The Hoya: March 23, 2018

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

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 99, No. 22, © 2018

friday, March 23, 2018

Culture 0f Conversation

Georgetown continues to explore the rich intersections of culture, language and learning.

EDITORIAL The university must look to include more ethnic studies programs in its curriculum.

A DEDICATED FUNDING SOURCE Virginia’s House of Delegates gave final approval to a deal to permanently fund the Metro system.

OPINION, A2

NEWS, A8

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BRAVE Fosters Reflective Space For Black Women Meena Morar Hoya Staff Writer

The third annual BRAVE Summit, aimed at creating a space to empower black women, promoted dialogue on the intersection of activism and the arts Saturday with a series of panels and a keynote by comedian and actress Amanda Seales.

This year’s theme, “artistically, authentically, unapologetically black,” sought to empower black women to follow the career path of their dreams, whether it be creative or corporate. The summit sold out before the event, drawing a crowd of about 400 people.

The summit included opening remarks by the event organizers and University President John J. DeGioia, two mainstage panels and a keynote address by Seales in Lohrfink Auditorium, as well as eight breakout discussions. Other speakers included actresses, models, dancers, students and religious leaders.

The BRAVE Summit was established to create a platform for black women to discuss their experiences, as they are often excluded from the conversation, according to Kay Threatt (SFS ’18), one of the event’s organizers. The summit’s

name stands for “black, resilient, artistic, vigilant, enough.”

In addition to Threatt, Ndeye Ndiaye (COL ’18), Kayla Harris (MSB ’18) and Juliette Browne (COL ’18) organized this year’s summit. They delivered the opening address of the summit in unison, explaining the three facets of this year’s theme.

“Artistically, as the rhythm in the way we walk, poetry in the way we talk and art in the way we carry ourselves in a country that constantly tries to bury us,” Ndiaye and Harris said about the first element of this year’s theme.

“Authentically, because many want to be like us, but our melanin can never be extracted or replicated,” Ndiaye and Harris said. “Unapologetically, because we have the audacity and power to love ourselves in a world that tries to tell us that we are not worth loving. We are artistically, authentically, unapologetically black.”

The BRAVE Summit has brought a new perspective to the Georgetown community through the art of language, DeGioia said in his opening remarks.

“The act of bringing an imagined reality into being, of See BRAVE, A6

AMBER GILLETTE/THE HOYA

University President John J. DeGioia discussed Georgetown’s role in advocating for the protection of “Dreamers” and increased gun control, as well as against President Donald Trump’s executive order to restrict migration from seven Muslim-majority countries.

DeGioia Calls for Balanced Advocacy Ian ScoVille Hoya Staff Writer

Amid Georgetown’s most active year of advocacy in recent memory, The Hoya sat down with University President John J. DeGioia to discuss Georgetown’s role in national issues, free speech and the conversation on gun control.

I wanted to start with the 272.

It’s been about a year and a half since you first announced

Georgetown’s efforts to reconcile with its past. How do you evaluate the school’s work so far?

It’s been a transformative opportunity for our university to be able to find new ways of being a university, and when we think about where we are since the launch and then the announcement of the working group, I think there’s been considerable progress to point to. The depth of the engagement that we’ve been able to

achieve with our descendant community has been an extraordinary opportunity for our university. We’ve hosted, in here, families for reunions; our archives have had lots of guests and visitors coming in to take a look at the papers. I think I shared with you last spring, I had the opportunity to go visit with descendants in Spokane, Washington, in New Orleans, in Maringouin, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The most powerful moment for me was when you

saw a hundred members of the descendant community marching in the procession into Gaston Hall last April for the liturgy. That’s pretty powerful. And when it emerged that they had an interest in connecting with us, that opened up new ways for us to engage as a university and it wasn’t something we anticipated and we were really pleased how that’s unfolded.

See DEGIOIA, A6

National Gun Conversation Draws Attention to Campus Preparedness Sarah Wright Hoya Staff Writer

COURTESY MARGAUX FONTAINE

GUSA President Sahil Nair (SFS ’19), left, and Vice President Naba Rahman (SFS ’19), assumed power from former Vice President Jessica Andino (COL ’18) and former President Kamar Mack (COL ’19) on Saturday.

Nair, Rahman Inaugurated As New GUSA Executives Will Cassou Hoya Staff Writer

Sahil Nair (SFS ’19) and Naba Rahman (SFS ’19) were officially sworn in as president and vice president, respectively, of the Georgetown University Student Association on the front steps of Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy on Saturday, keeping with the tradition of years past.

The ceremony comes after the election results were confirmed by the GUSA senate Feb. 25. Nair and Rahman were elected to the GUSA Executive branch Feb. 22, defeating Josh Sirois (SFS ’20) and Casey Doherty (COL ’20) by a narrow margin of 36 votes.

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Nair and Rahman said they have been transitioning into their new roles while maintaining sight of their campaign promises since being confirmed to the executive.

“Our focus for the year ahead remains the same as our focus during the campaign: bringing voices from all corners of campus together,” Nair and Rahman wrote in a statement to The Hoya. “As we are tackling the pressing issues related to inclusivity, accountability and affordability at Georgetown, we will continue to draw as much as we can from our fellow Hoyas and empower advocates from across campus to make muchneeded changes to the student experience.”

The pair said it is already establishing the foundations to realize its goals for next year.

“We are quickly building relationships with valuable partners for the year ahead and gaining important insight into key issues that will help us set our agenda for the year ahead,” Nair and Rahman wrote.

Ben Baldwin (SFS ’19), speaker of the GUSA senate, said he and Sylvia Levy (SFS ’18), GUSA vice speaker, have been working closely with Nair and Rahman to help fulfill their vision.

“Sylvia and I have spent a lot of our time with the new administration answering See GUSA, A6

Since the Parkland, Fla. shooting last month, Madeline Budman (COL ’18) has felt a heightened sense of apprehension in public places.

For Budman, the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is personal. Alyssa Alhadeff, one of the campers at the Jewish Reform camp where Budman worked last year, was among the 17 people killed when a 19-year-old former student opened fire on students and teachers Feb. 14.

Now — on campus, at the movies or even just outside — Budman said she finds herself mentally preparing in case events take a tragic turn.

“It’s become just a fact of going to a school — existing in a public space, really, is just being aware of where are the exits and where would I have to hide if something happened,” Budman said in an interview with The Hoya. “I’m like that on campus; I’m also like that if I go to a movie theater, and I just feel like that is the reality of our world right now.”

Budman is not alone. The Parkland shooting left many concerned by the threat of gun violence on campuses, including hundreds of Georgetown University students, faculty members and community members who participated in a nationwide school walkout against gun violence March 14.

This Saturday, thousands of protesters from across the country are expected to take to the streets of Washington, D.C., for the March For Our Lives, a protest against gun violence organized by survivors of

the Parkland shooting.

Amid these movements, schools across the country are under scrutiny for their protocols to prevent and minimize the effects of mass casualty events.

While lawmakers on Capitol Hill deliberate how best to resolve the country’s gun violence crisis, the Georgetown University Police Department has established its own policies to follow in the event of an active shooter situation on Georgetown’s main campus.

Safety First According to Chief of Police and Assistant Vice President for Public Safety Jay Gruber, GUPD reviews its active shooter protocols following any national incident, including after the Parkland shooting.

“A professor’s job is to teach students, and them having a weapon is, I don’t think, something that any of us want.”

JAY GRUBER Chief of Police, GUPD

“We’re always looking at recent events involving all sorts of terrorist or shooting threats, and we look at each one through a new lens, but it’s not often we change our protocols based on new events,” Gruber said.

Under current policy, GUPD officers, who are unarmed, are

responsible for alerting the Metropolitan Police Department to send responding officers to the scene of a shooting as quickly as possible.

They then assume a supporting role for the MPD, helping to establish a perimeter, keeping people away from the scene and performing other ancillary duties.

The student-run Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service is also capable of supporting D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services in administering medical assistance to gunshot victims on the scene.

GERMS Captain Ali Baird (NHS ’19) said GERMS members are trained to provide medical assistance to gunshot victims but rely on GUPD and MPD to assess the safety of the scene before they step in.

“GERMS members are trained to assess patients with various traumatic injuries, including gunshot wounds. Our fast response time proves that we are ready to help during a wide range of medical emergencies,” Baird wrote in an email to The Hoya. “However, as EMTs we are only able to treat patients once the scene has been deemed to be safe by other agencies, such as GUPD and MPD.” Students and faculty would be notified of an active shooter on campus through HOYAlert, the university’s emergency alert system that notifies students and faculty of emergencies via text message, voicemail and email.

The university encourages students to take a “Run. Hide. Fight” approach during an active shooter situation, which is outlined on the See SAFETY, A6

NEWS

OPINION

SPORTS

AG Holds Forum Former Attorney General Eric Holder warned of the threat of partisan gerrymandering Thursday night.

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Facilities Failures Student housing is crumbling under the weight of misguided fundraising and a lack of transparency.

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Hoyas Bow Out in 2nd Round The Georgetown women’s basketball team ended its season Monday with a 69-66 loss to Duquesne.

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NEWS Venture Lab Ventures Forward

opinion Finding the Thin Places

SPORTS Reviewing Ewing’s 1st Season

The Georgetown Venture Lab, a space designed to bolster entrepreneurship, is set to launch.

A5 Printed Fridays

Fr. Greg Schenden, S.J., explores the places that make us feel closer to heaven.

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Under Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85), the men’s basketball team brought hope and excitement, but few results.

A10 Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com

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OPINION

THE HOYA

friday, march 23, 2018

THE VERDICT

Respect Civil Disobedience Georgetown University should not punish students for their disobedience simply because protesters expose problems within Georgetown’s institutions.

Georgetown recently vowed not to punish incoming students who were arrested during peaceful protests, joining the announced policies of peer institutions such as Dartmouth College and The George Washington University in an effort to protect high schoolers planning on participating in tomorrow’s March for Our Lives, a rally to demand gun violence prevention, and other current movements being led by high school students from Parkland, Fla. high school targeted by a mass shooter in February.

On Feb. 25, the admissions office tweeted, “Participation in a peaceful protest will not negatively impact admission to Georgetown.”

The university has not always looked so favorably on civil disobedience: Georgetown previously punished student protesters who criticized its practices.

To preserve the rights of students to peacefully protest, Georgetown must look to the policies of its admissions office to guide its treatment of peaceful protesters who question university policies.

In December 2016, eight members of the Georgetown Solidarity Committee, a workers advocacy group, participated in an overnight sit-in inside University President John J. DeGioia’s office to protest the university’s contract with Nike, the only Georgetown licensee not to sign the Code of Conduct agreement and a practitioner of questionable labor policies.

In August 2017, GSC’s efforts were validated: Nike signed a contract granting the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights group, full and independent access to its factories for the first time in the company’s history. Though Georgetown recognized the protesters were in the moral right, administrators nevertheless strictly punished the students involved.

For their failure to comply with Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson and Chief of Staff Joseph Ferrara’s request for the students to leave DeGioia’s office before the close of business hours, the eight GSC students were harshly sanctioned under the Code of Student Conduct. In addition to requiring $50 fines paid to the university and a written letter of apology to Ferrara, the students were placed on Disciplinary Probation I, meaning another infraction would result in their suspension. GSC as a group was also forced to concede control of its budget; the group is still required to request funding on a case-by-case basis.

Georgetown’s punishment brought on GSC students demonstrates the double standard applied to

peaceful protest. The university has been far more supportive of students who advocate for issues not directly related to the business of Georgetown administrators.

DeGioia has proven his genuine desire to prevent gun violence — he praised protesters at last Wednesday’s walkout for gun reform, saying, “No student should live in fear of gun violence.” While his encouragement of protest is commendable, DeGioia should apply the same standards to all peaceful protest.

If implemented, the gun control reforms supported by student activists would not affect Georgetown’s institutional practices. Conversely, Georgetown’s confrontation with GSC was focused on university practices and decisions: The clothes filling its bookstore were produced by dehumanizing labor practices.

In its mission statement, Georgetown urges students “to be responsible and active participants in civic life and to live generously in service to others.”

Students should be permitted — and encouraged — to advocate for change not only in the national and international spheres, but also on campus.

In fact, student protests have driven much of Georgetown’s progress on social issues. Sanctions levied against GSC and its members deter such activism.

La Casa Latina, a space developed for Georgetown’s Latinx community, was developed in 2015 after 60 students from the Latinx Leadership Forum and diversity activism movement Last Campaign for Academic Reform staged a peaceful sit-in in DeGioia’s office to advocate for the space. Administrators listened to and praised these protesters.

“We are always proud and supportive when we see our students engaging,” Ferrara said in a 2015 interview with The Hoya.

McSherry and Mulledy halls, originally named for slave owners, were renamed Isaac Hawkins and Anne Marie Becraft halls following student activism in 2015.

Both protests created meaningful, beneficial change to the university. In fact, Georgetown regularly cites the renaming of buildings as a key step taken to reconcile with its sale of 272 enslaved persons in 1838.

Yet, the university rarely acknowledges the central role students played in the process.

Georgetown should not punish students simply because protesters expose flaws in Georgetown’s institutions.

To correct their errors, administrators should rescind the sanctions improperly brought on GSC and the eight individual members last February. The university should also promise protection of future peaceful protesters — whether or not their interests align with Georgetown’s.

You Got Games? — While watching an educational video on his mother’s phone, a toddler in China entered the wrong password so many times that the child locked the phone for 25 million minutes, or roughly 47 years.

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Gentrific-ocean — Archaeologists found the remains of two late-18th century ships at the Alexandria Waterfront, near a former warehouse now being developed into townhouses.

Another shipwreck was discovered at an adjacent site in late 2015.

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EDITORIALS

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Founded January 14, 1920

Baltimore Bracket Busters — On Saturday, the University of Maryland, Baltimore County basketball team beat the University of Virginia, becoming the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the men’s NCAA tournament. The Retrievers overcame 20-1 gambling odds to defeat the Cavaliers.

Under the Table Shenanigans — Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson defended his purchase of a $31,000 mahogany dining set for his office in a House appropriations subcommittee hearing Tuesday, claiming he left the decision to his wife.

Tian-Gone — Satellite trackers predicted Tuesday China’s first space station, Tiangong-1, will fall uncontrolled out of space at the end of March. The possible re-entry zone stretches from Boston to Beijing.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Adam Semprevivo

Develop Ethnic Studies Program Georgetown University’s curriculum does not reflect the academic demands of its underrepresented communities. Ethnic studies programs empower students to learn more about their own cultures and the cultures of other people.

The university has recognized the value of these programs in the past, evidenced by the introduction of an African-American studies department in 2016 to uphold racial justice in its curriculum, cited as one of the motivating factors for the department’s creation.

In pursuit of a more inclusive academic curriculum, Georgetown should form a working group to explore the creation of new interdisciplinary ethnic studies programs, including programs for Asian-American, Latinx and Native American studies.

