The Hoya: April 26, 2024

26, 2024

GU Pro-Palestine Protesters Rally at GWU Encampment

Protesters held a walkout at Georgetown before marching to George Washington University, calling for universities to demand a ceasefire, divest from companies linked to the Israeli military and change their policies on disciplining student protesters.

Georgetown University students joined protestors from eight other universities at a tent encampment at George Washington University’s University Yard to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and Washington, D.C.-area universities to divest from companies with ties to Israel.

Students set up the encampment at University Yard at approximately 5 a.m. and continued rallying throughout the morning. Beginning at 10:30 a.m., Georgetown students began protesting outside the university’s Healy Hall in a walkout which pro-Palestine Georgetown student, faculty and staff groups organized.

Protesters then marched to University Yard, with Georgetown students arriving at around noon, and continued protesting throughout the afternoon.

Although George Washington University police officers and D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department announced that they would clear the encampment at 7 p.m., the deadline passed with no action from the police forces. As of early Friday morning, the encampment remains.

Below, find The Hoya’s coverage of the rally (left), marches and the encampment (center) and the evening stalemate between protesters and police.

GU Community Members Walk Out at Morning Rally

Aamir Jamil, Maren Fagan, Evie Steele, Paulina Inglima and Jack Willis

Senior News Editors, Editor-in-Chief, Senior Features Editor, Executive Editor

More than 200 protesters gathered outside Georgetown University’s Healy Hall on April 25 before joining an encampment at George Washington University to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and demand Washington, D.C.-area universities divest from companies with ties to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

The protests at Georgetown began at 10:30 a.m. with a walkout from classes before several speakers addressed the crowd of protesters. After a series of chants and speeches near the front gates, protesters marched down O Street toward George Washington University (GWU), reaching GWU by 12:05 p.m. and joining pro-Palestine activists from schools including GWU, George Mason University, American University, Howard University, Gallaudet University, the University of Maryland-College Park and the

University of Maryland-Baltimore County in a tent encampment at GWU’s University Yard. The event was the latest in a series of protests which the Georgetown chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) and Zeytoun, a Georgetown graduate student, faculty and staff organization that advocates for decolonization in Southwest Asia and North Africa — known collectively as the Divestment Coalition — have organized on campus.

Anna Wessels (GRD ’24), an SJP organizer and member of Zeytoun, said the demands of the protest — to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and urge Georgetown to divest from companies with ties to the IDF — stand in line with her personal priorities as a Palestinian American and activist.

“I’m here in solidarity with all the students in Palestine and the students across the country, who are risking their safety to stand against genocide and to call for an

See RALLY, A7

Protesters demonstrated crossing Rock Creek Park while marching from Georgetown to George Washington University.

Protests Continue, Students Remain in Encampment

Aamir Jamil, Maren Fagan and Catherine Alaimo

Senior News Editors, Hoya Staff Writer

GU Protesters Demonstrate At GWU Joint

Evie Steele, Maren Fagan, Aamir Jamil and Paulina Inglima Editor-in-Chief, Senior News Editors, Senior Features Editor

After marching from Georgetown University, pro-Palestine student protesters joined organizers from seven other local universities at a tent encampment in George Washington University’s (GWU) University Yard April 25 to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, call for Washington, D.C.-area colleges to divest from companies linked to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and denounce the responses of universities across the country to pro-Palestine protest.

Following a morning walkout and rally, Georgetown protesters marched from the university to D.C.’s Foggy Bottom neighborhood, arriving at GWU shortly after noon; as of 7:30 p.m., additional protesters had joined, with over 500 protesters present at GWU. After reaching University Yard, around half of the marchers — around 60

Encampment

people — entered the encampment, with others joining external organizers outside the encampment to chant, sing and pray. The encampment is similar to those that students have established at universities including Columbia University, Barnard College, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Southern California. Since Columbia students established their encampment, the Gaza Solidarity Encampment, April 17, universities have become centers of pro-Palestine protest, with students calling for an end to Israeli attacks on Gaza, which have killed over 40,000 Palestinians.

The encampment at GWU has been active since 7 a.m., with GWU’s campus police department warning protesters that police would move to clear it by 7 p.m. As of 9:15 p.m., police had not attempted to clear University Yard.

Fida Adely, a Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP) member See ENCAMPMENT, A7

Pro-Palestinian protesters, including students from Georgetown University, maintained their position camped at University Yard on George Washington University’s (GWU) campus by the evening of April 25 as GWU’s campus police and Washington, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) did not follow through with threats to disperse the protesters.

Protesters from GWU set up tents in University Yard at around 5 a.m. and chanted throughout the day, with Georgetown students arriving shortly after noon and protests encompassing around 600 people at points during the afternoon and evening. Though GWU gave protesters a deadline of 7 p.m. to move their tents and disband their encampment before MPD would intervene, police have not cleared the encampment as of midnight.

Since April 17, universities have

become centers of pro-Palestine protest, with students calling for an end to the Israel Defense Force’s (IDF) ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip, which have killed over 40,000 Palestinians and ushered in an ongoing humanitarian crisis. Students have set up encampments similar to that at University Yard at universities across the country, with many university leaders cracking down on protesters.

Matt Buscarino (CAS ’27), who attended the protests at University Yard, said the encampment’s continued survival reflects protesters’ resilience. “As a show of resilience, it’s tremendous,” Buscarino told The Hoya. “They said that they were gonna shut it down at seven o’clock, it’s now 9:19. So the same power that people have overall, I think it’s a good thing to be active, to be vocal and to not back down in the face of adversity.”

A statement from GWU’s

See

MAREN FAGAN/THE HOYA

As evening fell, some Georgetown community members remained in protest at the George Washington University encampment.

MAREN FAGAN/THE HOYA

KATE HWANG/THE HOYA Protesters assembled outside Georgetown University’s Healy Hall in support of university divestment from companies connected to the Israeli military.

MAREN FAGAN/THE HOYA Waving Palestinian flags, Georgetown University students, faculty and staff passed through the Georgetown neighborhood en route to George Washington University.

OPINION

Restrictions Threaten Student Safety

Every year, traditional end-of-semester Georgetown Day celebrations see hundreds of Georgetown University students take part in all-day parties across campus. This year’s Georgetown Day on April 26 will look different. On April 17, Georgetown officials informed students via mass email of new restrictions for Georgetown Day, including limited access to residence halls, strictly enforced noise codes on campus and requirements for students to register parties and guests on the Village A dormitory rooftops. The restrictions also apply to outdoor festivities at Alumni Square and university-owned townhouses — sparking student concern that the administration was seeking to eliminate Georgetown Day festivities. However, the Editorial Board dissents from a selection of these policies for a different reason: they risk making Georgetown Day celebrations dangerous and difficult to control logistically. Further, the Editorial Board encourages the university to be more transparent in communicating these new regulations to students, improving compliance and decreasing student dissent. Traditional Georgetown Day parties see students cram onto the rooftops of Village A or the lawns of Alumni Square. This year, though, Village A residents must register their parties and distribute wristbands to their guests, according to an email Village A community director Jazmine Anderson Islas sent to residents April 16.

“For GU Day only, Village A will only be accessible for Village A residents (and registered guests). There will be specific wristbands for Village A residents (and their guests),” Anderson Islas’ email read. “All Vil-A residents will be receiving a wristband. Please wear this wristband regardless of if you are partying or not, so GUPD and staff volunteers can identify that you are a Vil-A resident as you come in and out of the building.”

With Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Services (GERMS) headquarters located beneath Village C, Village A is close to ambulances and is a centralized location for emergency responders. However, these strict restrictions and capacity limits for Village A mean students will disperse away from the rooftops, making their parties less accessible and harder to locate for GERMS ambulances.

As students spread across campus, they create an increasingly complex environment for GERMS staffers and ambulances, with the added factors of distance, route complexity and busy crowds to navigate. Moreover, as students depart from campus to partake in festivities beyond the Georgetown neighborhood, they may well depart from GERMS’ service area — and thus its benefits of familiarity with the area, quick response times and pro bono service.

GERMS did not respond to TheHoya’s request for comment.

In addition to concerns regarding medical assistance for students, the Editorial Board also retains concerns regarding the logistical angle of these regulations, particularly the wristband requirement for the Village A rooftops.

While a university spokesperson presented a clear case in favor of these capacity limitations, the Editorial Board worries that the wristband system will prove ineffective.

“Village A rooftops have limited capacity due to concerns for student safety - when rooftops are overcrowded there is increased risk of injury,” the spokesperson wrote to TheHoya “We are especially mindful of these capacity limits on high

HOYA HISTORY

April 30, 2020

Hundreds of homebound students tuned in to a Zoom video conference April 24 to celebrate the 20th annual Georgetown Day, breaking a long-held tradition of daytime partying and jamming out to “Mr. Brightside.”

“Georgetown Day 2020: (Zoom Edition)” offered a mix of entertainment. Faculty read student feedback from Rate My Professor, a teacher review website, and students put on musical performances. The event also featured a prerecorded video address from University President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95) as well as an appearance by Jack the Bulldog. This year’s celebration arrived at a time when students are continuing to adjust to university life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the unusual circumstances, the event aimed to alleviate some of the confusion and stress felt by the community, according to Leo John Arnett (SFS ’22) the former Georgetown Day planning committee chair and cohost of the event’s virtual replacement.

“The last Friday of classes remains a sacred tradition that most first-years know about by the end of NSO Day 1, and this online celebration proudly continued that tradition,” Arnett wrote in an email to The Hoya. “Yet, this year wasn’t about parties or festivities, it was about solidarity, support, and joy.”

Many students treat Georgetown Day as a celebratory capstone for the academic year. The day is often packed

traffic days and want to ensure a safe environment for all those celebrating Georgetown Day this year.”

However, as rumors spread regarding the operation of the wristband system and students look for ways to game it, it loses effectiveness purely through the confusion it creates.

Joe Massaua (SFS ’25) said that he has seen students develop a sort of black market for wristbands.

“They’re creating a constrained supply of these wristbands, which I’ve already seen students attempt to sell,” Massaua told TheHoya.“IcanunderstandtheconcernaboutVillageA,buttheir solution, which is a limited supply of wristbands, is difficult.”

Sophia Chang (SFS ’24) echoed these concerns regarding the enforcement of the wristband system.

“I don’t know how they are going to enforce it,” Chang told The Hoya. “People have already started asking me if I have any extra wristbands.”

Furthermore, enforcing strict capacity limits and checking wristbands will place a burden on Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) officers and other university staff members — staffers that officials could otherwise station elsewhere or put on call to respond to address happenings across campus.

Additionally, restricting the student population atop Village A will discourage students from leaving for a break from the festivities for food, water or to attend classes.

The Editorial Board also urges the university to increase transparency in its communication with students. Different information in different emails to students has further complicated the safety regulations.

For example, an email sent to Southwest Quadrangle residents April 12 announced the establishment of a wristband system for the entirety of Georgetown’s campus to identify students over the age of 21.

Though the university spokesperson later rescinded that statement to the Editorial Board, clarifying that it only applied to certain events, the university never corrected that message to Southwest Quad residents.

Massaua said he feels that the issues the university is trying to handle are legitimate concerns, but the lack of communication has muddled the picture for students.

“Some of these concerns are legitimate, and other ones we just feel like there’s been a deep communication issue,” Massaua said. “All that they have done is just shoot us emails, and there hasn’t really been any attempt to dialogue ahead of time with student leaders.”

The Editorial Board does not contest the need for safety precautions at any university campus celebration, especially Georgetown Day. After all, as the original April 17 email noted, half of all student calls to GERMS during the month of April 2023 occurred on Georgetown Day. Student accusations that the university is hoping to crush student morale are misguided, and the Editorial Board condemns those who spread such claims.

That said, the Editorial Board urges university administration to be more transparent in communicating with students regarding restrictions on campus celebrations and to more thoroughly consider the logistical implications of the policies.

