Georgetown Voice Issue 12, 3/18/2022

MARCH 18, 2022

Contents

March 18, 2022 Volume 54 | Issue 12

4

Editor-In-Chief Sarah Watson Managing Editor Max Zhang

voices

The power of paint: Graffiti and its pursuit of justice

internal resources Editor for RDI Darren Jian Editor for Sexual Sophie Tafazzoli Violence Coverage Service Chair Annemarie Cuccia Social Chair Alice Gao

ELLA BRUNO

5

Executive Editor Features Editor News Editor Assistant News Editors

6

voices

The merit to rethinking meritocracy, and why we need to change 'elite' admissions

news

opinion Executive Editor Annette Hasnas Voices Editor Sarah Craig Assistant Voices Editors James Garrow, Kulsum Gulamhusein, Lou Jacquin Editorial Board Chair Advait Arun Editorial Board Annemarie Cuccia, William Hammond, Annabella Hoge, Jupiter Huang, Paul James, Darren Jian, Allison O’Donnell, Sarah Watson, Alec Weiker, John Woolley, Max Zhang

Georgetown community rallies in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine JUPITER HUANG

KATHRYN YANG

8

14

15

16

STEM Fatale: The pitfalls of the "Women in STEM" label

What Inventing Anna tells us about class, Georgetown, and the status quo

13 songs to get into K-pop for the unelightened

voices

news

"We all belong to this community."

Students run for ANC office

MAYA KNEPP

LOU JACQUIN

FRANZISKA WILD

9

halftime sports

on the cover

Eight teams to watch for in women's March Madness

leisure

halftime leisure

JO STEPHENS

10

ABBY WEBSTER AND MAX ZHANG

18

leisure

The Dark Knight gets even darker in neo-noir thriller The Batman (2022)

leisure Executive Editor Olivia Martin Leisure Editor Lucy Cook Assistant Editors Pierson Cohen, Maya Kominsky, Alexandra Lenehan Halftime Editor Chetan Dokku Assistant Halftime Editors Adora Adeyemi, Ajani Jones, Gokul Sivakumar sports Executive Editor Tim Tan Sports Editor Hayley Salvatore Assistant Editors Andrew Arnold, Lucie Peyrebrune, Thomas Fischbeck Halftime Editor Carlos Rueda Assistant Halftime Editors Langston Lee, Natalia Porras, Dylan Vasan Executive Editor Spread Editors Cover Editor Assistant Design Editors

ADORA ADEYEMI

Why I still love Georgetown basketball

multimedia Executive Editor John Woolley Podcast Editor Jillian Seitz Assistant Podcast Editor Alexes Merritt Photo Editor Annemarie Cuccia

NICHOLAS RICCIO

12

news commentary

More Georgetown graduates go into consulting than any other field. Why?

online Website Editor Tyler Salensky Social Media Editor Emma Chuck Assistant Social Media Editor Franziska Wild

“desk job”

DEBORAH HAN

“There’s a phrase I keep on repeating: If your neighbor’s house is on fire, you go grab a bucket and you help out."

PG. 6

contact us

editor@georgetownvoice.com Leavey 424 Box 571066 Georgetown University 3700 O St. NW Washington, DC 20057

2

design Allison DeRose Alex Giorno, Connor Martin Deborah Han Insha Momin, Sabrina Shaffer, Dane Tedder, Sean Ye

copy Copy Chief Maya Knepp Assistant Copy Editors Kenny Boggess, Maanasi Chintamani, Julia Rahimzadeh Editors Donovan Barnes, Christopher Boose, Jennifer Guo, Alene Hanson, Ian Tracy, Anna Vernacchio

sports

FRANZISKA WILD

news Nora Scully Annabella Hoge Paul James Margaret Hartigan, Jupiter Huang, Graham Krewinghaus

support Contributing Editors Sarina Dev, Ethan Greer, Caroline Hamilton,

Josh Klein, Roman Peregrino, Orly Salik, Sophie Tafazzoli, Abby Webster

The opinions expressed in The Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty, or students of Georgetown University, unless specifically stated.

Columns, advertisements, cartoons, and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of The Georgetown Voice. The university subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors. All materials copyright The Georgetown Voice, unless otherwise indicated.

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

business General Manager Megan O’Malley Assistant Manager of Akshadha Lagisetti Accounts & Sales Assistant Manager of Abby Smith Alumni Outreach

photo courtesy of jupiter huang

Staff Contributors Nathan Barber, Nicholas Budler, Natalie

Chaudhuri, Romita Chattaraj, Erin Ducharme, Panna Gattyan, Andrea Ho, Christine Ji, Julia Kelly, Steven Kingkeiner, Lily Kissinger, Ashley Kulberg, David McDaniels, Amelia Myre, Anna Sofia Neil, Owen Posnett, Omar Rahim, Caroline Samoluk, Ryan Samway, Michelle Serban, Isabel Shepherd, Jo Stephens, Isabelle Stratta, Francesca Theofilou, Diego Ventero, Amelia Wanamaker, Hailey Wharram, Katie Woodhouse

Page 3

An eclectic collection of jokes, puns, doodles, playlists, and news clips from the collective mind of the Voice staff. → GOSSIP RAT

→ PLAYLIST

Living out your college movie moment on Healy Lawn 1. Sedona Houndmouth 2. Island In The Sun Weezer 3. Young, Dumb & Broke Khalid 4. All The Stars Kendrick Lamar, SZA 5. Heat Waves Glass Animals 6. THATS WHAT I WANT Lil Nas X 7. Campus Vampire Weekend 8. Maniac Conan Gray 9. Solar Power Lorde

ang,

husein,

mmond, g, Paul Donnell, hn

y,

10. Gimme! Gimme!

Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) ABBA 11. She's So Gone Naomi Scott 12. Glory Days Bruce Springsteen 13. Dog Days Are Over Florence + The Machine 14. Tongue Tied Grouplove 15. Dreams Fleetwood Mac 16. Midnight City M83 17. Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds

okul

I can’t help but feel turned on.

The HFSC reopened this week, and my rat mouth is frothing at the unplugged power outlets, sticky surfaces, and its closed bulldog tavern. I must admit, though, I was struck by a desolate sadness when One Medical closed its COVID-19 testing site. Now I have to scurry to the Thomas & Dorothy Leavey Center to have my rat nose penetrated.

After sojourning to the Hamptons over break, I am repelled, angered, and scandalized by what I discovered upon my return: your trashy, pathetic lives. Scurrying across the lawn, I documented how drunk you got, who you hooked up with, where you were. And, I must say … Puerto Rico? Wow, how original. You’re the only person I’ve heard that went there. You went to Cancún? No way. It’s hard being the only one on this campus that can get blackout drunk at some cheap beach and make it look classy. Lonely at the top, you know?

Anywho, spring break is over, and the masks are coming off. You can finally see this literally glowing, hot, toxic body in all of its glory. Jealousy is a killer, and so is radium.

You should be more careful where you spill your secrets.

I’m everywhere and anywhere. Somebody’s longterm relationships could get destroyed by me dropping a little bombshell on who slept with who in Punta Cana :) xoxo, Gossip Rat

→ GRAHAM'S CROSSWORD

une,

Dylan

Dane

amani,

Hamilton, Salik, Sophie

alie Ducharme, e Ji, Julia er, Ashley yre, Anna m, Caroline rban, Isabel a Theofilou, Hailey

gossip rat iillustration by dane tedder

Boose, an Tracy,

ACROSS 1: Little ditty 5: Barbie's boo 8: With 18 Across, the '06 NBA champion team's All-Stars 12: Norse god of thunder 13: Possible restaurant sign abbrev., with a year 15: No dog owner ever says their dog *does* do this

16: Million suffix 17: Common affliction for backs and heads 18: See 8 Across 19: Crop Chop lettuce variety 21: One of two amphibian friends in a heartwarming children's series 23: Their mascot is a Horned Frog, which, may I add, is very cool 24: Bootleg ice pack contents

25: And so on and so forth 28: Jack Ruby avenged him 29: 20-hour worker, often 31: Certain Celt 33: Key word in downs intersecting 21 Across 34: Opening word 35: Knighted singer John 37: Let air out 39: What stalagmites are made of 40: Face one way, pass another 42: Key word in (some of) downs intersecting 50 Across 43: Grammy-winning 21 Savage song 44: Nerve-wrackers for suburban 16-year-olds 46: ___ Miserables 47: D-H run 48: Coloring agents 49: "Cool" amt. of cash 50: One of two coasts with a rhyme for its superiority 51: Georgetown has one actually, tucked behind Shaw 55: Late night coffee order, at least if you’re in a good place 58: October birthstone

60: Well-mannered, for a lion 61: GUPD message that’s probably going to be late 62: Upside-down river 63: Many an MSB subj.

64: Singer Celine 65: Rapper Choppa 66: Mountain rentals DOWN 1: Marquee name 2: Buckeye State 3: The usual 4: Deluge myth featured in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Genesis, and many others 5: Reeves of "John Wick" 6: Suffix meaning "begin to" 7: To the ___ degree 8: You'll need at least one or two to fly 9: You really thought you ___?

10: Narc's org.

11: Course for intl. students 14: Put off, one way or another 15: Elevated, via words or actions 20: TikTok term for a

trivial turn-off 22: What you may or may not want to see in your pantry 24: Pirates' Pollies 25: Hillary's downfall 26: Cadence 27: Wave peak 28: Globetrotter's woe 29: "Like 24 Across in a ___" 30: The people of "let my people go" 31: Artistic style 32: Emotionally distant 36: Far from either clever or dumb 38: Many mos.

41: Piano parts 45: Big East school, with 51 Down 46: Wayne, Durk, and Kim, to name a few 49: Brawl 50: Be worthy or worried 51: See 45 Down 52: Expand, as the court 53: Mine, in Marseille 54: Homes, for a lion 55: Groan-inducing brand of joke 56: The younger Manning 57: Head honcho 59: Bobby ____

MARCH 18, 2022

3

VOICES

:

The power of W

alking through Red Square the day after Russia invaded Ukraine, all I saw was art. To my left, drawn in vibrant chalk, was the Ukrainian flag accompanied by the words, Slava Ukrayini (Glory to Ukraine) and Heroyam Slava (Glory to Heroes). To my right, “Stand with Ukraine” was written on the bricks. While the activists who chalked in Red Square may not consider themselves graffiti artists, they are joined by thousands of street artists around the world who use their art to speak out against injustice, unify communities, and bring about change.

Though graffiti and street art have a few semantic differences, the main distinction lies in the culture and context surrounding them. Since its resurgence in the 1970s, the Black community has used graffiti to express their history of suffering and resilience.

Gradually, as commissioned murals entered the field, city officials sought to distinguish what they considered illegal, messy, and rebellious “graffiti'' from legal, aesthetic, and respectable “street art.”

Further distinctions associate tagging—artist signatures—and words with graffiti, and murals and images with street art. As such, “graffiti” typically has a negative connotation, but many justice-driven artists prefer to use both terms interchangeably.

Their art involves the historical and word-based characteristics of graffiti and the aesthetic and image-based characteristics of street art.

Graffiti is an expression of hope, a demand for justice, and a representation of community solidarity. It allows those who need their voices heard the most to express themselves.

Ismael Illescas, a graffiti artist in LA, put it this way: “Where these [people] are marginalized, ostracized, and invisibilized, graffiti is a way for them to become visible.”

The problem is, while social justice graffiti has the power to amplify marginalized voices, surrounding structures, beliefs, and policies suppress and manipulate them. In this highly racialized and increasingly popular business, street art often maintains a double standard for its artists.

