The Hoya: February 3, 2017

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 98, No. 29, © 2017

FRIday, FEBRUARY 3, 2017

HOYA HEALTH HACKS

Take a look at our top tips on how to stay healthy — physically, mentally and emotionally.

EDITORIAL Georgetown must adopt a hardline stance against Trump’s travel ban.

BREAKING BAD A former GULC professor was arrested for conspiring to distribute drugs.

OPINION, A2

NEWS, A5

GUIDE

Bowser Announces Charter Schools Plan Christian Paz and Paula Hong Hoya Staff Writers

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) introduced a new program Monday aimed at increasing students’ access to public elementary schools, despite concerns that the plan may be inaccessible to students in lowincome neighborhoods.

The announcement marks a change in the D.C. Public Schools’ policy toward charter schools, which are publicly funded schools operating independently of the area school system. Previously, charter school enrollment was determined solely by a lottery system.

“There is enough choice for parents who want to go outside of their neighborhood schools.”

MURIEL BOWSER (D) Mayor, Washington, D.C.

The “walkability” program grants access based on the proximity of the schools to the students’ homes. This program would allow students residing within a certain distance of a charter school to become eligible to attend that school.

Currently, about 45,000 students — half of the DCPS student population — attend charter schools, but the proposal could affect to up to 10,000 students who live more than a half-mile from their designated public school and within a half-mile of a charter school.

Still, charter schools choose to opt in to the program, then decide if they should add the “walkability” standard to other admissions preferences, such as preference for siblings of current charter school students.

If the D.C Council approves

the measure, the plan is slated to go into effect during the 2018-19 school year.

Currently, District students are guaranteed enrollment at one of D.C.’s 61 public elementary schools. However, under the new system, students will be offered a preference in the admissions lottery if they live within a half-mile of the charter school they wish to attend or if they live more than a half-mile from a DCPS-zoned school, according to a statement from the mayor’s office.

In an interview with The Hoya, Bowser said the new plan strikes a balance between advocates and critics of charter schools.

The opponents of charter schools argue that traditional public schools can shut down due to the popularity of charter schools, leaving many students without traditional public school access. Supporters of charter schools maintain that access to a higher quality education outweighs the costs.

“We have achieved a delicate balance that is working for us.

There is enough choice for parents who want to go outside of their neighborhood schools and we have had robust investment in our traditional public neighborhood schools,” Bowser said.

“I think we have achieved the right balance in Washington, D.C.” Bowser also said she hopes the next federal secretary of education does not interfere in the District’s education plan, for fear of disrupting improvements she has made in the public school system. Currently, President Donald Trump’s nomination for the position, Betsy DeVos — a billionaire and former chair of the pro-school choice education advocacy group American Federation for Children — has been an advocate for charter schools.

DeVos has expressed support for using public school funds to pay for private education through various programs and vouchers.

“People who like to experiment in education sometimes

Solidarity Vigil Unites Campus In Wake of Immigration Ban Jeanine Santucci Hoya Staff Writer

As the nation reacts to President Donald Trump’s immigration ban, members of the Georgetown community joined together in solidarity with students and faculty affected by the ban in a vigil in Red Square on Wednesday night.

About 200 people attended the Hoyas for Justice: Solidarity Vigil, where members of minority groups on campus shared their personal stories relating to the recent changes in federal policy.

Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order temporarily banned entry

into the United States for citizens from seven Muslim-majority nations, as well as refugees from all nations for 180 days and from Syria indefinitely.

University administrators have identified about 20 students who hold student visas and are citizens of one of the seven countries under the immigration ban: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Libya, according to Senior Director for Strategic Communications Rachel Pugh.

Students who spoke at the vigil expressed concern about the effects of Trump’s ban and rhetoric on them and their families’ ability to feel safe in the United States.

Participants also expressed their drive to fight back against the ban.

University President John J. DeGioia sent a campuswide email Sunday urging students to “empathize with others in need.”

“We are an institution that values the contributions of our international students, staff and faculty, and we are deeply committed to interreligious dialogue and providing a context in which members of all faith backgrounds are welcomed and encouraged to practice their faith,” DeGioia wrote.

See VIGIL, A6

3 Potential Tickets in GUSA Race Joe Egler

Hoya Staff Writer

See CHARTER, A6

MURIEL BOWSER

At a press conference Monday, Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) introduced a new program to increase students’ access to charter schools.

featured

CLARA MEJíA ORTA/THE HOYA

About 200 members of the community attended a vigil in Red Square on Wednesday night in solidarity with students and facutly affected by President Donald Trump’s immigration ban.

Three potential tickets attended mandatory information sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday to participate in this year’s Georgetown University Student Association executive election.

Eleven eligible students, excluding campus media, attended the Wednesday meeting, including Habon Ali (SFS ’18), Jessica Andino (COL ’18), Alan Chen (COL ’18), Kamar Mack (COL ’19), Richie Mullaney (COL ’18), Brian Philipps (SFS ’18), Josh Sirois (SFS ’20), Garet Williams (MSB ’18) and Megan Yeager (COL ’19).

Sources close to the candidates confirm the likely presidential and vice presidential pairings of Chen and Phillips, Mack and Andino, and Williams and Ali. Two of these pairings include current members of GUSA. Williams serves as a deputy chief of staff, while Ali is a senator for the East Campus district. Mack serves as the Secretary of Local Educational Affairs on the Federal and D.C. Relations Committee, and Andino is the GUSA undocumented student inclusivity

PAOLO SANTAMARIA/THE HOYA

Potential candidates attended Wednesday’s information session to participate in this year’s GUSA executive election. policy team chair.

Last year’s campaign saw one official ticket, consisting of GUSA President Enushe Khan (MSB ’17) and GUSA Vice President Chris Fisk (COL ’17). The Wisemiller’s Hot Chick and Chicken Madness sandwiches and Reed Howard

(SFS ’17) and Courtney Maduike (SFS ’17) ran write-in campaigns against the pair.

This year’s official campaign period begins Feb. 9. Candidates are allowed to campaign See TICKETS, A6

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

Murphy’s Law Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) predicted the immigration ban’s repeal in a discussion Tuesday night.

A4

Milo’s Moment Right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos should be invited to GU to test the limits of free speech.

A3

Club Lacrosse Returns After a yearlong suspension, the men’s club lacrosse team has spent the fall rebuilding.

A10

NEWS Condoms on Demand

opinion Field Goal or Fumble

SPORTS Super Bowl Upset

H*yas for Choice launched a new service delivering condoms to students’ dorm rooms.

A7

Republicans have the chance to cement their legacy with repealing Obamacare — or fail spectacularly.

A3

Published Tuesdays and Fridays

Matt Ryan and the Falcons may have just enough offensive talent to beat the favored Patriots.

A8

Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com

A2

OPINION

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017

THE VERDICT

Defiance in the Face of Danger President Donald Trump’s executive order last week repudiated the core values of interfaith understanding, compassion and coexistence that ought to guide the university — and the country.

The ban indefinitely suspends the resettlement of Syrian refugees and temporarily bars nationals of seven Muslimmajority countries from entering the United States. In the hours following Trump’s announcement, University President John J. DeGioia issued a statement far more tenuous than other peer institutions, contending the “implications of this order are significant and concerning” but otherwise offering no direct renunciation of Trump’s action.

Moreover, the university offered little direction to students other than linking them to a frequently asked questions page online and recommending community members from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen to avoid travel outside the United States over the next months.

Trump’s action represents an assault on immigrants, Muslims and members of the Georgetown community. As such, it demands more than muted tones of indignation from the university administration.

By acknowledging the ban without explicitly rebuking it, Georgetown performed the absolute minimum a conscientious university could do to confront an injustice unfolding right outside its front gates and impacting its own staff and students. Because of the university’s unique pedigree as a deeply international university and bastion for interfaith understanding, it is beholden to doing more than the minimum.

Comparatively, much of the academic world’s condemnation of the executive order was swift and, at times, bruising to the Trump administration. University of Notre Dame President John I. Jenkins wrote a searing indictment of the measure, urging Trump to rescind the order or else “demean our nation, whose true greatness has been its guiding ideals of fairness, welcome to immigrants, compassion for refugees, respect for religious faith and courageous refusal to compromise its principles in the face of threats.”

Meanwhile, The George Washington University President Steven Knapp maintained that “whatever its intent may be, the presidential executive order banning citizens of seven countries from entering the United States directly threatens the well-being of students as well as of faculty and staff members who come from the affected countries.” He further invited all affected students whose visas are sponsored by GW to an informational session that same week and promised to safeguard student records and provide legal and counseling services to all who need them.

The university’s response runs contrary to the many milestones our community has achieved. In his letter, DeGioia cited the university’s founding in 1789 — eight months before the United States itself — when a quarter of its students came from different countries and the first course catalogues in the 1790s were written in three languages.

Even more recently, as the nation’s oldest Catholic university and one of its most renowned, Georgetown was the first to appoint a full-time Muslim chaplain with Imam Yahya Hendi in 1999. Last spring, Georgetown University Student Association President Enushe Khan (MSB ’17) was elected to serve as the first Muslim student to lead the student government. And since 2005, Georgetown has enjoyed a fruitful exchange of ideas with the School of Foreign Service in Qatar, bridging academic communities in the United States and Persian Gulf region.

In neglecting to forcefully denounce Trump’s callous order, the university is not just committing a disservice to the 23 undergraduates on student visas who are citizens of the seven countries. Through inaction, Georgetown is also subverting

its traditional, historical and fundamental values.

But even more disconcertingly, the university’s tepid response to the executive order marks a failure to defend the entire concept of a university as an enterprise – to entertain new ideas, encounter different cultural mindsets and expand oneself as an individual.

Other student groups have already spoken out about the ban. On Sunday, the GUSA senate overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning the executive order and urging the university to support any Georgetown community member adversely impacted by the action.

Even the Georgetown University College Republicans broke with the president in a display of solidarity for affected Hoyas, signaling its belief in a Facebook post that “the President’s actions do not align with the true ideology of our party.”

The university should follow the example of these student organizations, which assumed a hardline stance against the bigotry and cowardice exemplified

by Trump’s travel ban. But more than any student group, the university administration has access to some of the leading minds in the fields of international relations and law within its own faculty and can devote resources into transforming its objections into actionable policies.

To be fair, in the immediate confusion following the executive order, the university may understandably have been uncertain how to proceed. Even the federal agencies tasked with implementing the policy were initially baffled by how to regard U.S. green card holders and dual citizens from the seven banned nations.

But now that the dust has settled, the university should model itself on the transparency exhibited by schools like GWU and hold a forum addressing specific questions from the university community about the university’s strategic direction and stance in light of the travel ban.

Even more importantly, the university should provide affected students and faculty with adequate legal and counseling services. The Office of Global Services currently directs students to the Immigration Advocates Network and the American Immigration Lawyers Association, but for those affected student who struggle to find the time or finances for a formal legal consultation, the university ought to delve into its impressive repository of expert faculty and alumni who can offer assistance, perhaps by establishing a directory for those who have expressed interest in providing consultancy.

The university has already made tremendous strides in protecting and affirming the rights of its undocumented students in light of Trump’s threats, including publically advocating for measures such as the Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream of Growing the Economy Act, which extends the window of time undocumented students may seek temporary relief under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

In November, DeGioia committed to the measure by joining 600 other universities in a petition supporting DACA and invoked the words of Pope Francis in calling for the community “to promote a culture of mercy … in which no one looks at another with indifference or turns away from the suffering of our brothers and sisters.”

