25 votes in the official NCAA poll.

Western Michigan does not present the same danger that Iowa does, although the Broncos (4-7) do have a shocking victory over 10th ranked Louisville to their credit. They have been very sporadic over the season, but they should be a tough challenge for the Hoyas as well.

Like Georgetown, Saint Joseph’s (3-3) has not seen much of the diamond this year after its first four games of the season were cancelled.

Saint Joseph’s will play three games this weekend before heading down to Florida.

Finally, Georgetown will take on South Dakota State (6-5). The Jackrabbits have been back and forth so far this season, unable to string a winning streak longer than two games, but they haven’t lost consecutive games.

Led by senior first baseman Steve Anderson (.351 batting average), the Georgetown offense has begun to show signs of life. However, Wilk

emphasized that the Georgetown pitching staff must step up to relieve the pressure on the Hoyas’ hitters.

“I think it starts with pitching.

We lost a big part of our pitching staff [last season],” Wilk said. “I think our defense has got to play better and our hitters have to keep doing what they have been doing.

We have had very good progress offensively over the last six or so games against some very good pitching, so I am encouraged about that.”

Ultimately, the Snowbird Classic will serve as an early-season barometer and an opportunity for players to gain valuable field time. However, because it is so early in the season, the spring break slate of games will neither make nor break the Hoyas’ season. In fact, more than just game and practice time, Wilk explained that the tournament will be critical for team chemistry.

“Traditionally, it has been sort of a team unifier and now, with this winter, it is going to be even more so,” Wilk said.

men’s basketball

Attendance Dips at Verizon Center ATTENDANCE, from A10 South Florida joined the league.

In the eight years that followed that annexation, the Big East sent a total of eight teams to the NCAA Final Four, including two teams in both 2009 and 2013.

In 2012, West Virginia began a wave of departures that culminated with seven schools — Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and South Florida — leaving for other conferences in 2013.

Those eight teams won 11 of the 12 Big East tournaments before the conference broke up and represented much of the upper echelon of college basketball.

The Hoyas saw their attendance spike during that era, climbing from an average per game of 8,796 in 20022003 to a high-water mark of 12,826 in 2008-2009 — even though the Hoyas lost in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament that year.

Realignment alters schedule Although the Catholic Seven that form the nucleus of the new league enlisted well-regarded basketball schools Butler, Creighton and Xavier, the current Big East is widely perceived to be less competitive than it once was.

To a certain extent, this is reflected in year-over-year attendance figures.

Aside from the rivalry game with Syracuse, eventual national champion Louisville was the biggest draw last season, pulling in 17,474 fans. This year, a date with unranked Butler was the best-attended game, with an announced crowd of 13,011.

However, not all of the Big East schools have seen their attendance decline this season. While DePaul’s average has fallen by 17 percent — the most of any team — and Seton Hall’s crowds have dipped by 9.9 percent, Villanova and Providence have seen increases of 3.3 and 4.9 percent, respectively.

Figures for other teams are not final, as some teams have one home game remaining in the 2013-14 season.

Overall, the 10 Big East members have seen an 8.5 percent drop in average home attendance compared to a season ago. So why was Georgetown’s decline steeper?

Orange rivalry drew big crowds One possible reason is the defection of Syracuse from the league.

The Hoyas’ meeting with the Orange was one of the biggest dates on the college basketball calendar. Consistently Georgetown’s best-attended home game, last season’s meeting at Verizon Center drew the largest crowd ever for an indoor sporting event in the Washington metro area.

In an interview, Georgetown University Student Association Vice President and former Hoya Blue Communications Officer Adam Ramadan (SFS ’14) pointed to the need for new rival-

ries to help boost attendance.

“Is Creighton going to be a new rival? Is Butler going to be a new rival?”

Ramadan said. “We need to let new rivalries develop in an organic way, the way the Syracuse rivalry did. That’s just not going to happen in one year.”

O’Neil echoed Ramadan’s argument and added that the 10-team league means that Georgetown faces each one of its conference rivals at home every season, making a rivalry more viable than it was in the 16-team Big East, where some teams met only once a year.