Georgetown’s academic offerings do not yet reflect its increasingly diverse student body. In 1980, 87 percent of Georgetown’s students were white; by 2015, that share had dropped to 64 percent.

Unlike Stanford University, Yale University and Northwestern University, Georgetown does not offer an interdisciplinary Latinx studies minor, as noted by this editorial board (“Give Credit Latinx Studies,” The Hoya, Sept. 15, 2017, A2). In a viewpoint, Zachary Frial (SFS ’18) and Jennifer Sugijianto (COL ’20) lamented the absence of a single class on Asian-American studies (“FRIAL & SUGIJANTO: Promote Asian-American Studies,” The Hoya, Jan. 31, 2018, A3).

Inspired by “diligent organizing by black students and faculty,” student leaders advocated for further representation in Georgetown’s ethnic studies programs.

The Asian-Pacific Islander Leadership Forum, launched in March 2017, has called for the creation of both Latinx studies and Asian-American studies programs. This editorial board urges the university to seriously consider implementing these proposals as soon as the spring 2019 semester, to be developed in coordination with the proposed working group.

Ethnic studies programs empower students from minority communities by developing a critical understanding of their history, while enabling students of other backgrounds to learn about cultures beyond

their own. The Center for Jewish Civilization, founded in 2003 as the Program for Jewish Civilization, stands as an exemplary model of an ethnic studies program.

The CJC offers a certificate, hosts leading thinkers in the Jewish world and includes courses spanning topics from the Holocaust to the Jewish-American experience. Jewish students have a space to learn about their heritage while connecting with other Jewish students.

Simultaneously, non-Jewish students can learn about Jewish civilization: 40 percent of students receiving a CJC certificate are not Jewish, according to the CJC. A Latinx studies program would similarly benefit not only Latinx students, but also the rest of the Georgetown community, which would be well-served by an education in the history and culture of their peers. Programs like these are especially important in a time of rising racism in the United States, spurred on by leaders like President Donald Trump.

Similar reasoning applies to the other minority populations represented at Georgetown. Universities should encourage intercultural understanding; ethnic studies programs play a major role in advancing that goal by contextualizing the place of every community in American history and culture.

Questions of funding and resources are important and must be explored by a working group. This editorial board is not calling for the overnight establishment of three ethnic studies departments. Rather, the introduction of a handful of classes in each potential ethnic studies program — APILF members have already proposed a syllabus for an introductory course to Asian-American history — could serve as test cases.

With enough demand, the university could potentially create programs and eventually full departments.

In pursuit of a more inclusive and fully engaging education, Georgetown should include the student voices of those who have been advocating for increased recognition in the university’s curriculum.

Georgetown students deserve an education in the history and culture of their communities — and those of their peers. The university must create a working group in pursuit of this mission.

Ian Scoville, Editor-in-Chief Maya Gandhi, Executive Editor Christian Paz, Executive Editor Emma Wenzinger, Managing Editor Jeff Cirillo, News Editor Hannah Urtz, News Editor Dan Crosson, Sports Editor Mitchell Taylor, Sports Editor Kathryn Baker, Guide Editor Mac Dressman, Guide Editor Will Simon, Opinion Editor Lisa Burgoa, Features Editor Anna Kovacevich, Photography Editor Saavan Chintalacheruvu, Design Editor Janine Karo, Copy Chief Katie Schluth, Social Media Editor Charlie Fritz, Blog Editor Anne-Isabelle de Bokay, Multimedia Editor

Editorial Board

Will Simon, Chair

Alexandre Kleitman, Grace Laria, Tanner Larkin, Emma Lux, Daniel Wassim, Alexandra Williams

Will Cassou Madeline Charbonneau Erin Doherty Yasmine Salam Yasmeen El-Hasan Allie Babyak Ben Goodman Josh Rosson Noah Hawke Will Leo Noah Levesque Julia Yaeger John Crawford Yumna Naqvi Adam Semprevivo Will Cromarty Amber Gillette Subul Malik Caroline Pappas Grace Chung Anna Kooken Mina Lee Susanna Blount Anna Dezenzo Catriona Kendall Juliette Leader Joshua Levy Laura Bell Caroline Bucca Lisa Park

Academics Desk Editor City Desk Editor Events Desk Editor Student Life Desk Editor Deputy Features Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Cartoonist Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Design Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Blog Editor Deputy Blog Editor Deputy Blog Editor

Contributing Editors

Dean Hampers, Meena Raman, Lauren Seibel, Alyssa Volivar, Sarah Wright

HOYA HISTORY: March 22, 1974

Air Force to Terminate GU ROTC Program The Air Force will terminate the Georgetown Air Force R.O.T.C. program this June because of lack of participation. University President, Rev. R. J. Henle, S.J., agreed last week to a request by the Air Force to end the program a year before the contract with the university runs out.

When asked why he decided to terminate the program prematurely, Henle replied, “Why drag the thing out if it is going to end anyway? [The Air Force] will take care of the people in the program by various options.”

The Air Force has provided four options for those students currently in the R.O.T.C. program. The first would allow participants to drop out of R.O.T.C. “without discredit or prejudice,” owing nothing for government

scholarship support.”

The second option is for cadets to complete their programs at another school, such as Howard or Catholic, while remaining at Georgetown. They are also able to transfer to another school with an Air Force program.

As a last option, the Air Force will guarantee, upon graduation from Georgetown, acceptance if physically fit into the Air Force officer training school.

The Air Force office has a recruitment program attempting to increase enrollment. According to Lt. Col. Charles Karczewski, director of the Georgetown program, the recruitment program “just started in February and we are right in the middle of it. There is no way to tell how successful it would have been.”

Henle said that the Air Force program was given “full support from my office.”

The Air Force requested discontinuation of the program because there were not enough cadets enrolled. According to the Air Force, a four-year program should graduate an average of 15 officers annually and the twoyear program 10 officers annually.

The Georgetown program, which graduated its first cadet in 1942, presently only has 23 students enrolled. In 1968, the Air Force graduated 22 officers; that number has since then dwindled down to eight last year and only two this year.

Wayne Saitta (SFS ’77) Production Manager

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OPINION

friday, March 23, 2018

THE HOYA

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VIEWPOINT • HURT

as this jesuit sees it

Fr. Greg Schenden, S.J.

Search for Thin Places

“S

o, you entered one of our thin places.”

These words emerged from my Jesuit friend Fergus’ mouth with delight, but his demeanor changed to disbelief when I had to ask what the “thin places” are.

I had just returned to Dublin from the west of Ireland, where I had hiked Croagh Patrick, or St. Patrick’s mountain: an over four-mile trek up nearly half a mile through fields of loose rock and dense fog. After finally reaching the summit, I was greeted by clear skies, allowing me the transcendent experience of gazing upon the hundreds of tiny islands in Clew Bay. “The thin places,” Fergus repeated.

According to ancient Celtic belief, Fergus informed me, thin places are those physical places where earth seems to draw closer to heaven.

All faith traditions have such thin places — the birthplaces of the Buddha and Muhammad, the Western Wall in Jerusalem and the Badrinath Temple in India. These sites are surely sacred places, but I could not place my finger on what precisely made them thin.

In search of an explanation, I returned to the original Celtic notion that thin places are not limited to religious locales, but to any locale — or experience — where we find ourselves amid something far greater and, in doing so, we become our more authentic selves.

If we are to take St. Ignatius of Loyola at his word when he invites us to “find God in all things,” such opportunities for experiencing the sacred in our daily lives expand the possibility of transcendent encounters.

Writing about the classic song “London Calling” by The Clash, journalist Sasha FrereJones states, “If you can listen to [“London Calling”] without getting a chilly burst of immortality, there is a layer between you and the world.” Such a statement regarding a punk song from 1979 attests to the notion of thin place experiences in our day-to-day lives.

I often joke that when I am

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not here on campus worshipping at Dahlgren Chapel or Copley Crypt, I can be found at other “houses of worship” in Washington, D.C., such as the 9:30 Club or the Black Cat on 14th Street. Of course, behind every joke is a certain truth.

The places where I have experienced and felt a part of something greater than myself have been, time and again, in the transcendent experience of music — most often, I recognize this feeling in the liturgical experience of live music.

Having grown up with a passion for literature, I have often found bookstores to be remarkable thin places as well, particularly in the aweinspiring and vast mosaic they provide into the human condition.

The Seminary Co-op Bookstore at the University of Chicago and San Francisco’s City Lights Books, home of the Beat Generation’s West Coast incarnation, are such places to me. One can find authors as diverse as Søren Kierkegaard and Hans Urs von Balthasar rubbing shoulders with Allen Ginsberg and Lester Bangs among the stacks. One can — I have — get lost among the stacks of such bookstores, where time fades away into something far greater.

Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner wrote: “It follows, rather surprisingly, that even an image that does not have a specifically religious theme can be a religious image, when viewing it helps bring about, through a sensory experience of […] that properly religious experience of transcendence.”

Be it music or literature, be it mountaintop or theater, thin places are all around us, inviting us deeper into our true selves by placing us everso-close to the wonder and awe of the transcendent. Just look and listen.

Fr. Gregory Schenden, S.J., is the Catholic chaplain at Georgetown University. As This Jesuit Sees It appears online every other Monday.

While plenty of students have bitter housing stories, university administrators do not share meaningful details about the extent of maintenance issues.

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Why Housing Fails Students

arry Huang (COL ’19) and his roommates dealt with mice, mold and holes in the floor of their Alumni Square apartment.

Caroline Wohl (COL ’20) lacked shower water pressure for an entire semester in her East Campus apartment; maintenance staff only fixed the issue after nine work order submissions.

Luke O’Grady’s (SFS ‘21) room on the second floor of Village C West flooded for three days after an overflowed toilet three floors above leaked water and other fluids all the way down to his bathroom.

Despite public discontent, housing problems persist because campus renovation is plagued by selective transparency: University fundraising tends to highlight new construction while avoiding student maintenance needs. Furthermore, lack of public reports on the severity of maintenance issues enables Georgetown to refrain from truly addressing facilities problems.

While plenty of students have bitter housing stories, university administrators do not share meaningful details about the extent of maintenance issues.

When asked in an email whether housing maintenance related-issues have improved or worsened, Vice President of Facilities and Management Robin Morey touted the additions of Isaac Hawkins and Ryan Hall and Arrupe Hall, as well as ongoing efforts to renovate Henle Village and Alumni Square. He also acknowledged that “there is more work to do,” citing new renovation spending in the

Board of Directors’ five-year financial plan.

Morey’s vague assessment of the maintenance issues Georgetown students suffer reflects a core issue with student housing: limited disclosure of maintenance-related issues. Annual maintenance reports are noticeably absent from Georgetown’s public releases, while financial reports and reports on crime and fire safety are more available.

In 2016, the university invited consultants from architectural firm Ayers Saint Gross to assess student housing in coordination with the Georgetown University Student Association. GUSA representatives expressed frustration that the study would not be finished before agreement to the 2 01736 campus plan, the 20-year construction plan required by the District of Columbia for the university “to plan anticipated growth and development.”

Two years later, reports on the progress of the study are nowhere to be found. When asked about the study, current chair of GUSA’s Residential Living policy coalition Daniel Marshall said, “This is the first time I’m hearing about it.”

The opacity of maintenance is exacerbated by the university’s fundraising tactics, which mask student maintenance needs from donors. As The Hoya’s editorial board argued in a February 2017 editorial, the University wrongly prioritizes “new projects over maintenance of existing infrastructure.” Data from Georgetown’s financial statements over the past few years confirms that

new construction has significantly overtaken renovation as a share of capital spending.

A closer look at Georgetown’s annual financial reports reveals that new infrastructure tends to be financed by gifts and grants, while renovation and housing draw from debt and University reserves.

Rachel Pugh, Georgetown’s senior director of strategic communications, wrote in an email to The Hoya that fundraising efforts for “brick and mortar” gifts tend to highlight new construction rather than maintenance, since the latter is less attractive.

“Investments in new facilities are much more appealing than renovations and maintenance,” Pugh wrote. “As a result, we tend to focus our fundraising efforts on new building projects and rely on university resources to address other needs.”

Georgetown must candidly share its maintenance struggles in a concerted effort to convince donors to put their dollars where they are most needed.

Significant changes to student housing renovation might be in store with the Georgetown Community Partnership’s 20-year campus plan, determined with input from GUSA members in its steering committee and students among its six working groups. GUSA leadership pushed the university to prioritize renovation throughout the campus plan’s drafting. A month prior to the plan’s June 2016 release, thenGUSA President Enushe Khan (MSB ‘17) referred to renovation as GUSA’s top housing priority in an interview with The Hoya.

Georgetown’s next five-year financial plan, which outlines specific spending details for 2019-22, dedicates much more funding to deferred maintenance in student housing than its predecessor.

It is too early to declare victory for student housing renovation, however. While the campus plan has placed renovations prominently on the University’s agenda, the plan does not resolve underlying transparency problems. With alumni continuing to donate disproportionately to new construction and no concrete method to assess renovations in sight, maintenance goals could lose priority.

To avoid apathy toward repairs, Georgetown students should demand annual public maintenance reports and student survey data to provide metrics for the administration’s efforts. Using such data to highlight Georgetown’s housing problems might also be a critical step to gaining donor support for renovation.

Encouraging the administration to make maintenance more transparent to students and donors alike is key to preserving the spirit of renovation in the campus p lan.

While strong pushes by GUSA executives have brought renovation to the forefront of the university’s planning, only sustained pressure will keep it there.

Harrison Hurt is a sopho-

more in the School of Foreign Service. Read this feature in full at thehoya.com/category/opinion.

viewpoint • Pullin, Shapiro & Vahey

let’s talk about sex(ual) health

Keep Guns off Campus

Eliminate Barriers to Plan B

magine sitting in a Thursday morning seminar, still bleary-eyed from a late night in Lauinger Library.

Suddenly, you catch a glimpse of a .38 Special revolver peeking out from a classmate’s tote bag.

That on-edge feeling — that trepidation — is a sentiment we hope Georgetown University students never need to encounter, let alone the terror and agony that would result from an actual act of violence.

The three of us have witnessed and felt the effects of gun violence: One of us grew up in inner-city Philadelphia; one of us went to high school mere miles from Sandy Hook Elementary, the site of the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Conn.; one of us had friends in the Aurora, Colo. movie theater the night of July 20, 2012, when 12 innocent lives were taken.

In response to our own life experiences and the horror we have seen on the national stage, we stand with the students from the Parkland, Fla. shooting: Enough is enough.

We must hold our legislators accountable for the fatalities of gun violence across the United States — 96 people per day, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

To us — and to many others on this campus and around the nation — no part of the solution includes “campus carry.”

The issue of gun violence stretches far beyond school shootings. While mass shootings spark national conversation, the discussion around gun violence prevention must address the fact that communities of color, young people and victims of domestic violence are more likely to be affected by gun violence.

Mass shootings, defined as shootings with four or more

casualties, account for less than 2 percent of gun-related deaths each year, according to National Public Radio. Sixty-two percent of gun-related deaths are suicides.