The Hoya’s Editorial Board is composed of six students and is chaired by the opinion editors. Editorials reflect only the beliefs of a majority of the board and are not representative of The Hoya or any individual member of the board.

with official events and other festivities. Past Georgetown Day celebrations have featured live musical performances on Copley Lawn, art showcases and daylong rooftop parties. The highly anticipated annual tradition was born from tragedy. The university originally created Georgetown Day to lift campus spirits after the death of a student in a drunken brawl in 2000. This year’s organizers hoped the event’s first online version would serve a similarly therapeutic purpose, according to Arnett.

“We wanted to foster a sense of support for all students, and the idea to involve the administration and student performers greatly added to that intention,” Arnett wrote in an email to The Hoya. “We desired to tap into that original need for community support during a time of confusion and pain.”

Planners on the Georgetown Program Board found it difficult to garner the same level of enthusiasm for the virtual event, according to Arnett.

“From forming the schedule of those willing to participate to encouraging students to register for the event and attend for the hour and a half, raising engagement from the Georgetown community was the hardest aspect of planning,” Arnett wrote. Just over 300 students tuned into the Zoom call, according to Arnett. Because students were coming and going, however, it was hard to tell how

many students attended the event in total.

The Zoom version of Georgetown Day allowed the Georgetown University community to come together in a fun way during a difficult time, according to student performer Katelyn Barr (SFS ’22).

“I don’t think the purpose of the event was to replace the traditional Georgetown Day, but provide a way for the Georgetown community to come together and celebrate the school while in quarantine,” Barr wrote in an email to The Hoya. “It was a simple way to lift people’s spirits and pass some time on a traditionally community-based day.”

The event succeeded in enlivening an otherwise bleak circumstance, even though it differed from past Georgetown Days, according to professor of economics Carol Rogers, who read some of her student reviews at the Zoom event.

“Georgetown Day is an important celebration at the end of every academic year. And it’s one of the early celebratory events every academic year for the graduating seniors,” Rogers wrote in an email to The Hoya “Obviously, the online event was not the same as the on-campus event. But there was a wonderful spirit, and I am happy that it was offered online, because of its importance to the community.”

Giulia Testa

“

The Editorial Board encourages the university to be more transparent in communicating these new regulations to students, improving compliance and decreasing student dissent.

The Editorial Board

“Restrictions Threaten Student Safety” thehoya.com

In preparation for Georgetown Day, a day of community-wide celebration at the end of the spring semester, Georgetown University instituted policies restricting parties hosted in Village A, dorm access for non-residents and the carrying of open containers of alcohol on campus or in public spaces. In response, many students have moved their Georgetown Day plans to off-campus club gatherings or ticketed events in hopes of bypassing said restrictions.

The Hoya conducted a poll to gauge student opinion on how Georgetown’s administration should respond to off-campus student activities that breach university policy. Out of the 31 respondents, only 9.7% said university administration should be held responsible for student actions during Georgetown Day off-campus events to the same extent that they are on campus, while the remaining 90.3% disagreed.

EDITORIAL

CARTOON by Heather Wang

Founded

Evie

Jasmine Criqui and Jack Willis, Executive Editors

Caroline Brown, Managing Editor

Maren Fagan, News Editor

Aamir Jamil, News Editor

Paulina Inglima, Features Editor

Erin Saunders, Features Editor

Peter Sloniewsky, Opinion Editor

Elizabethe Bogrette, Guide Editor

Amber Cherry, Guide Editor

Evan Ecklund, Sports Editor

Oliver Ni, Sports Editor

Sahana Arumani, Science Editor

Camille Vandeveer, Science Editor

Rohini Kudva, Design Editor

Heather Wang, Design Editor

Patrick Clapsaddle, Copy Chief

Madeline Grabow, Copy Chief

Emily Blackstone, Social Media Editor

Toni Marz, Social Media Editor

Alan Chen, Blog Editor

Nikhil Nelson, Blog Editor

Alexis Lien, Multimedia Editor

Hayley Young, Multimedia Editor

Haan Jun (Ryan) Lee, Photo Editor

Board of Directors

Mary Clare Marshall, Chair

Albrecht, Emily Han, Cate

Admire Lau’s Brutalism

Ioften hear my friends complain about the stained unpleasantness of Lauinger Library and sigh. Youth should once again value revolutionary art.

It feels as if popular architectural discourse often revolves around idealizing the past, lamenting how beautiful past movements and old buildings — Washington, D.C.’s Old Post Office, Georgetown University’s Healy Hall — are or used to be. Our modern culture has its head stuck in antiquity — almost as if a perverse desire to foment yet another resurgence of the styles of yesteryear fuels it. Perhaps next we’ll adopt neo-neoclassicism, or the 45th wave of the Gothic Revival.

In that vein, students paint the brutalist Lauinger Library — which the university opened in 1970 and architects designed as a brutalist take on the university’s romanesque flagship building, Healy Hall — as a supposed eyesore, one that interrupts the otherwise harmonious, venerable beauty at the front of Georgetown’s campus. Indeed, they are not alone: In 2018, Business Insider named it the second-ugliest building in D.C. Even those who defend its facilities concede that it possesses a distinct lack of beauty. But while Lauinger may not have the gargoyles and gilded clock Healy has, it has honesty in representing Georgetown circa 1970 — and we should appreciate that.

Architecture tells a story of its times. It is an expression of a designer’s vision, an endorsement of a culture’s values, a commentary on a society’s constraints.

And for the 1970s, brutalism is that story — a story we’ve never idealized or recreated.

A radical thesis born out of the post-war necessity to rebuild, brutalist architects believed that buildings should showcase their raw materials and structural elements. No more hiding the bare bones behind decorative facades. The rugged, exposed concrete buildings were honest, if painfully so.

Far from being ugly, buildings like Lauinger convey a beauty of authenticity. Its bold, heavy forms speak of an architecture more concerned with expression than mere ornamentation. Instead of imitating past achievements of human creativity, brutalism rejected nostalgia’s superficial prettiness in favor of confronting the viewer with the harsh realities of modernity.

If brutalist buildings appear uncomfortable or disquieting, it’s because they’re supposed to.

There is warmth in Lauinger’s austerity. Its textured concrete exudes a purely human, imperfect quality that contrasts with the slick glassand-steel monotony of corporate modernism. In the face of trite ornamentations, brutalist buildings are rough, idiosyncratic innovators.

Compared to the stone-glass, twofaced amalgamation of the Rafik B. Hariri Building, which houses the McDonough School of Business, or the almost historic collegiate gothicism

VIEWPOINT • PAN

of White-Gravenor Hall, Lauinger is uniquely of its place, a distinctive landmark representing the ethos of Georgetown’s campus.

Critics even once recognized it as such. In 1976, the American Institute of Architects bestowed Lauinger with its Award of Merit “for distinguished accomplishment in library architecture.” I hope it will receive such recognition again. Brutalism encodes authenticity and presents unequivocal truth.

While critics may scoff at its austere appearance, Lauinger’s bare concrete walls stand as bulwarks against the ceaseless tide of the “things-usedto-be-better” naysayers who would value artificial glamor over truthful representation. While Healy Hall, the flemish-romanesque icon of our school, may have inspired it, Lauinger represents our university as it is better than Healy ever could.

After all, at a university which has begotten five out of the last eight White House chiefs of staff, engendered a system where clubs ruthlessly compete for money in a student-run appropriations process and built a mini-society where a job in the intelligence community earns you social credit, Lauinger represents who we are: a university stripped free of sugarcoating moral vanities.

We all ought to welcome the discomfort Lauinger presents, not just in architecture, but in our view of Georgetown as an institution as well.

Enslaved people built Georgetown’s campus. Our largest auditorium memorializes a major slaveholder. The Vatican forced the university to defund pro-abortion student groups, while Georgetown University Right to Life and the Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life receive thousands in administrative funding each year.

According to Axios, students in the top 1% of household income have a 190% higher chance of admission to Georgetown in comparison to other applicants with similar test scores. It’s what is true — even Healy Hall’s decorative stonework and gold leaf cannot cover that up. But, to a certain extent, we have to be comfortable seeing the university for what it is — even a place with some stained concrete blemishes can still be beautiful.

Lauinger encourages this, challenging each of us to be more honest. It does not hide embellishment; rather, it reveals itself as it is. So, each time we notice the architectural disconnect and discomfort between Lauinger Library and the university’s other flagship buildings, we should think more about its steadfast display of truth. I hope we come to embrace, rather than dismiss, that legacy of daring.

Brutalist Lauinger was once radically modern and uncompromisingly representative of its era. It is, in short, a building of its times. With its call for sincerity still reverberating, we ought to start seeing it as a building of our times as well.

Saahil Rao is a first-year student in the School of Foreign Service.

ATHLETE’S CORNER

Fight for Gender Equity in Georgetown Sports

Women’s athletics are finally getting the attention they deserve. The Iowa-South Carolina championship game in the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball tournament had record-breaking viewership, with 18.9 million people tuning in to watch, making it the mostviewed women’s college basketball game in NCAA history and most-viewed college basketball game (men’s or women’s) ever on ESPN platforms.

At Georgetown University, academic prestige and athletic excellence go hand in hand. Knowing this, I wonder if the growth of women’s college athletics at large has made an impact on athletics on the Hilltop. I believe that Georgetown has worked hard to support women’s athletics. The university hosted many volleyball and basketball games this year, often promoted with giveaways such as t-shirts, or had a theme like many of the men’s games. Georgetown was also

Embrace All of Your Niche Interests

Do you know who James Bowie is? I doubt it.

My friend knows who he is from his 7th grade “Texas Revolution” class. He’s one of the Americans who died in the Battle of the Alamo in 1836. Do you know who David Bowie is? You probably do. My friend doesn’t. He also doesn’t know about the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Wonder, Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, Pink Floyd or Jimi Hendrix.

Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt for a moment. He might recall Lady Gaga from a Supreme Court case he read about two years ago, even if he isn’t familiar with Shakira, Madonna or Adele. He doesn’t listen to music besides when he’s in the shower, and his brain operates differently from most of ours.

Now, my friend may be an exception. It’s a little difficult to not have heard of the Beatles, regardless of upbringing. He also just learned about matcha two weeks ago. He’s got some catching up to do.

But I admire people whose minds work that way: people who retain information selectively based on what they want to remember or care about. General knowledge and pop culture jargon may simply not be of value in their lives.

I don’t like the default expectation that people should have a basic knowledge of topics that have no

real importance in their lives. It’s like demanding that everyone in a foreign country should know English.

In a world inundated with information, the most valuable basis for one’s thoughts is not general knowledge or external sources like artificial intelligence or Google-able information. It’s original thinking, like it has always been. If that original thinking involves some lack of knowledge about things that don’t directly concern you, I think that’s perfectly acceptable — as long as an open mind accompanies that lack of knowledge.

In the realm of human experience, there’s a limit to how much information and experiences our individual minds can take in. Because of the very fact that there is a limit, I argue that everyone should embrace the deep cuts that they’re into. Chances are there are people around you that don’t know remotely anything about some of the things you know about by virtue of your sheer personal interest.

Ignorance is an underrated virtue. It’s the free space in the brain that allows for people to think in an original way.

I will admit that I still do not know how to ride a bike well or parallel park effectively. I’m working on it.

I could talk to you for ages about literature or music, but probably not about how to jumpstart a car or replace bike flashers, which are skills that are objectively more useful than anything

I can say about Yukio Mishima or contrapuntal melodies.

I don’t think that ignorance is necessary for brilliance or that it automatically means that someone might be more knowledgeable in a certain field. And of course, there are some universal things in life you can’t afford to be ignorant about, like common sense and dignity.

But there’s something to be said about the direct correlation between ignorance and original thinking — there’s this different way of thinking you can learn from other people’s fixations that you can’t get by absorbing something from a secondary source.

This thinking has to come from within, from a personal connection or intellectual desire. Leave behind the other stuff for a moment and really get into your deeper cuts.

Not everyone needs to know the same things, and that’s what makes human interaction so rich. You might make another person’s day by educating them in something you really find interest in.

Let’s do this one more time.

Heard about Pluto?

Probably.

My friend has got a lot to learn, but at least he knows about Pluto TV for free movies.

Christina Pan is a first-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences.

able to host a women’s basketball game at Capital One Arena, where the men’s team plays. The women’s game at Capital One was exciting, but led me to wonder: Why don’t the women play there all the time? Why is it limited to the men’s team?

