The Eagle February 2017

the EAGLE

SPECIAL EDITION FEBRUARY 24, 2017

THEEAGLEONLINE.COM

A new era in Washington How AU is facing DC's next phase, p.7

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theEAGLE Feb. 24, 2017

theEAGLE

INDEX

NEWS

3 A look at the Board of Trustee 4 New advocacy groups on campus 5 Dr. Gail Hanson retires 6 Republicans in D.C. 7 Meet Jamie Raskin

Kate Magill MANAGING EDITOR FOR WEB Haley Samsel MANAGING EDITOR FOR NEWS

LIFE

8 Total body workout 10 Oscars preview; a look at thrift shops 11 Dime a Dozen's fun atmosphere

12 Meet Fiona Caulfield 13 Charlie Jones' road to success 14 Inside Jason Grimes' wrestling technique

OPINION 15 Op-ed: Advocacy; Column: Climate change 16 Op-ed: Refugees; Staff editorial CONTACT US EDITOR-IN-CHIEF (202) 885 - 1402 editor@theeagleonline.com NEWS news@theeagleonline.com LIFE life@theeagleonline.com SPORTS sports@theeagleonline.com EDITORIAL + OPINION edpage@theeagleonline.com PHOTOGRAPHY photos@theeagleonline.com DESIGN design@theeagleonline.com WEB webeditor@theeagleonline.com BUSINESS (202) 855 - 3593 business@theeagleonline.com CLASSIFIEDS adbox@theeagleonline.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR FOR

SPORTS

MASTHEAD

Courtney Rozen

LIFE

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Editor's note: The original cover image was accidentally flipped due to a technical error. The image has been re-oriented and corrected.

FRONT COVER PHOTO: OWAIN JAMES / THE EAGLE

Arielle Weg MANAGING EDITOR FOR SPORTS Vincent Salandro MANAGING EDITORS FOR MULTIMEDIA Owain James and Taameen Mohammad EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Naomi Zeigler BUSINESS MANAGER Max Hernandez DESIGN EDITORS Sasha Jones Carl Moore ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Elise Moore

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EDITOR

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Nickolaus Mack

Griffin Rowell

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SILVER SCREEN EDITOR

Ivy Kaplan

Jenny Evans

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Riddhi Sarkar

Anusheh Khan

ADMINISTRATION AND

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LOCAL

Elisabeth Holmes

NEWS EDITOR

Michael Valenti

Ellie Hartleb

Jack Reilly

NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Dilpreet Raju

Katherine Saltzman

Adena Maier

Anna Donohue

ASSISTANT SPORT EDITOR

Brianna Crummy

Gabe Bichinho

Sarah Katherine Dolezal

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STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Anthony Holten

BEAT REPORTERS

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Maria Carrasco

Shannon Scovel

Lydia Calitri

Matt Holt

GREEK LIFE BEAT REPORTER

Anagha Srikanth

Emaan Khan

Zach Ewell

ADVOCACY BEAT REPORTER

Deanna Mudry

Nora Turner

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Mahogany Davison Melanie McDaniel Meghan Howie Jillian O'Donohoe

OFF-CAMPUS EDITOR Emily Martin ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

NEWS

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Inside AU’s Board of Trustees

How the university's governing board is driving AU's next steps

By Anna Donohue and Katherine Saltzman News staff writers

Following a year-long search, Chairman of AU’s Board of Trustees Jack Cassell announced in January that former Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will become AU’s next president. That decision, which will impact the University’s direction for years to come, is just one of many responsibilities the board is tasked with undertaking.

Since the start of the spring semester, the Board of Trustees has announced new changes for the AU community, including the selection of Burwell and the resignation of Gary Cohn, the former president of Goldman Sachs and a trustee since 2001. Cohn resigned after taking a position as a top economic advisor in the Trump administration.

As part of the University’s two-year budget cycle, the Board of Trustees will also determine changes to the school’s operating budget and student tuition for the upcoming fall semester. The board “acts in the best interest of the university” and therefore has legal and financial responsibility and oversight over AU and the Washington College of Law. Though AU’s Board of Trustees plays a significant role in the operation of the University, many students do not have a clear idea of what the board’s specific responsibilities are or who on campus holds them accountable.

Public Affairs who serves as the current student trustee — a non-voting position — said he applied for the position to bring the experiences of a student of color to the board. The board itself includes four people of color and nine women, not including Snead or student trustee-elect Valentina Fernandez.

“It was important to figure out how we could make the institution a place that would be more open no matter where students came from or how much their parents made or what they looked like,” Snead said. “Social justice movements need force from the outside, but you also need people in certain institutions and spaces who understand the needs and concerns of that grassroots community.”

Fernandez, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, was selected by the board

philanthropic, communications or finance and business backgrounds. Chairman of the Board Jack Cassell is the President of Cassell Global Investments, an investment banking firm. The Vice Chair of the Board, Marc N. Duber, is the Executive Vice President and Chief operating officer of The Bernstein Companies, a large, D.C.based real estate company.

Another trustee, Gerald Bruce Lee, is a Judge on the United States District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia. Two former east coast university presidents from Lafayette College and Centenary College also hold seats on the board.

David Trone, the millionaire owner of the multi-store chain Total Wine & More, was named to the board last fall.

As a Methodist institution, AU also has two members of the Methodist

The makeup of the board In 2006, the Board of Trustees underwent governance restructuring following the ousting of former AU President Benjamin Ladner for embezzling money from the University.

Previously, the 22-member board did not include members of the AU campus community. However, in an attempt to increase transparency and more diverse input, the board created three non-voting positions, including two faculty members and one student trustee.

“We became a role model for governance,” Cassell said recently of the change. “I have talked to people around the country [and] they have told me that they are trying to model their boards similarly.”

Since the restructuring, the board has invited six representatives from the AU community to join board committees, said trustee member and AU alum Pamela Deese. The campus representatives include one member each from the AU Alumni Board, the Graduate Leadership Council, the Student Bar Association and Student Government, the Faculty Senate and the Staff Council.

“In almost all of our committee meetings, where most of the board’s business is done, we have members of the AU community present,” Deese said. “We are hoping students feel they have regular connection to the board.”

The student trustee serves as a liaison for the board to the AU student body.

Shyheim Snead, a junior in the School of

good fit for the board, we are looking at diversity of many things: not just gender, sexual preference [and] race, but also diversity of ideas, intellectual capabilities, life experiences,” Deese said. “Another is a willingness to commit financially to the institution. That by no means is the most important criteria. If you are not a millionaire, you can't make million dollar gifts but you can give to the fullest extent.”

The voting members of the board are responsible for both the selection and, if necessary, the removal of trustees. Trustees are elected for a three year term, though they can be re-elected with approval from the board. A trustee may be removed with a two-thirds vote by present members “for adequate cause shown,” from present, according to the board’s bylaws.

The board votes on funding and budget oversight for the University as well as the hiring of senior administrators, such as the Provost and the President. University policies are decided by President Kerwin and top administrators, Cassell said.

Though the board has sought faculty input for administrator hiring, there is no formal requirement for the board to consult faculty on the process, said Todd Eisenstadt, the Chair of the Faculty Senate who serves as a non-voting member on the board. However, this is something Eisenstadt said he would like to see change.

“This board has taken faculty very seriously. However, we would like a more institutionalized role in decision making with regards to higher level administrators,” Eisenstadt said. “It would behoove all of us to codify e a role for faculty in all of the search and in the evaluation of higher administrators such as deans, associate provost[s] [and] presidential cabinet members.”

Tuition increase vote to occur this spring

TAAMEEN MOHAMMAD/ THE EAGLE

Trustee members Jack Cassell and Pamela Deese at a recent board meeting. The board has legal and financial oversight over both AU and the Washington College of Law.

as the student trustee-elect in November 2016, and will replace Snead in May. Fernandez noted the difficulty of trying to connect the student body with the board.

“They want to learn about the student body more, they want to know what the students are thinking, they want to learn what the campus climate is like, and I think that’s one of their biggest strengths,” Fernandez said.

Students and faculty who serve on the board are not able to participate in voting because of the potential conflict of interest, which would go against the board’s legal and financial responsibilities, Deese said.

For their part, if a student was impacted by a tuition increase, the student might vote against it, which compromises the board’s efforts to act in the best interest of AU and the student body, Desse said.

How is the board governed?

Several Board of Trustee members work or have leadership roles in legal,

church who sit on the board as “ex-officio trustees.” Kim Cape serves on the General Board of Higher Education for the United Methodist Church, which oversees the 119 Methodist universities across the U.S. The other is Bishop LaTrelle Easterling, the first female Bishop for the BaltimoreWashington Conference of The United States Methodist Church.

In addition to “acting in the best interest of the university,” board members are expected to make annual financial contributions to the university, though the specific amount they should be donating is not disclosed in the board’s bylaws or policies. According to the Board Policies, “each trustee will contribute annually to the university, commensurate with the trustee’s ability to do so and to participate actively in fundraising activities.”