Black men are 13 times more likely to be shot and killed by a gun than white men, according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit that advocates for gun violence prevention.

On an average day, seven kids and teenagers lose their lives to gun violence.

In the United States, 50 women are fatally shot by an intimate partner every month.

While these statistics reflect the United States at large, the threat behind them could easily translate to Georgetown if guns became a permanent presence on our campus.

One of the most troubling aspects of allowing campus police to be armed is the often-contentious relationship between people of color and law enforcement. As communities of color are disproportionately victimized by police brutality across the country, the threat of unjust policing could be amplified on campus by arming officers. It would be naive to assume that such tension between law enforcement and communities of color does not exist here at Georgetown as well, and we should continue to elevate the voices of students of color around these issues.

But even if we did not have to worry about armed Georgetown University Police Department officers, allowing guns on campus would force us to fear our own classmates.

Georgetown’s campus — like many other college campuses — is a particularly unsafe place for concealed carry compared to society at large as a result of the pervasive culture of alcohol and drug use.

The introduction of guns to

a college community whose social center involves partying with alcohol and drugs would introduce unnecessary and unreasonable risk to campus life.

A campus carry policy would allow an intoxicated college student to roam the campus while armed. Although responsible gun owners should never carry while intoxicated, college students are not always known for being responsible, meaning a campus carry policy would be imprudent and ultimately dangerous.

We must also consider mental health issues and suicide rates among college students.

Georgetown’s high-stress academic and social scene and inadequate access to on-campus comprehensive mental health providers — along with the fact that suicide is the thirdhighest cause of death among individuals ages 15 to 24, according to the Georgetown University Student Health Center— means increasing access to guns on Georgetown’s campus would be risky at best and lethal at worst.

Many students on this campus know people who have contemplated taking their own lives while at school: The presence of guns on campus should not be taken lightly, especially considering half of suicides are carried out with firearms, according to the CDC. As Florence Yared, a Parkland survivor, said, “The right to bear arms ... does not and never will overpower the individual’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Young people drive action toward the solution for the gun violence that plagues our nation. But that solution in no way includes arming students.

Jawad Pullin is a senior in the College. Ari Shapiro is a senior in the SFS. Emma Vahey is a sophomore in the College.

This article discusses sexual assault on campus. Please refer to the end of the article for resources on and off campus.

E

mergency contraception — also known as Plan B or the morning-after pill — is an important aspect of sexual health, especially for survivors of sexual assault. The Student Health Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital do not currently supply Plan B. To better care for survivors of sexual assault on campus, both the Student Health Center and the hospital should offer Plan B for survivors of sexual assault.

Emergency contraception, when taken within five days of unprotected sex, works to prevent pregnancy. To make an important distinction: Emergency contraception is not the same as a medication abortion. Emergency contraception impedes ovulation to prevent pregnancy, a medication abortion is a combination of two pills that obstruct the hormones necessary to maintain an existing pregnancy and empty the uterus.

According to Catholic teachings, the morning-after pill is unethical, and is — unscientifically — conflated with medication abortion.

Yet, some Catholics believe certain circumstances, such as sexual assault, permit its moral use the woman has not already ovulated.

Georgetown’s decision not to offer emergency contraception places them outside of this more progressive camp.

Currently, survivors who go to Health Education Services looking for any medical care are referred to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where high-quality care for sexual assault survivors is centralized in D.C. Such highly trained staff and centralized resources are important for substantial medical services like sexual assault forensic examinations, more commonly known as rape kits.

However, each survivor has their own preferences when it comes to care. Not all survivors want to com-

plete this extensive examination, perhaps because they do not wish to report the assault or because the procedure is too invasive. Some may only want to take emergency contraception to ensure they will not become pregnant as a result of the assault.

Talia Parker Survivors should not have to go all the way to Washington Hospital Center, roughly five miles away, to obtain emergency contraception.

In fact, they should not have to leave campus at all.

While emergency contraception is also available over the counter at the CVS on Wisconsin Avenue, there are multiple reasons why a survivor may not want to obtain Plan B there. As it is a 10- to 15-minute walk away, CVS is not the most convenient option. Especially because emergency contraception has a higher success rate the sooner it is taken after unprotected sex, survivors should not have to wait any longer than necessary. The fastest, most convenient location for obtaining emergency contraception would be the Student Health Center and the MedStar Georgetown Hospital, thereby providing on-campus care outside of Student Health Center hours.

Furthermore, while emergency contraception is technically an over-the-counter drug, FDA restrictions stipulate that it cannot be stocked on shelves like other overthe-counter medications. In the case of emergency contraception, “over-the-counter” simply means a prescription is not needed to buy it. At the Georgetown CVS, emergency contraception is kept

behind the front counter, and a cashier must obtain it for customers. This may place unnecessary added emotional or psychological burdens on survivors.

Finally, most over-the-counter medication is not covered by insurance: Survivors would have to pay out of pocket. At the CVS on Wisconsin, the generic version of Plan B costs $33 and the on-brand Plan B costs $52 — a significant amount of money. However, different insurance plans might be able to cover emergency contraception if it were offered at the Student Health Center or the Georgetown University Hospital.

These dilemmas — cost and emotional burden included — apply to all individuals trying to receive emergency contraception, not just survivors of sexual assault.

With the barriers to this basic aspect of sexual health care, Georgetown should provide Plan B to any student who wants it to cultivate a safe, healthy campus community where no individual has to worry about an unwanted pregnancy.

However, an important first step is offering this medication to survivors of sexual assault to promote a survivor-centric environment where the health needs of survivors are placed above potential religious roadblocks.

Emergency contraception is available behind the front counter at the CVS located at 1403 Wisconsin Ave. If you or anyone you know would like to obtain a sexual assault forensic examination or other medical care — including emergency contraception — call the Network for Victim Recovery of D.C. at (202)742-1727. On-campus resources include Health Education Services and CAPS, and additional off-campus resources include the D.C. Rape Crisis Center (202-333-7273) and the D.C. Forensic Nurse Examiner Washington.

Talia Parker is a sophomore in the College. This is the final installment of Let’s Talk About Sex(ual)

Health.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018

PAGE FOUR

INSIDE THIS ISSUE D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser reflects on the state of the District and her term so far and promotes advances in higher education. Story on A8.

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IN FOCUS SNOW BRINGS DC TO HALT

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You are leaders ... in the 21st century; it is incumbent on you to think about the responsibility you have as leaders.”

Former Attorney General Eric Holder on his campaign against gerrymandering.

Story on A7.

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BOYS, YOU’RE CANCELLED Georgetown boys — can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Check out 4E to release your inner goddess, because we’ve got you covered.

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Winter Storm Toby left the District with three inches of snow and a day off for students and faculty Wednesday, March 21. This was the first snowstorm and day off of school for the season, prompting students to have a snowball fight on the front lawn.

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Professor Discusses Effective Study Strategies for Students MEENA MORAR Hoya Staff Writer

Cal Newport, associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University, has never had a social media account in his life. The author of five selfimprovement books focused on academic and career success, Newport advocates for eliminating digital dependencies to produce “deep work” — periods of intense focus undistracted by email or social media.

Newport details his philosophy for success in his blog, “Study Hacks,” which explores “how to perform productive, valuable and meaningful work in an increasingly distracted digital age.”

Amid midterm season, THE HOYA spoke to Newport about common misconceptions students harbor about productivity, the addictive nature of social media and his tips for success in studying.

What are the biggest mistakes people make in their work?

Back when I was an undergraduate [at Dartmouth], to research a book I ran an experiment where I studied the study habits of 50 different very high scoring students across the country. One of the biggest differentiating factors is students think about studying as a skill that they are constantly practicing and improving. I think the biggest mistake students make is that they don’t think much about how they study, they just sort of go and ‘study.’

How did you decide to write your first book and what was that process like?

I wrote two books while an undergraduate, and the second one was about how to study in college. The motivation was pretty simple: After my freshman year, I decided I wanted to get more serious about my study habits because I wanted better grades. I ran a bunch of experiments on myself on how I studied. I didn’t get smarter between my sophomore year and freshman quarter, the difference was I spent a few months thinking really critically about how I studied, how I took notes, how I wrote papers.

So, according to your findings, how should students study?

Studying is a skill that you can be good or bad at, and most students are bad at it.

They are spending way more energy and getting worse results than they could be. The general mindset, I used to call it studying like Darwin, because you constantly want to be evolving your study habits, trying to question and deconstruct how you’re doing your work. Working with your intensity of focus is a core resource for getting your work done efficiently. Things that we know now from research is the attention residue effect.

Even a quick glance at a distraction, like a quick glance at your phone, reduces your cognitive capacity and can last for a little while. It’s not how long you’re distracted, it’s just the fact that you changed your context.

al indicators.” They needed a stream of things in your account that show that people approve you, and they needed to arrive unpredictably, so you never know if you have some more of those.

How would you describe your personal usage of social media and the Internet?

I’ve never had a social media account. What I do recommend to people is to take it off your phone. None of the reasons anyone has as to why they need to use social media requires the need to be able to do it any time on your phone.

The only reason to have it

on your phone is basically to serve their need, which is to give you something to do when you’re bored, so they can extract more minutes.

If you simply take it off your phone, log in on your laptop, type in your password, you don’t lose any of the value you get out of it, but you immediately get away from the addictive part.

What is your biggest piece of advice to Georgetown students with an overpacked schedule trying to study for midterms?

Unpack their schedule, first of all. There is this misbelief that quantity is im-

pressive, [that] the outside world is impressed by the quantity of things you do.

Double majors are more impressive than one, 10 clubs is more impressive than two.

It makes sense, because in a university setting, you want to stand out, you want to be ambitious. Especially when you leave college and go into the real world, very little credit is given for quantity.

What people want to evaluate is how good are you at what you do best. One of the biggest competitive advantages you could have is attention capital, or your ability to concentrate.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

The value of active recall versus passive recall. Having to produce something from scratch is very hard, but it cements the concept much better than reading over it passively. When I studied the top-performing students from my book, none of them sit there with their book and read it. Instead, they would set up a prompt, and they would say, “Okay, I’m going to lecture this out loud. Can I do this in complete sentences, do I have a clear answer?” If they can lecture it out loud, clearly, they know it. It is the active recall that submits the information.

Do you think multi-tasking is actually possible?

No, and what’s important is that most people already intuitively understand you can’t do multiple things at the same time. It’s really just this single-tasking with a lot of quick checks. They say, ‘I’m not multi-tasking, I just have my Word open, I’m just writing my paper.’ But, if you’re still doing the quick checks every few minutes, it can be just as bad as having multiple things open. What your mind can produce if you go one or two hours with zero context switches is massively more valuable.

Do you think we could be addicted to social media?

Yes. One of the little-known truths about Silicon Valley is a significant number of the major executives in charge of these companies do not let their kids use their product.

Social media is run by very large companies who make money by extracting time and attention. Facebook’s market evaluation is almost twice as large as ExxonMobil. Because of that, significant engineering goes into place to make these an addictive experience and something that you want to keep checking. It is not a lack of willpower on your case, it’s engineered into the product, even the basic dynamic of clicking “like” icons on posts that spread through all social media apps purely for addiction-inducing reasons.

What [companies] needed is what they call “social approv-

CAL NEWPORT

Georgetown associate professor of computer science, Cal Newport, urges students to eliminate digital dependencies to produce a more productive work environment. Newport is the author of five self-improvement books focused on forging academic success.

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Georgetown Alumnus Gives $1.5 Million to Launch Startup Lab Elizabeth Ash Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown Venture Lab, a shared office space designed to attract alumni entrepreneurs in downtown Washington, D.C., is set to launch later this year after Ted Leonsis (CAS ’77), chair of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Advisory Group, gave $1.5 million to the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative of the McDonough School of Business in November to fund the project.

By creating a physical hub in D.C., Georgetown Venture Lab seeks to foster entrepreneurship and attract a critical mass of innovators. The lab plans to offer up to 90 desks for student and alumni entrepreneurs, common spaces for meetings and programming to connect members with other alumni and current students.

The Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative, Provost Robert Groves and MSB Dean Paul Almeida presented plans for the lab to Leonsis in November 2017.

“The Georgetown Venture Lab will offer valuable support for aspiring entrepreneurs, while at the same time further strengthening Georgetown’s alumni network and Georgetown’s connections to the local business community,” Leonsis said in the MSB’s March 14 news release. “We would like to see these companies led by Georgetown alumni grow and become leading contributors to the local

economy.”

Leonsis is also the founder and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns and operates the Washington Capitals, Washington Wizards and Washington Mystics, as well as the Capital One Arena, in which the Georgetown men’s basketball team plays its home games.

Ben Zimmerman (GRD ’19) began March 19 as community manager of the Venture Lab, where he will recruit, select and manage members of the lab. His responsibilities also include programming and facilitating cooperation between WeWork, a global network of workspaces where companies and individuals buy memberships to gain access to a subsided WeWork space, and Georgetown University.

Zimmerman first became enthusiastic about the Venture Lab while working with the Entrepreneurship Initiative as a program manager for the MSB. “The opportunity arose around WeWork space, and the contract was approved,” Zimmerman said.

“I said, ‘Hey, I’m looking for a new opportunity, something creative, a bit outside of the box.’”

The lab is now accepting membership applications from startups run by Georgetown alumni to use the space. Membership will also include access to benefits Zimmerman said WeWork seeks a diversity of venture — in terms of its revenue and mission

— as well as diversity of members.

“We want to bring a diverse group of alumni into the space,” Zimmerman said. “We want to bring diversity both socioeconomically, the ventures themselves — the direction they’re headed in terms of income as well as the mission of being a social impact initiative or just being for-profit.”

Zimmerman also acknowledged that, although the Venture Lab plans to select alumni-led businesses, not every member will be an alum.

The lab will also offer internships to current students, according to Jeff Reid, Georgetown professor and founding director of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative.

“The companies in the lab will engage many students as interns helping to grow their businesses.

We expect that over time there will be tons of internship opportunities, during the summer as well as during the school year,” Reid wrote in an email to The Hoya.

A select number of students will receive seats in the Venture Lab through a partnership with the Red House, an on-campus space dedicated to assisting students’ entrepreneurial ambitions, according to Red House Project Manager Samantha Levine.

Furthermore, student-led startups in the StartupHoyas Summer Launch Program are set to work in the Venture Lab during their eightweek summer term. StartupHoyas

is currently accepting applications for this program.

The lab will be located at the WeWork White House on 15th and G streets, one of 10 D.C. locations of WeWork.

The initiative had contemplated creating a physical space for a few years, according to Reid.

“We have been exploring a number of ways to support student and alumni entrepreneurs with a space to call home — along with dedicated mentoring and other resources,” Reid wrote. “But space is expensive and can be difficult to operate, so it’s taken us a while to develop the right plan.”

Arthur Minson (GSB ’92), who serves as a member of the Georgetown Entrepreneurship Advisory Group and the president and chief financial officer of WeWork, jumpstarted the process in late 2016, according to Reid. After Minson gave Reid a tour of a New York location of WeWork, Reid began to formalize plans for using the WeWork White House as a location for Georgetown entrepreneurs to develop their startups.