Trump’s attacks on Muslims, refugees and undocumented students all serve a vision of American society that is antithetical to our university’s mission emphasizing dialogue and openness to different faith traditions and cultures.

Georgetown should definitively reject the premise of Trump’s executive order and protect its immigrant community with the same ferocity and courage with which it has defended its undocumented students.

Toby Hung, Editor-in-Chief Cirillo Paolo Santamaria, Executive Editor Jeffrey Tara Subramaniam Jesus Rodriguez, Managing Editor Christian Paz

Ian Scoville, Campus News Editor Aly Pachter, City News Editor Sean Hoffman, Sports Editor Marina Tian, Guide Editor Lisa Burgoa, Opinion Editor Lauren Seibel, Photography Editor Alyssa Volivar, Design Editor Sarah Wright, Copy Chief Kelly Park, Social Media Editor Alessandra Puccio, Blog Editor Jack Martin, Multimedia Editor

Editorial Board

Lisa Burgoa, Chair CC Borzilleri, Laila Brothers, Daria Etezadi, Ellie Goonetillake, Jack Lynch, Jack Segelstein, Bennett Stehr, Annabelle Timsit

William Zhu Alfredo Carrillo Emily Dalton Dean Hampers Cynthia Karnezis Viviana De Santis Dani Guerrero Meena Raman Maya Gandhi Grace Laria Jacob Witt Elinor Walker Stephanie Yuan Michelle Kelly Esther Kim Peter Shamamian Eleanor Stork Anna Dezenzo Janine Karo Sterling Lykes Catherine Schluth Charlie Fritz

Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy City News Editor Business Editor Deputy Business & News Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Cartoonist Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Blog Editor

Drugged ‘Rug’ — President Trump’s doctor reported in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday that Trump takes Propecia, a drug that treats male-pattern baldness, and three other medications daily.



Born to Be Wild — A National Zoological Park bobcat, Ollie, who went missing earlier this week, was found on zoo property and returned to her enclosure Wednesday.

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EDITORIAL

  

Founded January 14, 1920

Record-Breaking Babies — Beyoncé and her husband Jay Z announced on Instagram she is pregnant with twins, accumulating 6.5 million likes, reportedly the most of any Instagram picture.

Underwear So Fined — House Representative Tom Weathersby (R-Mass.) proposed a bill last week that would lead to fines and counseling for anyone wearing clothing that indecently exposes underwear or body parts.

Hibernation Extension— Punxsutawney Phil, the famous Pennsylvania groundhog, saw his shadow Thursday morning, predicting six more weeks of winter weather.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Elinor Walker

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Upholding Creative Career Paths The Cawley Career Education Center team works with students to identify career options and make plans to pursue internship and career opportunities. We employ experts who advise on a variety of industries including creative fields, government and nonprofit, health and science, business, pre-law, technology and entrepreneurship and education. Our advisers hold 30-minute advising appointments, 15-minute same-day appointments, host industry workshops and networking events and develop relationships with employers to encourage recruitment at Georgetown. Additionally, our career counselors work with students across all majors and career interests.

In response to the assertion in the editorial “En-

couraging Hoya Creativity” (THE HOYA, Jan. 27, 2017, A2) that we do not offer enough options for students who are interested in a creative industry, we would like to introduce you to Jacki Banks, our Creative Industry Advisor. This fall, Jacki hosted 15 creative industries events attended by more than 230 students. These events included the new “Think Creative, It’s Friday (TCIF)” series, Annual Fashion Retail Panel, Arts and Careers in Museums Panel, Georgetown Entertainment Media and Alliance externship program and LinkedIn Makeover workshops. These events also represented diverse fields within the creative industries. Additionally, Jacki held more than 135 one-on-one appointments, invited alumni back to campus

Daniel Almeida, General Manager Brittany Logan, Director of Accounting Emily Ko, Director of Corporate Development Gabriella Cerio, Director of Human Resources George Lankas, Director of Sales Karen Shi Galilea Zorola

Personnel Manager Senior Accounts and Operations Manager

Contributing Editors & Consultants

Madeline Auerbach, Kara Avanceña, Chris Balthazard, Isabel Binamira, Elizabeth Cavacos, Tom Garzillo, Lauren Gros, Shannon Hou, Darius Iraj, Yuri Kim, Dan Kreytak, Andrew May, John Miller, Syed Humza Moinuddin, Tyler Park, Becca Saltzman, Sarah Santos, Jeanine Santucci, Kshithij Shrinath, Emily Tu, Emma Wenzinger

to connect with students and cultivated relationships with employers.

Jacki and our staff work tirelessly on behalf of all students, not just those interested in finance and consulting. We appreciate you saying “we need more.” To give you more, we encourage you first to learn about and take advantage of our current services. Second, use your important voice to advocate for further support of your career development needs. As we hear you say “we need more,” we reply with the same sentiment, and will continue to offer the most we can and the best we have.

Mike Schaub Executive Director, Cawley Career Education Center

Board of Directors

Kristen Fedor, Chair Daniel Almeida, Jinwoo Chong, Toby Hung, Arnosh Keswani, Selena Parra, Matthew Trunko LETTER TO THE EDITOR & VIEWPOINT POLICIES THE HOYA welcomes letters and viewpoints from our readers and will print as many as possible. To be eligible for publication, letters should specifically address a recent campus issue or HOYA story. Letters should not exceed 300 words.

Viewpoints are always welcome from all members of the Georgetown community on any topic, but priority will be given to relevant campus issues. Viewpoint submissions should be between 600-700 words. THE HOYA retains all rights to all published submissions.

Send all submissions to: opinion@thehoya.com.

Letters and viewpoints are due Sunday at 5 p.m. for Tuesday’s issue and Wednesday at 5 p.m. for Friday’s issue. THE HOYA reserves the right to reject letters or viewpoints and edit for length, style, clarity and accuracy. THE HOYA further reserves the right to write headlines and select illustrations to accompany letters and viewpoints.

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS If you have a comment or question about the fairness or accuracy of a story, contact Executive Editor Paolo Santamaria at (703) 409-7276 or email executive@thehoya.com.

NEWS TIPS Campus News Editor Ian Scoville: Call (202) 602-7650 or email campus@thehoya. com.

City News Editor Aly Pachter: Call (916) 995-0412 or email city@thehoya.com.

Sports Editor Sean Hoffman: Call (703) 300-0267 or email sports@thehoya.com.

GENERAL INFORMATION THE HOYA is published twice each week

during the academic year with the exception of holiday and exam periods. Address all correspondence to: THE HOYA Georgetown University Box 571065 Washington, D.C. 20057-1065 The writing, articles, pictures, layout and format are the responsibility of THE HOYA and do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University.

Signed columns and cartoons represent the opinions of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the editorial position of THE HOYA. Unsigned essays that appear on the left side of the editorial page are the opinion of the majority of the editorial board.

Georgetown University subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression for student editors.

THE HOYA does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, color, national or ethnic origin. © 1920-2016. THE HOYA, Georgetown University twice weekly. No part of this publication may be used without the permission of THE HOYA Board of Editors. All rights reserved. THE HOYA is available free of charge, one copy per reader, at distribution sites on and around the Georgetown University campus.

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OPINION

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017

THE HOYA

A3

VIEWPOINT • CHEN

FROM THE DEAN’S DESK

Mitch Kaneda

To Graduate on Top, Do Less to Get More

W

hen School of Foreign Service students hear that they have to write an essay to declare their majors, their first reaction might be, “Not another paper!”

Upon seeing the prompt of 250500 words, “Oh, easy!” might be the next one. But when I read a 30-minute job, I call the student out on that: “How much time did you spend on this? Do you know this major declaration can change your life?”

Don’t get me wrong, it is not the major that will change your life. It is the process of major declaration that can get you on a life-changing path.

When I ask, “Do you want to become an average Georgetown graduate?” many students shake their heads. “Average” must be a dirty word.

What do I mean by “average?” That is taking one course after another, studying hard, getting some good grades and fulfilling graduation requirements. This average is plenty good. Parents will be content.

But there is a simple way to achieve much more for yourself, without having to do additional work.

Identify a topic you will focus on, and construct your learning around it, both inside and outside the classroom. It involves identifying your niche, your “it” topic. Your story of college.

This will influence everything you do. When you select your courses, you will go with professor Mean over professor Nice, because professor Mean has expertise on your topic.

When you do the optional readings on the syllabus — do we ever? — you will desire to read the ones related to your subject. While doing the required readings, what is relevant to your topic will stand out, and you will pause and contemplate rather than rushing to finish.

The topics of papers you wrote in different courses are probably scattered, but you can begin to focus and build on one after the other. Your extracurriculars, study abroad, internships, summer activities and Tombs conversations — okay,

maybe not this — will start to revolve around your topic. You can roll one big snowball rather than multiple small ones, with the same amount of work.

If this topic is aligned with your passion and interest, learning will no longer be a chore and hours in Lauinger Library will pass very quickly. As you gain expertise, you will impress professors at their office hours with thoughtful conversations and they might be happy to write your recommendations.

You can become the campus expert on your topic, professors included.

You do not need a grand plan. You can live in the present moment to enjoy the new discoveries each day, and before you know it, you will have a big snowball. Measured by the expertise on your topic, you will become a top graduate. That beats GPA. When the time comes for job interviews, you can look straight into the eyes of the interviewer, and say, “I studied this topic with passion and I know everything about it. Try me.” If that is backed by knowledge and experience, I would hire you on the spot.

I often see students experiencing difficulty making choices, trying so hard to compare which option might be slightly better. If you have a topic you are passionate about, you can let that guide your choice, and by working hard, that choice will end up being the best one.

So, be thoughtful when declaring your major and pursuing your topic of choice. It does not matter your class year because we are all lifelong learners. I am learning each day, and my topic is you. The path to the peak can only be seen after you make it to the plateau, and the continuous pursuit of your passion topic will get you there.

Mitch Kaneda is an Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Program at the School of Foreign Service. FROM THE DEAN’S DESK is a rotating column that appears every other Friday.

We, the students of Georgetown, should extend Yiannopoulos an invitation to speak on campus to answer, once and for all, a fundamental question about our commitment to free speech.

Dear Georgetown: Invite Milo to Campus

S

elf-described as “the most fabulous troll on the internet,” Milo Yiannopoulos is eminently comfortable in his role as the left’s comically villainous bogeyman.

Leveraging outrage for attention, Yiannopoulos has made a name for himself at the forefront of the culture wars, decrying the perceived evils of third-wave feminism, political correctness and other issues at the heart of the modern social justice movement.

Most recently, the divisive right-wing provocateur saw his speech at the University of California, Berkeley, cancelled Wednesday night amid demonstrators setting fires and throwing objects at buildings to protest his appearance.

To critics, Yiannopoulos epitomizes the evils of the self-described “alt-right,” a label he flirted with in the past but has since disavowed.

To his followers, he is a champion of free speech and a prominent voice against the regressive left. I believe we, the students of Georgetown University, should extend Yiannopoulos an invitation to speak on campus to answer, once and for all, a fundamental open question about our university’s commitment to free speech.

In the last two years, Georgetown has repeatedly seen controversies from both sides of the political divide regarding

its free speech and expression policy. In September 2014, the student body protested the removal of H*yas for Choice members in advance of the Archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Donald Wuerl receiving an honorary degree in Gaston Hall.

In April 2015, the Georgetown University’s College Republicans’ invitation of Christina Hoff Sommers, a critic of the “rape myth,” prompted a wave of condemnation from students, including the editorial board of THE HOYA, which argued that she should not have been invited.