When deciding on new members, the board looks for a range of experiences, expertise and commitment to financial support for the University, Deese said.

“When we look at who would be a

The Board of Trustees is expected to vote on a tuition increase this spring. The “Reinventing the Student Experience” program, demands for more student lounge space and improvements to health services and other programming contribute to tuition costs, Cassell said.

“The value of an American University education is at an all time high and we will continually improve our product,” Cassell said. “We will likely have a tuition increase this year as the RiSE program will cost millions of dollars more to improve the student experience.”

Snead recognized that student concerns about a tuition increase were valid and recognized by the board.

“I think it is really hard to believe that these people in a distant room care about the lives and realities of students here,” Snead said “While it seems their ability to empathize with students who are going thousands and thousands of dollars into debt is not possible, they do care. There is always more to be done to bridge the gap between the board and what it means to be a student here.” ksaltzman@theeagleonline.com adonohue@theeagleonline.com

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Student advocates unite in the age of Trump Several new groups on campus are speak out in response to controversial government actions

By Nora Turner Advocacy Beat Reporter

D.C. is a hotbed for social justice, giving AU students the unique chance to stand up for the issues they support around the local area and on campus.

AU students have spoken out about many controversial political issues in the U.S. alongside thousands of people in the District. Countless protests, big and small, have popped up in the DMV area in the wake of Donald Trump’s inauguration. Demonstrations have popped up in areas ranging from the crowded streets of downtown on Inauguration Day to the overflowing terminals of Dulles International Airport in response to the recent immigration ban.

Many believe that President Trump’s comments and actions have threatened the lives of members of marginalized communities, including immigrants, people of color, the disabled and women. New advocacy groups have popped up on campus as well, including AU Resist and American Association of University Women at AU. After a tense election, new and young voices are emerging to push forward the policies most important to them in a time of turmoil in America.

AU Resist hopes to turn Facebook group into coalition Using social media as its medium for advocacy, a new group, AU Resist, was created on Facebook by senior Quinn Dunlea and junior Alana Kessler of the College of Arts and Sciences. They were looking for a place where AU students could organize and inform each other about advocacy events in the District, Kessler said. The page is a closed group, but anyone at

AU looking to be involved can join.

This group has become a place for all types of advocacy opportunities to be shared and discussed, as well as creating groups to attend events together.

Dunlea and Kessler have placed intersectionality at the forefront of this forum, sharing events ranging from Black Lives Matter organizing meetings to locations for protesting Trump’s executive orders affecting immigrants.

Understanding identity and privilege are important when it comes to being involved in social justice, Kessler said.

“For me, I’m a white, Jewish woman and what really moves me is that my grandparents were both immigrants and Holocaust survivors,” Kessler said. “So everyday I live to kind of fulfill opportunities that were taken from them just because during Hitler’s regime, my grandparents both lost their opportunity to live a normal life.”

Being able to live in D.C. at the same age her grandfather was in held in Auschwitz makes Kessler feel the need to stand up and organize in the wake of threats to already marginalized and oppressed groups, she said.

AU Resist quickly gained over 300 members during the post-inauguration protests, but Kessler said she envisions the group moving beyond the virtual realm.

She said the goals of the club are to create an inclusive space where anyone from AU can post about advocacy.

The group has only one rule: to respect other people’s opinions and views.

Sharing campus events from student organizations by co-sponsoring them gives more people access to the advocacy happening at AU, Kessler said.

“I’ve never been politically active in the way of being

ZACH EWELL/ THE EAGLE

Since November's election, students have organized to advocate on political issues, including immigration, women's rights and opposition to the Trump administration.

the one to hold a megaphone and make signs, but I love it, it’s an energy and it’s a community,” Kessler said.

“Especially right now, we’re getting up, we’re taking a stand and that dimension of it takes a different sort of person…there are so many outlets of getting involved and that’s why I love the page.”

In the future, Kessler said she hopes AU Resist can provide training for students to be able to protest safely and can continue to build on the intersectional conversations they’ve held over social media.

Eventually, she hopes the group can transform into a physical presence on campus.

AAUW at AU provides new venue for feminist activism Junior DeLancey Lane of the School of Public Affairs said she hopes to provide a forum dedicated to inclusion and intersectional feminism with a new group, the American Association of University Women at AU. AAUW is a national organization, founded in 1881, that has supported grassroots lobbying for women in education and research, especially in STEM programs.

Lane said she was inspired to start the an AU chapter after talking with friends over the summer about the lack of a forum on campus to discuss women’s issues, and specifically, policies that affect their everyday lives. After holding four focus groups discussions with women on campus in the fall, Lane discovered a lack of social support for women, especially for girls outside of sororities, she said.

Similar to AU Resist, she felt there was a greater need for a sense of community around topics that are rarely talked about in depth, especially feminism.

“Our main goal is to provide people with the opportunity to further their feminism,” Lane said. “[Another goal] is to have a community of people who support them personally as they learn more about their feminism and as they reach for higher opportunities on and off campus.”

Lane hopes that the group can encourage women to complete small acts of advocacy, and that AAUW at AU can make lobbying and activism more accessible to students that are interested in getting involved, but might not know where to start. While some members of the AAUW chapter attended the Women’s March with the national branch representatives, issues of intersectionality prevented some students from supporting the march, she said.

“We put out a statement saying that if people wanted to attend the Women’s March, our national [branch] was going and some of us were going with them and they had that option,” Lane said. “But we understood that we didn't send our own delegation because we had some issues, I had some issues as well, about inclusion of trans students and minority women.”

AAUW’s theme for this semester is “Faith and Feminism” and the intersections between religion and feminism. An additional focus on women in STEM will feature “hour of code” workshops that allow more students on campus to explore computer science and learn the basics of code. AAUW is also organizing speakers to talk about breast health, HIV awareness, and supplying feminine supplies for homeless women in Washington.

Even amidst a tumultuous and unpredictable political climate, AU Resist’s Kessler said she has found optimism and strength in her classmates’ passion for activism.

“Trump's right, America is becoming great,” Kessler said. “People like us are uprising and working really hard and are more empowered than ever before to not just be talking about things and writing ideas down in our dream journals, but actually executing them.” nturner@theeagleonline.com

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PHOTO COURTESY JEFF WATTS/ AMERICAN UNIVERSITY

Dr. Gail Hanson has served as Vice President of Campus Life since 1997, and has tackled obstacles ranging from rearranging the department to racial tensions on campus.

Decades of dedication Gail Hanson leaves behind a legacy of progress and moments of polarization

by Ellie Hartleb Administration and Local News Editor

Dr. Gail Hanson will retire from her post as Vice President of Campus Life in March, leaving behind 20 years of leadership at AU, and what her colleagues describe as a legacy of vision, dedication, composure and an uncanny sense of humor.

Hanson has witnessed cycles of changes and challenges in her time on campus, and has faced both praise and criticism — all of which “come with the territory,” she said.

Her work involved supporting mental health services on campus and exploring issues of diversity and inclusion, among several other projects.

Hanson will celebrate another milestone this summer -- turning 70 years old -- and hopes to lead a more relaxed life by then. She said she hopes her retirement will bring “some degrees of freedom” back to her life.

“With great vision” Early in her career, Hanson rose through the ranks of campus life. She worked as a Resident Assistant as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and was later a Resident Director at George Washington University.

When Hanson arrived at AU in 1997, she joined what was then called the Office of Student Services. After spending a good deal of that first year listening to her colleagues’ needs and visions, her team set out to create a new “student-centered” mission statement, consolidated those 18 branches of the office to 13 and changed the department’s name to the Office of Campus Life by the early 2000s.

Dr. Fanta Aw, assistant vice president of campus life, was part of the selection committee that hired Hanson at AU and has worked with her ever since.

“She’s a consummate professional — a person with great vision and passion for student development,” Aw said. “She really understands and believes in the importance of student affairs on a university campus and brings tremendous experience and heart to her work.”

“A person, like everyone else” Hanson’s role, in large part, is to manage the swath of organizations that fall under the Office of Campus Life. It’s a responsibility that Shyheim Snead, the student-trustee on the University board, called “a managerial feat.”

When she first started this job, Hanson said she had difficulty transitioning from previous roles where she had direct contact with students to a role as a cabinet member and manager. So, she sought out ways to stay in touch with students and built what she now fondly refers to as “The Breakfast Club.”

“I meet with them several times a semester,” she said. It’s called the Breakfast Club “because we have to get up early and have breakfast or we can’t find time to get together.”

Snead is in the club, along with Student Government President Devontae Torriente, and leaders from the Graduate Leadership Council, Residence Hall Association and the Student Bar Association.

Hosting these meetings is one of Hanson’s favorite aspects of her position.

“A highlight is working with student leaders. Always. Even when it’s hard,” she said.

