The Hoya: December 3, 2021

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No Divestment Transparency Since 1920 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021

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Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 103, No. 9, © 2021

“Georgetown F*cking Lied”: Students Call For GU272 Action

COURTESY BELLA FASSETT

At the Dec. 1 discussion, descendant Julia Thomas (COL ’24) and GUSA leaders demand the university follow through on funding reparations for the GU272.

Samuel Yoo and Adora Zheng Hoya Staff Writers

At an event titled “Georgetown F*cking Lied,” the Georgetown University Student Association’s (GUSA) GU272 advocacy team demanded Georgetown pay reparations to descendants of enslaved people sold by the university.

The Dec. 1 discussion came two years after students voted in favor of a GUSA referendum to establish a semesterly fee for undergraduate students of $27.20 to create a reconciliation fund to be allocated to descendants of the GU272, the 314 enslaved people sold by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1838 to financially sustain the university. However, Georgetown University did not enact the fee

and instead announced in 2019 its intentions to establish a $400,000 reconciliation fund. GUSA hosted the event to keep the memory of GU272 and the 2019 referendum alive among the student body, according to GUSA Chief of Staff Genevieve Grenier (MSB ’24).

Georgetown must provide reparations, according to descendant Julia Thomas (COL ’24), who helped lead the discussion at the event which was attended by over 160 people in person and via live stream.

“It’s time for Georgetown to atone for their past actions to fulfill their promises and honor the lives of the people they enslaved,” Thomas said at the event.

Thomas, who has not received any reparations from the university, said only See GU272, A6

ANNA YUAN/THE HOYA

At a Nov. 30 event, Senator Warren (D-Mass.) appeared in Gaston Hall to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities throughout America, as well as neccessary legislative policy to increase equity in the U.S.

Sen. Warren: Level the Playing Field Annie Kane

Special to The Hoya

G

aston Hall erupted in deafening applause as Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) took to the stage for a Nov. 30 discussion with the Georgetown University community.

The event, titled “A Conversation with Senator Elizabeth Warren on Leveling the Playing Field,” was hosted by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service

(GU Politics). Rebecca Pearcey, a GU Politics fall fellow and former political director and senior advisor for Warren’s presidential campaign, moderated the discussion.

Throughout the event, Warren discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable communities, such as low-income Americans, and legislative policy for increasing equity in the United States.

The first step to leveling the playing field in the wake of the

pandemic is to see healthcare as a form of infrastructure that needs to be improved in an effort to better meet the needs of struggling Americans, according to Warren.

“The difference between having housing and not having housing is a huge health issue, as well as an education issue,” Warren said at the event. “These things link up, and we have to think about health infrastructure — it’s also about transportation, it’s also about housing, it’s

also about food security — and so if we build out in that direction, it helps us all.”

The pandemic also exacerbated racial injustice in America, as Black Americans are 2.4 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white Americans and are less likely to have access to COVID-19 tests and treatments. Barriers like lack of access to insurance protection, transportation or child See WARREN, A6

Activists Secure Winter GUSA VP Resigns, Acting Housing for Intl. Students VP To Be Confirmed Sun. Samuel Yoo and Adora Zheng Hoya Staff Writers

Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Acting Vice President Thomas Leonard (COL ’23) will be up for confirmation as vice president of GUSA at a Senate meeting Dec. 5.

GUSA President Nile Blass (COL ’22) nominated Leonard to replace Vice President Nicole

Sanchez (COL ’22), according to Leonard. Leonard announced his nomination via his public LinkedIn profile the afternoon of Dec. 1; Leonard confirmed the news in an interview with The Hoya that evening. Sanchez officially announced her resignation via a public Twitter statement on Dec. 2.

Sanchez is taking a medical leave of absence but will remain involved with ongoing GUSA projects, according to a

statement she posted on her public Twitter.

“I’m so grateful for all the amazing work I was able to get done with amazing people,” Sanchez wrote.

According to GUSA Senate Speaker Leo Rassieur (COL ’22), Sanchez’s decision deserves respect, and the former vice president still plans to assist GUSA. See GUSA, A6

SAMI POWDERLY/THE HOYA

GUSA leaders met with Georgetown University administrators to secure winter break housing for international students experiencing housing insecurity.

Samuel Yoo

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate and Executive leadership met with Georgetown administrators earlier this week to discuss housing and dining options for students remaining on campus over winter break.

International students can now apply to remain in their oncampus residences during winter break, which lasts from Dec. 17, 2021 to Jan. 11, 2022, according to an email obtained by The Hoya from the Office of Residential Living to international students with J1 or F1 visas. The meeting between GUSA and administrators was held to secure housing

for international students over the break, according Vice Speaker of the GUSA Senate Rowlie Flores (COL ’22).

The decision came after international students raised concerns about facing housing insecurity during the break, as many are unable to travel home amid See HOUSING, A6

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

Acting GUSA Vice President Thomas Leonard (COL ’23) will be up for confirmation Dec. 5 following a Dec. 2 resignation from previous Vice President Nicole Sanchez (COL ’22).

NEWS

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Thanksgiving Food Insecurity

Asian Identity Issue

“House of Gucci”

Home for Dinner

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More than 50 students have come forward about experiencing food insecurity on campus over Thanksgiving break.

Eight students from Asian backgrounds discuss the impact and importance their identities hold.

Despite a strong performance from Lady Gaga, “House of Gucci” flounders due to an erratic tone and perplexing plot.

Disastrous Delays

Embracing Asian Features

Setting the Stage

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WMATA announced riders should expect further Metro delays through 2021 following an Oct. 12 train derailment.

Recognizing the harm that Eurocentric beauty standards cause is a first step toward embracing Asian identity.

A homecooked meal for friends is all students need to relieve stress and bring comfort. blog.thehoya.com

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — known as Silk Sonic — debuted their album “An Evening with Silk Sonic.”

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OPINION: Asian Identity Issue VIEWPOINT • TANG, DUAN

VIEWPOINT • LIN

The Erasure of Asian Identity Amplify AAPI Voices in Politics Maggie Lin Author

and one-dimensional tropes like the football coach kissing Trang Pak in “Mean Girls.” It’s cool now to bring kimchi to school. However, even these authors express a feeling of dissociation. Those cafeteria bullies now eagerly post their “authentic” Asian meals on social media without a hint of self-awareness or remorse for their previous behavior.

This failure to address complex cultural history makes the surge in popularity of Asian culture seem like a trend rather than a genuine reconciliation with its place in American identity. While “Asian representation” is making millions for Marvel, Asian Americans are dying of violence in the streets from racist attacks based on myths surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

In grappling with the “Asian explosion,” we might have to come to terms with our own expectations. In reality, big box-office movies like “Crazy Rich Asians” and “ShangChi” could never be made just for me. Relying on commercial products like Hollywood movies as a marker of progress is a flawed mechanism because these films inevitably replicate the same racial hierarchies as their (majority white) audiences. We can both celebrate Asian public success and critique the underlying structure that enables people like the interviewer who ignorantly asked “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae — a longtime South Korean celebrity — what it felt like to have people recognizing him for the first time.

Asian Americans are not the only ones who have grappled with a transition into visibility. Frank Bruni of The New York Times writes in an article, whose title inspires this own’s, about a conversation he had with gay playwright Mart Crowley about the disappearance of a distinct “gay identity” in conjunction with the rise of LGBTQ public visibility. He writes, “When a culture is shaped by fear and discrimination and they fade, so does the culture.”

Crowley’s response is emphatic: “Everything costs something. You wouldn’t want that world back.”

Bruni’s acknowledgement is more ambiguous: “‘I wouldn’t trade any of the progress,’ I said to him. ‘And yet.’”

“And yet” is perhaps the appropriate response to a multifaceted Asian American public identity that is rooted in deep nostalgia and is gaining fast traction.

We might have predicted it from Pokemon cards, anime or even the adoption of instant ramen as the ubiquitous college kid staple: Asian is the new cool.

The mass popularity of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Squid Game,” Dalgona whipped coffee and Korean BBQ seem to point to tangible progress in American public acceptance of East Asian culture.

Many Asian Americans I spoke to claimed this was an objective good: that the ever-elusive idea of “Asian representation” was finally beginning to materialize. Even I bought in and spent all my meagre tutoring money at overpriced theaters — totally justified in support of the Asian American community.

Class elitism aside, “Crazy Rich Asians” was the all-Asian comfort movie family friends and I would rewatch every Thanksgiving, huddled in a cozy basement den.

Each heady peak, however, cast its own shadow. Yakult, the sweet yogurt drink favored by Asian teens, experienced a multifold price increase after the release of the Netflix hit “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

Enthusiasm for K-pop idols peaked public romantic interest in — and the fetishization of — East Asian men. The immense trendiness of Chinatown and Koreatowns has resulted in equally immense gentrification that has pushed out the community’s original residents. Mahjong and congee, two Chinese cultural staples, have been co-opted by white American women in the form of companies like The Mahjong Line, which claim to refresh mahjong tiles with more “fun” symbols like bubbles and bags of flour, and Breakfast Cure, which markets congee with “improved” flavors such as apple cinnamon and chai. Whenever I encounter this particular kind of “appreciation,” I find myself unavoidably (and guiltily) thinking: Can’t we have anything for ourselves?

It is difficult to not feel “ungrateful” when criticizing the expansion of Asian culture into the greater American public. As several millennial authors have put it, the current state of affairs has infinitely improved from the pre-2010s, an era filled with elementary Maggie Lin is a sophomore in the College. school mockery of “weird-smelling” lunches

According to the 2020 census, a combined 24 million Americans identify as Asian, either alone or in combination with another race group. As a vibrant minority group, Asian Americans deserve greater political representation and recognition for the efforts the community has contributed to the country. Only 3% of Congress, however, can claim AAPI heritage — despite Asian Americans constituting 7.2% of the population.

Although the number of Asian Americans elected and appointed in both Congressional and local offices has increased since 2018, most notably with Michelle Wu’s recent mayoral victory in Boston, more local efforts need to be implemented to amplify the platforms of AAPI leaders. In recent years, AAPI politicians, such as Aftab Pureval and Young Kim have found success in local politics by focusing on community mobilization and concentrated campaign planning. These localized efforts are essential to promoting the platforms of community leaders to more prominent positions.

One Asian American group in Howard County, Md., has demonstrated the poten-

“A world friendlier to AAPI interests is achievable, and there is room for the Howard model in the student politics of Georgetown University, as well as the broader politics of D.C., to amplify the platform of AAPI issues beyond anything ever seen before ”.

HARRY TANG AND ANTHONY DUAN AUTHORS

between the two wings takes flight. By opening up volunteer opportunities through the social media app WeChat, the PAC wing coordinates with the volunteer wing to publicize opportunities to support candidates. Many AAPI Howard County residents jumped at the chance to get involved with local campaigns for candidates they feel represented by. From placing doorhangers near the houses of prospective voters to working directly on the campaign, CAPA effectively involves community members in its political endeavors. In addition to grassroots organization, CAPA’s volunteer network was used to great effect in 2020 with the implementation of a food delivery network for elderly minority citizens at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volunteers from all around the county drove to the residences of elderly citizens, delivering fresh produce and other foodstuffs to properly serve the needs of the community. The CAPAPAC repurposed this system to launch a voter registration initiative as well as a mail-in ballot translation service; the organization serves as an example of effective Asian American community organization that other local municipalities can reference as a model.

Anti-Asian sentiment in America has risen with the devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the CAPA’s total membership has increased, so the CAPA-PAC may become a key component of Howard County political organization, a microcosm of grassroots organization in communities across the United States. With this increase in membership, the youth voice in CAPA has grown in importance.

Many of the young AAPI advocates affiliated with CAPA have been interviewed by local news stations following massive local outrage over anti-Asian aggression. Beyond CAPA, other AAPI voices in Howard County have recently begun to speak out politically. After four local Asian-owned small businesses were vandalized in what has been called a hate crime by some Asian residents of the county, Governor Larry Hogan (R-Md.), with inspiration from his Korean-born wife, Yumi Hogan, formally designated a section of Ellicott City as Koreatown on Oct. 9, 2021, inviting the South Korean Ambassador to the United States, Lee Soo-hyuck, to the ceremony. This current of AAPI advocacy has spread from the humble suburbs of Howard County all the way to Annapolis, when Governor Hogan announced state initiatives in hate crime prevention, following efforts spearheaded by the newly-established Asian American Hate Crimes Workgroup in Maryland.

Howard County now stands as a sterling beacon of multiculturalism, standing proudly in the middle of Maryland as an example for all of the United States to follow. A world friendlier to AAPI interests is achievable, and there is room for the Howard model in the student politics of Georgetown University, as well as the broader politics of D.C., to amplify the platform of AAPI issues beyond anything ever seen before.

tial of local organizing. The Chinese American Parent Association (CAPA) of Howard County, founded in 2015, was born out of the lack of representation of the county’s Chinese residents in the public education system. To date, the CAPA has placed two of its affiliated candidates onto the Howard County Board of Education, Chao Wu and Yun Lu. Wu currently serves as the chair of the board. Wu ran on a campaign of promoting STEM education in public schools, while Lu amplified student voices in her own campaign. Their electoral victories have significant implications for AAPI campaign efforts nationwide and demonstrate how a single VIEWPOINT • SHEN organization can induce change through mass community mobilization.

CAPA is split into two wings, the CAPA-HC, the volunteer wing, and the CAPA-PAC, the poWhenever I visited, it felt foreign, through the air and draw your litical wing. On paper, the two are separated, as Ed like any other vacation destina- attention. The resplendent dis- the CAPA-PAC is fairly inactive in non-election Harry Tang and Anthony Duan are firstShen tion. It didn’t feel like home. I plays and neon lights that light years. In election years, however, cooperation years in the College.

Author understood Mandarin and even up busy avenues entice you in, the Shanghai dialect. I looked the begging you to join the crowds. part and acted it too, but I never What home means to me felt that natal attraction I expect- has shifted; home is not only VIEWPOINT • KANG I came to America at a young ed to feel. How could the hustle an address or a building. Home age, and it’s where I was raised. and bustle of a metropolitan is a feeling, a comforting touch The rolling hills of the Great Plains supercity in China be my home, and a familiar scent. The sense are where I called home. Home is when all I had known were the of peace and belonging at home dancing through golden fields of rural farmlands of America? rests deeper in the soul than wheat and running along lovely My father would tell stories any other emotion. I feel at little streams and creeks. It’s a of times past. He would take the home when I am connecting ing my eyeliner based off of (CDS) reports that 244 of the Joy walk by the river and driving up ferry and walk the noisy bustling with my past and my people. I the crease of my eyes. More 1,584 first-year students enKang and down the long straight roads streets of Pudong, Shanghai, on am at home when I share in the confusion. They told me to rolled in fall 2020 identify as Author that cut through the vast prairies his way to school. On the road collective experiences of milapply mascara to accentuate Asian. Coming back to a prelike lines on a chessboard. But home, he would buy a snack from lions of those just like me. the eyelashes. Her eyelashes dominantly white commuwhen I walk through the streets of the same food cart every day. He I still FaceTime my grandma were immediately visible. nity has revived my insecuriNew York City’s Chinatown and spoke of playing games like jianzi sometimes. My grandma has Almond. Asian. Slanted.

I applied mascara, but my ties. I implicitly find myself Flushing neighborhoods, seeing in the schoolyard with friends spent her whole life in Shanghai.

These are a few words that eyelashes were hidden un- falling into the mindset that the roasted ducks hanging in the and sauntering around the She almost exclusively speaks windows and hearing the chatter Waitan, a waterfront district, at the Shanghai dialect, a dialect so have been used to describe der my hooded eyes. I gave my eyes, along with my entire of Mandarin all around tugs at night. As he spoke, I would listen different from Mandarin that it my eyes. To most people, eyes up and assumed that this ex- being, are not beautiful after something within me. intently, nodding along, yearning sounds like a different language. I are just another organ, one perience was probably just hearing a student say to me, I made a special effort to get to understand his experience. can understand her but can only a haircut in Chinatown this His face would glow and his eyes respond with broken sentences. part of your five senses. But this one video. But no matter “but your eyes are still pretty summer. Walking the crowded would gaze off into the distance Now I am learning to speak the to me, my eyes are one of my how many videos I watched, though! You have so much streets on the way to the barber- as his mind brought him back dialect to communicate with her most significant insecurities. I could not find any videos eyelid space for makeup.”

The first time I realized that that were suited for my face.

It has taken me my entire shop evoked feelings of nostalgia to a different realm. Charmed by in our native tongue. Through and homesickness like no other. memories of a different time, he learning this language, I am piec- my eye shape was not like the My story may be personal, life to come to the conclusion Reading posters and signs in seemed so far away, in a world ing together the fragments of a other kids’ bigger, blue eyes was but the experiences of peo- that I should not let racist, Mandarin, seeing laundry hang- that I had never known. different life, one of a seamstress’s in second grade. Growing up in ple who look like me having Eurocentric beauty standards ing out of windows and making I experience Shanghai grandson who walked home to Indiana as the only Asian per- difficulty learning how to determine my worth. My eyes conversation with the aunties through memories, pictures, Pudong every day — one of someson in my class made me stand navigate something as or- are the reason I can see the and the hawkers, I couldn’t help videos and FaceTimes with my one I could have been. but feel something stirring with- grandma. The buildings scrape There is a city in my bones, out among my classmates. One dinary as applying makeup world around me. The dark in my bones. the floors of heaven and the a culture that I belong to that girl asked me if I could see as is common. Makeup tech- brown color of my eyes proMy parents grew up in China: crowds flow like waves in the I am just now embracing. It well as her, and I was genuinely niques that are widely used tects them from sun damage. my father in the bustling city ocean. The bustle of passersby feels like home. confused because I assumed I by white people are unlikely My eyes represent my cultural of Shanghai and my mother in talking and walking and vehicould see as well as anyone; she to work on Asian faces and, background and thousands the countryside. I was born in cles honking and crawling along Ed Shen is a junior in the said that she was curious if I therefore, we have to learn of years of Korean history.