While the games in the McDonough Arena are fun and easier to get to, I believe that the women’s team deserves the chance to play at a larger stadium like Capital One, and would have no problem filling as many seats as the men’s basketball team. This is especially true considering their amazing run at the 2024 Big East women’s basketball tournament, where they qualified for the finals for the first time in program history.

Aside from the sports games themselves, Georgetown also hosted a Strong Girls United event, allowing student-athletes to meet with young girls in the Washington, D.C., area and get them involved in the mental

and physical aspects of different sports. This was the first event that Georgetown organized with this organization, and I found it to be a great success. Not only did it allow young girls to meet and hear from athletes in the position they aspire to be in, but it also connected female student-athletes on campus with each other, working to build community.

In the fall of 2023, Graceann Bennett (MSB ’23, GRD ’24) and Kelsey Ransom (CAS ’24) — both players on the women’s basketball team — created the club Hoyos for female studentathletes to grow a campus-wide community through events like monthly meetings open to all female student-athletes, as well as encourage female student-athletes to attend sit-ins regarding the Fair Play for Women Act, to name a few. They also work closely with an organization called Voice in Sport, which works with female athletes to advocate for full equality between women’s

WHAT WE LOVE AND LOSE

In high school, every action I took weighed on me. Each small step seemed to have significant repercussions: picking the wrong classes, scoring too low on my tests, making a bad impression on teachers. All of these things determined what college I went to, which in turn determined the rest of my life. If I messed up now, I told myself, my future was ruined. Surrounded by people who were, for lack of a better word, better than me — smarter, more talented, more accomplished — I wondered how I was supposed to compete. And if these people could succeed — choosing the right classes, achieving higher grades, getting along with their teachers — why couldn’t I?

I couldn’t blame the people around me for my shortcomings. Despite the support of my school and community, I still struggled. Most of my teachers only wanted the best for their students, even if their teaching method didn’t always align with this goal. My classmates, even as they struggled with similar challenges, were helpful and supportive. And of course, my family reassured me that academic success shouldn’t be my only priority.

“All that matters,” my mother frequently reminded me, “is that you try your best.” Still, that never changed the fact that my high school was exhausting. My academic pursuits consumed every other aspect of myself. Between the hour-long commute to school, weekends filled with debate

tournaments and late nights spent studying or finishing homework, I barely had time to myself. I couldn’t do what I really wanted as long as the endless stream of projects, essays and exams overwhelmed me. This realization truly hit me when I first sat down to write my college application essays.

Many shared a common question, paraphrased in a variety of ways: “What are you passionate about?”

Once upon a time, the answer would have been clear to me. I used to love reading, especially fantasy and science fiction; though, by the time I got to high school, there was no longer time for that. I used to practice piano and attend biweekly classes at a nearby Aikido dojo, but once again I stopped as soon as I reached high school.

Throughout middle school, I loved to write stories with my friends — yet that too quickly fizzled out as we spent more time talking about school and college instead.

This isn’t to say that I had no interests in high school. It’s true that I discovered new passions in high school, like debate. Still, it seemed that the interests that stuck around always served a future purpose. I was always thinking about how these clubs or teams would look on paper. I had to justify my interests in my supplementary essays, proving that they were worth spending time with. It wouldn’t be worth wasting my time on extracurriculars and interests that

and men’s sports. These are only the first steps toward true equality between male and female athletics on campus. The women’s teams at Georgetown are consistently performing at a high level and deserve the same amount of praise, support and acknowledgment from the athletic department as the men’s teams do. It is time for the student body to come together and support female student-athletes and teams — just like they do for men’s teams. The women’s teams deserve to be treated with the same respect as the men’s teams on campus, and Georgetown should continue to take the necessary steps in order to truly reach equality between men’s and women’s sports.

Ashley Kennedy is a sophomore in the School of Health. This is the fourth installment of her column “Athlete’s Corner.”

colleges didn’t care about.

Nowadays, I worry that my time at Georgetown will be no different. I came to college with the expectation of attending law school afterwards, meaning that the application cycle will begin again for me in just a few years. Here, I am once again surrounded by people who could be described as “better” than me. I find myself still wondering how I can stand out.

Still, I’d like to think that I learned something from high school. Even though my grades weren’t perfect and even though I made mistakes, I still made it here. I wonder what high school would have been like if I was more willing to afford time to myself.

How would I be different?

At Georgetown, I am afforded the opportunity to slow down. I am encouraged — required even — to explore classes that purposely push the bounds of my major. Recently, as I spoke to my suitemate about the classes she’s currently taking, I was reminded of the many new opportunities for exploration that Georgetown and Washington, D.C., provide. I hope that I can take this time to learn more about myself and truly understand where, what and who I’m meant to be.

Lauren Chin is a first-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences. This is the fourth installment of their column “What We Love and Lose.”

What’s the Value of Jesuit Values? Exploring Spirituality at an Interfaith University

The oldest Jesuit university in the United States, Georgetown University’s Jesuit foundation still informs university policy and student culture today, amidst a campuswide increase in religious diversity.

Saroja Ramchandren and Matthew Mancini Special to The Hoya

From Holi to Holy Week, the Georgetown University campus is constantly buzzing with celebrations, events and services from a variety of faith traditions.

The spiritual diversity present at Georgetown is no accident. Founded by the Catholic order of the Society of Jesus — the Jesuits — Georgetown is the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States. The United States’ first Catholic bishop, Fr. John Carroll, S.J., formally chartered the school in 1789 with a founding vision for the university that intentionally included students of all faiths and backgrounds.

Over two centuries later, Georgetown continues to espouse Jesuit values. The university conducts a self-study, known as the Mission Priority Examen, every few years to deliberately reflect on its institutional commitment to its Jesuit mission, with its most recent reflection process finishing April 12. Georgetown’s resources for spiritual growth include the theology curriculum, regular services and celebrations and the Residential Ministry program, in which trained pastoral ministers live in on-campus housing.

Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., the university’s vice president of mission and ministry, said Jesuit values and traditions, including the Jesuits’ Latin motto, continue to inspire students.

“Ad maiorem Dei gloriam — for the greater glory of God — prompts us, as a community, to strive for the deeper, more effective good,” Bosco told The Hoya Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J., a professor of theology and residential minister in first-year dormitory New South Hall, said this motto — including its extended second half — prompts students to better align their goals with service.

“Ad majorem Dei gloriam inque hominum salutem translates to ‘For the greater glory of God and the service of humanity,’” Steck told The Hoya. “This phrase is a reminder to students that the greatness, the achievement, the worldly success that they seek is meant to serve something greater than themselves.”

Tradition, Diversity and Education

John Carroll founded Georgetown at a time when both the Society of Jesus and the Catholic Church faced suppression. Jesuits in Europe and South America faced widespread oppression from the Roman Catholic Church at the time of the school’s founding. In 1773 Pope Clement XIV officially suppressed the Society of Jesus, forcing Jesuit missionaries to move their operations underground.

According to Bosco, Georgetown was born in a new context, into a young nation with the potential to embrace religious pluralism that European authorities had rejected. In establishing a Jesuit, Catholic university, Carroll hoped to utilize a humanities-based education to form virtuous members of society. Bosco said this history of suppression makes Carroll’s founding of

Georgetown as an explicitly Catholic, Jesuit school particularly profound.

“John Carroll’s decision to found the university on Jesuit and Catholic principles was a revolutionary thing, a radical idea,” Bosco said. “Catholicism was considered a ‘European thing’ at the time of the university’s founding.”

Bosco said he believes that Georgetown’s founding illuminated a path for religious acceptance at the advent of the United States, which has since compelled the university to invest in a rich history of interfaith dialogue and emphasize Catholic social thought and values like cura personalis, or care for the whole person.

“Doing things ‘Ad majorem Dei gloriam’ is the most fulfilling thing we can do on this Earth.”

MICHAEL CHORABIK (CAS 24) GEORGETOWN STUDENT

“John Carroll realized that pluralism is not something to be afraid of, and he realized that Jesuit values function as a catalyst for religious pluralism,” Bosco said. Bosco said Georgetown has aimed to better facilitate religious pluralism, particularly in the last 30 years. In 1999, Georgetown became the first U.S. university to hire a full-time Muslim chaplain, Imam Yahya Hendi, who serves as the school’s director of Muslim life.

“Jesuit values are also Muslim values, one could say, as well as being universal values,” Hendi told The Hoya.

“They are not only in one religion, they are not only in one tradition, rather they are universal values that all human beings can find meaning in.”

According to Bosco, Campus Ministry’s expansion only progressed the university’s mission of promoting justice.

“After Imam Hendi arrived, the campus ministry team realized that we need to take care of everyone — Muslims, Jews, Christians, atheists — and that we needed to be a team doing it,” Bosco said. “The role of a religious institution is to inspire people to be their best selves.”

In the same vein, the university’s call for students to become “people for others,” a Jesuit phrase which Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., a former Superior General of the Society of Jesus known for his dedication to social justice, coined, encourages students to empower those around them. Bosco said Georgetown students uniquely understand this call to social justice as a result of their Jesuit education.

“When you attend a Jesuit institution, you go through a way of understanding who you are,” Bosco said. “This leads to an understanding of how you can create a

better and more just world.”

Campus Discourse and Social Justice

Conversations on how Georgetown should incorporate traditional Jesuit and Catholic values into modern student life have at times created tension on campus, particularly on issues like religious and political freedom.

In October, the Georgetown Lecture Fund, an organization that invites speakers to campus and aims to spark student dialogue, invited the co-founders of the Satanic Temple, a religious institution that aims to fight against Christian values in American politics, Lucien Greaves and Malcolm Jerry, to speak on campus.

The event prompted widespread outcry from various faith organizations and students on campus, with Catholic Ministry hosting a service in Dahlgren Chapel at the same time as the event to respond.

Over 100 students signed a petition of discontent, believing that the event stood in direct opposition to the university’s Jesuit mission and ideals of mutual respect.

Michael Chorabik (CAS ’24) said he signed the petition because he thought the event went against the university’s Jesuit mission.

“I find it disheartening that, in inviting this group to campus, the university seems to prioritize free speech as its own end, as opposed to a means by which it can create a flourishing community,” Chorabik wrote to The Hoya

However, Zan Haq (SFS ’24), the Lecture Fund’s chair, said the organization’s goals aligned with the university’s aim of fostering dialogue.

“It’s about creating dialogue on campus with what’s happening in the world and making sure students both understand the perspectives that are important in the world but can also be critical of them,” Haq told The Hoya

A university spokesperson said that Georgetown is deeply committed to both free speech and inclusivity.

“As the nation’s oldest Catholic and Jesuit institution, Georgetown University is proud to be a university that deeply values our faith tradition and that encourages the free and open exchange of ideas,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “We are committed to being an inclusive campus and community that welcomes people of all faiths, races, ethnicities, sexualities, gender identities, abilities and backgrounds.”

Bosco said it is important for students to consider the nuances of tension between modernity and traditional religion.

“How do we make sure that being modern doesn’t become a mocking satire of Judaism, of Islam, of the Dharmic communities, of Catholicism or of Protestantism?” Bosco said. “I don’t think the students on the Lecture Fund intended to hurt anyone, but when any event brings somebody that belittles or mocks any religion it’s a very painful thing for those who hold dearly those tenets or that faith.” Bosco added that respectful disagreement is an important

part of Jesuit values.

“I think one of the great values of all of our Jesuit values is that we really listen to the other person, and that’s really what cura personalis is about,” Bosco said. “We don’t have to agree, but we have to make sure that when we disagree, that it’s not done as a pivotal moment of pain or of hurt or of this zero-sum game.”

“We can agree to disagree in a way that respects the dignity of the other person,” Bosco added.

Steck said he recognizes the need for diverse religious perspectives when discussing politics.

“I am delighted to be at a university where interreligious conversations can happen, where learning from other religious traditions can happen,” Steck said. “Especially in times of uncertainty, diverse dialogue emphasizes the importance of fostering a welcoming community for all.”

Steck said he has found that religious diversity has benefited Georgetown during ongoing protests and conversations over the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Since October, students have utilized the university’s campus as a medium of their free expression. Frequent protests, walk-outs and information sessions have only promoted the sharing of diverse opinions.