“We look forward to how the Big East Conference, with the scheduling of annual home-and-home series and the new rivalries that are being created, will help to increase our attendance numbers down the road,” O’Neil said in his statement.

Game times not optimal Several of Georgetown’s biggest home games this season were played on weeknights, something that O’Neil mentioned in his statement.

For instance, the Hoyas faced thenNo. 9 Villanova at 9 p.m. on a Monday night and No. 13 Creighton at 7 p.m. on a Tuesday night this year. Last season, home matchups with both Louisville and Syracuse were held on Saturday afternoons.

Head Coach John Thompson III has already urged Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman to consider changing the league basketball schedule to avoid periods of only one day between games.

However, television — more than attendance — often dictates the scheduling of games, complicating Georgetown’s hopes of avoiding similar timing complications in future years Nonconference schedule A common complaint among fans is that Georgetown hosted a weak slate of nonconference opponents this season.

Last season, a date with Tennessee in the Big East-SEC Challenge drew 13,656 fans. This season, the highest crowd before league play was the 8,165 on hand to see Georgetown play Lipscomb.

In part because of the changing dynamics of college basketball, many of the top nonconference games are now held on neutral sites.

Georgetown played four ranked teams outside the Big East this year but faced three of them at neutral sites: then-No. 19 Oregon in South Korea, then-No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and then-No. 7 Michigan State at Madison Square Garden.

The fourth nonconference game against a ranked opponent was a visit to Lawrence, Kan., to take on Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks will come to Washington next December for the continuation of the series, giv-

ing the 2014-2015 schedule a standout nonconference game.

Although there is fan agitation to get more teams to the Phone Booth, there are clear reasons for Thompson and his staff to pursue a more cautious mix of opponents.

“From a fan’s perspective, I would like to see more top teams come to Verizon Center,” Ramadan said. “From a coaching perspective, I’m sure they see a reason to play Duke for a few years and then wait before setting up the Kansas series.”

The biggest remaining issue for the nonconference schedule — the renewal of the Georgetown-Syracuse series — has been widely discussed but concrete arrangements have not yet been made.

Cautious optimism In response to lagging student attendance — and the sight of partially empty student sections — GUSA, student pep club Hoya Blue and the athletic department initiated a limited direct busing program this season.

Under the arrangement, students were able to take shuttles to Verizon Center for all Georgetown games if they attended two out of the first three games or half of all non-conference games.

While separate figures for student attendance are unavailable, Ramadan said he was pleased with the results of direct busing, while acknowledging student attendance could still improve.

In his statement, O’Neil indicated that direct busing — and other promotions begun this year — would continue.

“We were very happy with our first season of renewing direct busing to Verizon Center for select student season ticket holders, and we are excited to see that program grow,” O’Neil said.

“We also had success with many new promotions targeting Georgetown alumni, parents and fans.”

If student attendance improved, Georgetown could revert to full student sections on both baselines. Large signs promoting the Hoyas on social media have replaced what used to be student seating.

Attendance didn’t stop Hoyas Despite the declining crowds, Georgetown won 12 of its 15 home games this season, only a bit off its 16-1 mark at Verizon Center last season.

And one group claimed victory in attracting more fans. The Stonewalls — the section 118 group of Georgetown alumni that are known for the ubiquitous tifos signs — saw the attendance in their section grow this year.

“We hope even more fans will join us next season, particularly all the new young alumni who will be graduating this year,” board member Nick Sementelli (SFS ’09) said.

SPORTS

MEN’S LACROSSE Georgetown (2-2) vs Harvard (2-2) Saturday, 12 p.m.

MultiSport Facility

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 2014

BITTER END

TALKING POINTS

The Hoyas dropped their last regular season game against DePaul on Wednesday night.

See A11

MEN’S BASKETBALL

“

NUMBERS GAME

2 ”

It’s March, so you’re still trying to find your identity, and every team has a different identity.

The number of consecutive ranked opponents the women’s lacrosse team has defeated.

Men’s Lacrosse Head Coach Kevin Warne

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Attendance Beyond the Numbers Many factors are behind the attendance drop.

