The Hoya: January 31, 2014

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 95, No. 30, © 2014

FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

CULTURE SHOCK

International students face the difficulties of cultural assimilation.

GUIDE, B1

EDITORIAL Georgetown should delay implementation of its new housing policy.

SO LONG, DINOSAURS The Smithsonian’s “Dinosaur Hall” will be closed for five years.

NEWS, A5

OPINION, A2

FOOTBALL DEPARTURE After eight seasons, Head Coach Kevin Kelly leaves for assistant job.

SPORTS, B10

Abroad Students Out of Lottery Sam Abrams Hoya Staff Writer

The university moved dates for housing selection from October to February earlier this year to little objection. But an unexpected consequence of that change has upset current sophomores with plans to study abroad in fall 2014, who will now be unable to participate in the upcoming housing lottery.

The effects of the housing lottery’s new timing were noted in a campus-wide email sent Jan. 27.

Students abroad in the fall will only be able to apply for spring housing, for which fall eligibility is not required.

Previously, when the lottery took place in October, study abroad candidates were able to unofficially appoint replacements to take their spot in an apartment for one semester. Now, with study-abroad students dropped from the lottery, the would-be replacements would be part of an original group applying for eligibility and might not be compelled to give up their spot in the housing group once the study abroad students return for the spring.

Fifty-seven percent of students study abroad in some form during their time at Georgetown, and the Of-

Campaign organizer Will Simons (COL ’16), who plans to study abroad this fall in Buenos Aires, noted that while students were in favor of the move of the housing selection date to February, many do not support the fact that study-abroad students are now cut out of the process.

“Study-abroad students will come back home to find it extremely difficult to get housing with their friends, and apartments very hard to come by as well,” Simons said. “Our main problem that we have is that, while Residential Living may have decided this change back in October, the vast majority of student body was not noWILL SIMONS (COL ’16) tified, and the change was “Students Against Restrictive Housing Policy” Organizer only codified in the handdents who study abroad in the fall book on Jan. 16.”

Fall study-abroad applications are and spring semesters will have the ability to apply for housing for the due Feb. 11, making for a small winappropriate semester they will be dow of time for students to regroup on campus at Georgetown,” Rinker and rethink their spring housing plans. Housing selection applications wrote in an email.

In response to the housing selec- for apartments, suits and townhoustion change, five Georgetown stu- es are due March 17.

Campaign organizer Philip Coffin dents formed “Students Against Restrictive Housing Policy,” a campaign (COL ’16), who is not studying abroad, mobilized on Facebook and George- remarked on the support the group town Roundtables early Tuesday has received just two days after creatmorning, after receiving the official ing a Facebook event, which had 500 email notice on the change from Residential Living the previous evening.

See LOTTERY, A6 fice of International Programs sends between 900 and 1000 abroad each year.

Director of Overseas Studies Craig Rinker weighed in on study-abroad students’ concerns with the new housing selection process.

“I believe there may have been a misunderstanding by students with relation to procedural changes to the housing application process. Stu-

“Study-abroad students will come back home to find it difficult to get housing.”

MAYORAL RACE

WOMEN WHO CODE

Candidates Spar at Forum Johnny Verhovek Hoya Staff Writer

Five mayoral candidates vying for the Democratic nomination faced off in a public forum at the Sixth & I Synagogue in downtown Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, with candidates challenging incumbent Vincent Gray on his current policies and past legal troubles.

The forum, moderated by Jerry Clark, the political director of D.C. for Democracy, featured D.C. Council members Tommy Wells (D-Ward 6) and Vincent Orange (D-At Large), restaurateur Andy Shallal and former State Department official Reta Jo Lewis in addition to Gray. Council members Jack Evans (D-Ward 2) and Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4), both declared candidates, were not able to attend the forum due to scheduling conflicts.

Candidates touched on issues ranging from education and standardized testing policy to homelessness in the District and tipped minimum wage for restaurant workers.

Wells was quick to distinguish himself from the crowd by criticizing the corruption that he perceives as characterizing several of his opponents’ campaigns, particularly Gray, Evans, Bowser and Orange.

“I’m running to end the culture of corruption in our government. We’ve got three council members that have either stepped down or been indicted, we have a mayor that’s under investigation — an investigation that has cost the city over $40 million already,” Wells said, slamming Gray over the ongoing investigation into his 2010 run for mayor.

Gray was quick to emphasize his accomplishments three years into the job, highlighting economic development and educational improvements as reasons for why voters should grant him a second term.

“We said we were going to bring more fiscal responsibility to the District of Columbia, and we have. We said we were going to improve education, and we have seen improved test scores for our kids and we have the most robust early childhood education program in America,” Gray said.

Throughout the night, candidates challenged Gray on his positions, ranging from his administration’s increase of the budget to the D.C. See FORUM, A6

KAYLA NOGUCHI/THE HOYA

Chief Information Officer Lisa Davis addresses a room full of eager female coders, looking to try their hand at the profession. See story A8.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Emad Shahin, seen on campus Wednesday, is among a group of dissidents accused of treason by the Egyptian government.

Professor Charged With Espionage Kit Clemente Hoya Staff Writer

Former visiting professor Emad Shahin, an Egyptian political scientist, has been charged with espionage in conjunction with several other dissidents by the army-controlled Egyptian government, he revealed in a Jan. 23 letter.

Shahin, who specializes in political Islam, currently teaches at the American University in Cairo and has been openly critical of the July military coup that removed the elected president, Muslim Brotherhood politician Mohamed Morsi, from power and instated martial rule.

The charge sheet, on which Shahin is listed as “Defendant 33,” includes espionage, leading an illegal organization, providing a banned organization with information and financial support, calling for the suspension of the constitution, preventing state institutions and authorities from performing their functions, harming national unity and social harmony and causing to change the government by force.

The accusations were filed several weeks ago, but Shahin, who was at Georgetown for Wednesday’s “Egypt and the Struggle for Democracy” conference at the Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, brought them to light in his letter, entitled “Statement to my Students, Family and Friends.”

“I categorically and emphatically deny all the charges, and I challenge the state security prosecutor to present real evidence to substantiate these fabricated charges.

I am an academic and have been independent throughout my life.

I am an advocate for democracy, the rule of law, human rights and a fervent supporter of the main objectives of the Jan. 25 Revolution in Egypt, namely freedom, dignity and social justice,” Shahin wrote.

Thirteen of Shahin’s Georgetown colleagues drafted a letter to Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem Al-Beblawi, appealing the decision to indict Shahin in the case, which also names charges against Morsi and senior leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“It reflects poorly on the government of Egypt that his constructive and nonpartisan criticism of political events has seemingly led to this attempt to silence him,” the letter, dated Jan. 28, stated.

Rachel Pugh, the university’s director of media relations, declined to comment on the charges.

“It would not be appropriate to comment on the charges,” she wrote in an email.

The letter represents the concerns of individual scholars, not the university “We’re speaking up because we hope that if a lot of people speak up and point to the absurdity of these charges that the government will reconsider and drop the charges. That’s what you would hope for, but of course there are other less pleasant scenarios,” history professor Judith Tucker said.

Those familiar with Shahin’s work asserted the impossibility of the validity of the charges.

“Professor Shahin was never affiliated with the Brotherhood. He is seen as a threat to the current regime because he is an intellectual voice of reason that has a following See ESPIONAGE, A6

GERMS Lobbies for Official Medical Amnesty Kelly McKenna Special to The Hoya

Campus groups are pushing to formalize common practice by drafting a policy that would grant amnesty to students in need of medical attention because of alcohol or drug use.

Medical amnesty refers to laws that are implemented specifically to legally protect those who seek medical attention as a result of illegal activity. On college campuses, this usually manifests as underage drinking.

Currently, Georgetown does not have an official policy in the Student Code of Student Conduct that makes reference to medical amnesty.

According to the nonprofit organization Medical Amnesty Initiative, unintentional alcohol-related incidents are the leading cause of death among young people in the United States.

This semester, Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Services Acting Crew Chief Brian Monahan (COL ’15), an emergency medical

education(202) system.

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

technician, worked with the Office of Residential Living to propose a new policy. According to Monahan, emergency calls involving underage drinking and drug consumption often result in student confusion about the roles of the Georgetown University Police Department, Metropolitan Police Department, GERMS and the students involved.

Students, particularly in the freshman dorms, often ask if they will get in trouble, and the EMTs assure that they will not. A few days later, however, students involved in an incident with GERMS receive a letter from their community director. Monahan said this ambiguity can cause confusion.

“For some people, the big barrier for calling is that they are worried about getting in trouble, other people finding out and their whole freshman floor seeing,” Monahan said. “Our biggest concern is our patients. We want to make sure that students know their resources and that they are not going to get in trouble for this.”

Student Advocacy Office Co-Director Ben Manzione (SFS ’15), who sits Published Tuesdays and Fridays

FILE PHOTO: CHARLIE LOWE/THE HOYA

Sebastian Orman (COL ’15) and Tom Langlois (COL ’14) prepare for their GERMS shift. The group is behind a proposal for medical amnesty. on the Disciplinary Review Committee, said codified clarification is imperative to alleviate confusion and encourage the seeking of help in emergency situations.

“In order to be truly clear and to allow students to know it exists, it

has to be truly created and a part of the Code of Student Conduct,” Marzione said.

The proposed policy would provide medical amnesty to anyone See AMNESTY, A6

Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com

A2

OPINION

THE HOYA

FRIday, january 31, 2014

THE VERDICT

C C

Founded January 14, 1920

EDITORIALS

Abroad and Abandoned C C C

Emails from the Office of Residential Living usually attract little more attention than that required to click the delete button. But earlier this week, the fine print in a standard email from that office outlined a substantial change in Georgetown’s housing procedure that excludes those who plan to study abroad in fall 2014 from this spring’s housing selection process. The university should take action to negate the immediate effects of this change on current sophomores by postponing the implementation of the policy.

Until they received this email, many sophomores were fine-tuning plans for the housing lottery, finding younger students or others to unofficially agree to fill a spot in their apartment for one semester — the same as in years past.

With study-abroad applications due in two weeks and the housing selection order posted just six days after that, sophomores who plan to be away from Georgetown in the fall will soon lose control over their junior-year housing.

Under the new policy, students abroad in the fall would not be able to create the informal arrangements that preserve apartment spots for their return in the spring. Many returning juniors might find themselves living in a randomly assigned Village C East room instead of in a deliberately select-

ed apartment with a group of chosen friends.

This policy change not only throws a wrench into the living-learning experience of hundreds of Georgetown students — it, in a broader sense, punishes fulfillment of educational experiences that Georgetown encourages. The university touts its 57 percent study-abroad rate as a point of pride on campus tours and in brochures. And yet the specter of poor housing options could discourage future students from applying to fall programs and will undoubtedly weigh heavily on those who already have.

The university has its reasons for this policy change, and spiting students is likely not among them. But simplifying administrative processes should not be prioritized over the residential well-being of the student body.

Intent notwithstanding, excluding students who plan to study abroad from the housing lottery is still a decision that should have been made through thorough campus conversations of the policy’s academic and residential implications and with enough warning for current sophomores to plan accordingly. Postponing this policy change until that conversation can take place would ensure that its best version is implemented fairly for both students and Residential Living.

As the fight for the Democratic nomination for the D.C. mayoral office gathers steam, apathy for District politics appears stronger than ever on the Hilltop. Despite widespread student involvement in the 2012 Virginia Congressional campaigns, the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial campaign and the 2012 presidential race, this year’s mayoral race has since failed to catch the student body’s attention.

Although a lack of concern with local politics may not be surprising, as only a fraction of the student body call the District a permanent home, the university community is losing an opportunity to utilize its numbers and influence to take strong positions on candidates that could potentially advance the university’s interests and help improve the quality of life in Washington.

While many students may not be registered to vote in D.C., students and faculty alike need to remember that voting is not the only form of political participation. Georgetown students have a long and commendable record of acting on behalf of political candi-

dates in jurisdictions where they will likely never cast a single vote.

Even though a majority of Georgetown students cannot claim to be D.C. residents, many are involved in various political and social justice groups on campus that partner with local organizations whose interests will be affected by the election’s outcome. D.C. Reads alone has more than 150 volunteers who commit 900 hours to District public schools each week. By becoming more involved in local debates and campaigns, students can demand that candidates make clearer commitments about community issues important to Georgetown’s programs.

If the university community were able to collectively leverage its talent and influence in the mayoral election, perhaps our interests as a university would also receive more sympathy in the mayor’s office. Especially in light of the upcoming debates on the 2017 Campus Master Plan during the next mayoral term, students would be illadvised to let this election sail by unnoticed.

Stars Align — Sting and Paul Simon will perform in a March benefit concert to raise money for the Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

Hit and Run — The snowy owl spotted in McPherson Square earlier this week was hit by a bus on Tuesday and sent to the National Zoo for treatment. The bird appeared to be suffering from head trauma.

Fearless Selfies — Adjunct professor Shashi Bellamkonda has become something of an Internet sensation after tweeting a selfie taken with fellow passengers as their plane prepared to make an emergency landing en route to Boston.

New Line Deadline — The opening of the H Street/Benning Road streetcar will be delayed by at least one month, despite initial promises of an early February opening by Mayor Vincent Gray.

Main Problem — Water mains continue to freeze and burst across the city.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Michelle Xu

Electing to Participate

Room to Grow Freely While it seems only fair that Georgetown tuition should cover students’ access to campus buildings, this has not been the case for clubs and organizations, which are currently obligated to pay a fee between $100 and $150 to reserve on-campus space. According to a Georgetown University Student Association memo, however, the university appears to be recognizing the discrepancy inherent in that policy. Plans have been discussed to initiate certain corrections by next fall.

