GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 96, No. 32, © 2015
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
LIVING WELL
Explore the different facets of body image and healthy living on a stressful university campus.
COMMENTARY “Exposure: Redefined” offers a look at an often invisible minority.
HOYA HOMECOMING Jabril Trawick returns to Philadelphia in a matchup against Villanova.
OPINION, A3
SPORTS, A10
TABLOID
DC Records Budget Surplus Emily Tu
Special to The Hoya
The District of Columbia ended the fiscal year with a budget surplus for the fourth consecutive time, revealing excess revenue of $203 million that sparked debates over potential uses for the money. The 2014 surplus brought the balance of the general fund — where the excess revenues are stored — to a record of $1.87 billion. This year’s surplus was slightly smaller than that of previous years. The D.C. budget had a surplus of $321 million in fiscal year 2013 and $417 million in FY 2012.
“The District’s finances are among the strongest of any jurisdiction in the nation.” MURIEL BOWSER D.C. Mayor
The Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, an annual report of the District’s financial affairs released Jan. 28, outlined the city’s financial situation as of Sept. 30, the end of FY 2014. A private, independent auditing firm compiles the report. Mayor Muriel Bowser said in the report that the District’s financial strength will allow the city to invest in important services for D.C. residents. “The District’s finances are among the strongest of any jurisdiction in the nation, and the strongest they have been in our history,” Bowser wrote in a statement. “Our growing prosperity will allow us to ensure financial stability in the years to See SURPLUS, A7
10 Years On, SFS-Q Pushes Boundaries Kshithij Shrinath
Adhering to St. Ignatius of Loyola’s commandment to “Go, set the world on fire,” Georgetown University expanded beyond Founding & autonomy American borders in Established in Au2005 to establish the gust 2005, SFS-Q repSchool of Foreign Serresents a partnership vice in Doha, Qatar, between Georgetown which celebrated its University and the Qa10th anniversary this tar Foundation for Edpast week. ucation, Science and “This milestone reCommunity Developflects the strength ment, a nonprofit orof our partnerships ganization aiming to here in Qatar and the increase the country’s strong ties that exist foreign exposure and between our campuses develop the skills of its in Washington, D.C., native population. and Education City,” Qatar Foundation University President approached GeorgeJohn J. DeGioia said town with a proposal in a statement. “What in 2002 to open a new we have achieved here school fully funded by over the past 10 years the foundation. demonstrates the possi“The need for sound bilities of engagement, policy and diplomacy, of partnership and our forged from opencontinuing call, as a ness and wisdom, is university community, evident. In this regard, to seek, through knowlGeorgetown was our edge and understandbest choice to assist in ing, the betterment of developing the potenour world.” tial of the diplomats To mark the occaof the future,” Qatar sion, the school hosted Foundation Chair COURTESY GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY a landmark conference Sheikha Moza Bint examining power dy- Clockwise from top: A panel of dignitaries from Qatar Foundation and Georgetown Nasser al-Missned said namics in institutions University; University President John J. DeGioia; the 10th anniversary gala in Doha. in a university statethroughout history feament in 2005. turing scholars and academics from around a campus to exist, the school had advanced After three years of deliberate negotiation, the world, including DeGioia and SFS Inter- considerably in faculty quality and research the university announced the opening of the im Dean James Reardon-Anderson, the for- output over its brief branch campus in May 2005. mer SFS-Q dean. history, providing a foundation upon “The enthusiasm the entire Georgetown comAt its founding in 2005, the school fea- which to offer a Bachelor of Science in For- munity has shown for this project assures that tured an inaugural class of 25 students. It eign Service program at the same quality as we will be successful in delivering our part, and has since graduated 212 alumni and current- on the D.C. campus. the strong response of prospective students and ly has 260 undergraduates. “You need the whole atmosphere, the supporters in Qatar and throughout the region SFS-Q Dean Gerd Nonneman said that values, the kind of faculty [and] research See QATAR, A6 while 10 years was not particularly long for strength. … Our focus after the initial start-
6 Tickets Crowd This Year’s GUSA Field Katherine Richardson Hoya Staff Writer
The 2015 Georgetown University Student Association executive race began at the stroke of midnight yesterday, as five campaigns vied for advertising space in Red Square at the start of the official campaign period. A sixth was not present at the campaign starting line, but has nonetheless tossed its hat in the ring, making this year’s race the most crowded since 2012.
ing years [has been] to make sure that is exactly the kind of quality we’ve got, and I think I can say that now we’ve got it,” Nonneman told The Hoya.
Hoya Staff Writer
The presidential and vice presidential tickets consist of Joe Luther (COL ’16) and Connor Rohan (COL ’16), Sara Margolis (COL ’16) and Ryan Shymansky (COL ’16), Abbey McNaughton (COL ’16) and Will Simons (COL ’16), Tim Rosenberger (COL ’16) and Reno Varghese (SFS ’16), Mike Minahan (COL ’16) and Stephen Paduano (COL ’16), and Chris Wadibia (COL ’16) and See CAMPAIGNS, A7
GU Ranks Low in Sexual Health Patricja Okuniewska Special to The Hoya
Georgetown ranked 93 out of 140 college campuses on Trojan Brand Condoms’ 2014 Sexual Health Report Card and was the highest ranked Catholic university on the list. It was placed above Boston College and the University of Notre Dame, which ranked 108 and 127, respectively. The report card, which comes out annually, ranked Georgetown 103 in 2011, 95 in 2012 and 96 in 2013. Trojan commissioned the research to Sperling’s BestPlaces, an independent research company located in Portland, Ore. Its findings were released Oct. 20 and evaluated the sexual health information and resources available on college campuses nationwide. Student health centers were scored based on 11 categories:
ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
A survey of 140 college campuses put Georgetown at 93, based on 11 criteria governing sexual health and awareness. hours of operation, allowance of drop-ins, quality and accessibility of the student health website, contraceptive availability, condom availability, HIV testing, sexually
transmitted infections testing, lecture and outreach programs and peer groups, sexual assault resources and services, overall webSee SURVEY, A6
FEATURED NEWS Q&A: Gerd Nonneman
NEWS Six and Six
This year’s executive race features an equal mix of GUSA insiders and outsiders. A5
Opinion Editorial ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA
Five of the six tickets gathered in Red Square to hang campaign posters as the 2015 GUSA executive race commenced Thursday at midnight. Newsroom: (202) 687-3415 Business: (202) 687-3947
Mayor Bowser should employ D.C.’s surplus for noble pursuits — like education. A2 Published Tuesdays and Fridays Published Tuesdays and Fridays
The SFS-Qatar dean covers the school’s relationship with the Qatari regime. thehoya.com
Sports 117 Wins and Counting
Softball is poised for another successful season after its best finish last year. A10
MULTIMEDIA Testimonial
Students expound upon body image, with a focus on Georgetown’s fitness culture. thehoya.com
Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com
A2
OPINION
THE HOYA
Friday, February 6, 2015
THE VERDICT
C EDITORIALS Spend DC Surplus Wisely C C Founded January 14, 1920
Nearly a month into her first term, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser faces an important challenge regarding her administration’s priorities. The District reported a $204 million surplus this past fiscal year, giving Bowser a chance to alter the city’s budget moving forward. Due to an expected spending shortfall of more than $80 million in the mayor’s budget this year, members of the D.C. Council urged against dipping into the surplus to cover potential shortfalls. But while financial issues confront Bowser, she should not forget the priorities she laid out during her mayoral campaign. Education, especially early childhood education and the improvement of middle schools, was one of Bowser’s primary priorities. As a councilmember, Bowser continually emphasized that every child in every neighborhood should have a quality middle school to attend — an ambitious plan that many have deemed unrealistic, saying Bowser does not have any
specifics regarding execution. However, this year’s above-average surplus may enable the mayor to plan ahead in terms of implementing improvements to the District’s education. While the District’s high schools rank in the upper echelon compared to other U.S. states, Bowser rightfully pointed to the chronic issues with Washington, D.C.’s K-8 public schools as a major problem facing the city. Although a budget surplus is not the only necessary ingredient in improving a city’s public school system, it will allow Bowser to begin addressing the District’s urgent problem. D.C. has struggled in the past to maintain its public education system, often citing a lack of funds for cutting special needs and community outreach programs. It is up to Mayor Bowser to use the opportunity afforded by such a surplus to ensure that the future of the D.C. public school system remains stable for the foreseeable future.
Dartmouth College President Philip Hanlon announced a campus-wide ban on hard liquor as one of the first steps in a plan to combat “high-risk drinking, sexual assault and lack of inclusivity” at the New Hampshire school, this past Thursday, Jan. 29. While these are undeniably admirable goals, the methods that Dartmouth’s administration is employing are questionable at best. The liquor ban, effective March 30, will apply to all students on campus, regardless of whether they meet the legal drinking age. Dartmouth College is not alone in facing alcohol-related sexual assault, hazing and hospitalizations. Such an issue is pertinent on any college campus. Dartmouth is not the first university to attempt such a ban; Colby College and Bates College, for example, have imposed new rules that ban hard liquor at certain university functions and events but have been ineffective in lowering alcohol-related student hospitalizations nevertheless. The same atmosphere exists on the Hilltop. Any student on campus is likely to recall a friend being transported to the hospital by GERMS on a weekend night. Thus, given the ease with which underage college students
acquire alcohol, not just in Hanover but on most collegiate campuses nationwide, there is no reason to believe Dartmouth’s attempt will be any more successful than its predecessors’. However, The Moving Dartmouth Forward Presidential Steering Committee, a group of faculty, staff and alumni convened to analyze the current situation involving student consumption of alcohol and determine a course of action, seem to disagree. This initial restriction is not Hanlon and his committee’s only expected social and academic reform. In his speech last week, Hanlon also announced that Greek life on Dartmouth’s campus would no longer be allowed to conduct a pledge process for new members, and other changes will likely be announced in the near future. How effective these additional changes will be in combating the underlying high-risk drinking culture remains to be seen. Although President Hanlon has his school’s and his students’ best interests at heart, it appears doubtful that banning hard liquor on campus will be an effective tool to combat the hazardous aspects to social life on campus.
A first trip to the Cawley Career Education Center can be a terrifying experience. Crammed in an on-campus interview workshop or information session with a popular employer, attended by what seems like the entire university, it is easy to feel out of place and disenchanted with the university’s corporate-driven culture. In most other aspects of student life, Georgetown prides itself on taking a holistic approach to our education. Yet in preparing us for our lives beyond the Hilltop, the university’s approach is woefully inadequate. The career center does not highlight our varied strengths, but instead forces us into a generic framework dominated by workshops and networking events hosted through high-profile consulting and finance firms like Deloitte and Ernst & Young. The unfortunate reality is that with over 7,000 students to serve, the Cawley Career Education Center is spread too thin. Walkin appointments are nearly impossible to come by despite emails that encourage
students to do so, and it can be difficult to develop any kind of a meaningful relationship with a person who is simultaneously trying to juggle the career aspirations of an untold number of other students. A career center that reflects the diversity of academic and co-curricular interests of this student body, not simply those students that go into the most lucrative jobs, could take many forms. The four schools could expand upon initiatives like the new MSB-only career center that opened last semester and work in collaboration with the Cawley Center to develop more in-depth profiles of the variety of careers pursued by students in each school, drawing on the unique expertise of each school’s professors, senior leadership and alumni network. No student should feel that his or her interests are quite literally undervalued compared to others’ interests. Georgetown would be well served to have a center that takes an approach to career education more in line with the university’s values.
Maycomb’s Return — Harper Lee, author of the famous novel “To Kill A Mockingbird,” has announced she will release her second novel this summer. Vegan Ladies — Beyoncé has announced the launch of her own 22-day vegan delivery service, which she hopes will help her costumers get in the habit of eating flawlessly. A Streetcar Named Disaster — The D.C. Council has announced plans to heavily restrict its up-and-coming street car system amid budget concerns.
EDITORIAL CARTOON by Michelle Xu
Dartmouth’s Hard Ban
This week on
Be sure to check Chatter, The Hoya’s online opinion section, throughout the week for additional opinion pieces. Duy Mai (SFS ’18) reflects on the beauty of numbers and mathematic equations: In every math problem exists a trait, a piece of history or a background story, that separates the problem from pure logics and numbers. It appeals more to our pathos and emotions and gives meaning beyond mathematics...Math is as human as it gets. Just as art does not have to make sense, sometimes you do not need to fully understand the logics behind math problems to appreciate the beauty of the craft.”
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Career-a Personalis
Carolyn Maguire, Executive Editor Alexander Brown, Managing Editor Jess Kelham-Hohler, Online Editor Katherine Richardson, Campus News Editor Kshithij Shrinath, City News Editor Kara Avanceña, Sports Editor Hannah Kaufman, Guide Editor Jinwoo Chong, Opinion Editor Daniel Smith, Photography Editor Shannon Hou, Layout Editor Zack Saravay, Copy Chief Emily Min, Blog Editor Molly Simio, Multimedia Editor
Editorial Board
Jinwoo Chong, Chair
Madison Ashley, Kit Clemente, Francisco Collantes, Johnny Verhovek
[ CHATTER ]
Zoe Dobkin (SFS ’16) examines how H*yas For Choice is a significant participant in the dialogue of pro-life: topic of conversation may not be in line with a certain A type of opinion, may not sanctioned by the university, and therefore may be controversial and antagonistic. But this does not mean the topic of conversation is not relevant.”