“The fact that we have a very active Muslim student body and the very fact that we have a very active Jewish student body has really served us well during the crisis in Gaza,” Steck said.

According to Steck, the Campus Ministry has aimed to respond to the conflict in Gaza by promoting dialogue. In January, the Office of Mission & Ministry hosted a dialogue between an Israeli mother and a Palestinian brother who both lost family members in the crisis in Gaza.

“There has been disagreement on how we navigate the issue of Gaza and what is happening, but I know we are doing it with civility and respect,” Hendi said.

According to Hendi, civility is the defining characteristic of a healthy community.

“The word ‘civilization’ is always understood through the eyes of physical growth — the construction of high-

ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIRE MIN/THE HOYA

Decisions like the Georgetown Lecture Fund’s choice to host leaders of the Satanic Temple sparked campus discourse about the role of Jesuit values in Georgetown’s mission today.

rise buildings, impressive highways and innovative infrastructure,” Hendi said. “However, civilizations are not measured by their physical look or facade; rather, civilizations are measured by the sense of civility that exists within the hearts of its citizens.”

Hendi said he commends the student body’s willingness to engage in difficult conversations around religious conflict.

“I have had Jewish students come into my office to talk about what is happening, to hear me, to hear my perspective, to hear their perspective,” he noted. “I know of Muslim students who engage with rabbis, asking how they navigate issues of social justice, economic justice and political justice.”

According to Steck, these dialogues have provided students with a sense of clarity amidst violence.

“It is important that conversations were already going on before this crisis, and they mitigate the temptation to create caricatures of the other side and, instead, convince students to see people as human beings — not as abstractions,” Steck said.

Incoming, Current and Outgoing

For incoming first-year James Long, Georgetown’s Jesuit identity offers a sense of comfort. A current high school senior from Knoxville, Tenn., Long has attended several Catholic schools and said he sees value in a religious education.

“Even though I don’t personally identify as a Catholic, over the last seven years I realized that the Catholics do education really well,” Long told The Hoya.

Long attended an admitted students’ weekend through the Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program (GAAP), a student-run organization that serves prospective and admitted students, and said he noticed that Georgetown’s emphasis on Jesuit values extended beyond a verbal commitment to religious diversity and care.

“Contrary to some other Catholic institutions that are really just solely focused on ‘We’re only going to provide religious services to you if you’re Catholic,’ I thought it was re-

ally special to see that there’s something for everyone whether you’re Protestant, or Orthodox Christian, or Jewish, or Hindu or Muslim,” Long said.

Chorabik is a graduate of Loyola Blakefield, an all-male Jesuit Catholic high school in Towson, Md.

Currently in his eighth year of Jesuit education and 19th year of Catholic education, Chorabik said that he has found immense personal value in a Jesuit education focused on a commitment to God and service.

“Doing things ‘Ad majorem Dei gloriam’ is the most fulfilling thing we can do on this Earth,” Chorabik told The Hoya. “It reminds us to do things not for ourselves, but for others.”

Reflecting on his own Georgetown experience, Chorabik said he has gained from the university’s emphasis on service, justice and peace in the world.

“There is a commitment to service that the university strives to instill in its students,” Chorabik said. “In completing service, Georgetown helps you improve, becoming a better person in mind, body and spirit.”

Julian Jimenez (CAS ’24) said Georgetown’s religious diversity has prepared him to fulfill his ambitions of attending seminary school en route to becoming a Catholic priest.

“Georgetown will actually help you to be a better Christian or Catholic by being a place that really allows other ideas, religions to do their own things,” Jimenez said. “I think it’s actually better to go to Georgetown, with its diversity, than to a school that is purely Catholic because you’re not really going to experience the friction that makes a good Catholic.”

Hendi said the true measure of Jesuit values lies in how students utilize them beyond a scholastic context.

“At the end of the day, values are measured by their impact on the community,” Hendi said. “The essence of these values lies in the ability to translate them into action, into policies that actually show on the ground, that make a difference in people’s lives.”

Scientist Highlights Gene Editing’s Uses In Medical Research at GUMC Seminar

Joseph Zuccarello Science Writer

A researcher highlighted gene editing and its therapeutic applications in a talk April 18.

Raj Chari, director of the Genome Modification Core Laboratory at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, an organization that provides gene editing resources, shared his research in a talk titled “Harnessing Genome Editing Technologies to Elucidate Cancer Biology.” This lecture was part of the Georgetown University Medical Center’s Distinguished Scientist Seminar Series, which invites researchers from around the country to share their expertise.

Genome editing is the process that allows scientists to change an organism’s DNA, including changing or cutting out sections of genetic code. Scientists adapted the CRISPR-Cas9 system, the most common genome editing system, from bacteria that use gene editing to defend themselves against viruses using a group of DNA segments collectively known as CRISPR to recognize certain sequences in the virus’ genetic code. Once they identify this viral DNA sequence, an RNA sequence called a guide

RNA will help Cas9, a specialized enzyme, navigate to the site where it must cleave the virus’ DNA.

Chari said the discovery of CRISPR-Cas9 revolutionized gene editing.

“The whole excitement of this field came with the finding that, number one, it was really easy to generate guide RNA to target any location in the genome, and that the frequency of these double-stranded breaks and the ability to make breaks was just orders of magnitude better than anything we had prior,” Chari said during the event.

In late 2013, Chari’s lab aimed to determine which guide RNAs would help the Cas9 protein effectively cut DNA in a specific location.

“Now we started thinking about why certain guide RNAs were actually gonna work — why certain guide RNAs were going to cut and why others were not,” Chari said.

“The question was, ‘Were there any sequence features that could tell us whether or not a particular guide RNA sequence would be effective?’”

However, these experiments require numerous data points, according to Chari. To address this need, Chari and his colleagues created dbGuide, a database of guide RNAs that researchers have used in the

past for gene editing. This allows researchers to search for useful target cells and guide RNAs.

“We decided to build a small library that encompassed genes that would be considered of high value and, with my background in cancer, I figured we would use cancer genes, channels and receptors,” Chari said.

With this data, Chari was able to create a machine learning model that could help predict whether a proposed guide RNA sequence could successfully direct the Cas9 protein to the desired location. A researcher can input the sequence that they want to cut and the model will provide a potentially successful way to achieve this splicing.

In addition to using gene editing to cut DNA, scientists can also use gene editing to modify gene expression, the process through which proteins are made from genes, according to Chari.

“This whole CRISPR system is like a Swiss Army knife in the sense that you have all these different functionalities that you can take from a single Cas9 protein,” Chari said.

Luca Mostofi (CAS ’25), a Georgetown University student who attended the seminar, said the plethora of uses for gene editing fascinated him.

Researcher Raj Chari discussed the therapeutic applications of gene editing, the CRISPR-Cas9 genome modification system in particular, in an April 18 seminar at the Georgetown University Medical Center.

“I thought Chari’s research and the multitude of uses for gene editing was super impressive,” Mostofi told The Hoya. “It was amazing to see how researchers have adapted gene editing for a multitude of uses. I’ve never really heard of a lab technique that can be used in such a wide variety of fields.”

Chari also elaborated on his lab’s collaborations with the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research, including using gene editing to degrade a specific protein and study the effect of its absence in nerve cells. Using this same technique, Chari even helped identify a

GU Conference Spotlights Space, Climate Change

Composer Felipe Pérez Santiago and cellist Cristina Arista invited audiences to consider humanity’s place in the universe and take responsibility for the climate crisis at an April 18 concert.

Santiago and Arista highlighted the intersection between art and science through their performances at an immersive concert event in Georgetown University’s Leavey Center Ballroom. The event, which also featured a visual art exhibition and stargazing, was part of the Earth at the Crossroads 2.0 conference, which the SETI Institute, a nonprofit which investigates the origins of life in the universe, and the Earth Commons, a Georgetown institute which studies sustainability and the environment, hosted.

The Earth at the Crossroads conference brought together scientists, artists, journalists, historians and policymakers to consider how discoveries in extraterrestrial science and exploration inform our response to the climate crisis.

Dagomar Degroot, associate professor of history at Georgetown and member of the Earth at the Crossroads steering committee, praised the event for its interdisciplinary approach.

“We think of Earth as just one among many other planets, so it’s taking a cosmic perspective, and that’s quite a unique thing actually,” Degroot told The Hoya “For that, you need a whole bunch of different specialists and different disciplines. But really you need to go beyond scholarship, beyond academia

and involve the arts as well.”

Bettina Foget, director of SETI’s Art in Residence program, co-curated the visual art exhibition with Jonathan Keats, a visual artist and member of the Earth at the Crossroads steering committee.

Foget said partnerships between artists and scientists are particularly valuable because both often ask similar questions.

“What the artists here are doing is fusing art and science but from the beginning,” Foget told The Hoya. “Right from the concept stage with shared research questions and experimentation, and sort of exploiting the convergence points between art and science.”

At the concert, Santiago played seven original songs from the Earthling Project, which compiles samples of human voices from across the globe into thematic songs. Santiago also performed three original songs with Arista, combining cello and electronic elements.

Santiago said he hopes connecting science to art and music will help make sciences more approachable.

“I think there is this terrible stereotype that science is boring or is for people that know a lot and are extremely intelligent,” Santiago told The Hoya. “So younger kids don’t want to approach science because they see ‘now this is not for me.’ I think art can maybe build that bridge and bring them also not only to music but to science.”

Arista said she finds the intersection of music and climate action and the opportunity to use her music to promote a larger message personally fulfilling.

“It’s very satisfying as a performer to have a message beyond

the music that attracts other kinds of public,” Arista told The Hoya. “I just think it’s a great idea not just for the audience but also for the people who are creating it to feel like they’re doing something for the environment.”

Keats said cosmic perspectives on climate change allow people to see the Earth as part of a bigger system and understand the consequences of its overexploitation.

“By virtue of getting off Earth in our thinking, we are able then to look at what we’re doing here on Earth, to consider the decisions that we make, the impact of our actions, not only as a matter of comparison but also as a matter of self-reflection,” Keats told The Hoya

However, the intersection of science and the arts is not unique to space exploration, according to Foget. As humanity confronts biodiversity loss, intense weather events, heat waves and decreased crop yields which climate change causes, Foget said incorporating the arts into the discourse on these issues could help motivate the public to action.

“It’s so important to not silo climate change in just the sciences because it is something that affects everyone,” Foget said. “So if you want to reach the general public, you need to cross disciplines into the arts, into the humanities as well, because the arts are a very effective strategy to connect on a human level.”

Medical, Legal Experts Weigh In On Abortion Bans

Audrey

Science Writer

The Georgetown University Global Health Institute invited four reproductive health and justice experts to weigh in on the human rights impacts of abortion bans in the United States at an April 18 online seminar. Georgetown’s O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law co-sponsored the talk, along with Ipas, an international organization that seeks to increase abortion and contraception access, and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), a non-profit group that advocates against human rights violations related to health care. The event preceded the United States Supreme Court’s move to hear arguments April 24 in Idaho v. United States and Moyle v. United States, cases that will decide if the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) — a federal law that requires hospitals that receive funding from Medicare to provide patients with stabilizing treatment — could supersede state abortion bans in emergency medical situations.

Rebecca Reingold, associate director of the O’Neill Institute and moderator of the discussion, said that, while many state bans allow abortion in cases where it is necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant person, such circumstances remain ill-defined.

“Medical exceptions frequently rely

on language that is confusing or unclear, making it extremely difficult for physicians to determine whether patients experiencing medical emergencies qualify,” Riggins said at the event. Idaho’s abortion ban — one of 14 total abortion bans at the state level — only permits abortion in cases of rape, incest and ectopic pregnancy, a life-threatening condition where the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. EMTALA, on the other hand, necessitates medical treatment, like abortion, in a more wide-ranging set of circumstances that pose harm to the patient.

Since the Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to abortion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the United States has stood in opposition to the global trend of abortion laws that increasingly make the procedure accessible, according to Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng, special rapporteur to the United Nations and adjunct professor at the Georgetown University Law Center.