Administrators should make it a priority to fulfill this promise. Making un-

used, informal spaces available for use

by Georgetown student groups is a logical extension of the university’s commitment to facilitating student growth and engagement on campus.

With a change in policy to make it less costly for groups to meet on campus, students will face one fewer obstacle to creating and maintaining the organizations that often prove to shape their campus experiences. The result of this change will mean a wide variety of student groups will be better able to fulfill students’ diverse goals.

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

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 Guide Editor Lindsay Leasor 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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Subtle Benefits of Student-Space Fees To the Editor: Lately, there’s been a lot of talk about eliminating student-space fees, and student leaders and groups are both praising this plan. I’m here to be the bad guy. I think space fees are very necessary and that leaders and clubs are too shortsighted to see why.

As president of a student group, I’m concerned about the new plan for spaces. Our student group only reserves classrooms and uses funds for travelling events. However, if the Student Activities Commission begins allocating part of its budget to cover Office of Campus Activity Facilities costs, then the allocation percentages for budgets will need to go down, affecting all groups across the board whether they use space or not.

This is not a universal benefit, but rather an enrichment of large clubs that use lots of space at the expense of smaller ones.

Moreover, as an OCAF employee, there are two major problems I foresee. Firstly, student groups are terrible at cancelling space reservations. The fees, however, force student groups to think through reservations before making them and actually cancel when events don’t happen, in order to conserve costs. Also, cancellation fees help OCAF recover costs from setting up equip-

ment and opening and closing spaces that groups don’t use. Eliminating the fees kills these incentives and backups; it will only serve to drive up the expenses of Special Events and OCAF. Secondly, student groups already complain and fight over space availability. Making spaces free will only exacerbate this problem and cause more overreservation.

But what about registrar spaces? Aren’t they free? First off, registrar classrooms are opened in the morning and closed at night; as long as no classes are happening, the registrar can give rooms to student groups at virtually no extra cost. OCAF spaces do not work this way. Secondly, the Center for Student Engagement actually gives a large chunk of its budget to the registrar at the beginning of each year to cover classroom costs, so they’re really not free. Why don’t our student leaders understand these crucial differences?

Space fees are necessary, but, unfortunately, they make great demagogic speech material. Why don’t our student leaders focus on real issues instead of creating their own?

Alexander Zajac COL ’15

CORRECTIONS The article “Corp Machinery on the Fritz” [The Hoya, A8, Jan. 24, 2014] states Director of Hoya Snaxa Nick Baker (COL ’15) did not respond to request for comment, when the wrong Nick Baker was contacted.

The article “GU Press Celebrates 50 Years” [The Hoya, A4, Jan. 28, 2014] incorrectly described GU Press Director Richard Brown as the former president of the American Association of University Professors, when he was, in fact, the president of the American Association of University Presses in 2010.

The article “Student Space Fees Set for Elimination” [The Hoya, A1, Jan. 28, 2014] states Seamus Guerin (COL ’16) led the effort to reallocate SAFE tuition dollars, when it should say Division of Student Affairs tuition dollars.

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 Katherine Seder Matthew De Silva Casandra Schwartz Janet Zhu

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Consultants

Katy Berk, Taylor Coles, Patrick Drown, Ben Germano, Kelly Nosé

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

Board of Directors

Evan Hollander, Chair

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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, january 31, 2014

THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING

THE HOYA

VIEWPOINT • Tisa

Auction Sells Out the Senior Class

G Allie Heymann

Shaking Up Traditional Tribes M

en and women have been working together for millennia, striving to find the best way to survive in this world. For all of history, these equal and autonomous groups have coexisted, cohabitated and thrived. And for all this time, it has been commonly believed that men and women need each other in every dimension of life — for love, for stability and, of course, for procreation. Yet, as I sit writing this column, I reflect on the fundamental changes in the world’s social fabric. With a growing generation of same-sex couples and female breadwinners, the idea of stability — of men bringing home the bacon to their helpless wives — is on the decline.

The same is true of procreation: As artificial insemination and single parenting have become increasingly prominent lifestyles in modern culture, love remains the only dimension of necessary interaction between men and women in the customary sense. The traditional “tribe” has begun to fall apart with changes in society — and I say let it happen. Our generation has the opportunity to redefine male-female relationships — in new friendships, in acceptance of different sexual orientations, in our ability to earn our keeps and in the understanding of one another’s strengths. It’s time to find our own new families, and college might be the perfect place to do so.

My best friend has a mantra: “Find your tribe,” she always says to me. “Find your tribe.” For a long time, I didn’t understand what she meant. What was the “tribe” she was so adamant about finding? And where exactly was I supposed to find it? I eventually realized what she was leaning towards — a tribe is your family that extends beyond your kin. My best friend realized early on that the bonds we

The traditional “tribe” has begun to fall apart with changes in society. developed throughout high school were bonds intended to last a lifetime. I don’t know how she possessed this wisdom so young, but her insistence that we stick together and grow as individuals now has a ringing importance to me.

Over my year and a half here on the Hilltop, my tribe has grown. I have met intellectually curious individuals, culturally aware individuals and personable individuals. And every time I meet someone, I instinctively think, “Will you be part of my tribe?” The relationships that we are forming here at Georgetown will most certainly carry on into our adult lives, and they are some of the most unspeakably important relationships we will ever make. These are the people who will dance at our weddings, cry on our shoulders, eat from our kitchens, help raise our children and be included in every other Hallmark-style act you can think of that has a place in defining true friendships. Personally, I have been shocked by the number of amazing young men and women I have met, the people who will inevitably complete my tribe.

As Hoyas, we see each other as academic, social and artistic peers. We are the best of friends and the closest of confidantes. It frightens me to think that in 30 years, a member of my tribe might look at me and ask one of the following questions: “Why are you making more money than me?”

“Why do you have a better career than me?”

“Why aren’t you married? Don’t you want a family?”

“Why are you working instead of your husband? That’s strange.”

“Don’t you care about your children/ family life? You can’t have it all you know.”

These are questions that men and women ask each other in today’s world. They are so confined by the idea of the traditional tribe that they are afraid to see that social change is progressive, amazingly necessary and ultimately beneficial. Stereotypical gender roles are flipping upside down and inside out as the structure of the “tribe” changes.

Think hard: Who comprises your tribe?

How deep are your bonds? Would you ever look at members of your tribe and belittle them for their success, deride them for their happiness or question their morals? To be quite clear, these are not just questions men should be aware of. These are questions that women must also reflect deeply upon. A tribe should be a collection of individuals whose love for one another surpasses social norms — and it should allow each person to be whomever and whatever they so choose.

Allie Heymann is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service. THROUGH THE GLASS CEILING

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eorgetown has been my home for four years. I am a senior who has gotten more from this community than I can ever hope to give back, and I am looking forward to bringing my parents into my world in its twilight moments for Senior Parents Weekend. Yet we will not be attending the Senior Auction, which is arguably the main event in the weekend’s programming.

The event is simply unaffordable.

On top of the weekend’s base registration fee of $92.29 per couple, tickets for the Senior Auction run $70 each for standard seats, or $150 for “premium” seats. Before even reading the list of items up for auction or buying dinner beforehand (the auction is hors d’oeuvres only), three tickets and registration for my family would have racked up a bill of over $300.

Ironically, the auction exists to raise money to “make the events of graduation weekend financially accessible to all families in the Georgetown community.” The funds pay for senior week and enable the Senior Class Committee to offer halfprice tickets to families in need. This is an admirable goal, but the logic of financing inclusivity in one event by excluding Hoyas along socioeconomic grounds falls short. The fundraiser auction model is premised on exclusivity. For an event billed as “the biggest party in between now and graduation” for Georgetown seniors and their parents, it prices out many of the Hoyas that the SCC exists to serve.

Yet the committee is not alone in this oversight. Universities are at the center of the tension between financial requirements and access to resources that are required to obtain a brighter future and socioeconomic mobility. The exorbitant cost of college tuition and related expenses places a burden on the

Students of low socioeconomic status are critically underrepresented in the ranks of student organizations. poorest people in this country. The middle class struggles to make ends meet, sandwiched between a shrinking economic space and a lack of programs that address its needs.

Georgetown works actively to address socioeconomic inequality through initiatives like the Georgetown Scholarship Program, the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access and alternative programming by the Georgetown Program Board.

Yet our community is no exception.

The ebb and flow of student life often perpetuates the worst exclusion experienced by those among us who lack class privilege.

Our last great taboo tells us that so long as others can afford it, we must never mention what we can not afford. Maybe it comes from our desire to do everything at once — the pressure to do everything for everyone — that makes it so difficult to say no the first time new friends on your freshman floor want to enjoy a

Viewpoint • Schmidt

meal at Mai Thai together. Regardless of intent, moments like these accumulate over time to produce de facto exclusion.

Students of low socioeconomic status are critically underrepresented in the ranks of student organizations. Leadership roles in many of the most influential groups carry time commitments similar to those of a full-time job in exchange for little or no pay. While it is a testament to the good character of Georgetown students that those in a position to advocate for a salary have rarely done so, this selflessness is available only to those who can afford their living expenses. Students who need to work 20 or even 30 hours a week to support family, pay their tuition or cover costs like textbooks are in no position to seek these positions without significant hardship.

While inequality is a reality of life in the United States today, Georgetown’s values call on us to work to change that fact. Our Georgetown education empowers us to challenge the inequalities around us. We must repair our own campus so it can shine as a living example of that mission.

This must be done inclusively by including all members of the community, not proscriptively through charitable exclusion. We must end the taboo on class and build an understanding of the diverse needs of the student body. In understanding there is solidarity, and through that solidarity, we can build a Georgetown where class differences cease to impact the student experience.

The SCC has an opportunity to take leadership in this regard for its future events.

Nate Tisa is a senior in the School of Foreign Service. He is president of the Georgetown University Student Association.

COLLEGE ON A HILL

At the End of Life, the Vocations to Match Beginning of a Debate Our College Degrees

R

ight-to-life debates frequently call on the general public to consider the point at which a meaningful life begins. However, we are seldom asked to consider the point at which a meaningful life has ended. This is the central question that stands at the core of two recent medical disputes, both involving the decision to remove a patient from life support.

In the first case, 13-year-old Jahi McMath suffered severe complications following an operation to remove her tonsils, adenoids and extra sinus tissue. She was declared brain dead Dec. 12, three days after the operation, but her family, hoping for a miraculous recovery, has since insisted that she remain on life support.

In the second case, 3 3 - ye a r- o l d Marlise Muñoz was found unresponsive on the kitchen floor by her husband Nov. 26.

Because she was 14 weeks pregnant, the hospital refused to remove her ventilator despite her end-of-life wishes, instead stating that the unborn child should be protected under state law. The ventilator was finally removed Sunday after a judge declared that the law did not apply to those who had already died.

Each case has raised unique ethical questions: How should the religious convictions of patients be respected?

How should the conflicting medical interests of mothers and their unborn children be addressed? But common to both cases is the fact that the patients in question were declared brain dead, calling into discussion the ethics of maintaining the heartbeat and breathing of patients who have no realistic chance of recovery.

While both cases bring to mind Terri Schiavo, who was at the center of a seven-year battle beginning in 1990 over the continuation of her life support, these cases unfortunately differ in a significant way. Unlike Schiavo, who was in a persistent vegetative state — also known as a coma — neither McMath nor Muñoz maintain any brain function. A patient in a coma may, depending on the circumstances, be able to live a meaningful life in the future. Sadly, brain-dead patients like McMath and Munoz have no chance of ever recovering.

This raises the issue of what makes a life meaningful and worth protecting. According to Princeton ethicist Peter Singer, “If you think that somehow what is precious, or what has a right to life, is simply an organism, then I suppose you might say, ‘Well, this is not dead. This organism is still able to function. It needs medical support, but of course there’s a lot of people who need medical support.’”

However, brain-dead individuals are not able to, and will not ever again be able to, think, feel emotion or even sustain basic life functions such as breathing. For this reason, most hospitals accept the absence of brain functioning as the point at which an individual may be officially declared dead.

While Muñoz has been removed from her ventilator and her body released to her family, fundamental misunderstandings about the meaning of brain death have been influential in the decision to keep McMath on ventilators.

McMath’s mother, Nailah Winkfield, has stated that only her daughter’s heart stopping would be cause for her to give up hope that her daughter may recover, telling reporters, “I can’t play God. She’s going to get better or she’s not, but I see her getting better.”

Those who work to reinforce this false hope have only made the matter worse. The Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, which has been working behind the scenes to help the family keep McMath attached to life support, is one such organization. According to a statement released by the organization, “Jahi McMath has been labeled a ‘deceased’ person. Yet she retains all the functional attributes of a living person, despite her brain injury.”

Statements such as this one are false and unethical. While machines may be able to keep this young girl breathing and her heart pumping blood, it would take a true miracle for this girl to come back to a life that is arguably worth living. One cannot blame the girl’s family for holding onto all hope that she may recover.

After all, the loss of a child is devastating. But false information about the severity of McMath’s condition only postpones the inevitable grieving process that this family faces.

Statements that reaffirm the family’s misconceptions are additionally unethical from a societal-welfare perspective. The resources required to keep a deceased person artificially breathing are also resources that could be better utilized to care for those still alive, and some philosophers, including Singer, have even argued that the organs of brain-dead individuals could and should be used to save the lives of others.

The experiences of the families of both McMath and Muñoz can be described as nothing short of tragic. But denying the inevitable only serves to harm all those involved.

