GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 98, No. 32, © 2017
Tuesday, FEBRUARY 14, 2017
A FRESH START
The men’s lacrosse team opens its season Tuesday looking to rebound from last year.
‘NARCOS’ ON THE RECORD Former DEA agents Javier Peña and Steve Murphy spoke at Gaston Hall.
EDITORIAL Georgtown’s Catholic heritage should be stressed alongside pluralism.
SPORTS, A10
NEWS, A5
OPINION, A2
SFS Introduces Science Courses To Core Curriculum Matt Larson Hoya Staff Writer
The School of Foreign Service is planning to introduce a science requirement into its core curriculum and reduce the number of major course requirements beginning with the Class of 2022, according to SFS Senior Dean for Undergraduate Affairs Daniel Byman. The changes are set to be announced by the SFS Dean’s Office in late 2017 or early 2018. The specific details of the implementation of each requirement need to be decided before the official announcement.
“We’re trying to make the kind of education you receive from the SFS more applicable.” TAYLOR OSTER (SFS ’17) Development and Fundraising Committee Chair, SFS Academic Council
The Dean’s Office is also considering reducing the number of required economics courses from four to three and giving students the ability to count one- or four-credit classes toward their graduation requirements. The Dean’s Office may consider adding new minors after these changes are announced.
Senior Dean for Undergraduate Affairs Daniel Byman said these changes resulted from several rounds of talks with members of the Georgetown community in addition to multiple external and internal reviews of the SFS curriculum. “We put together some proposals and those were vetted through different bodies, including students, alumni, faculty and staff,” Byman said in an interview with The Hoya. “Now we’re in the stage of putting very specific flesh on these proposals.” The SFS core curriculum currently consists of one freshman proseminar, two humanities or writing courses, two theology courses, two engaging diversity courses, two government courses, three history courses, four economic courses, two philosophy courses, a language proficiency requirement and the one-credit “Map of the Modern World.” Students are required to gain proficiency in a language before graduating. The Dean’s Office has yet to decide the exact number of courses to be cut. Byman said he thinks the most exciting change would be allowing one- or four-credit courses to count toward graduation, which would give students the ability to take a greater variety of elective classes. “The thing that gets less attention is allowing the one credit classes to count,” Byman See CURRICULUM, A6
JESUS RODRIGUEZ/THE HOYA, KATHLEEN GUAN/THE HOYA
The administrations of Enushe Khan (MSB ’17) and Chris Fisk (COL ’17), left, and Joe Luther (COL ’16) and Connor Rohan (COL ’16) approached the responsibilities of student government in different ways.
Executives Reflect on Evolving GUSA Tara Subramaniam Hoya Staff Writer
Two years ago, former Georgetown University Student Association President Joe Luther (COL ’16) and Vice President Connor Rohan (COL ’16) ran a satirical campaign with only two serious platforms on mental health and sexual assault reform. Last year, Enushe Khan (MSB ’17) and Chris Fisk (COL ’17) entered the race with a platform consisting of over 44 policies. The two campaigns reveal two disparate visions of GUSA’s role in serving the student body. As this season’s GUSA executive election heads into full swing, The Hoya looks back at how student government has changed on campus in recent years.
Stemming from the Senate What began for Luther as a satirical campaign to make fun of GUSA soon turned into a real campaign to change GUSA. While parts of GUSA may seem pointless, Luther said he believes in GUSA’s ability to spearhead change. “We fought for and achieved a campus plan that stopped encroaching on students’ right to be equal members of the community. We gave students New York Times subscriptions. We tried to make GUSA a little less buttoned up with videos, ad campaigns and an ‘Aw shucks’ attitude,’” Luther wrote in an email to The Hoya. “But also, the senate is a pretty silly idea.” Abbey McNaughton (COL ’16), who served as GUSA chief of staff under Luther and Rohan following her
own campaign for president the same year, said that working in the senate was much more individualistic than she originally anticipated.
“GUSA should understand and reflect the priorities, concerns and zeitgeist of the student body.” JOE LUTHER (COL ’16) Former President, GUSA
“Initially I probably thought there were more senate projects, but that depends on who’s involved,” McNaughton said. “The sen-
ate does not make you contribute to Georgetown or make something better — it comes on you to take it on yourself.” According to Khan, the senate under previous administrations was structured in a way that made it largely redundant. Khan served as senate speaker before she came president and advocated for the replacement of the senate with a proposed assembly during a referendum in December. “My experience with the senate is you get what you put in,” Khan said. “In an institution like the senate, prerestructuring, I did recognize our work was redundant to what the executive was already working on. Where I was helpful were areas that See GUSA, A6
Locals Gather as Congress Fights DC Legislation Alex Mooney and Marina Pitofsky
Special to The Hoya and Hoya Staff Writer
ELLA WAN FOR THE HOYA
Hands Off DC, an organization that advocates for increased D.C. independence from federal intervention, hosted its first gathering last night at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, which featured over 500 attendees.
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More than five hundred Washington, D.C. residents and local lawmakers rallied in opposition to federal interference in local District legislation as the House of Representative’s Oversight and Government Reform Committee issued a formal markup of disapproval of D.C. legislation. With the formal disapproval, which occurred as the Hands Off D.C. rally was happening, the Oversight and Government Reform Committee took the first step toward nullifying Washington, D.C.’s Death with Dignity Act. The markup of disapproval is the fourth time Congress has voted down a D.C. law since the passing of the 1973 Home Rule Act. The Death with Dignity Act, initially proposed by D.C. Councilmember Mary Cheh (D-Ward 3) in January 2015 and signed by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) in December
2016, would allow physicians to prescribe fatal medication to terminally ill patients. The full House of Representatives and the Senate have until Friday, when the 30-day window for Congress to stop District legislation closes, to vote to block the law.
“When I put my ‘John Hancock’ on that law, it should be the law of the land.” MURIEL BOWSER (D) Mayor, Washington, D.C.
The rally, which took place at the Atlas Performing Arts Center, was the first gathering organized by Hands Off D.C., a coalition of advocates for increased D.C. independence that prepares D.C. leaders to resist federal plans See LEGISLATION, A6
NEWS
OPINION
SPORTS
Kehoe Still Closed One year after the closure of Kehoe Field, the university has no plans to repair or renovate it. A5
Leave Steve Trump senior adviser and Georgetown alumnus Steve Bannon fails to represent Hoya values. A3
Tournament Dream Alive With five regular season games remaining, the men’s basketball team has a shot at the Big Dance. A10
NEWS No Home for Airbnb in DC
opinion Love’s Labors Won
SPORTS Tennis Squads Split
Airbnb is challenging a D.C. law restricting its operations and regulations. A5
Through different eras, different notions of love have been capture by Valentine’s Day. A3
Published Tuesdays and Fridays
The women’s team won its match against Massachusetts while the men lost versus Monmouth. A10
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