“It has to be said that the United States is regressing,” Mofokeng said at the event. “They are the ones who are the outliers, they are not setting the standard for the rest of the world to follow. In fact, the ways in which they have politicized this particular issue — the ways in which non-governmental, religious, conservative movements have made a concerted effort to roll back these rights — it’s actually a

dissent against human rights.”

Payal Shah, director of the Program on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zones at PHR; Dr. Michael Belmonte, a PRH fellow and obstetrician-gynecologist in Washington, D.C.; and Dr. Guillermo Ortiz, an obstetrician-gynecologist from El Salvador and a senior medical advisor at Ipas, joined Mofokeng in discussing how international human rights standards and clinician experiences can inform reproductive justice efforts in the United States.

Shah’s research documents the experiences of physicians working in states with restrictive anti-abortion laws. Her interviews with clinicians revealed that they worry about the legal consequences of providing abortion, even if the procedure protects a pregnant person from death or injury. In Texas, doctors who perform abortions may face lengthy imprisonment, fines up to $100,000 or loss of their medical license, while other states, like Louisiana, have passed similar measures.

According to Shah, pregnant people can face physical and mental trauma when abortion bans force providers to delay or withhold patient care.

“Our research unequivocally illustrates that the criminalization of abortion and the unpredictability of medical exemptions is leading to a human rights crisis in the United States,” Shah said at the event.

Claire Deng (CAS ’25), a pre-medi-

cal student at Georgetown, said that such narrowly-defined medical exemptions to state abortion bans could make it challenging for practicing physicians — as well as future generations of doctors — to protect their patients from harm.

“It’s shocking that health care providers could risk their livelihoods by providing essential patient care,” Deng told The Hoya Belmonte agreed that navigating the United States’ evolving political landscape of abortion restrictions has grown increasingly challenging, especially as other domains of medicine face less interference from the government.

“Will I be second-guessed because a jury who doesn’t have my medical training and expertise is then going to decide if they felt like my judgment was wrong?” Belmonte asked at the event.

Mofokeng, who is also an abortion provider, said that defending human rights and destigmatizing abortion continues to underpin her calling to practice medicine.

“I think it’s important for us as health care workers — and providers generally — to understand our role and how the practice of medicine is being attacked and criminalized, but also the power that we have as advocates for patients and science,” Mofokeng said.

novel protein, thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG), that helps repair damage to single strands of DNA.

“For some proteins, you could have a loss of above 50% of the protein expression within 6 hours,” Chari said. “So again, it was a really amazing way to be able to get at essential genes and the effects of depleting them.”

Chari said researchers also use gene editing to modify the expression of proteins that reside on the cell membrane, allowing researchers to study essential pathways of the immune system.

“Cell surface protein-protein

interactions are important for cellcell communication, signal transduction and immune responses,” Chari said. “Recently developed drugs have targeted cell surface proteins and binding partners.” Mostofi also said that Chari’s seminar made him hopeful for future innovations.

“It was crazy to see how, in such a short period of time, so much advancement and application has happened in the gene editing research. I think that’s extremely encouraging,” Mostofi said. “I’d be interested to see what advancements there are in the near future.”

The Global Rise of Measles: A Case Study in Vaccine Hesitancy, Misinformation

In the United States, measles cases have increased 17-fold in the first quarter of 2024 alone, and epidemiologists are seeing similar patterns all over the world. Parts of England are experiencing their highest rates of measles since the 1990s, while the illness is prevalent in low- and middle-income countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Although scientists created an effective vaccine for this highly infectious disease over 40 years ago, around one in five children have not received measles vaccines and therefore face the highest risk of complications.

Measles acts as a “canary in the coal mine” — it highlights gaps in vaccination due to its high transmissibility. But why have we been seeing such a significant resurgence of this disease that could be gone if we wanted it to be?

There is no doubt that global vaccination programs have taken a hit due to global conflict, displacement and the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, another key culprit for the rising rate of preventable diseases is vaccine hesitancy. Though the pandemic highlighted vaccine hesitancy, the phenomenon existed long before then and is only getting worse.

As the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Immunization Week, which is dedicated to appreciating the growth of vaccination programs and developments in technology and approaches, we must examine this key issue that impacts us close to home and worldwide.

Dr. Edward Jenner created the first vaccine, which prevented the deadly disease smallpox through the injection of the less deadly cowpox virus, over 200 years ago. Jenner thereby coined the term “vaccine” from the Latin word for cow, vacca.

This vaccine allowed the world to eradicate smallpox in 1980. Since then, researchers have created dozens of vaccines to prevent diseases like hepatitis, influenza and polio.

However, the controversy started brewing much earlier. The 1905 Supreme Court case Jacobson v. Massachusetts saw observers first viewing vaccines through the lens of public skepticism, with the case questioning whether a state’s enforcement of compulsory vaccination infringes upon personal liberty.

One of the major drivers of vaccine hesitancy, however, brings us back to measles. Discredited physician Andrew Wakefield falsely linked the MMR vaccine — proven to prevent measles, mumps and rubella — to autism in a 1998 paper published in The Lancet, a prestigious public health journal. Researchers have completely debunked all of Wakefield’s claims, and The Lancet retracted the paper in 2010.

However, this scientific misin-

formation lives on in the eyes of the public. Misinformation has similarly driven hesitancy in the case of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. As a result, HPV vaccination rates are much lower than other vaccination rates — even those of vaccines made available to the public within the same year, like the tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccines. Claims on social media have linked the HPV vaccine to side effects like fainting and dizziness — but scientists have since proven that doctors can attribute these links to the anxiety and stress surrounding vaccination, rather than the vaccine itself.

Another important example of vaccine hesitancy lies in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Though considered a paramount scientific accomplishment of the 21st century, the rapid development and use of the COVID-19 vaccine caused trust in many vaccines to plummet. This phenomenon, “spillover hesitancy,” has resulted in mistrust of the influenza and measles vaccines, too. Vaccine hesitancy is casting its shadow around the world, resulting in drops in vaccine confidence in 52 out of 55 countries one UNICEF survey polled.

To understand how to combat this global issue, we must look back to its source: misinformation.

False claims about vaccines, propagated through social media and their politicization, are a significant aspect of vaccine hesitancy. Misinformation not only drives fear but also obstructs solutions. To mitigate vaccine misinformation and mistrust, it is important to understand how heterogeneous the problem is — vaccine hesitancy disproportionately affects certain populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities.

The prevalence of hesitancy, and subsequent lower vaccination rates, tend to exacerbate existing health disparities. To combat this, the WHO developed the Tailoring Immunization Programmes initiative, which uses a community’s values and beliefs to inform solutions. It is also important to foster community engagement through tailored communication techniques, which utilize practices like presumptive provider communication, where the provider relays information with the assumption that the individual will get vaccinated, to increase levels of understanding and build trust. Vaccine advocates should also use social media to their advantage, making both tailored communication and broader vaccine campaigns more accessible and visible.

The fundamental principle of vaccines lies in herd immunity, the concept that vaccinating a certain percentage of the population prevents the spread of the disease overall. Every person, as part of a larger community, can act as a vaccine advocate, taking the initiative to learn more about vaccine efficacy and tackle misinformation and polarization. It’s time to combat vaccine hesitancy. Our lives — and the lives of others — depend on it.

ILLUSTRATION BY: ROHINI KUDVA/THE HOYA

Twyford

Camille Vandeveer

Senior Science Editor

CAMILLE VANDEVEER/THE HOYA

Cellists performed, artists exhibited their works and speakers highlighted space science and climatology at the Earth at the Crossroads Conference April 18.

Keerthana Ramanathan Science Columnist

IN FOCUS

Earth Day River Cleanup Sparks SCS Action

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Talks Tensions in Middle East, Ukraine

Haan Jun (Ryan) Lee

Senior Photo Editor

General Charles Q. Brown, Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, addressed a series of national defense policy questions for ongoing global conflicts at Georgetown University April 25. The event was hosted by the Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) and co-sponsored by the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), Security Studies Program, the Georgetown University Military and Veterans Resource Center and the National Defense Policy Initiative. Brown joined Dan Lamothe, GU Politics fellow and national security reporter for The Washington Post, to discuss militarized conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, which continue to dominate U.S. defense and foreign policy dialogue.

Although Brown said he was not expecting the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 in his first week on the job, he felt quickly brought up to speed.

“It’s what came onto the plate there, and from the very beginning, we looked at how do we deter future conflict, at the same time protecting our forces, and then supporting Israel to defend itself,” Brown said at the event.

A former chief of staff in the U.S. Air Force and command pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours, Brown was sworn in as chairman on Oct. 1, 2023. His predecessor General Mark Milley joined the SFS in February 2023 as a distinguished fellow in residence. Brown said he feels restrain-

ing broader conflict is integral to containing military escalation, particularly in response to Iran’s increasing military involvement in the Middle East.

On April 13, after Israel attacked the Iranian embassy in Damascus, Syria, Iran launched a direct drone and ballistic missile attack on Israeli territory.

Brown said he believes Iran should not further escalate the regional conflict to avoid any spillover of the conflict.

“The things they do could be the spark of a broader conflict, and they need to think twice about how they respond and how they act, how they use their proxies,” Brown said. “I want to make sure that as we operate in the region –– as we say things publicly –– to make sure they understand our goal not to get to conflict.”

The U.S. military’s role in Israel and Gaza has expanded in recent months — most notably as U.S. troops progress in their construction of a pier off the coast of Gaza to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid.

Brown said the military’s expanded role in advancing the humanitarian dialogue is important as the Israel-Hamas war moves forward, with the pier acting as a catalyst.

“What it has done is actually energize various entities in humanitarian assistance,” Brown said. “This is not to be a long-term solution. But what it has done is start to energize and create dialogue.”

Brown also expressed appreciation for the $95 billion military aid package signed by President Joe Biden on April 24. With $14

billion allocated for Israel and an additional $1 billion for Gaza humanitarian aid, the majority of the package –– $60.8 billion –– is expected to head to Ukraine.

Brown said the aid package was especially crucial for Ukraine in a key stretch of fighting in the Russo-Ukrainian war.

“This aid for Ukraine is so important because when they’re provided with capability, they’ve been proven, they’ve been effective,” Brown said. “Ukraine was able to buy their army much more capable than itself. It was able to not only stop Russia from doing things very quickly, Ukraine was able to get back into service territory that was lost at the initial parts of the campaign.”

Brown also addressed more domestic concerns, including an increasing loss of public faith in the military. He said he emphasizes leadership by example, with officers upholding the nonpartisan nature of the armed forces and staying faithful to the office.

Brown said that despite challenges, he has full confidence in the military’s capability to navigate the ongoing geopolitical turmoils.

“I don’t have a lot of concern, because I have complete confidence in our force,” Brown said.

Brown added that in addition to developing individual branches and troop skill sets, collaboration is necessary as the military moves forward in an uncertain world.

“We bring it together with allies and partners, the interagency so that we are our adversaries’ worst nightmare,” Brown said. “Every day they wake up, they go, ‘Not today.’”

WHAT’S NEW IN MULTIMEDIA?

SIX

Behind the Bulldog: Liam Mason and Zach Schulman on Hockey, Philanthropy and Team Bonding: Check out the newest episode of “Behind the Bulldog,” where host Teddy Gerkin (CAS ’26) interviews Liam Mason (CAS ’26) and Zach Schulman (CAS ’27) about their Georgetown Hockey experiences.

All podcasts are available to stream on Spotify, Soundcloud and thehoya. com. Videos are available on YouTube and thehoya.com.

Third Annual Earth Week Highlights Sustainability, Clean Water Awareness

Nola Goodwin

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University Earth Week Collaborative, a group organizing on-campus events to celebrate the environment, hosted their third annual Earth Week April 21 to April 28. The Earth Week Collaborative aims to highlight sustainability and environmental issues both on and off campus, including through raising money for the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to protecting the right to clean water.

The Georgetown Earth Commons, the center for environmental education on campus, and the Office of Sustainability recently awarded the Earth Week Collaborative with the Green Commons Award, a financial grant that recognizes and supports initiatives for environmental change.

Charvee Dua (CAS ’25), a co-chair of the Earth Week Collaborative, said the group’s main goal is to bring together organizations that may not be explicitly connected to environmental issues.