Cities like Philadelphia and Los Angeles have recognized the benefits of public art and have begun commissioning murals in sanctioned locations.

Artists have the liberty to express themselves and legally display their art publicly. However, these displays are often intended for city beautification rather than social justice, and the result is a colorful mural without the vital component of policy

4

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

Graffiti and its pursuit of justice

BY ELLA BRUNO

change. And sometimes, commissioned “justiceoriented” street art is more performative than anything else.

D.C. Mayor Bowser’s BLM mural offers one example. While the large yellow letters painted on 16th street reading “Black Lives Matter” may appear appropriate at a distance, DC’s BLM Chapter is not impressed. Despite Bowser’s mural, she has taken no action in enacting any of their policy demands, particularly defunding the police.

While graffiti can be a tool for justice, it can also be a colorful diversion from it.

And depending on how and where commissioned street art is displayed, this beautification can cause the gentrification of neighborhoods because large murals tend to increase property values. As cities try to deter unwanted graffiti through commissioned murals and businesses hop on the bandwagon to make their buildings “hip,” street art significantly raises their financial value. When Banksy, a worldrenowned graffiti artist, entered the scene in Wynwood, Miami, the neighborhood’s developer Goldman Properties struck gold—one of their properties, among others, reportedly sold for over $50 million. Meanwhile, local renters and residents have had to leave the area due to rising prices.

Additionally, while street art is a diverse field, white artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey maintain the spotlight. Banksy’s art is known for its social commentary, bringing attention to homelessness, systemic racism, and more.

He has arguably become the most prominent artist in the world, making over $20 million a year. However, while Banksy makes money for his commentary, artists with critical insight and lived experience of the issue themselves don’t receive the same attention.

Gabriel Villa was commissioned to paint a mural in Bridgeport, an ethnically diverse and working-class neighborhood in Chicago. Using the opportunity to stand against over-policing in his community, he spray painted three security cameras, a police badge, a deer head, and a skull.

Not a week passed before his work was painted over by the government-sanctioned program Graffiti Blasters. The ward’s alderman claimed Villa’s art was undesirable because it referenced “gang imagery and violence.” Villa’s story represents a reality for many artists: If those in power disapprove of their message, which is often

the reason for the artwork in the first place, artists are silenced.

People of color are also more likely to be reprimanded for their art, with or without legal approval. While popular Detroit artist Sheefy McFly was working on his mural commissioned by the city, he was approached by police, who mistook him as a vandal. When McFly tried to explain his situation, the police viewed it as resisting arrest and detained him for a day before releasing him.

McFly’s experience symbolizes the way police— and society as a whole—view graffiti from artists of color: vandalism, painted by criminals.

Preserving the communal benefits of graffiti in the face of neighborhoods, governments, and systems that mistreat artists and their art is undoubtedly difficult. Some neighborhoods are considering elevating the artists within their communities rather than hiring acclaimed artists from elsewhere. Local painters bring with them the community’s culture, history, voice, and style. By prioritizing these unique, community-based voices over highly recognized artists, neighborhoods highlight the stories, statements, and demands of the local residents. The fear of gentrification still remains, but avoiding six-figure murals from famous artists may help mitigate the problem.

Another possible solution is opening blank spaces around the city where artists can freely create without a permit. This removes the monetary appeal and allows artists to create candidly, which encourages authentic, justicemotivated art. Similar to murals, designated blank spaces may also centralize graffiti and discourage artist-city conflicts in areas where it is unwanted.

Of course, this solution is not infallible, either.

Compensation for work done is important, and removing monetary incentive may make street art less accessible to lower-income artists.

Perhaps the most important step moving forward is reframing how we—individuals, businesses, police, and governments—view graffiti. So long as graffiti is stigmatized, it will continue to be discounted, removed, and painted over with performative “authorized” art. So long as the system criminalizes and excludes diverse artists, those who need their voices heard the most will be silenced. We need to give power to local communities—let’s start by treating graffiti as an art form, a mode of public expression, and a tool to challenge existing realities of oppression. G

design by dane tedder

VOICES

The merit to rethinking meritocracy, and why we need to change ‘elite’ admissions

BY KATHRYN YANG

A

fter my sophomore class finished the last chapter of Huckleberry Finn, my high school English teacher smiled expectantly.

“Alright everyone! Today, we will be debating the censorship of the n-word in Huck Finn!

Any thoughts?” The atmosphere grew tense. I looked around at my classmates: all Asian with a few white faces. Stunned, no one felt qualified to speak. Were we really going to discuss the n-word without any Black students in class? The lack of diversity in my classrooms had never been more apparent.

Five years later, I still think about that uncomfortable moment as a junior at Georgetown.

Without diversity in classrooms, I felt ill-equipped to critically engage and empathize with different perspectives. That lack of diversity is directly predicated on a system that prizes meritocracy— one that hurts us all.

What exactly is meritocracy? At Georgetown, meritocracy manifests in long club applications or the consulting pipeline students flock to. For my high school, it manifests in a race-blind, needblind admissions system. The overarching idea is that your efforts, regardless of your background, determine the outcome.

I went to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) in Northern Virginia.

As a STEM magnet school, TJ is considered a bastion for academic achievement—#1 in the 2021 U.S. News ranking of public high schools. With its wealth of talent and resources, 100 percent of TJ students graduate, while the national rate is 88 percent. TJ is incredibly similar to Georgetown in the sheer access that comes with attending an elite institution. One round of emails with a TJ or Georgetown alum and the job is yours. But getting into TJ is a process riddled with inequity because of its meritocratic admissions process.

TJ has always faced criticism for its lack of racial and socioeconomic diversity. During the 2020 George Floyd protests, Fairfax County released admissions statistics for TJ’s Class of 2024. 73 percent of the incoming class was Asian, and so few Black students were admitted that the school didn't release exact numbers because it was considered “too small for reporting.” TJ alumni, teachers, parents, and students pushed for policy change, and the administration implemented a new holistic approach that guaranteed spots for underrepresented middle schools and scrapped standardized testing requirements in 2020. As a result, the class of 2025

is TJ’s most diverse in recent years. But the current demographics of TJ remain unrepresentative of Fairfax County.

Marginal gains have come with backlash. On one side stands the Coalition for TJ. They argue the new changes unfairly reduce the number of Asian American students admitted to TJ and dilute the school’s tradition of hard work and merit. While they acknowledge the importance of diversity, they insist change should be achieved by reforming the academic pipeline.

Support test-prep opportunities, reenergize elementary STEM, supply better teachers for underrepresented minorities, but don’t mess with the purity of meritocratic admissions. In favor of the Coalition for TJ, a federal judge recently ruled that the new holistic admissions process illegally discriminates against Asian Americans on the basis that it would leave them “disproportionately deprived of a level playing field.”

This ruling obscures the benefits from increased diversity and a holistic approach.

A major concern of the holistic approach is that TJ’s rankings may decrease. Even if a program is highly reputable, what is the point if students can’t access it? And access is bumpy: Seniors who participated in the flagship Mentorship Program that connect students to professionals needed a car or a parent with time to drive them. Assumed privileges bar students from equal access to opportunities.

So how should equality of opportunity be ensured? I acknowledge that the Coalition’s proposed reforms would be beneficial—I too would love more STEM elementary programs. But without a fundamental admissions change and a reconception of what the system stands for, these reforms do not address deeper structural inequities.

Worship of meritocracy at the expense of inclusivity is strongly paralleled at Georgetown.

In selective clubs, resumés—a classic symbol of meritocracy—are often required in applications.

And I get it—a school or a club has limited capacity, so some paradigm has to be involved in selection.

But it’s not necessarily right that the default means of determining who “deserves” to get into a club is one that requires credits to your name. Perhaps what matters more is how open-minded or dynamic students are—or the diversity of experiences at the table. If we continue to abide by the logic of meritocracy and select the cream of the crop, what system of privilege is perpetuated? What purpose is education supposed to serve?

illustration by jina zhao; layout by connor martin

For the Coalition, TJ is an end goal that families earn. But TJ is just a launching pad for STEM careers. It is a place meant to cultivate potential, not decide it. The same can be said of Georgetown.

In preserving an ‘elite’ status, the university tends to forget that for many, Georgetown is a place where opportunity www. Often, efforts to maintain reputation only gatekeep students who can benefit the most from education. On a more fundamental level, preventing access for Black and brown students is just wrong. By systematically excluding underrepresented minorities, TJ, Georgetown, and other elite institutions are failing to provide a lifechanging opportunity to all untapped talent.

The TJ Alumni Action Group, an organization that fights for admission reforms, believes this failure must be addressed. They emphasize that increased diversity is not a you-win-I-lose situation.

Adopting a holistic admissions system doesn’t directly decrease academic quality—it can actually lead to increases. Research shows that hearing different perspectives provokes more thought than hearing those of someone with a similar identity.

While I question the obsession with status, the idea that diversity and academic excellence are tradeoffs is false to begin with.

Holistic admissions processes are not designed to reduce the number of Asian American students, but to uplift those who have been historically disadvantaged in pursuing their educations. I also urge administrators, students, and other stakeholders to be mindful of the inherent biases towards the Asian American community in application processes. We are neither a monolithic population, nor stereotypical brainiacs overtaking America’s education system. The conversation around meritocratic admissions that dominates elite institutions promotes an us-versus-them mentality that drives a wedge between minority groups.

As an Asian American student, I want more underrepresented minorities in ‘elite’ institutions.

Instead of thinking of educational opportunities as a zero-sum game, we need to think of DEI initiatives as a win-win. With GAAP weekend on the horizon and the next crop of Hoyas approaching, I urge elite institutions, like Georgetown or TJ, to seriously reconsider their purpose in a system that prioritizes merit over access in whom they welcome. G MARCH 18, 2022

5

NEWS

Georgetown community rallies in the wake of Russian invasion of Ukraine

BY JUPITER HUANG

W

hen Inna Cherniak (SFS-Q ’23) created the “StandwithUkraineGU'' group chat for students on Friday, Feb. 25, a day and a half after Vladimir Putin launched a full-scale invasion of her home country, Ukraine, she could not have imagined the scenes of protest and student mobilizations that would follow.

On Feb. 27, students using the group chat for coordination joined a sea of blue and gold in Lafayette Square made of thousands of protesters carrying Ukrainian, Georgian, and U.S. flags into the center of D.C. The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine proved eerily similar to its 2008 invasion of Georgia, renewing memories of Russian aggression for Eastern Europeans in the U.S. “I heard and saw chanting and signs both in English and Ukrainian,” Emma Wong (SFS ’25) said. “It was a really moving experience to observe.”

Mothers wearing garlands of bluebells and sunflowers pulled wagons and pushed strollers with their children, some wrapped in Ukrainian flags. Protestors raised banners calling on the U.S. and its allies to ban Russia from SWIFT—a money order and transfer network that connects over 10,000 financial institutions, facilitating the expedient exchange of crucial economic information. A partial Russian ban from SWIFT has already been imposed, compounding the already crippling effects of sanctions on the Russian economy.

Others bore signs reading “Shelter for Ukrainian Sky,” referring to a Kyiv-requested nofly zone to protect civilians under siege from the Russian air strikes that have increasingly targeted residential areas. Defense officials have rejected the idea of a no-fly zone, as it requires that NATO aircraft engage in direct combat with Russian planes that enter Ukrainian airspace to enforce it.

At around 3:00 p.m., a hush descended on the square as the Ukrainian national anthem played;

6

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

protesters responded with applause and shouts of the official salute of the Ukrainian armed forces: Slava Ukraini, Heroyam Slava! “Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes!”