Hanson’s last full semester on campus was wrought with challenges — from a federal investigation into the University’s sexual assault reporting processes in June to race-related incidents in the residence halls in September to the heartbreaking loss of a student in November and, of course, the aftermath of the presidential election.

Torriente has worked closely with Hanson for the last several months on a number of projects, including a long-term project on structural racism that will be implemented after Hanson retires.

“To work with her this year has shown me she’s a person, like everyone else at this university, and she really puts her heart and soul into the work she does,” Torriente said.

As the University jumped hurdles time and again, Hanson served as the campus community’s first responder and was often the administrator who sent memorandums after these incidents. She was often physically present, too, when adversity struck.

Hanson was there when students staged a protest outside the Mary Graydon Center the day after the presidential election, during which some students burned American flags. It was Hanson, therefore, whom students saw in times of chaos, not President Neil Kerwin.

But Hanson’s efforts have not gone without criticism. Some students have argued that she does not act swiftly enough, and others say she has not been committed to resolving their problems.

Faith Ferber, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, called out Hanson in a 2016 Eagle article for mishandling her sexual assault case. Ferber’s assailant was found responsible of sexual misconduct, but was not punished in a way Ferber found adequate. Ferber appealed her case through Hanson and was denied.

“When my appeal got denied and I went public, that was when she really shocked me with how horrible she is,” Ferber said.

Ferber also said Hanson does not aptly respond to either sexual assault or racerelated incidents on campus.

“Gail Hanson just doesn’t care about students,” she said. “She cares about the brand, about the reputation of the school.”

Those in Hanson’s closest circles see her responses to these issues differently. Snead said changes in University policy often take longer than some students would like.

“Her legacy will be one of trailblazing really difficult leadership during really controversial, contentious times on our campus for 20 years,” he said.

Attempting to please the entire campus is a perennial challenge that is always prone to failure, Hanson said.

“Campus life is always challenging,” she said. “There are always tough years, there are always tough issues, there are always people who think you can do more and do better.”

“This is a place you can really love” As Hanson heads into retirement, she said she is looking forward to having time to breathe and getting some space from her demanding role.

“I have loved my work for all the time I have done it,” she said. “I think one of the great gifts in a life is to find something you think matters and get a chance to do it, and do it reasonably well, for a very long period of time.”

Of all that Aw has learned from Hanson in their two decades of working together, she said she will most remember the attitude Hanson brought to their critical roles.

“She has an incredible sense of humor and [she’s] also someone who has tremendous compassion for people,” Aw said. “I think for the nature of the work that we do, having a sense of humor is important.”

Hanson also offered a piece of advice to the school’s next Vice President of Campus Life.

“This is a place you can really love. And do love it. Because if you love it, you will do good work,” she said. “You love it, you listen, you get up everyday and go hard. You do all that, you’ll be fine.”

Deanna Mudry contributed to this report. ehartleb@theeagleonline.com

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A newly red District:

What that means for AU grads and faculty Right-leaning Eagles find promising job market

By Deanna Mudry and Anagha Srikanth Senior Staff Writers

Many students come to AU for its D.C. location with the hope of landing a job in politics after they graduate. In light of the 2016 election, though, the University’s liberal students may need to rethink their plans.

Fourteen percent of AU graduates were working in government six months after graduation, according to AU’s 2015 Graduation Census. For masters students, that number is 30 percent.

A redesigned political landscape could mean many students have to make alternative plans months before graduation. Four thousand Democrats are out of administrative jobs in D.C., and organizations like lobbying firms are passing up Democrats’ resumes in favor of those with a connection to the Republican majority, Politico reported in January.

Whether or not graduates are Democratic or Republican, increased competition combined with shrinking job availability and President Trump’s recent federal hiring freeze could present roadblocks in chasing their post-AU ambitions.

Government prospects On Jan. 23, Trump ordered an employment freeze for the federal government, with the exception of national security, public safety, military positions and other exemptions that are “otherwise necessary,” according to a memo he issued that day.

Temporary federal hiring freezes are fairly common in the early months of a new administration, said David Rosenbloom, a professor in the School of Public Affairs.

He added that it is hard to predict how strict the freeze will be, but that state and local governments will be hiring more staff.

“I think for undergraduates, this will be a real problem at the federal level,” Rosenbloom said. “But there is work to be done, and if the federal government isn’t doing it then, in some cases, the states may have to pick up what they have been doing, as is the same of local government.”

In regards to political affiliation, however, Rosenbloom said it was unlikely Trump or his administration would play a direct role in hiring for the positions recent graduates will fill. On the other hand, he said, there is a potential that Trump’s presidency would bring on a “retirement tsunami” that has been predicted for about ten years.

"One theory would be that, especially in the domestic agencies, higher level employees would see the Trump administration as not helpful to their mission and decide to retire,” he said, which would open up lower level positions that could become available to recent graduates.

Students seeking jobs after graduation this spring won’t be the only ones affected by the shift in job availability. Caroline Bruckner, an executive in residence in the Kogod School of Business and the former senior counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee for Small Business and Entrepreneurship from 2009-2014, said that many AU professors’ work may be impacted since some faculty members do contracting work or research for the government.

“If [the administration is] not going to raise money for tax cuts, then you have to look at the spending side of the budget ledger and that could mean that there could be cuts in research dollars,” she said. “If you do research that’s funded by the federal government, I’d be concerned. That money has to come from somewhere.”

Upending the status quo AU has traditionally been known as a liberal-leaning school; now, those who

TAAMEEN MOHAMMAD/ THE EAGLE

For the 14 percent of AU grads who work in government within six months of graduation, their career future is suddenly uncertain in a newly Republican administration.

previously found themselves in the minority are seeing a different political landscape unfold.

Tom Hebert, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and the President of AU College Republicans, said that it can be hard to be a Republican in D.C. even now, noting nearly 91 percent of the District voted for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election, according to Ballotpedia.

"There's no Democrat who wants to go work for this administration,” he said. “A lot of Republicans don't even want to work for this administration.”

Bruckner noted the same trend based on the recent movement of staff positions on Capitol Hill.

“It’s been interesting because my colleagues who are in senior positions on Capitol Hill aren’t necessarily jumping to join the administration, because the majority of them supported a different Republican primary candidate,” Bruckner said. “But some of my former colleagues who are more junior have been getting opportunities to join the administration and are actually taking them.”

Blue students in a red city The election’s results sent shockwaves through liberal circles on campus.

Mary-Margaret Koch, a junior in the School of Public Affairs and School of Communications, spent the year before the election campaigning for Hillary Clinton

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and other Democratic races. After graduation, she had planned to go to graduate Valeria Ojeda-Avitia, a senior in the School of International Studies, said that school and work in public policy.

Clinton’s loss was especially hard for her because her family immigrated to the U.S. “To say that the result was shocking is kind of putting it mildly,” Koch said. “It from Mexico and is impacted by the immigration policies Trump proposed during just made me really realize that for a lot of us, as Democrats, it was the first time I the campaign. can really remember truly losing and having it be so devastating.”

“My family members talk to me and they’re scared,” Ojeda-Avitia said. “But if anyNow, Koch said she may hop onto a race for the end of the 2018 midterm cycle thing, it gives me more motivation to work harder in doing anything.” and possibly campaign ahead of the 2020 election. She’s still unsure whether she’d Ojeda-Avitia said that what she really wants to do is advocate and can’t do that if like to get into policy through advocacy, which can mean working for an non-govshe’s not part of the conversations going on in the capital. ernmental organization to push forward policy, or through administration, which “The weight falls on my shoulders much heavier than it did before,” Ojeda-Avitia means working directly in government. said. “I represent my family of immigrants, I represent New Mexico in D.C. and I rep“The selection of Trump kind of made resent minority women in a political field.” me realize that you can only do policy if Hannah Tennies, a senior in the the politicians that you want voting for School of Public Affairs and College of the law are in office,” Koch said.

Arts and Sciences, is currently interning Sasha Gilthorpe, a senior in the School at the National Organization for Women “I feel like after the election it of Public Affairs and School of Commuand also said advocacy organizations like was the first time that I felt that nication, set her sights on midterm elecNOW are gaining more attention and are this isn’t my city, and D.C. feels tions the morning after Trump’s win. “really gearing up” to fight against the new so different now," “I was in the Javits Center on the administration. night of the election, where Hillary was She had some doubts about staying in -Hannah Tennies, SPA & CAS '17 supposed to give her speech, and I just the District after the election, but has found woke up the next day and was immedithat there are still many people there who ately researching races,” Gilthorpe, who want to advocate for the same things she served as Student Government president does. from 2015-2016, said. “I know there are “I feel like after the election it was the a lot of opportunities out there and I just first time that I felt that this isn’t my city, need to go find them. I don’t want to be in D.C. right now.” and D.C. feels so different now,” Tennies said. “But I think ever since the new adminGilthorpe came to AU because she loves politics and the District, but said she istration has come in, the protests and the marches attest to people becoming more feels that it’s the right time to take her talents and interests to a senate or governor's politically active. It really has reminded me that this is what D.C. is and even if a new race, most likely in the Midwest, and bring her accomplishments back to D.C. administration or political party takes power, there are still a lot of people who are re“D.C. will always be here and I know that if I work hard somewhere else, then ally passionate about the things I’m passionate about.”