The $1.5 million gift is not Leonsis’s first contribution to Georgetown entrepreneurship. In 2016, he launched the Leonsis Family Entrepreneurship Prize to “honor and financially assist students and recent alumni who kickstart social impact ventures and initiatives.”

This year, Hatch — a company run by JP Coakley (GRD ’18) and Kelsey Lents (GRD ’18) that creates

co-working spaces with built-in childcare — received the grand prize of $30,000.Zimmerman said the Venture Lab is an experiment in collaboration between nonprofits like Georgetown and for-profits like WeWork. He said the two institutions hope to cooperate for a mutually beneficial relationship.

“We’re in a unique position, as an academic institution, working with a for-profit, growing, massively growing organization, WeWork,” Zimmerman said. “The goal is that we will go through this

together with WeWork and work in tandem — so it’s like a hybrid of for-profit, nonprofit model.”

Reid said he is excited about the Venture Lab and potential next steps to grow entrepreneurship at Georgetown and in the District.

“Entrepreneurship is perhaps the most powerful force for good in the world, and Georgetown students in all degree programs are demanding more and more ways to learn and engage with this phenomenon,” Reid wrote.

SHEEL PATEL/THE HOYA

Georgetown alumnus Ted Leonsis (CAS ’77) donated $1.5 million to develop a space to support Georgetown entrepreneurship.

American Prison System Is Ripe for Reform, Panelists Say Meena Morar Hoya Staff Writer

The term “prison-industrial complex” is not representative of the lived experiences of people in the prison system and should be replaced with the new term “jail-industrial complex,” Mary Fainsod Katzenstein, founding member of the Cornell Prison Education Program, and Nolan Bennett, an assistant government professor at Georgetown, said at an event in the Intercultural Center on March 15.

The discussion, hosted by the Prisons and Justice Initiative, featured the inaugural presentation of Katzenstein and Bennett’s research on the prison system.

The term “prison-industrial complex,” which describes the overlap between government institutions, exploitation and imprisonment as a way to address

political and economic issues, was coined during President Dwight Eisenhower’s term to describe the connection between corporations and the privatization of prisons in the criminal justice system.

Katzenstein and Bennett’s research seeks to coin a new term that would help spark a desire for research and discovery in the prison system.

“For some, the term is at best too simple; at worst it verges on the conspiratorial,” Katzenstein said.

“Our intention here is to recover the terminology of the prisonindustrial complex as an investigatory tool or an investigatory narrative.”

Katzenstein and Bennett began researching the experiences of individuals in the prison system after observing racism in the institutions, they said, prompting them to take a narrative-based research approach.

“Racism has a long historical pedigree that is braced by the codi-

fication of racist discourse: the ‘savage native peoples,’ the ‘negro is 3/5 of a person,’ the contemporary criminalization of race,” Katzenstein said. “All these historical periods are connected by a narrative thread.”

With different meanings of the phrase “prison-industrial complex” transcending through different histories and different communities, Bennett and Katzenstein felt it was time to take a different approach to describing the prison system today.

“Inside prisons and jails, the language of the prison-industrial complex is often brandished as the all-purpose explanation for all manner of punitive practice,” Katzenstein said. “On the streets, it is generally deployed as the vocabulary of choice to mobilize activists under the banner of prison abolition; in the world of academics, the prison-industrial complex as a language has not enjoyed much scholarly legitimacy.”

The two scholars cited the prison system in California as a motivation for using the new term.

In California, the Orange County’s Inmate Welfare Fund was set up to provide benefits to the inmates, according to Katzenstein.

However, the funds are often directed elsewhere and not received by the inmates, Katzenstein said.

“Most of these services are paid for by the mostly poor families of the mostly poor prisoners,” Katzenstein said. “The money generated, though it is mandated to be spent on inmate welfare, is often spent on the bricks and mortar of prison operations.”

In Orange County, this fund had a balance of about $5.3 million in 1999, according to Katzenstein, but a small percentage of that money goes directly to the inmate programs.

“Over the previous three years, 41 percent of the revenue was spent on jail expansion, 59 percent on inmate programs,” Katzenstein

said. “But those inmate programs actually involve a lot of spending that [money] on the salaries of people the jail had hired.”

Basing their evidence on examples like California, Katzenstein and Bennett believe the term “jailindustrial complex” more effectively describes the relationship between legal and financial systems that often impact jails.

“We propose the jail-industrial complex, a narrative about the newly formed and increasingly rapacious extraction of resources from the poor by the transformation of the jail into a market actor,” Bennett said.

For Bennett, the commercialization of jails as for-profit institutions is a cause of the lack of basic rights for inmates and their families.

“The financialization of jails does not simply threaten to corrupt corrections officers or degrade the conditions of jails,” Bennett said. “It focuses the purposes of extraction on the survival and

growth of the jail system rather than on the rights and humanity of the imprisoned and their families.”

Bennett and Katzenstein have not yet published their research, but they presented at Georgetown to get input from the crowd.

“This is the first time that we’ve talked about our work, and it is a work in progress,” Katzenstein said.

Both Bennett and Katzenstein agree that replacing the term “prison-industrial complex” with “jail-industrial complex” will require a societal shift, but they hope that a new perspective will at least be considered.

“This term is more of a shovel than a magnifying glass,” Bennett said. “We are seeking to illuminate how private and public actors work together; it encourages [people] to look inductively at the most decentralized areas of punishment.”

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Founding member of the Cornell Prison Education Program Mary Fainsod Katzenstein shared her research on the prison system, citing the need to replace the term “prison-industrial complex.”

Georgetown assistant government professor Nolan Bennett teamed up with Katzenstein to explore new terms to better characterize the American prison system to reflect lived experiences.

Rapper Waka Flocka Flame Set To Headline GPB Spring Concert Will Cassou Hoya Staff Writer

Waka Flocka Flame is set to headline the Georgetown Program Board’s annual spring concert April 6 in McDonough Arena. Basstracks and Phoebe Ryan will open, and Georgetown Cabaret, a student rock and pop cover band, is also set to perform at the concert.

Tickets are currently available from GPB, with the price set at $5.

A former protege of Gucci Mane, Atlanta rapper Waka Flocka Flame rose to prominence in 2009 with singles such as “O Let’s Do It” and “No Hands,” which peaked at No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 2010. Waka Flocka Flame, who is signed with Atlantic Records, has been nominated for four BET Awards,

winning one.

Waka Flocka Flame is said to be working on a studio album titled “Flockaveli II,” the official follow-up to his 2010 album “Flockaveli” and his first album since “Triple F Life: Friends, Fans & Family” in 2012.

“Flockavelli II” has been in development for five years and has been repeatedly delayed in part due to contractual disputes with the artist’s record label, Atlantic Records. The album is expected to be released this year.

Waka Flocka Flame also notably launched a short-lived, evidently lighthearted presidential campaign in 2015. At 29 years old, he did not meet the constitutionally mandated age requirement for presidential candidates.

Ryan, aged 27, is a singer and songwriter signed with Columbia Records, who notably collaborated with The

Chainsmokers in 2016 on the song “All We Know,” which peaked at No. 18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. She has released two and has written songs for Britney Spears, Wyclef Jean, The Chainsmokers and All Time Low. Brasstracks, consisting of trumpeter Ivan Jackson and drummer Conor Rayne, have produced songs for 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne and have released their own singles, including “Say We Won’t.”

Past performers at the GPB Spring Concert have included rapper Wiz Khalifa, who performed in 2013 and 2016, Norwegian DJ Matoma and electronic musician Cheat Codes in 2017, DJ Viceroy in 2016, rapper Big Sean and DJ White Panda in 2014 and electronic musician Calvin Harris in 2013.

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DeGioia Discusses ‘Dreamers’ Advocacy, Free Speech DEGIOIA, from A1 Just as a follow up on that, despite the efforts, some descendants still call for monetary reparations. Do you think Georgetown is doing enough to address those concerns from those groups?

Well, again, there have been some members of the descendant community who have made different kinds of requests. What I tried to do in January was articulate a set of principles for an enduring and ongoing framework for dialogue and conversation between the university, the Jesuits and the descendant community. And we’re working from that framework now with many members of the descendant community.

I’d like to move on to Georgetown’s broader advocacy work that’s been pretty active in this last semester or so — the repeal of [the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program], the Muslim ban, the initial draft of the tax bill. In your vision of Georgetown, what is the university’s role as an advocacy body and why is it Georgetown’s role to advocate like this?

There’s a convergence of a number of different things.

Our location in Washington I think is relevant. The tradition on which we’ve been built also calls us to ask hard questions of ourselves.

I probably have had more activity in the last two years than at any time. And again,

for me, what I always try to do is get a balance because I don’t want to be speaking in a way that would in any way inhibit anyone else here at the university. I wouldn’t want to create a context where my voice was making it harder for other voices to be able to offer their perspective.

The three examples that you just gave, in each case I try to evaluate. I try to discern in my mind what was it that the university community expected of me in my role and then what was appropriate for a university in this context.

So on DACA, this one for us goes back more than 15 years. We’ve been working on a pathway for our “Dreamers” since 2001 and I’ve been an active presence in that work for all these years. One of our alums, double alum, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) (SFS ’66, LAW ’69) has been a leader on Capitol Hill in this regard and we’ve tried to work alongside him and other members of Congress in trying to ensure a pathway for our “Dreamers.”

I think our community would expect me to do everything I can to try to protect our own community. Because I’ve been so active for so long on the “Dreamers,” and now DACA, I think I’ve interpreted correctly what the expectation is of me. I don’t sense that there are those who feel I’m not engaging in the most appropriate way on that issue.

It’s always a judgement call. We try to use prudential judgment at every step. Is this an appropriate place for the president of Georgetown to be involved?

Because there are many issues that I could be speaking on. But where does the community expect its president to be speaking?

You mentioned some of Georgetown’s work on things like DACA since 2001. Do you see this heightened level of advocacy, if you could describe it as such, as a one-time thing or is it because of who we have as president?

Again, for me, it’s the issue.

If DACA were being sustained, we would probably have a different approach. But because DACA is not, we’re losing the framework for our “Dreamers.” How can we restore that framework?

I don’t think anyone, I mean we’ve polled the country, I don’t think anyone wants to send our “Dreamers” back to countries where they really are not identified with at this point in their lives. I don’t think anybody really wants to send them back, but we cannot manage the political process in a way to get a resolution to this matter, and so right now I feel the need for us to work alongside many, many others in trying to see if we can get a way through this.

To move on to affordability — again that was listed as one of

the top issues for students in a recent poll — it’s been a pretty recurrent conversation for the last few years. Do you think Georgetown is doing enough to address student concerns and what more could it do?

I think we’re in alignment, the students and the administration. We’re in complete alignment on the importance of affordability.

The first priority we had in our last campaign was scholarships. We raised more money in the campaign than we did in the entire previous history of the university for scholarships. We raised about $430 million dollars for scholarships. Our commitment to need-blind, full-need financial aid is the vehicle by which we have been able to ensure affordability for undergraduate education here.

We are celebrating this year the 40th anniversary of those two policies, which we bring together here. There are only 25 of us in the United States who are committed to those two policies.

The real challenge has been managing growth in cost, and that is an obsession of our whole team. Again, it’s one of these balancing acts.

There’s no day when a student or a faculty member or an alum or a parent doesn’t come in with a brilliant idea about how we could be that much better. But the time we get that much better it usually has associated with it

increased cost. So how do we manage the strengthening of the place while ensuring we’re managing to keep the essentially, especially, tuition costs as low as we can.

Moving on to free speech, what is the role of the administration in seeing that need to ensure free speech, but also the safety of your students. Is there a situation you could imagine asking a student group, or yourself, disinviting a speaker?

We are guided by a policy on speech and expression that has been revised in recent years, but it has essentially guided our community since 1989. We do not limit speech, either in the content of the view or the person expressing the view, and any member of the community can invite anybody to come here and speak.

But the first question we ask for any event: Can we ensure the safety and security?

Can we provide a context which will ensure the safety and security of our community — protect the speaker and protect our students who might try to come here that speaker? If we can’t answer that question as, “Yes, we can protect the safety and security,” then we don’t allow the speaker to come. Since 1989, that hasn’t happened.

But if we ever got to a point where it did, I would explain that to the university community: It was my best judgement, it was the best

judgement. We have a standing body on the freedom of speech and expression — it is our judgement or, if it’s contested, in the end ultimately I believe it’s probably my responsibility to make that final call.

But if, in the end, we made that decision, I would make that clear to everyone why we made it, but we have not had to make that decision in 29 years.

One last question: Last week we had the rally for gun control. Do you see any opportunities for advocacy around gun control?

Do you see university policy as sufficient enough in that space right now?

Here on campus, we’ve taken very strong steps to try to provide for the safety and security of our community. Last week I was invited to speak at the rally, on Wednesday, March 14th. I was honored to be asked, because I’m in alignment with those who are concerned with gun violence and safety in our schools.

I am in complete alignment with trying to ensure that no young person goes to a school afraid of gun violence. When invited to participate, I was moved that I had the opportunity to do that. We need to see, again, going back to your very first question, is there an appropriate place for Georgetown’s presence to be engaged as we move forward? And that will be something I’ll be trying to assess.

GUSA Executives Sworn Into Office Gun Violence Provokes Look At Readiness GUSA, from A1

questions, setting timelines, and discussing our goals for the student association, so I am excited to see Sahil and Naba get to work on behalf of the student body,” Baldwin wrote in an email to The Hoya.

However, Baldwin said the newly inaugurated pair may face hurdles as prepare to take over from outgoing GUSA president and vice president, Kamar Mack (COL’19) and Jessica Andino (COL’18).

“The primary obstacle that incoming executive administrations face is the process of onboarding new individuals and establishing not only the internal hierarchy of GUSA but making those initial contacts with administrators as they begin their advocacy work,” Baldwin wrote.

The GUSA Senate must work closely with Nair and Rahman in this process, according to Baldwin.

“The GUSA Senate handles the confirmation process for a number of executive positions and board placements, so Senate leadership is intimately involved in the Cabinet selection process,” Baldwin wrote. “We generally see some senators depart to join the executive as the incoming administration draws on both experienced leaders from within and outside of GUSA to form its Cabinet.”

Though some senators regularly leave around this time to fill cabinet positions, upcoming elections in April ensure the positions are not left vacant for too long, Baldwin wrote.

Nair and Rahman said they

were excited to begin assembling their cabinet, one of the major tasks they must accomplish at this point.

“We were fortunate enough to receive over 100 applications to join — some with years of student government experience and others engaging for the first time. We are incredibly humbled by the response from campus and are excited by the team we are putting together,” Nair and Rahman wrote.

The inauguration ceremony also took place the night after the first ever GUSA Gala, which raised money for the mental health stipend and celebrated the work of Mack and Andino.

Mack said he is confident in the Nair and Rahman’s ability and looks forward to what they will accomplish during their term.