Organized by humanitarian aid organizations United Help Ukraine, Razom for Ukraine, and UNISdirect, the National Rally to Support Ukraine brought a number of prominent speakers, including John E. Herbst, former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. Herbst called on the White House to engage in stronger statesmanship by sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine, puncturing the Russian information space, and preventing as much bloodshed as possible.

“This absolutely extraordinary example of Kremlin aggression has turned world opinion decidedly in favor of the victim, of Ukraine,” Herbst said.

The events in the center of the capital mirrored demonstrations on Georgetown’s campus.

The day after the initial invasion, the School of Foreign Service (SFS) held a town hall, with hundreds of students crowded into the ICC Galleria. Students heard Caitlin Talmadge, professor of security studies, and Charles King, professor of international affairs, discuss the implications of the largest ground war in Europe since the end of World War II. Orest Mahlay (COL ’22), a UkrainianAmerican who has family still in Kyiv, felt encouraged but not entirely satisfied by the community’s response.

“I think the Georgetown community has done a good job with calling all the students to pray for peace in the region, for the war to end,” Mahlay said, but added that the discussion has also lacked some historical scope. Mahlay pointed out that the current invasion of Ukraine, in reality, started with the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014.

Sofia Sulek (SFS ’23), an international student from Slovakia, highlighted how student

engagement in protesting the Russian invasion at Georgetown differs from in her home country. “I know that in Slovakia, everyone cares, everyone is trying to do their best, and everyone is very affected by this,” Sulek said. “Here, that isn’t the case, because of course not everyone is directly involved and there are so many issues in the world that one can devote themselves to.”

Sulek wished she was back in Slovakia, noting that support efforts for Ukraine from neighboring countries are far more straightforward. “I could literally just catch a train and go to the border and help Ukrainians directly instead of just handing out flyers halfway across the globe.”

According to Lawrence Trevette (SFS ’23), a Ukrainian-American who helped chalk Red Square on Feb. 28 with protest slogans, the war in Ukraine and subsequent activism in D.C. have contributed to a stronger sense of community among Ukrainian students on campus.

“Before Russia invaded, I didn’t actually know many other Ukranians here,” Trevette said. “I feel like it’s brought us all together. We’re speaking more Ukrainian, and just hanging out a lot more.”

Similarly, the conflict spurred Sulek to become more engaged with the Eastern European community on campus. “Before the war, I didn’t really feel connected to my Slavic identity on campus. When the war broke out, I wanted to go to protests with people who were Eastern European or Ukrainian,” Sulek said. “There’s a phrase I keep on repeating: If your neighbor’s house is on fire, you go grab a bucket and you help out.”

In an interview with the Voice, Prof. Michael David Fox, director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and leading historian of modern Russia, offered suggestions on how the program and the SFS could support Ukrainian students. He referenced the #AfghanEvac program as a potential template—a program in which Georgetown students and

design by sabrina shaffer

faculty worked to coordinate evacuation flights out of Afghanistan.

Fox advocated for the university to facilitate the evacuation of Ukrainian students and scholars still stuck in the country.

“Whatever happens, there's going to be a huge fallout from this and a huge refugee [and] humanitarian problem,” he said. “The SFS did a lot of work helping refugees from Afghanistan, and it was done very quickly and involved a lot of people working very hard around the clock.”

For students like Cherniak, the war in Ukraine is directly impacting loved ones still in the country. Cherniak’s parents and many of her relatives have yet to leave as of Feb. 28.

“Whenever I ask my parents, they always say ‘relatively we’re good’ because they keep receiving messages from their friends from different cities that are getting actively attacked,” Cherniak said. “Even though the city they’re in is getting actively attacked, there’s at least no fighting on the streets. They are trying to be optimistic, but I don’t think there’s any place in Ukraine right now that is safe.”

As Ukrainian resistance continues, the Kremlin has redoubled its efforts. Russia has been accused of committing war crimes by both the Ukrainian government and U.S. State Department.

Recent attacks have targeted nuclear power plants and cut power to Chernobyl’s nuclear waste containment facilities, and weapons banned by the Geneva Convention—notably cluster and vacuum bombs—have been used against both Ukranian soldiers and civilians by Russian forces.

Russian breaches of ceasefire, as alleged by Kyiv, have also greatly complicated efforts by humanitarian organizations such as the Red Cross to evacuate the besieged city of Mariupol.

Civilians, including children, have paid the price: Russian troops bombed a maternity ward last week, an act condemned by both the United Nations and the Ukrainian government.

The UN Human Rights Council has verified over 1,900 civilian casualties as of March 16, with actual figures believed to be significantly higher.

Meanwhile, the Russian government has ramped up its disinformation campaign, not only through domestic crackdowns on journalists facing 15-year prison sentences for using the vocabulary “war” or “invasion,” but also by inundating foreign audiences with out-of-context war coverage, video, photos, and justifications of the invasion through Russian-owned outlets and social media accounts.

The disinformation can jeopardize efforts to support the Ukrainian cause, according to Cherniak.

“Russia is conducting this war on two fronts, one of them being information,” Cherniak said.

“Stay with sources that are trustworthy and share information so that people don’t forget about this.

It’s very easy to grow desensitized to conflicts.

We shouldn’t forget or disregard the war crimes happening in Ukraine right now.”

Fox noted that the Kremlin is pushing its own narrative to justify the invasion. “There are many manipulations and distortions of history going on

photos courtesy of jupiter huang

to justify this invasion,” Fox said, “But regardless of history and the manipulation of history or ideology, this is an attack on a sovereign country.”

In light of the rapid response from university administrators condemning Russia’s actions, some members of the student body have raised concerns about the inconsistency of university responses to international conflicts, especially when victims are non-white. The university has shown support for Ukraine, with President John J. DeGioia releasing a statement of solidarity on March 7 and various university programs issuing similar assertions. Yet Israeli airstrikes on Palestine last May and the onset of the Ethiopian civil war in November 2020, a conflict that has resulted in nearly 10,000 deaths, elicited no comparable response.

“Our society does pay a lot more attention to wars and conflicts that happen in Europe, or just looking at everything through a Eurocentric lens,” Sulek said. “It would be great if a lot of other places and war zones also got this much attention.”

The StandwithUkraineGU movement also expressed discontent with the overly academic mode of the SFS’s town hall discussion and decided to do more.

“We wanted to center Ukranian voices because it’s taking attention away from the people who are putting their lives on the line every day,” Sulek, who attended a United Help Ukraine protest at the White House instead of the town hall, said. “We wanted to create an event that would make it clear that this is what the conflict, the war, is about.”

Students in the movement began tabling in Red Square on Feb. 28, with their efforts culminating in a rally on the steps of Healy Hall the night of March 3. The building’s right atrium glowed blue and gold over the hundred students and faculty in attendance.

Prof. Maryna Baydyuk, an assistant research professor and the president of United Help Ukraine, spoke at the event to emphasize the organization’s efforts to flag the Russian military buildup before the invasion. United Help Ukraine, headed by Baydyuk, is a D.C.-based organization focused on humanitarian aid and raising awareness. She also addressed the realities of sending much-needed aid to her home country.

“I was telling my students in neurobiology class two weeks ago that there will be a day when I come to class and I’ll be in tears because my country is being attacked,” Baydyuk said. “That day has come. On Wednesday night, they started bombing our cities. I had to call my mom, my dad, and my sister and tell them, ‘Seek shelter now,

they’re bombing.’ They couldn’t believe it.”

During the rally, several student speakers, including Cherniak and Sulek, advocated for greater awareness of the conflict and support from the student body.

“Donations matter a lot right now too. I know some people might not be comfortable donating to the army, but there are so many humanitarian aspects that Ukranians need right now,” Cherniak said. “Also, if you’re American, you can reach out to your representatives.” For one, the UN has highlighted efforts to protect women and girls from gender-based violence as they flee the country and support for health services in Ukraine straining due to civilian casualties as especially important.

A vast array of organizations currently run programs to aid Ukrainian civilians and volunteers under siege. Razom for Ukraine, Sunflower of Peace, Voices of Children, and the Kyiv Independent, a new online organization doing English language reporting in Ukraine, have also gained recent prominence for their work in the ongoing conflict. International organizations such as UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the UN Refugee Agency, and the International Medical Corps are all partnering with local efforts in Ukraine and requesting donations.

“It’s really heartbreaking to hear stories from volunteers in Ukraine saying ‘we need help, we need medical supplies, we’re running out—there are too many wounded.’ There’s no way to send supplies immediately, but we’re working on it,” Baydyuk added.

As students settle back into campus after spring break, Mahlay requests that the student body stays engaged with the war and continues to support Ukrainians.

“One request I would have in the next week, months, is making sure that we have fruitful conversations that center Ukrainians,” Mahlay said. “I do feel a huge level of support from the student body, especially in the last week. There’s been such an outpouring of love, asking how we’re doing, how our families are doing. This is really important for us Ukrainian students right now.” G

MARCH 18, 2022

7

NEWS

“We all belong to this community.”

Students run for ANC office

BY FRANZISKA WILD

T

he lack of accessible transportation out of Georgetown is usually only a bane for students; for Arnav Kumar (SFS ’23), it sparked a run for political office. Cimrun Srivastava (SFS ’23) and Kumar are running for seats on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 2E, which represents the neighborhoods of Georgetown, Burleith, and Hillandale. Together, the neighborhoods stretch from about Safeway on Wisconsin Avenue to the Georgetown Waterfront, and out to Rock Street Creek near 23rd St. The ANC is an independent body serving as an intermediary between the city government and its neighborhoods. The district’s eight wards are subdivided into 40 ANC commissions, which are finally broken down into single member districts (SMDs). Each SMD has one representative to the local commission, and commissioners—who typically represent about 2,000 people—are elected without pay every two years.

While interning with the Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation his freshman summer, Kumar worked with the D.C. Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment. Kumar partnered with the former D.C. mayor, Tony Williams, to address questions about mobility and infrastructure in the District.

“How do people get from point A to point B in the city? And how do we assist people in doing that?”

Kumar asked.

While full-time students might not seem likely candidates for a D.C. representative body, Srivastava and Kumar think students, often non-voting D.C. residents, should have a voice in local issues, which impact the ways they interact with the city at large.

“Students have an important role in this community—both in giving back and being able to take from it. I’m really excited to get student interests out there because it's been a minute,” Srivastava said. “I want people to tell me what I want, so I can tell the ANC.” Although the ANC has only advisory power, its close informal relationships with city agencies affords its recommendations weight. Commissioners’ duties range—they have purview over municipal services like trash collection, hold dialogues with local police, and field neighborhood complaints.

They Cimrun Srivastava (SFS '23) also have influence 8

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

to advocate for D.C. residents experiencing homelessness during encampment cleanups.

Of the ANCs that include Georgetown, two districts represent the university with seats that have been vacant for a year. ANC 2E04 covers anything north of the Southwest Quad and 2E08 covers the area south of the Southwest Quad and around three and a half blocks outside the front gates. Both commissioners represent mainly students, yet have a small percentage of nonstudent constituents as well.

Srivastava’s civic engagement on student rights issues runs deep: She is the deputy director for Student Advocacy Office (SAO), the co-president of Georgetown’s student chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a representative on the Student Safety Commission. Her past activism and passion for protecting student rights and representing student interests inspired her run for ANC commissioner.

“I’ve been interested in representing student interests to those bodies specifically,” she said. “I have wanted to do this on a wider scale and then also focus on racial justice and policing and make sure students' voices are heard in those realms.”