A year later, the student body was divided on whether a Jesuit university should have invited Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards to give an address. Even as recently as last semester, free speech incidents included anti-abortion messages being defaced in Red Square and Georgetown University Police Department investigating pro-Trump chalked messages.

These incidents will continue to happen and spark controversy, because, although Georgetown’s free speech policy is clear, the student body only selectively respects it.

Broadly speaking, we must choose between two options for our university. The first is an environment of open debate, of competing ideas, of controversial opinion and

intellectual freedom. The second is to leverage cultural pressure and social stigma to shield and support the prevailing conception of social justice.

The first option tolerates opposing viewpoints; the second rejects unproductive ones. The first allows protest but rejects censorship and intimidation; the second option utilizes protest intended to silence.

This dichotomy was first observed by New York University social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, and respected universities have aligned themselves on both sides.

On one end of the spectrum, the student body at Brown University has a checkered history with cancelling controversial speakers. Student protest has successfully cancelled or curtailed events featuring former New York Police Department commissioner Ray Kelly, libertarian Wendy McElroy and black trans-woman activist Janet Mock.

On the other hand, the University of Chicago sent its Class of 2020 a letter of academic freedom detailing the university’s commitment to the “freedom of inquiry and expression” and rejection of trigger warnings, safe spaces and cancelling speakers.

Now, Georgetown simply has to choose: model itself on the suffocating limitations on free speech policy at

Brown University or promote the culture of open discourse exemplified by the University of Chicago. I submit that inviting Yiannopoulos and inviting the ensuing controversy will be the grounds upon which we discover exactly where Georgetown stands.

If the administration and the student body intervene outright or otherwise intimidate him from coming, we will have demonstrated our intolerance for opposition to prevailing opinion out of a desire to protect our futile conception of social progress.

If, on the other hand, a student group is able to bring a vocal critic of social justice to campus to share his ideas, we will have taken a step toward the idea of a university that is truly tolerant of free speech.

I firmly believe such a step would be in all students’ interest. As the past year has shown, the increasingly isolated ideological bubbles we live in have a real cost when it comes to our ability to understand our country and our world.

Milo Yiannopoulos is currently touring college campuses across the country, so College Republicans, College Democrats and the Lecture Fund: I urge you to take the first step towards a reckoning for our university — send Milo an invitation.

ALAN CHEN is a junior in the

College.

VIEWPOINT • HARRIS

PLAYING POLITICS

Toward Racial Reconciliation

The GOP’s Tom Brady Test

M

otivated by hate and the desire to start what he described as a “race war,” a 22-year-old gunman entered the historic Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., on June 17, 2015, and killed nine worshippers.

Our nation, shocked by this horrific act of violence, rallied together — laying flowers outside the church, holding prayer vigils across the country and witnessing tributes of love and grief from around the world.

It seemed as if for a moment we could finally speak as a country about our troubled racial history. This was not, after all, the first act of violence towards Emmanuel A.M.E; its founders had been beaten and lashed for daring to organize a black-led church in the early 1800s.

Emmanuel’s first pastor fled from South Carolina after being implicated for planning a slave rebellion. The church bears the scars of our troubled past and a present that still carries unaddressed racism and prejudice.

For a brief moment I held out hope that our country would finally have an honest conversation about race, religion and our nation’s continued racial divide. But that dialogue never came — we mourned briefly and we returned to our daily lives.

We were too busy gearing ourselves up for a presidential election that would only further separate us, to see that race still serves as a dividing factor in our country.

Two years after the Charleston shooting, not much has changed. Many will gather on June 17, 2017, to remember

the lives of the nine women and men who were martyrized that day. Yet the silos we live in — classified by race, gender, politics and religion — have only intensified.

We can begin the hard work of reconciliation, but only with honest reflection where we leave our silos.

There is little room for honest dialogue, for the exploration of our troubled past and for the ability to dream what the world ought to be like. Instead, our silos have become places where we shout at each other, and like children we stick our fingers in our ears, refusing to hear the voice of the past and the lives of those killed that day beckoning us to live into a better future for our country.

What is the point of remembering the Emmanuel Nine in prayer services and vigils if our nation refuses to deal honestly with our racial history and our current divide? Yes, we have come a long way from where our nation has been, but there is a long road ahead of us. The Charleston shooting should serve as the impetus for us to begin deep and honest conversations with those who are different from us.

Racial reconciliation is only achieved when we begin to listen to each other. I am not suggesting the sort of listening where we quickly fall

into guilt or awkwardness because we cannot handle each other’s pain. Instead, our deep listening to each other’s stories, perspectives and histories can become the catalyst for building an equitable society where Charleston never happens again.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. adapted from the fellowship of reconciliation the idea of the “beloved community.” He describes the beloved community as the kingdom of love and justice, a place where all are recognized and all are treated as the children of God. The beloved community, however, does not take place when we abandon what makes us unique: our race, our gender, our religion, our nationality.

It begins when we use that as the launching point towards seeing the humanity of those around us.

Two years have passed since the Charleston shooting and I still hold out hope that the Beloved Community is not an impossible dream, but something that can be built here and now.

We can begin the hard work of reconciliation, but it can only begin with honest reflection and dialogue where we leave our silos.

Here on the Hilltop, we can begin the journey of reconciliation and building a beloved community of love and justice. It simply takes the ability to study with, learn from, befriend, worship with and listen those who are different from us.

REV. BRANDON HARRIS is a Protestant chaplain at the Georgetown University Law Center and Main Campus.

I

n history, there are make-orbreak moments.

After New England Patriots star quarterback Drew Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding in week two of the 2001 season, the team relied on baby-faced Tom Brady, a second-year quarterback with no professional experience. He proceeded to lead the team to a Super Bowl victory that year and later won three more, solidifying his case for the Hall of Fame.

In contrast, the San Diego Chargers hedged their future on the back of the second overall pick of the 1998, Ryan Leaf. Leaf was a top college quarterback, and the Chargers had high hopes for his success.

However, Leaf never lived up to his potential: immaturity, poor play and rocky relations with his teammates and the press left him unemployed just three years later.

Elected Republicans face a similar pivotal moment as they attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. After years of criticizing the policy and attempting extreme measures to reverse it, Republicans now have the opportunity they have long pined for — yet the past few weeks of commotion have revealed they are woefully unprepared to seize it.

Which begs the question: Now thrust into the spotlight, will Republicans channel Brady or Leaf?

The GOP has a path to Bradylike success if it can win on three key fronts: message, personnel and results.

Although Brady was initially tasked with holding down the fort, his wild success earned him the starting job. Republicans should aim for a similar narrative. The GOP needs to make its plan more than a mere replacement by creating

its own policy proposal.

Then, when it frames “Obamacare” as a failed relic, it can invoke the “out with the old, in with the new” storyline that led to Brady’s fame.

As great as Brady is on his own, he also knows how to use the talents of the players around him to get the win.

Success takes teamwork, so Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and President Donald Trump need to play ball.

Christian Mesa and Aaron Bennett As a caucus leader and leading conservative thinker, Ryan should be the intellectual mastermind behind crafting the policy. He should then hand off to Trump, who can do what he does best: sell. His intuitive understanding of the media and ability to fire up a crowd can drum up the critical political capital and media buzz to help push the plan to the finish line.

Brady knows that you win a game on the scoreboard. To be successful, the GOP must share this focus. Thanks to spin from the Obama administration, the metric that matters is the number of Americans who gain health care from the new policy — that is where political points are scored. In other words, the Republican replacement plan must beat “Obamacare’s” score of 20 million newly insured in order to claim victory.

Alternatively, the GOP could fail as miserably and as publicly as did Ryan Leaf if they do not quickly pass a replacement plan, fracturing the party and mishandling the media in the process.

In a harbinger of things to come, Leaf fumbled his very first snap in the NFL. Similarly, the biggest potential failure would be a slow replacement process. If Republicans roll back “Obamacare” but cannot get a plan passed, it would be a nightmare for Republicans.

Leaf famously had public disagreements with his teammates, creating a friction that impeded his ability to succeed.

The same holds true for an ever-discordant GOP, which will need to earn support from both the moderate and tea party wings to pass any repealand-replace measure. Any Republican infighting could cost critical votes.

Republicans must also be effective in communicating their plan to the press. In a time of heightened media scrutiny of politics, a lack of transparency can spark backlash. It is also worth noting that a Commonwealth Fund poll found 74 percent of Republicans who signed up for health coverage or enrolled in Medicaid due to provisions in “Obamacare” were satisfied with their coverage.

Only time will tell whether the repeal-and-replace effort will leave Republicans with a legacy like Brady’s or Leaf’s. Either way, history remembers both the great players and the great disappointments.

Christian Mesa and Aaron Bennett are sophomores in the College. PLAYING POLITICS appears every other Friday.

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PAGE FOUR

INSIDE THIS ISSUE A group of five researchers made up the first team Georgetown has sent to Antarctica. Story on A7.

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IN FOCUS CHALKING SUPPORT verbatim

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I find this new program to be yet another link in the chain of destructive actions that devalue the culture of life that Georgetown is meant to uphold.”

Hunter Estes (COL ’19), Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. Story on A7.

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DATING ADVICE FROM DONALD TRUMP With Valentine’s Day approaching, 4E offers you dating advice – from President Donald Trump.

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Students chalked a message in solidarity with Muslim students and refugees who are affected by President Donald Trump’s executive order, which temporarily bans immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries.

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Senator Condemns Immigration Ban as Prejudiced WILL LINDE AND BEN GOODMAN Hoya Staff Writers

Sen. Chris Murphy (DConn.) predicted President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 executive order on immigration would be overturned, as part of a series of criticisms of the order, in a talk sponsored by Georgetown University College Democrats Tuesday night.

“Friday’s action was a complete abdication of American originalism — the idea that this is a place where people can come from all over the world and become something unique,” Murphy said.

Murphy said he and his colleagues are taking a series of actions to counter the executive order, including pursuing legislation in the Senate to overturn the ban.

“As you know, there is a temporary stay that has been granted, and I believe that the ACLU will eventually prevail in court, at least with respect to nonrefugee immigrants,” Murphy said.

Murphy said current law rules most clearly in favor of non-refugee immigrants, who he said should be protected by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965.

“The 1965 law is absolutely clear: Immigration policy cannot discriminate based upon religion or country of origin. It’s not as clear as to whether that protection applies to refugees, but it certainly applies to individuals with green cards, with nonimmigrant visas in this country,” Murphy said.

In light of last week’s

National Democratic Committee Chair Debate on Jan. 14, wherein the seven candidates discussed the future of the party, Murphy said the Democratic party has to take a clear stance on the issues.

“We haven’t given voters a real clear idea of what we stand for in a while,” Murphy said. “We need to start with what we’re for.

If we’re confident in what we’re for, that will tell us what we should fight and what we should let go.”

Murphy said his party can run on a simple economic message that appeals to all voter blocs.

“Economic growth for everybody, not just millionaires and billionaires, and a country that has a place for everyone. There you go. There’s a sentence that says what we are for as a party,” Murphy said.

“It starts with what you’re for.”

“The 1965 law is absolutely clear: Immigration policy cannot discriminate based upon religion or country of origin.”

SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-Conn.)

According to Murphy, Congress is still able to pass effective legislation, citing the progress of mental health legislation in the last congress. Former President Barack Obama signed

the Mental Health Reform Act of 2016 into law Dec. 13, which expanded federal resources for mental health. Murphy worked alongside Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) to garner 28 co-sponsors, 14 Republicans and 14 Democrats to pass the bill through Congress.