Shanghai, but I have only seen it consume my senses. Aromas McDonough School of could see because my eyes were how to do our makeup with- My eyes are part of my Asian a few times on family vacations. and flavors of street food float Business. “so tiny.” That instance was the out guidance. In the United American identity. Undoing first time in my life I experi- States, we tend to follow Eu- years of constant self-critienced those kinds of remarks, rocentric beauty standards, a cism will take time. I am not LETTER TO THE EDITOR AND VIEWPOINT POLICIES GENERAL INFORMATION but it surely was not the last. As phenomenon that affects all asking anyone to tell me I am The Hoya welcomes letters and viewpoints from our The Hoya is published once a week during the academic beautiful, but I am arguing readers and will print as many as possible. To be eligible year with the exception of holiday and exam periods. Address I reflect back to those times, I people of color. for publication, letters should specifically address a recent all correspondence to: always wonder: what is wrong The commonality between that we all acknowledge that campus issue or Hoya story. Letters should not exceed The Hoya with small eyes? Monolids can the experiences of Asian monolids can be beautiful.

300 words.

Georgetown University Viewpoints are always welcome from all members of the Box 571065 be beautiful. Of course, it has Americans is rooted in the On a larger scale, I ask Georgetown community on any topic, but priority will be Washington, D.C. 20057-1065 given to relevant campus issues. Viewpoint submissions The writing, articles, pictures, layout and format are the taken me 19 years to come to idea that Anglo-American people to reevaluate what should be between 600-700 words. The Hoya retains all responsibility of The Hoya and do not necessarily repre- that conclusion. features are better than oth- they believe is beautiful. Is it rights to all published submissions. sent the views of the administration, faculty or students During my freshman year er features. Underrepresen- genuinely your opinion? Or Send all submissions to: opinion@thehoya.com. of Georgetown University.

The Hoya reserves the right to reject letters or viewSigned columns and cartoons represent the opinions of of high school, I learned how tation in this realm has con- has society conditioned you points and edit for length, style, clarity and accuracy. The the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the editoto apply makeup by watch- ditioned me to believe that to believe that only EurocenHoya further reserves the right to write headlines and se- rial position of The Hoya. lect illustrations to accompany letters and viewpoints.

Unsigned essays that appear on the left side of the edito- ing YouTube. I clicked on my small, non-white eyes tric features are beautiful? I rial page are the opinion of the majority of the editorial board. the first video that popped can never be beautiful. I am refuse to further conform to CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS Georgetown University subscribes to the principle of reup. The makeup artist told still affected by the Eurocen- the Eurocentric beauty stanIf you have a comment or question about the fairness or sponsible freedom of expression for student editors. accuracy of a story, contact Executive Editor Dalia Liu at The Hoya does not discriminate on the basis of age, me to put the first base of tric makeup industry. dards that bind me. Asian dalia.liu@thehoya.com or Executive Editor Liam Scott at gender, sexual orientation, race, disability, color, national my eyeshadow underneath After spending 15 years Americans should not be liam.scott@thehoya.com. Both editors can be reached by or ethnic origin. email at executive@thehoya.com. my “prominent” brow bone. in Indiana, I moved to New ashamed of their features. © 1920-2018. The Hoya, Georgetown University weekly. No NEWS TIPS part of this publication may be used without the permission I looked into the mirror with Mexico in 2015. New Mexico Others should open their News Editors Paige Kupas and Caitlin McLean: Email of The Hoya Board of Editors. All rights reserved. The Hoya is confusion. What prominent is a majority-minority state eyes to that fact as well. news@thehoya.com. available free of charge, one copy per reader, at distribution brow bone? I was lost, but I and moving there helped me Guide Editors Mason Leath and Mason Stempel: Email sites on and around the Georgetown University campus. continued on with the video. embrace my features. George- Joy Kang is a sophomore in guide@thehoya.com.

Email: editor@thehoya.com Sports Editors Maisy Liles and Saar Shah: Email sports@ Online at www.thehoya.com They told me to try draw- town’s Common Data Set the School of Foreign Service. thehoya.com.

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OPINION: Asian Identity Issue VIEWPOINT • YU

Destigmatize Mental Health Struggles Angela Yu Author

followers. This concept is known as the model minority myth. It explains why Asian Americans are overlooked for leadership opportunities despite being overrepresented in fields such as technology and medicine.

The generalization effect of the model minority myth also plays a significant role in Asian Americans’ aversion towards professional counseling. No two mental health diagnoses result in the same repercussion, especially the impacts on one’s relationships and lifestyle. As such, mental illness is innately incompatible with the monolithic perception of the AAPI community. Seeking treatment requires that we demand recognition for our struggles and confront the individuality of our experience.

By openly resisting societal prejudice, we, as Asian Americans, can foster a welcoming environment for mental health discourse.

First and foremost, AAPI achievements must be credited to our exceptionalism instead of our commonality. We often see white success portrayed as an individual transcending their peers while Asian success is portrayed as a product of one’s adherence to cultural norms. In reality, our accomplishments are not an expectation of our identity but a product of our unique qualities.

We must also reject the belief that celebrating individuality means sacrificing our place in the community. In our personal, academic and professional relationships, I urge Asian Americans to initiate discussions about our personal hardships and successes. We should all play a role in validating experiences from the vast array of regions, customs and values that make up the AAPI community.

In a competitive environment like Georgetown University, the stigma surrounding mental health services is substantially amplified. In response, we must actively validate each other’s experiences and encourage dialogue around defiance of the model minority myth. These conversations should inclu Eventually, I hope we will all come to the same conclusion: we are defined by our individuality and not by demographic data points.

I’ve only recently started making strides in an area that I’ve had little practice in: asking for mental support.

Logically, this feat shouldn’t be difficult; we ask for help all the time in our daily lives. I can easily seek clarification on an assignment or reach out to a classmate for lecture notes. However, my interpersonal barrier comes not from the reluctance to request assistance but from the hesitance to reveal vulnerability. Although this mindset is not specific to one identity, the societal and familial pressures surrounding the Asian American community elevate personal aversion into a wider phenomenon. Thus, addressing Asian American mental health requires examining the issue as it relates to society’s monolithic view of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. In order to create an environment where we feel comfortable discussing our unique hardships, we must celebrate our individuality as a community.

Current shortcomings in mental health awareness are exhibited by the low numbers of Asian Americans who seek professional help. Only 8.6% of AAPIs pursue mental healthcare services, a rate three times less than that of their white counterparts, yet the demographic has a 17.3% rate of developing a psychiatric disorder in their lifetime.

Many AAPI youths feel that they must struggle alone. In one 2009 survey, Asian Americans aged 18 to 30 reported that a significant factor in their hesitancy to request professional help is the negative perception of counseling in their communities.

The stigma around mental health is deeply ingrained in the sociopolitical environment surrounding Asian American discourse, specifically in how American society has defined us as universally obedient, booksmart and hard workers. While we are told these labels are complimentary, they hold underlying implications: Asian Ameri- Angela Yu is a first-year in the cans are compliant, robotic School of Foreign Service.

ILLUSTRATION BY: SOPHIE LIU/THE HOYA

VIEWPOINT • EPLEY

Embrace Intersections of Asian Identity Sophia Epley Author

As the only daughter of a Chinese-American mother and a white father, my racial identity has always been at the forefront of my insecurities. In a world that’s becoming increasingly conscious of the role that race and ethnicity play in shaping certain communities, individuals who identify as multiracial can feel ostracized.

The percentage of the United States population that identifies as multiracial has grown exponentially in the last few decades.

In particular, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population of adults with both white and Asian backgrounds increased by 87% percent between 2000 and 2010 and continues to be osne of the fastest growing demographics in the U.S. In places like Hawaii, the prevalence of half-Asian and halfwhite people has influenced the local language. The term Hapa is used to describe mixed-race people and usually refers specifically to half-white and half-

Asian people. This demographic became common in Hawaii as guest plantation workers from the Philippines, Korea, China and Japan began to marry white women. While the term was initially a shortened version of a derogatory word, it is now a word that people all throughout the U.S. embrace as a way to describe their identities.

People who identify as Hapa find themselves in an interesting dilemma, as the majority are not white-passing and yet still feel unable to fully claim the minority side of their identity. On a personal level, I feel extremely proud of my Asian American identity, but I also feel like I’m not fully worthy of speaking out on issues facing the community.

In spaces dominated by Asian Americans, I often don’t feel Asian “enough” and focus on my brown hair and white last name.

In spaces dominated by white people, especially at Georgetown, I feel as if I am “too” Asian and am insecure about the parts of me that make me stand out. For a long time I envied my parents for the simplicity of their racial identities, and tried to suppress parts of my own identity to fit in.

This pattern of trying to pick and choose parts of our racial identity is a common occurrence

in the Hapa community. Most spaces, whether it be in higher education or politics, are still dominated by white people, and as a result, many Hapa people try to suppress their Asian American identities in order to assimilate.

This issue is exacerbated by the fact that many Hapa people do not feel like they have a safe space among Asian Americans to discuss their experiences with racism and white supremacy.

The U.S. Census Bureau found that the majority of Hapa people identify more with their white side than their Asian side. In a society that marginalizes anyone who is not fully white and looks “different,” this identification does not prevent individuals from being victims of discrimination and oppression.

If we are to truly deconstruct systems of racism, we need to present a more united front, in which people embrace the minority sides of their identity instead of seeking out whiteness.

For me, the process of integrating myself further into the Asian American community was accelerated after being confronted on the street with racial slurs and blamed for the “China Virus.” I hope that it does not always take a traumatic experience like this to facilitate this process among oth-

er members of the Hapa diaspora.

Conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion often fail to acknowledge the intersection between different groups, as well as the experiences of people who do not fit cleanly or feel fully accepted into one. This lack of nuance can lead to a perceived rejection of those who are not fully part of that demographic.

We must recognize that race cannot be talked about in a monolithic way. If we define spaces solely based on a single facet of someone’s racial identity, instead of recognizing the insights and relationships that come from intersecting identities, we risk further ostracization.

For my fellow Hapa and multi-racial people, it is important to remind ourselves that coming from multiple racial and cultural backgrounds should never be something that prevents us from engaging in conversation and activism regarding race. We cannot pick and choose facets of our identity based on the spaces we are in.

At the end of the day, we will always be multiple things. That is perfectly okay.

Sophia Epley is a first-year in the School of Foreign Service.

VIEWPOINT • FAN

VIEWPOINT • HUANG

Reckon With Conflicts of Identity Assess Roots of Affirmative Action Jupiter Huang Author

The hallmark of my Asian American experience has been one of paradoxes, often subtle, sometimes blatant, that contribute to the crisis of identity that I currently grapple with. I expect that struggle to continue, perhaps unceasingly so.

My experience in the United States has centered around my identity as an international student. My first vivid recollection of high school is sitting in a bare, empty room at my boarding school, unpacking my airplane models and books, distracting myself from the fact that I would forever study, and perhaps live, 8,000 miles from “home.”

“Where are you from?” That simplequestionneverceasestostab me with a twinge of trepidation, sometimes coupled with regret, uncertainty and even emptiness.

I’ve always been the “American” kid to my friends back home and in my extended family, yet I found it distinctly more comfortable to classify myself here in the United States. as being from Guangzhou, China. I’m constantly foreign to places that I could have perhaps called home. The international student communities I’ve been lucky enough to find bond over this shared sentiment, forming another home within a sea of estrangement.

Still,itoftenonlyconcealsthefeeling of untethered-ness that comes from your family being 12 time zones and a firewall away.

As a Chinese American in particular, cultural and political conflict permeates my experience.

Here in the States, I often find myself one of the few mainland Chinese students in the room; as

such,awaveofexpectationfollows me whenever someone raises dogged questions on the policies of the Chinese Communist Party.

It’s a strange prospect to explain why I prefer to live in the United States, a country constantly working to find its identity within the many contradictions between varying individual freedoms. Yet it’s stranger still to portray the realities of living within an authoritarian country where a predominant culture with different priorities largely embraces obedience — coming at the cost of willful ignorance and a woeful lack of individual agency — in return for the promise of security and stable growth.

The intricacies of fitting into racialized and politicized spaces grows out of these conflicts. Asian Americans, while a group diverse far beyond public recognition, aren’t a comparatively large minority community in the United States, numbering around 7% of the population.

Thus, the temptation to just disappear into the background, coveting the social and financial stability of finally beginning to fit into the “American” story, easily jeopardized by standing out, looms ever-present. The lack of media representation and the lack of Asian stories brought to the forefront of popular and literary culture, trends that are just now beginning to fade, only perpetuate the subconscious pressure to confine ourselves to established routes, thinking that the true respect we’ll get must come through silently building familial wealth.

Moreover, the past few years have compounded the difficulties of being Chinese American; if the chilling rise in hate crimes has taught me anything, it’s that my very appearance and presence remains intricately tied to the growing conflict between the

United States and China. This would be an easier dilemma to deal with if our cultural heritage didn’t so strongly intersect with the history of our civilization. I can’t deny that I feel pride when I’m cruising at 200 miles an hour across the Chinese countryside, or watching entire skies of gleaming glass and concrete rise around me.

At the same time, these thoughts are caught in the crossfire of increasing antagonism as ideological differences between the East and the West become harder to ignore. In my experience, there’s always been a palpable, though often subtle pressure to conform, and I face questions that are intrinsically hard to answer.

Where do I fit into the American narrative? Will I ever become American enough? What does that even mean?

In a sense, the quintessential paradox of my experience remains one of selective presence: I’m part of a minority that’s often invisible, but painfully visible when politically expedient. A movie with Asian representation or an award-winning novel by an Asian American author doesn’t automatically change that.

We must reckon with the conflicts that threaten the stability of Asian American identity, and that reckoning can and should start in spaces like Georgetown.

Through vastly expanding our Asian Studies course offerings, building politically vocal affinity groups, and most importantly, and through conscious efforts by students and faculty to understand the diversity in Asian stories and raise awareness around the issues this growing community faces, we can play our part in promoting true multiculturalism in this nation.

Jupiter Huang is a firstyear in the School of Foreign Service.

Maggie Fan Author

Can a system built by oppressors really benefit the oppressed?

Affirmative action is a set of policies within any organization that seeks to include underrepresented people and prevents discrimination against minority groups.

Modern-day affirmative action policies, however, perpetuate a racial hierarchy that excludes the exact group of people the policies were designed to include.

How do we improve this system? Do we simply abolish affirmative action as a whole or do we look to reform? Addressing why affirmative action is needed in the first place is a good place to begin.

The phrase, affirmative action, was first explicitly used in 1961 in President John F. Kennedy’s Executive Order 10925. The order attempted to improve the hiring practices of government contractors, stating, “the contractor will take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, creed, color, or national origin.” Today, these policies have transcended above the workplace sphere and into university educational policies. Several white students have challenged these policies. In 2016, a white woman named Abigail Fisher sued the University of Texas at Austin after admissions officers denied her application. Fisher claimed that applicants of color who were less qualified than she had stolen her spot. The court eventually ruled in UT Austin’s favor, stating that the university’s policies were constitutional. Lawsuits like these have become increasingly common-

place — unsurprisingly, most of them are filed by white women.

According to a 2014 Cooperative Congressional Election Study, 70% of young white women are somewhat or strongly opposed to affirmative action. While white women are the greatest opponents of affirmative action, they are statistically proven to be the group that has benefited the most from it. A 2006 survey of employers in four major cities found that firms with affirmative action policies in place were 15% more likely to hire white women even with other major factors controlled.

Among the disadvantaged people affirmative action policies are designed to recruit, white women often receive the best education, so employers are more likely to hire white women under affirmative action guidelines. Although many white women have legally challenged affirmative action by citing racial discrimination, they benefit more than any other demographic group. Their opposition to affirmative action not only harms racial and ethnic minorities, but also themselves.

Affirmative action has its downfalls. Growing up with the model minority myth hovering over my head, I always knew that I was held to a higher standard than the average student. Stereotypes and societal pressures expected me to perform at a higher level solely because Asian people are unnecessarily grouped under a monolithic label.

However, statistics have shown that its policies have had a noticeable effect. Today, more than half the workforce consists of minorities, women and immigrants.

Though the system assuredly has its downfalls, affirmative action policies are still necessary.

So, maybe abolition isn’t the right cause to head. Perhaps, all we need are some provisions. Provisions targeting inferior schooling

and improving social and educational inequalities may provide marginalized communities with access to equal and effective schooling that not only ensures their attendance but will also improve performance in school.

In targeting these inequities, we must address the problems of redlining, aversion to diversity and unequal school funding. According to a U.S. Commission’s report on civil rights, schools with predominantly students of color receive on average $2,000 less per student in funding than schools with significantly fewer students of color. By eliminating local funding completely, state legislatures can deny white, wealthier communities the opportunity to disproportionately gain advantages in funding their public schools through local property taxes. Compared to schools with mostly white students, predominantly minority schools receive less funding, contributing significantly to the disparities in academic achievements and students’ merit when college admissions come into play.

As former Justice Sandra O’Connor stated in the Grutter v.