Srivastava views the ANC as a way to improve institutions that harm students, including the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Many students view MPD as both a racist institution and ineffective at handling the issues common to a college campus such as over intoxication and mental health crises.

“If the ANC is advising an increase in the MPD budget or foot patrol, I would give the student perspective I’ve heard and worked with in the past,” Srivastava said.

Both Srivastava and Kumar are running unopposed. In fact, Srivastava has already been sworn in as the new ANC 2E04 commissioner by Councilwoman Brooke Pinto (J.D. ’17) nearly six months before the official election day after filing all the necessary paperwork.

Kumar wants to use ANC representation to make transportation for students and residents cost effective. With Georgetown geographically cut off from the rest of D.C. and lacking a metro stop, ease of transit into the city is a key issue for all residents, whether they live in Georgetown for four years or 40.

“I’ve been thinking about how we can improve access not only to e-mobility, but also how do we make it more affordable for students to get off campus and how do we do it in a safe and equitable way,” he added.

Kumar and Srivastava are not the first Georgetown students to engage in ANC work. Anna Landre (SFS ’21) and Matias Burdman (COL ’21) previously held the ANC spots for the two university

districts. Srivastava first consulted both Landre and Burdman before running.

Students at other D.C. area schools have also run and served on their local ANCs. American University, George Washington University, and Prince George’s Community College have all had past student ANC commissioners run and win seats.

Both students see the often tenuous relationship between the university and the surrounding community as a challenge their new roles will present, yet are also optimistic about their ability to navigate this conflict.

Georgetown students and the neighborhood have a history of disagreements. In 2010, Georgetown neighborhood groups like the Citizens Association of Georgetown, Burleith Citizens Association, and Foxhall Community Citizens Association protested increasing student presence in the neighborhoods. The Office of Neighborhood Life and the Student Neighborhood Assistance Program (SNAPs) exist to handle relations between neighborhood residents and students.

Kumar believes that this relationship is strained in part due to the Not-In-MyBackyardism attitude—the opposition some neighbors hold towards the often loud and visible presence of students in the neighborhood.

“The whole reason that we can’t live off campus until our last year is because of the NIMBYism,” Kumar said. “That is the foundation of the reason why student commissioners need to be represented. There needs to be somebody to counter the NIMBYism.”

When approaching this issue, Srivastava draws on her experience in the SAO particularly regarding navigating the relationships between students and SNAPs. She is confident that with open dialogue these disagreements can be resolved.

“I think the biggest thing is keeping in mind we are all part of this community—it's not the students and also the neighbors are there or the neighbors and also the students are there,” Srivastava said. “This community is for all of us. We all Arnav Kumar (SFS '23) belong to it.” G

illustration by ryan samway; photos courtesy of cimrun srivastava and arnav kumar; layout by graham krewinghaus

HALFTIME SPORTS

Eight teams to watch for in women's March Madness

BY JO STEPHENS

I

t’s March, which means it’s time for college sports’ greatest tradition—March Madness.

For the first time in basketball history, the women’s tournament is finally sharing the “March Madness” slogan, and with increasing parity in the sport, this year’s tournament is set to be one of the most exciting ones in recent history. Here are eight teams to keep an eye on as tournament play begins, listed from the highest to lowest seed.

1. South Carolina (29-2): Led by Player of the Year finalist Aliyah Boston, the Gamecocks held the No. 1 spot in the AP poll from the first week of play to the last, and they’re one of the favorites to win it all in Minneapolis. In conjunction with adding the best recruiting class in the country, Carolina returned every player from last year’s Final Four team. It’s their dominance in the post— they have one of the best rebounding margins in the country—and their stellar guard play that makes the Gamecocks downright scary. They’ve demonstrated their prowess all year, going 11-0 against ranked opponents. Their two losses were both competitive single digit upsets by unranked teams, with the most recent one coming in the SEC Tournament Championship to 7-seed Kentucky.

Though they don’t have much momentum coming into the tournament, they’ve got the No. 1 overall seed—and something to prove.

2. Stanford (28-3): Last year’s National Champions want to repeat, and they have the ability to do so. All three of their losses—against Texas, South Florida, and South Carolina—occurred in 2021, and they’ve been trending up since then. They steamrolled their Pac-12 competitors, going undefeated in conference play, and the Cardinals look poised to make a deep run in this year’s tournament. The one caveat is that the Pac-12 was arguably the least competitive conference within the Power Five this season, and Stanford’s regional will potentially require them to take down a number of very dangerous teams, including Texas, to make it to the championship.

3. UConn (25-5): The Huskies are a perennial powerhouse, but this season has been painfully unprecedented. Seven of their players missed multiple games, including sophomore superstar Paige Bueckers. As a result of this instability, the Huskies lost five games this season. Since Bueckers’ return, however, the Huskies have looked stronger, and they emerged from this season’s trials more wellrounded than they were at the start of the year.

Though they haven’t been battle-tested in the same way some of the higher seeds have been, history shows that a UConn team is always one to watch out for.

4. Iowa (23-7): Why watch Iowa? Caitlin Clark. The sophomore point guard has gone viral this season by making half-court shots akin to Steph Curry. For the women’s game, such consistent long distance shooting is rare, and it’s given the Hawkeyes a major offensive boost. Along with Clark, they have a solid set of players and are entering the Big Dance on a seven-game winning streak. They’re a 2-seed for a reason, and the smart money is on them making it into the Sweet Sixteen at a minimum. There’s also a nice storyline brewing in their regional—in order to make it to the Final Four, they might have to play against South Carolina, which would pit the two Player of the Year frontrunners, Boston and Clark, against each other in an ultimate battle to make it to Minneapolis.

5. Texas (13-5): Never underestimate a Vic Schaefer squad. His teams play gritty, physical defense and force turnovers at a high rate. They tend to fly under the radar, but freshman point guard Rori Harmon has been on fire recently, and the rest of the team is following her lead. They knocked off Baylor in the Big 12 Tournament and are entering the postseason with bolstered confidence. Even better news for the Longhorns?

The 1-seed in their regional is Stanford—a team they’ve already beaten this season.

photos courtesy of katie dugan & jd scott (cc by-sa 2.0), lorie shaull & chris gillespie (cc by 2.0); graphic by nicholas riccio; layout by alex giorno

6. Kentucky (19-11): The Wildcats are, simply put, a classic Cinderella story, and it makes them worth following. Just weeks ago, they weren’t in the tournament projections at all, having started their season a measly 2-8 in the SEC. But they reversed course, flipped a switch, and inexplicably went on a magical run to win the SEC Championship, knocking off the No. 1, 2, and 3 seeds. Led by possible No. 1 overall WNBA draft pick Rhyne Howard, Kentucky is carrying tremendous momentum heading into the tournament and could absolutely bust a few brackets during the dance. In order to do so, though, they’ll have to defeat Ivy League champ Princeton, and that could be a tall task if the Wildcats aren’t on their A-game.

7. Miami (20-12): Speaking of Cinderella runs, Miami pulled off a major one. In the ACC Tournament, they beat Louisville and Notre Dame before falling to NC State in the championship.

The Hurricanes have not consistently been a top team this season; though they play tough defense, their offense is largely fueled by one player, senior guard Kelsey Marshall. They leveled up in the conference tournament, and they’ll need to keep that hot streak going in order to make a deep run in the tournament.

8. Florida Gulf Coast (29-2): For the Eagles, Kierstan Bell is the cornerstone. The junior guard leads her team in points, rebounds, and steals. When she gets hot, she’s a force to be reckoned with. Additionally, the entire team shoots almost 33 percent from three-point range, something that can make them difficult to guard. These characteristics make them a threat, as demonstrated by their defeat of LSU this season. Last year, FGCU was a commonlypicked bracket buster, but they failed to live up to expectations. Bell is entering the WNBA draft after this season, and this is her last chance to cut down college nets. Expect her—and her team—to play some incredible basketball in an attempt to make that happen. G MARCH 18, 2022

9

SPORTS

A

s Georgetown’s basketball season wrapped up, calls to fire men’s basketball head coach Patrick Ewing rained down on social media. The calls are emotional and wouldn’t solve the Hoyas’ problems.

The uproar, however, is an indicator that the team’s brief return to relevance last season might be ceding to an era of woe—but my fandom will never die.

On the afternoon of March 2, Georgetown’s athletic director Lee Reed released a statement offering a show of support for Ewing. Reed’s statement acknowledged the difficult season but stood by the coach and former Georgetown basketball superstar.

“In this ever evolving landscape of college athletics we are committed to Coach Ewing, and we are working with him to evaluate every aspect of the men's basketball program and to make the necessary changes for him to put us back on the path to success for next year,” the press release read.

Despite this public vote of confidence, Ewing and the Hoyas suffered a heartbreaking 73-68 loss at Seton Hall, setting a school record with the 19th consecutive loss. As if 19 wasn’t enough, the team extended its losing streak to 21 games to close out the season, recording a 22-point loss in their last regular season game to Xavier to seal the ignominy of a winless conference season before getting knocked out in the opening round of the Big East Tournament against Seton Hall. The Hoyas finished 6-25 overall and 0-19 in the Big East—one of the worst seasons in the program’s history. But it wasn’t all that long ago that Georgetown was one of the best stories in all of college basketball. …

In March 2021, after playing a shortened regular season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgetown basketball looked like it was returning to form. Up to that point, the Hoyas’ most memorable moment of the 2010s— besides falling to 15-seed Florida Gulf Coast, better known as “Dunk City” as a No. 2 seed in 2013—was the hiring of Patrick Ewing as the new head coach in 2017. Ewing went viral his first season during a 2018 DePaul game when he asked junior forward Marcus Derrickson, “What kind of shot is that?”

Headed into the 2021 Big East Tournament, the 2020-21 Hoyas’ season seemed like another lost year under Ewing. They were 9-12 with a 7-9 Big East conference record—the Hoyas’ third losing record in conference play in four seasons. To make matters worse, Big John Thompson, Georgetown’s iconic former basketball coach, passed away before the start of the season.

In spite of everything seemingly working against them, the Hoyas reached the Big East Tournament and got hot. Seeded at No. 8, they dominated Marquette in their first round matchup, holding the Golden Eagles to only 14 first-half points. It was Georgetown’s first Big East Tournament win since Ewing took over the program, but then they had to face top-seeded (and ranked No. 14 nationally) Villanova in the quarterfinal game. Freshman guard Dante Harris guided the Hoyas to an upset victory with two clutch free throws in the final seconds to clinch a 72-71 win, and somehow the 11-12 Hoyas 10

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

were in the Big East semifinal against Seton Hall. After jumping out to a 32-21 lead, Seton Hall came back with a 13-4 run to end the half that cut the Hoyas' lead to 36-34. The teams traded buckets down to the wire, and graduate forward Chudier Bile broke a 57-57 tie on an and-one to give Georgetown a 60-57 lead with 1:36 left to play. Bile and sophomore center Qudus Wahab combined to block a driving layup by Shavar Reynolds Jr., and Dante Harris was fouled on a three-point attempt and sank all three free throws to give the Hoyas a 64-58 lead with under 30 seconds to get the Hoyas into the Big East final.

Finally, we reached March 13, 2021. All day, the only thing on my mind was whether Georgetown could finish the job and win the Big East Tournament and secure a bid to the NCAA tournament. They were on fire, but they were playing a talented Creighton team that was the No. 2 seed in the Big East and ranked in the Top 20 nationally. The teams had split their two regular season meetings, but the Bluejays were 8.5-point favorites for the final in Madison Square Garden. Even in an empty arena, the tension was palpable. In their black jerseys, the Hoyas looked like they were going to a funeral. It would either be Creighton's or theirs.