“In our rearview mirror, within thirty days, we were able to do big, bipartisan reform. That bill is going to change peoples’ lives.

It’s going to result in hundreds of millions of dollars in new mental healthcare offered to people who used to be on the outside of that system,” Murphy said.

While Murphy expressed concerns over the partisan nature of the 115th United States Congress, he said positive change is still possible in this new political era.

“By and large, that same

set of players that did that is still in Congress. So yes, you have available to you bipartisan compromise,” Murphy said. “Where does that come? Infrastructure.

Tax reform. Those are places in which we can find some common ground.”

Murphy said it is important for Georgetown students, and youth across the country, to get involved in politics and effect change.

“You’ve got a moment in time now that matters. You saw that tweet that somebody sent out that said, ‘When you were in history class and you thought to yourself, boy, what would I have done if I were alive then?’” Murphy said. “Well, you’re alive right now. And what you choose to do is what you would have done then.”

KARLA LEYJA/THE HOYA

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) spoke against President Donald Trump’s Jan. 27 immigration order, which temporarily bans immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries for 90 days and indefinitely bans refugees from Syria, and predicted the order would be overturned by the courts.

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Health Education Services Hosts #BreakTheStigma Montana Boone Hoya Staff Writer

CLARA MEJíA orta/THE HOYA

McCourt School of Public Policy professor Samuel Potolicchio (COL ’04) said Hillary Clinton’s campaign made mistakes leading to President Donald Trump’s election win.

Professor Criticizes Clinton Election Campaign Strategy Alfredo Carrillo Hoya Staff Writer

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a series of electoral mistakes, while pollsters underestimated President Donald Trump’s support, according to Professor Samuel J. Potolicchio (COL ’04) in a talk in White-Gravenor Hall on Tuesday evening.

Potolicchio, the director of Global and Custom Education at the McCourt School of Public Policy, said at the event, sponsored by the Georgetown University College Republicans, Georgetown University College Democrats, foreign policy group Alexander Hamilton Society, Georgetown Bipartisan Coalition and the undergraduate think tank Roosevelt Institute, Trump’s victory was unexpected but not inexplicable.

According to Potolicchio, election night reports about a lack of participation leading to Trump’s victory were overstated because they failed to account for absentee ballots that were counted in many Western states after Nov. 8.

“The voting rate that was reported, that I think is seared into many of our brains, is 55 percent, which would’ve been the lowest in 20 years,” Potolicchio said. “But what did the voting turnout rate end up being? Just over 60 percent, which actually is the second best turnout rate since the 1960s.”

Even though the majority of exit poll participants said Clinton spoke more to their particular concerns and possessed better judgment, a plurality of citizens — 39 percent — wanted a president who would bring change. Potolicchio said that these citizens who prioritized change probably swung the election in Trump’s favor.

Potolicchio said that significant shortcomings in the Clinton camp contributed to her defeat. According to him, the main reason Clinton lost was because Obama’s diverse electoral coalition failed to rally behind her, especially women.

“Now you would expect this demographic to be a stronghold; this is someone who’s endeavoring to be the first

female president of the country,” Potolicchio said. “But we saw indications of this in the primary, against Sanders.

Sanders was actually clobbering her not only among the young, but among young women.”

Potolicchio also said rising Obamacare premiums, which Americans became aware of a week before the election, also made a greater percentage of citizens vote against Hillary.

“Many people got their new Obamacare premiums, and discontent with Obamacare spiked in the seven days before the election,” Potolicchio said. “It actually hit 58 percent that slightly or strongly disapproved of the Affordable Care Act.”

“You knock your opponent out of their feet, and then you actually start to bargain.” samuel potolicchio Professor, McCourt School of Public Policy

According to Potolicchio, a ‘shy Trump voter’ phenomenon came into play in states where Trump outperformed expectations. As a result of voters declining to say they supported Trump, his popularity was underestimated by polls.

“You would have white Democrats or Democratleaning Independents who, when they were polled on the phone, they would be embarrassed to say that they were supporting the white Republican, because that might indicate that they were racist,” Potolicchio said.

Clinton made strategic mistakes throughout her campaign, according to Potolicchio. He said Clinton’s advertising in the Rust Belt and other battleground states was inadequate, for attacks on Donald Trump ultimately detracted from her message and heightened the appeal of her

opponent’s.

“In the week before the election, in the battleground states, 100 percent of Hilary Clinton ads mentioned Donald Trump,” Potolicchio said.

“And only 10 percent of Donald Trump’s ads mentioned Clinton.”

However, despite a failure to win a majority of seats in the House and the Senate, Democrats performed better relative to the 2014 mid-term elections on the congressional level while Republicans performed worse, according to Potolicchio.

“If you look at the difference in the popular vote between 2016 and 2014 in the House of Representatives, the Democrats did about two points better, and the Republicans did two points worse,” Potolicchio said. “Republicans did 10 points worse from the 2014 Senatorial Elections and the Democrats did nine points better.”

According to Potolicchio, the Electoral College disproportionately benefits small, rural, Republican-dominated states on electoral outcomes.

But, with half of the states falling in the category of small and rural, Potolicchio considers there to be little possibility for a shift to direct elections.

“California, just over 37,000,000 people, 55 electoral points, that means each electoral point is determined by 670,000 people approximately,” Potolicchio said. “You look at North Dakota, with a population of about 670,000, three electoral points, each electoral point is determined by 220,000.”

Potolicchio said it is impossible to predict the path of Trump’s presidency. However, he said conclusions could be drawn from Trump’s cabinet picks or his methodology for negotiating as described in Trump’s book, “The Art of the Deal.”

“One of the seminal negotiating tactics which he said has led to his ‘success’ is you throw out something ridiculous first,” Potolicchio said. “You knock your opponent out of their feet, and then you actually start to bargain.”

Health Education Services hosted #BreakTheStigma, an event featuring performances by student groups and activities, including a body image photo campaign, in the Healey Family Student Center yesterday as part of an effort to destigmatize mental illness.

The event sought to increase awareness of mental health resources on campus and to challenge the stigmas associated with mental health, according to Laura Marcucci, the health communications specialist and social norms program coordinator of HES. “Because stigma can be a significant barrier for students engaging in dialogue or seeking help, we hope #BreakTheStigma will create a space to openly promote and celebrate support, conversation, and recovery,” Marcucci said. “During this ‘day party’ celebration, students and loved ones can stand in solidarity around these issues.”

Jennifer Wiggins, a staff clinician and sexual assault specialist in HES who led the #BreakTheStigma event last year, said the event aimed to foster conversation around mental health and other stigmatized issues facing Georgetown students.

“It is our hope that the event not only starts the dialogue for some members of our community,

but also serves to normalize dialogue around these topics and celebrate the successes of those who are healing from these issues,” Wiggins wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Wiggins said she hopes the program can ease the intimidation factor for students wanting to seek help.

“The Georgetown community is moving to a better understanding of the importance of overall wellness.”

Jennifer wiggins Clinician and Sexual Assault Specialist, Health Education Services

“The Georgetown community is moving to a better understanding of the importance of overall wellness,” Wiggins wrote.

“There are many advocates, allies, activists, and survivors on our campus, however, there is always room for improvement.

The community is very open to learning and supporting those impacted by the issues addressed at the #BTS event.”

Mental health advocacy group Active Minds President Victoria Smith (COL ’18) said the club is excited to be a part of the event in order to start a conver-

sation around de-stigmatizing mental health.

“Active Minds is going to be doing a pledge for how you break the stigma, so people can say, you know, ‘I break the stigma by going to Active Minds events,’ or, ‘I break the stigma by posting articles about people talking about their mental health experiences.’”

Dipali Gupta (MSB ’17) said the event helped her discover new services.

“I just walked around the tables and heard people give their spiels ... I didn’t know there was a veterans’ society, or [that] different groups like the [Center for Multicultural Equity & Access] group talked about mental health specifically related to them,” Gupta said.

Smith said she thinks the program will have an even bigger impact this year than in previous years, given the new efforts that incorporated more performers and speakers.

“It’s for people to get more information about eating disorders or about like how where they can go deal with mental health issues,” Smith said. “It’s also a celebration of resilience. When you hear people sort of talking about these issues in a positive light, it helps people realize that they can get help. There are others going through some of the same things they’re going through, and there is a community there that’s going to support them.”

Former Professor Arrested Christian Paz Hoya Staff Writer

A former adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, Jack Vitayanon, was arrested and charged with conspiring to distribute illegal drugs Wednesday.

Vitayanon, an attorney for the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Professional Responsibility, is accused of attempting to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamines in Arizona and New York. Federal prosecutors also alleged Vitayanon participated in a drug trafficking ring in both states from September 2014 to January of this year, according to a criminal complaint filed against him in a Brooklyn court.

An ethics instructor at GULC, Vitayanon’s public profile on the school’s website was pulled down following his arrest.

Mimi Koumanelis, executive director of communica-

tions for GULC, said Vitayanon is no longer a professor at the university.

“He is not employed by Georgetown,” Koumanelis wrote in an email to The Hoya. “He was on contract to teach a course in the fall of 2016, but is no longer affiliated with the University.”

“A federal attorney working for the IRS’s Office of Professional Responsibility — broke bad.”

Robert capers U.S. Attorney, New York’s Eastern District

Robert Capers, U.S. attorney for New York’s eastern district, released a statement on the arrest.

“A federal attorney working for the IRS’s Office of

Professional Responsibility — broke bad and supplemented his income,” the statement reads.

According to an affidavit filed against Vitayanon, the recipient of a package of drugs was arrested, but agreed to cooperate with agents from the Department of Homeland Security. The source told authorities they had paid a meth distributor in Arizona around $8,600 for the shipment, and was referred to the distributor in 2014 by Vitayanon.

DHS officials then used the source to negotiate a purchase with Vitayanon for an ounce of meth.

According to The Washington Post, law enforcement authorities found additional quantities of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and materials to distribute drugs after obtaining a search warrant.

A date still has not been set for a formal trial.

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jack vitayanon

Former adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center Jack Vitayanon was arrested and charged with conspiracy to distribute illegal drugs.

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Mayor’s New GUSA Sessions Reveal Candidates Charter Schools Policy Examined TICKETS, from A1

CHARTER, from A1 look to Washington, D.C., as a place to try things,” Bowser said. “In my discussions with the president and the people who are surrounding him around education policy, my message is ‘We’ve got it right in D.C.’ We have choice for parents and families who want it and investment that we need in traditional public schools.”

“We are moving full steam ahead to ensure all our young people have access to the highquality education they need and deserve.” michael gerson Columnist, The Washington Post

In her announcement at the D.C. Bilingual Public Charter School, Bowser said the plan’s purpose is to create easier access for students who are forced to travel longer distances because they live far from their schools.

“We are moving full steam ahead to ensure all our young people have access to the high-quality education they need and deserve,” Bowser said.

“My administration will continue to expand opportunity and make unprecedented investments in public education so that students from every neighborhood, in every ward, are set up for success.”

Bowser said this policy will also ensure parents can choose a school that

offers the best services for their students.

“We want to make it easier for every parent to choose a school that best fits their child’s needs,” Bowser said.

Charter school advocates have expressed concerns that the plan might negatively impact less-affluent regions, such as D.C.’s Ward 8, and undermine the concept of charter autonomy, which allows charter schools to determine their own admissions process.