These cases raise the issue of what makes a life meaningful and worth protecting.

CORRINE SCHMIDT is a senior in the School of Foreign Service. She is captain of the Bioethics Debate Team.

I

f you are a junior or senior, in the importance of finding a you know the stress of find- vocation, but we are not given ing a job or a prestigious the tools to find it once we leave summer internship. The stu- the front gates. dents in suits moving through This may be an impossible Leavey Center, resumes in hand, task to ask of Georgetown. In almarch to meet with bankers most every class, my professors and consultants in the hopes of have confessed that they do not having their education validat- have all the answers, especially ed by a job offer and a signing when it comes to finding your bonus. And if you haven’t been calling. This problem, findworking on your resume, you ing one’s vocation, is a central are either going to law school or struggle that everyone faces living in denial. Sitting, waiting and, as it appears, few overfor your case interview, you can come. No professor, dean or colsee all the consulting firms and lege counselor can hand out the banks marked by plaques on answer to the question, “What the wall, indicatshould I do with ing their status my life?” as a partner with Yet Georgethe career center town has an after scooping obligation to up Georgetown push us to grads. Deloitte, think about Deutsche Bank, this more than we know them it does. While well. some people Kent Carlson My high school may be blessed college counselwith a few fanor used to refer mentors Georgetown teaches tastic to the college and are able to the importance of search as a match identify their to be made, not a mission in life finding a vocation. prize to be won. early on, this It was hard not to struggle is not feel the competitive edge then, uncommon for those facing and it’s still hard not to feel it graduation. After four years of now, especially when jobs are education in Georgetown’s Jelimited and everyone over the suit values, they should take it age of 22 asks, “So what are you a step further and provide this going to do with that major?” sort of encouragement in the Yet this is only part of the job search. The disjunction beGeorgetown experience. tween the messages you receive From a student’s first tour entering Georgetown and the of campus and NSO, students advice you are given upon exitare introduced to the classic ing is a disservice to the Jesuit Georgetown phrases that peo- education and legacy of this ple are so quick to quote: “Cura university. We ought to go to Personalis,” “men and women school not hoping to get a job for others” and “Ad Majorem after graduation, but rather Dei Gloriam” just to name a aspiring to find our purpose in few. These phrases embody the life. We need to challenge ourJesuit ideal that makes George- selves to keep this a priority, town so special. We are taught and we should demand that about issues of inequality and our mentors and advisers help suffering in the world and are us work through these issues encouraged to serve and vol- instead of letting us carelessly unteer. We are taught that our fall into what is expected: a education is not simply for a ca- high paying job at a large, wellreer but for its own sake. marketed firm that hires unFor many, this is exciting and dergraduates. liberating. The idea of becomIf we truly want to show that ing a man or woman for others we have learned anything imgives a sense of higher purpose. portant while at Georgetown, For many, Georgetown teaches we should not reflect on which the importance of finding a vo- firm we will be working for or cation, not just a job. how much we will be making.

Yet, when it comes to career Instead, we should be considercounseling, where is the em- ing what will bring us the most phasis on vocation? Where is happiness and how we can best the advice on how to translate serve the community as men issues and passions into a ca- and women for others. reer? How are we supposed to turn a career in banking, con- Kent Carlson is a senior in the sulting or even government ser- School of Foreign Service. vice into a vocation? As George- COLLEGE ON A HILL appears every town students, we are educated other Friday.

A4

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PAGE FOUR

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE The Conflict Resolution Program explored managing diversity in divided societies. See story at thehoya.com.

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is dead there in the near term.”

ACMCU Director John Esposito on the current political climate in Egypt.

See story on A7.

from

POLITICO

BENJAMIN APPLEY-EPSTEIN FOR THE HOYA

Jennifer Caplan, visiting assistant professor of religion at Rollins College, delivered a talk on the genesis of Jewish humor and identity as part of the Program for Jewish Civilization’s spring 2014 lecture series in McShain Lounge on Thursday.

A SIMPLE SOTU SUMMARY The latest edition of Poli Sci for the Average Guy features an easy recap of Obama’s State of the Union address. blog.thehoya.com

GUSA Supports White An Unrealized Georgetown House Assault Initiative MOLLY SIMIO

Hoya Staff Writer

KATHERINE RICHARDSON Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University Student Association published a press release Jan. 25 in support of the federal government’s new initiative to prevent sexual assault on college campuses.

The release urged the university to continue making progress toward eradicating sexual assault on campus.

“GUSA, alongside other student groups and students on campus, continues to work diligently with the university administration to improve services and judicial processes for survivors of sexual assault,” the press release said. “In light of this federal action, we encourage the university to improve its policies toward sexual misconduct.”

According to The National College Health Assessment, on average, one in four females and one in 33 males will experience sexual assault while at Georgetown.

Obama’s task force, which was created last week, is comprised of the attorney general and the secretaries of education, interior and health and human services. Over the next 90 days, the group will work to encourage colleges to take a stronger stance on sexual assault. It will also ensure that universities are complying with current laws.

GUSA outlined seven recommendations for the university: to make sexual history and dress non-factors during sexual assault hearings, to clarify the conditions for continuing a case against a survivor’s wishes, to install closed-circuit cameras to prevent contact between the survivor and the perpetrator, to allow administrators to participate in the hearing board in lieu of students, to implement constant bystander protection education, to hire additional trauma specialists and health education staff and to ask faculty members to evaluate current programming with evidence-based criteria.

“We hope that the White House’s leadership will inspire Georgetown’s administration to make a renewed commitment to resolve some of the aforementioned issues,” the press release said.

GUSA Deputy Chief of Staff Alyssa Peterson (COL ’14) asserted that the new task force will help enhance relations between students and administrators at Georgetown.

“What I took away as important was that it’s up to university presidents, and most of all, it’s up to students on campus to make sure those presidents are held accountable on this issue,” Peterson said. “This is our attempt

to build on our existing work with administrators and try to make it a more public issue so that there can be more accountability in the process.”

The press release will expedite discussions between the two groups so that specific programs can be implemented.

For example, the introduction of sexual assault education to New Student Orientation has long been discussed.

“Right now, we’re trying to make sure that tentative commitments we’ve received from the administration, like incorporating bystander education into NSO, will become a reality,” Peterson said. “I think the administration has shown a commitment to this issue in the past, and we have been working extensively with administrators, so it’s about acting as student representatives on this issue along with very important groups like Take Back the Night and Sexual Assault Peer Educators.”

GUSA is working with NSO coordinators such as NSO Director Justin Smith in order to incorporate bystander education into NSO. “The ‘What’s a Hoya’ program that we launched this month, in fact, is addressing this issue, so that’s another way of trying to get more awareness and more advocacy among students at Georgetown because at the end of the day this a cultural thing,” GUSA President Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) said. “We need as many students as possible to understand why bystander intervention is so important and what they can each do to stop the culture that’s perpetuating this on campus.”

Sexual Assault Peer Educator and Co-Founder of the Feminists-At-Large blog Kathleen Kelley (NHS ’14) hopes that Obama’s task force will galvanize change.

“I want to see mandatory sexual assault bystander intervention and consent education for everyone ever,” Kelley wrote in an email. “I want to see large-scale awareness campaigns, but ultimately, this is (weirdly enough) a controversial issue, and thus we need small group and individual interventions (e.g. the Sexual Assault Peer Educators) to really challenge people’s biases, myths, beliefs and assumptions to radically alter the way we think about sexual assault.”

Kelley added that Georgetown could lead other institutions toward positive change if it chooses to implement these new policies.

“It allows us to spread our knowledge to other campuses because this has suddenly become an intense national issue,” Kelley said. “When we work on issues, we can take the lessons that we’ve learned to other campuses in D.C. and national arenas.”

While Georgetown’s campus continues to change as numerous master-planning projects develop, the Alternative Georgetown Exhibit, featured in the Stephen Richard Kerbs Exhibit Area in Lauinger Library, portrays a slew of other possibilities that may have been for the campus, including a gothic styled library and a 20,000 seat football stadium.

The display featured plans for 12 different campus spaces that were never realized or were never completed as originally planned.

“I was thinking about renovations on campus, which got me thinking about buildings that had been planned but had never actually been built,” Special Collections University Archivist Lynn Conway said. “I thought that would be a much more interesting exhibit than just renovations on campus or buildings on campus.”

A featured proposed renovation revealed plans for a new library with an architectural collegiate gothic influence to be built in February 1954, because Riggs Library did not provide enough available space at the time.

Plans for the library developed and in 1965, the exterior was designed to incorporate aspects of Healy, Copley and White-Gravenor halls, but included an irregu-

lar outline and an emphasis on vertical lines.

After the plans for the library in 1965 failed to come to fruition, Lauinger Library was designed instead and eventually built in 1970. “[Lauinger] uses some of the same forms and materials, but at the detailed level, it’s a very modern building. The one that we saw from 1954 was very conventional in architecture, kind of bland in its architecture,” Tom Luebke, secretary of the United States Commission of Fine Arts, of which the Old Georgetown Board is a part, said.

According to Luebke, it is difficult to determine whether the OGB would have favored the initially proposed library over Lauinger.

“These decisions get made in the time when they come through,” Luebke said. “That’s not to say that it’s arbitrary, but the values evolve.”

Similarly, preliminary plans for the Reiss Science Building show sketches vastly different from the eventual realization. Initially proposed in 1955, the design of the science building was intended to have a collegiate gothic design similar to that of White-Gravenor.

By the time that Reiss was completed in 1962, the design had significantly changed.

“Reiss is a very modern building that has a bigger scale. [The

BEN APPLEY-EPSTEIN FOR THE HOYA

Alternative Georgetown, which ran in Lauinger Library through last week, showcased unrealized versions of university master planning.

proposed building] was obviously much more historicist,” Luebke said.

Another project proposed in 1921 included a 20,000-seat football stadium, which would be located on the site where the Medical-Dental Building and Shaw Field are now situated.

“When you look at the stadium and compare the size of the stadium to the footprint of the buildings that existed on campus at that point, the stadium would actually be bigger than the buildings that already existed. I thought that was very interesting,” Conway said.

One piece featured a proposed map from 1908, which planned to extend P Street and Volta Place through campus that would connect to Foxhall Road. The proposal was introduced to Congress after Representative Everis Anson Hayes (R-Calif.) purchased property to the west of campus. Hayes wanted to extend the streets in order to have easier access to his land.

“I’ve always been very interested in that idea just because that would have changed campus if you actually had cars on a public road just right through the middle of campus,” Conway said. “It really would have gone through the heart of campus, which would have looked very different today had that happened.”

The university hired an attorney to fight the proposal. Additionally, Georgetown turned to President Theodore Roosevelt who, while he never promised to veto the bill if it passed Congress, said that he disapproved of bills created to personally benefit congressmen. The university eventually won out by arguing that the street extension would result in the destruction of a beautiful part of campus and that the construction would have been very expensive.

Marla Abadilla (MSB ’17) expressed relief over the 1908 the bill’s failure.

“I think it would have interfered with the community of the campus and the atmosphere on campus. I feel like we have our own Georgetown bubble and our own culture that’s separate from the city and having public streets go through campus would’ve had an impact on the culture,” she said.

The exhibit was scheduled to run through Jan. 31, but ended a week early to make room for an exhibit featuring Jesuit history, in honor of Jesuit Heritage Week.

News

friday, january 31, 2014

Dinosaur Exhibit to Close for Renovations Ashley Miller Hoya Staff Writer

Fossil fanatics and dinosaur devotees in Washington, D.C., will have to go elsewhere for their prehistoric proclivities when the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History closes its popular “Dinosaur Hall” for a five-year, $48 million makeover in April. The renovations, largely funded by a $35 million donation from billionaire and Republican Party donor David Koch, will include the uninstalling and disassembling of the current exhibits for analysis of their current conditions, as well as the introduction of Wankel T. rex to the museum, one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeletons in the world. The donation will help alleviate the museum’s reduced funds in light of the federal government’s budget cuts last year.

“Limited resources and staff are causing slower turnover of new projects and more outside contracting, our funding for temporary exhibitions has been cut and we are more reliant on grants and private fundraising,” Exhibits Director Siobhan Starrs wrote in an email. “When times are tight, we have to be strategic and creative about where we employ limited resources.”

William Hahn, Georgetown evolutionary processes professor and a former Smithsonian postdoctoral fellow, highlighted the conflict of interest and potential politics behind these funding issues.

“They’ve had a number of instances where the support would come from some corporate concern, and that can sometimes lead to conflict of interest, so you have to be careful about that,” Hahn said. “But also, some of them are very political in nature, so they need to be careful about that.”

The exhibit, a hallmark of the museum since its opening, has not been renovated in over 30 years. The renovation will include an update to the hall’s infrastructure, which has been in place since the museum’s opening in 1910.

“The museum is responsible for the care of the national collections, and many of these specimens require conservation if they are to remain on exhibition without degradation,” Starrs wrote.

Although Koch’s donation will give the museum an opportunity to update and improve the hall, the closure of the popular exhibit also brings its own set of problems.

“Closing a major exhibition hall, particularly one with charismatic specimens like dinosaurs, is never a decision made lightly,” Starrs wrote.

According to Hahn, however, the long-term benefits of renovation will outweigh the “Dinosaur Hall’s” temporary closure.

“The new hall will be at a higher level of quality for education and inspiration for decades,” Hahn said.

In addition, the renovations will help challenge the prevailing view of museums as

SOFIA LAYANTO FOR THE HOYA

The Smithsonian’s popular dinosaur exhibit will be closed for a five-year renovation. static, allowing the exhibit to accommodate more recent research findings and to add more technology to the exhibitions. This reinvention, however, comes at the cost of denying a generation of children, young and old alike, the opportunity to experience the “Dinosaur Hall.”