Sitting on my couch at home with my parents, I donned my Georgetown hoodie and hoped we could pull off one last miracle. It looked like Georgetown would come out flat as they missed 12 of their first 14 shots, while Creighton’s first bucket came on an alley-oop before jumping out to an early seven-point lead. But then shots started falling. Dante Harris hit the Bluejays with a crossover move and nailed a free-throw line jumper. The lefty Jahvon Blair buried a three-pointer. Timmy Ighoefe tied the game at 13 with a put-back dunk. A Chudier Bile layup. Donald Carey buried a three from the Jeep logo. Another Blair three.

And then, the cherry on top, the senior guard banked in yet another three from deep outside three-point range.

At that point in the game, all of my Georgetown group chats were alight. The Hoyas finished the half on a 23-2 run to build a 36-18 halftime lead, then began the second half with a 16-3 run that made the score 52-21 with just under 15 minutes to play. I, like so many other Georgetown students, alumni, and fans across the country, was giddy. A thunderous dunk by Bile off an in-bounds pass from senior forward Jamorko Pickett got me out of my seat, high-fiving family with such vigor and enthusiasm that I could’ve been on the bench or in

Why I still love George

design by insha momin

the arena instead of my couch. The game was already over, but Georgetown kept their foot on the gas, eventually winning 7348. Gus Johnson’s call as the final buzzer sounded and the Hoyas stormed the court still rings in my ears: "Coach Thompson, I know you love it big fella! Your boys did it, your boy did it!" …

Fast forward 12 months later, and Georgetown finished winless in the Big East.

Following a loss to UConn in the Hoyas’ final home game of the season, Ewing responded to a question about his future.

"Of course, I want to be back here,” he said. “I'm hoping that I'll be back and doing something that I love at a place that I love and getting us back to being the king of the hill."

Ewing knows from experience about what it means to be the king of the hill in college basketball.

Together, he and Thompson built a juggernaut in the ’80s that made the Hoyas one of the most recognizable teams in the country. He was the center, both figuratively and literally, for many of Georgetown’s greatest moments and heartbreaks— capturing the 1984 Big East final against Syracuse in overtime, losing to North Carolina on Michael Jordan’s game-winning shot in the 1982 National Championship game, losing the David vs. Goliath matchup to Villanova in the 1985 National Championship, and winning Georgetown’s lone National Championship against the “Phi Slama Jama” Houston Cougars in 1984.

Four years, three National Championship games, three Big East championships, and one National Championship victory.

Those moments built a legend, and a Hall of Fame career for my hometown New York Knicks grew Ewing’s legend even more. He knows exactly who he is, epitomized when he was stopped by security during the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden, where he played the majority of his NBA career.

“Everybody in this building should know who the hell I am, and I'm getting stopped—I can't move around this building,” Ewing said at the time. “I was like, ‘What the hell? Is this Madison Square Garden?’ I'm going to have to call Mr. Dolan and say, ‘Jeez, is my number in the rafters or what?’” …

College basketball is a fickle game. More than any other major college sport, the stars on the roster change year-to-year, a fact Georgetown knows all too well. Since Ewing took over on the Hilltop, 11 players have been lost to the transfer portal—including

orgetown basketball

BY NICHOLAS RICCIO

high-profile recruits like Mac McClung and James Akinjo. McClung transferred to a Texas Tech team fresh off a trip to the National Championship before declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft, and Akinjo is the starting point guard for the defending champion Baylor Bears, who are also a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. And the best players in the country usually only spend eight months at a university before they head off to the NBA Draft, anyway. The last non-freshman to go first overall in the draft was Andrew Bogut back in 2005, who spent two years as a member of the University of Utah’s basketball program before being picked by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Since then, it’s been a flurry of so-called “oneand-done” stars. Gone are the days of players like Patrick Ewing, stars who stay for three or four years. Coaches can find themselves the talk of the town one year and on the hot seat the next. Ewing, for example, went from winning the Big East Tournament and receiving a massive extension to going winless in the Big East and being asked about his future at every press conference. The attitude of “what have you done for me lately?” only exacerbates the problem when people stop thinking about the players in terms of their classmates and instead focus on them in terms of products on the court.

But there’s more to sports than just the results.

It’s the memories, the excitement, the cheers. It’s the excitement you get from seeing your school’s basketball coach amble through the Thompson Athletic Center, this larger-than-life figure who literally seems larger-than-life at 7 feet tall. It’s the moments after wins, where the buses back to campus are alive with chatter about the victory—or if you sneak onto the band bus, you can hear the pep band sing the fight song. Sure, the results matter, but they also don’t.

If the results were solely what brought fans to the stadiums, we all would’ve placed our fandom in Gonzaga or—gulp—Villanova. I wouldn’t be a New York Giants fan after the debacle that was the 2021 NFL season. I would’ve become apathetic, skipping Georgetown’s opening round game of the 2022 Big East Tournament. But I didn’t, and I got to enjoy a great game with a raucous crowd as the Hoyas battled against Seton Hall up until the very end.

The call to fire Patrick Ewing isn’t a smart move to reset the program, and it wouldn’t affect my rooting interest anyways. I root for this Hoya team because these players, these classmates of mine, represent my university. Many in this group of kids—and their coach, who is the greatest player in our school’s history—gave our school its best basketball moment in a decade. Their connection to this university, like every student, will last forever.

Whether they win the Big East Tournament, beat Syracuse in front of a packed Capital One Arena, or lose a heartbreaker to DePaul after three attempts from behind the three-point arc, they are the representatives of our university.

I will keep cheering for them and pulling for their success. Win or lose, they help make this university what it is.

That’s why I still love Georgetown basketball. G MARCH 18, 2022

11

FEATURES

More Georgetown graduates go into consulting than any other field. Why?

BY FRANZISKA WILD

A

s a first-year, I have about 1,095 days until I graduate. While this provides ample time for developing relationships, exploring electives, and taking risks, it also marks the period I have to figure out what to do after graduation. And statistically, there’s a 1 in 3 chance that I, albeit a CULP major in the SFS, will go into consulting or banking.

The pressure to figure out what you’re going to do post-graduation is immense. A byproduct of capitalism, Georgetown’s pre-professional culture makes students feel as though they need to have everything figured out as soon as possible.

Looking at my future, one I hope is driven by passion, it is disheartening to hear that some Hoyas might choose a career not out of love, but because there are structural barriers preventing them from careers that inspire them.

According to the Cawley Career Center, 14.8 percent of the class of 2020 is in management consulting and 13.9 percent in investment banking careers. Statistics for previous years are similar or higher—meaning 1 in 3 Hoyas enters either of these industries. For the class of 2020, the third-most popular career was healthcare, at 7 percent.

Holden Corcoran (COL ’22) is one student part of that consulting trend.

“I remember two or three years ago seeing a similar stat in an email—where they were like, ‘everyone at Georgetown likes to think that everyone at Georgetown goes into consulting,’” Corcoran said. “I remember reading that being 10 12

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

like, ‘I’ll never be one of those people.’ And now I am one of those people.”

Corcoran declared a psychology major and cognitive science minor to develop his interest in nonprofit social impact work. After difficulty securing an internship his junior year, Corcoran wanted to lock down a post-grad position early.

He now will be working at a healthcare consulting firm after graduation. While he is excited about the position, it's not what he saw himself doing.

“That’s still something that I care about and is important to me, that the job that I do is missiondriven and has impact outside just turning a profit for a company,” Corcoran said.

While interviewing at his firm, Corcoran wondered whether his work would really be doing good in the world. He received a somewhat disappointing answer. “It's not that you’re doing good. It's that you’re doing less bad than some other companies,” employees at the company told Corcoran.

The idea of “doing less bad” in career choices is troubling and indicative of a larger cultural issue at Georgetown. Students feel pressure to secure careers that don’t align well with their moral values, which contradicts Georgetown’s supposed commitment to public service. It’s not necessarily a choice all students want to make, but rather a choice that feels safe.

Mya (MSB ‘23), whose name has been changed to not impact job offers, entered Georgetown

unsure of what she wanted to do post-graduation, in business or otherwise. “I still have no idea what I want to do in life and a lot of people say that taking finance and consulting careers is just procrastinating your decision,” Mya said.

For her, an upcoming summer internship at an investment bank—and the full-time job offer that comes with it—provides security in the face of post-grad uncertainty. But it isn’t necessarily her first choice.

“If I had a concrete passion I could chase I think I would do that, any passion, over consulting or banking,” Mya said.

She isn’t alone. Students feel as though they must constantly build a career to compete, rather than spending time exploring. Georgetown’s core curriculum encourages students to dabble in a range of interests, yet they are simultaneously pressured by pre-professional culture into a narrow set of career paths—a confusing contradiction I find myself trapped within.

Despite a lack of investment some students hold in their chosen career paths, financial security is a major benefit of going into consulting and finance.

The average starting salary for a student graduating college in 2022 is $55,260 nationally, and at Georgetown $81,000. The average debt burden for Georgetown students is $16,421. On the other hand, the average starting salary in management consulting is $83,500 with close to $25,000 in additional bonuses and relocation

design by connor martin

assistance. In investment banking, graduates can expect to make anywhere between $170,000 to $190,000 their first year out of college.

Considering the cost of living in major cities like D.C. or New York, it’s clear why consulting and finance’s incredibly high compensation rates are attractive to undergraduate students.

Mya believes that this compensation is a huge factor for most new graduates when making their decisions. “That’s a point that can’t be overstated here: You come out with an absolutely ridiculous first year salary,” Mya said.

“I think it's hard to turn down.”

Many other industries have unpaid or underpaid internships, meaning exploring some careers is untenable for many first-generation and low-income students. Students may risk their own financial security—and that of their families—in the pursuit of less compensated careers. There is nothing wrong with students choosing highly compensated careers, but there is something problematic in how we value careers that “do less bad.”

The sense of job security provided by the early recruitment timeline is also highly persuasive for students. “The banks and the consulting firms are very aware of this dynamic. I think they purposefully move their processes up so that they can grab kids earlier and earlier and commit to them,” Mya said.

While consulting firms and banks offer genuinely lucrative opportunities, a lot of the pressure students feel to secure financially-stable jobs comes from Georgetown itself. “The one that drives me crazy is when students choose a career path because everyone else around them is telling them that’s what they should do,” Jeff Reid, a professor at the MSB and founding director of the Georgetown University Entrepreneurship Initiative, said. And often, Reid finds, students regret starting their careers in these industries.

“And a lot of them tell me I should have listened to you. I should have skipped the two years I went into banking. I should have done something different to start with,” Reid said.

Corcoran sees campus culture as a force for pressuring students to feel like they need to start early and have everything figured out as soon as possible. “Georgetown has a culture, in part due to the club culture, that is incredibly pre-professional and very go go go,” Corcoran said. “If you’re not working towards a career that is typically seen as an advantageous career to have on your resumé, then what are you doing?”

According to Reid, clubs and firms present careers as the logical next step following graduation, and this linear path is particularly exciting for Georgetown students who are used to always moving forward.

“You get to Georgetown and once again it’s like: How do I earn social credibility? How do I take the next step on my path?” Reid said.

The tying of career path to social status is complicated as it places post-grad plans in value-based hierarchies. As a result, Georgetown students turn consulting and banking careers into metrics for their social worth. “[Georgetown students] want to work

at a McKinsey, Bain, BCG. That has like social signaling power,” Mya said.