“We did an event with Students for Justice in Palestine this year and we’re also doing a climate policy panel with the Georgetown College Democrats — things that aren’t necessarily inherently environmental. We’re getting more students on campus to think about sustainability and just celebrate the week,” Dua told The Hoya Cate Ledoux (CAS ’25), the other co-chair, said that the celebration provides opportunities for students to get involved without committing

to joining a specific club.

Full disclosure: Cate Ledoux formerly served as an assistant copy editor for The Hoya.

“There are so many people who are environmentally-minded or care about the environment without necessarily being part of one of the tentpole environmental clubs, so I feel like this week is really for everyone to join in on,”

Ledoux told The Hoya Organizations participating included Georgetown Bubble, which sells bubble tea at campus events; The Corp, a student-run non-profit; Georgetown University College Democrats (GUCD) and the Georgetown radio station, WGTB.

Dua added that she is particularly excited about the benefit concert on Copley Lawn April 28, hosted by WGTB, to end the celebration, as she hopes it will draw in a wider variety of people and increase the Collaborative’s visibility.

“We’re hoping that people will just be walking by and listen to the music and want to come sit down for a bit. I think it’ll be a fun celebration at the end of the week to finish things off,” Dua said. Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network (GREEN) also aided in planning Earth Week events.

Jack Hoeffler (CAS ’25), co-president of GREEN, said that he hopes GREEN will be able to continue connecting Georgetown students with similar interests through events like Earth Week.

“There are really great environ

mental opportunities all across campus and often we have peo

ple show up and say ‘I’m really interested in environmentalism

but I don’t know what to do,’ and we have so many things we can recommend,” Hoeffler told The Hoya

Hoeffler added that GREEN’s size means it has more funding than other student environmental groups, which he hopes will help support additional opportunities.

“We’re a large club with a lot of funding, and we can provide that pretty generally,” Hoeffler said. “We’re a welcoming club, and we can use our fund to help encourage people to join other environmental clubs that have more specific agendas.”

Dua said that the financial aid from the Earth Commons Award has been a major help for the Collaborative expanding the group’s mission and planning events throughout the week.

“Having that source of funding, since we aren’t technically a student organization through the CSE, and people to support our mission has been really helpful and has helped us to do some of these bigger events,” Dua said.

Dua added that she hopes the Collaborative will grow and improve the celebration in the future, becoming more self-sufficient in coming years and hosting more of their own signature events.

“We’re constantly thinking of new ideas about what could work, and especially now that we have some funding, it’s easier for us to implement those and not necessarily have to put those onto another club,” Dua said. “So while we are excited for tons of collaborations, we’re also excited to have some more bandwidth to do these exciting events we’ve been dream-

Two University Fundraisers Honor Matteo Sachman at GU and Abroad

Jack Willis and Evie Steele Executive Editor and Editor-in-Chief

Two Georgetown University organizations hosted an all-day fundraising event April 18 in honor of Matteo Sachman, a first-year student whom others remembered for his spontaneity and kindness and who died Jan. 1.

Two organizations with which Sachman was involved — Hilltop Taproom, an on-campus restaurant and bar located in the Healey Family Student Center (HFSC), and Homeless Outreach Programs and Education (HOPE), a student organization that offers resources to homeless Washington, D.C. residents — collaborated to create a special Matteo’s Menu featuring some of his favorite foods. The organizers donated all proceeds to the newly-created Matteo Sachman Magis Immersion Endowed Fund, which will financially support undergraduates who participate in Magis seminars, university-run religious immersion trips.

Laura Montgomery (CAS ’26), co-president of HOPE, said club members felt compelled to honor Sachman’s legacy as a friend and member of the club throughout his time on the Hilltop — a sentiment that translated into a resounding turnout at the event.

“When I was in the HFSC, I heard a lot of people just talking about, ‘The fundraiser’s today, the fundraiser’s today,’ and it’s

people I don’t even know who probably haven’t even heard of HOPE,” Montgomery said. “The turnout was great. Most of the seats were filled most of the time and so many people were ordering the food that they had to stop for a bit to catch up.”

“Everyone just wanted to do anything they can to help memorialize him,” she added.

Montgomery said she remembers Sachman fondly from an interaction that she witnessed at a HOME outreach event on a rainy December day last year. After noticing a hole in a tent belonging to a homeless person, Montgomery said Sachman immediately stepped in to help.

“One of the people had a big hole in their tent, and so he went up to them and helped them,” Montgomery said. “He took the time to make a makeshift tarp over it — he spent a lot of time on it. I think that’s just who he was. He would do anything to give a helping hand to anyone.”

Sachman’s father Stephen said his family set up the fund to help keep Matteo Sachman’s memory and presence alive at Georgetown, while also providing the opportunity for students to participate in once-in-a-lifetime spiritual trips.

“We wanted to do something that would help Matteo’s memory live on to be representative of some of the values that he embodied, which were really, first and foremost, selflessly caring

for other people,” Stephen Sachman told The Hoya. “It’s going to facilitate a lot of, I think, profound experiences for Georgetown undergrads in perpetuity.”

Fr. Mark Bosco, S.J., the university’s vice president for mission and ministry, who oversees the Magis trips, said Sachman approached him one Sunday about applying to join a trip to Rome for a course on the theology of pilgrimage.

“One of the reasons why the fund is going to help provide scholarship money to the Magis Immersion Seminars that Mission & Ministry runs each spring semester is because Matteo came up to me after Mass last September and told me he wanted to apply for the Rome course,” Bosco wrote to The Hoya

Matteo Sachman’s brother Nicholas Sachman (SFS ’25) said Matteo, an avid traveler who visited over 20 countries, lived a life of adventure and discovery, building meaningful connections from Greece to Tanzania to Australia.

“From the moment he could walk, Matteo chased horizons,” Nicholas Sachman wrote to The Hoya. “With a zeal for the unknown and a boundless spirit, he embraced the world around him with an open heart.”

This year, the Magis Immersion Seminars took students as religious or spiritual pilgrims to four countries: Italy, Greece, Jordan and South Korea.

Stephen Sachman said besides supporting students’ attendance on these trips, the fund will also allow students to learn about Matteo and his love of faith and travel.

“My family and I are going to make sure that everyone that gets a grant is aware of who Matteo was and what he stood for and why this exists,” Stephen Sachman said. “So it’s a very, very powerful memorial to a really beautiful human being.”

The fund will grant students like Eli Martin (SFS ’24), who traveled to Greece for a Magis seminar on St. Paul, the opportunity to engage in international experiences rooted in reflection and pilgrimage.

“The Magis seminar was so encouraging for me, spiritually,” Martin told The Hoya. “Seeing these places where he so boldly ministered and was put on trial, even put in prison, was just an incredible way to add color to my faith through this time.”

Nicholas Sachman said he will carry with him an appreciation for how his brother engaged with the world through an open mind and compassionate spirit.

“I am profoundly grateful to have journeyed alongside Matteo — to have been part of his endless quest for the next horizon,” Nicholas Sachman wrote to The Hoya. “As we remember Matteo, I hope we can hold close his unyielding passion for exploration and connection.”

Students at the Georgetown University School of Continuing Studies (SCS) participated in

cleanup event

Georgetown Students, Faculty Rally

For Gaza, Divestment; March to GWU

RALLY, from A1 end to the occupation of Palestine,” Wessels told The Hoya. “I support our demands for divestment from companies that profit off of death and genocide and apartheid.”

A Georgetown University spokesperson referred The Hoya to University President John J. DeGioia’s (CAS ’79, GRD ’95) April 1 call for choices which promote life over death and justice over wrongdoing, including a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages.

“In the Middle East, it begins with access to humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages, and an immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” DeGioia wrote in an email to students. “And we must recognize that so much more will be required if we can support the choices of “life…reconciliation…justice… relationship…dialogue.” These are vital issues we must address to achieve lasting peace.”

College campuses across the United States, notably Columbia University, Barnard College and the University of Texas at Austin, have become a hotbed for calls against the IDF’s military siege on Gaza, where soldiers have killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to a report from the EuroMediterranean Human Rights Monitor, a nonprofit advocating for the protection of human rights, and damaged over 80% of schools.

At the Georgetown rally, Fida Adely, an FSJP member, professor of Arab studies and director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS), a center in Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service dedicated to studying the Arab world, addressed the crowd and said Israeli military action in Gaza constituted a genocide.

“No reasonable observer of the carnage in Gaza, of the killing of 40,000 civilians, the carpet bombing, the destruction of every university, of over 80% of schools, of archives, libraries, mosques, churches, essential infrastructure, hospitals, bakeries, no reasonable observer can deny that what we have seen and what we continue to witness is genocide,” Adely said at the event.

At the rally, Selina Al-Shihabi (SFS ’26), a member of SJP, condemned Georgetown’s administration for refusing to take stronger action in support of Palestine.

“I know many of us have sat in frustration for the past 200-plus days, wondering how a genocide is possible in front of us, in front of everyone around the world, and people are just not speaking up,” Al-Shihabi said at the rally. “But my administration doesn’t feel the same way. The administration that’s supposed to protect me, the administration and the system that has taught me since I was a child that I have the right to live, that I have the right to happiness, that I have the right to basic necessities such as food or water.”

Wessels said the large-scale student protests throughout the United States reflect widespread dissatisfaction among students with colleges’ responses to the conflict in Gaza.

“I think all of our universities have to do a lot more,” Wessels said. “I think at Georgetown, I appreciated the President calling for a ceasefire. It’s better than what most universities are doing, but we can always do more. We need to divest money out of companies that profit off of the surveillance of Palestinians, such as Alphabet and Amazon.”

At the rally, protesters linked Georgetown’s investments in technology companies to the bombings of universities and schools in Gaza.

“Disclose, divest. We will not stop, we will not rest,” protesters chanted at the event. “Louder, louder, say it more, not a conflict, not a war. Israel bombs, Georgetown pays, how many schools did you bomb today?”

Melanie White, a professor in Georgetown’s department of Black studies and women’s and gender studies program who is a member of FSJP, said she attended the event to support her students in calling for ceasefire and divestment.

“I’m here as a faculty member, as someone who’s part of Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, here to support students at GU, at GW, all over D.C., all over the country, all over the world, who are leading the way, paving the path for what standing up for justice, for Palestinians and Palestine looks like,” White told The Hoya. “I thought it was really important to show my support as a

While they have praised DeGioia’s call for a ceasefire, SJP, FSJP and Zeytoun have called on the university to also divest from companies such as Amazon and Alphabet Inc., Google’s holding company, that sell technology to the Israeli military. FSJP also released a statement announcing that affiliated faculty members would boycott collaborations with Barnard and Columbia until they reinstate suspended students and student organizations and end their police response to protest there.

GU Students,

faculty member and truly join this student-led movement.”

“I want to echo and project their demands, for disclosure and divestment from funding the genocide in Palestine and also echoing their demands that this is all about solidarity with Palestinians,” White added.

Brandon Wu (SFS ’24, GRD ’25), who attended the protest, said it is crucial for D.C. students to protest because their movements are more visible to policymakers.

“The fact that students in our nation’s capital are fighting and advocating, whether at the White House, whether it’s Congress, within the State Department, or even at GW signals that like we’re not, again, we want to urge our nation’s policymakers to actually give a damn,” Wu told The Hoya Adely said that despite the destruction in Gaza, the outpouring of student activism on campuses across the United States gives her hope.

“It is hopeful because despite the vast resources and organizational might being mobilized in the United States to censor and silence those advocating for freedom and justice, we have not been silent,” Adely said. “Students around the country are saying no, we will not be silent, we will not be complicit and we will not stand by and watch a genocide unfold.”

Rory Dixon (SFS ’25), another protester, said he felt the protest allowed students to overcome Georgetown’s often competitive environment.

“Oftentimes in our classes and our day-to-day life, we feel like we are either competing against each other because of the structures of classes, or because of just, we’re all living our different lives and all focused on our own things,” Dixon told The Hoya. “But now, we all feel like we’re fighting for a bigger cause. Like we’re united in our shared belief in justice and in life and in peace.”