“I think that dinosaurs are the one group of extinct organisms that really give a very vivid physical appeal to the imagination,” Hahn said. “They are large, they are complex and they range from the ferocious to the large and lumbering. They are so different from almost anything you could imagine today that they create this sense of wonder and curiosity.”

Georgetown molecular evolution professor Matthew Hamilton agreed.

“I think that viewing those types of mounted and rearticulated fossils brings that home in a very visceral way for an awful lot of people,” Hamilton said.

Sinead Schenk (COL ’17) expressed concern that the exhibit might lose its appeal for children when it reopens in 2019.

“Well, I’ve seen it multiple times, but I feel bad for the little kids who come to the Smithsonian wanting to see the dinosaurs, but now they won’t be able to for five years and at that point it probably won’t be as interesting to them,” Schenk said.

Students also expressed concern over the preservation of the actual fossils, which need to be cleaned and analyzed after years of exposure while on display.

“I think it’s important to preserve what we have so we can continue to educate future generations,” Sven Beer (MSB ’15) said.

THE HOYA

A5

Architect for IT Sought Maddy Moore

Special to The Hoya

Under the “Designing the Future(s) of the University” initiative, University Information Services will create a new position for a chief architect, responsible for spearheading an information technology transformation throughout the university.

The position was created as a response to feedback about IT at Georgetown and is designed to foster collaboration among the Georgetown community, as well as enable easier access to UIS services.

“From that assessment, we developed a five-year strategy,” Deputy Chief Information Officer Judd Nicholson said.

“We’ve taken that on very aggressively. We want to be as responsive as we can and agile in adapting our IT environment to meet the new needs of our institution.”

Other improvements to IT include high-speed, campuswide Wi-Fi and the creation of a capable campus community infrastructure network, including cloud services and social media.

“We hope that the transformation is having a positive impact across campus.

Whether that’s students enjoying greater Wi-Fi access, GU Mobile’s services or the entire institution and campus community enjoying the improved online experience.

Our goal in IT is to be as responsive to our community as possible,” Nicholson said.

These improvements will allow classroom time to be more efficient. Teachers and students will have more time for learning and discussing because of the improved user experience under the transformation.

Ava Arroyo (SFS ’16), a student organizer for the innovation series at Georgetown, is very hopeful about the new advancements.

“Our education and community is adapting to current technologies by leveraging them to improve our educational experience,” Arroyo said.

The chief architect will be responsible for meeting the objectives of transformation and reorganizing and realigning UIS in the future. Additionally, the chief architect is required to listen to feedback regarding the future of Georgetown IT. “We’re looking for a candidate who has a proven track record because this is a senior level position,” Nicholson

said. “Someone who is innovative, able to think on their feet, think outside the box … so we can bring the best of what the industry has to Georgetown.”

University Information Services is currently narrowing resumes down to the topmost qualified candidates and then plans on conducting interviews within the next month.

The changes to the network will aid students in their studies, which are often tied to technology.

“In my studies, having WiFi is vital. Whether it’s using Wi-Fi in lab to do clinical clearance things, watch videos. ... I use it for a software called Evernote, so I have my notes with me all the time,” Elena Snow (NHS ’17) said.

The effects the new position will have may positively impact student life in and outside the classroom.

“We as students should care because the transformation and the new chief architect will impact what the future of our education looks like.

We all should be conscious of the role technology plays in our lives and how that can enhance our institution and educational experience,” Arroyo said.

Gender divide of stem careers

55% female

45% male

Biology and Life Science

31% female 42% female

69% male

Computers and Mathematics

58% male

Physical Science IAN TICE/THE HOYA

Fostering Women in STEM Molly Simio

Hoya Staff Writer

Facing low retention rates and classes dominated by men, science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) professors at Georgetown are looking for creative ways, including children’s books and working with Girl Scouts of the United States of America, to encourage women, both young and old, to pursue careers in the hard sciences.

According to a 2012 study done by the White House Council on Women and Girls, although women account for about 50 percent of the workforce, they only hold 25 percent of jobs in STEM fields.

Some feel that this lack of female participation, and thus the lack of female role models in the sciences, discourages younger generations of women from entering the field.

“If women feel that there’s nobody like them, then they’re not as encouraged,” biology professor Janet Mann said. “They might be less comfortable or feel like they don’t belong there somehow.”

Those women who possess careers in STEM fields may neglect to reach out to the next generation of girls because of the competitiveness of the field, according to associate computer science professor Lisa Singh.

“It’s so hard to become a successful woman in this field that you tend to just focus on becoming a successful woman, as opposed to bringing more women into the field,” Singh said.

According to Singh, it is not uncommon for female students to drop out of the field entirely because of pressure from themselves and their male counterparts.

“What I found was that it was not that women weren’t really good at [computer science]. It was much more that women felt that they weren’t good at this because their male counterparts would talk about how good they were at it,” Singh said.

Singh leads the Women’s

Computer Science group, a group open to any female majoring or minoring in computer science that aims to retain and promote computer science among women.

To that end, the group invites local alumni working in the computer science field to campus to talk about their experiences and typically holds an informal meeting during study days at the end of each semester. Additionally, the group sponsors one or two students each year to go to the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference, with the support of the computer science department and the Clare Boothe Luce Program.

“Once women decide to come into computer science [in Georgetown], we seem to be retaining them. That’s huge,” Singh said.

Yet according to a 2011 U.S. Department of Commerce study, while about 40 percent of men with STEM college degrees go on to work in STEM-related fields, only 26 percent of women with STEM degrees pursue STEM careers.

Singh and Mann are two professors trying to reverse this trend for the next generation by reaching out to girls and introducing them to STEM at a young age.

This spring, Singh and the Women’s Computer Science group will work with a Girl Scout troop to help them earn a technology badge.

Singh anticipates that undergraduates majoring in computer science will teach the troop simple programming skills.

“If it goes well, maybe this is something we can do as outreach where we can hook up with Girl Scout troops and show them how to do something interesting with technology early on,” Singh said.

Mann has been doing her part by collaborating with author Pamela S. Turner to write “The Dolphins of Shark Bay,” a children’s book that details some of the work that Mann has done with dolphins. Mann said that it was partially inspired by Turner’s

desire to showcase women in the field. The book was published in fall 2013 as part of the Scientists in the Field series.

“I hate it when women give up on science, and I worked on the children’s book for precisely this reason,” Mann said.

For female STEM majors at Georgetown, the prospect of entering a male-dominated field has proven a welcome challenge.

“It’s exciting for me to grow up and potentially be that role model for young girls and see women in my class and my generation come up and be that voice in the sciences for girls,” Kelsey Read (NHS ’17) said.

As a computer science minor, Read is studying in a field that nationally is 69 percent male, on the undergraduate level.

Marybeth Arcodia (COL ’14) admitted that while she has never felt out of place in her major classes on campus, she recognized that, after college, she would likely face a bias as a female math major in the workforce.

“I knew that [being a woman] would be kind of a pro and a con. I knew that it would be good because I knew that there was a majority of male math majors, so that would help me with jobs,” Arcodia said. “But there’s also sort of a discrimination aspect. It’s not really prevalent in Georgetown, but after, in the greater scheme of things, people automatically think that girls can’t do math.”

A male-dominated field, as well as increased job security actually attracted computer science major Olivia Duff (COL ’16) to her field. Duff expressed that any difference between the male and female skillset were, ultimately, cultural.

“I think its just a cultural thing that boys are … that we think [boys] are better at math and science,” Duff said.

“Even though I think that’s just in your head since you were little. You just don’t think about it.”

A6

news

THE HOYA

fRIDAY, january 31, 2014

Organizations Take Care to Avoid Hazing Tag Hannah Post

Special to The Hoya

In early December, The George Washington University’s Greek system was discredited when their Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity chapter was evicted from their townhouse, facing damage and defacement charges as well as hazing sanctions from the national AEPi chapter, subsequently raising questions regarding rush rituals and hazing in Greek life at Georgetown.

Georgetown, unlike GW, does not recognize Greek life on campus, but the fraternities must comply with the university’s policies on hazing.

“Hazing, defined as ‘any ritual of membership that demeans, humiliates, injures or weakens a student or otherwise interferes with the pursuit of education by a student’ is expressly prohibited in the Student Organization Standards,” Center for Student Engagement Director Erika Cohen Derr said.

Derr also states that the consequences to hazing reports are very serious.

“Student organizations accused of hazing members would be investigated and sanctioned under this policy. Individual students involved could also be held accountable to the Student Code of Conduct.” Derr

said.

These consequences regularly encourage the few Greek groups on the Hilltop to address hazing. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, the nation’s oldest fraternity, but relatively new to Georgetown, makes a conscious effort to prevent any form of hazing, according to Carter Rise (COL ’17), a newly-initiated fraternity brother.

Instead of hazing, SAE highly values team-building and bonding with its pledges.

“At its core, [pledging] is a program designed to make you best friends with the guys in your pledge class and make you brothers for life,” Rise said.

Apart from lunches with brothers and bonding activities, brothers also must learn the history of the organization.

“The main component of our pledgeship is pledge education, which is learning about being true gentlemen” Rise said.

Alpha Kappa Psi, Georgetown’s co-ed business fraternity, also avoids any form of hazing. Member Ryan Ackert (MSB ’17) described the personal nature of the fraternity pledge process.

“As a pledge, we were all required to interview each active brother.”

Ackert said. “It was really nice because you obviously got to meet

people you see around on a pretty personal level. You had some really great conversations.” Each pledge had to speak with 85 brothers.

AKPsi holds itself to a high standard of conduct due to its professional affiliations. In addition to interviews, pledges are also required to wear business attire on Mondays and a pledge pin at all times.

“The upperclassmen were all really invested, always asking me about my classes, how I was doing, they even helped me plan my schedule for this semester,” Ackert said.

B-Frat, short for “business fraternity” but unaffiliated with AKPsi, is known to have a grueling initiation process. Although members declined to comment on the initiation process, recent pledge Andrew Guido (MSB ’17) was adamant that the organization is hazing free.

“I wouldn’t call it hazing at all.

There was nothing that I had to do that jeopardized my health or put any strain on me,” Guido said.

B-Frat’s initiation traditions differ very little from other fraternities, and Guido’s perspective on the fraternity’s reputation suggests the same loyalty and pride that Ackert and Rise feel. He, too, praised the process.

“Everything we did was in good

fun. It’s not anything forced on you.

We were told to let anyone know if we felt uncomfortable,” Guido said.

Sigma Phi Epsilon President Matt Hamblin (COL ’15) makes sure to incorporate respect and the ethos of Georgetown in his efforts to prevent hazing.

“Fostering a community of respect is a big way we prevent hazing, fostering respect for brothers and the community at large, for men and women, and that culture doesn’t leave any space for the kind of person who would want to humiliate or inflict pain on someone to feel powerful,” Hamblin said.

The SigEp recruitment process is a year-long process, with a three-week initial moratorium on the incorporation of alcohol into programming.

“Our cycle is about two things: showing the recruits who we are and what we stand for and us getting to know them. We are infinitely more about the character of a guy than how much he can drink,” Hamblin said.

This dry period lessens the chance of hazing.

“I think we’ve had success [preventing hazing] on campus as a fraternity because we have been different and because we have thought to incorporate Georgetown’s ethos and Jesuit values into what we do,” Ham-

blin said.

As for Georgetown’s AEPi, president Josh Milgrom (MSB ’15) simplified the concern for hazing at AEPi, especially in light of the chapter’s recent issues at GWU. “I will say that AEPi is a non-hazing fraternity and our chapter at Georgetown takes this policy very seriously. Hazing does not accomplish anything and is not in line with the goals and values of our fraternity,” Milgrom said.

The hazing-free policy is also a point of pride for Georgetown’s sororities. The Delta Phi Epsilon sorority, with a mission to encourage foreign service for the women at Georgetown, has no tolerance for hazing.

“We feel strongly against the concept of hazing. To us, the pledge process is supposed to be a positive experience, not one to humiliate or to make pledges uncomfortable,” DPE recruitment chair Diandre Sheridan (MSB ’15) said. “DPE chooses to prevent hazing through highlighting the fostering of meaningful relationships among pledges and sisters and teaching the principles that DPE stands for.”

Kappa Kappa Gamma declined to comment due to their new involvement on campus, and Adelfi could not be reached for comment.

Former Professor Accused Of Espionage in Egypt ESPIONAGE, from A1

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Students going abroad in the fall will no longer have the option to have students hold their spots in oncampus housing, like Alumni Square, for a semester, as the housing selection timeline has changed.

No Holds for Those Abroad

LOTTERY, from A1 attendees within 40 hours, as well as the group’s fast-growing IdeaScale post.

“This affects all students, not just study abroad, because if you were planning on rooming with students going abroad for a semester, then your housing selection strategy is thrown off. I don’t want to see anyone change their plans about which semester they move their study abroad to, or even whether they study abroad at all, for fear of getting bad housing for the semester that they are on the Hilltop,” Coffin said.

The group, which has been in talks with Georgetown University Student Association intermediaries, hopes to have the old housing selection policy restored and then engage in productive discussion with administrators.

“Previous housing issues, such as the Northeast Triangle and the

satellite campus idea, benefitted from administration to student communication, which is all we want in this situation,” Coffin said.

GUSA Campus Living External Board Appointee Megan Murday (SFS ’15), said that discussion with both students and the Office of Residential Living has been positive and emphasized some positives in the new selection date.