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thehoya.com/chatter
Corrections A previous version of “Meeting Reveals Potential GUSA Candidates” (The Hoya, A5, Feb. 3) incorrectly stated that the election will take place a week later than usual. It will take place a week earlier than usual. Additionally, it also omitted Ryan Shymansky (COL ’16) from the list of attendees who were involved in GUSA. He currently serves as the co-director of the SAO. The article also stated that Chris Wadibia (COL ’16) and Meredith Cheney (COL ’16) were not present at the Jan. 28 meeting. Cheney was in fact present and, along with Wadibia, is a candidate for the 2015 GUSA executive race. A previous version of “Katrina Coogan, Ahmed Bile Shine in 1-Mile Events at Penn State Relays” (The Hoya, A10, Feb. 3) incorrectly stated that Ahmed Bile focused on the 1600m prior to earning his sub-four-minute mile record. He focuses on the 1000m. A previous version of “SFS Tops Foreign Policy Rankings” (The Hoya, A1, Feb. 3) mis-characterized the ranking for the graduate school as highlighting only the MSFS program. The Foreign Policy ranking recognizes all eight international affairs master’s degree programs within the SFS.
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Brian Carden, General Manager
Toby Hung Deputy Campus News Editor Andrew Wallender Deputy Campus News Editor Kristen Fedor Deputy City News Editor Elizabeth Cavacos Deputy Sports Editor Tyler Park Deputy Sports Editor Andrew May Sports Blog Editor Michael Fiedorowicz Deputy Guide Editor Gianna Pisano Deputy Guide Edtior Daniel Almeida Deputy Opinion Editor Parth Shah Deputy Opinion Editor Sarah Kim Opinion Blog Editor Isabel Binamira Deputy Photography Editor Dan Gannon Deputy Photography Editor Julia Hennrikus Deputy Photography Editor Cleo Fan Deputy Layout Editor Elana Richmond Deputy Layout Editor Matthew Trunko Deputy Layout Editor Katherine Cienkus Deputy Copy Editor Becca Saltzman Deputy Copy Editor Gabi Hasson Deputy Copy Editor Reza Baghaee Deputy Multimedia Editor
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Contributing Editors & Consultants
Sam Abrams, Katy Berk, Zoe Bertrand, Kim Bussing, David Chardack, Nick DeLessio, Robert DePaolo, Ben Germano, TM Gibbons-Neff, Michal Grabias, Chris Grivas, Allie Hillsbery, Emma Hinchliffe, Emma Holland, Penny Hung, Nicole Jarvis, Sheena Karkal, Hanaa Khadraoui, Natasha Khan, Lindsay Lee, Charlie Lowe, Hunter Main, Jackie McCadden, Suzanne Monyak, KP Pielmeier, Eitan Sayag, Katherine Seder, Sharanya Sriram, Sean Sullivan, Natasha Thomson, Kevin Tian, Laura Wagner, Emory Wellman, Christina Wing, Michelle Xu, Janet Zhu
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Brian Carden, David Chardack, Lindsay Lee, Mallika Sen, Zach Singer, Laura Wagner Letter to the Editor & Viewpoint Policies The Hoya welcomes letters and viewpoints from our readers and will print as many as possible. To be eligible for publication, letters should specifically address a recent campus issue or Hoya story. Letters should not exceed 300 words. Viewpoints are always welcome from all members of the Georgetown community on any topic, but priority will be given to relevant campus issues. Viewpoint submissions should be between 600-800 words. Send all submissions to: opinion@thehoya.com. Letters and viewpoints are due Sunday at 5 p.m. for Tuesday’s issue and Wednesday at 5 p.m. for Friday’s issue. The Hoya reserves the right to reject letters or viewpoints and edit for length, style, clarity and accuracy. The Hoya further reserves the right to write headlines and select illustrations to accompany letters and viewpoints. Corrections & Clarifications If you have a comment or question about the fairness or accuracy of a story, contact Executive Editor Carolyn Maguire at (908) 447-1445 or email executive@thehoya.com. News Tips Campus News Editor Katherine Richardson: Call (310) 429-1440 or email campus@thehoya.com. City News Editor Kshithij Shrinath: Call (408) 444-1699 or email city@thehoya.com. Sports Editor Kara Avanceña: Call (510) 8613922 or email sports@thehoya.com. General Information The Hoya is published twice each week during the academic year with the exception of holiday and
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OPINION
FRIDAY, fEBRUARY 6, 2015
The Century Cap
THE HOYA
A3
VIEWPOINT • Peng
Exposing the Invisible Minority M Nikita Deshpande
Embrace Spices, Not Prescriptions U nlike the bland and insipid food of Leo’s, Indian food is seasoned, sauteed and garnished with a range of exotic spices. My mother’s pantry stocks a spectrum of fragrant masalas, herbs and natural powders that range from bright scarlet to carob brown. These spices play an integral role in our household; not only do they transform meals into flavorful masterpieces, but they also come in handy during the cold and flu season. When suffering from a stuffy nose, a sore throat or an irritatingly persistent cough, there isn’t much a doctor can do for you. Viruses go away at their leisure, and since health practitioners these days are hesitant to prescribe antibiotics with the rise of superbugs, you’ll end up at a CVS pharmacy looking through the stacks of cold medication, deciding whether to take Sudafed, Mucinex, Robitussin or all three. My doctor always gives me the same advice when I am sick — drink more fluids, rest and take over-the-counter medication. The assumption is that the pharmaceutical drugs will help control my everleaky nose and scratchy throat. However, none of my doctors ever encourage me to try natural remedies. This is rather unfortunate because traditional solutions are less harsh on the body, less expensive and equally if not more effective than the self-medicating route. There is a plethora of traditional homemade remedies that we can use to treat our maladies, yet tragically, not many physicians know about them. If they do, they are not prescribing them as often as they should. Today, doctors seem to serve a drug dispensing capacity in society rather than serving as an advice and knowledge resource. If you don’t believe me, try visiting your doctor the next time you come down with a virus. After peering at your throat, up your nose and in your eyes, your physician will probably give a sigh and an unenthusiastic “we’ll just have to let the virus run its course.” Going to the doctor for anything except a raging bacterial infection is useless because we are not given advice on how to deal with our illnesses. In fact, there are times when Google can act as a better doctor because at the very least it provides clear tips on managing symptoms. When was the last time your doctor prescribed you ginger, honey or holy basil remedies for your runny nose or barking cough? Did your physician ever advise you to use peppermint or lavender oil to relieve your throbbing migraines? Society has become so dependent on drugs to cure its ailments that it has turned a blind eye to traditional remedies that have worked for thousands of years and represent the combined wisdom of previous generations. My family uses many traditional Ayurvedic remedies — a system of natural healing that originates from India. These remedies employ the use of various spices and herbs, and they are stunningly effective in reducing the severity of illnesses. One spice that we frequently use is called turmeric. This mighty golden colored powder has antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It can additionally be used as an antiseptic if you run out of Betadine, and when it is eaten with honey or added to milk, it can help prevent and fight sickness. Another remedy that my grandmother has passed on is a medicinal tea we call “kadha”. This tea is made by steeping healing spices such as cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, black peppercorn, holy basil, ginger and saffron in water; it is great for easing nausea or curing sore throats. Though traditional remedies may not bring instant symptom relief, they are an excellent and potent alternative to the usual chemical concoctions that we feed our bodies when sick. Instead of depending on harsh over-the-counter solutions that can be addicting and have pernicious side effects, both doctors and patients should be more aware and accepting of natural panacea. Each culture has its own arsenal of traditional medication that has been passed down over generations; if doctors were to familiarize themselves with the robust range of natural treatment options, we would have a healthier, happier populace with greater trust in physicians’ capabilities. The next time you come down with a cold, I encourage you to be adventurous by exploring some natural remedies before turning to Nyquil.
Nikita Deshpande is a freshman in the College. The Century Cap appears every other Friday.
y first-ever role model was Mulan. She was cool, confident and kicked butt on the battlefield. She was also the only Asian face I had ever seen on TV . . . and she was a fictional character. As the years went on, I realized how virtually non-existent the Asian-American media presence was. Yes, we had a few Asian faces like Jackie Chan in typical kung fu movie roles, “Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle” and the yellow power ranger (by the way... seriously?). However, Asians never received the lead role, never won the girl’s heart and certainly never broke out of the stereotypical foreign perception. And Asian-American musicians? Before “Like A G6” by the Far East Movement debuted, you would be hard-pressed to find a mainstream artist of Asian descent. Asian-American leaders and politicians? Maybe they do exist, but as far as media goes, they may as well call themselves unicorns. Asian-American kids like me felt invisible; we had nobody who we could seriously relate to in the modern media. There was nobody who looked like us, to whom we could look up and who we could strive to become. When I arrived at Georgetown, I met a diverse group of people. This included classmates from all over the nation and the world with interests ranging from social justice to music to finance. I chatted with entrepreneurs, I sipped coffee with future policy leaders and I pulled all-nighters in Lau with aspiring doctors. Out of all the amazing people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting here, a considerable number of them have been Asian or AsianAmerican. And yet, the number of Asian Americans I’ve seen recognized for their efforts either through word-of-mouth, student publications, or even similar social media projects? Dispropor-
I started “Exposure: Redefined” because it’s easy to forget the invisible minority. It’s difficult to see the complexities and dynamics of being Asian American. tionately few. What I do hear and see are people wondering, “what those Asian clubs do,” “why are Asians so exclusive,” “is Asian glow a thing” and occasionally “what’s Holi, that looks fun!” Aside from that, an eerie silence persists concerning the diversity and accomplishments of Asian-Americans on campus. We generalize that Asian-Americans stick to themselves, that we’re brainiac, straight-A students who ruin the MSB curve and that we’re silent as a group on a variety of issues. We’re a flat, invisible and colorless minority who has it easy in life compared with other groups.
I would venture that we all have at least one Asian-American friend here. But how many times have you considered how being Asian-American has shaped their lives, their choices, or their stories? Do we inadvertently claim color-blindness and by doing so ignore the Asian American narrative? Additionally, how often do groups of different backgrounds and ethnicities on campus interact on a truly meaningful level? You might have a fairly diverse economics class, or maybe you glance around Leo’s and think to yourself how far America has come in terms of race relations. Looking closer, however, you will
VIEWPOINT • Maytnier & Goldsmith
see the Asians sitting with the Asians, the white kids with other white kids and the black kids with the black kids. Reflect upon your own friend group: How many friends do you have of a different background, whether that be social class, ethnicity or gender? We often segregate ourselves and surround ourselves with what is similar and familiar, because that’s easiest. However, by doing this, we miss out on the opportunity to learn and share the unique experiences our differing backgrounds have afforded us. I started “Exposure: Redefined” because I saw that there was a need for this kind of project. In times like these, where it’s so easy to claim that we live in a post-racial society, it’s easy to forget the invisible minority. After all, if you hardly see them on the big screen, the small screen or even in the school newspaper, it’s difficult to even see the complexities and dynamics of being Asian-American. I saw that my classmates, professors and friends had unique stories and viewpoints to offer — they simply needed a platform to share them to the public. “Exposure: Redefined” is a way to transcend the walls that we put up unconsciously every day; it recognizes and celebrates our differences, rather than choosing to ignore them. It starts a conversation on topics that we would sometimes rather not discuss, because they are perceived as awkward or unnecessary. Most of all, it finally puts the spotlight on Asian Americans, giving some of us the role models we’ve always wanted to relate to but never could due to their lack of mainstream representation. We don’t need more ninjas, tiger moms or Harajuku girls. We need our everyday Asian-American hero, and a great way to start is by looking around us.
Meredith Peng is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service.
EIGHTEEN WEEKS
SAC, Both a Resource To Georgetown’s Jesuit And Student Ally Character, With Love
W
hat is it like to be a member of the Student Activities Commission? In one word: frustrating. Too often, SAC is seen as an impediment — an extension of university bureaucracy — to student organizations. At its very core, however, SAC is first and foremost an ally and a resource for the over 100 student organizations it serves. The commission is made up entirely of students who are dedicated to campus programming and serving their peers and university. Individually, SAC commissioners serve as resources for their assigned organizations daily. Commissioners work alongside the presidents and treasurers, guiding them through the budgeting process and both SAC and university policies on an event-by-event basis. While every SAC group has a Center for Student Engagement adviser, they also have their SAC commissioner as a secondary resource. Although commissioners may not be able to answer every question, they can certainly identify how to get a question answered, whether through CSE or another campus department. Commissioners are resources, not obstacles. At a more macro level, SAC as a whole is also an ally for student groups. The commission actively works to create new ways of judiciously allocating its scarce resources while also seeking to reduce certain common financial burdens that student organizations face. SAC received approximately $320,000 for the 2014-2015 academic year. This semester alone, however, SAC fielded requests from student organizations that totaled over $350,000. The commission understands the nature of this frustrating situation and knows that it must work diligently to stretch its resources as far and as fairly as possible in the interest of effective student programming. The goal of SAC as a whole is to serve as an ally for student organizations on a broad level. Recently, the commission has noticed an increase in spending on GUPD by student groups. Under the current structure, organizations pay GUPD $46.50 per officer per hour, with a 4 hour minimum workday per
officer. Some high-profile events require upward of 4 officers, as determined by GUPD and the host venue. Consequently, SAC commonly fields requests of $372 to cover GUPD costs for an event, and occasionally sees requests as high as $1,116 for a single event. This semester, SAC organizations are anticipated to spend over $15,000 on GUPD alone. The commission sees this as a call to action. In the interest of serving as an ally for student organizations, SAC is intent on working with GUPD and campus venues to craft a solution that will diminish this financial obstacle. As it stands this semester, SAC’s resources could only meet 71.8 percent of reasonable requests made by student organizations. That is why the commission dedicates itself to reducing costs incurred by its groups. On the surface, SAC might seem to function along the same lines as those additional HoyaLink forms: more hoops to jump through. In reality, SAC is a collection of 14 Hoyas doing their absolute best to guide over 100 student organizations through intricate university policies and budget processes. Although the commission meets on Mondays, the job of a SAC commissioner consists of daily emails and text messages. Corresponding with student groups at Georgetown is a 24/7 operation, and SAC does its best to acknowledge that. Programming on campus is an essential part of what makes our university the special place that it is. But in order for programs to even occur, university approval and (often) funding is required. The Student Activities Commission facilitates both of those processes on a student-to-student level. It may not always be glamorous, and often might be frustrating, but at all times, SAC is simply trying to do right by the student organizations that it serves.