Bollinger case, “Affirmative action should be a temporary bandage rather than a permanent cure.”

Until there’s a better system in place, affirmative action is here to stay. Instead of reforming the system, we should look to addressing the causes that make affirmative action necessary. By eliminating local funding and providing equal funding to all schools regardless of student body makeup, we, as a country, will be one step closer in achieving academic equity and ultimately, one step closer to eliminating the need for affirmative action in the first place.

Maggie Fan is a first-year in the College.

A4 | THE HOYA

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021

FEATURES

Lack of Transparency Perpetuates Community Uncertainty on Divestment, Sustainability Progress While Georgetown committed to divest its endowment from fossil fuel companies by 2030, a lack of transparency surrounding its progress has caused concern among student advocates.

Sahana Arumani and Neala Sweeney Special to The Hoya

S

tudent environmental activists felt a buzz of excitement when the Georgetown University Board of Directors voted to divest the university’s endowment from fossil fuel companies in February 2020, after eight years of advocacy by student group GU Fossil Free (GUFF).

However, after the board’s decision, former GUFF leaders and other sustainability advocates found that the road to divestment would not be an open and transparent process. Instead, university bureaucracy, vague statements and unanswered questions have blocked clarity on divestment efforts, according to Victoria Boatwright, a member of the Georgetown Renewable Energy Environmental Network (GREEN).

“The university has been becoming less and less transparent with their investments,” Boatwright said in an interview with The Hoya.

For student activists like Boatwright, who devoted years to the divestment campaign, the university’s reluctance to include and update students on divestment efforts is concerning.

“This was a student initiative.

This was a thing that students showed they were really interested in,” Boatwright said. “And it’s frustrating to see the university think because the boards of directors passed it, that it doesn’t have to be a studentinvolved process.”

After the university’s divestment announcement, GUFF disbanded, having accomplished its mission. Now, as the Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network (GREEN) has taken on advocacy in their wake, students say they still cannot find information on how much of the exact amount of the endowment remains still tied to fossil fuels.

Clouded Divestment

Georgetown announced in February 2020 that it would begin a ten-year process to divest the university’s endowment from fossil fuels, committing to divesting from public securities of fossil fuel companies by 2025 and existing private investments in those companies by 2030.

GUFF began campaigning for divestment in 2013 and presented its first divestment proposal to the university in October 2014, which the university rejected. However, GUFF continued to push the university on sustainability and divestment, with its efforts paying

off in 2018 when the university announced its divestment from tar sands, among other small wins along the way to full divestment.

Since the 2020 divestment announcement, the Georgetown University Investment Office has stopped making new investments in fossil fuel companies, terminated its relationship with an external manager that focused on natural resource companies and moved additional investments into a fund that excludes fossil fuel producers, according to a university spokesperson.

Prior to February 2020, Georgetown had less than 5% of its $1.9 billion endowment invested in fossil fuel companies. The university has not made any further public statements on divestment since their initial announcement.

While other universities, like Harvard and Yale, regularly release statistics on how much of their endowments are invested in public and private equities, hedge funds and other assets, Georgetown does not publicly disclose information on any of its investments, fossil fuel-related and otherwise.

A university spokesperson declined to tell The Hoya what percentage of the endowment is still invested in fossil fuels.

In October 2021, five former members of GUFF emailed Cal Watson, assistant vice president of public affairs and business policy, and Chief Investment Officer Michael Barry to request the university fully disclose the percentage of the endowment still invested in fossil fuel companies and provide students with consistent updates.

“We imagine that full disclosure may look like anything from solely disclosing the names of the various stocks, index funds, mutual funds, or ETFs currently invested in fossil fuels to sharing a complete portfolio with amounts,” the former GUFF members wrote in the email.

As of December 2020, Georgetown still had almost $14 million invested in three fossil fuel companies — PDC Energy, Range Resources and Antero Resources — according to a 13F-HR investment report publicly released by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The university is following its plan to divest from oil and gas producer companies, Watson wrote in his reply to GUFF, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Hoya. But neither Barry nor Watson responded to the request for accountability and transparency, according to Boatwright.

Chief Investment Officer Barry and members of the Board of Di-

rectors’ Subcommittee on Investments make decisions related to endowment policy. Georgetown’s Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility (CISR) serves as an advisory body responsible for providing advice on implementing the University’s Socially Responsible Investing Policy. In 2016 and 2017, GUFF worked with the university to establish this Socially Responsible Investing Policy, which aims to align Georgetown investments with the university’s commitment to the protection of human life and stewardship of the planet.

GREEN and former GUFF members aim to give all students access to current information and updates on the university’s endowment policy and the divestment process, according to a follow-up email from Boatwright to Watson and Barry in November.

“Our biggest concern is the availability of information on the divestment process,” the followup email read. “Whether that be through quarterly reports indicating percentages of investments in fossil fuel companies or through an up-to-date website with updates on new actions.”

Neither Barry nor Watson responded to this follow-up email, according to Boatwright.

“We had to reach out personally to get that information, and it’s still not a lot of information,” Boatwright said. “It’s frustrating to see the university think that because the Board of Directors passed it, it doesn’t have to be a studentinvolved process.”

Georgetown has continued to implement the February 2020 divestment policy, remaining on track to fully divest from fossil fuel companies by 2030, according to a university spokesperson.

However, former GUFF member Lucy Chatfield (COL ’22) and her fellow student advocates are concerned about the university’s supposed progress and want to see concrete evidence of the university’s steps toward divestment.

“It’s worrying,” Chatfield said in an interview with The Hoya. “I’ve had conversations with other people that care about this and other members about how we could get announcements from the chief investment officer about where they’re at monthly, twice a year, to at least make sure that it’s something that they’re thinking about.”

Shouldering the Responsibility

Since returning to campus, students have called on the university to be more transparent about other sustainability and environmental issues, along with divestment. A lack of transparency and accountability from the

university has forced student advocates to bear the burden of leading sustainability efforts, according to GREEN and former GUFF members.

The most recent campuswide sustainability report is from 2011, which details past progress on sustainability efforts. The most recent summary of the university’s greenhouse gas emissions is from 2015.

In 2014, Georgetown announced it would use the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS) tool, a self-reporting framework allowing universities to measure their sustainability to obtain a campuswide benchmark that could guide further decision-making.

Despite being named on the STARS website as a registered participant, there are no public reports available for Georgetown’s progress.

In comparison, American University, George Washington University, University of Pennsylvania and 550 other universities have made their self-reported STARS report findings publicly available.

GREEN has also shouldered significant responsibility in creating tangible goals and steps toward accountability, according to Karan Chauhan (SFS ’22), a member of GREEN, adding that the university does not have a comprehensive set of goals or reporting methods for sustainability efforts.

“There wasn’t any one document with actionable steps and mechanisms to hold the university administration accountable to make that progress towards those goals that a lot of other peer institutions had,” Chauhan said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya.

To encourage a transparent and streamlined sustainability plan, GREEN released the Comprehensive Sustainability Plan Proposal in March 2021, which urges the university to create a sustainability plan with long-term and short-term sustainability goals, clearly communicate its efforts and results and involve students in the process.

The proposal simulates the framework of a possible comprehensive plan, outlining seven main sectors of sustainability, each with specific, time-oriented goals. Among other goals, the proposal suggests adopting a 10-year plan for reducing potable water use, becoming waste free by 2035 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050.

ILLUSTRATION BY: ALLIE YI AND JASON OMORI/THE HOYA

GREEN and former GUFF members spoke out about the lack of university communication on divestment and sustainability efforts.

The administration did not respond to GREEN when the organization released its plan in March, according to Rita Alan (SFS ’24), an author of the plan and member of GREEN. However, the administration did invite some students from GREEN to help with the interviewing process for the inaugural vice president of sustainability position after the proposal’s release, according to Chauhan.

Following the departure of the Office of Sustainability’s (OOS) Director Audrey Stewart in January 2021, the university hired Meghan Chapple as its first vice president of sustainability.

In her new position, Chapple plans to coordinate with students and build upon GREEN’s comprehensive plan to create a streamlined sustainability process.

“My hope is that we can have a sustainability mindset that will permeate daily life and work at Georgetown,” Chapple wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“We will invite students, faculty, staff and external partners to join this process, and we will draw on plans that have been developed to date, including GREEN’s proposed campus sustainability plan drafted in March 2021.”

Chapple’s hiring is an important step toward including students in conversations on sustainability, according to Brooke Hodge (SFS ’24), a member of GREEN. “I’ve already seen a lot of progress as far as communication and transparency and wanting to involve students,” Hodge said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “There’s already been a lot of progress in the past year.”

Slow Steps Toward Sustainability

As the first vice president of sustainability, Chapple plans to heavily involve students in sustainability and environmental issues in order to drive transparency.

“It is my intention that the Office of Sustainability will publicly share the university sustainability strategy, the follow-on implementation plans and regular reports on progress to reach our goals,” Chapple wrote.

Student input will also inform how the university communicates divestment updates with students, according to Chapple.

“We would like to hear from the Georgetown community about how they would like to

be informed on the divestment process, whether an annual update or timeline or other suggestions,” Chapple wrote.

“Students can join our monthly sustainability town hall meetings to provide their ideas.”

The OOS plans to pursue a formal sustainability strategy process including students, faculty and staff in the conversation, and aims to use GREEN’s sustainability plan and other previously published reports to inform the process, according to Chapple.

Students in GREEN were relieved by Chapple’s arrival and the creation of her new role, as it allows them to return to their role of advocacy without shouldering the heavy responsibility of creating a comprehensive sustainability plan alone, according to Alan.

“Now that she’s in charge and having this framework moving forward, it takes a lot of the pressure off of us, because now it’s more so we can provide student input and say this is what students want,” Alan said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “But we don’t have to be the main ones trying to drive this conversation.”

To hear student input, Chapple and Georgetown Environmental Initiative director Peter Marra have begun leading monthly town halls on sustainability, which any Georgetown community member can attend and raise concerns or ideas about sustainability efforts.

As in-person town halls return, they offer the opportunity for more interaction between students and administrators and will help drive an open access to information, according to Hodge.

“The town halls are a big step towards improvement because what I think the biggest issue that I’ve had with Georgetown has been their lack of transparency on their environmental initiatives because they are doing so much that we just don’t know about or don’t hear about,” Hodge said.

While the town halls are a step toward transparency, there is still a long way to go in informing the student body on divestment and sustainability efforts, according to Chatfield.

The university has a responsibility to include student voices in Georgetown’s divestment and sustainability initiatives and provide more transparency, according to Boatwright.

“It’s easier to just not have to deal with students’ input,” Boatwright said. “But I think it’s the right thing to do.”

THE HOYA | A5

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM

NEWS

Students Concerned About Food History Professor Testifies On Human Access During Thanksgiving Break Rights Abuses Against Uyghurs Nicolas Bocock Special to The Hoya

Over 50 students came forward with concerns about food insecurity over the Thanksgiving break period.

Only one Georgetown University dining facility, Epicurean and Company, remained open through the break. Because the restaurant requires payment in Flex dollars or other methods of personal funding, students were not able to use their meal swipes throughout Thanksgiving break.

Without alternative options from the university, these dining limitations created an issue for students who remained on campus over the break, according to Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate Vice Speaker Rowlie Flores (COL ’22).

“A lot of people who stay on campus tend to be low income, so that became problematic because they didn’t know where their next meal was going to come from,” Flores said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “Even in past years, Leo’s has always been closed, but this year was especially harmful because COVID is still going on; in general, there was no financial support from the university.”

The Georgetown University Mutual Aid Network, a student organization that collects and redistributes funds to students, saw an influx in requests for aid during Thanksgiving break, according to Megan Huynh (NHS ’22), one of the organization’s founders.

“We’ve just reopened our form today and have already seen a lot of requests from students who will be facing food insecurity due to the break,” Huynh wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We’ve seen an increase in requests relating to

food and are generally aware that Leo’s closing poses a huge threat to food access on campus because we also received a lot of funding requests when the same thing happened last year.”

Acting GUSA Vice President Thomas Leonard (COL ’23) met with university administrators Nov. 18 to discuss the concerns students brought to GUSA about food insecurity and lay out possible solutions.

Providing extra Flex dollars for students staying on campus during Thanksgiving break or keeping more dining options open would help to eliminate food insecurity, according to Leonard.

“One of the biggest things for us was hoping to get stipends available to students who need it, whether that be through offering of additional FLEX or funding that would not affect their financial aid,” Leonard said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “The other solution we wanted was to make sure that we had other dining locations open on campus.”

The university made free meals and food available to students through the Hoya Hub, an oncampus food pantry on the fourth floor of the Leavey Center, according to a university spokesperson.

“The Hoya Hub food pantry remained open during the break and had additional resources, including meal vouchers, available to students who needed emergency support,” the spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“Hoya Hub is stocked with nonperishable foods available on an immediate, emergency basis.”

Still, this accommodation proved inadequate for many students with dietary restrictions or a lack of access to kitchens, according to Flores.

“People were relying more heavily on the Hoya Hub pantry, but that doesn’t really support everyone,” Flores said. “It’s very limited in food, limited in funding and limited in supplies, so essentially people had to use their own money.”

The Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP), which supports first-generation and low-income students at Georgetown, provided grocery grants and three meal vouchers to students in GSP who applied for the resources.

The grocery grants only covered dry ingredients, leaving some students unable to use them, according to Flores.

“There’s things that people have to consider like cooking utensils, pans and pots,” Flores said. “The money might be enough for ingredients and groceries, but if you don’t have the materials to cook your food then that’s also an additional cost.”

For low-income students who are not in GSP and were not able to apply for the additional food resources over Thanksgiving break, and even for GSP students whose approval was not guaranteed, access to food was even more limited.

According to Leonard, GUSA plans on meeting with administration again to discuss solutions for future breaks.

“It’s a problem of the utmost priority as it relates to making sure that our students are taken care of,” Leonard said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “It’s an issue that we’re absolutely going to have to revisit with a much more aggressive approach, both in our communications with administration but also the timeline in which we communicate with administration.”

GUSA Senate Aims To Restructure Internally Through Bylaw Reform

@TRIBUNALUYGHUR/TWITTER

James Millward, a Georgetown professor, testified twice at the London-based Uyghur Tribunal as an expert on the Uyghur Region.

Akashdiya Chakraborty Special to The Hoya

A Georgetown University professor testified for the second time at a people’s tribunal investigating the Chinese government’s ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs.

James Millward, an expert on historical and contemporary Xinjiang, testified Nov. 27 at the London-based Uyghur Tribunal as a peer reviewer of a new report based on hundreds of top secret Chinese government documents.

The report, authored by Adrian Zenz, directly links China’s crackdown on Uyghurs and other ethnic groups to speeches from highlevel Chinese leadership.

Peer reviewing the report included examining and verifying the documents, considering Zenz’s argument and verifying his translations, according to Millward. These secret documents demonstrate intent from the upper echelons of the Chinese government — including President Xi Jinping — for policies later imposed in the Uyghur region, Millward said.

“In these speeches and other things that are in these documents, he identifies the problem as religion and extremist thinking, and he says that that needs to be the focus of any kind of solution,” Millward said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “And the camps have been created and the re-education system put in place to address things in people’s minds — or things that the Chinese state imagines are in everyone’s minds, if they’re religious.”

Zenz, a senior fellow at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, also testified for the second time Nov. 27 on his new report. The Uyghur Tribunal asked him in September to review the documents after an anonymous source leaked them to the tribunal.

The Uyghur Tribunal is an

independent people’s tribunal investigating China’s alleged genocide and other atrocities against Uyghurs and other Turkic and/or majority-Muslim ethnic groups. The tribunal will issue its determination Dec. 9 on whether China has perpetrated genocide and other atrocities against Uyghurs.

Established in September 2020, the tribunal held hearings in June, September and November 2021, at which witnesses — including victims, human rights activists, and academics — provided evidence of China’s abuses. Millward also testified at the September hearings as an expert on the region.

The Chinese government has persecuted these ethnic groups for decades, but repression has drastically increased since 2017 under the guise of combating religious extremism. China’s campaign includes severe restrictions on religious practice; repressive population control policies, including forced sterilization; arbitrary detention of over 1 million individuals, mainly Uyghurs; and widespread forced labor, among other crimes. The United States condemned the crisis as genocide and crimes against humanity in January.

The New York Times first reported on the cache of documents in question — known as the Xinjiang Papers — in 2019, but most of the documents were never made public.

After reviewing the documents, Zenz and Millward concluded they are far more significant than previously believed.

The documents, which include top-secret speeches from Xi, provide substantial evidence connecting the crackdown in the Uyghur region to central government demands, especially related to so-called “re-education” camps and population control, according to the report.

“Xi’s statements that religious extremism is like a ‘powerful psy-

chedelic drug’ and that acts of terror will ‘multiply like cancer cells’ if extremist thought is not eradicated are quoted verbatim (and attributed to Xi) in a widely cited March 2017 government document that likens re-education to free medical treatment for ‘sick thinking,’” the report reads.

That chilling, medical rhetoric has been part of this campaign since the very beginning, Millward said.

“That echoes dehumanizing and scientific and other kinds of rhetoric from the Holocaust and other episodes of genocide in the past,” Millward said.

If the Uyghur Tribunal concludes that China has perpetrated genocide, it will hopefully prompt the international community to take greater action to combat Beijing’s abuses, according to Rushan Abbas, founder of Campaign for Uyghurs, a nongovernmental organization that advocates for Uyghur human rights.