“Sahil and Naba are two very capable and passionate individuals who I believe will bring forth meaningful change on campus,” Mack wrote in an email to The Hoya. “They have worked hard in the weeks following their election to meet with dozens of administrators in order to discuss their plans for creating a more supportive and vibrant campus.”

Nair and Rahman said they were grateful for the support they have received so far.

“We are thankful to Kamar, Jessica and the Senate for the warm welcome into the GUSA family. We’re looking forward to working with this group of Senators as they round out their term as well as the next class as we enter the upcoming school year,” the executives wrote.

Meena Morar for the hoya

Actress and comedian Amanda Seales, right, discussed her experiences as a woman of color in the creative realm with Soyica Colbert, professor of African-American studies and theater and performance studies, at the third annual BRAVE Summit.

Summit Gathers Black Women Leaders BRAVE, from A1 moving from a vision to an accomplishment, is a remarkable and bold act,” DeGioia said. “This is what is our BRAVE Summit founders and organizers have done. Today, as you each share your experiences, your stories, your insights, you enable us to understand all that is possible in each of our own lives, and guide us to envision our future in a new way.”

Organizing for the first summit three years ago started in the living room of the Black House, a community-centered space aimed to meet the needs of students of color by implementing programs, events and dialogue, at the height of the #SayHerName movement, which sought to raise awareness for black and female victims of police brutality in the aftermath of Sandra Bland’s death in police custody in July of 2015, according to Threatt.

“It was in the height of the #SayHerName movement, where a lot of black women were being killed and left out of the greater dialogue around black men being

killed.”

The conference’s eight breakout sessions focused on a variety of topics about building one’s own brand in the workplace, as well as activism’s role within education, media and religion.

Seales highlighted her experiences as a woman of color within the entertainment industry during her keynote address in Lohrfink, “The Women Who Raised Us.” “A lot of times, we don’t tell each other stuff because we don’t want to offend each other, or we don’t want to look a certain way, or we don’t want to bring another black woman down,” Seales said. “But me telling you something as a way black women can improve is not bringing you down.”

Through her podcast “Small Doses,” her role on “Insecure” and as a comedian, Seales has sought to maintain her authenticity by blending together the worlds of academia and comedy, dispelling the stereotype that a black comedian cannot also be taken seriously.

Within her own work, Seales has chosen to not bring her live comedy show, “Smart, Funny and Black” to TV networks in fear that her pure vision will be distorted.

“Black culture, black artistry has been commodified and consumed in so many different ways and so many different facets, and I’m very protective of that,” Seales said. “Especially with a product that is 100 percent innately black, you don’t want to give that to someone who doesn’t want to see that thrive.”

With those choices come hardships, however, and the need to prioritize one’s values and passions along the way. Seales emphasized the need to stay true to oneself, regardless of the initial discomfort and struggle throughout the process.

“All of us are trying to exist in a comfortable space in a world that’s uncomfortable,” Seales said.

“A job gets you a check, a career gets you a lifestyle.”

One of the event’s mainstage panels, “What’s Joy Got To Do With It: Discussing Black Girl Joy,” centered on the challenge of

achieving self-love and joy within the black community. Erika Totten, founder of Unchained, a company focusing on the emotional emancipation of the black community, discussed the need for black women to empower themselves, both in and out of the workplace.

“I don’t believe in conformity or assimilation, however, I do understand that many of us and many of the women who have come before us did that to make it easier for us,” Totten said.

The afternoon mainstage panel, “Power Players” discussed the difficulties women of color face within the workplace, such as navigating the corporate world while maintaining personal values.

Ericka Pittman, the chief marketing officer of the beverage company AQUAhydrate, said all people must put themselves in uncomfortable situations to be successful in business.

“The most pivotal or defining moments are when you’re uncomfortable, because you’re learning rather than sticking with the status quo,” Pittman said.

SAFETY, from A1 university website and available to campus organizations in halfhour training sessions coordinated by the GUPD. The procedure, which is recommended by the Department of Education, dictates evacuating the area during an active-shooter situation and, if this action proves impossible, hiding in an area out of the armed attacker’s view.

As a final resort, people are instructed to fight to incapacitate the aggressor, possibly using nearby items such as fire extinguishers or chairs.

Andrew Bennett, a professor in the government department, said faculty are periodically reminded of the best practices for active-shooter situations. Nevertheless, Bennett advocated for better campus preparedness in the form of active shooter drills.

“I can understand why universities are cautious about running drills,” Bennett said.

“As unpleasant as it is for all of us, it makes sense to get people prepared in the really unlikely, but not impossible, scenario where we have some kind of active shooter situation going on.”

Budman, too, expressed concern about campus preparedness, particularly regarding the university’s emergency notification system.

She said that her experiences with the HOYAlert system have left her feeling misinformed, referencing a false tornado warning that students received in January 2016 and an alert of an armed individual around campus during the armed robbery of the ExxonMobil station on 36th and M Streets in 2015 that failed to provide specific details about the incident.

“I just don’t trust the systems that are in place to be effective,” Budman said.

But on the topic of arming school faculty — a proposal President Donald Trump endorsed as a preventative measure to deter mass shootings in schools following the Parkland shooting — both Bennett and Budman are skeptical.

“The evidence doesn’t suggest that that is an effective approach,” Bennett said. “And I think common sense suggests that that is not an effective approach.”

Up in Arms As of October 2017, the District became a “shall issue” jurisdiction, meaning that any applicant who meets D.C.’s gun licensing criteria will be issued a license authorizing “concealed carry” of a firearm without being required to demonstrate “good cause” for carrying a gun.

The D.C. Council permits con-

cealed carry of registered guns only in authorized areas, excluding public spaces like the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority stations and public libraries, high-security areas like the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol and the White House, and all public and private schools and universities.

In the wake of the Parkland shooting, Trump suggested reducing “gun-free zones” and giving educators a financial bonus for undergoing gun training and carrying guns in schools.

Gruber, however, said that arming faculty and allowing concealed carry is not a viable solution for preventing mass shootings.

“Unless you’re somebody who is really trained in the use of firearms, you practice on a regular basis and you are attuned to a highthreat environment, you really shouldn’t have concealed carry in schools and in colleges,” Gruber said. “A professor’s job is to teach students, and them having a weapon is, I don’t think, something that any of us want, especially the professors.”

Citing a 2013 Department of Education school emergency preparedness report, Bennett said that in an overwhelming number of instances when a shooter was stopped before the police arrived, they were stopped by unarmed individuals who incapacitated the shooter.

But Bennett said the possibility of arming GUPD officers warrants further consideration. In Washington, only the University of the District of Columbia and Howard University have armed police officers on campus, according to the Washington Post.

“While I certainly think it’s an absurd idea to have faculty to be carrying guns, it doesn’t seem, on the face of it, absurd to have campus security either carrying them or having them at ready access in their central station,” Bennett said.

“To the extent that they don’t have quick access to firearms should they need them, I think that’s something that bears looking at.”

While Bennett advocates for gun control measures such as background checks and assault weapon bans, at the national level, he said the gradual pace of this change still spells danger in a country with over 300 million guns in circulation.

In the interim, Bennett said localized preparedness is still the best way to combat gun violence.

“Addressing the bigger problems, even in the best of circumstances, takes time, and so in the meantime, we have to take sensible measures to be prepared, and I think that’s training and prevention,” Bennett said.

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Holder Lays Out Democrats’ GUCD Recognizes Alumnus Push Against Gerrymandering For Voting Rights Work Olivia eggers

Special to The Hoya

Partisan gerrymandering poses a threat to voting rights in the United States and disproportionately disenfranchises Democratic voters, former Attorney General Eric Holder said at an event hosted by the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service on Monday.

The event, moderated by GU Politics Executive Director Mo Elleithee (SFS ’94) in the in the Intercultural Center Auditorium, sought to offer Holder’s perspective on redistricting throughout the United States. Holder currently serves as chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, a Democratic Party-affiliated organization for redistricting reform.

“Politicians are choosing their voters instead of citizens picking their representatives,” Holder said.

“The system that we have in place is inconsistent with our founding documents, inconsistent with the Constitution, inconsistent with a variety of statutes. We are depriving people, in essence, of their right to vote.”

Since serving as attorney general under former President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2015, Holder has been committed to fighting partisan redistricting, commonly called gerrymandering, a practice by which politicians manipulate the boundaries of congressional districts to favor their own political party’s chance of winning.

Holder sees gerrymandering as an unconstitutional practice that has become widespread. Holder said he has a four-part plan to combat gerrymandering: litigation, reforming individual states’ redistricting processes, mobilization and electing pro-reform candidates.

The first step, litigation, involves legally challenging instances of gerrymandered boundaries into the courts to put their constitutionality in direct question.

“Some places are so gerrymandered, you can only approach them through courts,” Holder said.

The second of Holder’s efforts is the reform of the redistricting pro-

cess itself, which he believes can be organized by new nonpartisan commissions — only currently allowed by 17 states, according to Holder — to monitor the redistricting processes. In other states, citizens should push for the creation of nonpartisan commissions, he said.

Holder’s third step refers to public campaigns to mobilizing opposition to gerrymandering and informing the public about the effects that gerrymandering can have on their lives. Holder has worked with groups like Organizing for Action, which morphed out of Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign, to spread awareness about the effects of partisan gerrymandering.

Holder said it is crucial to “raise the consciousness of the people about this whole question of gerrymandering, making people understand that this has an impact on their day-to-day lives.”

The fourth element of Holder’s plan is to elect pro-reform candidates who would have a direct impact on redistricting policies, he said. His efforts support Democratic candidates because Republicans “aren’t simply going to give up power,” according to Holder.

Although there are examples of districts gerrymandered by Democrats across the country, Holder said the Republican congressional majority generally benefits more from partisan redistricting.

Elleithee pushed back on Holder’s statement, voicing the concern of many conservatives that cur-

rent redistricting efforts are giving Democrats an edge by primarily targeting GOP-drawn maps.

“I’m trying to make this a fair fight,” Holder responded. “You give me a fair fight; I’ll have a Democratic Congress.”

Holder said he would be willing to work for reforms in states with Democratic gerrymandering but pointed out discrepancies in partisan redistricting.

“We tend to think there is this equivalency,” Holder said. “If Republicans do something bad, let’s find where Democrats have done something bad. Oftentimes, there is not that type of equivalency, and this is a situation where I would push back on that.”

Looking forward, Holder is focusing his efforts on combating voter suppression laws and ensuring a fair, accurate census in 2020.

“At the end of the day, this is all about allowing the American people to have their voices heard, their votes count and to have their representatives reflect what their desires are, at the state level as well as the federal level,” Holder said.

Addressing the Georgetown crowd, Holder encouraged students to take ownership of politics to influence their country.

“You are leaders for this country in the 21st century; it is incumbent on you to think about the responsibility you have as leaders,” Holder said. “If you do not put yourselves out there, others who are less qualified — or less idealistic — will fill that vacuum.”

will cromarty/The Hoya

Former Attorney General Eric Holder described his battle against gerrymandering in an event in the Intercultural Center on Monday.

Joe egler

Hoya Staff Writer

Jason Kander (LAW ’05), former Missouri secretary of state and current president of Let America Vote, received the Alumnus of the Year award from the Georgetown University College Democrats on Monday evening for his advocacy work on voting rights.

After earning his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2005, Kander served in the Army National Guard and volunteered to serve a tour in Afghanistan. He also served in the Missouri House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013 and as Missouri secretary of state from 2013 to 2017. After an unsuccessful senate campaign against incumbent Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in 2016, Kander founded Let America Vote, a political organization working to protect voting rights around the country.

Kander founded Let America Vote in an effort to protect voting rights and ensure that all eligible voters have equal opportunities to exercise their rights, he said at Monday evening’s event.

Contemporary infringements on voting freedoms are attacks on civil rights, according to Kander, who characterized his advocacy efforts as an extension of the civil rights movement.

“We are fighting the same fights.

People were marching across the bridge in Selma in order to be able to register to vote,” Kander said.

Let America Vote is a unique political organization, according to Kander, because it is a nationwide lobbying machine for voters, as Big Tobacco is for tobacco firms or Big Pharma is for pharmaceutical companies.

“Until we created Let America Vote, there was nothing you could characterize as Big Voter. So that’s why we created it.”

Kander also emphasized the importance of authenticity in politics.

He said Democrats, and particularly students in Washington, D.C., too often take stances they personally oppose, believing there is a perfect wayto attract voters, rather than presenting their own views.

“One of the big things that gets emphasized — particularly if

Hannah levine for The Hoya

Jason Kander (LAW ’05), founder of Let America Vote, was awarded Alumnus of the Year by the Georgetown University College Democrats. you’re a political science major — is what I refer to as trying to ‘crack the code,’” Kander said. “How is it that you’re going to talk about these things or do these things to where it’s going to open up this big can of voters all over the country?

What’s the secret formula? There isn’t one.”

Being authentic in politics means remaining committed to the issues that matter to constituents because voters can tell when a politician fails to be genuine, Kander said.

“They’re winning over a bunch of people who a poll tells them believe in something. What they don’t realize is, those people see bad acting and it makes them uncomfortable, and they know it when they see it, and they’re not buying it,” Kander said. “Authenticity in politics is just knowing what you believe and then going out and actually, honestly making your argument, because the thing is, voters can tell the difference.”

For politicians, it is less important to crack the code to gain voters than it is to effect real change for constituents, according to Kander.

“When you get into this line of work, and you’re a candidate, or advising candidates or helping candidates, one way or another,

in making a political argument, it has to be based in what you actually believe,” Kander said. “It can’t be based in trying to crack the code.”

Kander also spoke about the future of the Democratic Party, noting that the party aims to provide tangible opportunities for voters.

“Every policy that we stand for is, at its core, is about trying to make it so that you can find success in the community that raised you, without moving away if you don’t want to,” Kander said. “The party is about using government to make it just a little bit easier for you to be able to find success in the community that raised you if that’s what you want.”

With Democrats hoping to make big gains in the 2018 midterm elections — and with a crowded field of presidential hopefuls for 2020 lacking a clear standout — the future of the party remains an open and important question.

Kander argued that the goal of providing the next generation with a better quality of life than their parents should be a top priority for the Democratic party.

“What we’re all really looking for is for our kids’ lives to be an upgrade over our own, and then for our kids maybe to be able to afford that life near us,” Kander said.

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friday, March 23, 2018

Bowser Defends Higher Education Record in State of District Address Josh Metzger

Special To The Hoya

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) promoted advances in higher education in Washington, D.C., and defended her administration’s record in light of recent scandals at her fourth State of the District address on March 15.

Bowser, a D.C. native currently running for a second mayoral term, touched on themes featured in last year’s

address, including increased access to affordable housing, improving job security and, most prominently, ensuring the right to high-quality education for all children. The address was delivered at the University of the District of Columbia.

The speech comes shortly after two recent education-related scandals in her administration. The first concerns a federal investigation into inflated graduation rates, in

which students at prominent D.C. high schools received diplomas despite frequent absences that violated the District’s policies.