The goal of the Student Activities Commission is not to be a hindrance to student involvement but an ally to on-campus organizations.
Connor Maytnier is a sophomore in the College and chair of the Student Activities Commission. Barry Goldsmith is a sophomore in the McDonough School of Business and vice chair of the Student Activities Commission.
I
t is February, friends. Love suit identity in itself boils down is in the air all around, and to love. Georgetown’s campus is no St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder exception. We considered writ- of the Society of Jesus, said that ing about our own love lives, but “love ought to manifest itself in quickly realized that it would be deeds rather than words,” and we the shortest column in the his- both have witnessed this during tory of The Hoya. our time at Georgetown. So instead, we dedicate this One way we have seen this love Valentine’s Day column to a manifest itself is through our different kind of love — George- consistent and meaningful retown. Last week, we found our- sponses to tragedies and injusticselves sitting among a group es happening around our world. of sophomore students talking Whether mourning a loss on about what we most value about our own campus or holding a Georgetown, and after some re- discussion on racial injustices flection, it hit us. halfway across the country, we We are enamored with George- are proud of the way that this town for several campus pauses reasons, but the from our daily lives single most importo reflect on those tant is its Jesuit difficult but imporidentity. tant questions: Every new stuWhat does this dent applying to event mean in a Georgetown says larger context? that the Jesuit What does it mean identity is what for us personally? Kendall Ciesemier sets our school What is our duty to and Camille Squires help? apart (if you didn’t include this “origiEngaging these nal insight” in issues in this way your application on a university levessays then, really, el has changed the who are you?). And way we personally from the first day think about them. on campus, we This is not to hear words like say that George“magis,” “cura town is by any personalis” and means a utopia, “contemplation in or that our idenaction,” thrown tity as a Jesuit around by faculty school makes us and peers alike. It’s easy, on the immune to sexism, racism, hosurface, to “talk the Jesuit talk” mophobia, ableism and all of at Georgetown. the other ills that commonly But after nearly four years on hinder any community. Hilltop, we believe that GeorgeBut the principles of Ignatius town walks that Jesuit walk. We upon which our institution was have seen the spirit of the Jesuit founded equip us and indeed principles lived out on this cam- encourage us to deal with these pus everyday. We’ve seen it in the issues head on (and perhaps betunderstanding emails of a profes- ter than any of our peer institusor granting a paper extension, tions). the kind word of a Leo’s worker This love — this passionate, or the tired eyes of a friend will- storied, Ignatian love for learning to stay up late to talk through ing, for justice, for others, is the an emotional crisis. “Georgetown difference,” the And of course, in the wise and “secret sauce” if you will. We impactful words of the Jesuits have felt this love from our first themselves.Perhaps we’ve been moments on campus but it took drinking the Jesuit Kool-Aid, but some time to put words to that it seems to us that this sense of feeling we had. care and compassion that resoAnd it’s why today we have trenates at Georgetown goes beyond mendous love for Georgetown in basic human decency. This net- return. work of support at Georgetown is fortified by deeper sense of com- Kendall Ciesemier and Camille munity borne out of this identity Squires are seniors in the Colthat we share. lege. Eighteen Weeks appears Here’s what we know: The Je- every other Friday.
Georgetown’s Jesuit identity is a beautiful thing, and one all students should appreciate.
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NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Leo’s sold take-out pizzas in exchange for a meal swipe on Super Bowl Sunday. See story on thehoya.com.
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I don’t think there is one formula for success, whether ... two people involved in GUSA or one person who isn’t.” GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) on the ongoing elections. See story on A5.
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Midfielder Baggio Husidic, above, and the Los Angeles Galaxy visited Georgetown to play a scrimmage against the men’s soccer team on Harbin MultiSport Facility on Tuesday. The MLS champions visited the White House on Monday.
GAAP GROUP STAGES If you’re getting progressively more amused with your class’s GAAP group, 4E explains the five stages of every GAAP group. blog.thehoya.com
Iranian Journalist Ginsburg Reflects on Gender Equality Discusses Politics KSHITHIJ SHRINATH Hoya Staff Writer
MATTHEW LARSON Hoya Staff Writer
Renowned Iranian journalist Masih Alinejad participated in a discussion Thursday night about the lack of political freedoms in Iran at an event co-sponsored by the Georgetown University Lecture Fund and the GU Arab Society. Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor in the History of Islam Tamara Sonn moderated the discussion, which was followed by a question and answer session. The event began with Alinejad speaking about “My Stealthy Freedom,” a Facebook page she created that encourages women in Iran to post pictures of themselves without a hijab. Alinejad insists that the project allows Iranian women to demonstrate their rejection of social norms rather than protest against the government. “Some people think that by creating this website, I’m just trying to protest against the government of Iran,” Alinejad said. “[But] this website is a platform … to criticize not only the government, but to criticize the traditional society.” Alinejad believes that the first step to securing greater freedoms for the Iranian people is not necessarily a governmental change, but instead a cultural one. “Iran has got a lot of problems,” Alinejad said. “And we have a long, long way to go, but this is a first step.” Alinejad told the story of how she first began to question the mandatory wearing of the hijab. While she was a child in a rural Iranian village, she noticed that her brother was allowed to have more freedom than her simply because of his gender. “At the age of seven I didn’t want democracy. I didn’t want to have freedom of speech or freedom of expression,” Alinejad said. “I wanted to just enjoy the wind through my hair.” However, Alinejad said that she does not support the complete eradication of the hijab. Rather, she believes that women should have the freedom to choose whether or not to wear it. Alinejad said that she opposed people in traditional countries who would not speak out against the compulsory wearing of the hijab because it is viewed as a cultural norm. “Some people think that just because it’s a law we shouldn’t object,” Alinejad said. “Slavery used to be law as well. If no one objected, nowadays slavery would exist.” Alinejad then spoke about her experiences as a journalist in the Iranian parliament in her gradual
involvement in political advocacy. “Being a female journalist in parliament, it was not easy,” Alinejad said. “My main focus was criticizing the [members of the parliament] and politicians inside Iran. I started to expose their salary and pay and they started to hate me from that time.” After publishing the controversial article “The Song of Dolphins” in 2008, in which Alinejad criticized former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinijad, she received national criticism and international attention, causing her to leave the country. “I wanted to speak out. I wanted to be loud,” Alinejad said. “I thought, I have to get out of here to be loud again. And that’s why I’m here.” After Alinejad left Iran, the Green Movement erupted to combat the government fraud and authoritarianism that resulted from the 2009 presidential election. However, the movement failed to inspire substantial change, which Alinejad attributes to the government’s crackdown on the people’s freedoms. “Their weapon was just their voice,” Alinejad said of the protestors. “And when they saw this barbarity, what happened in Iranian prisons, they couldn’t go further. The brutality of the Iranian government showed they can control their own people.” Alinejad noted that while current Iranian president Hassan Rouhani is viewed as a moderate by the international community, she is not hopeful for the future of political freedom under him. “I can see there is an inch of hope there,” Alinejad said. “But on the other hand, I see a lot of newspaper shutdowns and the number of people that got executed, more than the time when Ahmadinejad was in power.” Sinead Carolan (SFS ’17) attended the event and said she particularly liked Alinejad’s discussion on the cultural implications surrounding the hijab. “I think that a lot of Westerners, Americans, politicians and scholars are hesitant to talk about some of the cultural restrictions against women in Iran because [they think] it’s not their place to judge,” Carolan said. “I think it’s important to talk about it.” Ben Forestier (MSB ’16) also enjoyed Alinejad’s thoughts on the current political climate in Iran. “I thought it was really cool,” Forestier said. “I think [the discussion’s] important because even though very few of us here are affected by the hijab, it shows us that there are frontiers in the world, even if they’re far from home, where there’s still work to be done.”
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflected on her career in law, focusing primarily on her advocacy for gender equality, in the second annual Dean’s Lecture Wednesday in the Hart Auditorium at the Georgetown University Law Center. The Dean’s Lecture is given to third-year law students. Ginsburg’s colleague Justice Elena Kagan spoke last year in the inaugural event. In an approximately 350-seat auditorium filled to capacity, Ginsburg spoke with GULC Dean William Treanor in a conversation format. As in a courtroom, Ginsburg’s entry was marked by the audience standing in silence before she, laughing, asked them to be seated. Treanor introduced Ginsburg, noting the fandom that surrounds the oldest justice on the Supreme Court and the close relationship between the law center and the Ginsburg family, where the justice’s late husband, Martin Ginsburg, taught for 30 years until his death in 2010. “We have people in the front row wearing Notorious R.B.G. T-shirts,” Treanor said. “It’s particularly wonderful to have you here, Justice Ginsburg, not only because you’re a great justice, but also because you’d be a historic figure even if you’d never been a judge because of your work for gender equity as an advocate, and also because you’re such a great member of this community.” The conversation began with Ginsburg reflecting on her first interests in law. The justice grew up in Brooklyn and attended Cornell University as an undergraduate. While she had no interest in being a lawyer before her time at college, the then-rampant McCarthyism and its infringements on free speech made the profession more attractive. “Being a lawyer is a pretty good thing because in addition to practicing the profession, you could do some good for your society, make things a little better for other people,” Ginsburg said. Ginsburg noted her interest in an alternate career path, drawing one of many long spells of laughter from the audience. “If I could have any talent that God would give me, I would be a diva,” Ginsburg said. “Sadly I’m a monotone.” During the conversation, the justice drew attention to her fight for gender equality throughout her career. Attending Harvard Law School just six years after the school began admitting women, Ginsburg said that the nine women in her class felt as if they were constantly being judged by their 500 male classmates
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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg reflected on her career in the annual Dean’s Lecture at Georgetown University Law Center. to see if they were fit. The discrimination continued upon Ginsburg’s graduation from Columbia Law School, where she transferred prior to her final year at Harvard in order to be with her ill husband in New York. Despite graduating at the top of her class, no firm chose to hire her, and even attempts by the hiring officer to help her obtain a clerkship were primarily in vain. “They were reticent, and the reason was some of them could overcome the fact that I was a women, but none of them that I was the mother of a four-year-old. The fear was that I wouldn’t be able to come in on the weekend, to stay late,” Ginsburg said. “The result was that I overcompensated and worked harder than any clerk.” Eventually hired as a clerk and then later as a professor at Rutgers Law School, Ginsburg experienced a substantial pay difference between women and men. This, combined with an increased number of female students in her classes and discrimination cases on which she worked for the American Civil Liberties Union, led naturally to her focus on women’s rights. “I didn’t set my own agenda,” Ginsburg said. “I was fantastically lucky to be born when I was and to be a lawyer.” The justice discussed cases she brought before the Supreme Court as a lawyer, pointing to one in particular where a single male parent was denied the same Social Security benefits as a female parent, encouraging women to stay at home as evidence of the universal perils of discrimination. “Gender discrimination was bad for everyone. It was bad for women,
it was bad for men, it was bad for the children,” Ginsburg said. Ginsburg then spoke about her experience on the Supreme Court, referencing how, initially, lawyers would confuse her with Sandra Day O’Connor, the only other woman on the court at the time. However, she noted that the increased presence of women on the court, with the recent additions of Kagan and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, had strengthened the female presence. “People ask me sometimes, when will there be enough women on the court?” Ginsburg said. “And my answer is, when there are nine. Some people are taken aback. But for most of our history, there were only men on the high court bench.” Ginsburg concluded by offering advice to the graduating students, imploring them to use their degree in the service of their communities. “If all I was in the law profession to do was to turn over a buck, I don’t think I would have had nearly the satisfaction that I had. Yes, you need a job, but if you don’t do something outside yourselves, something to repair the tears in your communities, something that will make life a little better for other people, you’re not going to be a true professional,” Ginsburg said. Madeline Waseel (LAW ’15) said that Ginsburg was inspirational in her fight for gender equality. “I’m an Afghan-American. For those women who have been inspired by Justice Ginsburg for opening the doors of women in this country, there are a group of us who are inspired to do work for women overseas, whether it’s in Afghanistan or the Middle East,” Waseel said.
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Dartmouth Issues Hard Liquor Moratorium on Campus Sarah Fisher
Special to The Hoya
In efforts to curb student misconduct because of excessive drinking, Dartmouth University announced a campus-wide ban on hard liquor Jan. 29 to take effect March 30, which prompted a national discussion regarding university alcohol policies, though no similar action will come from Georgetown. Dartmouth President Philip Hanlon announced the policy change in a speech to faculty and students, citing a decision by the board of trustees of the New Hampshire university. The university is under investigation by the Department of Education for apparent mishandling of sexual assault cases and has been scrutinized for harsh hazing by its Greek organizations. Kevin Kruger, president of NASPA, an organization of 14,000 student affairs administrators in higher education, expressed doubt at the effectiveness of Dartmouth’s approach in a statement released by the organization, expressing his belief that the issue of underage drinking is more worrisome than exces-
sive alcohol consumption. “[Students are] under 21 and it’s illegal to drink, period,” Kruger said in a statement. Kruger also expressed doubt that city schools, like Georgetown and unlike Dartmouth, have much control over student alcohol use anyway. “On an urban campus, it’s impossible,” Kruger said. Dartmouth is not alone in its increasingly restrictive alcohol policy. Brown University issued a ban against alcohol at fraternities in January, the University of Virginia restricted hard alcohol at fraternity parties in November and Swarthmore College banned hard alcohol and drinking games at the beginning of this academic year, all for similar reasons. In contrast to these tightening policies, recent changes at Georgetown reflect a liberalization in alcohol policy around campus. In August 2013, the university launched the Outdoor Student Living Pilot Program, allowing students of age to drink in designated open spaces on campus.