“One of the biggest successes of the tribunal was its ability to gather a significant amount of evidence in the face of obfuscation and propaganda by the Chinese government,” Abbas wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Nations will be able to look to that body of evidence to make determinations about what can be done to end this atrocity.”

Abbas, whose sister is detained in the Uyghur region, testified in June at the Uyghur Tribunal.

The Uyghur Tribunal is especially significant because China is blocking substantial action at the United Nations level, according to Millward.

“These kinds of organizations and initiatives, such as the Uyghur Tribunal, by the very fact that they aren’t state led, are very powerful,” Millward said. “What we’re hearing here is the voice of people organizing outside of the network of states. And so that’s where the import lies.”

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

GUSA will develop new bylaw amendments in spring 2022 in an attempt to restructure internally.

Sanchi Rohira

Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate will aim to restructure itself through an internal bylaw reform after a referendum on the same matter failed to pass last month.

Despite 72.12% of students voting in favor of the referendum to replace the GUSA Senate and Executive with a single body student assembly, the referendum failed to pass because it did not meet the 25% minimum voter threshold required for referendums to pass. In contrast to a student referendum, an internal restructuring process amending the bylaws would only require approval within GUSA and not the broader student body.

Bylaw amendments are expected to be drafted during the first week of the spring 2022 semester and scheduled to be voted on by the GUSA Senate in late January or early February of 2022.

Although the referendum failed to pass, GUSA perceived it as approval for restructuring, according to GUSA Executive Restructure Co-Director Dakyung Ham (COL ’22).

“The referendum results show that a lot of people are very interested in restructuring GUSA, especially in aspects like elections and policy areas, and having more of a policy focus in GUSA,” Ham said in an interview with The Hoya. “It shows in the election results because

a majority of people voted ‘yes’ for the referendum.”

The current structure of GUSA prevents the organization from effectively addressing student needs on campus, according to GUSA Senator Bora Balçay (SFS ’23), one of two senators who introduced the restructure referendum in October.

“I think that it’s overly bureaucratic, and not enough people work on policy,” Balçay said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “Others have said that the system of hierarchy, from their experience, has been toxic and unwelcoming. I think that it is important for us to, going into a new decade, make sure that our student government is as welcoming, as diverse, as accessible, as the student body itself.”

Through a bylaw reform, the restructure will be restricted to merging legislative and executive policy teams, according to Balçay.

While internal restructuring is narrower in scope and does not abolish the constitutional council and leadership positions, GUSA is still committed to meeting the original goals outlined in the referendum, according to Balçay.

“We’re just moving both to the long term,” Balçay said. “The feedback we’ve received overwhelmingly is that there’s some desire for change in the areas of particular policy, which is something we can do through bylaw changes. We want to do that now so that we can do

the hierarchical change and the constitutional council change somewhere down the line. So we’re still not abandoning those goals.”

However, according to GUSA Senator Zev Burton (SFS ’22), who opposed the referendum, problems with GUSA will not be resolved with procedural changes.

“The problem with GUSA is people don’t show initiative,” Burton said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya.

“People run and say they’re going to do all of these things and then they don’t. You have an attendance problem.

You have people not signing up to be on executive boards.

Once people have the title, on balance, they aren’t doing anything after that.”

The decision to pursue an internal restructuring process came after much discussion and deliberation within GUSA, according to Ham. “We are very much more so considering doing the bylaws or planning a lot more towards it,” Ham said. “Myself and the executive committee overall is very much leaning towards the bylaws option.”

An internal restructure process takes attention away from more important issues that GUSA should address, according to Burton.

“When GUSA does stuff right; when we focus on students, we can be really really beneficial to the community.

When we focus on ourselves, it’s just pandering to ourselves and building up our own ego,” Burton said.

Founded January 14, 1920

Katie Hawkinson, Editor in Chief Dalia Liu, Executive Editor Liam Scott, Executive Editor Tara Petronio, Managing Editor Paige Kupas, News Editor Caitlin McLean, News Editor Liana Hardy, Features Editor Claire Stowe, Features Editor Mason Leath, Guide Editor Mason Stempel, Guide Editor Jared Carmeli, Opinion Editor John O’Connor, Opinion Editor Maisy Liles, Sports Editor Saar Shah, Sports Editor Noa Bronicki, Design Editor Erica Kim, Design Editor Anna Yuan, Photography Editor Bay Dotson, Copy Chief Naomi Greenberg, Copy Chief Alex Henn, Social Media Editor Eri Hayakawa, Blog Editor Valerie Blinder, Multimedia Editor Mia Rasamny, Multimedia Editor Editorial Board Jared Carmeli and John O’Connor, Chairs Eric Bazail-Eimil, Lincoln Le, Nicolette Carrion, Jack Childs, Camber Vincent

Ali Yusuf, General Manager Aditya Gupte, Director of Financial Operations William Philip, Director of Financial Operations Erin Casey, Director of Human Resources

Board of Directors

Kirsten Garino, Chair

Grace Buono, Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Emma Ginsberg, Clara Grudberg, Rosy Lin, Jo Matta Samuel Yoo Adora Zheng Eli Kales Alicia Novoa Laetitia Haddad Sam Sinutko Conor Geelan Arianne Levine Rushil Vashee Adriana Guzman Sofia Wills James Pocchia Clayton Kincade Ishaan Rai Haley Resnick Nooran Ahluwalia Alexandra Alkhayer Anagha Chakravarti Laura Kapp Khushi Vora Alice Bolandhemat Ella Kohler Sydney Raymond Natalie Regan Tim Goh Chris Ha Jimin Lee Allie Yi Veronica Campanie Olivia Gadson Cate Meyer Hannah Wallinger Miranda Xiong Grace Cohn Mary Clare Marshall Lizzie Quinlivan Allison Yingst Emily Mundt Cece Ochoa

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A6 | THE HOYA

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021

NEWS

Sen. Elizabeth Warren Discusses GUSA Leaders, Descendants Call Creating Equity Through Policy On University For Action On GU272 GU272, from A1

ANNA YUAN/THE HOYA

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spoke to students at an event titled “A Conversation With Elizabeth Warren on Leveling the Playing Field.”

WARREN, from A1 care can prevent minorities from accessing healthcare.

When Pearcey asked how the country should move forward after the pandemic disproportionately impacted Black and Brown individuals, Warren highlighted the work of Ibram X. Kendi, an anti-racist activist, historian of race policy and author of “Stamped From the Beginning.” Warren utilized Kendi’s expertise to explain what it means to move forward while prioritizing anti-racism.

“For me, it’s Ibram Kendi and anti-racism,” Warren said. “It is not enough to write a policy that so long as you didn’t deliberately discriminate against someone overtly and use words that say ‘not that group’ then it’s okay. The answer is you must stop and ask yourself with every one of these policies, what’s going on here?

And who does this effect? And how is this affecting communities that have been left behind?”

Another way to level the playing field is by investing in children and parents in an effort to prioritize people who are going back to work in the wake of the COVID-19

pandemic across America, according to Warren.

“It’s universal childcare and pre-K, the best dollars that we can spend to invest in our babies,” Warren said. “Particularly when we’re talking about childcare, when we invest in our babies, we’re investing in our moms and dads so they can go back to work.”

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act on Nov. 19. The bill includes expanded access to child care and prekindergarten, a minimum corporate tax and other provisions intended to tackle climate and healthcare. However, Senate Republicans enacted the filibuster to block much of the Biden administration’s agenda, so the act will face an uphill battle in the Senate.

When asked by a student at the event about progressive tax policy, Warren advocated for a wealth tax she introduced during her presidential campaign, the Ultra-Millionaire Tax, that would tax the top 0.1% of Americans and generate $3.75 trillion in revenue that could be used to fund child care, eliminate student debt and improve infrastructure.

“Three trillion dollars over 10 years and we can make an in-

vestment in anybody and everybody under 25,” Warren said. “We should give them a real boost, just that one bit, and that’s what we need to do. We need to change tax law in America so that it focuses on those at the very top and says we are going to invest across the board in developing opportunities for all young people in this nation.”

Racial and socioeconomic inequalities in the United States continue to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as billionaires have gained $1 trillion dollars while millions of Americans struggle with poverty.

Warren left students in the audience with a final piece of advice, encouraging them to engage in fights that are difficult, as they often become most impactful.

“You have to be willing to get into fights that you could lose,” said Warren. “If you’re always going to fight fights you can win, then that cannot be the test, because we will not make real change under the circumstances.

What’s always tough to evaluate is if you’re going to lose this one, is the fight nonetheless important?

And I mean well worth it. And the answer sometimes is you bet it is.”

Georgetown has benefited from their commitment to a reconciliation fund.

“In reality, to this day, they’ve given $0.00 to this fund. The only group that has gotten anything from this fund is Georgetown with the good publicity that they’ve gotten,” Thomas said.

The university’s proposed fund was not an acceptable solution and descendants have yet to receive any funding from the university, according to a petition GUSA introduced at the event.

“This decision was met with frustrations from members of the campus community who opposed charity as a means to achieve justice, voicing support for reparative justice instead,” the petition reads. “Since then, the university has failed to deliver on any of their pledges to provide support to GU272 descendants, going even so far as to erase mentions of these promises.”

However, statements made by the university regarding slavery and reparations are available for public view, and the university plans to enact compensation plans in the coming semester, according to a university spokesperson.

“Year one (AY 21-22) funds have been set aside for a spring 2022 launch of the grant review committee and grant application

process,” a university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“Planning for a spring fundraising campaign is also underway.”

Student commitment to GU272 reparations remains strong, according to Grenier.

“What the university is doing currently is they’re hoping that all of us in this room and all of us on this campus are just going to be quiet, go away, move on, forget about it,” Grenier said at the event.

“That’s not the case. We’re here. Today, we’re calling them out.”

In 2019 student activists protested at a meeting of Georgetown Board of Directors over their decision to not implement the referendum reconciliation fund. Furthermore, descendants of the GU272 have honored their own history, including Mélisande Short-Colomb, who performed an autobiographical play entitled “Here I Am,” a personal integration of the university’s sale of the enslaved people.

Additionally, there have been many forms of activism in support of descendants including a song written by Carlos Simon, an assistant professor of music at Georgetown University, which honored the enslaved people sold.

He performed his work at the Library of Congress last month.

According to Thomas, students’ rich history of activism — especially work from descendants, as well as GUSA President Nile Blass

(COL ’22) — has been key to the GU272 movement.

“My brother and Nile and other students have worked for such a long time and here I am fighting for the same exact fight,” Thomas said.

According to Blass, even with a rich history of activism, the COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for activists to continue pressuring the university and has erased institutional memory of the referendum.

“By virtue of COVID-19, I think it’s very hard to maintain a lot of the organizing and activism,” Blass said at the event. “A lot of the activism that we were able to do, including consistent pressure on the university, has worked.

Promises to continually update and at least attempt to assure the student body that they would be doing something meaningful happened because we occupied physical space.”

Moving forward, efforts will concentrate on rekindling interest in the issue of reparations for the GU272 through providing information to the student body, according to Blass.

“I think a lot of what made initial activism efforts effective was because we have a student body outside of those who are expected to care who might feel that because of their identity, they do care, they have to care,” Blass said.

GUSA To Swear In Acting Vice President in Sunday Meeting

University Instates Winter Break Housing Option for Intl. Students HOUSING, from A1 the COVID-19 pandemic.

Any individual with demonstrated need should be allowed to stay on campus over winter break, according to Yichu Huang (SFS ’23), an international student who circulated a petition last month demanding winter housing for international students. The petition has garnered 59 signatures.

“I think they should really redefine what international means in this case,” Huang said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I know people who have American passports but are essentially international students because they have lived abroad for all of their lives.

Also, if international students are allowed to stay, anyone who demonstrates a housing need should be able to stay, as maintenance costs won’t increase dramatically.”

International students who wish to stay on campus during the break must apply for housing, which will only be available for the fullbreakperiodandwillcost$1,560,

by Dec. 8 according to the email.

Students will be housed in the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center as utilities will beshutdowninresidencehallsduring the break, according to GUSA President Nile Blass (COL ’22).

Huang, an international student who will apply for on-campus housing, said that this new opportunity to stay on campus is beneficial for those facing uncertainty about their winter break plans.

“Before, when I spoke to some international students, they were making plans, because they weren’t sure that the school would allow them to stay, basically. But now, if we are allowed to stay, and

a lot of them, including me, I would just stay in D.C.,” Huang said.

International students who receive winter break housing will not be provided with financial aid, according to acting GUSA Vice President Thomas Leonard (COL ’23), who said that GUSA is working to develop a stipend to help students pay.

“We definitely want to make sure that any students who need financial support over the break are able to get it, maybe through a stipend that’s offered by the university in a way that doesn’t impact financial aid,” Leonard said in an interview with The Hoya.

Students in the Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP), which provides support for first generation and low income students, in accordance with previous years’ policy, will also be allowed to stay on campus during winter break at no cost, according to a university spokesperson.

“These students may stay in the university hotel during the break, and the cost will be covered,” the university spokesperson said in an email to The Hoya.

GUSA also plans to address issues of food insecurity over break, whichstemmedfromconcernsstudentsexpressedinregardstodining hall operating policies over Thanksgiving break, according to Leonard.

“We were most concerned about the fact that Epi’s was the only location operating and Leo’s was closed, which created a lot of financial burden and issues regarding dietary restriction for students. I think what happened with Thanksgiving break is that there wasn’t enough turnaround to address those issues, and we want to get the ball rolling ahead

of winter break,” Leonard said in an interview with The Hoya.

While Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall and other dining locations on campus will be closed for winter break, students who remain on campus will have access to kitchens and laundry facilities in Pedro Arrupe, S.J. Hall, according to a university spokesperson.

“GSP will host a few events for students who stay during the break, including a holiday dinner and a meet-and-greet of other students who will be on campus over the break,” the spokesperson wrote.

Dining hall operation plans for winter break and Thanksgiving break are consistent with past years, according to the spokesperson.

Students who anticipate challenges to their food, financial, or housing situation over winter break should contact GUSA, according to Leonard.

“GUSA is always there as an advocate for students, and it’s very important that we have tangible student concerns that we can use as testimonies,” Leonard said. “In a lot of the conversations that we have with the administration, we’re speaking about problems in a very abstract sense, although the problems are very real and tangible for students.”

The change in the housing situation for international students comes as a relief, according to Huang.

“We sent the petition, but we never received any confirmation from the school side,” Huang said.

“So I felt like no one really cared aboutit, butthen itseemed like they were talking; they were doing something and talking about this all the time. And I’m happy to know that I haveaplacetostayforwinterbreak.”

HANNAH LAIBINIS/THE HOYA

GUSA will vote to confirm Thomas Leonard (COL ‘23) as the new Vice President following Nicole Sanchez’s (COL ‘22) resignation, which she announced Dec. 2 via Twitter.

GUSA, from A1 “I hope that everyone respects Nicole’s decision to step down, and I know that she has full faith in the rest of the GUSA leadership team, including Thomas, to continue the important work we do to help marginalized communities at Georgetown,” Rassieur wrote in an email to The Hoya.

In a Slack message sent to all GUSA members obtained by The Hoya, Blass said that Leonard will be sworn in at the Senate meeting Dec. 5. However, according to GUSA’s constitution, Leonard must receive a majority vote of the Senate in order to be sworn into office following his nomination. GUSA leadership did not formally inform GUSA staff of the decision until the afternoon of Dec. 2, according to Slack messages from Blass and Sanchez.

Amid the transition of power, GUSA leaders experienced a lack of communication from remaining staff members; before speaking to The Hoya on Dec. 2, GUSA Executive Chief Organizer Gitanjali Reddy (COL ’25) had not been informed by remaining GUSA leaders of Leonard’s nomination for vice president.

“The executive staff meetings have been canceled for the past couple of weeks,” Reddy said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I didn’t even know

Thomas was being sworn in as vice president.”

According to Reddy, the last time the whole executive staff met together was in late November, as GUSA members have primarily been working on separate group projects, including the National College Consortium and the GU272 petition released Dec. 1.

GUSA Senator Zev Burton (SFS ’22) also said he was not aware of the leadership change.

“I was made aware of her resignation by a tweet from The Hoya,” Burton wrote in a text message to The Hoya.

Working as chief of staff served as preparation for stepping into the role of vice president, according to Leonard.

“As chief of staff, my roles were very much so related to support staff tasks, such as making sure everyone in the organization was healthy as a person, as a student, as a member of GUSA,” Leonard said in a phone interview with The Hoya.

“It was sort of a natural function of my accomplishments within the organization to step up as vice president.”

Leonard has shown energy and commitment toward GUSA matters and will transition smoothly into the position, according to GUSA Senate Vice Speaker Rowlie Flores (COL ’22).

“I think Thomas will do a fantastic job,” Flores wrote in

an email to The Hoya. “He has been helping with a lot of policy advocacy and has been at the forefront of many conversations with the administration on issues such as dining and student safety.”

According to Leonard, his transition into the role of vice president will be a continuation of the work he has already done at GUSA. “My responsibility has always been to advocate on behalf of students who are vulnerable at a university like Georgetown,” Leonard said.

“My serving as vice president is sort of meant to continue carrying out those goals, more broadly.”

Former GUSA Community Outreach Director Genevieve Grenier (MSB ’24) will take Leonard’s place as chief of staff, a position that does not require senate confirmation, according to Grenier.

“I am honored to take on the job, and I am excited to keep doing the important work to serve our community,” Grenier wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Leonard, if confirmed, will serve Georgetown students in a beneficial way, according to Flores.