GEORGETOWN ATTENDANCE OVER TIME 12,500

EVAN HOLLANDER Hoya Staff Writer

ASHWIN WADEKAR Hoya Staff Writer

To say this season has been an uneven one for the Hoyas may be an understatement, but this Georgetown team could be saving its best for last.

Georgetown dismantled No. 13 Creighton with a 75-63 victory on senior night. In all, eight Hoyas were honored — three managers and five players: forward Nate Lubick and center Moses Ayegba and the seasoned backcourt of John Caprio, Aaron Bowen and Markel Starks.

In an emotional night, Starks — the team’s undisputed leader and most consistent player — once again led the Hoyas with 17 points, 11 assists and three steals.

He saved his best for crunch time, hitting a silky pull-up jump shot and knocking down some clutch free throws to seal the win.

“This is a group, and [Starks] is a player,that we’re going to miss,” Head Coach John Thompson III said. “We plan on him playing a few more games in a Georgetown uniform before it’s all said and done.”

Starks wasn’t the only Hoya with impressive numbers, though. Sophomore guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera found his shooting stroke and added 18 points and 12 rebounds – a career high.

Georgetown was most impressive on the defensive side of the court. A combination of Bowen and junior forward Mikael Hopkins held All-American senior forward Doug McDermott — who passed Danny Manning for eighth all time in points scored during the game — to 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting.

“You can’t stop Doug McDermott,” Thompson said. “To be honest, I thought … we did an outstanding job on him, but he still ended up with 22 points.”

For the most part, the Hoyas were able to make strong defensive stands because they stayed out of foul trouble. Against Marquette, Hopkins picked up four fouls in just 12 minutes while Lubick and Ayegba fouled out. However, Tuesday, playing against a highly touted offensive Creighton team, those same three big men combined for just five fouls.

“I think [Hopkins] was key,” Thompson said. “Last game against Marquette, our frontcourt got into some foul trouble … but it was important today because Mikael … with his mobility and size can make things difficult for McDermott.”

This discipline carried over to the offensive end as well, where Georgetown turned the ball over just seven times — a number Creighton almost matched in the first half alone.

Now, Georgetown needs to prove it can build on perhaps its best win of the season with perhaps its toughest test — a regular season finale at No. 6 Villanova.

In the teams’ first matchup — a 65-60 Villanova win at Verizon Center — Georgetown failed to do so much of what led to its victory over Creighton. The Hoyas turned the ball over 18 times and recorded 23 fouls.

See VILLANOVA, A10

NATION’S BEST TO VERIZON Formed in 1979, the Big East enjoyed a golden age in basketball after 2005, when Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and

7,500

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ATTENDANCE ACROSS THE BIG EAST

*Full statistics not available for these schools as their seasons are not complete.

17,831

2012-2013

Creighton*

Marquette*

Xavier

Georgetown

Providence

Villanova*

Butler*

St. John’s

DePaul

6,336

6,373

7,681

7,370

7,330

7,796

7,899

8,284

8,022

8,367

7,987

9,106

10,911

9,862

9,781

14,278

2013-2014

7,035

2 200

15,033

Hoyas Seek 2nd Straight Upset Win

10,000

17,155

CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Senior guard Markel Starks scored 17 points and 11 assists Tuesday.

Home attendance for Georgetown’s men’s basketball team declined for the third straight season in 2013-2014, falling 16.5 percent over the last year.

The decrease — from an average of 10,911 fans last year to 9,106 this year — comes as the Hoyas played their first season in a Big East that was wracked by realignment and lost several of its marquee programs to the Atlantic Coast and American Athletic Conferences.

However, factors besides realignment likely played into this attendance drop. This year’s team sits at 17-12 headed into Saturday’s season finale at Villanova, while Otto Porter, who left Georgetown for the Washington Wizards at the end of last year, led the Blue and Gray to a 24-5 record in 2012-2013.

In a statement, Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs Dan O’Neil also cited “unique start times and several big conference games being played on weekdays rather than weekends” as factors at work in this year’s attendance figures in a statement sent by email to THE HOYA.