I can come back and feel that I’ve accomplished something,” Gilthorpe said. “I just know that it’s unlikely for me to find a position in D.C. that will give me the kind of Anna Donohue contributed to this report. job satisfaction that right now I’m looking for.” news@theeagleonline.com A seat at the table Other liberal students are looking to stake their claim in D.C.

HEADSHOT COURTESY HANNAH TENNIES

Inside Jamie Raskin's campaign to victory Washington College of Law professor discusses his recent transition from professor to U.S. congressman

By Anna Donohue News Staff Writer

It’s clear that Professor Jamie Raskin of AU’s Washington College of Law is passionate about politics.

Raskin recently went from discussing politics in the classroom to taking part in politics on Capitol Hill, when he was sworn in to the U.S. House of Representatives for Maryland’s eighth district in January.

Raskin has taught constitutional law at WCL for the past 25 years, while also serving three terms as a Democratic state senator in Maryland from 2007-2016.

He is currently on leave from teaching at AU as he begins his new position as a House member Raskin said he felt the need to get involved in politics after seeing how his state senator at the time was representing his district.

“I did some more research on my state senator and found he just generally had not been representing what I thought was the will of our district,” Raskin said.

“And so I said to myself, I could keep whining about the Republicans or do something about my party and I decided to run for the state senate.”

During his time in the Maryland State Senate, Raskin fought for legislation for equal marriage, juvenile justice reform and environmental reform, according to his website. Raskin then received a phone call in March 2015 from Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, asking if Raskin would support him in his race for Democrat Sen. Barbara Mikulski’s seat. Raskin replied that he would not

only support Van Hollen, he would run for Van Hollen’s seat in the House as well.

“We had by far the best grassroots, community-based political organization anyone has seen in our district for a very long time,” Raskin said.

Raskin noted his Women for Jamie event on Sep. 27, 2015 was one of the most special moments of the campaign, when more than 400 women gathered to support his campaign. Raskin said it was a breakthrough moment for him.

“Everybody was there, and it was a very special, kind of magical feeling to get that kind of support,” Raskin said.

William Leonard a junior in the School of Public Affairs, interned for Raskin’s Congressional campaign from the fall of 2015 to April 2016, when Raskin won the primary election. The best moment of the campaign for Leonard was the night of the primary elections, he said.

“I was so tense I couldn't even celebrate…,” he said in an email. “When the AP called the election for us, I rushed into the party as casually as I could manage and quietly told my fellow interns the news.”

Now that Raskin has been elected, he will continue fighting for the same issues he did in the Maryland State Senate, Leonard said. Raskin will focus on environmental protection, tightening gun laws and defending Supreme Court decisions such as Roe v. Wade and Obergefell v.

Hodges.

Leonard noted that President Trump's agenda conflicts with Raskin’s most important priorities.

“However, Jamie has a history of reaching across the aisle to work with Republicans to pass bipartisan legislation,” he said. “Now, the Maryland legislature isn't quite as polarized as Congress, but I think he will be able to use some of those talents he honed over 10 years to work toward getting legislation enacted.”

The tumultuous first few weeks of Trump’s presidency has made it difficult for politicians to react to Trump, as his moves have been dramatic and unexpected.

“Nothing surprises me anymore. We have to be prepared for the worst, including a drive to war. This is a president who tweeted about World War III,” Raskin said. “So we do have to be prepared for everything across the board. We have to be extremely nimble and rapid in our response to various threats and we can’t be distracted by tweets.”

Leonard is just one of many AU students who has interned for a political campaign, and Raskin said he appreciates that AU students want to be involved in today’s political process.

“This generation has evolved lots of its own political activities. I love the balance of online political engagement and on-the-street political activism the young people are practicing today,” Raskin said. “I think every generation has developed some kind of political style or tactic, but I would encourage them to study our history, our political and moral philosophy and to look at great democratic heroes of the past.” adonohue@theeagleonline.com

PHOTO BY OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

LIFE

10

89th Academy Awards, who cares?

By Michael Valenti Life Staff Writer An Oscar is the most sought after award for anyone involved in the movie industry. The 89th Academy Awards will be live on Feb. 26, and while there are some standout movies and performances, the winners and losers are hardly set in stone.

The Oscars are have been under scrutiny for their lack of African-American nominees in major acting and directing categories. This year, however, is the start of a turnaround. Three movies that focus on AfricanAmerican stories — “Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures” and “Fences” — received recognition at the Golden Globes and were nominated in several categories by the Academy.

Professor Russell Williams, an artist in residence in the School of Communication, a two time Oscar winner for sound in “Glory” and “Dances with Wolves” and a member of the Academy, said that he is pleased to see a more diverse set of nominees this year.

“With the ‘Oscars-So-White’ hashtag, I would try to urge people to not just worry about the actors exclusively, because there were other strides being made behind the camera that are, to me, just as important or more important,” Williams said.

Who will be the winners?

This year, the nominations for best picture include “La La Land,” “Moonlight,” “Arrival,” “Manchester by the Sea,” “Hidden Figures,” “Fences,” “Hacksaw Ridge,”

“Hell or High Water” and “Lion.”

Sophomore Jordan McCormack and junior Anna Moneymaker, both members of the film and media arts program, breezed over the category, saying that the contest is really only between “La La Land” and “Moonlight,” though it is hard to speculate on which will win.

Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” is the story of an actress (Emma Stone) and jazz musician (Ryan Gosling) trying to make a successful life for themselves in Los Angeles while falling in love with each other.

“Moonlight,” on the other hand, is directed by Barry Jenkins and shows the story of Chiron (Alex Hibbert) as he grows up in a Miami housing project and struggles with his sexuality, among other issues. Moneymaker, McCormack and Williams each said that both movies deserve the Oscar for best picture as they both do their job spectacularly well.

McCormack feels strongly that “La La Land” is going to win, but is personally rooting for “Arrival” or “Moonlight.” But Williams had a different thought.

“Because ‘12 Years a Slave’ won a few years ago, ‘Moonlight’ is probably going to win the best picture category,” Williams said. “Even though I believe that ‘La La Land’ will probably win most other categories.”

The other categories are relatively up in the air.

Moneymaker and McCormack both believe best actor is going to go to Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”) and best actress to Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”). Williams is confident in saying that best supporting actress will go to Viola Davis (“Fences”) while the best supporting actor winner was more up in the air. There is no definitive winner for best director, although Williams thinks that it will be between Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight”) and

Thrift stores over fast fashion

By Elisabeth Holmes Life Staff Writer

It can be difficult to be environmentally and socially conscious while on a college budget. American-made brands that pay workers a livable wage and make sustainable products, such as DL1961 which is sold at stores like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, are expensive.

Fast fashion is a sector of the fashion industry that sells a massive amount of in-style clothes at low prices, including major chains like Forever21 and H&M. This industry has allowed us to forget the true cost of clothing, and instead offers the chance to spend less money on items produced in factories with poor working conditions and harsh chemicals. Instead of continuing to invest in these practices, some AU students have decided to focus on shopping at thrift stores. “[The clothes] are the same quality or higher depending on where you shop,” said Maddie Dargis, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, who regularly shops at consignment stores like Secondi in Dupont Circle. “I've bought brand new items second-hand...At some upper-end [thrift] stores you can even find higher-

end stuff like Frye boots and designer bags”.

Lindsay Broderick, a sophomore in the School of International Service, decided to start shopping at thrift stores after seeing the documentary “The True Cost” during the fall of 2016. The documentary explores the effects of the fast fashion industry on workers and the environment. According to the film, the fashion industry is the world’s second largest polluter, and only two percent of apparel companies get their clothes from companies that pay their workers a fair and living wage.

“It’s all about the outsourcing of jobs,” Broderick said. “It just showed the families’ perspectives of working in these sweatshops and how awful it is, and how poorly they’re treated...I don’t feel right supporting an industry like that.”

Stephanie Blitzer, a senior in the School of International Service, grew up going to thrift stores to find clothes. “I grew up with [shopping at thrift stores].

My mom used to make my costumes from clothes that she would but at thrift stores, or she would find our costumes at thrift stores,” Blitzer said. “It kind of started from there and she passed it on to

Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”).

But does anyone care about the Oscars anymore?

“I mostly just watch because I like the award show,” McCormack said. “The whole spectacle of it and how fun they are is appealing to me.”

Erik Dussere, a professor in the literature department focusing in cinema studies, had similar sentiments about the Oscars.