The original pilot allowed students to drink beer or wine in the barbeque areas of Village A and Henle Village. In order to deter full parties from moving outdoors, the policy restricted groups to fewer than 15 students and prohibited kegs or hard liquor outside. In November 2014, after GUPD and the Office of Residential Living cited minimal violations of the pilot program, the designated outdoor areas extended to Nevils, LXR, the Leavey Esplanade and the Alumni Square Courtyard. Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson explained the reasons behind Georgetown’s policy. “Georgetown takes a balanced approach to alcohol policies and student alcohol use. We acknowledge the realities of student social life, and take seriously our obligations to follow the law,” he wrote in an email to The Hoya. Olson said emphasized a concern for safety as the top priority for university administrators. “As we review and update our policies, we always begin with student safety and well-being as the top priorities. In recent years, we have adapted
certain policies to allow students to socialize safely on campus,” Olson said. He added that these decisions incorporate safety, laws and student input. “Student input is taken seriously, and the concerns about legal compliance and student well-being are vital in those discussions as well,” Olson said. Accordingly, Student Advocacy Office Co-Director Benjamin Manzione (SFS ’15) said that he did not expect a similar policy to be implemented at Georgetown. “I’m not too familiar with the reasons behind the ban on hard alcohol at Dartmouth, but I am very confident that this change will not occur at Georgetown,” Manzione said. SAO Co-Director Ryan Shymansky (COL ’16), a Georgetown University Student Association vice presidential candidate, added that he believes Georgetown policy changes align with 2010 Campus Plan requirements to encourage more social life on campus. “These 180-degree alcohol policy changes were made to fulfill 2010 Campus Plan requirements, and really nothing more,” Shymanksy said. ”Party equity provisions in the 2010 Campus
Plan actually required the University to liberalize on campus social policies to better align with off campus policies.” Because of the domination of Dartmouth’s social scene by Greek life, hazing issues likely contributed to the administration’s strict bans. According to The Wall Street Journal, Hanlon created a task force to address the issue after a series of sexual assault accusations resulted in a 14 percent drop in applications. Caroline Hughes (COL ’18) said she thinks Georgetown’s lack of Greek organizations makes alcohol abuse less of a campus issue. “I think not having Greek life makes our alcohol consumption on campus much lower because there isn’t hazing and as much pressure to drink as much and as often,” she said. Hughes added that she does not think Dartmouth’s policy will be effective in curbing student alcohol use. “I don’t think banning hard alcohol will do anything for Dartmouth except possibly increase people’s amount of binge drinking and make the relationship between students and administration less transparent,” she said.
Georgetown 2028 Plan Updated Half of Executive Candidates
Kristen Fedor Hoya Staff Writer
The Georgetown Business Improvement District announced updates on the progress of its 2028 Action Plan during a meeting with local business owners, residents and property owners held at the House of Sweden Tuesday. The plan, a list of 75 action items to modernize the Georgetown neighborhood, was revealed at the end of 2013 after months of planning. Georgetown University Assistant Director of Community Engagement Jamie Scott, who attended the meeting, said that the university has been involved in discussions about the plan since the early stages. Work has commenced on 43 items. BID CEO and President Joseph Stiglitz outlined three guidelines for the plan: preserve, fix and maintain. The action plan was conceived after local Georgetown business leaders noticed that other D.C. neighborhoods were rapidly progressing, while Georgetown remained stagnant. “Georgetown was getting left behind a little bit,” Stiglitz said. “People weren’t talking about it as much as they had. It wasn’t the only place to go on a Saturday night anymore.” The meeting, which was attended by roughly 100 community members, focused on providing updates and soliciting feedback related to four main topic areas: transportation, public space, economic development and restoration of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Among the transportation advancements in the last year was the introduction of an idea to make D.C. Circulator rides along Wisconsin Avenue free from K Street to Whitehaven
Street, allowing visitors to park in garages near the waterfront without facing the steep hill along that stretch. Stiglitz also mentioned the D.C. Streetcar project. Although the project expected to open its first line in the northeast quadrant of D.C. in 2013, the line still has not opened. Accordingly, Stiglitz expressed his desire to improve the Streetcar, which has a planned extension to Georgetown; he wants a car to run every 10 minutes from Georgetown to Union Station. Scott said that the university is involved in talks to push for the streetcar to expand all the way to Georgetown’s main campus to link it with the School of Continuing Studies and the Georgetown University Law Center downtown. The BID has raised $150,000 in private funds for a feasibility study about installing an aerial gondola to run from Rosslyn to Georgetown. While the funds are sufficient to begin the study, the BID is waiting for the city. “We’re working with the city and with Arlington County … so that they’ll develop the feasibility study with us,” Stiglitz said. “If the feasibility study proves that this would be a really good idea, they will be ready to take it to the next step, and we won’t be on the outside trying to sell them.” Scott said Georgetown would be an “institutional stakeholder” in the gondola project, determining whether it could extend to the university. The Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle buses currently have issues with congestion that could be alleviated by the gondola. The goal is for gondolas to run every 10 seconds, eliminating wait times. The plan also calls for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to bring a
Metro station to Georgetown. The addition of the silver line created a bottleneck in the tunnel between Rosslyn and Foggy Bottom, with three lines using one tunnel. BID is pushing for the separation of the blue line and the creation of a Georgetown station. Stiglitz estimated that a Metro stop in Georgetown would only be feasible by 2040. The total project is estimated to cost $3.5 billion. BID Transportation Director Will Handsfield echoed Stiglitz’s emphasis on the collaborative aspects of the plan. “It was a tremendous amount of effort by a lot of different people working on this project to really develop a consensus plan,” he said. The second focus of the plan includes the BID examining ways to enhance the use of existing public spaces. Over parents’ weekend in October, the BID ran the first trial of widening sidewalks on M Street, which Stiglitz considered a success for visiting families. Three more trials are scheduled throughout the spring and summer. Regarding the restoration of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which will mark its 200th anniversary in 2028, Stiglitz said that a new dock near the 34th Street Bridge would be unveiled to allow boats to travel up and down the waterway. Finally, Stiglitz discussed economic development. He announced that Palantir Technologies, a software company with 300 employees, would move from its current location in Tysons Corner to an disclosed location in Georgetown. “We have to stay relevant. We have to stay sustainable. We have to stay economically strong, and so we need a strategic plan,” Stiglitz said.
Previously Linked to GUSA Tom Garzillo Hoya Staff Writer
The six tickets in this year’s Georgetown University Student Association executive race have fielded a mixture of GUSA insiders and outsiders, a marked change from last year’s insiderdominated race. Of the 12 candidates in this year’s GUSA executive elections, three presidential candidates and three vice presidential candidates have served in GUSA while the rest of the field has no prior affiliation. During last year’s executive race, five of the eight candidates had previous GUSA experience, with none of the tickets containing outsiders. In addition, a quarter of the candidates are transfer students. GUSA-affiliated presidential candidates include Sara Margolis (COL ’16), Abbey McNaughton (COL ’16) and Tim Rosenberger (COL ’16). On the vice presidential side of the ticket, GUSAaffiliated candidates include Meredith Cheney (COL ’16), Ryan Shymansky (COL ’16) and Reno Varghese (SFS ’16). The presidential candidates unaffiliated with GUSA are Chris Wadibia (COL ’16), Joe Luther (COL ’16) and Mike Minahan (COL ’16). Non-GUSA-affiliated vice presidential candidates include Connor Rohan (COL ’16), Will Simons (COL ’16) and Stephen Paduano (COL ’16). Both candidates of the Luther-Rohan and Minahan-Paduano tickets are entirely unaffiliated with GUSA. On campus, Luther is editor-in-chief of The Georgetown Heckler, a member of the Georgetown Improv Association, an employee at Students of Georgetown, Inc. storefront Vital Vittles, a tour guide with Blue and Gray and a New Student Orientation captain, according to his campaign bio. Rohan, who transferred from George Mason before his sophomore year, is involved with the Heckler and the Improv Association, as well. He also serves as a transfer mentor and writes for The Georgetown Voice, according to his bio. Luther said that he does not see their lack of affiliation with GUSA as a disadvantage. “We feel to be successful GUSA executives we don’t need to have experience with GUSA, but we do feel that you do have to have experience with the different areas of the Georgetown community,” Luther said. “We are tackling the issues in a non-traditional light. I’m confident that this is an approach that Georgetown students will be receptive to.” In contrast to Luther and Rohan, Margolis and Shymanksy are both involved with GUSA. They are the only ticket in which both the presidential and vice presidential candidates are currently involved in GUSA. Margolis, who transferred from The George Washington University her sophomore year, is the GUSA secretary of transfer affairs, and previously served as director of advancement and alumni for the Georgetown University College Democrats. She is also a Georgetown dance company member and a transfer peer adviser (full disclosure: Margolis was previously an associate in The Hoya’s Sales Department). Shymanksy is the co-director of the Student Advocacy Office — a GUSA institution — a Blue & Gray tour guide and a student representative to the Alumni Board of Governors, in addition to previously serving on The Georgetown Voice’s editorial board. Margolis said that she and Shymanksy are not typical GUSA candidates. “Neither of us have ever run for senate, we’re both in the executive,” Margolis said. “It’s definitely a different perspective just as students who don’t come from GUSA have.” McNaughton and Simons are a mixed ticket in terms of their affiliations with GUSA. McNaughton has been a GUSA senator since her sophomore year and currently serves as senate vice speaker. She is also a member of the Finance and Appropriations Committee and a student representative on the board of directors. In the past, she served as the vice chair of the Georgetown University College Republicans (full disclosure: McNaughton is a former staff writer with The Hoya). Simons helped found and served as president of the Georgetown Speechwriting Advisory Group, GU Golf Club and the U.S.-Middle East Youth Network. He also led last year’s Students Against Restrictive Housing Policy social media campaign, in addition to co-leading this year’s, and worked with the administration to push the implementation of the policy back one year. Simons said his ticket’s mix of GUSA and non-GUSA experience is ultimately an asset. “Coming from this outside perspective, it helps me analyze GUSA more objectively,” Simons said. “However, the disadvantages are that you don’t have the personal relationships with administrators. I don’t have the relation-
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Candidates, regardless of previous GUSA affiliations, began campaigning Thursday. ships that Abbey does, which is why I think we’re a great team.” Rosenberger and Varghese are another pair hoping to capitalize on their shared GUSA experiences. Rosenberger, who is a former GUSA senator, currently serves as policy chair of the Honor Council and philanthropy chair for the 1634 Society and was a former two-time columnist for The Hoya. Varghese is currently a GUSA at-large senator and chair of the Campus Plan Subcommittee in the Student Life Committee. He is also a commissioner on the Student Activities Commission and has served on the International Relations Club Board, the International Relations Association board and the Model United Nations team. In addition, he served as a coordinator of the Georgetown Diplomacy and International Securities conference last year. Varghese said that he and Rosenberger make for a potent combination. “I think that it really just shows people that not only can we work within GUSA, we know the administrators,” Varghese said. “We know how things operate at basically every level of the university.” Wadibia and Cheney combine non-GUSA and GUSA backgrounds as well. Wadibia is a member of the Lecture Fund and was a speaker at Georgetown’s TedX last semester. He is also a residential assistant and a former community member of The Hoya’s editorial board. Cheney, who transferred to Georgetown as a sophomore from Villanova after two years, is a GUSA senator and works in the Office of Sustainability. She has previously served on the Finance and Appropriations Committee, and is also a member of the Lecture Fund and the Global Social Enterprise Initiative. Cheney said that integrating her experiences in GUSA with Wadibia’s experiences elsewhere is one of their biggest assets. “You don’t have to have GUSA experience in order to be the voice of the student body,” Cheney said. “I believe that you can be a stronger representative of our peers if we have that balance … we’re uniting this campus with the breadth of experience we have.” Both members of the Minahan-Paduano campaign are both unaffiliated with GUSA, but declined to comment on this particular topic. Current GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ’15) said that although past experience is just one component of the campaign, GUSA insight might help the incoming administration. His ticket partner, current GUSA Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ’15) did not have GUSA experience, mirroring the combination of 20132014 GUSA President and insider Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) and Vice President and outsider Adam Ramadan (SFS ’14). “I don’t think there is one formula for success, whether that be two people involved in GUSA or one person who isn’t or both who are,” Tezel said. “I think coming at it with the perspective of being in the GUSA executive I was able to see how the cabinet works, how the staff works, how the communications are and how GUSA operates.”