“Many students found it hard to plan so far ahead when the housing selection date was in October, so now that’s no longer an issue.

I do not think that the policy will be changed, but I do think everyone involved will adapt to it well,” Murday said.

Executive Director of Residential Living Patrick Killilee stressed that study abroad students should not fear coming back to Georgetown without a guarantee of housing.

“We always make an effort for returning study abroad students to provide on-campus housing,

because it is so hard to get leases in the neighborhood,” Killilee said.

Rinker noted that the OIP has not seen any change to the level of interest in full-year and semester study abroad programs as a result of the new housing application and selection process.

“On the contrary, student interest remains higher this year in comparison to this point in the semester last year,” Rinker wrote.

“There have been a very small number of students who have contacted our office with concern that housing would not be available to them when they returned from study abroad; however, we have assured them that accessibility of housing remains unchanged from previous years and that it should in no way impact their decision to study abroad. Education abroad is a part of the Georgetown culture and is traditionally not to be viewed as an opportunity cost.”

Mayoral Candidates Face off FORUM, from A1 education system.

“On this issue, it’s not about the money, it’s about how you spend it. It’s well and good to increase the budget, but where is a comprehensive plan?” Orange said.

One of the more contentious topics was the current education policy in the District — in particular the emphasis on standardized testing as a measure of success, a method introduced during former Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools Michelle Rhee’s time in office.

Lewis honed in on the necessity for a school’s success not only to be measured simply in test scores but also in the environment in the District’s classrooms.

“I believe that tests are just one measure of how well a school is doing, and in this city, it’s great to have fancy, beautiful buildings on the outside, but that’s not what it’s about.

It’s about what is going on inside the building, and D.C. deserves a mayor that is going to focus on just that,” Lewis said.

Shallal also harked on the need for revised standards of evaluating the

success of D.C. schools.

“Our education system is broken.

If D.C. were a state, we would be 51st in the nation in terms of our education system. All parents know that a test is not a good indicator of their child’s potential, and the same goes for our school system,” Shallal said.

In a post-debate interview with The Hoya, Wells was quick to refute the mayor in terms of the inequality he sees in D.C.’s school system.

“The fact remains that there is a huge achievement gap in America and the District when it comes to education. Minority students are still struggling, and it is a social injustice that we allow it to happen.

The mayor is simply masking the reality when it comes to education.

The achievement gap in this city has gotten worse under Vincent Gray,” Wells said.

In a discussion of tipped minimum wage, Shallal, whose lack of political experience has made him stand out in a race dominated by local politicians, said that he would continue to support increases to the minimum wage as well as changes to how the District compensates tipped workers such as back of the house

workers in restaurants, including his own Busboys and Poets.

“I long for the day when we won’t have to have tipped workers, but ultimately, we need to have living wages for everyone. For now, I do support the bill that provides for tipped wages to be 70 percent of the minimum wage. I think that’s a fair compromise at this point,” Shallal said.

Conversely, Orange highlighted his work authoring last year’s D.C. Council Act raising the minimum wage to $11.50 by 2016 and raising awareness of the issues surrounding tipped wage workers.

“I also championed legislation that would provide tipped wage workers up to five days of accrued sick leave,” Orange said, referring to a clause in the 2013 legislation. “We need to understand what the issue really is. Tipped wage workers are entitled to a minimum wage.”

While Mayor Gray holds a doubledigit lead his opponents according to a Washington Post poll published last week, his detractors will have plenty of opportunities to make their case over the next two months leading up to the April 1 Democratic primary.

abroad, not because he actually committed espionage or treason. That is just ridiculous,” ACMCU Director John Esposito said.

Shahin’s passion for Egypt and its history remains unquestioned by those at Georgetown.

“Emad has always been a proponent for democracy and just government. He left a great job in South Bend, [Ind.,] to work at the American University in Cairo because he believes in the importance of educating future leaders in his country,” Esposito said. “He cares very much about Egypt and the road that the nation is going down in the aftermath of the coup and the revolution.”

Shahin’s scholarship and interest in the future of Egypt remain the primary suspicion for his indictment, as his prescription for a functioning Egypt involves criticisms of the current political situation.

“I have been critical of the course of political events in Egypt since last summer and can only conclude that such criticism — entirely restricted to word and utterly unconnected to any organized group, faction or party — is my true offense,” Shahin wrote. “Like many fellow Egyptians, I am supportive of peaceful mobilization in defense of democracy, freedom, equal rights, and inclusion. I will continue to advocate such values, exercising a right to protest that is enshrined in Egyptian law and, in recent years, deeply engrained in Egyptian practice.”

Shahin would not comment on his case, but spoke to The Hoya at the conference about the general political climate in Egypt.

“There are some voices here and there that are expressing discontent

or displeasure, but not to the extent that can mount significant pressure on the military-backed government that can force them to respect human rights and the basic, basic values of democracy,” Shahin said.

Concern for Shahin’s safety is paramount among Georgetown faculty, as it remains unclear if he can return to Egypt safely.

“You worry for these people because these are serious charges, these are charges that could bring serious punishment down on their heads and they’re really just for the purposes of silencing all dissident voices,” Tucker said.

Accusations like the ones leveled at Shahin are rare in the United States, where Shahin holds citizenship, but occur more frequently in Egypt.

“The specificity of Shahin’s case is this is someone who JOHN ESPOSITO is an American aCMCU Director citizen, as well as a well-known academic scholar, but not unique in being persecuted for presenting a balanced analysis of modern Egyptian affairs,” John Voll, a professor of Islamic history and former ACMCU associate director, said.

For some at Georgetown, the charges against Shahin are representative of the situation facing many dissidents and activists in Egypt.

“I think it’s good to try to raise awareness of what’s going on in Egypt, but nothing is really going to change unless the government is pressured. If the [United States] is a player in this whole scenario, they need to take a more active stance condemning what the regime is doing,” history doctoral candidate Katie Davis, who lived in Egypt for six years, said. “But letters and activism just aren’t going to work in a country with this type of political system right now.”

“Emad has always been a proponent for democracy and just government.”

GU Considers Medical Amnesty Proposal AMNESTY, from A1 who calls or requires the assistance of a residential assistant, GUPD or GERMS on behalf of a sick friend. Modelled after the D.C. Good Samaritan Law, the proposed rule covers alcohol use and illegal drug possession in any dry location or public area.

While the policy covers multiple incidences per student, it does not protect from the possession of drugs with the intent to distribute, physical assault or harassment.

Affected students are required to attend a wellness meeting, afterward, to ensure that there are no serious problems at hand.

Similar policies have been successfully enacted at other schools. Monahan cited a study done by Cornell University that concluded that no increase in high-risk drinking behavior occurred after a similar policy was enacted on the Ithaca, N.Y. campus.

Monahan is optimistic about the prospect of the university officially recognizing the policy.

“The policy does not change anything that the university has been doing in practice. It just puts things into writing,”

Monahan said.

The policy, edited by Manzione and Office of Student Conduct Associate Director Adam Fontaine, was presented to the DRC last November. It was approved by that board and is in the process of being approved by the Office of Student Affairs.

Director of Student Conduct Judy Johnson stated that the university is in the process of finalizing the language of the policy related to amnesty for students involved in underage drinking and drug consumption.

“We are trying to do this as quickly as possible. We always have to make sure that the language that we use does not run into legal obligations that the university may have,” Johnson said.

Johnson discussed how there is no drawback to putting students’ safety and well-being first.

“This is about if there is a medical emergency that people get the help they need without getting in trouble,” Johnson said.

“We hope that students will not drink to excess and put their lives at risk, but in the event that something happens, we really do want to make sure that they seek the help that is necessary and that they trust that we have their full support.”

NEWS

friday, january 31, 2014

THE HOYA

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Reflecting on a Critical Despite Snow, Class a Go Year in Social Revolution Penny Hung

Hoya Staff Writer

Arman Ramnath Special to The Hoya

At the Mortara Center for International Studies on Thursday, Sarah Snyder discussed the United States’ relationship with human rights during the latter half of the 20th century as a driving force of change for U.S. policy, spurred in part by a host of uprisings in the late 1960s.

The University College London lecturer, who is currently on sabbatical at American University, discussed human rights in relation to her latest published work, “1968 as International Year of Human Rights,” and her upcoming book “Human Rights before Carter.”

Georgetown University professors John McNeill and Aviel Roshwald moderated the event, which drew a mix of university professors, doctoral candidates and visitors.

“The early idea was that human rights were of limited consequence in policy making during the 1960s and the early 1970s,” Snyder said. “Some have gone so far as to characterize the years from 1953 to 1974 as marking a period of U.S. neglect for human rights.”

He asserted that human rights were not prominent issues before the Carter administration.

“Human rights violations are certainly penetrating the top layers of power, although clearly they don’t end up shifting U.S. policy in a fundamental way,” Snyder said regarding the administrations before Carter. “But I think that this is more than people have necessarily recognized was going on previously.”

When asked why 1968 and the time period before Carter had not been heavily covered, Snyder pointed to events that occurred during the year.

“We have to acknowledge that 1968 was an incredibly tumultuous and momentous year, both within the United States and in international politics,” Snyder said.

“To name just a few of the big events, the Tet Offensive in Vietnam, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, Johnson’s withdrawal from the presidential race and I think it has to be likely that these hugely enormous events that really captured the American public meant that human rights was crowded out of the picture.”

Snyder’s work, however, goes against these claims.

“In contrast to this interpretation, the book I am writing, ‘Human Rights before Carter,’ will advance a new interpretation of U.S. foreign policy during these years,” Snyder said.

The event, part of the Georgetown Institute for Global History’s International History Seminar, additionally focused on the influence that non-state actors — rather than leaders driven to action — exerted on the importance of human rights in U.S. policy.

Snyder illustrated these claims by speaking about the presidencies spanning the period between the administrations of Kennedy and Carter.

Snyder concluded her talk by expressing her hopes for the influence her books will wield.

“I hope that the book will illuminate debates over human rights in the NSC [National Security Council], the State Department and other policy-making circles to show that both Congressional and nongovernmental activism over the 1960s laid an important foundation for Carter to build upon.”

Students in attendance believed the seminar to be an engaging way to discuss a particularly tumultuous time in history.

“I thought that event was great,” Jesse Sargent, a doctoral candidate from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland, said.

“I come from a school where, in the International History Program, we have seminars like this all the time, where you have people from many different disciplinary views come together and talk about a global issue. I thought today’s was a very engaging discussion.”

The collaboration between students proved helpful for those in attendance, as well as for Snyder.

“I thought it was very interesting,” history department doctoral candidate Eric Gettig said. “As someone who is engaged in some similar types of pursuits, I think this is a really valuable opportunity to be able to listen to and learn from someone who is doing some of the same kind of work. I think this a really valuable forum, actually, for graduate students here.”

The International History Seminar series meets on Tuesdays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. in the Mortara Building, and continues next Tuesday, Feb. 4, with Tara Zahra of the University of Chicago speaking on “Jews & International Population Politics in the 1930s.”

With last Tuesday’s snowrelated class cancellations still fresh in professors’ minds, the Main Campus Executive Faculty voted Friday in favor of Provost Robert Groves’ memorandum to encourage professors to preserve the schedule of classes during a campus closure.

The MCEF, which is comprised of representatives from each academic department, approved Groves’ “Academic Continuity Planning” memo.

Originally released Nov. 15, 2013, it differentiates between campus closures and class cancellations, which were previously synonymous. According to the memo, “classes will not be officially [cancelled] in the event of a campus closure.”

Instead, the usual class schedule will remain in place, and professors are allowed to maintain their academic program, as originally planned, through various educational tools, such as lecture capture, Blackboard, Skype and makeup sessions, among others.

“Maintaining instructional activities is central to Georgetown’s ability to fulfill its fundamental mission of teaching and research,” the memo reads.

Although the memo strongly suggested that professors take advantage of this opportunity, it is not a requirement and only applies to faculty that choose to do so. In the memo, Groves also stressed that there is not just one approach that is applicable at-large to the campus community because of the diversity of Georgetown’s academic programs.

Although many professors did not seem to know about the memo itself, they agreed that this attitude has been long-standing at Georgetown.

“I had no knowledge of the vote because the faculty has been encouraged to do this for three years,” economics professor Carol Rogers, who posted several short lecture captures online to compensate for her lost class, said.

This push toward academic continuity during campus closures has been in development

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Future snow days could be filled with textbooks instead of snowball fights because of an initiative from the provost. since 2010, when a heavy snowstorm caused Georgetown to close campus for four days.

“You really want to maintain the course’s momentum, particularly early in the semester,” Rogers said. “I have homeworks due every week, and an interruption would be really harmful to the momentum of the course.”

Asiye Kaya, visiting professor at the BMW Center for German and European Studies, agreed.

Kaya held a make-up session for her class in response to Tuesday’s closure.

“It was my own teaching policy. You have to make up the class because it’s important for the entire class structure,” Kaya said. “It didn’t have anything to do with this initiative.”

Associate accounting professor Alan Mayer-Sommer, who is holding two optional make-up classes, added that new technologies may make it even easier to maintain a class’ academic progression through campus closures.

“What you need to have is the technology to support the idea, so that if you can’t have a class that physically meets, there’s some kind of way that you can change your class to an online class,” Mayer-Sommer said. “Otherwise, you end up having to do what we’re doing, which is having to make a series of make-up classes, all to make up the same class, be-

cause there are conflicts. You have to schedule at least four different time slots in order to make up for the one day we missed — it’s not very efficient.”

However, Emma Van Dervort (SFS ’16) cited the possibility of technological malfunctions.