The more recent scandal concerns the forced resignation of former D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson, who allegedly used his position to enroll his daughter at a top-rated D.C. high school, bypassing a waitlist with more than 600 students.

File Photo: Spencer Cook/the hoya

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D-D.C.) promoted her adminstration’s progress regarding higher education and combatting homelessness in her fourth State of the District address.

“We know there have been bumps in the roads — frankly, there have been some pretty significant bumps in the road,” Bowser said. “But now the Band-Aid has been ripped off, and we understand — better than ever — the challenges we face.”

Striking a more optimistic note, Bowser drew attention to the leadership under newly appointed interim DCPS Chancellor Amanda Alexander, promising that “We will finish this year strong and be ready to start the next one.”

The mayor emphasized the considerable progress on education that has been made in the District While “students in D.C. struggled to keep up with their peers in other big cities” roughly 10 years ago, Bowser said the system is now much better equipped to handle curricular challenges.

Bowser pointed to several specific programs aimed at improving D.C. public education. Thrive by Five DC, according to Bowser, will ensure the implementation of courses in algebra and robust programming in local middle schools. In addition, Bowser will oversee the UDC Equity Imperative, which will invest an additional $9.5 million in the University of the District of Columbia.

The mayor also focused on the distinct challenges that the District faces in national political developments, which often leaves D.C.’s local government at odds with the prevailing views of a Republican-controlled Congress and White House.

“Sometimes our challenges are unique because we get over-the-top requests, like the unnecessary military parade that some people want to

have in our city,” Bowser said, referring to a proposal floated

by President Donald Trump in February to hold a parade of U.S. armed forces in the streets of the District.

Referencing the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., that left 17 dead, Bowser advocated the implementation of effective gun control measures and criticized Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for “continuing to push legislation in Congress that would gut our local laws by legalizing assault weapons and highcapacity magazines and even allowing these guns in our schools.”

Rubio reintroduced a bill as recently as last January that would have gutted the city’s gun control measures.

“How — how can you be for legalizing assault weapons and lowering the age to buy guns in D.C. and be for school safety in Florida?” Bowser said.

“With our partner on a Safer, Stronger D.C., Councilmember Charles Allen [D-Ward 6] and I say to Senator Rubio: Leave us alone and keep your hands off of D.C.” Bowser later touched on other issues that the city continues to work to resolve, such as maximizing employment and increasing access to affordable housing.

Addressing job creation, Bowser highlighted an initiative launched in the past week called the D.C. Infrastructure Academy. The Academy aims to prepare D.C. residents for dependable jobs in infrastructure.

“The Infrastructure Academy is a pathway to the middle class — an opportunity not to just get a job, but to build a career. Because that’s what we

want for Washingtonians — not odd jobs, not sometimes jobs, but sustainable careers,” Bowser said.

To improve D.C. living standards, the mayor pointed to the demolition of D.C. General Family Shelter, a homeless shelter that has been an “embarrassment” to the city, choosing to instead encourage permanent supportive housing programs.

“And at the end of the day, we know that the best way to end homelessness is by building and preserving affordable housing,” Bowser said. “This year alone, we allocated $1 billion — and I repeat, $1 billion — to programs and efforts that will make living in the District more affordable for everyone.”

Bowser also touted her Roots to Roofs initiative, an effort to connect black D.C. residents to available housing programs.

During the address, the mayor also remarked about the success of increased neighborhood safety by expanding the size of the Metropolitan Police Department cadet program from 70 to 100 cadets, improved access to quality and affordable medical care through the construction of a new hospital on the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital campus and the allocation of $178 million to improve the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Bowser, at the speech’s conclusion, optimistically spoke about the city’s future.

“There is no doubt about it: D.C. is doing well. But, together, we are capable of so much more,” Bowser said. “So, let’s stay focused; let’s keep moving forward, because if we all stick together, the best is yet to come.”

District Infrastructure Academy to Offer Job Training Program Sarah Mendelsohn Hoya Staff Writer

The District of Columbia Infrastructure Academy, an initiative supported by Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) that promises to train individuals for jobs in Washington, D.C.’s growing infrastructure industry, opened March 12.

The mayor’s office has partnered with utility companies, universities, private companies and unions to develop a program to provide specialized training to Washington residents to work in infrastructure and utilities industries. Bowser worked with utility providers Exelon, Pepco and Washington Gas to fund and develop the DCIA. The infrastructure sector in D.C. creates 6,753 jobs, of which almost 50 percent

went unfilled in 2017. Infrastructure workers earn $48.75 per hour on average, according to D.C. officials.

Bowser’s office predicts that the infrastructure industry in D.C. will grow by 11 percent by 2021 and by 20 percent by 2026.

Bowser said the DCIA will help secure high-paying infrastructure jobs for District residents as the industry expands, according to a March 12 news release.

“As the infrastructure industry continues to grow, we want D.C. residents to be first in line for these high-paying jobs,” Bowser wrote in the news release. “Through the D.C. Infrastructure Academy, we will ensure that more Washingtonians have the skills and knowledge they need to secure a career in a

wide-range of growing fields, from utility and transportation to operations and green technologies.”

The DCIA will help future infrastructure workers hone their skills through programs like auto mechanic training, training in energy and utilities skills, job fairs, training in solar panel installation and commercial driver’s licensing programs, according to Bowser. The DCIA is modeled after similar programs set up in Philadelphia and Chicago.

Deputy Mayor for Greater Economic Opportunity Courtney Snowden said the DCIA will contribute to the effort to fill infrastructure jobs.

“Approximately 2.7 million infrastructure workers are expected to retire or leave their jobs over the next decade,”

Snowden said in a September 2017 news release. “In D.C., we stand ready to train our residents and create a pipeline to good paying, quality careers through this innovative partnership.”

Most of the DCIA’s funding will come from the city’s capital budget; however, it will also be funded by the $5.2 million that Pepco appropriated for workforce development when it merged with Exelon, according to the September news release. Washington Gas and Pepco also agreed to provide $500,000 in cash, human resources, equipment and other services over the first five years of the DCIA’s programming.

Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Exelon William Von Hoene Jr. said that Exelon is

committed to establishing better work opportunities for in Washington, where the company is headquartered.

“Exelon is empowering communities and creating opportunities for people where we live and work,” Von Hoene said in the March 12 news release.

David Velazquez, president and CEO of Pepco Holdings, said that Pepco views the DCIA as an opportunity for the company to foster talent in the District.

“At Pepco and the entire Exelon family of companies, we are focused on the best possible ways to develop and employ diverse talent from the areas we serve,” Velazquez said in the March 12 news release. “That is made concrete here in the District through the Infrastructure Academy.”

The DCIA furthers Bowser’s

efforts to stimulate the infrastructure workforce. Bowser also initiated a job-training program that installs solar energy systems on the roofs of low-income Washingtonians’ houses in July 2017. She also entered into a partnership with Pepco Holdings and the University of the District of Columbia Community College to create an employment program for D.C. residents to work in utilities jobs in April 2017.

Bowser said she was confident in the ability of the DCIA to continue her effort to bring better jobs to more Washington residents in the September 2017 news release.

“Through the D.C. Infrastructure Academy, we will spread prosperity by getting more D.C. residents trained for good-paying, long-term careers.”

Historic Agreement Guarantees Dedicated Funding for WMATA Emma Kotfica Hoya Staff Writer

Maryland lawmakers joined the governments of Washington, D.C., and Virginia yesterday in a final approval to jointly provide up to $500 million annually to fund the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority in a historic funding decision that could boost the floundering system’s recovery efforts.

The Virginia general assembly pledged $154 million per year to Metro funding on March 7 on the condition that Maryland and D.C. also increase their contributions.

Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) pledged $178 million per year in her State of the District address on March 15.

The decision was part of a negotiation between Virginia, Maryland and D.C.’s whereby each party would provide the $500 million that Metro’s leadership argued is necessary to make Metrorail a world-class system.

The funding will be used to combat longstanding failures within the Metro system by improving rail cars and buses, replacing older equipment and catching up on delayed repairs across the 50-year old system.

The joint provision marks the first time Metro has had a stable source of funding since it was established in 1967. In the absence of a dedicated funding source, Metro has relied on the D.C. local government and seven other local and state jurisdictions for funding. Each government calculates its funding contribution based on population density, average

weekday ridership and the number of stations operating in each region.

Metro has resorted to fare increases and service cuts to make up for financial shortfalls due to insufficient funding and declining ridership.

Rip Sullivan Jr. (D-Fairfax), a member of the Virginia house of delegates and one of the six negotiators in the joint conference that produced the final bill in Virginia, emphasized the importance of the agreement.

“There are people who called it a historic piece of legislation and I think in some senses it is, because Metro’s been around,” Sullivan said in an interview with The Hoya. “It’s never had this kind of predictability with its funding, and that’s a game changer going forward.”

Maryland pledged $167 million to Metro funding Thursday, becoming the final member of the negotiation to pledge the full requested amount.

In addition to the $500 million pledged between D.C., Virginia and Maryland, the federal government’s omnibus federal spending bill includes a $150 million provision for capital spending, an amount the White House had suggested to reduce. The bill passed the House of Representatives on Thursday afternoon and the Senate early Friday morning.

Metro has long argued that it’s lack of a dedicated funding source has prevented it from proper repairs, renovations and maintenance, while critics of Metro’s performance have pinned blame on poor management and unethical behavior.

Sullivan said that there is no dispute among jurisdictions about the proportional amounts they are expected to contribute, which was decided by a formula that accounted for ridership, number of Metro stations and other factors.

Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld praised the decision, which he said will boost WMATA’s service.

“On behalf of all Metro customers and employees, as well as the communities whose economic well-being depends on a safe, reliable Metro system, we are truly grateful,” Wiedfeld wrote in a Washington Post article March 10.

Sullivan echoed Wiedefeld’s commitment to improving the safety and reliability of the Metro system.

“Reliability and safety — those are the two most important issues, obviously safety being first, reliability being second. Getting those two issues addressed will necessarily lead to increased ridership, more confidence from riders in the system, and stop the bleeding and get people back riding the Metro,” Sullivan said.

The Virginia bill passed with a substantial majority, earning it praise for its bipartisanship.

Sullivan said that he was pleased that both parties recognized the importance of Metro funding for Virginia and that he hopes annual funding for the Metro will result in meaningful change for the system.

Bowser echoed Sullivan’s sentiments in her March 15 State of the District address, saying that D.C. would pro-

vide the proportional funding in the effort to continue to modernize the city.

“We’re also focused on exploring the big ideas that will keep Washington, D.C., moving forward and at the forefront of innovation and change,” Bowser said in her address. “So along with the Mayor of Metro, Jack Evans, and all of you, we’re going all in and fully funding Metro for our future. At $178 million — the amount the District needs to contribute to finally solve the dedicated revenue problem that has held our system back for years and years.”

The bill was met with opposition from those who believe that the Metro funding will take away from funding for other local infrastructure projects in northern Virginia.

“There has been some concern expressed by people that it takes too much from existing funds that would otherwise go to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority to do transit and other transportation-type projects around northern Virginia,” Sullivan said.

Republicans in Virginia have been skeptical about investing in public transit.

“I was concerned the General Assembly would rob Peter to pay Paul for Metro,” Loudoun Supervisor Matthew Letourneau (R-Dulles) said in the March 10 Washington Post article.

“By raiding even more funding already earmarked for transportation projects in Northern Virginia, this bill doesn’t just rob Peter, it pillages him.”

christian paz for the hoya

Virginia pledged $154 million per year to Metro funding on the condition that Maryland and D.C. increase their contributions.

A SOLDIER OF FAITH Captain Lukasz Willenberg, a Catholic chaplain with the U.S. Army’s 10th Mountain Division, knew from a young age that he had been called to a life of service in the Church. But it was only recently that he felt called to serve within the U.S. Army. While it was a change for him, he still values the new way he’s exercising his calling by serving Soldiers.

“I feel blessed and possess this overwhelming peace and joy, which reassures me that I am doing what God wants me to.“

FILLING A GREAT NEED In recent years the civilian priestly ministry has been facing a human resource shortage, which directly impacts the ministry in the Army.

With fewer qualified clergy to recruit, there are fewer Catholic priests to help serve the needs of Soldiers. It was this shortage that initially inspired Father Willenberg to consider the Army.

“In 2010, I met [Maj.] Father Paul A. Halladay.

He was the one who actually told me about working with the Soldiers and about the great need [for] chaplains in general, but especially Catholic priests. I always had a desire to serve where I am needed the most. After learning about [the] shortage, I took it as a sign as to where I should be.”

SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE Although Father Willenberg has been serving as an Army chaplain for a short time, he has already distinguished himself by earning the Bronze Star, the third-highest recognition in the Army, for his contributions to his unit during his deployment in Afghanistan. But for Father Willenberg, the most important thing is the work he does with other Soldiers. One program that helps him make a positive impact is Strong Bonds, where Father Willenberg plans workshops for Soldiers, couples, and military families off base. During the workshops, he helps Soldiers tackle difficult life questions, strengthen their faith, reintegrate into civilian life, and more.

CAPT. LUKASZ WILLENBERG U.S. ARMY CHAPLAIN

organizing an officially sanctioned version of the Boston Marathon run in Afghanistan. But above all, he finds his best work is done by being a part of Soldiers’ lives.

“The ministry of presence, that’s such a powerful tool. When you just spend time with Soldiers, doing physical training, going on road marches, when you eat with them at the dining facility … you experience what they experience and automatically you are one of them. That’s where the ministry happens. The Soldiers know that they can trust you, and that you are there for them. You build those relationships so then when they need you as a chaplain, they know where to go. [They] know that I’ll be there for them. That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s my ministry. My battalion commander, (Lt. Col.) Brian C. North, told me once to ‘just take care of my Soldiers.’

That’s what I try to do every day.”

THE JOYS OF SERVICE While focusing on being a part of the Soldiers’ everyday lives, Father Willenberg cherishes the bonds he’s made with his fellow servicemen and women.

“[Strong Bonds is] a wonderful resource for us as chaplains. … I love doing it. I have a chance to get to know the Soldiers, get to know the families during the workshops. And … going outside of post, going out to eat together — that’s where you build relationships with them.”

“You keep giving of yourself, but at the same time the ministry is so rewarding. [It’s in] those small things. Those small words of appreciation from the Soldiers mean much more to me than the formal recognition. From time to time, [a Soldier] says, ‘Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for your encouraging words.’ It’s the biggest reward that you can get.”

Outside of workshops, he has organized several events for Soldiers in his unit and congregation. In fact, one of his greatest logistical undertakings was creating and

If you’d like to know more about serving Soldiers as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Chaplain Corps, visit goarmy.com/hc42

A10

sports

THE HOYA

friday, March 23, 2018

kicking and screaming

Video Assistant Refereeing Is a Risky System for World Cup Drew Sewall

I

t’s official. On March 17, FIFA — soccer’s international governing body — confirmed that Video Assistant Refereeing, a system for reviewing decisions by the head referee with video footage, will be used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

The announcement has been met with mixed reactions from the soccer community. For many, VAR is a welcome change. Soccer has long been riddled with referee errors and blown offside calls; VAR is meant to fix these. Yet with the

way VAR’s trial runs have played out in various European leagues, VAR at the World Cup could potentially be a colossal disaster.