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SFS-Q Celebrates 10 Years In Sexual Health Survey, Georgetown Ranked 93 QATAR, from A1
promises the same success,” Reardon-Anderson, the inaugural SFSQ dean, said to The Hoya in 2005. As a result of the deliberate and cautious initial negotiations, Nonneman said that the foundation offered a screen of independence that allowed the school to flourish. “We have academic autonomy. That was baked into the agreement from the start. … We are completely protected and supported by Qatar Foundation,” Nonneman said. “We are a part of a movement of people and organizations that are bringing in a different way of thinking.” While the foundation, which is supported by the Qatari government, provides funding and operational support for SFS-Q, including maintenance and security, Nonneman maintained that the university remains independent of governmental interference when it sets the curriculum and runs its affairs. “If we are going to replicate the Georgetown program there, that’s how it has to be. … We, therefore, decide how the degree gets taught, who gets appointed, who gets promoted and how which students get admitted,” Nonneman said. “The only way we relate to Qatar Foundation is in getting their general support for what we do.” Education City The landmark initiative of the Qatar Foundation is Education City, a 14-kilometer expanse on the outskirts of Doha that features branch campuses of American, British and French universities, including SFS-Q, to encourage collaboration and research. Prior to Georgetown, four colleges — Virginia Commonwealth University, Cornell University, Texas A&M University and Carnegie Mellon University — had established schools in Education City, while Northwestern University, University College London and l’Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales de Paris have opened branches in Qatar after 2005. Each of the universities occupies a building, creating an everexpanding campus that, together, currently occupies a slightly larger area than Georgetown’s Washington campus, according to Kevin Mark Lee (SFS ’15, GRD ’16), who studied at SFS-Q for three years before transferring to the main campus this year for the accelerated BSFS/MSFS program. “Think of it as a university except that the different colleges or faculties happen to have different university names. In that sense, there is this community that ties us together,” Lee said. “It’s interesting that you have a Georgetown University culture, but living in Education City, you also have an Education City culture that’s made up of the culture that different student bodies bring from different universities.” In such close proximity, the universities permit cross-registration and collaboration. For example, Georgetown collaborated with the Northwestern campus in Education City, which offers degrees in journalism and communications, to create the Media and Politics certificate. “You have all these top universities here together, sitting right next to each other. It doesn’t make sense if they all live and work as if they were on an island by themselves,” Nonneman said. History professor Judith Tucker, who spent two years teaching at SFS-Q from 2009 to 2011 and is currently in Doha again for a semester, reflected on the importance of Education City to the region. “A decision was made to develop educational institutions that could train Qataris but also other locals — most of the students have grown up in the region. The idea was to educate this particular student group in the best way to fulfill all kinds of roles,” Tucker said. “The countries [in the region] are expanding so quickly. The need for well-trained, highly-qualified individuals was obvious.” Jesuit values As a Catholic institution housed in a predominantly Muslim country, the School of Foreign Service in Qatar lies at a unique intersection. Nonneman dismissed the idea that the university has to tread lightly in its teaching, pointing to the principle of academic autonomy. “If anything, I would call it creative tension,” Nonneman said. Fr. Thomas Michel, S.J., the sole Jesuit at SFS-Q, said that instead of a clash between the two ideologies, the university fostered a harmony between Jesuit and Muslim ideals.
SURVEY, from A1
COURTESY GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Former SFS Dean Robert Gallucci spoke at the 10th anniversary ceremony of the SFS in Qatar. “One of the Muslim students was saying that the Jesuit ideals make it easier for them, because we’re both people of faith,” Michel said. “We’re sharing values from the beginning.” The school just finished celebrating Jesuit Heritage Week last Thursday, where Michel had conducted the closing reflection, offering students of all faith backgrounds the opportunity to have their voices heard. “It was really great to be there to talk about what the Jesuit heritage means to all of us in a long reflection: to see some of our Muslim students about to graduate talk, and hear them reflect on what it means to be ready to use these ideals,” Michel said. To Michel, those Jesuit ideals entail a responsibility for community engagement. While Qatar has received scrutiny for its human rights record, primarily related to foreign laborers, Michel highlighted this as a reason for Georgetown to be present in Qatar and involve itself with the community to inspire long-term change from within the community. “Georgetown was invited to do one of its specializations, the School of Foreign Service,” Michel said. “Like we do everywhere else, we try to instill our values. It’s never been the policy of the Jesuits to wait for a comfortable situation or a perfect government.” Among the various community service ventures run by students is a program to teach English to SFS-Q service workers, who are primarily foreign nationals from countries in the vicinity. Additionally, the school offers an alternative tour of Doha to explore the conditions of migrant workers. Nikhil Lakhanpal (SFS-Q ’14, GRD ’15), a SFS-Q graduate now at the main campus, underlined these interactions as crucial to the future of Qatar. “For the first time, you have Qatari students, who are really going to be the policymakers in that country, who are attending university with international students and with the children of expatriates that are living in that country,” Lakhanpal said. “Both groups are able to learn more about each other, and as a result, you have several high-profile Qataris that have graduated from SFS-Q that are now more sympathetic to freedom of speech, to democratic values, to freedom of religion and towards improving the lives of people in the migrant labor sectors.” Student life The hallmark of Georgetown in Qatar is its diversity. While the main campus boasts a wide international student population, SFS-Q students represent 40 nationalities within a student body of around 260 students. According to Nonneman, a third of the students are Qatari nationals, another third are residents of the country who originate from countries in the Middle East and the final third are international students. “‘International’ defines the student body,” Nonneman said. “That makes for, in every classroom, the kind of diversity and the richness of experience that you can only have in that environment.” According to Lakhanpal, who grew up near Atlanta, one underrepresented demographic at the university is permanently enrolled American students. Though around five students from each campus study abroad at the corresponding campus every semester, he was often the only student in his courses from the United States actually enrolled at the Qatar campus. While the D.C. and Doha campuses are separated by over 6,800 miles and an eight-hour time difference, making connections between the two locations difficult, exchanges such as the study abroad program still occur: Tucker, along with professors of government Clyde Wilcox and Joshua Mitchell, are main cam-
pus faculty members currently teaching in Qatar. Special classrooms set up with RPX videoconferencing software in both locations allow students in Qatar to take part in classes in D.C., and vice versa. Tucker, who specializes in Middle East history, noted that the different student backgrounds engaged students more directly in the questions she discusses. “Students have different backgrounds and different sets of priorities,” Tucker said. “They are very, very engaged in questions around the role of foreign interventions and the tensions between modernity and local traditionalism. These are not academic questions but reality for them. They see it very immediately in their lives.” The small student body throws the diversity into sharp relief, forcing students to interact constantly to the point that they know every other student at the university, according to Lee. He also noted that the size permits increased interaction between students and professors; one of his larger classes contained 24 students. “Every class session is going to be discussion based, and you get to interact much more with your classmates. The flow of ideas is a much more dynamic class setting,” Lee said. Student organizations play a large role in life on the Qatar campus, just as in D.C. In addition to a service organization working with foreign nationals, the school also features Model United Nations and sports teams, including cricket, soccer and basketball. The men’s basketball team recently won the championship of the Education City basketball league, defeating the combined Northwestern and Carnegie Mellon team at the beginning of January. Future With just a decade behind it, the campus is still in a stage of relative youth with hopes of continued expansion. The most immediate challenge for the school, Nonneman said, is that of maintaining the rate of growth of the past few years in faculty, research and academic life. Additionally, the school is currently negotiating its next 10-year contract with Qatar Foundation, which Nonneman expected to offer the important protections of autonomy present in the original agreement, while also reflecting increased financial constraints with a changing Qatari economy. Apart from mere maintenance, however, Lee believed that the Qatar campus offered an opportunity for Georgetown to further expand its global presence. “It’s a very good opportunity for Georgetown, especially the SFS. It’s an eyeball into a completely different region,” Lee said. Despite its small size, Nonneman said that the unique position of SFS-Q could allow it to leave a wider impact on Georgetown as a whole. “We’re 55 faculty, 260 students at the moment. While we’ll soon be hitting 300 or 350 [students], compared to the rest of Georgetown, we’re a minnow,” Nonneman said. “But ultimately, I think we can be a useful contributor to the wider Georgetown mission.” That mission, grounded in Jesuit ideals, is rooted in community engagement and social justice. Thus, as the school looks forward to its long term, its defining test will be its effort to integrate into the Qatari society. “A final challenge is one that has been there from the beginning, that is, to make sure that we are seen as a legitimate presence in Qatar by the wider population,” Nonneman said. “The message must get out there that Georgetown is not just a small elite institution on a hill of its own looking after its own, but that it’s all about service to society.”
site usability and extra credit programs, which entail any additional sexual health information service the university provides. Sperling’s BestPlaces, created and run by Bert Sperling, a software developer and researcher, collects the extensive data using scoring sheets and scoring grids. Since 2006, the firm has worked alongside Trojan Brand Condoms to release the Campus Sexual Health Report Card. “This is the ninth year. Trojan Brand Condoms asked us to devise some sort of program to measure the resources,” Sperling said. “It has been really successful, and I would imagine that’s why they decide to continue to enable it. It’s been a very successful partnership, and has been great for the students.” The 140 colleges were selected to cover “major campuses” from all 50 states, out of the 2,500 four year colleges in the U.S. today. “We chose the largest colleges, and we chose their peer groups. We did that through athletic conferences,” Sperling said. “Then we looked at schools like Georgetown, which sort of have an outsized influence. By choosing the largest schools, what we are able to do is, even though it is 140 schools out of 2,500 schools, we cover 30 percent of undergraduates in the United States.” Sperling said that in order to improve its poor ranking, Georgetown must provide more sexual health resources to students. “Georgetown, as number 93 out of 140, could do a better job,” Sperling said. “There is not very much information when it comes to sexual health provided to students, at least on their website. The HTI and STI testing is certainly very good. But as far as the information provided to the students, there is not a lot. It is up to the students to find their own information. There is not a focus on sexual health.” The Student Health Center is open for eight hours on Mondays and Fridays, 9.5 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, eight hours on Wednesdays and three hours on Saturdays. Georgetown Health Education Services provides HIV and STI testing through the Student Health Center and outreach programs and sexual assault resources through crisis counseling and Sexual Assault Peer Educators. The university does not provide contraceptives of any kind, including condoms, to students. In a 2010 letter from Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson to unaffiliated student group H*yas for Choice, Olson explained that the university could not support the distribution of condoms because of its religious affiliation. “Georgetown’s policies and practices rest on the strong underpinning of Catholic social and moral teaching and its affirmation of the dignity of all persons from the beginning of life to its natural end,” Olson wrote. “… As a Catholic and Jesuit university our policies must reflect our identity and our values.” Administrators from Health Education Services and the Student Health Center did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Student groups provide a variety of sexual health services. The Georgetown administration, along with student representatives, instituted “I Am Ready,” a mandatory sexual assault training program for the first time at this year’s New Student Orientation. Since Georgetown policy bans the sale of condoms on university property, H*yas for Choice provides free condoms and sexual health resources for students. Student representatives from the club hand out condoms in free speech zones on campus, put condom envelopes on their dorm room doors and developed a free condom delivery service in October. Students with a desire to purchase condoms must buy them off campus, with the closest destination, CVS Pharmacy, over half a mile away. Take Back the Night board member and SAPE member Haley Maness (NHS ’15) said that she is surprised by the mid-level ranking. “I think it’s admirable that we were not dead last considering the only sexual health information comes from H*yas for Choice,” Maness wrote in an email. “It is difficult for students to get contraception prescribed to them at the Student Health Center, and I worry that not all
options are explored with patients that come in. Some physicians will not prescribe birth control unless it is for acne or PMDD [premenstrual dysphoric disorder] — and will not prescribe for actual contraceptive reasons.” Maness said that student services like SAPE provide information that the university does not. “Luckily, organizations like SAPE can talk about consent and healthy relationships, which means that even though there are problems with contraception, we can still encourage students to pursue healthy and respectful relationships,” Maness said. Trojan Vice President of Marketing Bruce Weiss noted the importance of the Sexual Health Report Card in encouraging student health centers to make necessary changes. “The makers of Trojan Brand Condoms believe colleges and universities have a responsibility to help students develop sexually healthy attitudes and behaviors by providing unfettered access to information, services and products,” Weiss said. “By calling attention to the state of sexual health on campus, we hope to get people talking about the issues, initiating change and making smart decisions about their sexual health.” In fact, Weiss noted that the report card has encouraged change within colleges already. “Over the years the Report Card has served as a catalyst for many schools to take a closer look at how students are being equipped with the tools needed to stay informed on sexual health,” Weiss said. “Whether it’s via a new sex week, increased peer-to-peer programing or ‘Free Condom Fridays,’ we’ve seen schools from all regions and a variety of affiliations use the rankings to spark positive conversations and change.” The university health center was criticized in late September during a campuswide health scare after Andrea Jaime (NHS ’17) died of bacterial meningitis Sept. 16. Students cited displeasure with their difficulties scheduling last-minute appointments, and many said they utilized other off-campus health services, such as the CVS Minute Clinic, when sick or in need of care. Grace Smith (COL ’18) is a member of H*yas for Choice and said that she is disappointed in the university’s lack of sexual health resources. “I think that as a Catholic institution, sometimes the university might run into conflicts when its duties to students and its religious identity intersect in challenging ways, but I think the university has to understand that sexual health education is a topic that cannot go undiscussed,” Smith said. “The university has a responsibility to provide the appropriate resources and educational outlets to the students, and I think that the ranking may allude to the fact that the university could be doing a better job.” Gabriella Munoz (COL ’18) of Vita Saxa, a pro-life student group, said that she does not believe Georgetown is obligated to provide students with contraception. “I see a shift in the Catholic Church, in that it is being more youth-focused, and, therefore, understanding that conversations about sexual health and activities are necessary, especially for older teens,” Munoz said. “However, as a Catholic campus, I don’t think Georgetown should be expected to provide or sell contraceptives of any kind on campus simply because it goes against Catholic morals. I think that should be respected. As for sexual assault, I believe there can be more publication of resources available for people.” Monica Nolasco (COL ’16) said that the low ranking reveals the work that Georgetown must do to improve. “I know students on campus have been doing a lot lately to raise awareness about what the campus has to offer and what, perhaps, it’s lacking,” Nolasco said. “So that’s really good to see, in my opinion. … I’m hoping this helps the university realize, along with the numbers that were published, what it needs to do, and even though it is Jesuit, that shouldn’t stop it from helping students — mostly female students. That’s something that we really need.”