“I just think it’s going to cause a lot of trouble because things with technology like that never really work out that well. I don’t think it would be fair for teachers to really hold students accountable for that,” Dervort said. “If they could make it more streamlined, there’s no reason to not do it.

I do see how cancelling classes could really cause some classes to fall behind.”

Nevertheless, some professors choose to instead push their syllabi back, counting the cancelled class as a lost day.

Several students agreed and said that campus closures and class cancellations should remain synonymous.

“I think it ruins the point of a snow day,” Megan Szurgot (COL ’16) said. “It’s bad for the teachers and for the students.

No teachers want to teach when they’re at home.”

Cindy Gao (MSB ’17) also supported the voluntary aspect of the new policy.

“If the rest of the university is not functioning, you can’t expect professors to be able to have this kind of commitment,” Gao said.

Panel Talks Egyptian Politics Alden Fletcher Special to The Hoya

The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding held an event on Wednesday entitled “Egypt and the Struggle for Democracy,” which centered on the volatile and uncertain nature of politics and everyday life in Egypt six months after the army coup that ousted President Mohamed Morsi.

The event was co-sponsored by the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and featured former Georgetown lecturer professor Emad Shahin, who was charged with treason for criticizing the recent coup in Egypt.

ACMCU founding Director John Esposito, one of the conference organizers, highlighted the importance of the discussion.

“It’s a very hot topic, and Egypt is always seen as the leader in the Arab world,” Esposito said. The conference drew panelists and experts from a great variety of backgrounds, including Egyptian activists and scholars from around the world.

The panel was held in light of recent developments in Egypt that have obstructed the country’s path to democracy. The military toppled Morsi in July, and since then, Egyptian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Fattah el-Sisi, the country’s de facto ruler, has proclaimed himself field marshal and is vying to

become the next president.

“The coup in July changed the storyline, but not the subject,” Professor John Voll, who teaches Islamic history, said. “The earlier question of ‘what form will democracy take’ has been shifted to ‘can democracy take place in Egypt?’”

Citing the political errors of the Muslim Brotherhood, which did not allow for the establishment of a representative democracy, Esposito described how the military coup originally employed democratic rhetoric.

“Democracy is dead there in the near term. Even a week or two ago, el-Sisi was using the phrase ‘democracy,’ yet in recent days the situation has changed drastically,” Esposito said. “[The army] moved very quickly to label the entire movement a terrorist group.”

Egypt is officially run by Adly Mansour, the head of the Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court. He currently serves as acting president and is heavily influenced by el-Sisi.

The conference was postponed from its original December date due to the difficulties entailed by acquiring visas for the Egyptian presenters. Another hindrance arose when Georgetown accidentally invited Remy Jan, who founded the Egyptian Nazi Party. He was subsequently disinvited.

A number of Egyptian panelists were afraid of being de-

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Former Georgetown lecturer Emad Shahin discusses the state of Egyptian politics following July’s military coup.

tained by the government for expressing their sentiments.

Despite this danger, many Egyptian panelists were still present at the conference — including Shahin.

“There are some voices here and there that are expressing discontent or displeasure, but not to the extent that can mount significant pressure on the military-backed government that can force them to respect human rights and the basic, basic values of democracy,” Shahin said.

The panelists shared a concern for this troubling lack of democracy; nearly all of the panelists were critical of el-Sisi and the coup.

Yussre Eibardicy, an Egyptian student at the College of William and Mary, agreed that Egypt’s chances for democracy look slim. Eibardicy, who lived in Egypt during the coup and participated in protests, did see some hope, however.

“There is a generation that is very determined to get their rights and who will fight until death for that,” Eibardicy said.

Jack Rusenko, director of the GW Amity Series at the Endowment for Community Leadership, felt that the panel lacked diversity of opinion.

“The first panel was all of the same mindset, very pro[Muslim] Brotherhood,” Rusenko said of “Critical Stages of the Egyptian Revolution: Was the Coup Inevitable?” “I would go so far as to say it wasn’t an open intellectual debate.”

Rusenko spoke specifically of the Coptic Christian community and of the actions taken against the Coptic Christians by the Muslim Brotherhood.

“They are much more optimistic. … I was disappointed there wasn’t more balance,” Rusenko said.

For attendee Hamed Elfeky, the power of the conference lay not only in the panelists but also in the audience.

“This is a learning experience,” Elfeky said.“ I came here hoping there is unification among Egyptians because I know that even though the speakers are not representative of everybody, it is the audience. ... That is why it is inclusive.”

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news

THE HOYA

fRIDAY, january 31, 2014

Bookstore Grabs Students Georgetown BID Laura Owsiany Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown University bookstore began hiring student employees this semester, for the first time in several years.

“Students are the reason we’re here. Students are a big part of the campus. And it’s really how to stay connected to students,” Director of Campus Stores Janet Uzzell said. “We’re part of the university. And students are part of the campus, and it just makes sense.”

Uzzell took an active recruitment approach this year, personally reaching out to students and relying on word of mouth to attract potential hires.

“I get the right connections and they start talking and they know that we’re hiring students. … Connecting and sort of word of mouth, in a lot of instances, definitely works,” Uzzell said.

When hiring her first student, Uzzell directly approached the student in the store.

“It’s a funny story,” Emeline Kong (COL ’17) said. “I was in the bookstore and I was with a friend who was there a lot. And as he was walking out he said, ‘I’m in there all the time.’ The manager overheard us and just offered the opportunity to apply and told us about it.”

Kong then shared the opportunity with several hallmates, many of whom found the position appealing, including new

hires Elizabeth McCurdy (COL ’17) and Adithya Rajan (MSB ’17).

“I actually always thought it would be a really cool job to work at the bookstore, but I had never seen any students working there, so never thought to apply. … Emeline gave me the manager’s card so I just emailed her and then went to meet with her and she was really responsive and great and it was super easy,” McCurdy said.

Rajan Kong, and McCurdy, who all live in Darnall Hall, felt attracted to the bookstore job opportunity because of its convenient location.

“Mainly, commute time is shorter, because it’s a long way to M Street and Wisconsin. It’s an additional 10 to 15 minutes and in cold weather, that’s just brutal,” Rajan said.

The position ended up offering much more to students, besides convenience, including flexibility with student schedules and a highly welcoming atmosphere.

McCurdy, who had previously sought off-campus employment, discussed the effectiveness of the bookstore’s personable hiring process.

“I had considered applying for a job on M Street. I actually kind of tried, started that process and emailed the manager of a store on M Street, but they never responded to me, so it was nice just to have someone so close to campus and also be so responsive and so nice,” McCurdy said.

Uzzell has only been

managing the store for six months, but immediately wanted to employ students.

For students, the bookstore is a large part of the campus experience, and the employment opportunity allows for more student involvement.

“I think it would be really great to have students working there, because even though it’s not The Corp, it’s not a studentrun business or anything, it’s still a huge part of campus,” McCurdy said.

Non-student workers could not be reached for comment, but students report that they are similarly helpful and accepting.

“My first customer, I guess you could say, was another employee who was just getting something for lunch so she just said, ‘You know, take your time, take as long as you want to ring me up’ and I did and it made all the stress go away,” McCurdy said.

Uzzell is still searching for more enthusiastic, energetic students to apply, including a full roster of summer employees.

“I would love more students to apply, a broader spectrum.

I would like to get a group of students I could hire for the summer. We are never slow here. We have groups all summer long, but people that want to work for the summer, and we’re very flexible and we’ll work with your schedules and understanding that your school schedule is first,” Uzzell said.

Majors Decided by Practicality Joanie Greve Hoya Staff Writer

As weeks in spring semester quickly are knocked off the calendar, the time approaches when Georgetown students are faced with having to select a major, but according to some deans, the student’s selections aren’t so much based on personal inclinations but rather national trends.

Georgetown requires students to declare a major by the end of their second year — earlier in the case of certain schools — a fact that results in a rise in meetings with academic advisory deans across all four undergraduate schools.

For Academic Counselor and McDonough School of Business Associate Director Rebecca Cassidy, helping students through the major selection process brings up questions about life after graduation.

“We talk a lot about jobs and career thoughts and what they’ll do after school,” Cassidy said. “Particularly within the business school, the choice of major does tie in pretty tightly to what they want to do afterwards.”

Georgetown College Associate Dean Tad Howard noted another factor that may influence a student’s major choice: national interest.

“National conversations have an effect on what students choose to study,” Howard wrote in an email.

According to Howard, those conversations are resulting in an increased number of economics majors in the College.

“With so much media focus on the economy for the last six or seven years, student interest has moved in that direction,” Howard wrote.

According to Associate University Registrar for Student Systems and Strategic Initiatives Camilo Garcia, 201 students in Georgetown College have made their primary major economics as of fall 2013. This places economics as the third most popular declared primary major in the College — trailing only government and biology, respectively.

The School of Foreign Service’s international politics major, with its three concentrations, trumps the school’s six other majors with 227 declared students, while nursing remains the most popular major in the School of Nursing and Health Studies with 233 students.

There are slightly more finance majors in the MSB than nursing majors. Two hundred and seventy-seven business school students, making up 20 percent of the MSB, have de-

clared finance as their primary major as of this fall.

The data does not take into account secondary majors, so Cassidy approximated that 60 percent of the business school majors in finance, when that additional consideration is taken.

“I think students are trying to find a balance between what they’re interested in and what’s practical, and there’s a perception that finance is practical,” Cassidy said.

To determine a student’s ideal balance between the personal and the practical, Cassidy recommends that students access the resources available to them.

“I certainly encourage students to reach out and have those conversations not just with their friends but with advisors, professors, even with the career center just to get different perspectives on what is right for them,” Cassidy said.

Data, absent of the SFS-Q, would suggest that many students will soon need to decide what is right for them, given that the current most popular major — with about 1,800 students across the NHS, College and MSB — remains “Undeclared,” in addition to the 686 SFS students listed as “International Affairs,” the school’s automatic designation for incoming students.

Revisiting Palestinian Revolt Colette Gilner Hoya Staff Writer

Charles Anderson, a Jamal Daniel post-doctoral fellow at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, on Wednesday discussed the Great Revolt in Palestine suggesting a new understanding of this pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history.

The event, entitled “Popular State Formation during the ‘Great Revolt’ in Palestine” was held in the CCAS boardroom.

Anderson’s focus on the revolt, which took place from 1936 to 1939, moves away from the traditional characterization of the movement as chaotic and failed. Rather, he posited that the Great Revolt was an organized peasant rebel campaign for independence.

Anderson focused his talk on breaking down the traditional scholarly understanding of the Great Revolt as a disorderly and chaotic failure, and how he believes this has hindered revelation about much of Palestinian history under British rule.

“The dominant representation of the Great Revolt within scholarly literature is generally exceedingly negative. We are better served by stepping away from teleological narratives that associate the Great Revolt with 1948,” Anderson said. “Seeing the revolt as a precursor to and precondition of national failure in 1948 has foreclosed a more

thorough analysis of the uprising for its dynamic qualities, its remarkable tenacity, and importantly of its social origins and bases.”

Anderson argued that the vigor of the Palestinian insurgency, with its popular character and wide appeal among peasants, youth and workers helped to develop a vibrant organizational infrastructure that underpinned the uprising. Rather than labelling it a catalyst of the Palestinians’ defeat a decade later in the 1948 war with Israel, Anderson argues that the revolt should be regarded as a peasant rebel attempt to push the British Mandate to the verge of collapse.

“The stakes for the revolt could hardly be higher. Although it has not been entirely acknowledged in the literature, it was a struggle for independence. It also represented a major popular effort at the reconstitution of Palestinian society,” Anderson said. “For the peasants, workers and youth that drove the rebellion, it was both a life and death campaign for political independence and a project of social reformation that sought to uplift the downtrodden masses.”

In his presentation, Anderson explored the significance of key rebel institutions during the revolt and the dynamics of popular state formation. He linked these groups to the importance and power of mass politics.

“Mass politics, as I am arguing, was not simply built on greater political participation by large numbers of people,” Anderson said. “Rather, it is my contention that modern mass politics is inextricably related to the increasing salience of horizontal affinities, identities and associational culture.”

At the end of the event, Anderson urged the audience to explore other studies of colonialism from a similar “view from below,” an approach that event attendees voiced interest in. Others appreciated learning about a topic they had not previously known much about.

“I thought it was really interesting because it’s a topic I haven’t seen much scholarship about,” Nusayba Hammad, a recent graduate of the University of Virginia, said.

Michelle Munjanattu (SFS ’11) appreciated Anderson’s presentation in contrast with other scholarship, but felt that he overplayed the role of the revolt in Palestinian identity.

“I think it’s an important contribution to the idea of horizontal struggle against imperialism, but it’s an interesting contrast of what Dr. Anderson says and just the body of history on Palestinian diaspora from Latin America, Central America,” Munjanattu said. “To me it’s an important work, but I think it’s not the sole determinate of Palestinian identity.”