Seton Hall

See ATTENDANCE, A11

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Last-Second Goal Seals Win Over Duke MOLLY MALONE Hoya Staff Writer

As the last minute of regulation ticked away during Wednesday’s game between No. 16 Georgetown and No. 6 Duke, it appeared that the Hoyas were headed to overtime for a second straight game.

But with only five seconds remaining on the clock, junior attack Caroline Tarzian ripped a shot past

sophomore Duke goalie Kelsey Duryea to give Georgetown (3-1) a dramatic 11-10 victory.

The Hoyas have won two straight games against ranked teams in very different fashions, but one thing has stayed constant: Tarzian’s ability to score with the game on the line.

Prior to the game, Head Coach Ricky Fried had emphasized his team’s need for accurate shots on

FILE PHOTO: ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Junior attack Caroline Tarzian scored the game-winning goal with five seconds left against No. 6 Duke on Wednesday.

Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports

goal against the Blue Devils (3-3).

“We’ve been averaging 30-plus shots per game and that’s generated by the way we play offense,” Fried said. “We don’t need to get better opportunities, we just need to be conscious of our shots and where we are placing them.”

In the first half, however, it was Duke who struck first, scoring just under 10 seconds into the game.

Although not an optimal start, the Hoyas were soon able to climb back into the game when senior midfielder Hannah Franklin scored her first of two goals to tie the score three minutes later. The tie was short-lived, however, as Duke then went on a two-goal run, making the score 3-1. The Blue and Gray then were able to rebound nicely with three straight goals, starting with one by sophomore midfielder Natalie Miller. Tarzian and senior midfielder Courtney Caputo then added to the lead.

Duke responded to even the score at four with 16:31 left to play, but senior midfielder Kelyn Freedman scored off an outstanding feed from Miller to give Georgetown the lead once again. Franklin and senior attack Meghan Farrell scored to extend the advantage to 7-5 at halftime.

Most of the Hoyas’ first-half goals came from low shots that Duryea had a difficult time tracking.

The back-and-forth nature of the first half then carried over to the beginning of the second. Duke once again made the first move, scoring within the first minute of play. Georgetown was able to notch two more in response to establish a three-goal lead. However, with the 9-6 advantage, the Hoyas gave up a four-goal run to the Blue Devils, allowing them to carry a 10-9 lead into the closing stages of the game.

With 7:29 remaining on the clock, the Blue Devils scored what appeared to be their 11th goal.

However, it was waved off because of a Duke foul, and so on the ensuing two-minute advantage, the

Hoyas were able to tie the game at 10 on a goal by sophomore attack Corinne Etchinson.

That score would hold until the last minute of the game. After Duke was whistled for a foul with 10 seconds remaining, Tarzian took the ball on a restart and found four Duke players waiting for her close to the goal. She was able to get a quick shot off, though, leaving the Blue Devil defenders to watch as it sailed into the back of the net.

Though Georgetown was dominated on draw control, 15-7, the team’s lack of fouls was able to even out the possession game. The Hoyas’ defense was able to create turnovers and out hustle the Blue Devils, which also helped make up for the draw deficit.

Prior to the game, Fried had stressed Georgetown’s need to contain the talented Duke offense.

“I think the biggest thing is defensively we have to make fewer mistakes,” Fried said. “We have to make sure that the shots we give up are making them work and that we don’t give up easy shots.”

Georgetown did just that as it allowed only 19 shots in the whole game and 13 shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper Barb Black played the majority of the game in the net for the Hoyas and recorded two saves. Black also helped contain the offense as she left the cage on numerous occasions to help her defense double-team behind the net.

It was the first time Georgetown had defeated Duke in the last 10 meetings between the two schools, including an 11-10 victory for the Blue Devils last season. While the games are almost always close, the Hoyas have not been able to come out on top — until Wednesday.

Georgetown will take on its third straight ranked opponent this weekend when it plays No. 19 Stanford (3-1) this Sunday at 1 p.m.

The game will take place on the Multi-Sport Facility and will be the Hoyas’ first game back at home since their season opener.