According to FIFA, VAR will only be used “to correct clear and obvious mistakes” — to determine the correct call for goals, offside calls, red cards, penalties and incidents of mistaken identities. A referee will look at video of the previous play and communicate the correct call through a headset to the head referee. Though VAR may help get some of these calls correct, implementing it at the 2018 World Cup is a mistake because the referees will not know how to use it and the game will be interrupted too frequently.

VAR is only as good as the referees who are using it. If the referees are unfamiliar or uncomfortable using the system during the World Cup, VAR will instantly become a massive catastrophe, as it has in

the various leagues testing VAR, was best exemplified in the Tottenham Hotspur vs. Rochdale FA Cup fifth-round replay Feb. 28.

VAR is being used in FA Cup games as part of a trial run to determine whether VAR should be implemented full-time in the Premier League. In the seventh minute of the Tottenham vs. Rochdale game, a goal from center-forward Fernando Llorente was overturned.

Llorente was deemed to have fouled a defender shortly before scoring a tap-in, which was originally ruled a goal but overturned after extensive review. In this case, the use of VAR was not in line with its stated purpose of “correcting clear and obvious mistakes.” Llorente clearly did not foul the defender; even if there was a slight chance he might have, the situation certainly was not “clear and convincing.” VAR’s being used to make a correct call incorrect is

painfully ironic.

Sadly, the spotlight on VAR did not stop. It was used a total of 10 times in the game; the constant video replays absolutely disrupted the flow of the match and added on six minutes of stoppage time in the first half. On average, the match was stopped every nine minutes to check VAR. For a sport as free-flowing as soccer, constant stoppage is detrimental to the core of the sport.

The interruption is even worse for the supporters at the stadium, who often have no idea what is going on or what is being reviewed.

The only information they have is that VAR review is taking place. If VAR is to be implemented successfully, there needs to be better communication between the referee and the fans.

The VAR experience in the Tottenham vs. Rochdale FA Cup match will not necessarily be the

Special to The Hoya

GUHOYAS

Junior Sydney Goodson went 11-14 overall and 12-8 in doubles play last season, winning five of her last six matches to end the season. This season, Goodson is 3-9 overall.

Squad Suffers Pair of Road Losses Back in action for the first time since its spring break win, the Georgetown women’s tennis team travelled to Norfolk, Va., losing 7-0 to Old Dominion and 4-3 to Middle Tennessee State.

Dominating the competition from top to bottom, the Old Dominion Monarchs (14-4, 4-0 Conference USA) swept the Hoyas (1-9, 0-1 Big East) 7-0 on Friday as Georgetown played undermanned. The two squads finished doubles play first, as Old Dominion earned a pair of 6-2 wins over the teams of senior Drew Spinosa and junior Sydney Goodson and senior Daphne de Chatellus and freshman Sophie Henderson.

The doubles point was decided before junior Risa Nakagawa and senior Casey Marx’s match could be completed.

The Monarchs showcased their depth in singles play, in which all six matches were decided in straight sets. Nakagawa fell in the No. 1 slot 6-3, 6-1, while Spinosa lost the second singles match 7-5, 6-3. Putting up a fight in the No. 4 slot, Goodson dropped her match by a tally of 6-2, 7-5.

Rounding out the singles matches were sophomore Anna Short, who lost a 6-1, 6-0 match in the No. 5 slot, and Marx, who fell at No. 6 to her Monarch opponent in a 6-3, 6-2 affair.

On Saturday, the Hoyas took on the Middle Tennessee State Lightning (12-5, 1-1 Ohio Valley

Drew Sewall is a sophomore in the McDonough School of Business. kicking and screaming appears every other Friday.

Hoyas Split Series With Tigers Thomas Simonetti

Hoya Staff Writer

have been refereed without it.

However, FIFA seems to be rushing to implement VAR on the biggest stage before it is ready. The European soccer governing body, UEFA, has already determined VAR is not ready to be implemented at its biggest stage, the Champions League.

In this situation, the rewards do not seem to outweigh the risks. VAR could be a success at the World Cup this summer and, if it is, should be applauded. However, it could also quite likely fail spectacularly. It would be tragic to see arguably the greatest event in sports, one that happens only once every four years, ruined by the hasty introduction of a new technology.

baseball

WOMEN's tennis

Evan Morgan

norm, but it is also not an extreme outlier. As with any trial run, there will be growing pains, and it will take time for VAR to operate smoothly. Referees are not used to working with VAR and will need to adjust to the added dimension VAR brings to refereeing a game.

Nevertheless, with many referees uncomfortable using VAR, implementing it on the biggest stage in soccer is begging for disaster. Few people watched the Tottenham vs. Rochdale FA Cup fixture, but all eyes in the soccer community will be on the World Cup. Any mistake involving VAR will be constantly scrutinized.

If VAR has a bad showing at the World Cup, incorporation of the technology into the game will be set back years.

VAR will ultimately be a positive and much-needed addition to the game. Years from now, people will wonder how the game could

Conference), and Georgetown lost by a 4-3 margin for the fourth time in its 10 matches. The two squads split the singles matches, as Nakagawa and Spinosa both bounced back from Friday’s performance with singles wins. Nakagawa prevailed in three sets, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, while Spinosa won in straight sets, 7-6, 7-6. De Chatellus provided the Hoyas’ final point of the competition with a dominating 6-4, 7-6 performance over her Lightning counterpart.

Middle Tennessee State collected the deciding point in doubles play, where the Lightning swept the Hoyas.

Georgetown will return to action Friday, when it battles the University of Rhode Island (1-9) at home.

After a slow start to the season, the Georgetown baseball team picked up a pair of victories last weekend in a series split against Princeton at its home ballpark, Shirley Povich Field in Bethesda, Md. In game one of the series Friday, March 16, the Hoyas (5-14) fell to the Tigers (2-10) with a score of 5-3.

Sophomore right-hander Nick Morreale started on the mound for the Blue and Gray and pitched four innings, allowing four runs on two hits and six walks. Senior righthander Matt Randolph came out of the bullpen and gave the Hoyas five effective innings of play, allowing just one run and striking out seven.

In spite of freshman shortstop Eddie McCabe’s offensive performance — he notched three hits — the Hoyas lost the first game to the Tigers. Sophomore first baseman Freddy Achecar III also contributed, hitting two doubles and driving in a run.

The Hoyas fought back from an early 4-1 deficit, scoring runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to make it 4-3. However, Princeton added an insurance run in the top of the ninth that Georgetown failed to answer.

Game two of the four-game stand was part of a double-

commentary

header played Saturday. The Hoyas won the game 3-1.

Sophomore left-hander Brent Killam was the Hoyas’ starting pitcher. He fired a complete game, allowing just one run on three hits in a dominant outing.

The Blue and Gray jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, scoring runs in the bottom of the first and second innings. McCabe drove in the first run with a sacrifice f ly, and freshman catcher Ryan P. Davis drove in the second run with an RBI single. Davis was the Hoyas' offensive catalyst, going 3-3 with an RBI. Princeton answered with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but could not complete the comeback and eventually fell to Georgetown.

In the second match of the doubleheader, the Hoyas fell to the Tigers 10-4 despite a three-hit performance from senior outfielder Austin Shirley.

Junior right-hander Jack Cushing started on the mound and pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits. Freshman left-hander Jacob Grzebinski relieved Cushing and pitched the remainder or the game, allowing three runs.

Princeton was strong out of the gate, scoring three runs in the top of the first.

The Tigers also notched a run in the third and three in the fifth to make the score 7-0. Georgetown tried to cut

the deficit with runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings, but ultimately fell short.

Ryan P. Davis had another strong offensive game, with two base hits. Sophomore outfielder Ryan M. Davis also contributed at bat with an RBI double in the bottom of the seventh.

The final game of the series took place Sunday: Georgetown came out with a 5-3 win behind another solid offensive performance from Ryan M. Davis.

Ryan M. Davis notched three hits and an RBI in the contest, leading the Hoyas’ offense. Senior catcher Sammy Stevens also made a strong addition to Georgetown’s squad this week, hitting a double in the bottom of the fourth and coming around to score on a wild pitch. The Blue and Gray scored three runs in the fourth and did not look back, holding on for the win.

Freshman right-hander Owen Lamon started on the mound for Georgetown, playing six strong innings while allowing just one run. Senior right-hander Jimmy Swad came on in relief and shut the door on the Tigers’ offense, pitching three innings and allowing just one earned run.

The Georgetown baseball team is back in action this weekend, with a three-game series against Ohio State (14-6) in Columbus, Ohio.

softball

Ewing's 1st Year Disappoints GUStruggles at Charleston Invite Matt Sachs

I

n Head Coach Patrick Ewing’s (CAS ’85) first season coaching the program that he led to its only national championship in 1984, the Hoyas did not rise to the spotlight brought upon them by their Hall of Fame coach. Though the Georgetown men’s basketball team improved to a 15-15 overall record from last year’s 14-18 record, the team went 5-13 in the Big East for the second consecutive season.

With no head coaching experience and the loss of top recruit Tremont Waters to Louisiana State University in June, Ewing strayed away from tough competition in the first half of the season before Big East play. He pulled his squad out of the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational in August, which featured Duke, North Carolina and Michigan State.

Rather, Ewing pieced together a preseason schedule of matchups against Jacksonville, Maryland East Shore, North Texas, Alabama A&M and other small-conference schools. Georgetown’s strength of schedule ranked among the weakest in NCAA Division I, according to KenPom.com, a college basketball statistical archive.

With this cake-walk schedule, the Hoyas rolled to a 10-1 start.

They nearly went undefeated before Big East play, except for their collapse against rival Syracuse in December.

The low-pressure matchups ben-

efited the Hoyas’ freshmen, allowing freshman forward Jamorko Pickett to emerge as a serious offensive threat. Pickett scored in double figures in 14 games and made 36 percent of his three-pointers to become a leading scorer down the stretch for the Hoyas.

The drawback of the weak competition was its failure to prepare the Hoyas for their conference foes.

Starting Dec. 27 against Butler, Georgetown dropped 14 of their next 19 games.

Georgetown’s wake-up call began with its heart-breaking loss to Butler, when it squandered a 12-point lead with 7:44 to go in regulation and eventually lost in double overtime 91-89.

Three games into conference play, Georgetown picked up its first Big East win against DePaul.

Junior center Jessie Govan and junior forward Marcus Derrickson combined for 49 of the Hoyas’ 90 points in the win against the Blue Demons, who eventually finished last in the Big East.

Govan and Derrickson led the way for the Hoyas throughout the season. Derrickson averaged 15.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game to make the All-Big East Second Team. Govan averaged a double-double for the season, with 17.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

Yet the DePaul win did not spark the Hoyas when they returned home, as they were dominated by Creighton 90-66. However, Georgetown’s only blowouts came in this contest and in its Jan. 17 loss to Villanova, which was Georgetown’s worst loss since 1974.

Georgetown’s season was a story of close losses; the team held the lead late in its losses to tournament-qualifying Syracuse, Butler, Xavier and Providence.

In the matchup against Xavier,

ranked sixth nationally at the time, Georgetown held a four-point lead with 38 seconds remaining. Yet the squad allowed a game-tying, fourpoint play to Xavier guard Trevon Bluiett and fell 96-91 in overtime.

The Hoyas finally got on the right side of a tight affair against Seton Hall on Feb. 10. Derrickson, also the hero in the Jan. 20 doubleovertime win against St. John’s, hit a three pointer with 4.5 seconds left to seal the win for the Blue and Grey.

Following this momentum, Georgetown played possibly its best game of the season, upsetting Butler 87-83 in Indiana. Derrickson’s career-high 27 points led the way for Georgetown, who at this point sat with a 15-10 record and hopes of finishing the season strong, leading into the Big East tournament.

However, as in the 2016-17 season, Georgetown faltered down the stretch. The Hoyas dropped their last five games, finishing with a loss in the opening round of the Big East Tournament to St. John’s for the second consecutive year.

While trying to make the slowmoving Georgetown offense faster and more professional, Ewing’s squad struggled to take care of the ball, committing 15 turnovers per game. On defense, the Hoyas allowed 76.5 points per game, placing them 279th out of the 351 Division I teams.

Nevertheless, with year one of the Ewing experiment over, the Hoyas made more progress than preseason critics expected. Progress, however, in a program with a history of success, will never be good enough for Ewing — or Georgetown, for that matter. matt sachs is a sophomore in the

College.

gueinah blaise Special to The Hoya

A 1-3 display at the Charleston Invitational in Charleston, S.C., is not how the softball team hoped to finish its nonconference schedule last weekend. Georgetown (7-20) lost 10-2 to East Illinois (208) and 2-0 and 4-0 to Jacksonville State (11-14). Toward the end of three-day weekend, the Hoyas pulled out a narrow 1-0 victory against Texas (13-13) to avoid a third shutout.

In each of the three losses last weekend, Georgetown had at least seven hits. The team had three errors against Eastern Illinois and one during the first game against Jacksonville. By the second Jacksonville game, the team had no errors, while Jacksonville had one.

Still, the difference in the game was Jacksonville’s ability to capitalize on their opportunities with runners in scoring position and Georgetown’s inability to do the same.

Head Coach Pat Conlan said that the Hoyas might be better than what their record signals, but they need to bat more efficiently to have something to show for their otherwise solid play.

“We played good defense, we hit the ball well, we just couldn’t score a run,” Conlan said. “Sometimes I have to look at the record with a different set of glasses and say, this is where we probably should be if we can do a few of these little things.”

Despite the string of losses, the team is hitting and catching better than it was at the start of the season. Conlan noted the team notched several hits over the weekend but struggled to convert them into runs.

“We’re hitting the ball. We're

GUHOYAS

Sophomore catcher Sera Stevens has started 20 of the team's 22 games this season, batting .240 with three runs batted in. just leaving a lot of people on base,” Conlan said. “This weekend we averaged, like, leaving eight people on base, so we need to find a way to get those eight people, across the whole plate.”

Those weaknesses aside, Conlan is optimistic heading into the conference tournaments, claiming the nerves and pressure that once plagued the new players are gone. Conlan has seen her players improve in many facets of their game.

“We talk a lot about being more intentional about some of the things that we need to do,” Conlan said. “I don’t look at our record as an indication of where we are.

We've played a lot of good games in that mix and if not come out on top. Even this past weekend, we lost a couple games where we threw very well.”

The few months of experience helped the new players on the

team settle into a routine and learn to balance life on and off the field. Conlan thinks this balance has helped decrease the pressure they put on themselves and by extension, improved their play on the field.

Looking toward the conference games, Conlan hopes to build on all the experiences the team has gained during the first half of the season. Having faced a grueling non-conference schedule, she is not frustrated by the team’s 7-20 record.