Launches 2028 Plan Suzanne Monyak

in Georgetown on a second, separate Blue Line by 2028 that will run between Rosslyn and central D.C., one near the university The Georgetown Business Improvement and a second near the intersection of M District formally launched its 2028 15-year Street and Wisconsin Avenue, to increase action plan and announced its intention to the neighborhood’s accessibility to the Disincrease transportation between George- trict. town and greater D.C. in a ceremony held In another attempt to reduce traffic at the City Club Tavern Thursday. coming into Georgetown, the 2028 Plan The plan was drawn up in collaboration has proposed the construction of a streetwith members of Advisory Neighborhood car program near K Street, as well as the Commission 2E, the Citizen’s Association creation of more bike-friendly routes. To of Georgetown, Georgetown University, improve bus service, the plan proposed an the Georgetown Business Association, the extension of bus routes and more frequent National Park Service and the D.C. govern- service. Additionally, the BID is working ment, as well as over 200 members of the with local tech firms to create an app that Georgetown comwill give users munity. real-time infor“Georgetown mation on the 2028: Preserve whereabouts of what is great the Circulator about Georgebus. town, improve These various what’s broken, new modes of and create what’s transportation missing, and all will all converge within a context on K Street, joe sternlieb of doing no harm with the hope of Chief Executive Officer of the Georgetown BID and really pretransforming K serving the great character of the residen- Street into a vibrant major gateway. Sterntial community,” Chief Executive Officer of lieb stressed the importance of improving the BID Joe Sternlieb said in his introduc- Georgetown’s gateways. tion.

“None of them sing the praise of what a Of the 2028 plan’s 75 action items, 23 great place you’re coming into; all of them concerned public space, nine concerned need to be improved,” Sternlieb said. economic development and 43 focused on Along with K Street, the BID also hopes improving transportation in Georgetown, to beautify the Chesapeake and Ohio Caincluding improved bus service and bike nal, one of Georgetown’s most unique feafacilities, potential implementation of a tures, according to Sternlieb. gondola service, as well as the creation of a ‘The C&O Canal, probably the most metro stop in Georgetown proper, an idea unique asset in any retail district, certainly that has been discussed since the 1970s. in the mid-Atlantic, maybe in the country, The BID has received 50 percent of neces- and what can we do to enhance it – make it sary funds from the private sector, but it is better, more vibrant, starting a campaign still waiting for the District’s Department to raise money to build a new canal barge.” of Transportation to match the funds so In the next couple of years, Georgetown that it can begin the gondola feasibility students can expect to see the improved study. If successful, the gondola aerial lift bus and bike service as well as more retail will carry riders over the Potomac to and and restaurants in the next four to five from Georgetown and Rosslyn Metro Sta- years. tion.

“We’re not going to snap our finger and “I think the transportation initiatives have all 75 things done in two years, some are going to have a huge impact on George- of them will take all 15 years and beyond, town undergrads. We want to make it eas- and other things you’ll see up in March,” ier to bike here. We want to make it easier Sternlieb said. to walk here. We want to make it easier Georgetown Vice President of Public Afto get to major transit,” Sternlieb said. “I fairs Eric Smulson voiced his approval on think all of these will have a big impact on behalf of the University.

Georgetown undergrads,” he said.

“We whole-heartedly endorse this plan,” The BID aims to have two metro stops Smulson said.

Hoya Staff Writer

“We’re not going to snap our fingers and have all 75 things done.”

New Group Encodes Love for Programming Chris Balthazard Special to The Hoya

The inauguration of GU Women Who Code attracted students from 19 different majors, as well as faculty and staff from various departments, to St. Mary’s Hall on Thursday. The brainchild of Chief Information Officer Lisa Davis and associate professor of computer science Lisa Singh, the club aims to expand the coding skills of female students.

A pre-event survey revealed 81 percent of responders had no coding experience before attending, 86 percent had never taken a computer science class at Georgetown and only two students in attendance were majoring in computer science.

GU Women Who Code developed as a practical response to the evolving needs of the job marketplace and growth in computer science industry.

“What are those practical skill sets that corporations, companies are looking for in terms of coding skills?” Davis said. “You name it, every market, every field, there is a technology component to it.”

Davis, herself among a small minority of science, technology, engineering and math majors as a Syracuse University undergraduate, expected 10 to 12 replies to her general, interest-gauging email.

“We have been overwhelmed by the response,” she said. “This has been the most successful response to any email we’ve put out for participation across campus.”

GU Women Who Code began as a way to draw more women to computer science.

“When I first started here at Georgetown, there was a particular year where I had no female students,” Singh said. “For a long period, I was the only female faculty member in the department.”

Singh decided about 10 years ago to create a women’s computer science group for the few female computer science majors and minors at Georgetown. However, the club did not include women outside of the Computer Science department.

“I hope that women see that they’re not alone in this interest,” Singh said.

Singh and Davis hope to increase interest in computer science by focusing on reaching out to girls in middle school and high school to develop an early interest in technology and coding.

In addition to working with the Girl Scouts, they hope to bring Girls Who Code, a new nonprofit organization which fosters an interest in coding for girls aged 11 to 18, to Washington, D.C. to partner with Georgetown and GU Women Who Code..

Singh is confident her female graduate and undergraduate students will serve as teachers and mentors to the young club members.

“We have … a number of wonderful female students who would like to help,”

KAYLA NOGUCHI/THE HOYA

Computer science professor Lisa Singh sparks student interest in learning code.

Singh said.

Despite the relatively small size of the computer science department, Davis has attracted the interest of companies such as Synergy, who are interested in hiring female coders and plans to partner with them to provide sufficient hardware for the club.

The first meeting, moved to St. Mary’s 126 due to the large demonstrated interest, drew 80 attendees.

Those in attendance started the meeting by familiarizing themselves with Python, an easy-to-learn language, which programmers can implement on several different platforms.

Currently, the meetings will occur once every few weeks and feature a lecture. Additionally, working groups of five to nine coders and an experienced programmer will convene to work on a project on a weekly basis “That’ll give time to talk about the coding, so you’re not alone at a computer, struggling,” Emma Hussain (COL ’17) said.

Other proposed ideas included lab times for constant coding assistance and extended intensive weekend sessions, both of which are under consideration by Davis and Singh.

Emily Fitzpatrick (COL ’17), a computer science major, demonstrated the enthusiasm the coding community has shown for the new club.

“I have heard other people say, sort of in common conversation, ‘You know, women just aren’t as interested in math, or computer science or science in general,’ and I think that that’s false,” she said.

“You know, we have the power to change that, and I think that’s what this club is going to do.”

NEWS

friday, january 31, 2014

THE HOYA

A9

DC Newest Hub In Spring, Interviews and Stress For Cybersecurity Sydney Winkler Special to The Hoya

Madeleine Thornburn

tors to their states using tax incentives. In 2013, Maryland Gov. Special to the Hoya Martin O’Malley announced While D.C. is known for its over $3 million in tax breaks think tanks and consulting for cybersecurity companies in firms, a new niche might be his state. Virginia has done simimaking its mark on the D.C. larly, establishing technology employment scene in the near centers across the state with tax future: cybersecurity. incentives including in the D.C. In February 2013, President suburb of Arlington, Va. Obama launched the CompreRather than compete with hensive National Cybersecurity Silicon Valley, computer science Initiative to enhance U.S. coun- major Kristen Schwabe-Fry (COL terintelligence, review cyber- ’14) expressed that the U.S. govsecurity practices at all levels ernment should use D.C.’s status of government and call for an as a rising technology center to investment in cybereducation focus exclusively on cybersecufor America’s rity, a high priyouth.

On ority for the T h u r s d ay, government.

Obama re“It’s hard to emphasized compete with his comSilicon Valley mitment to because it’s cybersecualready so esrity with his tablished. You nomination kind of got to of Navy Cylet Silicon Valbersecurity ley do what Vice Admiral it’s focusing Michael Rogon and crematt devost ers to the ate your own Professor of Computer Science position of brand in some director of the National Security other way,” Schwabe-Fry said.

Agency.

As seniors majoring in comWhile a 2009 study from the puter science look for work postGeorgetown Center on Educa- graduation this spring, the burtion indicates that only approxi- geoning cybersecurity industry mately 36,500 students or two has made D.C. an increasingly percent of all college graduates viable option. earn a degree directly related to “The government spends a lot cybersecurity within the com- of money, and that’s going to puter science field, the cyberse- be a huge potential market and curity industry is worth approxi- that’s some advantage for being mately $60 billion. According to in D.C.,” computer science major a May 2012 article in The Wash- Welles Robinson (COL ’14) said. ington Post, the government Robinson added, however, will need to hire at least 10,000 that Silicon Valley’s steady incybersecurity experts in the flux of skill and funding will near future to meet demand. help it to maintain its high “Technology and security are standing. the key growth areas [in D.C.].

“Silicon Valley has the money, All you have to do is look at what the talent from Stanford and the Dulles Corridor looked like a lot of talented people flock 20 years ago and how it looks there. It’s a combination of retoday to recognize the immense ally smart, really creative and growth in the commercial tech- really driven people. And the nology sector,” cybersecurity higher number of people just entrepreneur and computer sci- means a higher likeliness that ence professor Matt Devost said. you’re going to find success,” According to Devost, the Dis- Robinson said. trict has the potential to surpass Despite D.C.’s promise, Devost Silicon Valley as the country’s did admit that the East Coast leading cybersecurity center. city does lack the youth and “On the security and technol- urban culture of its West Coast ogy side, you’ll see a dominance counterpart. within D.C. over Silicon Valley “[The companies] aren’t able by way of cybersecurity compa- to offer in the D.C. area yet the nies just because you have that culture of a startup that you get talent pool and that broader with the Googles and the Facemarket – you can sell commer- books. We don’t yet have that cially and to the federal govern- hip environment. We endorse ment if you’re located here,” De- a more politically conservative vost said. business as a whole where you To that end, nearby Maryland don’t have that more aggressive and Virginia have gone so far as kind of startup lifestyle,” Devost to attract cybersecurity contrac- said.

“We endorse a more politically conservative business as a whole”

SUDOKU

5

9

4 8 9 7

2

2

6

2

7 6

5 3

1 5 8 2 9 7 2 8

9

1 5

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5 8 4

Answers to Last Issue’s Puzzle:

4 3 9 5

7 2 5 1 8 6 4 7

9 3 5 7 6 8 4 1 2 3 2 1

1 2 7 6

6 8 9 4 5 3 8 9

6 2 8 1

3 9

8 6

9 4 5 7 1 5 7 3 4 2

1 9 7 3 2 6

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7 6 8 3 5 8 9 4 2 6 4 3 9 1 7

As winter begins to thaw into spring, students at Georgetown are beginning the transition from academics to careers as they begin searching for internships and full time jobs.

While to many the search can be daunting, statistics from the Cawley Career Education Center show favorable hiring numbers for Georgetown Students. Many campus pre-professional organizations provide connections for students and bring companies on campus for networking events, allowing students to maintain relationships with businesses and alumni.

“Going to the networking sessions always helps because you are learning about the company itself,” Hilltop Consultants Director of Professional Outreach Milan Patel (SFS ’14) said.

“It’s really good to go for the sole fact that, if you are applying and you’re going to be working there for a year, you should talk to the people and see if you would like to work there.”

In the case of many employers, these recruiting events happen annually, creating deeper rapports with students and the school.

“If you are persistent enough, then you become connected to other individuals,” Patel said. “You build connections over many years. It lays the foundations over and over again.”

These relationships help students gain an understanding of the work environment and employers they will want.

“I want to go to a job where everyday I know I’m going to walk in the door and, when I come out, I’ll know something new and have a new experience,” Patel said. “And if you love working with people, that really helps the learning process continue.”

Many students search for the perfect employer-employee fit by attending networking events as well as re-

cruitment info sessions held in the Cawley Career Center.

Compared to the previous year, ten fewer employers are scheduled to hold interviews, and the Cawley Career Center expects additional employers to schedule interviews as the spring semester continues.

In the 2014 fiscal year, 31 new employers, including NBCUniversal and McKinsey & Company, are scheduled for recruitment visits, while 41 companies, including Lilly Pulitzer and Boston Consulting Group, declined to return.

The quality of the employers recruiting Georgetown students remains high, according to Michael Schaub, the Career Center’s executive director.

“Students’ response to on-campus interviewing opportunities has been tremendous, which suggests that students are very interested in these employers and positions,” Schaub wrote in an email.

Large employers such as Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch will return to campus throughout the semester to recruit students for summer internships as well as full-time jobs.

The frequency with which employers hold interviews is additionally beneficial for students, as it allows them practice with networking and interviewing skills.

“Practice, practice, practice,” Associate Director and Academic Counselor for the McDonough School of Business Rebecca Cassidy said.

“But you certainly don’t want to act like you know everything or that you’ve done everything correctly because that’s not what employers want. They’re looking for people who work hard and can learn and who embrace that position, whether it’s getting coffee, doing spreadsheets or meeting with clients.”

Despite the practice Georgetown students may have with interviews, high stress levels are often correlated with

interview season.

“Students seem more nervous than they should be,” Cassidy said. “When you say Georgetown, people know what they mean and they know that students that come here and come from here are very high quality students. My goal in life is just to tell my students that it’s okay.”

According to Cassidy, students should open their job prospects beyond Wall Street. “There is a whole world out there. Banking is a very small part of it,” Cassidy said. “I think that’s what gets people excited is to have those alternate opportunities at the larger organizations where there is room to grow and have stability.”

Although it is common to be anxious about future job prospects, many seniors have little to worry about. In a senior survey of the Class of 2013 done by the Cawley Career Education Center between the months of May and August 2013, preliminary results found that 69% of respondents are employed, 17% attend graduate or professional school, 7% are in responding service, military, undecided or other, and only 6% are still seeking employment. The Career Center expects to find similar results for the Class of 2014.

“It’s a humbling process,” Cassidy said. “Job searching is very humbling.

But treat it like a class, do a little bit every day, reach out to resources, and just be patient.”

Natasha Butalia (COL ’14), who works in the career center and has used it for job interviews, discussed its expanding options. ”I definitely think that [the career center] has increased their opportunities, for law for example there are four or five law firms who are doing on-campus recruiting,” she said.