Students turn to finance and consulting clubs for mentorship and social life, but the selective nature of the organizations also fosters pre-professional culture. Nearly every student interviewed for this piece cited their experience with consulting clubs as a factor in their post-grad or internship decision.

Georgetown has 16 consulting and finance clubs which all have rigorous application processes. They teach skills needed for consulting and finance, and many of them often also coach students through the application processes.

“It’s not just the companies recruiting, it’s the general culture on campus,” Reid added.

Not all students feel these external pressures played a role in their decision to pursue jobs in consulting or banking, though, and not all students start undecided and end up in consulting for lack of other interests. Anna (MSB ’23), who is interning at Bain and Company this summer, knew she wanted to go into consulting when she arrived at Georgetown.

“I came in thinking about consulting because of my parents. They’re both professionals who

“It's not that you’re doing good. It's that you’re doing less bad than some other companies.” have office jobs, and they said consulting would be great for me,” Anna said. “When I came into Georgetown and saw at CAB fair there were so many consulting clubs, I got very excited.”

She was accepted into Innovo Consulting fall semester freshman year, a consulting club on campus that does mainly social impact consulting. “I loved it,” Anna said. “I loved that we had social impact entrepreneurs and nonprofits as our clients.”

Sydney (MSB ’23) sees her upcoming consulting internship as a way to create social change. She is considering law school after graduation and views consulting as a career that is built around solving problems. “I knew I wanted to make a positive impact. I think I see problem-solving as a way to do that,” Sydney said.

Many of these students might enter these industries for their benefits and genuine interest, but might not want to stay in them forever.

Corcoran knows that consulting is not something that he wants to do long-term, and Mya, Sydney, and even Anna are unsure about their future plans.

For Corcoran, he sees his upcoming job as a step in his career path—a path he hopes ultimately lands him in the nonprofit space. “I see it as a

stepping stone to something else. I still want to work in the nonprofit space. Ideally I would like to parlay this into nonprofit work,” Corcoran said.

The feeling that students need to spend time in careers that don’t motivate them before they can afford doing what they actually want is disheartening. Georgetown as a community and an institution shouldn’t be somewhere where students procrastinate their passions due to social and financial pressure. Reid is critical of this pressure; in fact, he’s generally wary of the one-inthree students consulting and banking statistic and thinks it contradicts Georgetown’s Jesuit values.

“There are at least two key Jesuit values that I wish our students would think more about when making career choices. One of them is how can I make the biggest difference in the world,” Reid said.

He thinks that careers like this aren’t necessarily the most impactful things that students could be doing and wishes that more students who are set on business careers would pick a social problem to solve using a business approach.

“Industries like banking and consulting are not creating new value. This is kind of controversial: They are not building stuff, they are not creating.

Maybe they make the system more efficient.

There are arguments,” Reid said. “But there is also an argument that says they are actually taking value out of the overall system. That they are not increasing the pie for everyone.”

What bothers Reid the most is that this preprofessional culture forces students to know what they want to do as soon as possible and contradicts the Jesuit value of “knowing yourself.” He finds it perturbing that students end up taking what he views as the “path of least resistance” given how heavily firms recruit on campus.

Mya also thinks that the accelerated timeline of these industries prevents students from having the time they need to figure things out. “Sophomore fall is a ridiculous time to be thinking about a job.”

As a freshman, that felt comforting to hear— but is it true? The pressure to be constantly working towards the ‘right kind of career’ feels all-consuming. Coming to Georgetown has left me feeling perpetually behind in a culture where everyone seems to be focused on the future.

And when you’re stuck with the foggy concept of wanting to ‘do good’ at a school known for service but lack clear vision to guide you, it can be comforting to know that there’s a path to financial and job security.

At the end of the day, not all of us are going into finance and consulting. “30 percent sounds high, but that also means there are 70 percent doing all kinds of other things,” Reid reminded me.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with students choosing consulting or banking because they want to, but I refuse to believe 1 in 3 Georgetown students is truly interested in only “doing less bad.” The question now becomes how we create a culture that puts student passions first. One thousand ninety-five days is enough time; now it’s a matter of crafting a Georgetown that prioritizes exploration and impact. G MARCH 18, 2022

13

VOICES

STEM Fatale: the pitfalls of the "Woman in STEM" label

BY LOU JACQUIN

I

’m a “Woman in STEM”—I used to love saying that. It felt important to have a title that recognized my love for science, as well as the challenges associated with entering maledominated fields. And it’s a label that proved true—I entered Georgetown majoring in Biology of Global Health. Over time, however, my relationship with “Woman in STEM” has become fraught. Rather than a motivating label, it sets unfair cultural expectations of achievement and commitment for women who work in STEM fields and implies the inferiority of those who don’t.

The phrase “Women in STEM” has been a two-pronged identifier, working to both promote solidarity amongst women already in the fields and encourage more to enter.

These efforts are undeniably important, especially when only 28 percent of STEM jobs are held by women, and many encounter gender-based pay gaps or workplace sexism.

Further, women in scientific fields must repeatedly prove their competence when people perceive them to be less capable and objective due to their gender.

The term, however, is not limited to the educational or vocational sectors. It is also common in normal conversations, in popular media, and is featured in institutions such as the Smithsonian Museum. Because of this, “Women in STEM” asks for more than its textbook definition—a woman who studies or works in a STEM field.

In popular media, women in STEM are portrayed as devoting all their time to the sciences. Further, academica generally views them as more intelligent than other women due to their devotion to subjects that have long been perceived as harder and more valuable—a perception created by male dominance rather than actual rigor as evidenced by the connection between the proportion of women in certain sciences and the perception of those fields as less rigorous or trustworthy “soft sciences”. With these colloquial connotations of the label, the

14

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

societal emphasis on “Women in STEM” has unintended consequences that are pushing down the very women it is meant to support.

I’ve experienced some of these consequences first hand. In office hours for a computer science course, my professor told me he expected me to do better than my male peers because women usually excelled in his class. Though this lighthearted statement was likely meant as a compliment, it marked me. I became worried that any failures of mine would discredit the successes of the women who came before me. I put in a disproportionate amount of work to stay at the top of the class, a habit that interfered with my focus on other classes and social life.

I also couldn’t help but feel guilty when, in my freshman spring, I decided to change my major to Justice and Peace Studies, functionally severing my ties to the world of STEM majors. Despite excelling in science and math courses, I realized my science major felt tedious. The higher level classes were no longer compelling and didn’t seem oriented towards the areas in which I wanted to work.

Now, my only tie to the title of “Woman in STEM” is my computer science minor and my job as a TA in the same department.

Because of this shift in my major, I hesitate to use the label. The term’s all-or-nothing use makes me feel that, because I am no longer devoting my life to studying science, I am an imposter, a fake woman in STEM. By leaving behind the title, I also worry I am neglecting the opportunity to use my scientific aptitude to close the gender gap.

The exclusivity of the title makes it feel as though only a few women are capable of changing the perception of women as less scientifically or intellectually competent.

By not using this opportunity, there is now one less woman to make a change. I am thus failing all the women in STEM who endure male-dominated fields.

Sitting with these feelings about leaving STEM, I have realized that it is not just

women in the sciences who are being hurt, but really women in all fields.

There are far fewer empowering labels or support programs in other fields. While this may be because the gender gaps in other fields are not as wide, the absence still sends a clear message that propelling women into STEM fields should be prioritized. A clear value statement for STEM marks the fields considered the most important—namely the sciences. This emphasis can ignore the issues women face in other fields. This makes it easy for women in other fields to feel as if their intellect and paths are less valuable than STEM. The extra value placed on women in scientific fields is more than just implied.

When my friend, who had thrived in advanced science classes throughout high school, chose to study government instead of biology, her friend, a female engineering major, said that they had “lost another one to the humanities.”

The reality of women leaving the sciences for the humanities because of misogynist pressure within the field can be curbed through programs designed to aid women in STEM. But sometimes women, such as my friend, choose not to pursue scientific fields due to more interest in other subjects. In these cases, young women should have the freedom to choose their field of study without judgment, counterpressure, or devaluation of their skills.

This is, however, impossible when we always see women leaving STEM as a loss rather than a value-neutral event, as we do for men.

All of this is not to discount the movement that aims to promote gender equality in the sciences, but we must consider the unintended consequences of our attempts to support women in STEM. We must think critically about the impacts of our efforts on both women in STEM and in other fields. We must work to find ways to counteract any of the negative pressures and implications that the movement has caused.

I am a woman in STEM. But I am also a woman in the humanities. And that does not make me any less valuable. G

design by lou jacquin

HALFTIME LEISURE

What Inventing Anna tells us about class, Georgetown, and the status quo

BY MAYA KNEPP

W

ho is Anna Delvey (a.k.a. Anna Sorokin)?

Is she a German heiress turned New York elite trying to build a legitimate business empire, or a middle-class Russian immigrant who conned her way to the top? In the Netflix limited series Inventing Anna, creator and producer Shonda Rhimes affirms that it is the latter. But she also raises questions about class identity and allegiance that exist at the intersection of the monied and the not—an intersection that exists at Georgetown, too.

For individuals from more modest upbringings, being surrounded by extreme wealth, whether that of New York socialites or B-frat members on LXR 2, can feel twosided. On one hand, it almost feels validating to have made it to Georgetown without the money and the connections—that despite barriers, you’re here. But at the same time, attending a school like Georgetown where 1 in 5 students comes from the top one percent can be very alienating. The casual Balenciaga and countless Instagram posts from weekend trips abroad make it hard to feel secure when it’s difficult to even dream of accessing such wealth. Imposter syndrome abounds.

After moving from her working-class hometown in Russia to more prosperous areas in Germany, and then Paris and New York, Anna (Julia Garner) deals with this commonly internalized war between worlds by picking one side all together. She molds herself into exactly the type of person her desired crowd would feel comfortable socializing with—seemingly old money, classy, and arrogant. She sheds her old identity and immerses herself in high society, networking to the extreme to become a legitimate figure in the upper echelons. Somehow, she blends in successfully. When Vivian Kent (Anna Chlumsky), the journalist covering Anna’s con, asks Anna’s friend Val (James Cusati-Moyer) about her background, he is convinced that Anna is indeed a heiress because her attire and confidence exudes class, unlike Vivian’s try-hard attitude and knock-off clothes.

Anna’s friends do not assimilate as fully, but still face the challenges that come with not having money while being surrounded by those who do. Neff (Alexis Floyd), Anna’s concierge turned confidant, serves at the pleasure of rude hotel guests while also staying loyal to Anna in her most questionable moments. Rachel (Katie Lowes) is a Vanity Fair journalist who is happy to let Anna pay for spa sessions and nights out, but becomes distraught when saddled with Anna’s $60,000 bill on their trip to Marrakesh (though she makes that back and more with a book deal about the whole affair). Being simultaneously helped and harmed by wealth is a precarious line to walk.

Since watching the show, I've realized that I too have played into the allure of the Anna narrative. I understand the serotonin release of generosity and the thrill of putting down your card for a large check. While I might not have bounced checks and dodged unpaid bills like Anna, I have also been faced with the overwhelming anxiety that comes when you can’t actually afford kind gestures. After a month, I am still on the hook for $50 of a $250 happy hour tab I picked up that has not been paid back. That $50 is worth even more as someone without a trust fund and pursuing a career that pays very little. More often than not, however, I’ve played the role of Anna’s friends. The hand-me-downs of wealthier friends and the meals they cover have allowed me to live out a Georgetown elite fantasy on occasion. But even in those moments, I have always felt like a fraud.