Scott Pearson, the executive director of the D.C. Public Charter School Board, said he is still analyzing the implications of the new plan.

“It’s an interesting enrollment proposal that addresses real issues families face,” Pearson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“All preferences have complex effects so we’re speaking with school leaders and others to better understand their perspectives.”

D.C. Councilmember David Grosso (I-At Large), chairman of the D.C. Council Committee on Education, said any effective policy will require significant time to implement.

“The proposal that was announced by the Mayor will require an amendment to the School Reform Act, which as you know, must be done through the legislative process,” Gross wrote in an email to The Hoya. “My staff and I are currently analyzing the issues with the proposal and both the intended and unintended consequences of such a preference.”

Grosso said he may hold a public hearing this spring or summer to listen to constituent opinions.

through the end of election day, Feb. 29.

At Tuesday’s session, Fisk said the candidates in attendance should make sure they are approaching the GUSA executive positions with the right intentions.

Khan, Fisk and Assistant Dean for Student Engagement Erika Cohen-Derr addressed students at both information sessions.

“If you’re considering doing this, make sure it’s for the right reasons, because this is going to be a grueling year,” Fisk said. “You will regret doing it for the wrong reasons, if you jump into that, because it’s a lot of work. If you’re looking for popularity… on the contrary, you’re going to get criticized a lot.”

Khan said candidates should be prepared for what can be underappreciated work.

“It really helps students in really impactful ways,” Khan said. “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes things GUSA does, so when students approach you and say ‘I’m having x issue, I need help,’ and it’s the things you don’t see in public that I think GUSA is most important for, so just really be ready.”

According to Cohen-Derr, who serves as GUSA’s faculty advisor, the executive positions are one of the most challenging and important leadership positions on campus.

“This is the most substantive — one of the most substantive — leadership roles you can have,” Cohen-Derr said. “It’s time-consuming.

It’s demanding. It’s a lot behind the scenes. And you should aspire to do this for the best possible reasons. I hope your campaigns are conducted in that spirit.”

This election season will also allow impartial election polling stations. According to GUSA Election Commission Chair Alden Fletcher (SFS ’17), these new policies minimize bias

FILE PHOTO: STEPHANIE YUAN/THE HOYA

Three potential GUSA executive election tickets attended mandatory GUSA Election Commission information sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. and electioneering in campaigns.

“There will be — new this year — an election polling station,” Fletcher said. The purpose of this station is to encourage maximum voting participation by the student body.

“It’s timeconsuming. It’s demanding. It’s a lot behind the scenes. And you should aspire to do this for the best possible reasons.”

ERICA COHEN-DERR Assistant Dean for Student Engagement

The policies come after GUSA’s club funding reform referendum on Dec. 1

raised concerns of electioneering, after six members of the Vote No campaign alleged GUSA sought to garner votes at polling stations, among other complaints.

On Jan. 20, the GUSA Constitutional Council ruled the referendum results to be invalid, citing GUSA’s inability to provide students with timely notice of the proposal of a referendum.

On Tuesday, the GUSA senate passed a bill introducing independent voting stations and clarifying that GUSA bylaws concerning elections apply to referendum campaigns.

As with previous years, campaigns are allowed to “dorm storm” and knock on doors only outside of quiet hours, except for on election day when tickets can campaign all day.

The debates for vice presidential and presidential candidates will be held in room

101 of the Intercultural Center on Feb. 15 and in the Healey Family Student Center Great Room on Feb. 20.

Williams said his campaign is structured differently from past GUSA executive campaigns.

“We actually changed the way we campaign,” Williams said. “We’ve gone for a very non-hierarchical structure and organized it. So there’s not one centralized campaign manager, per se.

Instead, we have been organized in terms of teams.”

Mack said his platform will likely focus on diversity and inclusivity on campus.

“A lot of the issues we want to tackle are urgent.

We want to be the ticket that unifies the campus,” Mack said. “I think the political climate in the U.S. is very divisive. We want to sort of use GUSA as a platform to build community at Georgetown.”

Community Gathers in Solidarity With Muslims, Refugees VIGIL, from A1 The Georgetown University Student Association released a statement on Facebook and the senate passed a resolution affirming a commitment to solidarity with Muslim students Jan. 29.

“In light of President Trump’s recent executive orders, we recognize the major implications these developments have on several of our Hoya family members,” the statement reads. “We want to reaffirm our love and support for all students on our campus, regardless of religious identity or immigration status.

You belong here.”

The Georgetown University College Democrats also supported a statement released Saturday night by the Georgetown University College Republicans speaking out against the executive order.

GUSA President Enushe Khan (MSB ’17) and Vice President Chris Fisk (COL ’17) also spoke at the solidarity vigil.

Kumail Aslam (COL ’19), one of the organizers of the event, said at the vigil he was inspired to express soli-

darity by his parents, who instelled in him the message of Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”

“I think of my mother, who places her belief not in me, not in you, but in the American people, in the good of all humanity.”

KUMAIL ASLAM (COL ’19) Organizer, Hoyas for Justice: Solidarity Vigil

“I think of my mother, who places her belief not in me, not in you, but in the American people, in the good of all humanity,” Aslam said. “When I think about why we do what we do, the tremendously difficult things that we do, it is because we fight to carry on the legacies of the leaders who came before us.”

On-campus organizations have planned events throughout the week to

discuss the impacts of the immigration ban and show support for affected communities.

The Iranian Cultural Society hosted an event just before the vigil to write letters to senators and congressmen to urge them to lift the immigration ban.

The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies and the African Studies program, cosponsored by the School of Foreign Service, also hosted an Emergency Town Hall to respond to the ban on Thursday night, featuring panels of immigration lawyers, members of the D.C. Muslim community and advocates.

GUCD, GUCR and the Alexander Hamilton Society are set to host a phonea-thon this afternoon at 3 p.m. to senators and congressmen to campaign against the executive order.

Imam Yahya Hendi, Georgetown’s Muslim chaplain, also invited attendees at the vigil to a service in solidarity with Muslims in Bulldog Alley today at 1:30 p.m.

Indra Acharya (COL ’18), who spoke at the vigil, shared his experience being born and raised in a refugee camp and disavowed the Trump administration’s dis-

regard for the human lives of refugees. As a refugee, Acharya said, he was forced to come to the United States where he was labeled a terrorist by his classmates and discriminated against by high school officials.

“I just don’t understand how on earth we can do this. If we are human, we will be able to understand the challenges, the struggles that people face,” Acharya said.

Muslim Student Association member Kawther Bernahu (COL ’19) said in an interview with The Hoya that it is important for people affected by Trump’s policies and their allies to engage in caring for themselves and one another.

“I just want to highlight that there are other forms of solidarity. When people reached out to me and asked me how I was feeling and what things were like and just showed me on a more intimate level that they were there for me, that also is a form of solidarity,” Bernahu said. “There are a lot of people whose families are being impacted directly and so reaching out and having a personal connection is very important during these times.”

CLARA MEjíA ORTA/THE HOYA

Georgetown community members attended a vigil in Red Square on Wednesday evening to express solidarity with Muslims and refugees after President Donald Trump issued an executive order Jan. 27 temporarily banning immigration from seven predominantly Muslim countries and refugees from all nations.

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University Completes 2-Year Car Barn Renovation ANDREW WALLENDER Hoya Staff Writer

After two years of planning, approval and construction, the university completed renovations on about 22,000 square feet of the Car Barn’s first floor this month, creating a new graduate student lounge and providing space for the Georgetown University Press and the university’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

The new lounge, located in the southwest corner of the building, features custom fabricated floor-toceiling glass windows that increase window space by replacing former garage doors. The university also has plans to make further renovations to departmental offices located in the Car Barn.

“We’re trying to accomplish many things. One is it consolidated other lease space to make us more efficient,” Vice President of Planning and Facilities Management Robin Morey said. “It provided space for graduate student growth, some graduate student common space and studycollaboration space and we’ve also got space in there that we call swing space.”

The new swing space in the Car Barn will be used to temporarily house other programs or departments currently located elsewhere in the Car Barn

so that their offices can also be renovated.

“The intent is that we get more efficient,” Morey said. “And in order to do that, you need to move those people somewhere.

So we also have a small area that’s for swing space so that we can go in and strategically renovate other parts of the Car Barn in the future.”

“We’re trying to accomplish many things.

One is it consolidated other lease space to make us more efficient.”

ROBIN MOREY Vice President, Planning and Facilities Management

One of the major drivers of the renovation project, according to Morey, was GU Press’ expiring lease at its previous office location, 3240 Prospect St. NW. The lease expired in November and the GU Press staff moved into the Car Barn on Nov. 21.

When the Car Barn’s owner, Douglas Development Corporation, listed space on the first floor of

the building about two years ago, the university negotiated a contract to lease it. At the time, Douglas Development was also attempting to attract a retailer to the available firstfloor space.

Prior to Georgetown’s lease two years ago, the university was using the first floor of Car Barn as garage space, according to Morey.

Alongside the student lounge, the Government Master’s program in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences relocated its offices to the newly renovated Car Barn space from the Intercultural Center.

The increased space for the Graduate School falls in line with the university’s plan to increase the size of the Graduate School over the next two decades.

“The university has aspirations to expand the Graduate School,” Morey said. “If you look at our campus plan, we’re looking to grow our graduate program over the next 10 to 20 years by 2,000 students. At least, that’s what we requested in the plan and have approved. So, obviously those folks need a home.”

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Norberto Grzywacz said the complex nature of issues that graduate students study requires collaborative work, which the newly renovated space in the Car

CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA

Georgetown completed a two-year renovation of the first floor of the Car Barn earlier this month, including new spaces for graduate students and the Georgetown University Press.

Barn helps to stimulate.

“In addition, the design of the new space will encourage these unique programs to interact with each other,” Grzywacz wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Thus, the new space is an essential part of an important innovation in higher education. This innovation turns a good portion of a university scholarly production outwards towards society.”

According to proposals submitted in November 2016 to the Old George-

town Board, an advisory committee of architects appointed by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, a federal entity, the Graduate School also plans to add signage to the M Street and Prospect Street entrances to the Car Barn reading, “Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.”

Georgetown University Press Publicity and Exhibits Manager Jackie Beilhart said the new GU Press office is a step up from the former space.

Not only is the new office closer to campus, but it includes an elevator, unlike the former lease. Furthermore, Beilhart said that the university made sure to modify the office to ensure higher-than-average air quality.

“Since the space is brand new, it’s definitely very nice and very well put-together whereas our last place hadn’t been renovated in a bit,” Beilhart said. “Certainly, just having a new place in general has been really lovely.”

Researchers Return From Antarctica Condom Delivery Service Launches

Patricja Okuniewska Hoya Staff Writer

The first research team Georgetown sent to Antarctica returned Dec. 23 from a trip, marking them the first ever research team to bring next-generation DNA sequencing technology to the continent.

The purpose of the mission — to look for signs of life in extreme temperatures — helped support their theorizing about long-term cell survival as well as insights into the possibilities of extraterrestrial life.

The team of five was led by principal investigator Sarah Stewart Johnson, an assistant professor of planetary science in Georgetown’s department of biology and science, technology, and international affairs program. The team also included two biologists — Scott Tighe, scientific leader of the Extreme Microbiome Project and research scientist at University of Vermont Cancer Center and undergraduate biology student, Angela Bai (COL ’17). Joining them was Elena Zaikova, a postdoctoral fellow in the Johnson Lab and David Goerlitz, director of operations for the Genomics and Epigenomics Shared Resource at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Johnson received a grant through the National Science Foundation to travel to Antarctica to conduct the experiments.