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news
Friday, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
THE HOYA
A7
Executive Election Kicks Off Surplus Found CAMPAIGNS, from A1 Meredith Cheney (COL ’16). At 11:45 p.m. three groups of campaign staffers were in the square, waiting to unfurl their campaign posters and fliers. Groups included those of McNaughton and Simons, Rosenberger and Varghese, and Margolis and Shymansky. McNaughton, Simons, Rosenberger and Varghese were present, while Margolis and Shymansky did not appear in the square. At 11:58 p.m., the three groups began to sing “There Goes Old Georgetown,” the fight song, in unison as a fourth group, led by Luther and Rohan, arrived with staff. GUSA Election Commissioner Alden Fletcher (SFS ’17) was on hand to oversee the adherence to campaign rules. While the Healy Clock did not chime, the four teams began to hang their posters high in Red Square after agreeing it was midnight, with the help of ladders and duct tape. Luther and Rohan failed to bring a ladder, and borrowed a ladder from McNaughton and Simons’ team. McNaughton and Simons’ poster, which went up first, featured a colorful painting of Healy Hall and read “Rise Together.” “[The energy] has been awesome,” McNaughton said. “It’s been a lot of fun. People seem really excited. … I think this year is a great opportunity for some really good policy discussions and I’m really looking forward to that. We’re happy that it’s not snowing this year.” McNaughton-Simons staffer Alex Bobroske (SFS ’17), who helped put up flyers, said that he joined the team because of McNaughton’s experience and accomplishments. McNaughton has served as the vice speaker for the GUSA senate and as a member of GUSA’s Finance and Appropriations Committee. “The reason I decided to join Abbey and Will was because I worked with Abbey before in advocacy for issues, especially opposing the consolidation at [the Center for Multicultural Equity & Access], [the] LGBTQ Center and the Women’s Center,” Bobroske said. “I know she has great relationships with the administrators. She knows how to get things done.” Rosenberger and Varghese put up their poster second, with the help of Thomas Lloyd (SFS ’15), a former GUSA presidential candidate. The poster read “For the Love of Georgetown.” “You have to be excited,” Rosenberger said. “No matter what happens in this campaign, we have a lot of issues we’re bringing that haven’t been discussed at Georgetown, and we’re going to really reshape the way this conversation is happening on campus.” Rosenberger said that before the race to Red Square, his team gathered in Lauinger Library to discuss the platform and
prepare for the night. “We’ve been in Lau for the last couple of hours,” Rosenberger said. “We got a bunch of people from our staff together and got a bunch of Wisey’s cookies and have been meeting with people. Up to the last minute we want to know as many things as we can from students about the issues they care about.” The staff of Margolis and Shymansky affixed their poster, reading “Believe in Georgetown,” third. According to campaign staffer Reed Howard (SFS ’17), the candidates were in Nevils with the rest of their staff. “Tonight’s a great celebration,” Howard said. “It’s a very exciting season for Georgetown. All of these candidates put out so many good ideas for how to make Georgetown a better place and I’m excited for what’s going to unfold. I know Sara and Ryan have the best vision for what Georgetown can be and I believe they’re the people to make that happen.” Luther and Rohan’s poster, which went up fourth, featured a graphic of Darnall Hall and read “YouTopia.” “We’re running on YouTopia,” Rohan said. “We’re essentially going to make everything perfect and there are never going to be problems again. We have SportsTopia, ArtsTopia. Our slogan is Blank-Topia, because you fill in the blank.” Rohan said that his staffers are excited to begin the campaign. “We’re excited and optimistic for the future,” Rohan said. “We definitely recommend you check out our platform. It’s good satire.” At 12:20 a.m. a group of around 30 staffers ran from the doors of White-Gravenor Hall whooping and yelling, led by candidates Chris Wadibia (COL ’16) and Meredith Cheney (COL ’16). The group gathered around its candidates, chanting, “Hang that sign!” Cheney helped nail the poster, which featured graphics of the candidates’ profiles and read “Dignity,” onto the wood of the right front-facing wall in Red Square. “For the Chris and Meredith 2015 campaign, the atmosphere could not have been any better,” Wadibia said. “It was fully passionate. … Everyone was so excited, the energy couldn’t have been higher and we’re full of passion and excitement moving forward.” The campaign’s Head of Social Media Natalia Peña (COL ’17) said the group was late because of the excitement. “We were upstairs in a room all together, and we were just cheering on inside,” Peña said. “We forgot that we had to flier. We were just so excited because we love each other so much. We’d like to think that we’re a family, and I think everything here’s really shown that. I mean look at all these people who came out at midnight as a force.”
The group also formed a dance circle, chanting the names of staffers who danced for a few seconds each. The sixth candidate pair of Minahan and Paduano are also officially in the executive race but were not present in Red Square because of a prior commitment at a friend’s birthday party. “We want to reach out [to clubs] about a lot of things they know better than we know about, then hear what they have to say,” Minahan said. “It’s kind of just about bringing everyone into the conversation, like people who might not normally be interested in GUSA. ... We want to bring people in who don’t get involved in student government.” The official campaign period will feature two debates Feb. 11 and Feb. 16 and will culminate in a vote Feb. 19. This year, 11 out of 12 students vying for the executive spots are in the College, with the exception of Varghese, who is in the School of Foreign Service. The 2014 race, with four tickets, featured five SFS students and three College students, the 2013 race, with five tickets, featured four College students, five SFS students and one McDonough School of Business student and the 2012 race, with seven tickets, featured eleven College students, one MSB student and two SFS students. The past three winning tickets have featured two SFS students. With the executive vote coming up in less than two weeks, Sage Sarason (COL ‘17) said that she does not plan to heavily research or develop opinions about the campaigns. “I don’t know a lot about GUSA or the campaigns happening, and I attribute this more to my own busy life at Georgetown than any apathy toward GUSA and campaigns,” Sarason said. “I am personally not annoyed at the campaigns, because I think it is cool that students are actively involved with organizations like GUSA that can actually make tangible changes at this school.” Michaela Lewis (COL’ 18), who is unaffiliated with GUSA and experiencing her first campaign season, said that she does not expect to be impressed by the executive hopefuls. “I would be more excited about it if there were more divisive issues at hand. GUSA is more about budgeting or things that most students aren’t really involved with unless they are in a position of power in a club or working with [the Student Activities Commission] or dealing with administrative issues, which a lot of freshman really aren’t,” Lewis said. “I’m not particularly persuaded by all the campaigning: all the door-knocking, baby-kissing, mobilization, canvassing.”
Hoya Staff Writers Tom Garzillo and Andrew Wallender contributed reporting.
In DC’s Budget SURPLUS, from A1 come while also making important investments in the safety, health, education and quality of life of all of our residents.” The District’s financial position earned it strong bond ratings for FY 2014, which allowed it to borrow money at record low interest rates and increase available funding for public programs and services. As mandated by the current laws, around $72 million of the surplus has already been saved in the District’s federal and local reserves, though officials are still determining the best course of action for the rest of the surplus. In contrast to previous years, the budget for the current year, FY 2015, is already operating at an $82 million deficit, leading the mayor’s office to consider using the surplus to fill the gap. D.C. Council Chairman Phil Mendelson (D) discouraged this stopgap use, emphasizing the importance of building the city’s reserves. “There are also funds available to cover that spending pressure,” Mendelson said. “Building up our reserves is important in maintaining our stability: it reduces borrowing pressure for next year and makes our financial situation more stable.” The city’s surpluses have gone into its reserves for the past four years under the direction of previous Mayor Vincent C. Gray. Committee on Finance and Revenue Chair Jack Evans (DWard 2) encouraged the mayor to follow this precedent and refrain from using the surplus to cover the budget gap. “The deficit we’re dealing with this year is manageable, and using our reserves or the Fiscal Year 2014 surplus wouldn’t be a good strategy at all,” Evans said in a statement to The Hoya. According to Evans’ Director of Communications Tom Lipinsky, saving the surplus is crucial for the city to reach its goal of maintaining enough
money in reserves to fund the operation of the government for 60 days in order to cover catastrophes and improve the District’s fiscal standing. “The District’s reserves would currently cover about 45 days of operation for the government,” Lipinsky wrote in an email. “Building our reserve balance to the level of spending for 60 days is an important threshold to further improve our credit rating and make it easier for the District to borrow money for schools, infrastructure and other capital projects.” However, other policy advocates are urging the mayor and council to spend the surplus on funding public initiatives and improving existing programs. According to D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute Executive Director Ed Lazere, whose organization focuses on researching the needs of low- and moderate-income residents, it would be prudent to prioritize community requirements, particularly those related to housing issues. “The city has a lot of pressing needs, like improving the present family homeless shelters or building more affordable housing,” Lazere said. “Right now that’s more important than building up our fund balance, which is already at a record high level.” Councilmember Elissa Silverman (I-At Large) highlighted the difficulty of deciding what to do with the surplus. “Given that we already have congressionally mandated funds that are socked away, do we need to keep stockpiling dollars when we have certain immediate needs that should be met?” Silverman said. On April 2, the mayor’s office will present a FY 2016 budget, including the proposed allocation of the surplus, to the council for review and will review expenses with government agencies. Each committee will have the opportunity to recommend amendments to the proposed budget before a council review on June 16.
A8
SPORTS
THE HOYA
woMen’s Basketball
Friday, February 6, 2015
Saxa synergy
Young Team Determined Cuadrado Move Succeeds To End 7-Game Skid B
Tyler Park
Hoya Staff Writer
The Georgetown women’s basketball team (4-19, 2-9 Big East) will look to end a seven-game losing streak when it hosts Villanova (13-10, 7-4 Big East) on Sunday in the McDonough Arena. Freshman guard Dorothy Adomako, who is averaging team highs with 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, will lead the Hoyas as they prepare for the Wildcats. Adomako, the Big East Preseason Freshman of the Year, has lived up to her billing, as she has won Big East Freshman of the Week five times this season. Adomako has earned the respect of her teammates through her hard work and standout play. “Dorothy’s a great player. She looks to attack offensively, and I think she’s going to improve as she goes. Obviously coming in as a freshman, she’s really strong,” junior guard and co-captain Katie McCormick said. Villanova Head Coach Harry Perretta, who is in his 37th year of coaching the Wildcats, leads a team that will look to slow down the pace of the game. The Wildcats lead the Big East in scoring defense, conceding an average of 55.7 points per game, and they will look to hurt the Hoyas with smart play and accurate outside shooting. Villanova junior guard Caroline Coyer leads the team and ranks sixth in the Big East with 45 threepointers this season, but she is merely one component of her team’s offense. Villanova leads the Big East in three-point percentage at 35 percent.
FILE PHOTO: JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
Freshman guard Dorothy Adomako will look to avenge her 4-of-12 effort from Jan. 11.
The last time the Hoyas faced the Wildcats was Jan. 11 when Georgetown travelled to Villanova. Georgetown was coming off a victory over Providence, but it fell to Villanova, 69-57. In the loss, Coyer and Leer led the Wildcats against Georgetown with 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Hoyas’ focus during this game will be on the defensive end. The Wildcats boast a roster of strong players. Even the team’s de-facto center, senior Emily Leer, has made 26 three-pointers this season, and the team’s ability to spread out defenses has caused problems for its opponents all season. Georgetown will attempt to slow Villanova’s offense with disciplined defense and a detailed game plan. “We have to make it hard for them — we have to arrive on the catch and we have to make sure that there’s pressure on all passes. We just can’t fall asleep defensively because they are such a veteran team, and a good team, that they will expose that immediately,” Georgetown Head Coach Natasha Adair said. Georgetown will look to use its athleticism to attack Villanova in transition whenever possible. Still, the Hoyas will take care to be smart as they attack, as the Wildcats are not a team that typically yield many transition opportunities. “I think you have to be smart. In order to run, you have to defend. And when we have those opportunities, we definitely want to expose that,” Adair said. Another focus for the Hoyas is to avoid careless turnovers. The Blue and Gray committed 48 turnovers in their two-game road trip last weekend, and the team is focused on limiting its mistakes. The team believes that its turnover problem is correctable, as it is unforced rather than caused by an opposing team’s defense. “What we have to avoid is those dead-ball turnovers. We have to avoid some of the turnovers that come with rushing; unforced turnovers and mental mistakes, and those are the ones that we can alleviate,” Adair said. Georgetown will look to receive scoring contributions from several of its key players. Junior forward Dominique Vitalis, a 6-foot-2-inch versatile player, could cause a matchup problem for Villanova. Vitalis is a ferocious offensive rebounder and an effective inside scorer, but she can also hit midrange jumpers. McCormick, a sharpshooter, ranks ninth in the conference with 40 three-pointers this season. Her quick release can cause problems for a defense that lets her slip into open spaces. Junior forwards Logan Battle and Brittany Horne, along with sophomore forward Faith Woodard, round out the Hoyas who are averaging more than seven points per game. Although the team hasn’t been able to achieve its desired results at times throughout this season, the program is on the upswing. The Hoyas’ roster features five freshmen and zero seniors, meaning that the team will be able to establish unique continuity as it returns its entire roster next season. “We have no seniors, so we’re young, but next year we will [have seniors], and hopefully the chemistry will be there, and we’ll build from there,” McCormick said. The game will tip off at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Women’s lacrosse
Fierce Competition Looms Ahead for Hoyas LACROSSE, from A10
captains in particular, to make sure to have the cohesiveness as a group to be as successful as we are able to be.” The new freshmen are also likely to make significant contributions to the team. “A lot of the freshmen are midfielders, and we are focusing on who is really going to work well together,” Devine said. “We are focusing on how they will contribute with certain people.” Georgetown’s schedule is full of tough opponents, including No.15 Princeton on Feb. 28, No. 8 Duke on March 11, No. 16 Johns Hopkins on March 21 and No. 9 Loyola Maryland on March 25. All four squads advanced to the Sweet 16 in last season’s NCAA tournament, but the Hoyas are not intimidated. “Our schedule every year is difficult because we want to make sure we prepare for the end of the season and the only way to do that is to play the best teams,” Fried said. “When we play
at a high level, it prepares us regardless of the result.” The Hoyas’ first scrimmage of the season will be against No. 6 Virginia on Feb. 7. The Cavaliers advanced to the semifinals last year before losing to Syracuse. Georgetown will also face defending national champion No. 1 Maryland on April 1 before beginning conference play. In the meantime, Georgetown is perfecting its fundamental skills and fine-tuning the details. “As of now, we’re focusing on ourselves and getting down the basics of playing as a group and our team chemistry and just the technical things, which will go into how we play against Virginia,” Devine said. Tarzian echoed this sentiment. “We’ve been going through little things in practice like plays and sets that we have been working through for the past three weeks, and we’re just trying to build on that,” Tarzian said. “We’re really excited to play someone other than ourselves on Saturday.”