“I will be supporting Leonard’s confirmation on Sunday and hope that my peers in the Senate feel the same way,” Flores said.

THE HOYA | A7

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM

NEWS

Return of Downtown Holiday Market Supports Local Vendors Brooke DeLucia Hoya Staff Writer

Festive music, string lights and handmade arts and crafts lined the streets as people shopped and got in the holiday spirit at a Washington, D.C. market.

The Downtown Holiday Market, located in Penn Quarter, reopened Nov. 19 after scaling back events last year as a result of COVID-19 pandemic precautions. Over 70 vendors from the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) region welcomed shoppers hoping to purchase holiday gifts, enjoy treats and listen to live entertainment.

The Downtown Holiday Market is open daily throughout the holiday season.

The goal of the Downtown Holiday Market is to connect local businesses with local customers, according to Michael Berman, president of Diverse Markets Management, the firm that runs the Downtown Holiday Market.

“What we try to do is incubate small and local businesses to build them up, get them to a store, get them to

a higher professional level from where they’re starting from,” Berman said in an interview with The Hoya. “This activity that we do here is so much exposure and so much interest in shopping that it really gives them a lot of eyes and a lot of sales.”

The Downtown Holiday Market boasts six food vendors, including Migue’s Mini Donuts, The Capital Candy Jar and The Taste of Germany, as well as live music performances from local musicians and bands every day until the market closes for the season Dec. 23.

Working at the Downtown Holiday Market allows local shops to receive more exposure, according to Karen Locander, who works for Chouquette Chocolates, a Maryland-based chocolate shop that has been at the market for several years.

“We love coming to the market because so many thousands of people get to see our product who wouldn’t normally see it,” Locander said in an interview with The Hoya. “We run out of a small

kitchen in Gaithersburg and don’t have a storefront, so this is a great time of year where we reach so many people, and then they can find us online to get chocolates in the future.”

Last holiday season, the Downtown Holiday Market took place on the street to allow for social distancing.

The organizers and vendors also implemented COVID-19 safety precautions like masks, hand sanitizer stations and prepackaged food items.

For this year’s 17th Annual Downtown Holiday Market, two blocks of F Street will once again be closed off to accommodate shoppers and vendors, but other precautions will be lessened, according to Berman.

“We made a big change last year to move it into the street from the sidewalk and spread it out, and we kept all those changes this year but don’t have the COVID restrictions,” Berman said. “We’re not doing temperature checks; masks are still available but it’s not a requirement, and social distancing is still available but it’s not a requirement.”

DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY MARKET/FACEBOOK

The return of the Downtown Holiday Market on Nov. 19 marked a renewed opportunity for local vendors following the COVID-19 pandemic.

With fewer COVID-19 restrictions, the Downtown Holiday Market now resembles its pre-pandemic features, as organizers were able to expand live music offerings, according to Berman.

“We got to add in our stage,” Berman said. “We got to do some things that we couldn’t do last year, which is nice and feels closer to normal.”

The Downtown Holiday

Market is a great way to support small businesses around the holiday season, according to Sarah Nickel, a first-time vendor and the owner of Sarah Nickel Ceramics, which sells hand-thrown and handcarved pottery.

“Opportunities like this are a really great way to both get out there and also make some sales,” Nickel said in an interview with The Hoya.

“I think just coming out and supporting all the vendors here is really great.”

Exploring the Downtown Holiday Market is a festive way to embrace the holiday spirit, according to Berman.

“It’s a lot of fun. There’s some unique shopping, there’s a live stage and there’s food,” Berman said. “It’s a great time, and you’re outside and enjoying the Christmas cheer.”

MSB Sees Highest Job Education Master’s Offers for MBA Grads Program Awarded $2.6 Million Grant In School’s History Samantha Sinutko Hoya Staff Writer

The 2021 MBA Employment Report, an annual portfolio published by Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (MSB), highlighted the highest rate of job offers for graduates in school history.

The report detailed statistics on full-time job offerings for students upon graduation, with 96% of students receiving a job offer within three months of graduation and 95% accepting offers within that same time frame. The report also detailed MSB scholarships for diversity, equity and inclusion, locations where alumni are working after graduation and student testimonials about their experiences in the program.

The MSB’s placement rates are similar to those of 2021 graduates of Harvard Business School’s MBA program, where 96% of students seeking work after graduation receive a job offer within three months of graduation with 92% accepting. In comparison, 99% of 2021 graduates of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania seeking employment reported job offerings with 96.8% accepting.

Total starting salaries also increased on average, according to Prashant Malaviya, senior associate dean of MBA programs and marketing professor in the MSB.

“These results are reflective of the collaborative efforts of our McDonough community.”

DOREEN AMAROSA Associate Dean at McDonough Career Services

“Salaries also continue to impress, with an average total compensation of $160,180 (average base salary of $126,107 and an average signing bonus of $34,073),” Malaviya wrote in an email to The Hoya. “For both full-time positions and internships, McDonough students tapped into our resources and networks with approximately 80% of all positions being facilitated by the school.”

The total average starting salaries for this year’s class decreased from the 2020 starting graduating class, which had an average base salary of $128,162 and an average signing bonus of $34,707. Additionally, 81% of positions were facilitated by the MSB in 2020.

The full-time MBA program in the MSB, which enrolled 283 students for the class of 2021, consists of 36 credits in required core courses and 24 elective credits that students can choose from over 100 offerings. The program lasts a total of 21 months.

Student and alumni networks, as well as MSB resources contribute to career opportunities, according to Jackie Powell (GRD ’22).

“Getting my internship offer was both an individual and community effort,” Powell wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I did a lot of prepping for the application and interviews on my own with a lot of guidance received from McDonough’s MBA Career Center, current students, alumni, and the Steers Center for Global Real Estate.”

Georgetown MBA students persevered through virtual instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic to achieve these successful results, according to Kerry Kidwell-Slak, director of career curricula and communications at the MSB. “This group also had more than half of their MBA education happening in a virtual space which was unprecedented,” Kidwell-Slak wrote in an email to The Hoya. “The students demonstrated incredible resilience and flexibility in navigating new channels for recruitment.”

Over the past year, the MSB graduate network has worked to support current students in their education and career development, according to Kidwell-Slak.

“During our annual Hoyas Helping Hoyas campaign last spring, over 200 of them offered positions, mentoring, networking connections, and advice to help our students land jobs and internships,” Kidwell-Slak wrote. “Those factors coupled with our top notch academics create a dynamic environment for student success.”

MSB-resources support students in a variety of professional and academic ways, according to Doreen Amorosa, associate dean and managing director at McDonough Career Services.

“These results are reflective of the collaborative efforts of our McDonough community.

Included are the dedicated professional career advisors of the MBA Career Center, our tireless student peer advisors, our passionate alumni and our exceptional faculty for all they do to support our students’ career aspirations,” Amorosa wrote.

Post-graduation outcomes for Georgetown MBA students will continue to flourish in the coming years, according to Kidwell-Slak.

“Financial Services, Consulting, and Technology will continue to be top areas for our graduates to go into with increasing numbers of students finding rewarding careers in fields like healthcare, social impact, and real estate,” Kidwell-Slak wrote.

“The future of the McDonough MBA program is bright.”

Powell said she is not worried about future job prospects.

“I’m less concerned about my full-time job prospects because of this incredible network that I look forward to giving back to once graduated (and employed!),” Powell wrote.

Annie Kane

Hoya Staff Writer

The U.S. Department of Education awarded a $2.6 million five-year National Professional Development (NPD) grant for a proposal aimed at providing increased resources for multilingual education.

The proposal, named the English Learners’ Educational Excellence Capitol Teacher Training Project (Project ELEECT), was created by professors in Georgetown University’s Master of Arts in Educational Transformation (MAET) program. The proposal will use the grant to support the professional development of teachers in Washington, D.C. Project ELEECT’s goals include increasing the number of multilingual teachers, expanding culturally diverse resources for multilingual students and preparing teachers to meet the needs of those students.

Project ELEECT demonstrates a commitment to increasing equity in D.C. schools by improving education for multilingual students, according to Douglas Reed, lead principal investigator (PI) of Project ELEECT and director of the MAET program.

“In this case, it’s about their linguistic abilities and the languages that they already know, and then using those strengths as assets to help them achieve what they

want to achieve,” Reed said in a Zoom interview with The Hoya. “The program has really made a commitment to racial equity and linguistic equity, and I think this grant really validates that.”

The NPD grant, combined with university funded merit awards, will cover 83% of the tuition cost for aspiring teachers, according to a university press release.

To confront the growing population of multilingual students in D.C., Project ELEECT will partner with D.C. Public Schools and public charter schools in the District to provide training catered to the D.C. public school sector, according to Crissa Stephens, one of the PIs for Project ELEECT. “We’ve really developed the project also to be responsive to what’s really happening here in D.C. to what schools are telling us they need, what we’re seeing from student data about what they need and just to build a robust partnership with schools across the entire context of education in D.C.,” Stephens said in a phone interview with The Hoya.

Project ELEECT is an important continuation of the university’s role in the broader D.C. community, according to Sabrina Wesley-Nero, one of the PIs for Project ELEECT. “Georgetown has a history of supporting schools throughout

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

Project ELEECT seeks to expand resources for multilingual students and prepare teachers to meet students’ needs. the city in different ways, particularly for the educational transformation program,” WesleyNero said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “What this grant allows us to do is to extend that work in teacher preparation.”

The number of multilingual learners in the United States has increased by 60% over the past decade, with students from nonEnglish speaking backgrounds constituting 10% of students nationwide, according to a 2017 Brookings Institution report.

The university’s partnership with D.C. public schools and public charter schools on Project ELEECT will help meet the needs of students in the region, according to Hilary Darilek, who is CEO of E.L. Haynes Public Charter School and worked with MAET in developing the professional certificate portion of Project ELEECT. “I really have incredible respect for Georgetown’s creativity on this front,” Darilek said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I do think universities don’t always respond

quickly to the communities they serve and they work in, and they reached out to us to ask for what we need and how they could provide for and support our students’ needs, and it’s just an incredible partnership that I’m excited to start and to launch.”

Equipping teachers with the tools to support multilingual students combats inequity in English-oriented classrooms and uplifts the experiences and identities of multilingual students, according to Stephens.

“Linguistically diverse families often find themselves experiencing narratives deficit in society, and I think that’s due to many different reasons,” Stephens said.

“I think that by providing instruction that really counters that and is very anti-racist in nature, it’s a way of speaking back to some of those narratives, and so it will better serve students and families. Hopefully, it will also help reshape the way that they experience their identities in the school system and in the community.”

DC School To Be Renamed After John Lewis Julia Staley

Hoya Staff Writer

Washington, D.C. council members voted unanimously Nov. 16 to rename a Petworth-area elementary school after the late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) (H ’15) to honor the legacy of his civil and human rights achievements.

Joseph Rodman West Elementary School will be renamed in honor of Lewis following a recommendation from the District of Columbia Facilities and Commemorative Expressions (DCFACES) Working Group. Formed in 2020

by D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser (D), DCFACES evaluates government-owned facilities and recommends changes if the facility’s namesake is inconsistent with D.C. values, or either encourages the oppression of Black Americans and other communities of color or contributes to the United States’ history of systemic racism.

The bill renaming the elementary school is now up for mayoral review, with Bowser expected to codify the act into law.

DCFACES’ report, released in August 2020, recommended renaming 21 District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) schools and school buildings, including West Elementary. Their report’s recommendations stemmed

from multiple sources and community engagement methods, including a virtual town hall.

In DCFACES’ web survey completed by 2,300 residents, 80% of respondents strongly supported renaming government-owned buildings named after figures whose legacies do not promote the District’s core values of equity, opportunity and prosperity, according to the DCFACES report.

West Elementary enrolled over 317 students during the 20202021 academic year, more than half of whom identify as Black.

The school is currently named after Joseph Rodman West, a former U.S. senator, Union general and executive in the District.

Based on the DCFACES report, Bowser sent emergency legislation to Mendelson in July requesting the council to rename the Petworth-area school, given West’s history.

“DCPS finds that John Lewis, a lifelong champion for justice, is a far superior role model for students in the nation’s capital,” Mayor Bowser wrote in her legislative introduction. “Despite numerous attacks, injuries, and arrests, Lewis remained a devoted advocate of the civil rights movement and nonviolence.”

West’s legacy carries harm toward minority communities because he ordered the torture and murder of Apache chief

Mangas Coloradas, who had arranged a meeting with West to discuss potential terms of peace.

West also gave away public land to private railroad companies in an attempt to reduce debt, according to the bill’s Racial Equity Impact Assessment.

Lewis served 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives.

He passed away July 17, 2020, after battling stage four pancreatic cancer. Lewis helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and co-led the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March, where he was attacked by state troopers as a peaceful protester on Bloody Sunday.

Lewis’ passing was a significant loss, but his legacy continues to inspire those who feel called to fight for justice, according to D.C. Ward 2 Councilmember Brooke Pinto.

“The late Rep. John Lewis was a fearless champion for civil rights, fervently dedicated to ensuring that racial justice and equality prevailed in our democracy,” Pinto wrote in an email to The Hoya. “By establishing the John Lewis Elementary School, we not only honor the history of John Lewis, but we inspire D.C.’s next generation to follow in the footsteps of this great American hero and role model.”

The elementary school’s renaming will encourage students and teachers to further educate

themselves on the important history of Lewis’s work, according to Mendelson.

“The name of the school can be inspiring, it can serve as a role model, it can serve as a point reference for teaching,” Mendelson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“Perhaps decades from now, students will be interested in who was this person John Lewis, and learn his history and realize he’s someone to be emulated.”

During the first council hearing on the legislation, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George expressed pride in the elementary school’s work to preserve Lewis’s legacy.

“Growing up, kids often are told to stay out of trouble,” Lewis George said during the hearing.

“But at the John Lewis Elementary School, we can probably encourage students to create good trouble, righteous trouble, courageous trouble and trouble in pursuit of justice and in defense of the rights of all people.”

The names the District chooses to honor matter in determining who students look up to as role models, according to Lewis George.

“Reckoning with the atrocities of our history can be a messy and uncomfwortable process, but is essential for paving a path to a more just and more right future,” Lewis George said.

A8 | THE HOYA

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021

NEWS

GU Figure Skating Club Holiday Reduced Metro Services Will Continue Showcase Will Return to Rink Until 2022, Students Express Concern Julia Kelly

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University Figure Skating Club’s (GFSC) annual winter showcase will return Dec. 6 to the Washington Harbour Rink on the Georgetown waterfront after the event was cancelled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The holiday-themed showcase will feature five solo and one group performances choreographed by GFSC skaters to the song “Let it Snow.”

After the show, there will be a public skating event at the rink, which was closed last year because of the pandemic.The first 100 Georgetown students to arrive will be able to skate for free.

The event will be the first holiday-themed performance for many GFSC skaters, according to GFSC member Elizabeth Rauenhorst (SFS ’25).

“All of the solo programs are kind of mish-mashes of old Christmas or holiday programs that people have done in years past,” Rauenhorst said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “Most of us have done little holiday shows before we came to Georgetown.”

The performances will differ from competition-style figure skating, in which routines must satisfy a certain number of technical requirements, according to Rauenhorst.

“They’ll probably be a lot of fun because they will be geared towards just having something fun for the audience to watch,” Rauenhorst said. “We designed the program so that it’s pretty easy to learn.”

Preparations for the event began last month. While skaters do not have to try out to be in the showcase or the club, most performers have had several years of skating expe-

rience, according to Madeline Tirschwell (COL ’24).

“On our own, we are each working on our solos,” Tirschwell said in a phone interview with The Hoya.

“Most of us skate one to two hours a week or more.”

GFSC Co-President Lauren Russell (COL ’22) said because of the outdoor nature of the event, she does not anticipate any significant changes from pre-pandemic showcases.

“I’m really hoping we can just get a lot of team practices in and just build a better team dynamic.

We’re trying to foster more of a community where we can all work together.”

MADELINE TIRSCHWELL (COL ‘24)

“We’re lucky in the sense that since it’s outdoors, we can mostly do everything pretty much the same way,” Russell said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “We unfortunately, of course, weren’t able to have our show last year, but this year, we’re back and so I think that pretty much everybody can do what they did a couple of years ago.

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I don’t think things are going to be too different.”

However, this year, fewer skaters are performing than usual, which Russell said could be due to the pandemic.

“I think with COVID a lot of people have taken time off the ice,” Russell said. “It’s obviously a little more difficult to arrange practices and get everybody in the same place at the same time just because COVID makes things a little more challenging.”

In past years, GFSC has collaborated with local universities including American University and The George Washington University, according to Russell.

The smaller size of the group has some benefits, however, according to Tirschwell.

“In previous years, we worked a lot harder on choreographing a cohesive group number,” Tirschwell said. “That’s a lot easier to do with a smaller group.”

Although the club practices around once a week at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Virginia, Tirschwell said she hopes the team can get into a more regular practice schedule as the competition season nears.

“I’m really hoping we can just get a lot of team practices in and just build a better team dynamic,” Tirschwell said. “We’re trying to foster more of a community where we can all work together.”

While the club will shift its focus to competitions for the spring, non-members can still look forward to future events, including free skates, according to Tirschwell.

“I’m super excited for the free skate because I think it’ll just be super fun to have regular people from the community come and skate,” Tirschwell said. “We are hoping to host some more open skate nights where community members can come and skate and hang out in the future.”

WMATA

WMATA delays will continue through the end of 2021, extending transit issues for students with internships and jobs off campus throughout Washington, D.C. Eli Kales

Hoya Staff Writer

Metro delays will continue through the end of the year, causing transit disruptions for Georgetown University students.