“We all worked together: completing the field work, processing the samples back in the lab and setting up the sequencers,” Johnson said.

“The sun never sets in Antarctica during the summer, and we worked around the clock.

It was intense.”

“Our field season was very successful despite having to rely on chance and luck for digging our holes in the right places.”

Angela Bai (col ’17) Researcher

The team flew by helicopter to and from the McMurdo Station, the main U.S. research base, to the McMurdo Dry Valleys where they tested their theories of long-term cell survival of extremophiles.

Extremophiles are organisms that thrive in physically and geochemically extreme conditions.

The lakes and ponds in the valleys are permanently covered in ice, are hypersaline and contain high levels of salt that surpass ocean lev-

els. The researchers collected “paleomats,” layers of microbial communities that were naturally freeze-dried under the lakes between 2,000 and 50,000 years ago. Since then, the lakes have receded and the mats are buried in the soil.

Goerlitz said that their research is important in gaining information about life outside of Earth.

“The Dry Valleys are extremely cold and hyper-arid polar deserts and are the closest of any terrestrial environment on Earth to the planet Mars, and thus provide an important source of insights into possible extraterrestrial life,” Goerlitz said.

Bai emphasized the importance of this trip for opening opportunities to conduct research in new, unknown places as well as testing for the technology.

“The expedition was pretty important because Antarctica was the final frontier for DNA sequencing, which has now officially been done on all seven continents and in space,” Bai said. “We also demonstrated that sequencing instruments could still work even when they’re not being coddled in an indoors lab, which opens up a whole bunch of opportunities for doing macromolecule analysis in places like Mars.”

Bai, the only undergraduate on the trip, said that although they have not yet conducted extensive data pro-

cessing or analysis, their preliminary data shows the long genetic sequences they were expecting, thereby proving their methods effective.

“We can use data about the community in its native environment to answer questions about how any living thing could possibly survive in environments different from our own,” Bai said. “Our field season was very successful despite having to rely on chance and luck for digging our holes in the right places.”

Using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies MinION, the data demonstrates the researchers have isolated and sequenced DNA over 68,000 base pairs long from ancient microbial samples around 10,000 years old.

The team is looking toward working on processing and analyzing the data at Georgetown labs once the samples from sites in the Dry Valleys arrive in the coming weeks.

Goerlitz expressed gratitude not only that their trip was scientifically beneficial, but also for the team as a whole.

“We all have our own skill set, and we combined these rather well to complete our mission,” Goerlitz said. “We worked very closely each day in the lab, we flew in the helicopter together, worked in the field together, ate meals together, were roommates in our small dorm rooms, so it was an intense time, but we worked really well together.”

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER

Five Georgetown researchers, the first to conduct research in Antarctica and to use next-generation DNA sequencing, returned from a monthlong trip to the continent to look for signs of life in extreme temperatures.

HANNAH URTZ Hoya Staff Writer

Pro-abortion rights group H*yas for Choice announced the Condom Fairy Delivery Service on Jan. 29, a new service designed to provide students with greater access to condoms and other forms of contraception.

The new program allows students living in on-campus housing to request up to 10 condoms or dental dams to be delivered to their door on any Friday. Students may choose whether or not to include their name on the form.

Though only launched on the HFC Facebook page this week, the Condom Fairy Delivery Service has already seen at least 45 requests for condom deliveries. The first batch of deliveries is scheduled to go out today.

H*yas for Choice, which is unrecognized by the university, is currently the only provider of contraception on campus, primarily through daily tabling in both Red Square and Sellinger Lounge.

Because they receive no funding from the university, all condoms are delivered by volunteer members of the HFC general body.

The idea for the delivery service came from H*yas for Choice leadership team member Mika Skibinksky (COL ’19) when she noticed the difficulty some students have approaching the HFC table and asking for contraception.

“I was tabling for HFC one day and this awkward, yet brave freshman came up to the table and asked if they could take some condoms. I could tell that they really worked up the courage to approach the table, especially after seeing them accidentally dropping condoms as they left,” Skibinsky wrote in an email to The Hoya. “So shout out to that freshman and all those shy people out there. This program was made for you.”

HFC President Emily Stephens (SFS ’17) said while the group is invested in making contraception more accessible, the group also wants to destigmatize the usage of contraception.

“We recognize some students require anonymity to feel comfortable accessing our condoms, and in the short-term we want to reduce those barriers as much as possible,” Stephens wrote in an email to The Hoya. “However, part of our programming around sexual health also attempts to destigmatize sex, sexual health, and healthy relationships, so that ultimately members of the George-

town community won’t feel any awkwardness acquiring or discussing sex and contraception.”

Some student groups oppose the service, saying it has the potential to undermine certain values Georgetown is responsible for upholding as a Jesuit institution.

According to Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus Hunter Estes (SFS ’19), who is also a member of antiabortion rights group GU Right to Life, Georgetown has a duty to maintain a culture of life, which invariably necessitates promoting an anti-abortion message.

“I find this new program to be yet another link in the chain of destructive actions that devalue the culture of life that Georgetown is meant to uphold,” Estes wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“This new program gives people the ability to anonymously harass and abuse the prolife minority of students.” hunter estes (sfs ’19) Grand Knight, Knights of Columbus

Estes also said he sees the potential for abuse with this program, stating that he has already heard of instances in which individuals have ordered condoms to be sent to members of the anti-abortion community, as a form of harassment.

“This new program gives people the ability to anonymously harass and abuse the pro-life minority of students,” Estes wrote. “To me, the program serves to further undermine the Catholic values on which Georgetown was founded, and promote a reckless culture that disregards the consequences of one’s actions.”

Despite this backlash, members of H*yas for Choice are optimistic about the future of the service. Skibinksky said she is hopeful about the program’s success.

“I’d say that the response has been good so far,” Skibinsky wrote in. “We just started, but hopefully things will run smoothly.”

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THE HOYA

friDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017

THE WATER COOLER

James Plays Dirty With Barkley in Feud Over Image

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s the NBA hits its midseason lull, the most exciting battles have taken place off court. While the behindthe-scenes drama in Chicago makes the Bulls’ locker room resemble the set of a soap opera, the real action is in the all-too-public feud between NBA player LeBron James and NBA Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst Charles Barkley.

James is the best basketball player alive on the planet today, as his legacy is unrivaled by any current player. But King James would be wise to abandon this trivial feud before he ends up looking like a jester. Barkley is right about James now and was right almost 25 years ago when his Nike “I am not a role model” commercial launched.

This all began after Barkley called James “whiny” on the air and insinuated he may not want to compete after James blasted the Cavs’ front office and

demanded another playmaker. Barkley rightly pointed out that Cleveland has the league’s highest payroll and currently sits at $30 million above the salary cap. The Cavs retained players James favors like J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert in addition to recently trading for Kyle Korver — one of the league’s best three-point shooters — in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks.

Barkley’s point should be well-taken; Cleveland did not struggle in January because it lacked talent, Cleveland struggled because they were below par on offense, especially with three-point shooting. For the first time in over a decade, LeBron James had a losing record in a calendar month. However, the Cavs remain the top seed in the Eastern Conference and James’ other top playmakers, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, are having better statistical seasons across the board compared to last

year when Cleveland won the title.

Michael Ippolito Cleveland does not need more talent. Cleveland needs to make better use of what it has and to get itself out of its mediocre snag. By demanding additional talent, it is hard to say James is not whining, given the plethora of talent that surrounds him now.

Next, instead of ignoring Barkley’s comments, James decided to get personal because he took Barkley’s opinion as a personal affront to his legacy.

James then brought up several unflattering instances from Barkley’s past, in-

cluding spitting on someone in the front row during a game when he was with Philadelphia in 1991 and throwing a man out a window in 1997 during a bar altercation. James then alluded to Barkley’s gambling issues before finishing off with criticizing his famous Nike commercial in which he said that he was not a role model for kids.

It should be said that James never actually addresses Barkley’s criticisms. Saying “shut up” after hearing something truthful because you do not want to hear it is not an intelligent response to any argument. Given LeBron’s extreme intelligence in business, basketball and media, he should know better. However, even James’ attacks on Barkley prove Barkley’s point that James does not consider himself a role model nor should he be. Most athletes could actually be quality role models, but

not for the reasons currently believed by many Americans.

For better or worse, it is inevitable that athletes are seen as role models.

Athletes have money, fame and talent that few people on this earth have.

In America, we idolize all three of those characteristics in and of themselves.

Unfortunately, these characteristics should not define these players. Take James himself. As otherworldly as he is at basketball, he is an equally gifted father, husband and citizen. His charity work enables thousands of firstgeneration students to attend and graduate college and he has lent an important voice to gun violence plaguing American society. That is why people of all ages should respect LeBron James — not simply because he can dunk a basketball.

Ultimately, the responsibility for this attitude change falls on the media

and parents. The media should do more to report the positive differences athletes make in their communities to show fans, and nonfans alike, that athletes indeed use their position in society for the betterment of others.

Parents should teach children that the ingredients of success are just as, if not more important, than the final product.

Letting talent or statistics be the sole criterion for whom their children admire is simply lazy parenting. Oh, and being able to process and react to reasonable and truthful criticism is a vital skill as well.

Even kings are wrong sometimes, and LeBron James is in the wrong here.

Fortunately, this mistake is an opportunity that everyone, including James and his tens of millions of fans, can learn from.

Michael Ippolito is a senior in the College. The Water Cooler appears every other Friday.

TENNIS

Squads Travel to Boston for Second Round of Matches Madeline Auerbach Hoya Staff Writer

On the heels of two road victories for the Georgetown tennis program, the men’s (1-1) and women’s (1-0) tennis teams will travel to Boston to compete against Boston College (0-2) and Harvard (0-4).

The road matches against the Massachusetts squads come after both teams were victorious against Drexel in Philadelphia. After defeating Drexel (3-1) 5-2 last Friday, the men’s team fell to Pennsylvania (3-1) in a 6-1 result the next morning. The women’s team defeated Drexel (3-1) in a sweeping 7-0 finish.

Senior Victoire Saperstein, junior Sara Swift, sophomores Risa Nakagawa, Sydney Goodson and Cecilia Lynham, and junior Drew Spinosa all pulled off impressive singles victories. Swift’s match was the closest of the six, as she fell in the first set 3-6. However, she took the second set 7-5, and went on to win in a 10-point tie-break with a 10-7 final score. The pairs of Swift and Goodson as well as Lynham and Spinosa notched doubles victories.

Harvard has struggled with a slate of challenging teams in the beginning of its season.

Harvard fell to Northwestern (4-1) in a 6-1 result Jan. 21,

while it lost to top Big East team DePaul (2-2) in a 5-2 loss the next day. At the ITA Kick Off Weekend, the Crimson fell to Alabama (4-2) and Florida State (2-1).

“Doubles play will be key to our success on the men’s side this year.”

GORDIE ERNST HEAD COACH

“Harvard is one of the greatest college tennis programs in the last 30 years,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said. “They’ve struggled lately, but if you look at the last 30-40 years, Harvard is up there with the UCLA and Stanford in terms of their success. My girls, same thing recruiting-wise, a lot of kids looked to Harvard, Princeton, Yale first so there will definitely be some fire in that match.”