“At this point is it, is it a matter of just being patient and sticking with it,” she said. “Right now, our record is zero and zero. … The conference is really where our focus needs to be. So what’s happened in the past is certainly a great place to learn and I think we saw a lot of good things. We saw a lot of things we needed to work on but it's a new season for us.”

SPORTS

friday, march 23, 2018

THE HOYA

A11

Helmet to helmet

Track & Field

Spring Stats Provide More Player Insight CHRISTOVICH, from A12

go in the playoffs. Even so, only five of eight teams in the 2010 postseason had spring training records over .500, so the correlation was far from decisive.

Spring training records can go either way. A much more useful analysis of spring training would be an examination of the performance of each individual player, rather than the team as a whole.

Take Yankees slugger and 2017 American League Rookie of the Year Aaron Judge: In 63 spring training at-bats in 2017, Judge had an impressive slash line of .333/.391/.540. His 2017 regular season slash-line, which contributed to his Rookie of the Year award, was .284/.422/.627, with the lower batting average a result of his midseason slump.

From a statistical standpoint, Judge’s spring training stats may have implied success in the 2017

season. Other spring training indicators that may not appear in statistics include an increase in confidence or adjustments to swing, both of which Judge exhibited in 2017 spring training.

A much more useful analysis of spring training would be an examination of the performance of each individual player.

Another advantage of examining players as individuals is testing not only young players such as Judge, but also older veterans who may be recovering from injury or might not have the commanding talents of their younger years.

During this spring training, the

Texas Rangers gave 12 and 2/3 innings to test-drive starting pitcher and veteran-of-all-veterans, 44-yearold Bartolo Colon. His 4.26 spring training ERA lines up fairly well with his 4.04 lifetime ERA, indicating Colon has still got it. In this way, spring training confirmed Colon should be ready to go for yet another season.

Even examining individual players, however, must be taken with a grain of salt. For example, in spring training, pitchers often experiment with new pitches or adjustments to their windups and run the risk of getting knocked around in a way they wouldn’t necessarily during the regular season.

San Jose Mercury News writer Kerry Crowley detailed how San Francisco Giants pitchers like Jeff Samardzija are experimenting with a new curveball. Whether these alterations make it to the regular season remains to be

seen — Samardzija’s ERA after 11 spring training innings is currently 10.64, so he probably will not take his experiments to the regular season. Samardzija’s career ERA is currently 4.10, with a 2017 ERA of 4.42; his spring training performance is therefore not the most accurate indicator of pitching abilities both because of his experiment and his low number of innings pitched, which skews his spring training stats. Samardzija will be the Giants’ third starter despite his spring training blunders.

Clearly, while spring training can yield some interesting observations, there are an incredible number of factors to consider when evaluating spring training performance.

Amanda Christovich is a junior in the McDonough School of Business.

HELMET to HELMET appears every other Friday.

men’s lacrosse

GUHOYAS

Graduate student middle-distance runner Amos Bartelsmeyer qualified for the NCAA Championships during the indoor season this winter.

Local Meet Prepares Teams for Spring Outdoor Season MARYLAND, from A12

For the Hoya men, freshman Josiah Laney came in 17th in the 200m dash with a time of 24.12; graduate student Sean Waterton came in 23rd with a time of 24.54.

Waterton also placed fourth in long jump with a distance of 6.21m.

In the men’s 400m dash sophomore Quincey Wilson finished seventh in 50.37, freshman Nate Alleyne finished 12th in 51.35, freshman Denzell Brown finished 21st in 53.66 and sophomore Dylan Fine finished 25th in 54.90.

The 800m race featured freshman Lawrence Leake in 14th place with a time of 2:06.78 and freshman Kino Cheltenham in 18th place with a time of 2:10.26.

In the 1500m race, Fine came in 12th in 4:07.36, junior Henry Smithers came in 16th in 4:09.11 and sophomore Dylan Scarsone came in 17th in 4:12.81.

Graduate student Bryan Bjerk secured second place in shot put with a throw of

47.41m.

In terms of broader goals for the new season, Culley revealed the lofty expectations she had for her teams this spring.

“The goal for outdoor track is to qualify as many athletes to the NCAA Regional and NCAA National Championships in addition to placing as high as we can as a team at the Big East Championships,” Culley said.

When Georgetown’s men’s and women’s track teams return to competition March 30 to 31, they will divide between the Stanford Relays, Florida Relays and Raleigh Relays.

“Stanford, Florida and Raleigh serves as a big weekend for our team to hit as many NCAA Regional standards as possible,” Culley said. “We split the team three ways to maximize our opportunity and to try and put our athletes in the best position to qualify early on for the regional championships. We are looking forward to seeing how many athletes are able to do just that.”

Despite Loss, 3 Hoyas Win Weekly Honors HOBART, from A12

times against Drexel (3-4).

Bucaro collected a goal and two assists against the Dragons. Junior midfielder Lucas Wittenberg also managed to score twice. In addition, senior midfielders Craig Berge, Greg Galligan and junior attack Robert Clark also got on the board with one goal each.

Following his performance on Saturday, Bucaro has scored 80 career goals — putting him in the top 10 in program history. His 35 points this year alone lead the team and have placed him at 17th all-time on the Hilltop. Only a junior, Bucaro has plenty of time to continue to climb the leaderboards and into Georgetown lacrosse history.

In the goal, Marrocco struggled against Drexel after gathering 12 saves and his sixth win of the year against Hobart. He notched only five saves while allowing 15 goals in the loss to the Dragons.

Against Hobart, Galligan led a stifling Georgetown defense with a game-high three forced turnovers, while Marrocco, senior defensemen Connor Moran and Alex Robinson each forced two.

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plagued the Hoyas in the second half, while the Dragons made four straight goals to place the game firmly out of reach.

The Hoyas were scheduled to host No. 9 Loyola Maryland

(5-2, 3-0 Patriot League) on Cooper Field on Wednesday, though the game has been postponed to April 10 because of inclement weather. Next up for Georgetown is the Big East opener at Marquette (3-3) Saturday.

AMANDA VAN ORDEN FOR THE HOYA

Junior attack Daniel Bucaro leads the Hoyas with 13 assists and is second on the team with 22 goals this season. Bucaro was named to the All-Big East First Team after the 2017 season.

Women’s Basketball

White’s 33 Not Enough to Advance GU WNIT, from A12

SUDOKU

The Hoyas’ defense faltered against Drexel, though. After leading 3-1, Georgetown’s defense allowed seven goals in the second quarter to trail 9-5 at the half. Two separate 10-minute scoring droughts

this final possession as the play that may have changed the result, Howard saw the outcome as a culmination of key plays made in crunch time.

“They hit key shots at key times; that putback with about one or two seconds left on the shot clock was huge

and was one thing we talked about, that right now, everyone has to crash the boards; you have to play through the clock,” Howard said. “You got to be very disciplined in your defense, so it was crucial moments down the stretch that they hit key shots.”

White’s determination in the fourth quarter stood out,

as she relentlessly attacked the basket and notched 12 points.

White posted 33 points and 11 rebounds in the contest and kept her team in the game throughout. Petke’s play also helped ignite the Hoyas offensively and defensively, as she capped off her senior season with 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Although it was a disappointing loss to end its season, Georgetown was able to advance further in the postseason than it had in almost a decade and secured wins against perennial Big East powers DePaul and Marquette in conference play. This result allows for optimism for Howard’s second season next fall.

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GUHOYAS

Senior forward Cynthia Petke capped her final season with a 24-point, 10-rebound performance in Monday’s loss. Petke was the only Hoya to start all 32 games this season, averaging 14.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game for Georgetown.

Sports

Men’s Tennis Georgetown (3-4) vs. Marquette (9-4) Friday, 11:00 a.m.

Yates Field House

friday, March 23, 2018

The Georgetown baseball team split its four-game series with Princeton last weekend at Shirley Povich Field.

See A10

Men’s Lacrosse

No. 16 GU Falls To Drexel in 1st Loss of Season Danny McCooey Hoya Staff Writer

Following a 12-9 victory over Hobart and William Smith on March 10, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team lost its first game of the year Saturday.

The squad fell 15-10 to the Drexel Dragons on the road in Philadelphia.

The loss drops the Hoyas to a record of 6-1. The team was off to its best start since 2003, entering the game in Philadelphia ranked No. 11 in the nation and as just one of three remaining unbeaten D1 teams. However, the loss dropped the Hoyas to No. 16 in the national rankings.

Although the winning streak

has ended, three Georgetown players made headlines this week, awarded Big East Weekly Honors. Sophomore attack Jake Carraway was named Big East Attack Player of the Week, senior goalie Nick Marrocco was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week and freshman defenseman Gibson Smith was awarded Freshman of the Week.

Carraway and junior attack Daniel Bucaro continued to lead the charge for the Blue and Gray on offense. Carraway has scored 10 points over the past two games. On Saturday, he found the back of the net four See HOBART, A11

Amanda Van Orden For the hoya

Senior midfielder Craig Berge has scored eight goals and tallied 11 assists for the Hoyas this season, good for third in each category.

NUMBERS GAME

talkING POINTS

BASEBALL

“

We played good defense, we hit the ball well, we just couldn’t score a run.

HEAD COACH PAT CONLAN

7

The number of top-10 finishes Georgetown men’s and women’s track secured last weekend in Maryland.

Women’s BasketBall

Narrow Defeat Ends Season for Hoyas Brendan Dolan Hoya Staff Writer

After securing a doubledigit victory against Delaware in the opening round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament, the Georgetown women’s basketball team found itself in a position it had not been in since 2009: the second round of the WNIT. The Duquesne Dukes, who finished the regular season with a 24-7 record, were next on the docket and were set to provide another serious test for the Hoyas. However, as they have done repeatedly throughout the season, the Hoyas did not back down from the challenge. Yet after battling with the Dukes for four quarters, they ultimately fell 69-66.

Georgetown (16-16, 9-9 Big East) came out of the gate strong and held a five-point lead after the opening 10 minutes. The start was largely because of the play of junior guard Dionna White, who posted 11 of the team’s 20 points in the first quarter.

Yet it was during the second period that Duquesne (25-7, 13-3 Atlantic 10) managed to take control, as it significantly outshot Georgetown from the field, leading by as many as 11 points before heading into the locker room up by five.

At the beginning of the second half, the game was shaping into a more closely contested matchup, as the two teams went back and forth throughout the third, both desperately trying to pull away. Georgetown continued to chip away at Duquesne’s

Amanda Van Orden For the Hoya

Junior guard Dionna White scored 33 points while grabbing 11 rebounds in Georgetown’s 69-66 loss to Duquesne in the second round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament last Monday. lead and found itself up two nearly halfway through the third after senior forward Cynthia Petke buried a three.

The Dukes, however, gathered themselves quickly after this sudden change in momentum and recaptured their lead after a 9-3 run to end the quarter.

The final 10 minutes played out similarly to the third quarter, as Georgetown kept applying pressure only to have Duquesne answer with timely buckets. The Hoyas continued to play with the Dueks during this final peri-

od, continuing to fight down to the last possession.

Down three, the Hoyas found themselves with the ball inbounding with just four seconds remaining. After White was unable to get a shot off against the Duquesne defense, she found Petke in the corner for a chance to tie.

Petke’s three and the Hoyas’ efforts ultimately fell short, after it appeared the shot may have been partially blocked on its way to the rim.

Head Coach James Howard talked about the final play and how it was drawn up in

the huddle.

“It was for Dionna, but they switched it, and then [Petke] was the next one, so we were trying to set a double screen for Dionna to come across and try to get that look there, and [Petke] was the next option coming off,” Howard said.

“We knew that you would try to just to get Dionna or [Petke] a look at the basket, and if they slipped up then [freshman forward Tatiana Thompson] was on the floor.”

While some might isolate See WNIT, A11

Helmet to helmet

Track & Field

Amanda Christovich

Look Beyond Spring Training Team Stats

GUHOYAS

Senior Jody-Ann Knight came in second place in the 400 meter dash with a time of 57.93 last weekend at the Maryland Invitational in College Park, Md. The meet opened the outdoor season for Georgetown, as seven Hoyas claimed top-10 finishes.

Outdoor Season Begins With Top Finishes Madeline Cusick Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown men’s and women’s track teams claimed seven top-10 finishes as they began the outdoor season March 17 at the Maryland Invitational in College Park, Md., despite featuring only a limited selection of team members.

Director of Track and Field

Julie Culley felt the local meet served as good preparation for the season to come.

“The University of Maryland meet is a very early season meet and it’s a great opportunity for our shorter distance and field event athletes to have a local opener to kick-off the outdoor season,” Culley wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Many of our athletes trained through this

weekend to prepare for our full-team opening weekend on March 29-31.”

On the women’s side last weekend, graduate student Taylor Williams came in fifth overall in the 200 meter dash with a time of 25.71.

In the 400m dash, senior Jody-Ann Knight came in second place with a time of 57.93.

Freshman Shannon Meisberger

followed half a second behind to claim third place with a time of 58.46. Freshman Bryann Sandy came in 27th with a time of 1:05.97.

Freshman Malika Houston earned second place in the 100m hurdles with a time of 15.04 and 13th in the long jump with a distance of 5.16m.

See MARYLAND, A11

Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports

Quick! What was the spring training record of the 2017 World Series Champions, the Houston Astros? Who had the best spring training record last season?

If these two questions have adequately stumped you, whether you are a casual or rabid baseball fan, you are not alone.

Evaluating spring training performance certainly has its merits and can provide some information to teams, fans and sports media alike. Still, team records in spring training are useless for anticipating the results of the regular season.

A team’s record during spring training means absolutely nothing. The overall wins and losses of teams rarely reflect their full potential for a variety of reasons: Day-to-day lineups vary hugely; starters do not play full games and sometimes do not even travel with their teams to away games; minor league players practice with the big-league club to see whether they are ready for the major league level; games can end in a tie.

To answer my opening question: The 2017 Houston Astros spring training team went exactly .500, with 15 wins, 15 losses and three tie games. The New York Yankees dominated in the 2017 standings, with a first-place record of 24-9.

While they went further than expected in the playoffs in October — losing in the American League Championship Series to the Astros

— their dominant record in spring training certainly did not translate to a spot in the World Series.

In fact, the Los Angeles Dodgers went one game over .500 with a total record of 18-17. Therefore, both teams in the 2017 World Series — the Astros and the Dodgers — had either exactly or just above .500 spring training records.

A team’s record during spring training means absolutely nothing. Teams’ wins and losses rarely reflect their full potential.

In fact, the only thing spring training records could potentially indicate is which part of the field a team will fall into — in either last place or the playoffs, according to a 2011 study published in Bleacher Report by a contributor to the website, Sam Fetchero.

Fetchero found teams with a record .500 or over after spring training had a good shot of making the playoffs, which proved to be true last season. However, he found no indication that, once they reached .500, spring training records had any effect on how far a team could See CHRISTOVICH, A11