“They are definitely improving resources to other students even if they don’t have a lot of on-campus recruiting stuff, they still can direct you to other resources. They’re really good for USA and federal jobs.”

DeGioia, Hockfield Discuss EdX Jamie Slater Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia and former Massachusetts Institute of Technology President Susan Hockfield collaborated in the second discussion of the Designing the Future(s) of the University initiative, focusing on the changing roles of higher education in Lohrfink Auditorium on Thursday.

In her presidency at MIT from 2004 to 2012, as well as her previous role as provost at Yale University, Hockfield gained experience by leading universities through changing times. During her tenure, MIT and Harvard University created the edX online learning platform to provide free public access to their courses. Georgetown is currently a member of this partnership as well.

“The human brain in general resists change, and we have to all of us balance our change aversion with the extraordinary appetite for the new,” Hockfield said. “Managing change in an institution that is 150 years old — hundreds of years old if we think of the university in aggregate — I think is a very critical issue.”

Hockfield emphasized that one of the critical ways universities can solve current challenges is to take advantage of diverse faculty.

“We appoint and tenure our faculty because they’re the leaders in their field and they can see beyond the boundaries of the known. ... The way to work at the challenges of the university, the opportunities of the university, is to convene … unusual groups of faculty,” she said. “The last thing you want in a university is a kind of monotonicity in how you think.”

DeGioia connected this idea with the theme of the public good that runs through this Designing the Future(s) series.

“Part of what we do as universities is contribute to the public good. And the knowledge that’s created is shared — we give this out. We make it available, we share it widely,” he said. “Open courseware and now edX are different ways in which we can make the knowledge that’s created in our contexts more of a public good.”

Hockfield also commented on the uni-

NATASHA THOMSON/THE HOYA

University President John J. DeGioia and former MIT President Susan Hockfield discuss the changing nature of higher education Thursday. versity’s role in contributing to the public good, particularly as it relates to how a university fosters the essential relationship between education and research.

“We create new knowledge through research, we disseminate new knowledge through teaching and publications, we preserve knowledge in our collections but also, frankly, in our scholars, in the heads and the activities of our scholars — and these are all to the public good,” she said.

Despite all of the emphasis on change, the two speakers highlighted and questioned the role of tradition.

“We know that there’s only one way we’re going to get to where we need to get to and that is together. But our normal rate of change, our normal pace of change, in the university context may be a mismatch right now for some of the threats that we’re confronting,” DeGioia said.

While the speakers acknowledged the importance of formation, they noted that not all traditions need to be carried into the future.

“It is a difficult conversation to have, deciding what part of the culture [or] what part of tradition it’s time to leave

behind. And we don’t want to be trapped in the past, we don’t want to look and act and be exactly the way we were five years, ten years, fifty years ago,” Hockfield said.

The event drew predominantly faculty and alumni; a few students, including two student teaching assistants for “The University as a Design Problem,” attended as well.

“Dr. Hockfield is probably the foremost person I would want to hear from about how to reimagine the purpose of a university,” Hilary Cohen (COL ’14) said.

“Having the two divergent institutions that she did, Yale and MIT, can really help calibrate Georgetown’s ability to reimagine its own purpose in an authentically Georgetown way.”

Students recognized the importance of discussing these educational changes.

“I think that it’s very helpful for Georgetown to think about the future,” Alex Freeman (COL ’14) said. “I think that too many colleges are not seriously considering the change that’s happening in this educational space right now, so I think that bringing in the thinkers [is] the cornerstone of how we can advance ourselves.”

Non-Business Requirement at GW MINORS, from A10 Business. Students are required to take 17 non-business courses in a variety of areas including math, economics, humanities, history or government and theology. Additionally, students have five free electives, allowing them to double major within the business school or complete a liberal arts minor.

Amy Fine, an Adjunct Professor of Business Law in the McDonough School of Business, discussed the strengths of a liberal arts education.

“I think the [GWU] program is a great idea,” Fine said. “My view is that a liberal arts program will give you so much background, so much critical thinking, that combined with business, you can get out of school and think your way through

anything that you would need to do.”

Norean Sharpe, the Senior Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Programs at Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, stated that the students at Georgetown are provided with ample exposure in areas outside of business and suggested that the GWU was encouraging the same.

“They most likely wanted to provide a broader educational perspective for the students,” Sharpe said when asked why George Washington may have decided to implement this change. “Along with the depth of a student’s major, they may have wanted to ensure breadth in their academic careers.”

Sharpe added that nearly 30 percent of business students at Georgetown minor in the College.

“I think that with all of our required general education courses in

the College, our elective courses in a business major — and with the opportunity to minor in the College, it is a terrific opportunity to explore both business and liberal arts,” she said. “The students get a broad perspective, in addition to leaving with a very marketable skill set.”

Students reacted positively to the program.

“I really enjoyed the opportunity GW gave me to explore areas of study outside of business, and it seems that this new program will only further the school’s goal of helping students find other interests,” Sean Viscount (MSB ’16), a transfer student from GW School of Business, said. “Without this experience, I would not have realized my interest in astronomy, and I am now looking at ways to combine these interests upon graduation.”

BUSINESS FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014

COMMENTARY

Chanel President: Style Stays the Same NATASHA KHAN Hoya Staff Writer

Aakash Bhatia

Passion for Real Estate Builds Club

A

year ago, I walked into a crowded Leavey Center for the SAC fair with a fairly narrow range of organizations I wanted to participate in.

I knew Georgetown’s most established clubs, the Corps and GUASFCUs of the world, and frankly wasn’t that interested in exploring much more. All of them were stable, had long histories and a clear understanding of their scopes and outreach.

As I walked by various tables, I happened to pass by the Georgetown University Real Estate Club. I always had a peripheral interest in the industry, as essentially my whole family is involved in real estate. To my surprise, the club (though registered with SAC since 2011) was essentially still in startup phase. It had a grand total of two active members and didn’t even have a Listserv.

I was very hesitant to sign up, let alone attend the club’s first meeting.

With both my academic responsibilities and commitments to other organizations, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to allocate substantial time to a club which might fizzle out in a few years.

Thankfully, the two members, Mark Mackey (MSB ’14) and Brendan Glavin (MSB ’14), actively encouraged me to become involved; and we, along with several other students – most of whom are still on the current board – embarked on our journey.

In the span of two years we have grown substantially, both in our membership and offerings. We have hosted

I wasn’t sure if I wanted to allocate substantial time to a club which might fizzle out in a few years. several events including panel discussions from industry professionals, property tours and networking events.

Furthermore, we created an investment subset group, which focuses on the financial aspects of real estate and prepares our members for interviews.

Besides Mark and Brendan, the true leader of our efforts has been Professor Matthew Cypher, the McDonough School of Business director of the Georgetown Real Estate Initiative. Professor Cypher has been instrumental in shaping the club’s vision, connecting us to alumni and setting up workshops on technical skills such as Microsoft Excel and Argus.

Looking back on my journey, the club has instilled several lessons in me, the first of which is the tremendous value working for a startup organization provides. Growing pains are inevitable and frustration is unavoidable, but it taught me to how to react to adversity, using such lessons as an educational tool rather than a reason to become fearful or disheartened.

Furthermore, it taught me that one should always take into consideration the advice of others, regardless of how confident we are in our abilities. Feedback is necessary in any organization as it nurtures the identification of one’s flaws and the subsequent search for improvement.

Professor Cypher’s guidance these past two years has been invaluable and I would recommend that all clubs, regardless of size, take advantage of the tremendous faculty available here at Georgetown.

My experience within the organization has also advanced and solidified my personal and professional interest in real estate. This summer, I am actively looking for internships within the field, and am confident of my prospects and abilities thanks to the opportunities that GUREC has provided for me.

I encourage all students to extend their comfort zones and truly embrace the college experience for what it is: a chance for academic, social and personal development.

AAKASH BHATIA is a sophomore in the McDonough School of Business and vice president of networking and communications for GU Real Estate Club.

Chanel U.S. President and Chief Operating Officer John Galantic discussed the history, staying power and future goals of the legendary brand in front of a packed audience in Gaston Hall on Wednesday.

“Let passion lead your choices,” Galantic said, referring to his decision to accept Procter & Gamble’s offer after graduating business school over higher-paying options. “I really had my heart set on brand marketing and I wanted to work in Europe.”

The event, presented by the McDonough Retail & Luxury Association, Stanton Distinguished Leaders Series and the Undergraduate Program Office, was part of the same series that brought Michael Kors CEO John Idol to campus last year.

Galantic discussed the career choices he made that eventually led him to become Chanel’s president in 2006. Galantic previously headed Coty Beauty and KeraVision Inc. and is a Director of Bacardi Limited. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tufts University and an MBA from Harvard.

Chanel has tripled in size in the last seven years, according to Galantic. He highlighted the importance of the company’s history, beginning in 1909 with the vision of iconic founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel.

“Our heritage is our most important asset,” he said. “We’re protecting our future by remaining connected to our past. We don’t need to create stories; we need to choose which story to tell. “ Galantic discussed the impact Coco’s choices made on modern culture and modern women.

“She was interested in liberating women from the highbrow customs of her day,” he said. He cited Coco’s invention of the classic little black dress, Chanel No. 5 perfume, handbag with a shoulder chain, Chanel jacket and the inspiration she drew from men’s clothing. “She killed waistlines, she killed corsets and threw them out, she uncovered ankles.”

Galantic called the Chanel No. 5 bottle, with its clean and fairly masculine shape, a metaphor for the brand.

“It maintains all those essential qualities it had in 1921,” he said.

“It’s a modern representation, evolving generation after generation, and it’s still the best-selling fragrance in the world.”

Galantic discussed the tensions that currently exist in the Chanel brand — between Paris and New York, the global and the local dichotomies and finding the balance between product depth and

NATASHA KHAN/THE HOYA

Chanel U.S. President and Chief Operating Officer John Galantic responds to audience questions after his presentation on the history, continuing legacy and future plans of the brand. dynamism.

“These paradoxes are one of the greatest assets of Chanel,” he said.

Galantic played videos of Chanel’s spring 2014 couture collection, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, and discussed the role of the digital in Chanel’s future.

“It doesn’t start with the digital, it starts with the brand,” he said.

“What counts for us in digital is really the content of the brand.”

In looking to the future, Galantic said that Chanel does not play by the usual rules of business, rejecting traditional beliefs like bigger is better in favor of keeping the brand rare, special and creativity pure.

GW B-School To Require Minors AARON LEWIS Hoya Staff Writer

In a new effort to make its students more competitive after completing their undergraduate studies, the George Washington University School of Business, beginning next fall, will require all undergraduate business students to complete a non-business minor prior to graduation.

While business schools are known for teaching skills applicable to real-world working environments, universities with business programs are increasingly acknowledging the value of a more complete learning experience through a variety of liberal arts course offerings.

The George Washington University School of Business Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs Isabelle BajeuxBesnainou reiterated these sentiments.

“Employers indicate that B-schools too often produce students who are too narrowly focused and lack the broad knowledge, skills, and values that companies and organizations desire,” she said. “More and more schools are working on strengthening the students’ liberal arts education, and our minor requirement goes in that direction.”

She indicated that the key

goal for the new policy is to allow students to explore and better prepare them for the workplace. The GWU School of Business is currently ranked 71st in the country, according to Businessweek.

“The changes should make it easier for students to double concentrate, double minor, study abroad or try out different options before they select their minor outside of the B-school,” Bajeux-Besnainou said. “As GW develops more interdisciplinary minors, it will provide even more options to students.”

She went on to say that some of the most valuable skills for any student, including critical thinking, communication, and global and ethical awareness, are in fact cornerstones for many business programs.

GW’s peer institutions have expressed interest in the program.

“I am starting to get emails from other schools asking for more details about our new curriculum,” Bajeux-Besnainou said.

Although Georgetown does not have a mandatory interdisciplinary minor for its undergraduate business school students, there are liberal arts requirements for all students in the McDonough School of

“We don’t ever want to be profit for the sake of profit,” he said. “Our client wants to dream.

She thinks of Chanel as defining style.”

The first 500 attendees received gift bags after the event, with women receiving bottles of Chanel No. 5 and men Chanel Bleu, although the event ran out of Chanel No. 5 and had to give some women the cologne instead.

Students enjoyed the event.

“John Galantic did a great job addressing the history and mission of Chanel along with the company’s business strategies in a way that was interesting and informative to business and non-

INSIDER

business majors alike,” Stephanie Donohue (COL ‘16) said.

Others agreed.

“I thought he was a great speaker, who was not trying to fake what Chanel really is,” Faher Elfayez (COL ‘16) said. “He was straightforward about its goals. I also thought the gifts were generous.”

Some found the talk inspirational.

“I am currently struggling between following my passion and being ‘practical,’” Mariam Matin (COl ‘15) said. “Listening to the speaker today inspired me to fight for what I want to do, even if it is totally off the beaten path.”

TRADING

What will be the biggest stock market drivers of 2014?

“A tech bubble might drive some kind of mass sell-off in terms of venture capitals and so might mature technologies like Twitter or Square that people put a lot of money into. The VCs may want their money back.”

ROGER TSENG (MBA ’14)

“The continuing political problems are going to either become resolved and speed the recovery or they will continue and retard the recovery.”

N. LAMAR REINSCH PROFESSOR OF MANAGEMENT

“With the Fed most likely stopping monetary policy, the market’s going to have to be driven by fundamentals and start standing on its own, so companies’ earnings along with economic data will be the drivers.”

MICHAEL HOEGLER (MSB ’16)

See MINORS, A9

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