“We all know that the Oscars, on some level, are meaningless and silly,” Dussere said. “There is some value on a certain level, like the economic value and the value to a movie’s reputation. So it has real effect in the world, but I have a strange relationship with the Oscars.

I don’t really care who wins or loses.”

Dussere said that he only needs to keep up with winners and losers because he is a part of the world of cinema as a professor. It is mostly a show about awarding the most impactful movie or performance, he said, rather than the objectively best movie, performance or technical skill.

While there may be high ratings for the 89th Academy Awards, viewers will be watching for different reasons. Some will be watching for the spectacle, while others will tune in out of genuine interest to know the winners and losers.

“I believe the Oscars to be a celebration of the Hollywood star system. The Oscars are less interesting as an arbiter of quality in movies, but more interesting as a spectacle in itself,” Dussere said. “It is a spectacle to be taken in. It’s not really about the movies, it is about itself.” mvalenti@theeagleonline.com

Why some AU students are choosing shopping alternatives to big chain stores

my sister and I. We both love going thrift shopping [and] we both love finding really cool, unique things.”

Since thrift stores are often more disorganized than shops in a mall, more time is necessary for shopping. But for Broderick, the hunt for a quality item is worth it.

“My friends and I went to Goodwill last semester and we were looking for dresses for a ball,” Broderick said. “I ended up finding this old, really beaten up Ralph Lauren sweatshirt that’s for men. It’s something completely random that you would never buy but I saw it and thought, ‘why not?’ and now I wear it all the time”.

Another reason Blitzer likes thrift shopping is because the stores often donate to local charities. “[Thrift stores] will have a cause attached to their purchases,” she said. “So when you buy things they’ll donate a portion of the proceeds to that cause.”

For those interested in thrifting, Dargis advises students to “try as many places as you can. You never know where or when you'll find something you love.” eholmes@theeagleonline.com

Thrift and consignment shops near AU Fia’s Fabulous Finds • Where: 806 Upshur St NW, Washington, DC 20011 • Metro: Georgia Ave.-Petworth, Green/ Yellow Line Sequels • Where: 4111 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016 • Walking: Walk about a half mile from Tenleytown metro 2nd Time Around • Where: 3109 M Street NW Washington, DC • Bus: Take any of the 30 buses from Tenleytown to Georgetown St Albans Church-Opportunity Shop • Where: 3001 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016 • Bus: N4, N6 to Wisconsin Avenue

11

theEAGLE Feb. 24, 2017

Catching up with “Dime a Dozen” AU’s largest a cappella group offers students a chance to perform in a fun environment

By Adena Maier Life Staff Writer

During a bright and sunny day on the quad last spring, a group of students began to sing a cappella, smiles spread across their faces. Even as they experienced technical difficulties and slip-ups, they laughed and sang with joy, simply enjoying the moment together.

This group was Dime a Dozen, AU’s only co-ed a cappella group. Founded in 2000, the ensemble has since grown into the largest a cappella group on campus. Dime currently has 21 members, 10 of which are men and 11 are women.

Sumita Tellakat, a junior in the School of International Service and the current musical director of Dime, describes it as the most relaxed and laid back a cappella group at AU. “We’re here to have fun. It isn’t the most serious thing because we all have other stuff going on,” Tellakat said. “We’re all just kind of hanging out and playing music.”

Von Allena, a Dime alum who graduated in 2010, said he found camaraderie among a dedicated group of performers.

“A lot of people perceived members of Dime as being those not accepted by the other a cappella groups,” Allena said. “We felt like we had something to prove, so we worked hard and were consistently trying to arrange new songs.”

Dime members come from a variety of different backgrounds, including those who have had professional vocal training, those who play various instruments and those who have had no training at all.

“Our policy has always been, we don’t care what your background is as long as you can sing and are willing to learn,” said Ben Goldstein, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences.

Niko Dela Cruz, another Dime alum who graduated in 2012, noted that Dime has always been diverse not just in musical background, but in walks of life.

“We had everyone from theater geeks to varsity athletes, from every race, creed, color and religion,” Dela Cruz said. “It was like being in Glee, but without all the drama.”

Dela Cruz said he went to some Dime performances after graduating and found a recurring theme: the ensemble always improves from the year before.

“I would notice that the harmonies would get tighter, the arrangements would get more intricate and the soloists would always blow me away,” Dela Cruz said.

Aurora McClellan, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, served as musical director last fall. She said the song choices change depending on who the musical director is at the time, but in general, Dime tends to perform adult contemporary pop

MAHOGANY DAVISON/ THE EAGLE

Members of Dime a Dozen at a recent rehearsal. The group is AU's sole co-ed a cappella group, and thrives off of a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

MAHOGANY DAVISON/ THE EAGLE

Dime a Dozen held auditions at the beginning of February. The group aims to include a diverse set of voices for a well-rounded sound.

from the late 1990s to the present. Some of their past songs include “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap, which they performed in 2016, and “Madness” by Muse in 2015.

“We like songs that have harmonic depth just because there’s so many of us, so we can support a big sound when we’re on our game,” Goldstein said. “This semester, our group goal is to learn more songs than usual. Things tend to take longer than you’d expect, but Su [Tellakat] is better poised than anyone to really make this happen if people are into it.”

Goldstein, Tellakat and McClellan all agreed that being a co-ed a cappella group has numerous advantages,including having a wider vocal range, being able to perform a larger variety of music and getting different perspectives on songs. Tellakat said they do try to aim for equal male and female representation in the group.

“I think [being a co-ed a cappella group] creates a more diverse community,” Goldstein said. “Inclusivity is so important...It also supports the notion that maybe we don’t need to be worrying about gender at all.”

Dime recently held auditions for new members on Feb. 7. Auditioning for Dime includes a 30-second vocal audition. Afterwards, the individual does pitch matching with the piano and the musical director, as well as a scale to test their vocal range. Lastly, they are asked a simple question such as “What is your favorite holiday?” to get a better sense of each individual’s personality and if they would be a good fit for the group.

Dime rehearses twice a week for two and a half hours. A typical Dime rehearsal involves 20 minutes of vocal warmups, followed by a run through of the latest song they’re working on. As the group performs, Tellakat takes notes on what needs improvement, and then the group breaks off to address those issues.

“The secret life hack is, don’t take it too seriously because you’ll literally drive yourself crazy,” McClellan said.

Outside of rehearsals and performances, members of Dime often get together for brunches, dinners or parties.

“Because we’re so big, it’s hard to find a time for everybody to come together [outside of rehearsal times],” McClellan said. “But we try to get together as much as we can.”

The diversity of Dime’s members is exemplified in the differences between Goldstein, McClellan and Tellakat. Goldstein said he knew nothing about a cappella but participated in jazz band and sang in a rock band in high school. McClellan performed with an a cappella group in middle school, and has had some professional vocal training since then. Tellakat played the viola for the Philadelphia Orchestra and joined an a cappella group in her senior year of high school.

All three agreed that rehearsing and performing with Dime has been a form of stress release for them as well as one of their primary friendship circles.

“College can be so stressful, [singing with Dime] can be a great way to calm down,” Tellakat said. “Whenever I’m feeling down or just need something positive, I can just go sing and I have people who will come sing with me.” amaier@theeagleonline.com

12

Diving in head first

SPORTS

How Fiona Caulfield became one of the Patriot League’s premier divers

PHOTO COURTESY FIONA CAULFIELD

Caulfield, far right, and several of her teammates. Caulfield had the best individual finish of any AU swimmer or diver at last year's Patriot League Championships.

By Haley Samsel Managing Editor for Web

During one of her first diving practices at AU, Fiona Caulfield stepped up to the springboard for what she considered a pretty easy dive. But once she got in the air, something went wrong.

“I didn’t see the right thing, and instead of going straight in, I landed flat on my stomach,” the junior psychology major said with a laugh. “I was in pain, but then all of my teammates gave me a big clap and a cheer.”

As her teammates began saving her dive from the pool’s TiVo recorder to keep for their “smack reel,” Caulfield could hear “Survivor,” the pop anthem

by Destiny’s Child, playing over the loudspeakers. The encouragement from her team and the song’s lyrics pushed her to get back on the board.

“I was like, ‘Okay, Fiona, I’m a survivor!’” Caulfield said. “I got back up, and I did the dive well.”

In the years since that 2014 practice, Caulfield has done a lot more than just survive. At the 2016 Patriot League Championships in February of last year, she had the best individual finish of any AU diver or swimmer, placing fourth in the 3-meter diving finals. Outside of the pool, Caulfield earned a spot on the Academic All-League team thanks to her 3.95 grade-point average.

This season, Caulfield has continued to improve her standing in the conference by consistently making it onto the podium, notably taking first place in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events at a November quad meet. She was widely expected to compete for a medal at this year’s championships, which wrapped up on Feb. 18 in Bucknell, Pennsylvania.