Boston College is currently on an early season slide with its winless record. It most recently fell to Brown on Jan. 29 in a 5-2 finish. However, the match should remain com-

petitive due to Georgetown’s history with BC. The last time Georgetown competed against Boston College was in January 2014 when the Hoyas edged the Eagles 4-3 on their home court in Washington, D.C. The remaining players on Georgetown’s roster who competed in that match are seniors Yannik Mahlangu and Jack Murphy. Current senior Jordan Portner did not play in said match against the Eagles, and senior Geoffrey Fosso transferred to Georgetown his junior year.

“With BC, the last two times we’ve beaten them and it’s very, very tight,” Ernst said. “We recruit against each other, they’re the same sort of non-scholarship, good school, good city program ... there’s a little overlap there even though we’re in different conferences which makes it fun. We always recruit the same guys.”

One of the key issues that the Georgetown men’s team has turned its attention toward is doubles play. The doubles matches precede singles play, and often set the tone and momentum for the rest of the match.

Without winning the doubles point to start, the losing team must win four out of the six singles matches to

win the entire match.

“Doubles points will be key to our success on the men’s side this year,” Ernst said. “[There’s] so much depth that it makes it hard to win 4 out of 6 singles matches.”

Georgetown has kicked off its spring campaign with a host of road matches.

Even though the distance adds additional hours to Georgetown’s travel time to matches, Ernst explained that there are some positives associated with road matches.

“Sometimes it’s good to get away from distractions, get more sleep and focus,” Ernst said.

Following Georgetown’s matches this weekend in the Boston area, the Hoyas will begin play closer to home.

The men’s side will compete against Morgan State (1-4) in Arlington on Feb. 8 and Monmouth (0-3) in Washington on Feb. 11. The women’s team’s next four matches will all be in the D.C. area against Massachusetts (2-0), Temple (3-2), Morgan State (0-3) and George Washington (1-1).

The men’s team plays against Boston College at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and the women’s team competes against Harvard at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

TRACK & FIELD

COURTESY GUHOYAS

Senior Victoire Saperstein defeated her opponent 6-0, 6-2 in Georgetown’s match against Drexel last weekend.

Cover 3

Hoyas Build Momentum Falcons Equipped for Upset Dan Baldwin Hoya Staff Writer

Both Georgetown indoor track and field squads roll into the weekend riding hot streaks established in the early onset of the indoor season. The No. 22 women and men are splitting meets this weekend with some athletes competing at the acclaimed Armory Invitational in Manhattan and others travelling to Boston to run in the Scarlet and White Invitational.

Junior Kennedy Weisner looks to build on her early-season momentum this weekend. At last weekend’s Penn State National Invitational, Weisner ran a personal best of 4:39.69 in the mile, shaving off five seconds from her previous personal record. This performance was good enough to claim second place overall in the women’s invitational mile. The time of 4:39.69 is the second-fastest mile time in the Big East Conference this season. Weisner took the cross-country season by storm and shows no signs of slowing down this weekend.

Junior Piper Donaghu followed closely behind Weisner and finished in fifth place in the women’s mile with a time of 4:48.04.

Junior Jody-Ann Knight continued to improve as she snagged fifth place overall in the women’s 200-meter dash, finishing with a time of 25.11 seconds.

On the men’s side, the Distance Medley Relay consist-

COURTESY GUHOYAS

Junior Piper Donaghu placed fifth in the women’s mile invitational with a time of 4:48.04 last weekend. ing of sophomore Spencer Brown, freshman Quincey Wilson, junior Joe White and senior Scott Carpenter finished with a time of 9:33.59.

This time is the 10th-best in Georgetown indoor track program history. Brown ran a split of 2:55.2 in the 1200m leg, Wilson passed the baton to White with a time of 49.7 seconds in the 400m dash, White ran a 1:48.1 in the 800m and Carpenter came across the finish line in first place with a split of 4:00.3 in the 1600m.

Senior Jonathan Green led the way in individual events, putting forth a strong showing in both the men’s invitational mile and the men’s 3000m invitational. In the mile, Green flashed the potential he showed during the 2015 cross-country season, clocking in at 4:08.61. This time put him in fifth over-

all. Green finished in fourth place in the 3000m event with a time of 8:20.26.

Freshman Jack Salisbury broke out in his performance this weekend in the men’s 1000m invitational event. Salisbury ran a blistering time of 2:25.05 helping him capture second place in the event. With the invitational this weekend, Salisbury looks to gain more competitive experience and ready himself for the Big East Championship later this month.

After this weekend, the Hoyas will regroup to travel and compete in the Iowa State Classic, FasTrack Invitational, the Valentine Invitational and Liberty Elite Invitational the following weekend.

Sports Information could not be reached for comment.

Is The Wait Over?

The Atlanta Falcons have enjoyed moderate success since drafting quarterback Matt Ryan in 2008, but that success has not translated to deep postseason runs. When the Falcons take the field for Super Bowl LI this Sunday night, they will be playing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy for only the second time in franchise history.

The Falcons played their first season in 1966, and it took them 12 years to reach their first playoffs in 1978 as a wild card team. Five playoff appearances and two division titles over the next 20 years culminated in the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance in 1998.

Under the guidance of Head Coach Dan Reeves, the 1998 “Dirty Birds” posted a 14-2 regular season record, their best in franchise history.

Atlanta won two close playoff games on its way to the NFC crown, where they faced John Elway’s Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXXIII. Ultimately, Atlanta lost 34-19 and has not had another opportunity at an NFL title since. That is, until this Sunday. Matt Ryan and the Falcons can end the city of Atlanta’s 22-year title drought with a victory this Sunday night. We can say for sure that most of the NFL will be rooting for them.

Talk Less, Smile More Why doesn’t Bill Belichick smile more often? The New England Patriots head coach is notorious around the NFL for being a serious and methodical man, rarely cracking even the smallest of grins. It is such

a rare event that the slightest Belichick smirk will send shockwaves around the NFL.

Matt Morrow

Matt Ryan can end Atlanta’s championship drought with an upset in the Super Bowl over the New England Patriots.

Never actually having seen the man’s smile, I was curious. So I did what most would do these days when searching for unknown information and took to the Internet. After having Googled “Bill Belichick smile” and seen the results for myself, I have determined it is probably for the best he remains a serious man. However, if you are into photos of a man in a hoodie trying to force the world’s most uncomfortable grin and prove to the world that he is totally not a robot, then by all means, Google away.

For a man who has had so

much success as an NFL coach, you would expect him to show some positive emotion, but he hardly ever does. Instead, Bill Belichick is a calculated and clinical man whose football teams take on a similar mentality both on and off the field.

It is the team-first, all-business Belichick mentality that has brought this team success.

With their week-in week-out approach and leadership from Belichick, it is no coincidence that New England has been an incredible football team for the past 17 years.

The Big Game What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? That question will be answered this Sunday night in Houston when the Atlanta offense takes the field against New England’s defense.

Matt Ryan has been nothing short of phenomenal this postseason, throwing for 730 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions across two games. Atlanta’s offense has averaged 40.0 points per game.

The Patriots’ defense — which led the league in fewest points allowed per game during the regular season — has only allowed 16.5 points per game this postseason. In the end, I believe offense wins the championship this year, and I am taking Atlanta in the upset over New England to earn its first Super Bowl title.

Atlanta 27, New England 24.

Matt Morrow is a sophomore in the College. This is the final installment of COVER 3.

THE HOYA

friDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2017

FEATURE

women’s basketball

Squad Creates New Culture LACROSSE, from A10

asking the league officials, however, Georgetown discovered that the game had never in fact been played. This marked the third strike and the team was suspended.

“It feels like everyone’s in it together because we’re starting a new program.”

William treanor Sophomore Defender

Isdaner worked alongside last year’s captain to rebuild the relationship with the Club Sports Advisory Board, ultimately regaining access to benefits. Now the team looks to reshape its dynamic and culture.

“We’ve tried to have good team bonding and team experiences.”

KEVIN MIKOVITS Vice President, Club Lacrosse

“When we started up this semester there were freshman, sophomores and some juniors that were new and no one knows each other, so it’s kind of tough getting back into it,” senior attack and Vice President of Club Lacrosse Kevin Mikovits said. “We’ve tried to have good team bonding and team experiences. Driving together, going out to eat. . . just trying to get everyone to know each other to kind of get back on pace to what it was.”

Sophomore defender Will Treanor said he believes the reinstatement of the team is a positive, as this group of players has the unique opportu-

nity to shape the future of the program.

“Pretty much everyone is new to the team so everyone is really inclusive.

It’s not like everyone already has their group,” Treanor said. “It feels like everyone’s in it together because we’re starting a new program basically off of the ground. It definitely just brings us all a little closer together.”

The team has worked to make changes on the field as well, clearly separating social events from games and practices and developing set plays and practice plans.

“We actually have an offense, we practice the plays that we run. I think that keeps people more disciplined,” Mikovits said. Developing an offense demonstrates a stark change from the former structure that gave players leeway to do what they pleased on the field, as long as the team scored and had fun.

“Rory [Isdaner] and the other seniors are definitely trying to get a more relaxed atmosphere without having to worry about the peer pressure stuff of drinking on the field during games,” Treanor said.

“We all love playing, so we’re just trying to get out and have fun.”

“We didn’t have a reason to not show up other than that it was a Sunday morning.” rory isdaner President, Club Lacrosse

The team has been practicing since this fall and looks to schedule four or five games during this spring semester. With new leadership and a change in culture, the team has set goals to play in a unified manner and to ultimately redeem its reputation in the eyes of the Club Sports Advisory Board.

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BASKETBALL, from A10

a 71-39 blowout loss at the hands of the Hoyas in Providence on Jan. 10.

Georgetown has the added benefit of homecourt advantage on Friday.

“We just feed off of their energy, you know, that’s our sixth man,” Woodard said of the home fans. “When they have energy, when our bench has energy, we can’t lose.”

Head Coach Natasha Adair said she has also appreciated the consistent energy that her team’s bench has brought to each game. During the team’s game against Villanova, Georgetown’s reserves were on their feet after every bucket down the stretch

of a close game, providing needed energy and support to their teammates.

“I’m a big energy coach.

In practice and games, we talk about sharing energy.”

Natasha Adair Head Coach

“It’s something that we talk about,” Adair said.

“I’m a big energy coach.

In practice, and games, we talk about sharing energy and sharing enthusiasm.

And right after the game, I thanked our bench because that’s a vital role.”

Georgetown will have a tougher matchup — at least on paper — when Creighton visits McDonough Arena on Sunday. The Bluejays rank second in the Big East with a 9-2 conference record and have won six of their last seven conference games.

Currently, Creighton is projected as a No. 9 seed in the NCAA tournament on ESPN’s Women’s Bracketology.

Creighton defeated Georgetown 70-68 in overtime when the teams met in Omaha on Jan. 8. The Bluejays are led by sophomore forward Audrey Faber, who scores 13.1 points per game, and redshirt senior guard Marissa Janning,

who averages 11 per game.

The Hoyas are focused on stopping Faber, Janning and the rest of the Bluejays offense, according to Adair.

“We talk about that’s who we want to be as a team, we want to hold opponents under their average, keep them to 50, and the stats show that when we do we have success,” Adair said.

The statistics do support Adair’s point, as the Hoyas are 0-5 when they allow their opponents to score at least 70 points and 5-0 when they hold them under 70.

The game against Providence on Friday tips off at noon before Georgetown faces Creighton on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games are set to take place in McDonough Arena and will be broadcasted on the Big East Digital Network.

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Pirates Threaten 3-Win Streak threats from behind the arc.