Al-Shihabi told the audience that student activists have immense power to make change, saying historical movements in the past depended on student activism.

“We see it across all campuses, we see students waking up, and deciding that it’s time for change,” Al-Shihabi said. “If you look back in history, at every historical movement that has been for good, it’s always been that students stand up — on campuses, around the world and around the U.S. — and demand change, that change comes, and change comes fast.”

Faculty, Staff

Join Tent Encampment at GWU Plaza

ENCAMPMENT, from A1 and professor of Arab studies at Georgetown, said the march and encampment were powerful demonstrations of solidarity with Palestinians.

“We had faculty and students, I think almost 200 of us walked over here together,” Adely told The Hoya “It was very powerful, and I think in this moment — where we’re seeing student activism across the country, on a scale that we haven’t seen in decades, maybe, and student activism that has been really strongly repressed in many places — it was good to be able to show our solidarity.”

George Washington University wrote in a 7:50 p.m. statement that the university is currently in conversation with D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to determine its response to the ongoing encampment.

“As we said earlier, the encampment is an unauthorized use of university space and violates several university policies,” the statement reads. “The university and MPD are continuing to work in coordination to determine how to best address the situation and ensure student compliance with those policies.”

Since October, the Georgetown chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), FSJP and Zeytoun, a Georgetown graduate student, faculty and staff organization that advocates for decolonization in Southwest Asia and North Africa, have hosted protests, die-ins and teach-ins, with the April 25 protests marking the largest yet.

Yasin Shami, an external organizer who attended the protest, said he did not plan the protests but participated to demonstrate his support for student protesters.

“The students standing up, it couldn’t be the university that has a long, ugly track record of suppressing them in the ugliest, malicious, most malicious and bad faith ways,” Shami told The Hoya. “For them to be able, students, to galvanize students from

other universities, to come together and unite to do this is remarkable. So I’m here to support whatever I can.”

While chanting, protesters denounced the IDF, which they referred to as the Israel Occupation Forces, or IOF, and called for intifada, a term that refers to periods of intense uprisings in Palestine against Israel.

“They’ll be in the hall of shame. We’ll be in the Hall of Fame,” protesters chanted at the encampment. “Whose campus? Our campus! Long live the intifada, intifada revolution. There is only one solution, intifada revolution.”

Cale Josephs (SFS ’24) said he attended the protest to push Georgetown and other university administrators to better respond to the conflict in Gaza.

“I would like to see them unequivocally denounce the censure of freedom of speech protests, just assembly happening elsewhere across campuses across this country,” Josephs told The Hoya. “I would also like to see the deplatforming of IOF individuals who have committed atrocities in the Gaza Strip and elsewhere and a complete divestiture from projects and organizations that work with the Israeli Zionist government.”

Counter-protesters arrived at University Yard at around 1:30 p.m., carrying two Israeli flags. Skyler Sieradzky, a senior at GWU and one of the counter-protesters, said she wanted to demonstrate her solidarity with Israel.

“I think that it was important for me to be here today to show solidarity with my friends and family in Israel and with my people,” Sieradzky told The Hoya. “I think that it’s important also to show that we won’t be intimidated and signs like calling for the extermination of my friends, my family and me, such as ‘From the river to the sea,’ won’t intimidate us, and we will persevere as a people.”

“Not all of us are Jewish, but the Zionist community on GW’s campus is still very much alive,”

Stalemate at GWU Encampment Continues Past Police Deadline

STALEMATE, from A1

Sieradzky added.

During the evening, the protests swelled.

“Smash Zionism,” protesters chanted. “We want to wipe it off the face of the planet. We want to end the Zionist occupation of Palestine. Today and forever, we want to end settler colonialism everywhere.”

Akanksha Sinha (SFS ’23), a staff member at Georgetown and organizer with Georgetown’s chapters of FSJP and Zeytoun, lauded the protesters for their solidarity.

“Seeing all members of our community — various ages, various backgrounds — showing up in very active ways to ensure that we are doing everything to protect each other, that has been really moving, and the students, I mean, kudos to them,” Sinha told The Hoya. “I’ve just never seen this level of incredible organization before in my lifetime.” Sinha said she and other FSJP protesters joined to ensure student safety.

“We’ve seen what’s happened in Columbia, Barnard, UT Austin, USC, we’ve seen an incredible, incredible amount of cop mobilization, and D.C. is notorious for that,” Sinha said.

“We’re here to protect our students.”

Adely said the diverse array of students and faculty attending the encampment shows the strength of pro-Palestine protests.

“This is a peaceful movement, and it’s a movement for justice,” Adely said.

“And this is precisely what I would expect — is a diverse crowd, people in solidarity with each other, people caring for each other, and people willing to take a stand for justice.”

Adely said the diverse array of students and faculty attending the encampment shows the strength of pro-Palestine protests.

“This is a peaceful movement, and it’s a movement for justice,” Adely said.

“And this is precisely what I would expect — is a diverse crowd, people in solidarity with each other, people caring for each other, and people willing to take a stand for justice.”

Student Coalition for Palestine, an alliance of student organizations advocating for the liberation of Palestine and for GWU to divest from companies providing technology or financial support to Israel, which the group posted on Instagram late April 25, said student protesters will hold their position in University Yard.

“GW Admin and MPD thought they could sweep the GW Gaza Solidarity Encampment at 7pm,” the statement read. “But in their arrogance, they underestimated the power of the people!! Four hours past the supposed deadline, the community is still going strong and numbers are growing! Keep coming through to deter the police all night and ensure the encampment lasts through to tomorrow!”

GWU wrote in a 7:50 p.m. statement that the university is currently in conversation with D.C.’s MPD to determine its response to the ongoing encampment.

“The encampment is an unauthorized use of university space and violates several university policies,” the statement reads. “The university and MPD are continuing to work in coordination to determine how to best address the situation and ensure student compliance with those policies.”

Buscarino said the protests demonstrate hope for a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Gaza.

“I believe that there is a way forward for peace,” Buscarino said. “I believe that there’s a way forward for justice. I believe that there’s a way forward for human rights that is being overlooked by the people in power.”

Buscarino said he attended the encampment to demonstrate his support for human rights and peace.

“That’s really why I’m here, to show support for all those who believe — rightfully so — that the people in power do not care about human rights, human justice and the well-being of all people around the world,” Buscarino said.

At the event, protesters criticized MPD, tying them to the IDF, which they referred to as the IOF or Israeli Occupation Force.

“MPD, KKK, IOF, you’re all the same,” protesters chanted. “MPD,

what do you say? We know you’re Israeli-trained.”

While Buscarino expressed solidarity with protesters in the encampment, he said he disagreed with certain chants, especially those calling for the elimination of the state of Israel.

“I think the Israeli state should exist as a state,” Buscarino said. “I disagree with the way that they run the Israeli government. I disagree with, of course, the bombings of Gaza. I disagree with anything that has to do with the way they socially discriminate against Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, within the walls of the holy cities. But I fundamentally believe that there is good in a Jewish state. I just don’t agree with how that state is being run.”

Although Georgetown President John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95) called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages April 1, GWU President Ellen Granberg has declined to support students’ demand for a ceasefire.

At the protest, demonstrators called for colleges to protect student protesters and pro-Palestinian speech on their campuses. Members of Georgetown’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a pro-Palestinian student advocacy organization, specifically called for Georgetown to divest from Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, and Amazon over their ties to the IDF.

Connor Marrott, a junior at the University of Notre Dame conducting research as a visiting student at Georgetown for the semester, said both universities’ failure to divest from companies supporting the IDF has disappointed him, but Georgetown students’ commitment to pro-Palestinian advocacy has encouraged him.

“In D.C. and just the DMV area in general, it seems like it’s much more mobilized than we are at Notre Dame, and I’ve actually been really encouraged by a lot of the Georgetown students, especially because I think the Georgetown students are picking up on the Catholic connection and the Catholic duty,” Marrott told The Hoya

“I would say Georgetown is very encouraging on that front, but also I share the organizers’ concerns about investment,” Marrott added. Eliana Troper (GRD ’25), another protester, lauded student protesters’ unity.

“The big message is that all of these students are here united against the genocide that’s going on and you have a lot of people from a lot of different backgrounds,” Troper told The Hoya. “I’m very proud of all the people here who are fighting for that, and I hope that the universities do what they should and listen to their students.”

Krina Shah, a first-year student at GWU who attended the protests both earlier in the day and after the 7 p.m. deadline, said she found the encampment and its continued survival inspiring.

“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to be here when this is happening to witness something like this,” Shah told The Hoya “This shouldn’t be happening in the world. But everyone coming together under a common idea regardless of who they are — everyone’s just coming together to support and fight for something.”

Kaia Tien, an attendee unaffiliated with Georgetown and GWU, said she was glad to see students from different universities join the protest, adding that calls for a ceasefire are only a first step.

“I think it was really great to hear how many universities came out, like how many people from different schools,” Tien told The Hoya. “I think it’s a good first step, but I also think that there’s so much more to be done. And I don’t want people to be placated by just that first step and just continue to ask them more.” Troper said she hoped student protesters would continue to fight for universities to divest from Israel and condemn Israeli military action in Gaza.

“I’m very proud of all the people here who are fighting for that and I hope that the universities do what they should and listen to their students,” Troper said. “And if that happens, then hopefully, people will keep up the energy and continue protesting.”

MAREN FAGAN/THE HOYA

A Palestinian flag flew as Georgetown University students, faculty and staff rallied for a ceasefire in Gaza in front of Healy Hall before marching to an encampment at George Washington University.

MAREN FAGAN/THE HOYA

Students, faculty and staff from eight local universities protested at a tent encampment in University Yard on George Washington University’s campus during the evening of April 25.

Global Expo Celebrates International Culture, Showcases Cuisine

Kate Hwang Student Life Desk Editor

Georgetown University’s International Student Association (ISA) and the Office of Global Services (OGS) hosted their 11th annual Global Expo, an international food festival and cultural showcase, to celebrate international culture through cuisine and performance April 20.

Global Expo coincided with Georgetown Admissions Ambassador Program (GAAP) Weekend, during which prospective students visit Georgetown, and allowed cultural clubs to meet both prospective and current students.

The event gathered more than 20 student clubs serving food and presenting performers, with 400 current and prospective students participating in the Global Expo, according to event organizers.

Jorge Domingo Garcia (SFS ’25), chair of ISA, said the Global Expo aimed to create an inclusive and diverse environment by giving student organizations the platform to share their cultures.

“We believe it is essential to give student organizations the opportunity and necessary resources to remain active and vocal,” Domingo Garcia wrote to The Hoya. “This is part of the reason why the ISA makes its mission to financially and materially support any organization that wants to participate, ensuring Global Expo is as inclusive, plural and accessible as possible.” Georgetown has 3,244 international students, which constitutes 15% of the student body. Some of the cultural clubs present

included the Latin American Student Association (LASA), Project Rural India Social & Health Improvement (RISHI) and the Brazilian Student Association.

Mateo De Ferrari (MSB ’26), treasurer for LASA, said the Global Expo is important to LASA because food helps facilitate community in Latin American culture.

“Food is one of the things that unite us the most, and, in this case, we brought Mexican food for this event,” De Ferrari told The Hoya. “But usually we bring food from everywhere in Latin America.”

Shreya Arora (SOH ’24), co-president and founder of Project RISHI, a student-run non-profit club that aims to address inequality in rural India, said Global Expo allowed the club to present their culture to a larger student body, including prospective students.

“I think it’s wonderful to both represent our club here and get a chance to interact and meet with a lot of the other cultural organizations on campus and just share what we do and a little bit of our cultural food,” Arora told The Hoya Domingo Garcia said cultural clubs play a pivotal role in Georgetown student life in allowing students to maintain ties to their heritage.

“Cultural student clubs on campus serve as a second family to many students who want to maintain a connection to their heritage or find a place of belonging,” Domingo Garcia wrote.

“Events such as Global Expo have a mission to protect and provide welcoming spaces for these orga-

MSB Psaros Center Picks 14 Students as Financial Policy Scholars Cohort

Caleigh Keating Hoya Staff Writer

The Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy, a research center housed within the McDonough School of Business (MSB) that focuses on the intersection of global finance and policy, announced a cohort of 14 students who will take part in the second annual FinPolicy Trek on April 15.