At times, the show attempts to paint Anna’s con as a crusade against class and gender injustices.

But this narrative is far from convincing because her politics are mired in hypocrisy. While trying to secure business connections and funding, Anna insists numerous times that if she were a man, she would have no problem navigating her new business venture. Although this may be true, Anna is no feminist. In fact, she exploits the true heiresses who take her under their wings.

As Vivian covers Anna's story of deceit, she also attempts to portray it as a commentary on

photo courtesy of netflix; design by graham krewinghaus

capitalism. But Anna is no Robin Hood, either.

She did not redistribute her ill-gotten gains or alleviate economic inequalities for the poor.

Instead, she further embedded herself within the system by creating another exclusive club for the elite—to start a legitimate cash flow to continue living lavishly. ​​And when Anna’s debts, fraudulent banking, and stolen goods eventually caught up to her, she was still triumphant. She may have been outed as a con artist, but she got what she wanted—fame and Netflix fortune.

In the last episode, Anna, desperate to wear anything other than a frumpy prison jumpsuit, solicits help to acquire outfits for court. When Vivian lends Anna a white dress from her own closet, the innocent look for closing arguments is considered genius and bold by those following the story. But ordinary people like Vivian would never be able to receive that sort of commendation in their own clothes—they would have been ridiculed for their off-rack attempt at fashion in the same way that Val tore up Vivian’s outfit at their first meeting. Anna, as a person who grew up with little means, was only praised for the outfit because she garnered respect as an elite before she was exposed (and found fame) as a fraud.

Ultimately, Inventing Anna is a story that tells us what we should already know. Capitalism constantly cons us into spending money on things we can’t afford so we can try to play catchup in a game we can never win. This reality has long been evident at Georgetown. Try as I—and many others—might to feel at home among the wealthy, I will never in my lifetime experience the level of material security that old money wealth brings. Anna managed to pick a side for herself, no matter the ethical consequences. Anna is the one who faked it ‘til she made it, and, in some ways, succeeded. But Anna is not the rule; she is the exception. For most people, the world picks a side for us through policies and structures that consistently reinforce class divides. Anna somewhat successfully circumvented these oppressive systems, but at what cost? G MARCH 18, 2022

15

HALFTIME LEISURE

13

songs to F get into K-pop for the unenlightened

BY ABBY WEBSTER AND MAX ZHANG TVXQ!—"Mirotic" (2008)

Released in 2008 by then-quintet TVXQ!, “Mirotic” is a skintight electropop track that’s become a “national anthem” among K-pop “idols” (artists). Anyone who wants to be someone has covered it (MONSTA X, IZ*ONE, and The Boyz have all performed memorable renditions). Its staple status is well-earned: “Mirotic” is seductively addictive, so daring it got flagged by the Korean Commission of Youth Protection for being overly provocative (prompting a lyric change from “under my skin” to “under my sky”). Its syncopated rhythm and ambitious vocals still feel fresh today, a testament to its timelessness. —MZ

or new listeners, it may feel like the K-pop train has left the station. In some ways, it has: The genre’s mainstream popularity today was near unimaginable when the Korean Wave (“Hallyu”) first landed in the West a quarter century ago. If you’re looking to catch up, the genre’s cultural lore runs deep. Over the course of its global expansion, K-pop has already gone through four generations: a pre-internet first wave mirroring Beatlemania, and then three subsequent waves that saw the industry commercialize, digitize, and gain greater global footing. Each witnessed the genre grow increasingly diverse in its geographical reach, subcultures, and appeal.

The good news is that it’s never too late to get into K-pop. After all, this is a body of music that, for so many, is dynamic, heartfelt, and transformative. And we’re here to help you get started. Our 13 gateway songs aren’t everything the genre has to offer—we’ve heavily biased the list towards groups (which tend to be preeminent) over solo artists, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a ballad here—but this introduction will get your feet wet and ready for more. Take the jump with us; we hope you never look back. G

TWICE—"LIKEY" (2017)

“LIKEY” is what I assume uninitiated listeners imagine K-pop is. The voices are nasally, the dance cutesy, the lyrics silly and repetitive. It’s also extremely 2017, with Dahyun dabbing at the end of her rap verse. Yet “LIKEY” brings to mind a different time for me: early months of quarantine when the song was an unlikely companion to my daily neighborhood walks.

It was everything I needed then—a shot of serotonin, totally unbothered by its own frivolity. In the past five years, TWICE have grown up, maturing their quirky girls-next-door image without sacrificing the earworm quality that makes their music so infectious (see: “Feel Special” and “Fancy”). Speaking from personal experience, though, witnessing Momo’s iconic dance break live is still the quickest shortcut to pure, unadulterated joy. —AW

SISTAR—"Touch My Body" (2014)

“Touch My Body” is a Trojan Horse: Strings bloom in an elegant flourish before someone distant yanks the plug and shouts, “Let’s go!” The melody explodes: “Touch my body, body,” breathy vocals urge. Written by hitmaker duo Black Eyed Pilseung, “Touch My Body” is sexy—something fun, something for the summertime for the girls to get ready to. The vibrant saxophone and a few R&B-esque melodies elevate the song from sunkissed to plain addictive. Debuting in 2010 under Starship, SISTAR boast a discography of sexually empowered hits (“Give It To Me,” “I Like That”), but it’s “Touch My Body” that I still can’t get enough of. Its yearning is so pure, so eager for the heat of contact that it feels wrong not to give it another spin. —MZ

BTS—"Black Swan" (2020)

On their 2020 album Map of the Soul: 7, BTS wax lyrical about the light and shadow of their seven-year ascent to stardom. Baroque and haunting, “Black Swan” condenses the record’s philosophy into a single thesis: Music is what spurs them onward, even through stratospheric fame’s bleakest moments.

“In the deepest depths / I saw myself,” J-Hope raps, before Suga takes the reins: “Slowly I open my eyes / I’m in my workroom, my studio.” Since its release, BTS have delivered one breathtaking, balletic performance of “Black Swan” after another—and offered a succinct answer to anyone who dares doubt their artistry in the process. —AW

Wonder Girls—"I Feel You" (2015)

Wonder Girls carved out a place in K-pop history as the first South Korean group to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 (#76 with earworm “Nobody”). Embracing the idea that nothing in art is new, Wonder Girls unapologetically lean into a retro aesthetic with “I Feel You.” The song glimmers with an ’80s sheen, synthpop so textbook it almost feels cliché—the instrumentation interprets feel-good Latin freestyle, and the music video is a Robert Palmer allusion. But it works: Each second sparkles, unafraid of its luminance. When the percussive line pumps the gas, it feels only right to go along for the ride. —MZ 16

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

SHINee—"Good Evening" (2018)

I fell in, and then out, of love with SHINee 12 years ago, thinking never to return, but “Good Evening,” the lead single off their sixth album The Story of Light (2018), pulled me back into their orbit. Importantly, 2018 was a hard year for the iconic five-member group; in late 2017, lead vocalist Jonghyun died by suicide, igniting conversation about a burgeoning mental health crisis in the K-pop industry machine. Grief— and carving a pathway towards collective healing—is thus the bedrock of the album.

A deep house track interpolating ’90s R&B (112’s “Cupid”), “Good Evening” glows with an earnest hope. It’s emblematic of a K-pop that locates joy even through the worst storms, dancing together in the music video despite it all. “데리러 가,” they declare freely in the song’s chorus. “I’m coming to you.” —MZ

MAMAMOO—"Hip" (2019)

MAMAMOO have spent eight years chafing against a conservative South Korean public, all the while churning out confident, transgressive bops. A brassy, rap-led kiss-off to the haters, “HIP” addresses it all—though husky-voiced Hwasa takes the lead. “Stained shirt / Panties sticking out / Greasy hair / If I do it, it’s hip,” she spits (“Kach-too!”), sneering at the tabloids that criticized her braless, underwear-out airport ‘fits. MAMAMOO preach unabashed self-love even amid flak—she’s crazy, a voice whispers during Wheein’s verse—and cameos from drag queens Nana Kim, Bambi, and Kuciaa Diamant loom large in an industry that shuns explicit queerness. “HIP” makes it clear the quartet are basking in the attention, whatever the kind: “Close up / close up / close up,” they chant, hands framed like a camera— and it sounds like a taunt. —AW

TAEMIN—"Move" (2017)

SHINee’s Lee Tae-min debuted at 14-yearsold primarily as a dancer, not a vocalist.

As a solo artist, he has channeled an extraordinary work ethic—a pound of sweat for each ounce of passion—into becoming an “idol’s idol.” His openness to the avant-garde has also made him a routine trendsetter, and nowhere is that more clear than “Move.” The sultry R&B track broke ground with choreography equal parts subtle and androgynous. Each careful hip gyration and wrist flick embodied the song’s sensuality, radical for an industry where dance can be gimmicky, hyperactive, and highly gendered. Its magnetism has meant almost no idol is immune to performing a dance cover of “Move” at some point, a phenomenon termed “Move disease.” It’s no small statement that TAEMIN is the only solo artist on this list; “Move” is truly in a tier of its own. —MZ

NCT Dream—"My First and Last" (2017)

NCT Dream was supposed to be a perpetual paragon of youth: As its members reached adulthood, they would be rotated out of the group. Things unfolded differently—long story short, the original seven-member lineup is still going strong—but “My First and Last” serves as the perfect introduction to their manifesto of fleeting adolescence.

The guileless lyrics and thrumming, almost urgent, bassline play into the wide-eyed melodrama: “There won’t be a second chance,” they proclaim. “You’re my first and last love.” Years later, the “Dreamies” swap schoolyard crushes for spicy flings on Hot Sauce (2021), the culmination of their evolution from boyish bubblegum pop to hip-hop. Still, they say you never forget your first. “My First and Last” captures that moment’s singularity in a music box, letting us replay it again and again. —AW

SNSD—"Kissing You" (2007)

Girls’ Generation (a.k.a. SNSD) is one group that has become synonymous with K-pop itself. Pioneers both domestically and abroad, SNSD proved K-pop’s viability as a cultural export. A doo-wop track off their eponymous 2007 album, “Kissing You” doesn’t necessarily carry the same historical capital as some of their other hits—“Gee,” “Genie,” “I Got A Boy”—but it’s a song that feels like pure bubblegum, pink sugar in melody form. In the face of bleakness, escapism reigns supreme. Pucker up! —MZ

TXT—"0X1=LOVESONG (I Know I Love You) feat. Seori" (2021)

“I know it’s real, I can feel it,” Taehyun belts just before the chorus of “0XI=LOVESONG.” Pop-punk furnishes the perfect home for TXT, self-declared “losers,” and the world’s next biggest pop stars (frankly, I’m just waiting for everyone to catch up). Teen angst never looked as effortless as it does on this quintet, dubbed collectively and deservedly by the internet as the “fourth generation it boys.” After cutting their teeth on metaphors of difference (“CROWN,” a bouyant queer anthem), TXT’s discography moved onto existential disco (“Blue Hour”) and a slew of apocalyptic bangers, fit for a world on fire. Their put-on outcast personas shouldn’t work as well as they do. But when TXT sing of finding love at the end of the world, you believe them. More than that, you just feel it. —AW

Red Velvet—"Peek-A-Boo" (2017)

Third-generation quintet Red Velvet chose their moniker because it represented the duality of their group: vivid and intense like red, and soft and mature like velvet. “Peek-A-Boo” sits at the nexus of the two; a tropical house track about the flirty first chapters of a budding romance, it has a playful levity that might throw listeners back to 2015/2016 when trop house exploded on the Western pop scene (think OMI’s “Cheerleader,” Justin Bieber’s “Sorry”).