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) announced Nov. 22 that riders should expect to see continued delays in Metro services following an investigation of the derailment of a 7000-series railcar Oct. 12 that led to a 60% reduction in the Metro fleet. As a result, riders, including students who rely on the Metro for transportation to their internships and jobs, continue to face wait times of up to 40 minutes.

Metro trains are arriving every 10 to 12 minutes at 75% of Metro stations, although increased service depends on an increasing number of railcars meeting appropriate safety standards. Once the 7000-series railcars that were removed for inspections return to standard service, testing will be conducted more frequently to ensure passenger safety, according to a Nov. 22 press release.

For Georgetown students with internships around Washington, D.C., Metro delays inhibit their ability to arrive on time to their workplaces.

According to Margaret Koulen (MSB, SFS ’23), who rides the Metro three days a week for her internship at the Oversight and Reform Committee in the House of Representatives, recent Metro

delays have prompted a need to allot more time for transit to and from her internship.

“It’s really hard to gauge if I’m going to be on time to work, because if I miss a Metro, then it’ll be another 20 or 30 minutes, which means I’m usually late to work if that happens,” Koulen said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “I luckily have an office that doesn’t deduct pay or anything crazy like that if you’re late, but it just kinda reflects on you poorly if you show up 30, 40, 45 minutes late.”

Some students, like Trey Di Bona (SFS ’23), who has an in-person internship in the United States Senate, have opted to ride the Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) in lieu of the Metro because of reduced rail services.

“Before the travel delays, I had been taking the GUTS Bus to Dupont Circle and then taking the Metro over to Capitol Hill from there,” Di Bona said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “The closure kind of forced me to rethink that route a bit, so I ended up getting on the GUTS Bus to the Law Center, and that ended up being a more efficient solution, both because it was a more direct line and because it’s free.”

WMATA is attempting to reintroduce each train to service as quickly as possible but remains cautious against prematurely adding trains that have not been properly examined, accord-

ing to Paul Wiedefeld, Metro general manager and chief executive officer. “​​While we know service is not as frequent as customers would prefer, we will add each train as it becomes available to help incrementally improve service reliability and frequency,” Wiedefeld said in the press release. “We are intentionally not setting deadlines so that safety and good data drive our decisions, but we are mindful that customers want the best service we can provide as soon as we can deliver it, and we are committed to building back up in phases.”

A return to full rail services would provide more free time without the extended wait times at Metro stations for students with internships, according to Koulen.

“I think it would just make my day a little bit shorter,” Koulen said. “When I leave work, I might get home much later and so I have less time for homework, less time to just relax, because I’m waiting at the Metro stop.”

For other students, like Di Bona, Metro delays have forced them to realize permanent transit route changes that will persist even as WMATA services return to full capacity.

“I’d probably not go back to the Metro, as far as getting back to work goes,” Di Bona said. “The GUTS bus is an efficient option, it’s not a very well-publicized one, but I think it’s probably what I should’ve been doing from the beginning, honestly.”

Georgetown Doctoral Student Receives ‘40 Under 40’ Award Nick Cohen

Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown doctoral student Felipe Santoyo-Cuellar (GRD ’23) was the recipient of the “Forty Under 40” award from the National Association of Hispanic Nurses (NAHN) in recognition of his work in underserved communities and the Latino community.

NAHN, a nonprofit professional society for Latino nurses in the United States, announced the winners of the 2021 “Forty Under 40” award, which recognizes accomplished adults in the field, at its annual conference hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico, from Nov. 16 to 19. The award distinguishes community members who uphold NAHN’s values, engage the community and provide critical volunteer services.

Santoyo-Cuellar, who is currently enrolled in Georgetown’s post-master’s doctor of nursing practice program, was the sole recipient of this year’s award.

Since joining his local NAHN chapter in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2017, Santoyo-Cuellar has worked to expand access to knowledge about health care in the Phoenix Latinx community.

Through a collaboration with the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona, SantoyoCuellar said he took initiative to educate his community given the existing disparities in healthcare access.

“I was inspired to help the community,” Santoyo-Cuellar said in a phone interview with The Hoya. “It has always been a passion of mine since coming here to the U.S. from

Mexico and seeing the difference in care and how people access that care.”

Santoyo-Cuellar said he was nominated by board members of his NAHN chapter in recognition of his work within the Latinx community.

“It was to highlight what I am currently working on within the Latinx community, to help challenge the social determinants of health due to knowledge gaps when it comes to language barriers, underinsurance and access to health care,” Santoyo-Cuellar said.

Among racial and ethnic groups, Latinos are the least likely to visit the doctor, with more than a quarter lacking a regular health care provider.

Obstacles preventing Latinos from accessing care include language barriers, a lack of government health care programs for undocumented immigrants and a lack of programs for Latinos who work low paying jobs or are self employed.

Additionally, many Latinos, including many who come from Indigenous backgrounds, have traditionally relied on home remedies to avoid medical costs. Seventy-two percent of Hispanics have never used a prescribed medication, according to a Census Bureau report.

Peggy Slota, director of the doctor of nursing practice program at Georgetown’s School of Nursing and Health Studies (NHS), said SantoyoCuellar’s work aligns with the NHS’ values.

“Felipe’s recognition for addressing social determinants of health in underserved populations exemplifies the initiative and values of our doctoral

program in nursing,” Slota wrote in an email to The Hoya.

Santoyo-Cuellar said he hopes his work will reach other communities.

“It meant a lot to me, in the fact that I am able to make a difference, and hopefully that this sort of opportunity that I was given can be something that can be replicated for other minority groups in various parts of the U.S.,” Santoyo-Cuellar said. “This is something that other people can utilize to help the Black community, the Asian community, Native American communities, and hopefully find ways to bridge those gaps and ensure that people are able to maximize and take their health into their own hands.”

Many Americans of color receive lower rates of health coverage than white Americans because of communication barriers and racial stereotyping.

Empathy and dedication to this type of work is essential for nurses working in health care, according to Slota.

“Decreasing systemic barriers which prevent patients from accessing health care or receiving the same quality of care is critical for front line nursing,” Slota wrote. “I applaud Felipe’s commitment and compassion.”

The award facilitates a connection between Hispanic nurses advocating for similar issues in different regions, according to Santoyo-Cuellar.

“I’m hoping that I’m able to inspire newer, upcoming nurses or other nurses that really want to be a part of the community,” Santoyo-Cuellar said.

THE HOYA | A9

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 | THEHOYA.COM

NEWS

SCS Students Vote in Favor Of GradGov Referendum Samantha Sinutko Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies (SCS) students voted in favor of completing the transition toward fully incorporating the school into the university’s student government bodies.

The Georgetown University Graduate Student Government held the referendum from Nov. 15 to Nov. 22, which received a total of 491 votes from 16.4% of the student body, of which 89.2% of students voted in favor of the referendum.

The executive board will ask the senate to recognize this result at a Dec. 3 meeting. This will complete the transitional period of incorporating the SCS into the senate that began three months ago, when 46 senate positions were first offered to SCS students.

Students in the SCS are enthusiastic to join the GradGov bodies, according to Sam Hymes (MBA ’23, MPS ’23), GradGov’s director of communications.

“SCS students are dedicated and hard working who deserve a voice,” Hymes wrote in an email to The Hoya. “GradGov has been very positive about adding members of

SCS. More than half of my Communications Committee are SCS students and have worked tremendously hard for GradGov and their respective programs.”

The referendum, which only included the question of whether students wanted to pay the $18 graduate student activities fee to join GradGov and participate in all the organization’s affairs, including attending all events, running for executive positions and joining committees in the bodies’ senate, was open to current SCS students for voting from Nov. 15 to Nov. 22.

Since not many SCS students were familiar with GradGov before this semester, it took a lot of work to promote this vote across the school, according to Kelly Otter, dean of the SCS. “Close coordination was necessary not only because of the tight timeline of the referendum vote, but also because for many SCS students the mission and purpose of GradGov was still relatively new,” Otter wrote in an email to The Hoya. “To that end, the GradGov leadership team worked closely with the SCS Dean’s Office, Marketing, and Academic Operations departments to push out

appropriate messaging in schoolwide emails, programmatic newsletters, TV screens on campus, and on social media.”

The passage of the referendum represented a turning point for the SCS, according to Jonah Klempner (LAW ’22, GRD ’22), president of GradGov. “This was a huge inflection point for how the administration is going to view the School of Continuing Studies as for what the students there are looking for and what Georgetown owes to them,” Klempner said in an interview with The Hoya. “If these students are coming here not just for a credential but for an experience then Georgetown needs to deliver, and the School of Continuing Studies administration themselves has been doing a really good job creating that community.”

SCS students have shown excitement throughout the election process about involvement in GradGov, according to Otter.

“SCS students are excited about opportunities to engage with the larger GU community, and GradGov provides a great infrastructure for this,” Otter wrote. “The GradGov leadership and inaugural group of SCS Senators were

SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES

89.2% of students voted to approve a GradGov referendum that will include the School of Continuing Studies in all the organization’s operations. tremendous champions of the effort to make SCS an official part of the organization. Their drive and dedication was a vital part of the success of the initiative, something we are very grateful for!”

The SCS students demonstrated through their votes that they expect more than just coursework from their student experience, according to Klempner.

“They showed that in this referendum that they are here to be students, not just here to get this credential,” Klempner said. “They’re here for the graduate student community. They’re here for the student experience

and Georgetown, after you know we had one out of seven of them come out and vote affirmatively.

There was nothing else on the ballot. There’s no other reason for a student to vote besides this because nobody was running.”

There was no prior representation of the SCS in any graduate student bodies before this semester, according to Klempner.

“Before this, the School of Continuing Studies didn’t have any representation at all,” Klempner said. “They didn’t really have a voice in the administration. In almost every conversation I was in for years

people were like talking about them without them being there and making decisions for them without them being there. It was very odd.”

This referendum highlights GradGov’s continued efforts to improve students’ experiences and the Georgetown community, according to Hymes.

“GradGov has been determined to make a strong impact in the community,” Hymes wrote. “We have already done many impactful things to help enhance the student experience at Georgetown.

It’s only the beginning and we are far from done.”

GUSA Calls for Extended Dining Hall Hours NHS Dean Appointed As Gilman Program Advisor Ambassador Samuel Yoo

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate unanimously passed a resolution demanding longer dining hall hours for all undergraduate students at a Nov. 21 meeting.

The resolution calls for the university to extend operating hours for the lower level of the Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall until 10 p.m., hire more employees, provide overtime pay and establish a committee on student dining.

The lower level of Leo’s serves as the main dining hall for the entire student population and currently operates from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays.

Extending operating hours would better accommodate the needs of students who are employed, have athletic or extracurricular commitments or have irregular academic schedules, according to GUSA Senator John Sussek (COL ’24), who introduced the resolution.

“Getting a meal in should not be a challenge, and you should not have to change your schedule around the dining hall’s hours,” Sussek said in an interview with The Hoya. “In fact, the dining hall should be able, at a university of this caliber, to change its schedule to suit our hours.”

Extending dining hall hours would also help reduce the burden on students’ finances and help address food insecurity on campus, according to GUSA Senate Vice Speaker Rowlie Flores (COL ’22), who co-sponsored the resolution.

“Some students do have 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. classes, and by the time they get out of class, Leo’s is closed,” Flores said in an interview with The Hoya. “This year, we don’t have a lot of locations that accept

Flex dollars, and having to spend your own money at Wisey’s or Uber Eats is an additional cost that students have to bear.”

Currently 15 locations on Georgetown’s main campus accept Flex dollars.

Students must have access to food in order to prioritize their health while on campus, according to Abigail Orbe (COL ’23), president of Students Advancing Food Equity (SAFE), a student-run club that works to ensure that all Georgetown students have healthy and affordable food.

“Food is more than a biological need,” Orbe wrote in a message to The Hoya. “It deeply affects social and emotional health. All students should be able to select the food they need, in the quantity and quality they need, at the time in which they need it.”

The university chooses the current hours of operation at dining locations based on when the services are most demanded, according to a university spokesperson.

“We welcome community feedback about on-campus dining,” the university spokesperson wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“The hours of on-campus dining locations are selected to best meet the needs of the campus community based on utilization rates. We regularly review information to ensure we meet the needs of the on-campus community.”

The resolution comes after semester-long concerns about the university’s requirement that all students enroll in a meal plan.

The GUSA Senate passed a resolution Aug. 29 demanding cheaper meal plan options and exemption opportunities for juniors and seniors.

While there are dining options available after 8 p.m. at Epicurean, Olive Branch and Sazón, these locations do not fully accommodate

Laetitia Haddad Hoya Staff Writer

KIRK ZIESER/THE HOYA

GUSA passed a resolution to increase Leo’s dining hall hours to limit food insecurity on campus. students’ dietary restrictions, according to GUSA Senator Spencer Woodall (MSB, SFS ’24).

“We do need to increase the dining hall hours,” Woodall said in an interview with The Hoya.

“People with dietary restrictions, such as people who are halal or have vegetarian or vegan constraints, are not able to be fulfilled by the upstairs dining options.”

However, Olive Branch uses entirely halal ingredients, and Sazón and Royal Jacket offer vegan options, while Royal Jacket and Bodega Market are both open past 8 p.m.

The lower level of Leo’s is the only dining location on campus that offers unlimited meal swipes for students enrolled in the All Access 7 plan, which all first-years and sophomores are required to adopt as their campus meal plan.

Hiring more employees to extend operating hours would also address the current issues

of worker shortages, according to Sussek.

“I have spoken with several people who work at downstairs Leo’s, and they’ve all told me that they’re overworked to some capacity,” Sussek said. “We see the same faces every single day doing the same thing all day long.

They’re feeding three meals a day to thousands of students.”

GUSA will continue to work on the issue of food insecurity and dining on campus, with the recent resolution being the first step in a lengthy process, according to Sussek.

“I think we can get this done,” Sussek said. “Do I think it will happen right now, meaning this semester or next semester? Probably not, just because of the way funding and distribution of funds work. What I want to highlight is that this is by no means a finalized product. This is just the beginning stages to the changes we need.”

SCS Launches Digital Transformation Program Samantha Sinutko Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS) announced Nov. 15 it will launch a master’s program in strategic digital transformation (SDT) starting in the fall 2022 semester.

The master’s program, which will consist of 33 credits offered in full-time or part-time programs to last two to five years, will focus on digital business innovation, organizational change and strategic communication. The program will offer courses in areas such as “The Ethics of Digital Innovation,” “Communication for Corporate Entrepreneurs,” “Developing Digital Solutions” and “Leading Organizational Change.”

The idea for the program developed in fall 2019 when SCS administrators organized an internal committee to develop new programs related to technology, according to Frederic Lemieux, faculty director of the master’s in strategic digital transformation program and professor of the practice at the SCS. “Something we realized fairly quickly that I brought that up was that we were missing out on digital transformation,” Lemieux said in a phone interview with The

Hoya. “While we have a technology management program that is focusing on it, we didn’t really have anything that was addressing organizational change based on technology and also massive changes like innovation and things like that.”

Lemieux worked on developing a curriculum for the program and reached out to field experts at companies such as Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook. Currently, the program has an established partnership with Google, which is supporting the SDT master’s by sharing subject matter experts and research faculty, according to Lemieux.

The SDT program will incorporate aspects of technology, security, marketing and communications that stretch across other programs of the SCS, according to Kelly Otter, dean of the SCS. “This new program enables early- and mid-career technology or management professionals to lead technology change in their organizations, integrating both the technology aspect (e.g. artificial intelligence and blockchain) with the human (e.g. responsible innovation and ethics),” Otter wrote in an email to The Hoya. “As both public and private firms worldwide increasingly need to adapt

to the digital economy, program graduates will be well-positioned to shepherd digital transformation effectively and ethically.”

The SDT curriculum is a combination of technical and strategic applications of digital operations, according to Lemieux.

“We decided to create a balanced curriculum where on one side students would be learning what it takes to strategize about digital transformation, understand the digital innovation process, understand ethical issues related to digital innovation and be able to communicate innovative ideas throughout the organization and work with different stakeholders that will be impacted by the change,” Lemieux said.

This specific program combines a multitude of topics uncommon in master’s programs offered at other institutions across the United States, according to Otter.

“We at SCS are proud to launch one of the few master’s degrees in the U.S. that focuses on business innovation, organizational change, and digital transformation,” Otter wrote. “Anchored in Georgetown’s Jesuit values, this curriculum was developed in close collaboration with some of the world’s largest and most successful companies leading the

digital economy.”

The new master’s program will attract a range of students across different sectors and subject interest areas, according to Kristen Hodge-Clark, senior assistant dean of program planning at the SCS. “It’s been extraordinary to see the concept of Strategic Digital Transformation come to fruition — from early market research and industry focus groups to curriculum and proposal development and now to officially launch and be in the market,” Hodge-Clark wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I’m most excited to see the diverse range of students and sectors that we will serve with this dynamic program.”

Lemieux says he will expect graduates from the program to pursue opportunities in both the public and private sectors.

“I see the program as it evolves and as we have more students pursuing their capstone projects being able to develop more partnerships with leading organizations or leading government agencies,” Lemieux said. “Right now, with the investment in critical infrastructure, there will be a lot of opportunity right there for companies that really want to invest in digital infrastructure to look for talents.”

A member of Georgetown University’s faculty will serve as one of the first advisers for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Program.