Though Caulfield has enjoyed success at the Division I level, she did not always love competing. Before coming to AU, going to meets with her club team in northern California only made her feel stressed and like she could have done

better, Caulfield said.

“I just never felt ‘on’ during a competition,” Caulfield said. “But here, since we have so many competitions and because of the different environment and coaching, I really started to like competing more.”

Over time, Caulfield said she has learned how to channel her jitters into adrenaline that helps her complete a dive instead of shy away from it. She attributes much of her improvement to the mental aspects of her training.

“I’ve kind of figured out more of not just how to move my body, but how to think about it and how to follow through with it,” Caulfield said. “If you’re confident about a dive, then you’re going to be aggressive when you’re trying to do it. But if you’re not confident, then you’ll do a wimpy hurdle and not be as powerful and peppy as you could be, and then it doesn’t go as well. It’s kind of a cycle.”

Under the guidance of head coach John Barry, Caulfield has successfully broken that cycle of negative thinking by continuously telling herself that she has “done it before and can do it again.”

In the weeks prior to the championship meet, Barry and Caulfield focused on visualizing the entire competition, including a happy ending atop the podium.

“When you have somebody that’s as good as she is, a lot of the normal stuff goes out the window because she’s already doing the little things,” Barry said. “Some people don’t take what we’re doing as seriously, but with people like Fiona, she will honestly and genuinely consider [visualization] as another opportunity to get a little bit better. You can’t ask for more than that.”

Barry compared Caulfield to Melissa

Parker, a 2015 graduate who came out of the same diving club as Caulfield, All Valley Divers. Both athletes had high grade-point averages and had trained under rigorous conditions that helped them achieve success at the collegiate level, Barry said.

“They make tough kids up there,” Barry said. “There’s no indoor pools, so you dive in a heated pool and it’s cold as s--t outside. In the recruiting videos, you can see smoke coming off the water...If you’ve grown up working out in a place like that, you don’t get cold. You don’t b--ch.”

Barry said part of him “will die” when Caulfield graduates in 2018, just like part of him died when Parker left.

Losing the face of the team, as well as Caulfield’s signature composure and diligence, will be difficult, Barry said.

“It’s a four-year project, but it’s hard not to get invested in it,” Barry said. “I have such high hopes for her, but I don’t want to tell her that [before the championships]. I want her to just go in the way she goes in.”

As Caulfield neared her secondto-last Patriot League Championships earlier this month, she still felt there was more for her to learn. While Caulfield said she has grown more confident during her time at AU, there is always room for improvement.

“After every year, I say, ‘How can there be that much more to even learn?’”

Caulfield said. “Then the next year, I say, ‘Wow, I’ve learned so much and I thought I had it figured out.’ That process of constant growth keeps me going.” hsamsel@theeagleonline.com

TAAMEEN MOHAMMAD/ THE EAGLE

Caulfield attributes much of her success as a diver to the guidance of head coach John Barry, who she said has helped her to better visualize success going into a competition.

13

theEAGLE Feb. 24, 2017

Charlie Jones is right where he needs to be

The former walk-on reminisces on how he came to lead AU men’s basketball

By Gabe Bichinho Assistant Sports Editor

During the AU men’s basketball game against Lehigh University on Feb. 4, there was one distinct sequence that epitomized the role senior Charlie Jones plays for the Eagles.

With a minute left in the first half of a 70-55 loss, Lehigh stole the ball at midcourt and moved in for the breakaway layup when suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Jones blocked the shot from behind before quickly chasing down a defensive rebound.

In one fell move, he lofted an outlet pass down court toward a streaking Sa’eed Nelson. The pass would have resulted in an assist had Nelson not been fouled in the process of shooting at the other end. The block, rebound and near-assist all happened in the span of five seconds.

This is what AU basketball has come to expect from Charlie Jones.

But when Jones arrived on campus in the fall of 2013 as a freshman walk-on, he was fighting for a roster spot, something that was not at all guaranteed due to his lack of an athletic scholarship. Though Jones gained a scholarship after his freshman season, he is one of only two current players who did not have one when they joined the team.

As a senior in high school, Jones did not receive any athletic offers from Division 1 basketball programs, and the only interest he received was from Division 3 schools where he would not be on a scholarship. Ultimately, Jones said his confidence in his own abilities as a player were what led him to attend AU without the guarantee of a spot on the team, let alone any playing time.

“I knew I could play at this level, and coming here I really just wanted to work my way into that role, to get to the [NCAA] tournament, which we did in my first year, but now I’m trying to get to my second one,” Jones said.

ERICA VELTMAN/ THE EAGLE

Charlie Jones initially joined the Eagles as a walk-on, but over the past four years has developed as a key player on the court and received an athletic scholarship.

Sure enough, Jones quickly gained the confidence of rookie head coach Mike Brennan in his freshman season, earning 13.4 minutes per game in his first year. It was his sophomore season, however, that became his breakout moment, as Jones started all but two games that year, averaging 32.9 minutes and 8 points per game.

Three years after his first minutes on the court in Bender Arena, Jones credits Brennan and his coaching staff for being the driving force behind his success and his rise from the bottom of the depth chart. “[Brennan is] just a guy that knows the game inside and out, and his personality meshes well with me, I think, in terms of the intensity,” Jones said. “He’s definitely a guy who is going to play who he thinks will help the team win, and that’s something I have to be very grateful for.”

Jones is not a player who is known for his game-changing athleticism nor for filling up the box score on a nightly basis. However, he quietly leads the team in both rebounds and assists, with 5.6 and 2.6 per game respectively, and has gained the admiration of his peers with hustle and determination, attributes that he said are just as valuable.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be the go-to offensive player,” Jones said. “But I can still help us create shots through my movement, just being aggressive and keeping the ball moving. At the same time, I’m able now to get more drives in and see more open guys. I make more aggressive scoring passes, so that’s kind of how I feel I’ve developed over the years.”

Passing on wisdom As a wide-eyed freshman, Jones and the Eagles managed to win the Patriot League championship and qualify for the NCAA tournament in 2014, something AU has done only three time in its history. In retrospect, Jones said he is grateful for the experiences and wealth of knowledge he gained during his first seasons, particularly under the leadership of upperclassmen like Darius “Pee Wee” Gardner and John Schoof.

He noted that his wisdom is especially valuable considering it’s been three years since the Eagles last made a tournament appearance, and there are now several freshmen and sophomores in the team’s regular rotation who lack that experience. Jones said that he is still adjusting to the role of being a senior leader after his beginnings as a walk-on, especially during practices.

“It’s different but I enjoy [being a leader]. Instead [of] getting bullied by someone like Schoof by having to guard him every day in practice, I get to return the favor a little bit,” Jones said. “But also when you have guys as talented as Mark [Gasperini], Sa’eed [Nelson] and the sophomores like Delante [Jones], James [Washington] and Lonnie [Rivera], it’s easy to be excited showing up to practice every day, to run around and hopefully having them learn something from you.”

Brennan and Jones both arrived at AU in the fall of 2013, new to their respective roles as head coach and college athlete. Almost four full seasons later, Brennan said he is thankful for what Jones and the other seniors have contributed to the team’s development, and how they are helping to mold the current classes of younger players.

“We can’t ask for better leadership from [Charlie and Jalen], from all seniors, including [Yilret Yiljep] and Leon [Tolksdorf],” Brennan said. “But Charlie’s been doing what he’s done all year long, which is what he does best, and hopefully our young guys are seeing that.”

Despite still having several weeks left in the season, Jones and the other seniors have already played their last formal game at Bender Arena, depending on their performance in the upcoming conference tournament. Going forward, Jones acknowledged that he does not know what the future holds for him, but is encouraged by athletic possibilities given what basketball has done for him so far. As a business major, Jones said he is also interested in pursuing a career in that field.

“To be honest, I haven’t thought too much about it. I’d definitely be open to any opportunities, if it’s staying in basketball, or coaching, going overseas maybe, or if any opportunities in the business world pop up, I’d be open to that,” Jones said. “Other than that I really don’t know, I’m really just focused on trying to close out this season strong.”

Closing out the season strong has remained elusive for the Eagles. As of their Feb. 8 loss against Boston University, AU ranks second to last with only two conference wins in 2017, putting them in a poor position for favorable seeding as the Patriot League tournament approaches. While the losses have made his last season a difficult one, Jones said it does not lessen the intensity and passion that have become the cornerstones of his athletic career.

“Whenever I’m out on the court I’m just trying to do whatever’s necessary to win.

This year, a big part of that is rebounding,” Jones said. “So I’m just trying to be an example of that for guys, to keep the ball moving on offense and be wherever I need to be.” gbichinho@theeagleonline.com

14

theEAGLE Feb. 24, 2017

Grinding towards greatness AU senior wrestler seeks more pins before his collegiate career concludes Breaking down the pin

ERICA VELTMAN/ THE EAGLE

Senior Jason Grimes was ranked ninth in the NCAA's "Most Dominant Wrestler" listings in January. One of Grimes' greatest strengths is his ability to pin his opponent.