The pan flute sparks joy. But the driving bass drum and an occasional belted vocal lend a colorful, charged energy that makes “Peek-A-Boo” feel like it could be a hype track for a good spring run. Give it a try—it’s got a guaranteed mileage. —MZ

SEVENTEEN—"Fallin' Flower" (2020)

Is it sacrilege to close out a list of K-pop recs with a Japanese single? Rest assured, the group is Korean (mostly). But since discovering “Fallin’ Flower” in 2020, I’ve been hard-pressed to find something that touches me quite like it does, in any language.

Maybe it’s DK’s ethereal vocals, or the maddeningly simple yet wistful piano-riffslash-synth-loop at the song’s core. It might be the way limbs unfurl like petals in the choreography as the track blooms into its climax; or, perhaps, the sensuality of Hoshi and THE8’s tethered dance. Better yet: the mini bouquet bandaged to Joshua’s cheek, matching their sartorial pastels and florals. Likely, it’s the synthesis of it all. “Fallin’ Flower” flawlessly collides its parts into an exquisite whole—not unlike SEVENTEEN itself. I can’t think of a song that better embodies K-pop’s limitless potential to bridge differences, and absolutely captivate the senses in doing so. —AW = second-generation group/artist = third-generation group

Listen on Spotify:

= fourth-generation group

design by max zhang

MARCH 18, 2022

17

LEISURE

The Dark Knight gets even darker in neo-noir thriller The Batman (2022)

BY ADORA ADEYEMI

T

he Batman (2022) sets its scene on Halloween. It’s the scariest night of the year, and the streets of Gotham City are rife with crime. As a group of vandals with offputting skull facepaint terrorize an innocent man, a can of spray paint rolls away into a sheet of black shadow. The camera lingers. To the naked eye, the gloom seems empty—and yet there’s this creeping feeling that someone hides in its folds. An inexplicable presence we’ve all felt in movies before. Finally, out comes a masked vigilante in the classic black Batsuit to match the black shadows. While most of the thugs shake in fear, one scoffs at the costume, “Who the hell are you supposed to be?” For audience members the question is almost comedic. It’s impossible not to know the classic character for whom everyone is settled in their theater seats. But as our masked vigilante pauses and looks up with nothing but rage in his eyes, fists balled, we have a feeling this guy’s about to find out.

The Batman is an audacious name for a movie. There’s something so definitive about it, so singular—ironic considering how many variations of the titular superhero there have been. Ever since the character debuted in May 1939 in Detective Comics No. 27, we’ve seen him in every fashion imaginable: He’s appeared in movies, shows, and toy collections; he’s faced clowns, cats, and scarecrows; films about him have been critically acclaimed, ridiculed, and turned into cult classics.

After decades of interpretation and numerous actors inhabiting the costume, moving the character forward once again seemed like an impossible task. But in 2019, 18

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

another Batman film, this time directed by Matt Reeves and starring Robert Pattinson, former Twilight leading man and Harry Potter alum, was announced. The casting decision caused backlash from longtime Batman fans, even resulting in a petition with over 6,000 signatures to reverse it. After all, wasn’t Pattinson that one guy from that one teen movie? The one mostly good at cringey intense stares? Hadn’t he spent the last, like, decade shying away from franchise films? How could he possibly be, not just any Batman, but “The Batman”?

Three years later, and delayed twice by the COVID-19 pandemic, the film’s release means the people can finally reach a verdict.

Despite numerous past iterations of Gotham’s defender, The Batman manages to set itself apart and soar above a crowd of previous remakes thanks to its fresh but vintage style and sense of focus.

As with every film in the canon, the film follows Bruce Wayne (Pattinson), the reclusive billionaire who doubles as a disguised vigilante, Batman. When a killer begins to leave behind a series of humorous but twisted cards with chicken-scratch font clues addressed to the Dark Knight himself, Batman follows the trail and weaves his way through grimy Gotham, accompanied

by Detective Jim Gordon (Jeffrey Wright).

Along the way he picks up Catwoman, a.k.a.

Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), a morally gray cat burglar with her own motives to uncover the killer. It’s equal parts an action film and a modern twist on the dramatic noir crime mysteries of the 1940s. Suspense hisses like a live wire.

While the first instinct may be to compare this new rendition to The Dark Knight trilogy, it’s much more revealing to look at how it pays homage to Se7en (1995), a psychological thriller about two detectives hunting down a serial killer. Just like Se7en, this movie doesn't spell everything out. It pulls viewers from one clue to the next alongside our sleuthing lead characters. Bringing us along for the mystery puts audience members in the seat of the Caped Crusader himself as he works his way through the many questions the case (and the city) holds.

At its heart, The Batman is about Batman.

Okay of course it is, but it’s an element taken for granted in some other depictions of Batman. When people first think about him, it’s typically in terms of a nemesis: the sadistic Joker, or the distinctive Penguin, or the darkly humorous Riddler. Of course, these villains are some of the most interesting characters in the comic book universe, but films that involve them often allow the villains to dominate the focus, neglecting the fact that the titular hero is just as layered as his nemeses. This film changes that up from the get-go with Wayne’s diaristic narration acting as the film’s anchor.

We are presented with a Batman still in development—not fully formed, as he only started donning the costume two years prior to when the film begins, but established enough that his reputation carries weight.

Criminals quake at the mere sight of the BatSignal in the sky; the few that don’t take it seriously instantly regret it. It’s an origin story of sorts, but not the kind where we have to relive his tragic familial losses (images of

photos courtesy of warner bros; design by alex giorno

his parents being shot by a robber’s gun in an alley and his mother’s pearls splashing on the ground are all too familiar to fans). No, this origin story begins with an already traumariddled Bruce Wayne, allowing us to witness his transformation from a vengeful vigilante to a hero caring for his city. Gone is the front of the rich playboy common in other popular depictions of the character—here, we have a troubled soul with a lot on his mind and his crime-solving plate.

Pattinson plays the character like he was born for it. Although he has previously spent years disparaging his most iconic role, the dreamy Edward Cullen from Twilight, the experience seems to have come in handy for playing this similarly solemn character with a hidden double life. Who could have guessed the vampire and the bat would have so much in common? Pattinson’s Batman is menacing, he’s complex, he’s ... cool? It may seem superficial, but it’s important to say—this movie is cool! And for the newest iteration of Batman to be viewed that way is a particular achievement. Translating stories from comic book to silver screen is not always easy. Certain things just look better on paper than in live-action. Over the years, Batman has suffered from people gradually thinking of him as one of the more onenote, helpless heroes without superpowers, a characterization only made worse by the constant comparisons to his threatening villains and larger-than-life peers. But this movie makes smart cinematography and design choices to up Batman’s intrigue.

Techniques common in the horror genre— discomforting, slow dolly-ins into negative space, for example—build anticipation for him to emerge from the darkness. The design of Batman’s cowl leaves Pattinson’s strong chin bare but almost completely covers the top half of his face, focusing attention on his piercing blue eyes. Color grading does its job too: The bright yellows of explosions and warm reds of fires act as the only sources of light in scenes that would otherwise be pitch black, making for visually arresting shots. An aerial view of Batman leading citizens out of a dark cave using nothing but a glowing red torch is particularly memorable.

Zoë Kravitz is the perfect match for our brooding Batman. The actress is captivating every moment she is on screen, exuding the sleek confidence for which Selina Kyle is loved while also working with Reeves’ script to bring new levels of depth to the character with her own emotional development.

The movie follows the blossoming of an undefined but immediate bond between the two characters. The chemistry between the Bat and the Cat is undeniable (I, for one, held my breath everytime Pattinson and Kravitz shared the screen), but the real glue holding this sudden pairing together is the pain they share. It is satisfying to watch two characters

fit together simply like a jigsaw puzzle. Each lives a double life in Gotham but fills very different roles in the place: one, the son from an elite family; the other, a waitress at a nightclub. Each has been left broken by an unforgiving city that has taken their loved ones and spurred them toward revenge.

The fantastic design elements are accented by what is, in my opinion, the best score ever made for a superhero movie—a melodramatic score to accompany a melodramatic film.

Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino (known for his work on Marvel movies, Pixar films, and more) strikes again and creates the perfect theme for Batman, an ominous recurring four-note motif not dissimilar to Darth Vader’s.

Several of the tracks also include swelling strings that often sound reminiscent of bats screeching.

According to Reeves, the score was “key for [Pattinson] to get into character,” as it told the actor the most about who Batman was out of all the references he was given to study.

"Pattinson’s

Batman is menacing, he’s complex, he’s… cool? It may seem superficial, but it’s important to say—this movie is cool!"

There’s clearly thought behind the crafting of the protagonist. But where does that leave the antagonists? Don't worry, there’s enough star quality for everyone— what would a Batman movie be without its bad guys to fight? The Batman takes a Riddler known for his camp looks and corny jokes (and for Jim Carrey’s depiction, we are eternally grateful) and gives him a darker spin. Paul Dano brings an eerily unsettling presence to his Riddler, his mask producing muffled speech and heavy breathing that fills the soundscape with an uncomfortable dread. Despite the movie following Batman on his quest to chase this elusive killer, we learn more and more about the Riddler’s character through the cryptic messages he leaves around. We also have the Penguin (an

unrecognizable Colin Farrell), a mob boss with close connections to Gotham's hidden affairs. Apart from these two generally being interesting to watch face off against Batman, they’re also the main source of humor in this otherwise heavy film. The Riddler’s elaborate puns elicit some chuckles (once you figure them out), and who can keep a straight face while listening to the Penguin’s hilariously thick New York mobster accent?

Despite having such excellent villains, the movie makes sure it’s not about them.

Gotham is not evil because of one or two bad apples; instead, it’s a whole hidden system perpetuated by the elites that turns this city corrupt (this theme of individual crimes vs. the rich people that cause them holds a critique that is applicable to the real world).

The focus is still on our Batman as he must face this realization, all while still resenting the common criminals of the city, like the one that shot his parents when he was just a child.

This is all a lot for one superhero movie to pull off, hence the three-hour duration. In some ways, The Batman falls into the common trappings of a lengthy runtime. The film drops the ball for a second during its leadin to the third act—the scene where Batman and the Riddler face off lacks the tension needed to keep the audience invested in the dialogue. Dano’s performance becomes a bit forced, bogging down what was meant to be a big reveal. Nevertheless, the grand finale regains intensity, and the stakes heighten once again. Additionally, the accumulating narrative structure makes retaining audience attention key to everything making sense, and a lengthy runtime leaves ample room for a viewer to fall out of the loop with the story.

That being said, stunning stylistic choices and a captivating premise make it easy to want to follow along.

For a company whose movies are notorious for their darker aesthetics, the future of DC Films is looking bright. Following the successes of Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) and The Suicide Squad (2021) directed by the irreverent James Gunn, The Batman is the final piece of evidence needed to solidify what the film studio (and its audience) is starting to realize: Auteur-led standalone movies are where the company can have the edge over competing franchises. Recently, the film studio has been leaning into giving full creative direction to the minds of its directors without focusing too much on the extended universe of it all, resulting in actually meaningful movies. The Batman, for what feels like the 100th remake of the character, chooses to go against the grain with its narrative focus and noir influences, elevating the material beyond what has been done before while feeling close to the classic character’s roots. Certainly it’s earned the powerful, all-encompassing title of The Batman. G MARCH 18, 2022

19