The U.S. Department of State facilitates study abroad endeavors through the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program in the Institute of International Education, providing financially constrained students with opportunities to learn and intern globally. Brian Floyd, assistant dean in the School of Nursing and Health Studies (NHS), will encourage underrepresented groups to study abroad in his two-year term as adviser.

Study abroad is an opportunity for students to be exposed to diverse cultures and new experiences, according to Floyd.

“Through study abroad, students are often surprised to find that they become more confident in how they present themselves in a variety of situations,” Floyd wrote in an email to The Hoya.

“Not only do they learn about new cultures and obtain a more global perspective, they also get new and fresh insights into their own identity and sense of self, a more confident and purposeful self.”

The ultimate goal of advisers in the Gilman International Scholarship Program is to increase resources and support for students interested in studying abroad, according to Floyd.

“I am excited to now take on this new role where I will have the opportunity to work directly with various leaders at the Bureau of Educational & Cultural Affairs, The Gilman Scholarship program, International Education Abroad and other higher education institutions to design and share best practices for providing and expanding not only scholarship opportunities for those underrepresented in the study abroad space but to design new, collaborative partnerships,” Floyd wrote.

Floyd also co-teaches a firstyear course for low-income and first generation first-year students called “Mastering the Hidden Curriculum,” which provides a support system for students and presents them with information about available resources to pursue global scholarship.

Georgetown students interested in studying abroad and becoming involved in an increasingly globalized world will benefit from Floyd’s expertise, according to Craig Rinker, director of Global Education at Georgetown.

“Brian’s contributions have been invaluable in serving the students of Georgetown University,” Rinker wrote in an email to The Hoya. “I am confident he will be a great asset in promoting international education and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program as a means to expand global

opportunities for students.”

Floyd’s experience in the NHS will help attract students from different academic disciplines to the idea of studying abroad, according to Theresa Gagnon, Gilman program officer at USA Study Abroad.

“Dean Floyd demonstrates that Gilman has institutional champions on every corner of higher education campuses,” Gagnon wrote in an email to The Hoya. “His position at Georgetown University’s School of Nursing and Health Studies makes him uniquely suited to help the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program support students from health and STEM majors to understand that education abroad can fit into their academic plans despite the intense demands of their schedules.”

The university was fourth in the nation among the number of Gilman Scholars sent from medium-sized institutions since the program’s inception in 2001, with 57% of Georgetown students studying abroad.

Despite the success of the Gilman International Scholarship Program, barriers to global education continue to persist, and it is crucial that advisers provide a network to support underrepresented students in their pursuit of global studies, according to Floyd.

“In my experience as an advisor to underrepresented students pursuing this opportunity, it is also important that advisors must first know themselves and their comfort level addressing student diversity issues such as race, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, religious background, and then work to increase their comfort level in order to become a resource to all students, as opposed to a liability,” Floyd wrote.

When institutional barriers are so large, advisers like Floyd will provide institutional support in order to encourage underrepresented students, according to Rinker.

“Brian Floyd’s appointment to the Gilman Advisor Ambassador Program is another example of institutional support encouraging students to participate in global experiences that prepare leaders with a profound self-understanding and awareness of the nature of the world, and the role that they must play in improving it,” Rinker wrote.

Through the Gilman International Scholarship Program, students will be able to transform the world, according to Floyd.

“As a result, they may join others in the effort to change the world in a positive way and foster a connected international community, with an emphasis on the values of empathy and a shared humanity, and the belief that every person deserves a transformative international educational experience abroad,” Floyd wrote.

A10 | THE HOYA

THEHOYA.COM | FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

GU Upset by St. Joseph’s 77-74 , Bolden-Morris Shines as Hoyas Finishes Last in Tournament Triumph Over Loyola, 66-55 Robbie Werdiger

Saar Shah

Hoya Staff Writer

Hoya Staff Writer

In an upset defeat, the Georgetown University men’s basketball team fell to the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks 77-74. The Nov. 26 loss marked a disappointing end to the Wooden Legacy tournament for the Hoyas (2-3), who finished in last place out of four teams. Following the defeat, Georgetown now sits below .500 on the season.

On offense, the Hoyas saw 25- and 17-point efforts from graduate guard Kaiden Rice and sophomore guard Dante Harris, respectively. Harris scored the first bucket of the game and Georgetown traded baskets with the Hawks (3-3) to stay even early in the first half.

Junior center Timothy Ighoefe and first-year center Ryan Mutombo scored 9 of Georgetown’s first 14 points, making the center position a critical source of offensive production. Also in the first half, Mutombo recorded the first 3-pointer of his college career, cutting St. Joseph’s lead to just one point at 13-12. The Hoyas fought to control the lead over the next four minutes, but the Hawks proved to be up to the challenge.

After a series of costly deflections and turnovers from Georgetown, St. Joseph’s scored 12 unanswered points to take a 29-16 lead at the 6:20 mark. The Hawks pushed the Hoyas off balance, penetrating in the paint, capitalizing on fast break opportunities and making the three ball. St. Joseph’s forward Taylor Funk devastated the Hoyas’ defense, finishing the game 8 of 10 from the 3-point line and with 29 points in total.

Georgetown further failed to find a rhythm on offense, going through a four-and-a-half minute stretch without scoring once. The Hoyas also started the game 3 of 13 from three and shot a meager 30.3% from the field in the first half. Georgetown forced some off-mark three point shots in an attempt to match St. Joseph’s success but was unable to take the lead.

At the end of the half, how-

After suffering back-to-back losses at home, Georgetown women’s basketball made a powerful statement, never giving up its early lead en route to a commanding 66-55 win over Loyola University of Maryland.

The Hoyas (3-3) tainted their five-game home slate at McDonough Arena with consecutive losses — first to a sharpshooting Davidson squad and then to a tough Columbia unit in double overtime. On Nov. 24 against the Greyhounds (2-5), however, Georgetown’s varied scoring attack and aggressive, trap-heavy defense proved to be a recipe for success.

After giving up a 3-pointer on the game’s opening possession, the Hoyas spurred their offensive attack with an and-one layup from sophomore guard Kelsey Ransom. Georgetown’s guard tandem of Ransom and fellow sophomore guard Yasmine Ott then found graduate forward Milan Bolden-Morris for consecutive 3-pointers.

On defense, the Hoyas focused on denying Loyola a presence inside the paint. Still, five different Greyhounds scored in the first ten minutes, and Georgetown held a narrow 16-11 lead entering the next period.

The second quarter featured a two-sided scoring drought caused by strong defense from both the Hoyas and the Greyhounds. Following an exchange of 3-pointers, neither team was able to score for nearly five minutes. Both offenses committed several sloppy turnovers, but a Ransom steal with

GUHOYAS

Georgetown men’s basketball suffered an unexpected loss to the St. Joseph’s University Hawks. ever, the Hoyas appeared rejuvenated, transitioning to a full court press and rallying their defense. Georgetown put pressure on the Hawks’ inbounds and recorded a pair of consecutive steals, snagging 5 quick points off of 2 Harris baskets and pulling the Hoyas within 8. Georgetown’s 5 steals in the opening half were the team’s most in any half since recording 6 against Butler on Feb. 13, 2021.

Rice made a three-pointer with 17 seconds left in the first, providing some momentum heading into halftime. After 20 minutes, the Hawks led the Hoyas 36-26.

Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) made some adjustments to his team at the half and Georgetown emerged from the locker room with renewed focus. The Hoyas put on a valiant effort in the second half, outscoring St. Joseph’s 48-41 and shooting 58.62% and 66.67% from the field and from three, respectively.

In the first two minutes of the second half, Georgetown ran half court sets and went on a 7-0 run to stay within 3 points of the Hawks. Funk’s fifth threepointer of the night cut short the Hoyas’ dominant stretch, and the Hawks stole back the momentum to extend their lead to 8 points.

Just when it looked like St. Joseph’s might pull away, Harris put his skills on display and

THE ARMCHAIR ANALYST

Austin Barish

Columnist

About a quarter of the way through the NBA season, the league’s best teams are starting to separate themselves from the pack. However, Las Vegas has hardly adjusted its title odds.

These odds barely correlate to what we have seen on the court so far this season. The Brooklyn Nets opened the season as heavy favorites to win the title at +200 and have only slid to +260 since the start of the season. Those odds roughly represent a 23% chance of winning the title, a preposterous number at the moment given their play relative to the rest of the league.

Two teams have been head and shoulders above the Nets to start the season — the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns — but oddsmakers have refused to acknowledge this fact.

After rough back-to-back seasons, the Warriors seem to have hopped in a time machine and are playing like it is 2016 again.

Led by MVP favorite Stephen Curry, the Warriors have boasted a dominant 18-3 record by playing fantastic basketball on both ends of the court. They lead the NBA in both points per game and points allowed per game, resulting in a league-best +12.6 points differential.

The scariest part for the rest of the league is that the Warriors are still missing one of the best shooters in NBA history: Klay Thompson, who has not played since tearing his ACL in the 2019 NBA Finals and blowing his Achilles tendon before the 202021 season. Thompson’s skill level remains to be seen, but it is hard

Loyola squad.

Bolden-Morris led both teams in scoring with 21 points.

After shooting an uncharacteristically low 22.6% from beyond the arc last season, she is off to a career year. Her teammates continued finding her for open opportunities, and she drilled five of her eight 3-point attempts.

The sharpshooter who transferred from Boston College last semester has kept the Hoyas’ offense afloat, which is now shooting 35.8% from deep.

While Bolden-Morris was Georgetown’s top performer, there were other promising signs for the Hoyas too. Scott arguably had the best game of her young career, scoring nine points on perfect shooting from the field. At 6 feet 4 inches, she towered over the Loyola bigs inside the paint, but it was her confident 3-pointer that iced the game in the fourth quarter. She did, however, pick up four fouls in limited minutes.

Ransom also continues to blossom in her sophomore year.

She tallied 15 points with five rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals. Ransom’s defensive intensity is what makes much of Georgetown’s half-court trap defense successful, and, in combination with her ball security on offense, contributed to her being named to the Big East All-Freshman Team last season.

Big East conference play is coming, and the Hoyas must find their identity on the court in order to be competitive. Before the Hoyas’ first conference game, however, they finished off their home stretch on Tuesday, falling 47-49 to the Temple Owls (4-3).

showed why he was named Most Outstanding Player of last year’s Big East Tournament.

The guard made a pair of shots and assisted Rice and sophomore forward Collin Holloway to help eliminate the deficit.

Harris finished with a team high of 6 assists, and Rice finished with a season high of 19 second-half points.

The Hoyas were lucky to have Holloway, who finished with a much needed 5 points and a steal in six minutes of play, back from a foot injury. The Baton Rouge, La. native knocked down a three, registering his first points of the year and tying the game at 51 a piece with 12:06 left in the game.

After a block by Ighoefe that led to a three-pointer from graduate guard Donald Carey, Georgetown took the lead for the first time since the game’s opening minutes.

It was a back-and-forth battle until the Hoyas lost the lead MEN’S BASKETBALL for good, with St. Joseph’s taking a 74-69 lead with 48 seconds remaining.

Rice banked an improbable three-pointer to drag the Hoyas within two points, bringing the score to 74-72. However, after a turnover and a few free throws, Georgetown went down 77-72.

With eight seconds left and the Brendan Quill score at 77-74, the Hoyas needed Hoya Staff Writer a three to tie the game but were unable to get a clean shot off beOn Thanksgiving evening, fore the buzzer. the Georgetown men’s basketball team lost to the San Diego State Aztecs 56-73 in the first round of the annual Paycom Wooden Legacy tournament in Anaheim, Calif. The Hoyas stayed close with the top 50 team in the nation for the majority of the game. However, the Aztecs’ stifling defense held the Hoyas without a field goal for the last 9:39 of the game, securing San Diego State the ing have not exactly performed victory.

Both teams scored on like title favorites. Brooklyn’s other star guard, James Harden, their first two offensive posis having his worst season in a sessions in what proved to decade. Harden is shooting 41.6% be a fast-paced game in the from the field, averaging five second-ever matchup of the turnovers a game, and scoring two distant schools. Early in just 21 points per game, all figures the first half, Georgetown’s that match or just barely improve (3-3) junior center Timothy on the worst marks of his career. Ighoefe fell into foul trouGUHOYAS As Harden struggles, the Nets’ ble, a recurring issue for the Despite a 20-point outburst from first-year guard veteran big man.

Ighoefe’s final star and best player, Kevin Durant, has had to shoulder a two fouls in the first three Aminu Mohammed, Georgetown men’s basketball heavy load. Durant’s stellar play minutes allowed San Diego fell to San Diego State 56-73. currently has him in second State (5-2) to score at will in place in the MVP race, and he is the paint against George- remaining in the first half, a by Mohammed’s spinning lalargely responsible for the Nets’ town’s inexperienced re- lead the Aztecs would hold for yup, cutting the Aztec lead to the remainder of the game. just 4 points. success thus far. However, to serve bigs.

At the half’s close, San Diego However, San Diego State Despite their early disadkeep the Nets afloat, he is playing the most minutes of his career vantage in the frontcourt, the State’s Adam Seiko launched Head Coach Brian Dutcher since leaving the Oklahoma City Hoyas hung close through a miraculous 3-point buzzer- asked the referee to review Mothe first half, thanks in large beater that bounced high off hammed’s layup for a potential Thunder in 2016.

On Saturday Nov. 27, Durant part to the offensive prowess the back rim and through the offensive foul after it appeared played the final 33 minutes of of sophomore guard Dante net to give the Aztecs a 40-32 Mohammed elbowed an Aztec the Nets’ loss to the Suns. Playing Harris and first-year guard lead and fuel the team’s mo- defender during his spin. The so many consecutive minutes Aminu Mohammed. Harris mentum heading into the referees obliged, stopping the game with 9:39 remaining to is very rare for a regular season and Mohammed combined first half break.

Georgetown appeared review the play. Despite not game, especially given Durant’s to score Georgetown’s first 21 injury history. The Nets are push- points of the game and give poised for a comeback bid ultimately issuing an offening their (remaining) stars to their the Hoyas a 21-17 lead with coming out of the inter- sive foul, the stoppage halted limits to win relatively meaning- 9:46 remaining in the first mission, led by a 7-0 run, all of Georgetown’s newfound less regular season games. If this half. Harris was especially including four of Moham- momentum and allowed a continues, they will be exhausted aggressive from midrange, med’s game-high 20 points, rattled San Diego State team to by the playoffs and will likely shooting 7-11 from the field to make it a 5-point game regroup.

Coming out of the stopstruggle to keep up with better- for 16 first-half points, top- with 17 minutes remaining. ping his earlier season high However, the Aztecs utilized page, Georgetown did not rested opponents. a 10-0 run of their own led score another field goal over The Nets are barely clinging to of 14 total points.

Despite Harris and Mo- by a layup and two 3-point- the final nine minutes of the their spot in the standings as the Warriors and Suns surge ahead. hammed’s outstanding start, ers from guard Lamont But- game. San Diego State’s forOddsmakers are too enamored the Aztecs provided an an- ler. San Diego State’s Aguek ward Keshad Johnson’s fastwith the Nets’ starpower to ad- swer to every Georgetown Arop’s empathetic highlight- break windmill dunk enerjust for their lackluster perfor- run. San Diego State’s guard reel put-back dunk over two gized the Aztec fans en route mance. Barring a sudden revital- Matt Bradley, referred to by Hoya defenders capped off to a 14-3 San Diego State run ization, the Nets’ odds ought to ESPN announcers as “one of the run, giving the Aztecs a to finish the game.

When the final horn fall dramatically as the Suns and the most skilled scorers in 15-point lead at 54-39.

Just when it seemed like sounded, Georgetown lost Warriors’ odds increase to match the country,” was a powerhouse for the Aztecs, pour- San Diego State had all of the 56-73. their level of play.

Of note for the Hoyas, ing in 11 of his team-high 18 momentum, graduate guard points in the first half. The Donald Carey found first- sophomore forward Collin lefty sharpshooter’s mid- year forward Jalin Billings- Holloway saw his first action Austin Barish is a junior in the range jumper propelled a ley on a fast break alley-oop of the season playing eight College. The Armchair Ana- 7-0 run to give San Diego dunk, sparking an 8-0 run minutes as he returned from lyst appears in print and on- State a 33-28 lead with ap- midway through the second a foot injury. line every other week. proximately three minutes half. The run was capped off

Oddsmakers Favor the Nets Too Heavily in Title Chances to imagine Golden State getting any worse following his return. Despite their success, the Warriors are still second in the odds at +550, significantly behind the Nets.

One would think that the Warriors would sit alone at the top of the standings, but the reigning Western Conference champions, the Suns, are hot on their tail. After starting the season at 1-3, the Suns have rattled off 18 straight wins, including a dominant victory over the Nets.

It took a historic performance

by Finals MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to stop Phoenix from hoisting the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy in July and the Suns have only improved.

Through the first 20 games last year, Phoenix was just 11-9 compared to its 17-3 start this year. Regardless, Vegas has a shockingly pessimistic view of the Suns with just the seventh best odds for the title at +1400, or 5.5%.

The Nets, meanwhile, have not lived up to their lofty expectations. Their biggest problem is the absence of their star guard Kyrie Irving, who remains on the bench due to his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

While New York City mandates only limit Irving’s ability to play in home games, in October, the Nets announced that Irving would not be able to participate in any team activities until he received his vaccine.

Missing Irving is a brutal loss for the Nets, especially due to the sudden nature of his ineligibility.

Irving was fantastic for his team a year ago, going on to post a 5040-90 season. Perhaps oddsmakers are factoring in the chances of Irving’s return. But given that the Nets are choosing to limit his engagement, an unvaccinated return is unlikely for Irving.