Men’s Basketball
Trawick Returns to Pa. For Villanova Matchup VILLANOVA, from A10
11 Daniel Ochefu, a junior forward who fouled out of the game at Verizon Center, is their player who is taller than 6-foot-7-inches. Still, the team boasts a slew of talented guards. Senior guard Darrun Hilliard leads the team with 13.2 points per game, while junior guard Ryan Arcidiacono averages 10 points per game, along with a team-leading 3.7 assists per game. Arcidiacono was Villanova’s only consistent offensive threat in its previous game against Georgetown, as he scored 16 points on 4-of-6 three-point shooting. Georgetown will look to replicate its disruptive defense from the last game against Villanova. The Hoyas’ combination of size and athletic ability proved to be difficult for the Wildcats to manage. Freshman forward Isaac Copeland had one of his best games of the season, scoring 17 points on only six field-goal attempts. In addition, senior guard Jabril Trawick contributed one of his best performances, recording 10
points, four steals and two blocks against Villanova. While Trawick’s numbers do not necessarily jump off the page, his aggressiveness and energy gave the Hoyas an invaluable boost. Trawick’s play has proven to be critical to Georgetown’s success this season, as the senior has scored single-digit points in each of his team’s seven losses this season. Smith-Rivera will be another key factor for the Hoyas on Saturday. The junior has scored at least 13 points in nine consecutive games, averaging 18.1 points per game over that stretch. He scored 17 points in the team’s previous game against the Wildcats at Verizon Center and will look to continue his red-hot outside shooting. Despite the Hoyas’ success against the Wildcats earlier this year, Saturday’s game will represent an exceedingly difficult challenge. Villanova is 13-0 at home this season and will probably submit a better performance in the teams’ second matchup. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and will be broadcasted on Fox Sports 1.
etween Jan. 3 and Feb. 2, the English Premier League’s transfer window opened to mark the halfway point of its season. The transfer window allows teams to acquire a final piece to help them win a league title — like Manchester City and Chelsea — or avoid relegation like Leicester City. Though there were plenty of rumors around the league about different movements or possible summer signings, most of the high-profile moves that were discussed were intra-EPL — except for what was arguably the biggest addition that an EPL team made during the window. Juan Cuadrado, a rightwinger who played for Serie A’s (Italy) Fiorentina, completed a move to Chelsea in exchange for £23.3 million. Mohammad Salah was loaned from Chelsea to the Italian team to complete the transaction. Cuadrado had impressed the entire world during the 2014 World Cup with his display of incredible pace and agility as well as elite dribbling and passing skills. Cuadrado will be replacing left-winger Andres Schurrle, who left Chelsea and joined the Bundesliga’s (Germany) VFL Wolfsburg. With Cuadrado, one of the top-10 players in the world, Chelsea has undeniably bolstered its wing attack. The addition of Cuadrado, an undeniable scoring threat, will also lessen Chelsea superstar left-wing Eden Hazard’s burden. The Belgian wing is the heart and soul of the Chelsea team, often leading them to victory with his goal scoring or his chance-creating play. Adding Cuadrado only enhances Chelsea’s chances going forward. With Diego Costa — who has scored 17 goals this season — up front and pacey dribbling artists Hazard and Cuadrado running up the wing, the Blues’ attack has the potential to be even stronger than it already is. In another potential benefit for Chelsea, the Cuadrado
addition will push Willian, Chelsea’s current right-wing, to improve. Even if Cuadrado fails to live up to his international billing or perform up to his market value, Willian’s potential improvement resulting from his competition with Cuadrado may very well leave Chelsea with three top-tier wingers in Willian, Cuadrado and Hazard. Other transactions conducted within the EPL could offer significant benefits. Second-place Manchester City landed Ivory Coast native and former Swansea City striker Wilfred Bony for approximately £28 million, a move that is somewhat question-
Paolo Santamaria
Juan Cuadrado is an exciting addition to a superb Chelsea team. able given Bony’s mixed performances and lack of speed up front. Moreover, Bony is joining a team that already possesses a formidable strike force in Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko. Still, the signing may not be so much about skill level as it is about team chemistry. Chelsea’s star midfielder, the world-renowned Yaya Toure, also hails from Ivory Coast, and the two national teammates have been excelling together in the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, as their team has advanced to the finals of the tournament. As the Man City squad looks to catch Chelsea in the EPL standings, Bony will look to be on the receiving end of Toure’s passing, as he aims to bolster an already impressive attack. Southampton’s two new signings, Eljero Elia and Ryan Bertrand, further solidify a team that is reaching its peak
and is in contention for a topfour spot in the table. Elia has already impressed in his first few games for the Saints, while Bertrand’s deal was just made permanent, as he was previously on loan from Chelsea. Though neither of these players are particularly well-known names, lowerprofile moves like these have previously propelled Southampton into contention for a Champions’ League berth along with a top-four finish. Unfortunately, teams also sign players not only to increase their chances of winning at the highest level but also to avoid relegation. Relegation occurs when the bottom three teams in the EPL table are demoted to the Football Championship, England’s second-most prestigious soccer league. Leicester City has one of the worst defenses in the Premier League, allowing 37 goals over its 23 matches this season. As a result, it signed veteran center back Robert Huth in an effort to shore up a weak and vulnerable defense. Huth previously played in the EPL for Stoke City and Chelsea. Overall, Leicester City is two points behind Queens Park Rangers and Hull City and three points behind Burnley, the 17th place team and the last team to avoid relegation. Huth is a preventative measure to try to rescue Leicester City’s erratic season, and his signing adds to the £130 million spending total from this year’s January transfer window, the same amount as last year’s. Although there were no huge superstar signings for EPL teams other than Cuadrado, a steady amount of spending distributed across several teams can lead to subtle changes that add up over time and continually make the English Premier League the most exciting domestic soccer league in the world. Paolo Santamaria is a freshman in the College. SAXA SYNERGY appears every Friday.
SPORTS
friday, February 6, 2015
tHE wATER cOOLER
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All-Star Spot Taken Promising Freshmen Join Team From Deserving Star SOFTBALL, from A10
IPPOLITO, from A10
ins, who ranks seventh in the NBA with 23.7 points per game and is third in the league with 12.5 points per game, was also a deserving All-Star candidate. However, when coaches selected the reserves for each conference, Lillard was once again passed over, and this is truly baffling and perhaps unwise. The All-Star game is an opportunity to acknowledge stellar performances in the current year, and in Lillard’s third season in the NBA, he has fit the bill. The 24-year-old guard is averaging 21.7 points, 6.3 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game. His scoring average places him fourth in the league among qualified point guards, behind superstars Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving. Nevertheless, when the coaches had the opportunity to insert Lillard into the All-Star roster for the Western Conference, they selected other players, including Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant and guard Russell Westbrook. Yes, Kevin Durant is either the greatest or second-greatest basketball player when he is fully healthy. However, as Hall of Famer Charles Barkley rightfully said, “[The all-star game] isn’t a lifetime achievement award.” While his on-court performance is consistently All-Starworthy, Durant has not been consistently playing. Injuries sidelined Durant early in the season, and he played in only 21 of the Thunder’s first 46 games. Similarly, Westbrook battled injuries at the beginning of the season and only played in 24 of his team’s first 46 games. By contrast, Lillard has appeared in every game for the Trail Blazers. According to advanced statistics, he has the eighth-highest win shares, or wins a player is responsible for, in the league with 6.9, while Westbrook has 4.6 and Durant has 3.8. Durant and Westbrook may lead Lillard in other advanced statistical categories, but the fact that Lillard has started ev-
ery game and helped his team to a 32-16 record needs to be heavily weighted in the decisionmaking process. One can compare Lillard’s defensive statistics with Westbrook’s as justification for the latter’s All-Star selection over Lillard, who has improved greatly on the defensive end. ESPN’s advanced metrics rate him as the third-best point guard in the West in defensive real plus-minus — but he does not have the easily identifiable statistics, like steals, that a player like Westbrook has. However, Lillard’s value is revealed with his wins above replacement. He is the third best in the West and fifth overall in the NBA at 8.38. This statistic suggests that the Trail Blazers would have nearly 8.5 fewer wins with an “average point guard” instead of Lillard and would be on the brink of missing the playoffs in the West. While the All-Star snub is problematic in itself, the effects of skipping over Lillard could come back to haunt the rest of the Western Conference in the second part of the season. Lillard, as well as the rest of the Portland team, took offense to his exclusion, but Lillard’s teammates and coaches believe he will use the slight for motivation. Coaches in the West should know firsthand how talented Lillard is — his buzzer-beating three-pointer in the playoffs sent Kevin McHale’s Houston Rockets home last season, and he scored 43 points last week against the San Antonio Spurs. It is almost impossible to say or predict what any extra motivation will translate to, but one cannot help but think it could matter. In the long run, All-Star games do not really matter that much, but top-tier players deserve to be recognized for their work. Lillard surely will not be the last snub in All-Star history, but that does not make his omission any less wrong.
Despite a stellar season thus far from Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, fans and coaches wrongly snubbed him from the All-Star roster.
Michael Ippolito is a sophomore in the College. The water cooler appears every Friday.
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The biggest danger the Hoyas face with such a small roster is any serious injury, which could cause some scrambling with the lack of the usual depth at certain positions. “If someone gets hurt that’s going to be a problem, but everybody’s been doing pretty well especially with injuries,” Hyson said. “Our trainer’s been helping us a lot; a couple of us she’s put a lot of Band-Aids on.” Georgetown will be opening its season this weekend when it participates in the Belmont Invitational, playing Indiana State, South Dakota, University of Missouri-Kansas City and Indiana UniversityPurdue University Indianapolis. Conlan has a simple plan for the Hoyas as they enter their first matchup.
“I think we’re just going to continue to remind them that the game hasn’t changed and to get out there and know that the season’s a grind,” Conlan said. “We just need to play one pitch at a time, one inning at a time, one game at a time.” The Hoyas are ready to finally take the field. Hyson mentioned that the team has been eagerly counting down to Friday from as far back as 60 days ago. Hyson herself is also excited for Friday, but that will mark a bittersweet moment for her — the beginning of her last season on the Hilltop. “It’s like a mix between exciting and really depressing, because I know it’s my last year, especially with it being my last year with my teammates,” Hyson said. “But I’m really excited to start the season.”
Swimming & Diving
Regular Season Ends in Tri-Meet Emma Conn
Special to the Hoya
The Georgetown swimming and diving team will participate in its last regular season meet this weekend when it travels to Piscataway, N.J., to face Providence and Rutgers. The Hoyas will look to turn in strong performances before they head to the Big East Championships on Feb. 18. In the Hoyas’ last meet, the men and women were both outmatched by Drexel. Despite the losses, however, the Hoyas had some promising performances. The men’s team, which was defeated 191-109, received a great performance from sophomore diver Jared Cooper-Vespa, who won the men’s 1-meter and 3-meter diving events. Meanwhile the women, who lost 160-140, were paced by junior Erica Fabbri, who finished in the top two in four events, and freshman Madeleine Quinn, who won the women’s 1000-yard freestyle and 400-yard individual medley races. “I felt like it was a close race. We were winning it, so that’s a good sign for this weekend and more importantly the Big East,” Head Coach Jamie Holder said. Cooper-Vespa, too, saw positivity in the Hoyas’ last matchup. He pointed out the hard work that he and his teammates have been putting in since the loss to get the best results and highlighted the team’s mentality moving forward. “We know the end is near so we’re try-
ing to finish strong,” Cooper-Vespa said. “Rutgers has a great pool, so it’s got that championship atmosphere [and we] treat it like the championship itself.” Not only will the atmosphere help the Blue and Gray prepare for the Big East championships, but the team will also benefit from the tough competition. Providence is coming off of men’s and women’s wins over Holy Cross in its last meet, while Rutgers defeated Miami, Tulane and New Hampshire in January. Holder showed confidence in his team’s ability to keep up with its opponents, but also mentioned the tremendous effort his swimmers and divers will have to put in to bring home wins. “I think we’ll match up pretty well against Providence. Rutgers is a very talented team that it’s going to be tough for our girls to beat,” Holder said. As a senior, swimmer Casey Bandman is excited to compete in her final regular-season meet with her teammates. She noted that some of her teammates may have a different mentality going into this weekend, because it will be the last meet of the season for those who will not compete in the Big East championships. Bandman and her teammates are excited to support each other as they look to finish strong. While she is very ready for the next couple of weeks, Bandman is anxious for the end of the season. “This meet is good because it’s a chance
for me to get all the jitters out before the last meet of my career, and I think a lot of the other seniors would feel the same as me,” Bandman said. Though this weekend’s meet offers an opportunity to challenge a couple of tough teams, it is particularly important in helping Georgetown earn momentum moving forward. The team is primarily focused on the Big East championships, and the Hoyas are looking to capitalize on strengths and work on weaknesses in their trip to New Jersey. “This weekend, we obviously want to put out best team forward, but it’s also about fine tuning for the Big East,” Holder said. Bandman said that she was especially excited for the Big East championships because they will include a rematch for the championship title against Villanova, who finished in first place last season, just ahead of the Hoyas. “This year we’re coming in with a strong freshman class,” Bandman said. “I’m really excited to get to the Big East and show [Villanova] where we’ve come as a team and that we can really compete with them for the title this year.” This weekend will surely be a tough task for the Hoyas, but they have confidence that they are prepared. “It’s one last chance to race before the big show,” Bandman said. The tri-meet is scheduled to kick off at 12 p.m.