By Shannon Scovel Senior Staff Writer

Quiet and composed, he approaches the mat, his eyes looking directly at his opponent. He reaches out his toned arm and shakes the hand of the wrestler standing before him. The men lock eyes. The referee blows the whistle. It’s go time.

At 184-pounds, AU senior wrestler Jason Grimes could be seen as an intimidating presence. He’s well-built, but also lean and ready to do battle at any moment. While his teammates joke and cheer behind him awaiting their duals, Grimes stays stoic. The match can go on for seven minutes, but Grimes wants to end it sooner. He wants to go for the pin.

Ranked ninth in the “Most Dominant Wrestler” NCAA rankings in early January, Grimes said he has always been an athlete who wants to pin his opponent on his back and wrestle efficiently.

His success as a pinner and his ranking in the NCAA poll puts him in contention to have the highest average of points for his team this season. Wrestlers earn six points for a fall, forfeit, injury default or disqualification against their opponent, and they earn five points for technical falls.

These first two categories favor those like Grimes, who fight for pins in every match, and accumulate team points frequently. Athletes can also earn four points in the “Most Dominant Wrestler” rankings for a major decision, a win of more than eight points, and three points for a decision, an individual win of less than eight points.

“Jay, when he’s able to get to his positions, he can normally get guys on their back, and it’s tight when he gets to his pinning positions,” head wrestling coach Teague Moore said.

Although Grimes’ ranking has fallen since January and he no longer sits in the Top 10 on the list, the senior wrestler still approaches every practice and every match with the goal of winning and earning a pin.

His training partner, 197-pound junior Jeric Kasunic, helps Grimes fine-tune his skills and reach his best positions. The two athletes build off one another to make each other to practice moves that they might encounter in a dual. Kasunic and Grimes both earned victories in AU’s match against No. 30 Wyoming on Jan. 6, and Moore said he has been impressed with the work that both men have put in during training to prepare themselves for the conference and national tournaments.

Though Grimes said that qualifying for the NCAA tournament remains his ultimate goal, he coaches himself to focus on just one match at a time and to give his full effort in every contest.

“I’m kind of taking the approach that we have nothing to lose at this point, it’s my last year, so I’m just kind of going out on the mat and letting it all hang loose,” Grimes said. “Nothing to hold back on at this point.”

The NCAA defines a pin, or a fall, as move where “any part of both shoulders or part of both scapulae of either wrestler [are] held in contact with the mat for one second.”

The ability of an athlete to move his opponent into this position requires strength and determination, Grimes said, as the wrestler must move a human being of similar weight onto the mat.

Grimes’s ability to pin opponents began early, and he said his skills developed both from his background as a Greco-Roman wrestling specialist and his drive to score points for the team. Kasunic and Grimes work with each other on pinning skills during practice, and while both athletes came into college with a knack for this move, their collaboration helps them continue to succeed at the position.

“We push each other really hard every day,” Kasunic said. “It’s great. We work hard in all positions, but when we get each other on our backs, we hold each other there, and we learn from that.”

The ten pounds that separates Kasunic from Grimes does not create too much of a disadvantage for the lighter wrestler, Kasunic said, and he still integrates skills from his experience as a lighter wrestler into his movements in the 197-pound matches.

The similarity in weight and mentality between Kasunic and Grimes breeds a sense of competition that lights a fire of determination in both wrestlers, something Grimes said he can take to the mat in any competition.

“There are definitely times when we go at it in the room,” Grimes said. “It’s nice wrestling a bigger guy, at least for me, because then when I get on the mat, guys are a little smaller than I’m used to wrestling. It’s definitely a plus for me to at least get to roll around with him in the room.”

Grimes’s collegiate wrestling career will come to a close in March, and while he has not ruled out competing past graduation, he is approaching each of the final matches in his career with a different, more intense mindset. He knows that practicing with Kasunic under the guidance of Moore will prepare him for the upcoming matches, and he will be able to fall back on his work ethic to rack up a few final pins.

“It’s not necessarily speed, it’s more like a strength kind of thing,” Grimes said, explaining the pin. “Holding your opponent down, trying to put him on his back is more determination and strength.” sscovel@theeagleonline.com

ERICA VELTMAN/ THE EAGLE

Grimes competes in the 184-pound weight class and trains with Jeric Kasunic, who competes in the 197-pound weight class.

OPINION

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Advocacy is about more than words

By Antonio Álvarez-Ramirez Contributing Columnist On April 27, 1989, students across the People’s Republic of China took to the streets in an act of defiance against the repressive totalitarian government under which they lived.

Initially, the student-led protest centered its demands on the development of democracy, the destruction of corruption and the opening of social institutions like the press and higher education. Student leaders had mobilized their campus in a massive and powerful demonstration against the state.

Their passion began to inspire wider

support. Soon, workers’ parties joined the student protesters in support of their ideals of anti-corruption and decentralization of power.

This incredible demonstration of popular dissent and courage forced the government into a general state of emergency and immediately began a negotiation process. Although it may seem like a distant reality, universities and institutions of higher education have a long history of political dissent and mobilization.

In an era of political tension in our country, the University and especially its “progressive” liberal student population must embody this spirit of mobilization and stand in opposition to an increasingly racist, xenophobic, sexist, ableist and power hungry regime. The resistance movement is failing.

On Feb. 3, No Lost Generation, an organization dedicated to informing the student body about refugee issues, hosted a demonstration called “AU Stands Up: Rally for Refugees and Immigrants.” Despite the Facebook event having 296 people ‘going’, 648 people ‘interested’ and 1,200 people ‘invited,’ the actual attendance never exceeded 3040 people. This is not a commentary on the organizing skills or effort of No Lost Generation but on the woeful state of

mobilization on AU’s campus.

Standing out in the cold with a few dozen others listening to students give their personal experiences as refugees and immigrants, I couldn’t help but wonder why the hundreds of students walking by us wouldn’t stop for at least a few minutes and listen.

This lack of action could be a result of disinterest, too much trust in the electoral system or an abundance of privilege.

Whatever the reasons, I call on our campus to do better.

For the many of us who exist in a position of extreme privilege compared to those impacted by the incoming regime’s proto-fascist policies, we cannot let these actions stand. Students can be the foot soldiers for important movements that demand change and resist oppression. We can be the organizers that spark the next popular resistance movement.

If you are able to, it is not enough to say you are a liberal, or to say you are against racism, or to share Huffington Post articles whose content amounts to “Trump: Sad Face Emoji.” If you are able and truly believe in equality and justice, you must mobilize.

Demonstrative opposition to the Trump regime and to the rise of far right powers across the world is the only thing which will stop us from conceding ground to the rise of global fascism. Groups like

the College Democrats, who have not organized any events in response to racist and Islamophobic executive orders, are complicit in the administration’s ability to act without consequence.

Of course, when I urge folks to come out and mobilize, I am not referring to those who for various reasons cannot do so. Our undocumented, Muslim/Muslim passing, mentally ill, trans, low income and Black siblings and peers are often at special risk in these movements.

I direct my call of action at the majority of AU students that are white. All of us should stand in solidarity with those who will be punished more harshly for standing up and fighting for their rights.

I implore you as an AU student, as a self-described liberal, as a leader of a student organization. Organize protests, sit-ins and actions. Educate yourself about student activism. Mobilize your peers and friends to act. Embody the revolutionary spirit of your predecessors and peers throughout history. Most importantly, do better. The future is counting on you.

Antonio Álvarez-Ramirez is a sophomore in the School of International Service and College of Arts and Sciences. He is the Director on the AUSG Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.

PHOTO BY OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

Climate change under President Trump

By Olivia Richter Staff Columnist

Solar panels are, arguably, old news.

The eco-friendly technology has been around for decades now, since Russell Ohl successfully created the first silicon cell in 1941. Thirteen years later, the first full solar panel was invented by three American researchers. Since then, they’ve been marketed to the public as a cost effective way to do one’s part in helping protect the environment.

The green technology made it all the way to the roof of the White House when in 1979, President Jimmy Carter had 32 solar panels installed. He intended them to stay there and harvest usable solar energy for decades to come, but in 1986, President Ronald Reagan had the panels removed. However, years later, President George Bush installed the first active

solar electric system at the White House.

Then in 2010, President Barack Obama had new panels installed atop the roof.

Will the panels remain? It may seem futile to take them down again because they work efficiently and are nearly invisible, not interfering with the White House’s historic aesthetic. However, in this new administration, we have heard the message time and again that environmental protection is far from a priority. In regard to President Trump and all of the environmental policy changes that he will do his best to make, the White House solar panels represent something much greater than just providing clean energy to the Oval Office. President Trump’s attitude towards climate change and clean energy will undoubtedly have profound consequences for our environment.