The Pirates boast a strong glass presence, leading the Big East with 41 rebounds per game, including 13.6 offensive rebounds per game. Comparably, Georgetown grabs 35.7 rebounds per game, while giving up the fourth most rebounds per game in the conference.

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During this three-game stretch, the Hoyas have played their best offensive and defensive games of the year. Graduate student Rodney Pryor —18.4 points per game — and junior L.J. Peak — 16.2 points per game — have joined the ranks of elite scorers in the Big East. Playing a few miles from his hometown of Evanston, Ill., Pryor poured in 26 points

against DePaul after dropping 20 at Butler and 18 against Creighton, all while taking no more than 15 shots in each game. The Hoyas must rely on Pryor’s efficiency in the next few weeks.

Despite the win streak, the Hoyas are coming off of one of their sloppiest games in terms of ball handling, committing 20 turnovers against the Blue

Demons on Tuesday night.

Seton Hall currently ranks second in the conference with 7.2 steals per game, and Georgetown would do well to manage its possessions more efficiently.

Tipoff is set for Saturday at noon, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

Sports Information could not be reached for comment.

The analyst

Jeter Comparison Lacks Validity ANALYST, from A10

Last issue’s solutions

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Hoyas Host 2 Conference Foes

PIRATES, from A10

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Junior guard Dorothty Adomako ranks second on the team in scoring with 14.3 points per game along with 7.2 rebounds per game. Adomako has started in all 20 games for Georgetown this season.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

SUDOKU

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athlete who wears No. 2 is significantly downplaying Jeter’s legacy. Not many people are like Jeter — in fact, most athletes are not Derek Jeter.

This is not to say that Jeter is the pillar of athletic prowess; his legacy is just as much about his upstanding citizenship and his leadership on the field as it is about his on-base percentage. But he is a unique athlete, especially nowadays when “flawless” role models are rare.

And while two athletes — or two people for that matter — do not have to be perfectly similar to be compared to each other, throwing Jeter next to both Ryan and Brady, for any reason, illustrates that the phenomenon is becoming a little ridiculous. Just think of how different in reputation Ryan and Brady are. How much sense could it

really make that these two very distinct athletes are compared to the same person?

Regardless of the debate concerning whether it is warranted to compare an athlete to Derek Jeter, the phenomenon illustrates a key aspect of professional sports analysis: the inherent need to connect a successful person to a legend.

Hardly a day goes by without the cliched debate concerning whether or not a contemporary athlete could be comparable to a legend — especially during high profile weeks such as the one leading up to the Super Bowl, when appeals to historical greatness are always common.

The competitive aspect of all sports drives measuring talent through comparison.

Rarely can an athlete stand alone in his own legacy — even Jeter himself could not escape as he was often compared to Pete Rose for statis-

tical and popularity-related reasons.

In a way, all these comparisons — especially those that traverse sports — increase athletes’ accessibility to the rest of the population, as comparison implies understanding.

At this point, however, these comparisons may be taken a little too far. Tom Brady is obviously not Derek Jeter — he is a more--celebrated athlete because of his skills and a lesscelebrated athlete because of his many off-the-field controversies. Matt Ryan is even less of a Jeter — he is underappreciated and less popular, and still has much more to prove, regardless of the number on his jersey.

Tom Brady, at least, should be big enough to live in his own legacy. It is understandable why we may tie younger, lesser-known players to more legendary counterparts in an effort to describe their style of

play or potential, but comparing legend to legend is a largely fruitless practice. Legends should stand alone.

After this Super Bowl, Matt Ryan could very well carve out his own legendary status. Years down the line, people could very well be comparing the latest underappreciated, highscoring rookie quarterback to Matt Ryan.

It really is difficult to be an athlete with your own name, especially in the nostalgic post-Jeter era. But it is time for fans and critics to operate on a more in-the-moment basis, drawing comparisons from history more as a point of understanding rather than a badge of honor.

After all, we are approaching Super Bowl LI. Let the athletes make their own legacies.

Amanda Christovich is a sophomore in the College. THE ANALYST appears every Friday.

Sports

Men’s Basketball Georgetown (13-10) vs. Seton Hall (13-8) Saturday, 12:00 p.m. EST Verizon Center

friday, Febr uary 3, 2017

talkING POINTS

tennis The Georgetown men’s and women’s tennis teams travel to Boston to continue their spring seasons.

See B8

“

NUMBERS GAME

Everytime someone scored they’d run over and go drink a beer from the stands.”

RORY ISDANER, CLUB LACROSSE

Men’s basketball

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Sophomore guard Dionna White’s national ranking with 3.6 steals per game.

feature

Club Lacrosse Team Reinstated Sophia Poole Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: Claire Soisson/THE HOYA

Senior center Bradley Hayes averages 4.9 rebounds per game along with 4.7 points per game. Hayes has started in 11 games and appeared in 18 after sitting out the first four games of the season due to eligibility.

Hoyas Seek Fourth Straight Victory George Brennan Hoya Staff Writer

After winning three straight Big East games for the first time since March 2015, the Georgetown men’s basketball team looks to extend its conference game winning streak to four as it hosts the Seton Hall Pirates this Saturday at the Verizon Center.

The Hoyas (13-10, 4-6 Big East) were a far cry NCAA tournament team given their record six days ago, but they have since completely altered the season’s course. Georgetown

buried Creighton’s (20-3, 7-3 Big East) prolific offense at home, played its best offensive game of the season at Butler (18-5, 7-4 Big East) and pulled one out late against DePaul (814, 1-8 Big East).

Given Georgetown’s resurgence this past week, this Seton Hall (13-8, 3-5 Big East) bout serves as an inflection point in the Hoyas’ quest for an NCAA tourney bid. The Hoyas are currently in the USA Today’s “Last Four In” bracket predictions and have shot up in the Ratings Percentage Index to

The analyst

No. 52, trailing the likes of the California Golden Bears (15-6, 6-3 Pac-12) and Iowa State Cyclones (13-8, 5-4 Big 12), both qualified tournament teams.

With eight Big East regular season games remaining — including two against No. 4 Villanova and one at No. 22 Creighton — Georgetown likely needs to win both of its games against Seton Hall and a home meeting versus Marquette to receive a tournament bid. A 9-2 finish to Big East regular season play will likely solidify the Hoyas’ spot in the tournament.

Rory Isdaner President, Club Lacrosse

The final straw came when the captain — who has since graduated — failed to schedule the final away game the team was required to play in order to satisfy the sanctions that had been imposed. Instead, he called the other team to ask them to pretend the game had been played if the Georgetown administration inquired. By See LACROSSE, A9

GU Aims to Continue Streak at Home Hoya Staff Writer

Amanda Christovich

Super Bowl QBs Compared to Jeter

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See PIRATES, A9

“The culture around [the team] was if you could drink while playing, go for it.”

Women’s Basketball

Tyler Park

n the week leading up to Super Bowl LI, one strange similarity has surfaced that exists between the two Super Bowl quarterbacks: both have been compared to former Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter.

A New York Post article compared Patriots quarterback Tom Brady’s many championships, model wife, loyal fan base and Hall of Fame coach to the likes of Derek Jeter, citing the deified status both share in their respective geographical territories.

Citing fewer similarities but using the label nonetheless, NFL.com asked if Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan could be “the NFL’s Derek Jeter” in reference to Ryan’s jersey number, which happens to be No. 2. The story illustrates how rare it is for a successful quarterback to wear No. 2, but otherwise had nothing

The team’s quest starts Saturday against a Seton Hall team that only has one road win the entire season.

The trio of junior guard Khadeen Carrington, junior forward Desi Rodriguez and junior forward Angel Delgado leads the Pirates’ offensive efforts. All average over 30 minutes per game and average around 16 points per game. At 6-foot-10, Delgado can pound the glass, while Carrington, Rodriguez and freshman guard Myles Powell are the Pirates’

This spring semester marks an exciting time for the Georgetown men’s club lacrosse team as it looks to rebuild itself following a suspension that began almost two full years ago.

A number of factors contributed to the team’s suspension and loss of access to benefits, beginning with a game the team played against Northern Virginia Community College in October 2014. The team had recently been granted access to a sports trainer who dealt with a number of club teams that were deemed to involve higher injury risk.

“The culture around [the team] was if you could drink while playing, go for it, nothing wrong with that,” senior defender and Club Lacrosse President Rory Isdaner said. “We had some fans there ... and they brought a lot of beer. Some of our players brought beer on the sideline. Some of the older players, instead of bringing water out to the players during a timeout, they’d bring a six pack of beer out there and every time someone scored they’d run over and go drink a beer from the stands.”

While this had been the culture of the team for some time, the administration was made aware of it following this game, as the trainer was worried about the players’ disregard for safety precautions. This incident served as the first strike for the team and resulted in the imposition of sanctions by the Club Sports Advisory Board.

The Club Sports Advisory Board asked the team to play one home game and

one away game by a certain deadline. The team scheduled to follow through on this commitment by playing a game against the Naval Academy. When game day arrived, however, the team could not gather enough people to make the trip to Annapolis and called off the game that morning.

“We didn’t have a reason to not show up other than that it was a Sunday morning and we were hungover and lazy,” Isdaner said.

This served as strike two in the eyes of the Advisory Board, and the team found itself on even thinner ice.

else to say to compare the two athletes.

For how unique of a role model and talented of an athlete Jeter is, he gets tied to other athletes very often.

Even Kobe Bryant, one of the best basketball players of all time — but certainly not one of the most morally upstanding athletes — was compared to Jeter on the eve of his retirement.

Clearly, all of these athletes have certain things in common with The Captain — but the Jeter comparison seems to be getting out of hand. Just because most sports fans understand Jeter’s general reputation does not mean that he should be referenced in every sports analysis.

In the first place, implying that Matt Ryan could ever be “the NFL’s Derek Jeter” simply because he is a talented See ANALYST, A9

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Georgetown women’s basketball team welcomes an opportunity to continue to climb the conference standings in two home games this weekend.

The Hoyas face the Providence Friars (10-12, 2-9 Big East) on Friday before hosting the Creighton Bluejays (15-6, 9-2 Big East) on Sunday.

Georgetown’s (13-7, 5-5 Big East) recent streak follows a sluggish 1-5 start in conference play, and the team is focused on continuing its momentum moving toward the end of its Big East schedule.

“Toughness is what they’ve been preaching since the beginning of the season, so it’s a new ballgame,” senior forward Faith Woodard said of the coaching staff after the team’s 54-49 win over Villanova (11-10, 6-4 Big East) on Saturday. “It’s the second half of the Big East and we’re looking to really get the wins on the final stretch.”

Sophomore guard Dionna White continues to lead the Georgetown offense.

The jet-quick 5-foot-5 guard averages 16.2 points per game, leading Georgetown

and ranking second in the Big East. White is also capable of making an impact on the defensive end, as she uses her quick hands to swipe 3.6 steals per game, which ranks No. 7 in the nation.

“We score off our defense, so we really focus on stopping [opponents] from scoring so we can have easy buckets,” White said.

“Toughness is what they’ve been preaching since the beginning.”

Faith woodard Senior Forward

Providence — Georgetown’s next opponent — started its season with a seven-game winning streak against nonconference opponents. However, the team has struggled against league competition, dropping seven consecutive contests at one point before beating Marquette (16-6, 7-4 Big East) at home on Friday.

That losing streak included See BASKETBALL, A9

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COURTESY GUHOYAS

Sophomore guard Dionna White averages a team-high 16.2 points per game and leads the conference in steals.