Tennis
Madeline Auerbach
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Senior pitcher Lauren O’Leary pitched 142 innings in 15 complete games and four shutouts throughout her 24 starts during the 2014 season.
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care of business,” Conlan said of Hyson. “She’s just somebody who can do a little bit of everything for us and we’re hoping that she picks up where she left off last season.” In order to succeed in this year’s campaign, Georgetown will need Hyson to maintain her stellar numbers as it looks to fill the gap left by five graduating seniors, one of whom, outfielder Elyse Graziano, was named to the all-Big East first team last year. “We lost a tremendous senior class, but I think we did a great job with recruiting the previous few years and had given some of our younger players plenty of opportunities,” Conlan said. “We had some young kids in positions last year that played a tremendous role for us, so this team right now is not missing a beat.” Hyson touted the important role that the team’s freshmen — pitcher Avery Geehr, outfielder/second baseman Payton Lawton and outfielder Theresa Kane — will play for the Hoyas this year. “We have a really good freshman pitcher coming in,” Conlan said. “We have an outfielder, and we lost a really good center fielder last year, and she kind of fills the gap, and then we have a freshman who plays infield and outfield who’s very versatile with that.” The Hoyas have 10 players returning from last year’s squad, five of whom started in at least 40 games. Even after losing five seniors, the Blue and Gray still field an experienced roster, including senior pitcher Lauren O’Leary, who posted a 3.65 ERA last season. Georgetown has a much smaller team this year than in the past with only 13 players, as compared to last year’s roster of 16 players. For Conlan, this means much less tinkering with lineups early on in the season and a better understanding of how the team fits together. “Everybody knows they’re going to play a role this year and be an impact in the season,” Conlan said.
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The Georgetown men’s and women’s tennis teams will return to action this weekend to face a slate of New York opponents in their first matches since Jan. 16 and 17. After an encouraging road win against the James Madison Dukes (2-1), the Georgetown women’s tennis team (3-1) will face off against a Big East foe — the St. John’s Red Storm (2-1) — in its first Big East battle of the 2014-2015 season on Feb. 6 in New York. “In my four years here we have not beaten them,” senior co-captain Sophie Panarese said. “We consider them our rivals just because it gets pretty feisty on the court, no matter what. We are so excited to get out there because we’re on a good winning streak.” After taking a break from competition since the 4-1 Invitational Match two weekends ago, the Georgetown men’s tennis team (2-2) will also compete with St. John’s (1-2) on Feb. 6 followed by a match the next day against Marist (1-2) in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. “It’s a huge match though, we don’t want to lose to them, and it’s also the first Big East match. We’re going to use this to set the tone for the rest of the season,” redshirt senior Andrew Dottino said, speaking to the men’s team’s history with St. John’s. Having played several tight matches against James Madison in the past few years, the Georgetown women’s team’s
win was encouraging, especially because a freshman, Casey Marx, was responsible for clinching the overall win for the Hoyas, bringing their record up to 3-1. “Casey clinched it — that’s huge,” Panarese said. “Every single girl on the team is going to experience playing when it’s tied up 3-3 and I think that’s when you need to support your team and see if you can pull it out and I’m so proud of her. She really kept it going and played her heart out.” As the first Big East match of Georgetown’s 2014-2015 season, the St. John’s contest is an extremely significant one. The Red Storm have beaten the Hoyas in each of the past two years, and Georgetown is looking to turn the tide. “The girls are feeling that, and they want revenge,” Head Coach Gordie Ernst said. “They’re going to be getting ready for St. John’s big time.” In the past, losing the doubles point has sealed the Hoyas’ fate against the Red Storm. As doubles play occurs first, winning the doubles point sets the tone for singles play. Panarese strongly believes that the doubles point will be extremely important to this match. “It’s great that we play doubles first just because we can get out those early jitters and if we get the doubles point that means we only need three singles points and that takes a little bit of the pressure off, and it makes us play our game. It’s going to come down to the doubles point, in my opinion. With St. John’s, it’s always a battle,” Panarese said. The men’s team will also travel to New
York, but with a nonconference record that puts the team at .500 before facing opponents in the Big East. Even though they have not competed since the 4-1 Invitational on Jan. 16 and 17, the time off from match play has given the Hoyas an opportunity to make adjustments in preparation for conference play. “For us, the [4-1 Invitational Match] kind of showed us what we need to work on during matches,” Dottino said. “We took these three weeks to heart and kind of tried to work as best we could to prepare for this upcoming weekend.” This year, the Hoyas team is chock-full of valuable talent ranging from new freshmen to Georgetown veterans. Freshmen Marco Lam and Peter Beatty have each thrived under the new pressures of collegiate tennis and have made significant contributions to both the Hoyas’ singles and doubles play. After the St. John’s match, the men’s squad will compete with Marist (3-2) the next day. While the Hoyas have little history with the Red Foxes, the two teams faced off in March 2013 with the Hoyas triumphing with a 6-1 rout of the Foxes. For Dottino, this match is just as significant as any other. “We can’t take anything lightly, so we want to go out there and do our best and try to beat them,” Dottino said. The men will take on St. John’s at 10 a.m. on Saturday, while the women will follow shortly thereafter at 11 a.m. The men compete with Marist at 12 p.m. the following day.
Sports
Women’s Basketball Villanova (13-10, 7-4) at Georgetown (4-19, 2-9) Sunday, 5 p.m. McDonough Arena
FRIDAY, FEBR UARY 6, 2015
SWIMMING & DIVING Georgetown will head to Piscataway, N.J., this weekend for its last regular-season meet. See A9
SOFTBALL
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[Senior pitcher Megan Hyson] is a tremendous athlete, great leader for us and just takes care of business.” SOFTBALL HEAD COACH PAT CONLAN
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Women’s Lacrosse
9 Seniors Highlight Team Depth Claire Schansinger Hoya Staff Writer
FILE PHOTO: MICHELLE XU/THE HOYA
Senior pitcher Megan Hyson led the Hoyas in batting average (.373), hits (50), home runs (7), total bases (85) and walks (28) last season.
After months of preparation, the No. 17 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team’s preseason is in full swing as they prepare for the 2015 season. Last year, the Hoyas (11-9, 6-1 Big East) advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. This year, they are striving for more. As Head Coach Ricky Fried enters his 11th season at the helm of the program, he brings impressive experience and a remarkable accolade to the team. Fried became the coach with the most wins in program history during the 2014 season with 117 total wins — but he still hopes to make improvements from last season. “The biggest thing to improve on this season is consistency,” Fried said. “We had three or four one-goal
losses last season, and a lot of that was due to our mistakes. We need to make sure we are focused on being consistent throughout the field, and our big emphasis statistically would be shooting percentage. We want to shoot in the 50 percent range and hold our opponents under the 50 percent range.” The Hoyas are returning key upperclassmen talent this season; two of their captains, senior attack Caroline Tarzian and senior defender Adrianne Devine, were named Third Team Preseason All-Americans by InsideLacrosse.com in early September. Tarzian led the squad with 29 goals and 18 assists for 47 points last season and started all 20 games. Devine was a Second Team AllRegion performer for the Hoyas last season and the winner of the team’s Star Award and Bulldog Award, both of which are given to a player that
GU Aims High in Team’s 10th Season Juliana Zovak Hoya Staff Writer
This year is the Georgetown softball team’s 10th season on the Hilltop. It took the Hoyas three years to get into the Big East conference. It would be four more years before it made the playoffs. Last year, the team advanced to the semifinals. Now, the Hoyas have their eyes on something more. Head Coach Pat Conlan is excited for the opportunities that this season presents. “It’s about being able to redeem ourselves, to get ourselves to the Big East tournament again and compete for a championship,” Conlan said. Conlan, who has coached the team since its inception in 2005, has seen steady upward improvement every year and feels that the Hoyas have what it takes to win a title. “I think that our goal — and my goal in 2006 — was to someday win a Big East championship,” Conlan said. “We couldn’t talk about that
Number of seasons that Ricky Fried has served as head coach of the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team.
gives outstanding effort and contributions to the team. “We have a strong senior class as a whole, and captains Adrienne and Caroline have been leaders since they got here as a freshman, and we expect them to still do that,” Fried said. The Blue and Gray have depth beyond Tarzian and Devine throughout the senior class. Georgetown will also count on the strong leadership of their co-captains, midfielder Molly Caputo and attack Sammy Giordano. “Sammy is a consistent voice that always knows the right thing to say at the right time, and Molly is one of those people who connects on and off the field and can keep the team together,” Fried said. “We’re relying on the whole senior class, but See LACROSSE, A8
caroline tarzian Senior attack Statistics from 2014 Season: 29 Goals
in 2006; we could barely talk about winning. But today, we can.” Georgetown came tantalizingly close last year; it lost by two runs against St. John’s in the semifinals after compiling its first winning season in history. This year, the Hoyas were selected to finish third in the 2015 Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Much of the credit for Georgetown being recognized as a formidable threat can be given to senior pitcher Megan Hyson, who leads the Hoyas on the mound and at the plate and is returning for her final season. She led the team last year with a .373 batting average and 32 RBIs while compiling a team-best 2.36 ERA and pitching a no-hitter and six shutouts. Hyson earned Big East Player of the Week on March 31 of last year, and was also named Big East Pitcher of the Week twice. “She’s a tremendous athlete, great leader for us, and just takes
18 Assists 45 Shots on Goal 2015 Preseason All-American
adrianne devine Senior defender Statistics from 2014 Season: 33 Ground Balls 39 Caused Turnovers 41 Draw Controls 2015 Preseason All-American
See SOFTBALL, A9
FILE PHOTOS: JULIA HENNRIKUS/THE HOYA
The water Cooler
Men’S BASKETBALL
No. 24 Hoyas Travel to Philadelphia; Will Attempt to Upset No. 7 ’Nova Again Michael Ippolito
Lillard Was Wrongly Snubbed
Dillon Mullan & Tyler Park Hoya Staff Writers
Battered after a shocking 74-71 loss to Providence on Wednesday, the No. 24 Georgetown men’s basketball team (15-7, 7-4 Big East) will travel to Philadelphia on Saturday to face a Villanova team that is seeking revenge for it 78-58 loss at Verizon Center
back on Jan 19. Since its loss to Georgetown, No. 7 Villanova (20-2, 7-2 Big East) has reeled off three straight victories by an average of 17 points. Georgetown, meanwhile, has gone .500 with road wins against conference bottom-dwellers Marquette and Creighton and losses to Xavier and Providence. A common theme in the Hoyas’ most recent losses has been prolonged stretches of offensive lulls.
For more than 11 minutes of the first half against Xavier, and again in the final 7:41 of Wednesday night’s loss to Providence, Georgetown was held without a field goal. Offensive droughts are hard to fathom for a team that boasts the Big East Preseason Player of the Year in junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and an incomparable low-post figure in senior center Joshua Smith.
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eginning with its annual All-Star Weekend in New York City next week, the NBA will become the focus of the sporting world. The All-Star teams, whose last players were announced Jan. 29, offered few surprise selections. Players and teams alike are irritated by perceived snubs that are bound to happen, especially in the star-studded Western Conference, but the exclusion of Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard is unequivocally wrong. There were essentially three chances to give Lillard a spot: the fan vote, coaches’ selection and injury replacement selections. His omission in the first phase — the fan vote — and third phase — when Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was replaced with Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins — were justifiable. The fan vote only gives two spots to guards, and CousSee IPPOLITO, A9
FILE PHOTO: CLAIRE SOISSON/THE HOYA
Junior guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera was one of the leading scorers for the Hoyas when they faced Villanova at home on Jan. 19. Smith-Rivera scored 17 points and notched three rebounds for GU. Visit us online at thehoya.com/sports
Still, for whatever reason, these Hoyas have a tendency to go cold. “Just movement, we just weren’t moving enough,” SmithRivera said following the loss to Providence. “The ball was sticking, and we were stagnant and just looking for one option instead of looking for the next thing and keeping them on the move.” Georgetown also struggled with ball security against Providence, turning the ball over 15 times, some of them in key moments. The Hoyas are averaging 13.2 turnovers per game. “We didn’t take care of the ball. We can’t go through stretches where we aren’t getting shots,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said. In the first meeting between Georgetown and Villanova, the Hoyas held the Wildcats scoreless for a seven-minute stretch that allowed Georgetown to build a 30-11 lead. Villanova shot just 14of-41 from the field in that game, largely because the Wildcats missed several open shots, something that is less likely to occur at home. Villanova utilizes an extremely balanced offensive attack with six players who average over nine points per game. The Wildcats’ weakness is in the post, as 6-footSee VILLANOVA, A8