The time has run out for the question of climate change to be an argument having two sides, both worthy of consideration.

Science is not, and should not, be a matter of politics. And yet, because powerful politicians and talking heads continue to deny the existence of climate change or that human beings are causing it, science has become politicized.

Professor Michael Mann, one of the world’s leading climatologists, has called Donald Trump’s views on climate change an “assault on science”. Mann is encouraging fellow scientists to rebel and march in protest against the administration. Scientists marching is

highly unusual, but the circumstances have become dire.

In 2012, President Trump equated global warming to a Chinese hoax. The head of the Environmental Protection Agency transition team, Myron Ebell, has said that the president is determined to reverse policies put in place by Barack Obama to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

Ebell, along with President Trump, is a long-time climate change skeptic.

President Trump has stated that “nobody really knows” whether climate change actually exists. He is now the head of a party with plenty of climate change deniers. Though there is now, more than ever, no room for argument on this topic, climate change skeptics are being given a platform and voice that they should not have. Because of these loud voices, the issue of climate change will take the back burner, because we know that it is not an issue worth the time and energy to consider, according to this administration.

As the science of climate change becomes only more and more conclusive, Professor Mann is right in his call for a rebellion. He states in his article, “Rejection of the unequivocal scientific evidence that carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are warming the planet and changing our climate is no longer socially acceptable,”.

The March for Science will take place on April 22, Earth Day, in Washington D.C. The march’s mission statement is

grounded in certitude, with no flowery language or persuasion, beginning with “There are certain things that we accept as facts … The Earth is becoming warmer due to human action. The diversity of life arose by evolution”. Although policy changes are providing scientists ample reason to worry, I take comfort in the coming together of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide in support of science and environmental protection.

It feels wrong, against the nature of science itself, to have to march for something that is proven to be factual. Yet here we are, our voices being squashed out because this issue is not a convenient one. The results will not be immediate, and yes, there will be a price tag. Science and politics were never meant to compete with one another, but the truth is that climate change has not ever been a partisan issue, despite what it may seem.

It is through and through an issue of fact, and the time for debating that is long over. Solar panels may be old news, but our environment continues to be threatened. We cannot allow these issues to slip to the back of our minds because our new administration refutes the concrete, peer-reviewed, scientific evidence of climate change. orichter@theeagleonline.com PHOTO BY OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

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theEAGLE Feb. 24, 2017

Finding a place to call home

A former refugee describes his disappointment with the political climate

By Dau Doldol Contributing Columnist My family and I left Sudan/South Sudan when I was a young boy, only about four years old. Before the war, which began a decade before I was born, my family members had lived their normal lives working as cattle herders and farmers just like their forefathers.

This was the life that had been sustainable for our family going back generations. However, the war changed everything. My family could not farm crops or herd cattle for food because of the violence.

There were many times when the adults in my family went several days without food because they were making sure the children got something in their stomachs. Our cattle were looted and taken forcefully by the government soldiers. There was nothing my family could do anymore to try and live their normal lives.

Our lives were completely changed by circumstances that none of my

family members chose. The war cost us everything. The suffering, the trauma and the pain is part of my life that I will never forget. Being a refugee is not something any human being wants to be. It’s because of the circumstances that my family and I went through that we became refugees.

We walked over 100 miles carrying only our basic necessities to get to safety from our home region of Abyei, South Sudan. The United Nations camp in the Bahr el Ghazal region of South Sudan was our goal, and on the route to our destination, we encountered many things from dead human corpses laying all over the ground to wild animals trying to eat us. I was a refugee for seven years of my life living in the Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya.

I am upset by the argument being made in our current political climate that dehumanizes refugees and associates them with terrorism. The refugee ban is morally wrong and we are not learning from our country’s history. We are too quick to judge and make decisions based on emotions, but we forget moments in history such as when Jewish refugees were turned away from the U.S. during the Holocaust.

This is just one of many examples from history. It’s disheartening when people claim refugees have an easy path to come to this country, which is not true.

We are screened, tested and interviewed multiple times before an application is even approved. It took my family three years to get our application approved.

For me, the saddest thing of all is the dehumanization of refugees.

We are wrongly called invaders and opportunistic. Many of the refugees fleeing their homes with my family were

extremely educated with the same skills as every normal American. These people were lawyers, doctors, nurses and city council representatives.

When we became refugees, our own birth country rejected us, and we were often rejected by everyone else because we were told that we are a burden to society. Refugees are just hard workers, wanting the same opportunity to live their lives in peace and harmony.

They don’t want your money; they don’t want your job. They just want to live their lives in peace, not losing their family members left and right. They want a life where they do not have to fear bombstrikes every signal day, where children do not step on landmines, and most importantly, where our mothers, sisters, aunts and nieces are not raped as a weapon of war.

We are running away in the first place because our own countries cannot even provide us basic security. The same terror that refugees are accused of is what they are running away from in the first place.

We are refugees, and we are not ashamed of that. We did not become refugees because of our doing. We are proud to be refugees because it is part of our human experience. All we ask of you is to treat us with human dignity and respect. We are refugees, we are countryless, but we are human beings.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” These words by Emma Lazarus are inscribed on the Statue of Liberty. This is the foundation of America. These are our fundamental values, and they are non-

negotiable. Allowing refugees into our country is not a liberal or conservative issue, but an American issue. It requires all of us to stand up for our country’s fundamental values.

My family came to the U.S. on March 17, 2005. The first place we landed was New York City. I remember seeing the skyscrapers of the city miles upon miles, as far as I could see. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the city. This was my heaven. Coming from South Sudan and the refugee camp, it was unique and magical.

We were welcomed to the U.S. with open arms. The love and kindness that was shown to us is a memory that will forever stick with me. I want the United States to return to being that place that welcomed my family and all displaced people, regardless of their religion, ethnicity, race or gender.

The immigration ban is damaging to who we are as a country, because we are a nation of immigrants. We are supposed to be different from the rest of the world, but this ban just showed all of us that we are not different at all because we take our own basic liberties and rights for granted.

We are all human beings and all we want is to live our lives without constant fear of harm and to contribute to society just like any American. If you find yourself shunning those from the refugee community, take time to reflect, pray, and think good thoughts for us. And if you don’t have them, I ask that you wake up from your dream.

Dau Doldol is a junior in the School of International Service.

PHOTO BY OWAIN JAMES/ THE EAGLE

Staff Editorial:

A well deserved retirement for Gail Hanson Despite mixed opinions, Hanson offered open door to students Editorial Board For 20 years, Gail Hanson has served as Vice President of Campus Life at AU. In those twenty years, she has been a polarizing figure. As a woman in the field of higher education, Hanson’s leadership has smashed glass ceilings.

However, her critics have labeled her as uncaring, while colleagues have championed her legacy.

Even if they are unaware of it, every student is connected to Hanson in some way. From residence halls to student conduct, her reach extends to 13 departments that make up the Office of Campus Life. For some students, though, she has had a much larger impact on their lives.

Student critics, such as activist Faith Ferber, have derided Hanson’s stance on sexual violence and other campus

issues. Ferber and other community members wish to see change enacted on campus immediately rather than gradually, something which is more common in an institution as large as AU. Especially amid the racial tensions this year, many students hoped to see a more proactive stance from university administrators on measures of diversity and inclusion.

Nonetheless, Hanson has been present in campus spaces during tense rallies, protests and student events. In many ways, she accepted the challenge of becoming the face of the administration, more so than outgoing President Neil Kerwin. Balancing university interests with student interests while also maintaining a listening ear is a tricky rope to walk.

Hanson should be commended for navigating this space and serving as a leader in the community in the best ways she could.

We at The Eagle believe that the next Vice President of Campus Life should understand both perspectives: being present in the now and planning for a better future. Although Hanson has taken a spot in the limelight this past year, we hope to see a vice president who is more active in times of both tranquility and turmoil.

Working hand-in-hand with incoming President Sylvia Mathews Burwell, we want both leaders to be visible in our community at events and around campus. With so many serious issues surrounding inclusion and financial affordability facing the University, we need administrators who are not bureaucratic figureheads but who instead seek to be fundamentally engaged with the student body at all times.

Familiar faces are important, and our administrators have too often hidden in their offices, afraid of backlash

from students for unpopular policies or controversial statements. Students need to know that their administrators are serving their interests first and foremost. We hope that the incoming vice president recognizes the importance of building relationships with student leaders, a feat that Hanson accomplished with countless students throughout her 20 years at AU. While we acknowledge she is not without flaws, Hanson has played a valuable role in our community and her legacy will not be forgotten. Rather than diverting questions from our reporters, she has consistently made herself available to writers and been willing to discuss the issues most important to readers. Beloved by AU staff and many students alike, we wish Hanson all the best in her retirement. It is well deserved. edpage@theeagleonline.com