The Nets that are actually play-

just 3:50 left in the quarter finally led to a wide-open layup for Ott. The Hoyas charged into halftime with a decisive 25-16 lead.

Fresh from the break, Loyola’s offense revolved around guard Taleah Dixon, who quickly knocked down two free throws, an open 3-pointer, a midrange jump shot and a layup. Dixon’s scoring spree brought the Greyhounds in striking range for the first time since the first quarter. On an and-one opportunity, Dixon, who averages 12.7 points per game, drilled the free throw to put Loyola only 4 points shy of the Hoyas.

Georgetown, tested for the first time all game, responded with a run of its own. An offensive rebound from first-year forward Brianna Scott led to an easy 2 points for senior forward Shanniah Wright. Bolden-Morris then took advantage of a sleeping Loyola defense to convert a layup of her own. Shortly after, a 3-pointer and free throw from graduate guards Mary Clougherty and Kaylin West, respectively, gave the Hoyas a double-digit lead.

Apart from Dixon, the Greyhounds shot just 2-for-7 from the field in the third quarter, hindering their drive to catch up. The Hoyas’ defense, otherwise prone to giving up open 3-point opportunities, remained strong. Georgetown kicked off the final quarter leading by 7 points.

Georgetown expanded its lead in the fourth quarter. Scott, who had her strongest performance all season, hit a 3-pointer early in the period. The Hoyas continued crashing the defensive glass, moving the ball around and attacking Loyola’s ball handlers, securing a critical win against a weaker

Georgetown Falls Flat in 56-73 Loss to San Diego State Aztecs

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Spirit Shows Tenacity, Wins NWSL MCDONALD, from A12

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The Hoyas suffered a tough loss to Temple despite outplaying their opponent through three quarters.

Georgetown Suffers Last-Minute Defeat Against Temple In a postgame interview, Georgetown Head Coach James Howard reflected on the difficulty of losing such a close game.

“A loss like this where you feel as though you have control of the game and then have to walk into the lockefr room after and see the faces of your players who are hurting is tough. No team is going to stop playing, and while there’s still time on the clock, you have to make good decisions with the basketball,” said Howard.

While the Hoyas were visibly rattled by their unexpected defeat, the team still put on a commendable performance, outplaying Temple in three of four quarters. In addition, Ransom ended with a solid 15 points, Bolden-Morris added 8 of her own and junior forward Graceann Bennett cleaned the glass with an impressive 10 rebounds and 8 points.

Next, the Hoyas will travel to play their first Big East conference games of the season when they face Creighton (3-2) on Friday, Dec. 3, and Providence (3-4) on Sunday, Dec. 5 in road contests.

Howard says he wants to help his team learn from this game and apply the lessons to important conference play ahead.

“With conference, you have to step it up because every team and game is going to mean something,” Howard said. “We have to figure out a way to finish games and continue to defend, knock down shots and take advantage of the shots we can make. We are going to try to find a way to build the team back up and shake this loss off so we can be prepared for Creighton.”

TEMPLE, from A12

Heading into the third quarter, the Hoyas continued to methodically extend their lead. Georgetown resecured its largest margin of the night — 13 points — when Bolden-Morris hit a 3-pointer with 2:24 left in the period. Still, Temple stayed in the game, ending the quarter down 11 points.

Although the Hoyas maintained control for the majority of the game, Temple came alive in the fourth quarter.

Catalyzed by three triples from forward Caranda Perea, the Owls showed vast improvement from the first quarter. Temple bettered its field goal percentage to 57.1% and eventually outscored the Hoyas 22-7 in 10 minutes alone. Georgetown’s defense also struggled, with Temple successfully putting forth an aggressive press and forcing the Hoyas to commit costly turnovers.

With under three minutes left in the contest, the Owls closed in, building an impressive momentum which narrowed Georgetown’s lead to just one point.

Quickly, Ransom was able to make two steals and score a 3-point jumper and a free throw, creating a four-point cushion as the clock ticked down to two minutes remaining. However, that effort wasn’t enough to stop Temple from finally tipping the game in its favor with only 24 seconds on the clock.

In their final play, the Hoyas tried to pass into the paint only for the Owls’ defense to interfere and force a turnover. Having no choice but to foul in the last seconds, the game ended with Temple defeating Georgetown 49-47.

With every new obstacle, the Spirit players never faltered. If anything, the turmoil bolstered their tenacious spirit. Miraculously, after forfeiting a pair of games in early September because of a COVID-19 outbreak, Washington went undefeated, defeating several competitive teams for a playoff spot. The players’ dogged determination was on full display in the postseason, too, as they edged out the North Carolina Courage in the quarterfinals and came from behind to upset the OL Reign in the semifinals.

The Spirit’s resilience carried them through the NWSL Championship final. When Rachel Hill of the Chicago Red Stars scored the first goal minutes before halftime, I was not worried. I knew Washington would fight for every possession and equalize the game.

That’s who the Spirit players are: fighters.

Surely enough, off a perfectly executed penalty shot by Andi Sullivan and an overtime header from Kelley O’Hara, Washington came from behind to win a championship no one had ever thought possible.

After the players lost everything, they reclaimed their joy. In watching the team celebrate its goals, it is clear they play for themselves — and also for each other.

Even after shattering league ex-

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The Washington Spirit exhibited resilience in the face of challenges on and off the field to claim the 2021 NWSL Championship title on Nov. 20. pectations, the players sent a clear statement they are not done yet. In a USWNT friendly against Australia last Friday, NWSL Golden Boot winner Ashley Hatch brought her fighting spirit to the international stage when she scored only 24 seconds into the game. Spirit teammates Andi Sullivan, Emily Sonnett and Ashley Sanchez — who made her national team debut — joined Hatch in the resounding 3-0 victory.

The future is also bright for 19-year-old Trinity Rodman.

Voted NWSL Rookie of the Year, the youngster embodies Washington’s relentless temperament, tallying 36 shots on target, seven goals and seven assists this season.

Washington’s triumph was nothing short of remarkable.

But the Spirit’s journey to the title should never have been so onerous for the athletes. We can celebrate the tenacity and courage of the players, but we cannot glorify their struggle and accept the circumstances surrounding

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Georgetown rebounded from consecutive losses to post a season-high 91 points in a win over Longwood.

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Carrie McDonald is a sophomore in the College. The Equalizer appears in print and online every other week.

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their fight.

The NWSL must use this offseason to meet the demands of the NWSL Players Association and fix its issues with verbal and emotional abuse. The most courageous players in American sports deserve a league that is receptive to their demands for fair treatment.

three shots from beyond the arc to trim the Lancer lead, including one with 5:34 left in the half to tie the game at 24 apiece.

Under two minutes later, firstyear guard Aminu Mohammad stole the ball from Longwood guard D’Avian Houston and accelerated down the court for an open layup, giving the Hoyas their first lead of the game.

By the time the half ended, Georgetown held a 36-31 advantage. The Hoyas headed into the

locker room looking to preserve their 2-0 record in games where they led at the break this season.

True to form, the momentum stayed with Ewing’s squad at the start of the second half. Georgetown’s lead ballooned to 14 within the first six minutes, largely due to a perfect 10-for-10 performance from the Hoyas at the free-throw line over that period. Georgetown was automatic from the charity stripe all game, posting a 27-for-33 mark on the night.

Though Georgetown seemed destined for a comfortable victory, Longwood found its second wind. The Lancers mounted a furious comeback in which they rattled off 13 unanswered points, culminating with a layup from guard Nate Lliteras to bring Longwood within just one point of the Hoyas.

The two sides traded blows until the final two minutes, when the crowd exploded after a pair of spectacular left-handed finishes from Holloway and sophomore guard Dante Harris.

The dagger came with 24 seconds left when graduate guard Donald Carey swung the ball to Rice on the right side, who swished his fifth 3-pointer of the night to put the Hoyas up 7.

The Georgetown offense finished with a season-high 91 points, with 55 in the highoctane second half alone.

Before the game, Longwood had allowed its opponents an average of just 60.3 points per game, the best mark in the Big South conference, making this offensive performance especially impressive.

Holloway paced the Hoyas all evening, shooting a terrific 7-for9 from the field and a flawless 7-for-7 from the line. His effort headlined a 29-point effort from the Hoya bench, besting their Longwood counterparts by 12.

In a post-game press conference, Holloway emphasized the role of the whole team in the victory.

“My coaches and teammates got me in the right spot,” Holloway said. “I just made the shots, that’s all it was.”

After leaving the game early in the second half with an injury to the nose, Mohammed returned to record another stellar outing, notching his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds.

Rice, Carey and Harris each scored as well in the double digits, making Tuesday the first time five Hoyas have achieved that feat in a single game this season.

Junior starting center Timothy Ighoefe left the game with an apparent hand injury in the first half and did not return. He will undergo X-rays on Wednesday.

The Hoyas will look to continue their winning ways on Sunday when they visit their first major-conference foe of the season, the South Carolina Gamecocks (5-2), at 2 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, S.C.

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Hoyas Dispatch Providence 4-1 PROVIDENCE, from A12

earning a corner, but the Friars’ attempt on goal rose up over the net. On the other end, Hoya sophomore midfielder Chris Hegardt sent a scorpion kick into the box for Riviere, who chipped the ball over the Friar goalkeeper and off the crossbar. Tabora was positioned to guide the rebound into the back of the net, putting the Hoyas on top 3-0.

Shaw Field erupted as Tab-

ora rejoiced with Hoya fans behind the Providence goal.

The Hoyas fired on all cylinders with a high-motor press that won them the ball in the Friar half. With 26 minutes left to play, junior midfielder Aidan Rocha gathered an overlap right outside of the Friar 15-yard box. Rocha sent a cross to the near post for Tabora, who poked the ball past the Providence keeper for the hat trick. The Hoyas led 4-0 and never looked back.

“He’s a natural goal-scorer,” Wiese said of Tabora.

Providence denied the Hoyas a clean 4-0 win, scoring off a header in the 87th minute and the game ended as a 4-1 win for Georgetown.

Tabora turned in a historic performance, scoring three of the Georgetown goals and assisting a fourth. Tabora is a homegrown talent who played high school soccer in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, and his family saw his hat trick in person, making it

that much more special.

“My whole family that lives here were in the stands,” Tabora said in an interview with the Hoya. “It feels so good having them come watch me and be able to see that today.”

The Hoyas look to keep the ball rolling against West Virginia in an NCAA quarterfinal matchup Saturday, Dec. 4 at 12 p.m. The game, which will take place at Shaw Field, will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

Sports

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Georgetown (18-2) vs.

West Virginia (12-3-5) Saturday, 12 p.m.

Shaw Field

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 TALKING POINTS

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NUMBERS GAME

Graduate forward Milan Bolden-

While there is still time on the clock,

Morris scored 21 points en route to a

you have to make good decisions

Georgetown win over Loyola Maryland.

with the basketball.”

See A10

Women’s Head Coach James Howard

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Sophomore forward Marlon Tabora scored 3 goals in Georgetown men’s soccer’s 4-1 win over Providence.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

GU Falters Late, Loses To Temple 47-49 Julia Cannamela Hoya Staff Writer

Following a big win over Loyola Maryland, the Georgetown women’s basketball team fell 49-47 at home to the Temple Owls. Despite leading for 38 of the game’s 40 minutes, the Hoyas could not hold back a powerful run by the Owls, resulting in a last-minute Georgetown defeat.

Georgetown (3-3) started the game strong with the team’s aggressive and energetic defense holding Temple (4-3) to just six points in the first quarter. The Owls could not convert shots all quarter, making just 7.1% of their 14 field goal attempts. On the other end of the court, sophomore guard Kelsey Ransom — the Hoyas’ second-highest scorer this season — gave her team an early offensive boost with the six unanswered points at the beginning of the game. The low-scoring first quarter ended with Georgetown up 12-6.

In the second quarter, the Hoyas continued to dominate.

With solid drives from Ransom and strong rebounding from senior forward Jillian Archer and graduate guard Milan Bolden-Morris, Georgetown maintained a healthy distance from the Owls. The Hoyas’ defense even held Owls forward Mia Davis, who made history last week as Temple’s second-highest scorer of all time, to just six points. The scoreboard showed Georgetown leading 24-17 heading into halftime.

See TEMPLE, A11

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Georgetown men’s soccer advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament with a 4-1 win over Big East rival Providence.

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Hoyas Cruise to 4-1 NCAA Tournament Win Caden Koontz Hoya Staff Writer

On Nov. 28, sophomore forward Marlon Tabora led the Georgetown men’s soccer team with three goals and an assist, propelling the Hoyas to a dominant 4-1 victory over the Providence Friars and into the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.

Though most Georgetown University students were still away on Thanksgiving break, fans still poured in for the 12 p.m. kickoff to witness a rematch of the 2021 Big East tournament cham-

pionship thriller in which Georgetown came out on top 2-1. Providence fans were also out in full force; by kickoff, there was not an empty seat in the stadium.

The Friars dominated the possession battle early, holding the ball at midfield and looking to pick the Hoyas apart down the wings. Junior forward Will Sands managed to cause problems for the Friars down the left side of the field, whipping some dangerous balls into the box.

Sands is fresh off his first selection to the All-Big East First Team.

Neither team mustered a shot for the first 30 minutes of game action until the Hoyas struck first with 10:43 remaining in the first half. The Friars fouled senior forward Zach Riviere, setting the Hoyas up with a free kick deep in Providence territory. Tabora, a recent substitute, stepped up to take the kick. His left-footed strike bounced off the chest of the Friar goalkeeper and onto the foot of junior midfielder Dante Polvara, who slotted it home to put the Hoyas up 1-0.

Providence continued to

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challenge through the end of the period, holding possession in the Georgetown half, but was unable to capitalize on a few decent chances. The Hoyas went into halftime still up 1-0.

Head Coach Brian Wiese commented on Providence’s strong effort in the first half.

“I thought Providence came out in the first half and outworked us,” he said in an interview with The Hoya after the game. “1-0 at halftime was a really happy scoreline but not one [we] really earned.”

The second half opened

with some controversy as Georgetown senior goalkeeper Giannis Nikopolidis rose up to handle a Providence long ball and made contact with the Friars’ striker. Nikopolidis wanted a yellow card but was forced to settle for a foul call, setting the tone for a chippy 45 minutes of play.

In the 53rd minute, Tabora made his presence felt again, blasting a flying volley into the back of the net to give the Hoyas a commanding 2-0 lead.

Providence responded by See PROVIDENCE, A11

THE EQUALIZER

Georgetown Downs Longwood, 91-83 Spirit’s NWSL Title Caps Inspiring Season Peter Dicioccio Special to The Hoya

The Georgetown men’s basketball team survived a scare Nov. 30 from Longwood, winning 91-83 behind a career-best 23-point outing from sophomore forward Collin Holloway.

The Hoyas (3-3) and the Longwood University Lancers (4-4) squared off on Tuesday night at Capital One Arena, with Georgetown aiming to win its third consecutive home contest. It was only the second meeting on the hardwood between the two schools, the first a blowout Hoya victory in 2012.

From the start, it was clear that this win would be nowhere near as easy as the first one. The Lancers exploded out of the gate with a 3-pointer on each of their first three possessions, stunning the home crowd and causing Georgetown Head Coach Patrick Ewing (CAS ’85) to use his first timeout just under three minutes into play to regroup his squad.

After the game, Coach Ewing said that the Lancers presented a challenge for the team.

“Longwood’s a very good team,” Ewing said in a postgame press conference. “They have a lot of seniors that played, and played well for them.”

Nevertheless, the Hoyas were able to find answers on offense throughout the first half. Graduate forward Kaiden Rice buried

modest. They were further

dampened this April when the Carrie McDonald Spirit placed fourth out of five Columnist

GUHOYAS

Georgetown men’s basketball responded to two straight losses with a win See LONGWOOD, A11 over Longwood. Five players logged double digit games in the Hoya win.

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If you had told me last year the Washington Spirit would be crowned 2021 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) Champions, I would have called you crazy. And that was even before some team members began to allege a few months ago that the team’s coaching staff and management were racist and misogynistic.

Last week, Washington won its first championship since the league’s founding in 2012. The feat was one of the most impressive in U.S. sporting history, not only because of the fierce competition the team faced on the field but also because of the myriad obstacles the players confronted off of it.

Heading into the 2021 season, the Spirit’s prospects were limited. Since 2016, the team had struggled to finish a season above mediocrity and often failed to make the playoffs. This year, that uncertainty only worsened. Its roster was young, and its turnover rate was high — including the losses of its national team powerhouses Mallory Pugh and Rose Lavelle.

Even my expectations were

teams in the East Division of the 2021 Challenge Cup, which preceded the regular season.

Even the beginning of its regular season, which yielded a record of 6-5-5, was mediocre.

The turning point for Washington came during the unlikeliest of times. Emboldened by the brave testimony of former player Kaiya McCullough in The Washington Post in August, more players courageously broke their silence on their head coach’s verbal and emotional abuse. Corroborating their accounts, a series of off-the-field scandals erupted, exposing the misogynistic and racist culture that pervaded the team’s management and coaching staff.

Former Head Coach Richie Burke emotionally abused players, players said. The front office’s toxic workplace culture, which included using degrading nicknames for female players, was exposed. Players demanded accountability from owner Steve Baldwin — who was complicit in the abuse scandals — in a public ownership dispute. The players, coerced into silence for nearly three years, fiercely confronted this onslaught while still excelling on the field.

See MCDONALD, A11