The FinPolicy Trek, which will run from May 13 to 17, offers selected students the opportunity to visit landmark policy and financial institutions in Washington, D.C., and New York City, N.Y., including the United States Department of Commerce and Goldman Sachs, a global investment and securities firm, to learn firsthand about current issues facing the finance and technology industries. This year’s cohort of scholars features first-year, sophomore and junior students across the MSB, College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) and School of Foreign Service (SFS).

The 14 students will also join the FinPolicy Trek Scholars Program, which offers previous FinPolicy Trek attendees opportunities to learn from policymakers, market participants and other professionals in related fields through a monthly dinner and speaker series.

Reena Aggarwal, founding director of the Psaros Center, said the FinPolicy Trek allows students to see how policy affects the financial world.

“The Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy hopes that the FinPolicy Trek helps students understand the impact of policy and regulation on the functioning of global financial markets,” Aggarwal wrote to The Hoya. “Students have an opportunity to learn about the current issues faced by policymakers and business leaders.”

Anvitha Reddy (SFS ’26), a 2024 FinPolicy Trek scholar, said the Trek offers a unique opportunity to learn directly from industry leaders and explore how different firms interact with each other.

“It’s just a really unique way of getting knowledge directly from the people that run it and I think that it’s a program that offers something that I don’t think is very accessible necessarily,” Reddy told The Hoya

“It’s a great way to complement some of the things I learned in my classes, because you get to hear from real world leaders in their field. I think there’s a really unique interplay between all of these organizations and to get to hear from all of them is a really great opportunity,” she added.

David Vandivier, executive director of the Psaros Center and organizer of the FinPolicy Trek, said the Trek gives students a chance to learn about government and finance by

nizations that are so crucial to so

many Georgetown students.”

Keyon Majidi (SFS ’27) attended the Global Expo and said he enjoyed learning about different cultures through their cuisine.

“I had not heard about it at all beforehand or had it on my radar, but I walked over with some friends and tried out some interesting foods,” Majidi wrote to The Hoya. “I feel like cuisine is a pretty easy way to interact with and learn about other cultures.”

Domingo Garcia said the Global Expo allows international students to celebrate their cultures without feeling pressured to assimilate into American culture.

“Georgetown prides itself on its international identity, however, international students are often neglected or go unrecognized,” Domingo Garcia wrote.

“Global Expo aims to celebrate cultures on campus making no compromises and ensuring all communities can be themselves without having to cave into the pressure of assimilating to an American way of life.”

Domingo Garcia said Global Expo empowers international students, who come from different backgrounds and cannot be attributed to a single category.

“The international student population at Georgetown is incredibly multifaceted and diverse and it simply cannot be boiled down to a sole ‘international’ identity,” Domingo Garcia wrote. “Global Expo aims whatever it can to empower the many international communities that make up and shape our campus every day.”

Georgetown Students Present Humanities Research Findings at College of Arts & Sciences Colloquium

Nora Toscano Academics Desk Editor

hearing directly from prominent figures in those industries.

“One of the things that we believe, here at the Psaros Center, is that it’s a great way to experience the intersection of finance and policy by actually hearing from officials and market participants who are involved in these issues,” Vandivier told The Hoya. “We really try and give them a hands on experience”

Rafael Bruder (MSB ’27), another 2024 FinPolicy Trek scholar, said he is excited to gain an insider’s perspective on the workings of the government and financial industries.

“I hope to not only learn more about each governmental and private sector institution but to see inside and close up how they operate and what each industry works with behind the scenes,” Bruder wrote to The Hoya. “I think it will be cool to visit the normally hard-toaccess White House and Treasury as well as network with investment banking and asset management professionals in New York.”

Hailey Walker (MSB ’26), a 2023 FinPolicy Trek scholar and a student assistant at the Psaros Center, said she especially enjoyed learning about the interaction between the policy and financial sectors and connecting with industry leaders during last year’s Trek.

“I thought it was really cool to learn about how these government entities manage economic policy and then going to New York, seeing how these just massive financial institutions truly operate and the way that the government and the business side of things, just the public and private sectors are very interconnected,” Walker told The Hoya. “As things were coming up in the news, we were able to discuss that with the people who are directly handling it and I thought that that’s one of the most special things about the FinPolicy Trek.”

Vandivier said he hopes this year’s cohort of students will similarly be able to engage with policymakers and finance executives against the backdrop of real-world events, referencing last year’s unexpected theme of the debt ceiling, the limit set by Congress on how much debt the U.S. Treasury can incur.

“These students were able to ask these questions of people at the Treasury Department about the debt limit, and then go up to New York and ask the same question or a very similar question to market participants,” Vandivier said.

“One of the things that I think it’s going to be interesting to see is, ‘Will there be a theme that’s going to develop as these meetings go on?’ And that’s something you really can’t script,” he added.

A group of 15 Georgetown University undergraduate students participated in an April 23 research colloquium to present their findings on topics ranging from accessible nutrition education to stigma against HIV and tuberculosis patients.

The 2024 Colloquium for Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities, hosted by the College Academic Council, the representative body for the College of Arts & Sciences, enabled student researchers to showcase their work to peers, faculty and community members. Students each had a 15-minute presentation in which they discussed their research and answered questions from the audience.

Stephen Blinder (CAS ’25), a student researcher who examined how current far-right movements to censor school curriculums in the United States compare to historical far-right book bans and book burnings, relied on historical examples in Nazi Germany and fascist Italy to further his claims.

Blinder said that curricular restrictions are harmful to students because they deny them a wide range of perspectives and condone hateful views.

“The thesis in and of itself is that politicized, restrictive curricular standards and book bans mirror the extremist policies of 20th cen-

tury far-right regimes,” Blinder told The Hoya. “They starve students of perspectives that build resilience to far-right extremism, and they tacitly endorse the harmful views embraced and promulgated by farright extremists themselves.”

Aiai Price-Smith (CAS ’25) spent two years analyzing the effectiveness of the Health and Nutrition Initiative, a collaboration between the National Children’s Center (NCC) and the Community Health Division in the School of Medicine’s department of family medicine. NCC is a nonprofit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and the Community Health Division allows students to educate community members from Wards 7 and 8 in Washington, D.C., about nutrition and health in monthly virtual sessions.

Price-Smith said that her time working with these families and studying the educational methods the program uses has allowed her to broaden her understanding of barriers to nutrition.

“It gives me a different perspective because we’re in Ward 2 in Georgetown, so while there is food insecurity, there is a lot of food security with being on campus and near a number of grocery stores,” Price-Smith told The Hoya. “Whereas in Ward 8, where the National Children’s Center is, they have lower access because there’s only one major grocery store.”

As Price-Smith continues to work with the program, she said her findings are useful in updating and improving the presentations used during the educational sessions to better connect with and educate underprivileged families about nutrition.

“This is a continuous thing because the center still exists,” PriceSmith said. “But we’re continuing to be partners with the families and continuing to do reviews of our current studies and presentations that we’ve done. I’ll be able to use the knowledge about our own accessibility and how to improve on language and clarity within a presentation.”

Blinder added that “The Weaponization of Hate,” a class he took last semester with Jacob Ware, an assistant adjunct professor in the Center for Jewish Civilization, inspired his research.

Ware said Blinder’s research comes at a particularly unique political context in the United States and that such work is vital in revealing the danger of the current political climate.

“We are at a fraught moment in our history and in our political landscape,” Ware told The Hoya. “I think research that is historically informed and data based and sensitive to political developments is super important in helping shed light on some of the things that we are witnessing.”

Student researcher

Isabel Powell

(CAS ’24) studied abroad in India last spring, where she interviewed HIV and tuberculosis patients, their family members and health care professionals about the stigma and challenges they faced.

Powell said that what was most impactful to her during the research process — which ultimately found that stigma impacted patient engagement with treatment — was the willingness of people to talk about extremely personal and difficult experiences.

“I found that overwhelmingly people were so willing to share this story with me, because they really understood the importance of sharing the narrative and really wanted to share it so that other people don’t have to experience the pain that their family members did,” Powell told The Hoya According to Blinder, the colloquium was a special opportunity for undergraduate researchers and encouraged more students to embark on research projects.

“I think it’s just a wonderful spotlight for students at the undergraduate level to have and I hope in the future that more people will pursue undergraduate research,” Blinder said. “There’s no minimum age to being on the right side of history, and I do think that people at the undergraduate level can really contribute to developing scholarship on the most pressing issues we face today.”

GUSA Elects Vice Chairs, Prepares for Budget Process

Aamir Jamil Senior News Editor

The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate elected vice chairs for its three committees and made plans to make campus more wheelchair-accessible and streamline club funding at an April 21 meeting.

Senator Sahil Sud (SFS ’27) will serve as vice chair for the Policy and Advocacy Committee (PAC), which drafts resolutions. Senator Tina Solki (SFS ’26) will be vice chair for the Finance and Appropriations Committee (FinApp), which allocates club advisory board budgets. Senator Dua Mobin (CAS ’25) was elected vice chair of the Ethics and Oversight Committee (E&O), which enforces the GUSA constitution and bylaws. The vice chairs outlined different concerns for GUSA in the next year and what they think GUSA could improve on. Sud lauded the Senate for passing resolutions this semester to improve financial and gender equity, highlighting a resolution urging the university to join the Questbridge program, which supports first-generation and low-income (FGLI) students applying to

college, and the gender-inclusive housing referendum, which was approved in early April.

“One of the ways that we tried to make sure that Georgetown was a better place last semester was with the Questbridge resolution, making sure that we improved equity on campus and making sure that more students can apply, and also the referendum,” Sud said at the meeting.

Sud added that the university could do more to increase equity on campus by adding more accessibility ramps.

“I think there’s ways that we can make the campus more equitable and make sure people feel safer on campus,” Sud said. “Something that could be improved is accessibility on campus, making sure that there are more wheelchair ramps so that people can get around if they have any other accessibility issues on campus.”

Solki focused on the budget, saying the newly created diversity fund, which will allocate $30,000 to cultural organizations on campus, should focus on non-food events, since the Student Activities Commission (SAC), which oversees a majority of student clubs, allocates funding for food events.

“SAC allocates specific amounts of money for food and for decora-

tions and for equipment,” Solki said at the event. “We have a lot of food-centric events and while I’ve enjoyed my fair share of cultural food all the time on campus, I think having diversity fund specifically be directed towards events that don’t center food but intersect with other cultural aspects, bringing those to campus is a really fantastic way that we can use the money.”

Solki also said the budget guide that the Senate passed earlier this semester, which sets guidelines for how club advisory boards create their budget plans, did not go far enough, calling for additional methods of holding boards accountable.

“I think the work that was done this past semester was pretty fantastic,” Solki said. “I think establishing a budget guide is the most basic, fundamental thing you need to hold all your advisory boards to account.”

“My main criticism lies in the ability to hold boards to account for what they actually do with their money,” Solki added.

“Having the budget guide set expectations, we need some way to actually enforce them.”

Also discussing possibilities for reform, Mobin said the GUSA con-

stitution and bylaws should change with the times to match student values through amendments.

“I think following the constitution and bylaws are definitely important in any organization, but having been in leadership for many clubs, I have realized that there’s many instances where your values or a new situation comes up where you have to modify the constitution in some way, like proposing an amendment,” Mobin said at the meeting.

“So I feel, especially for student-run organizations, that constitutions and bylaws are documentation that are evolving constantly, so that is something to keep in mind if you have any situation that comes up or if your values conflict with the way things are currently documented,” Mobin added.

In a previous meeting April 14, the Senate certified their April elections and elected Senator Meriam Ahmad (SFS ’26) as Speaker of the Senate and Senator Rhea Iyer (CAS ’26) as vice speaker. Senator Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26) will serve as PAC chair, Senator Daniel Hermonstine (SFS ’26) will serve as FinApp chair and Senator George LeMieux (CAS ’25) will chair E&O.

KATE HWANG/THE HOYA

The 11th Annual Global Expo, coinciding with GAAP Weekend for admitted students, showcased international cusine, performances and culture April 20 with more than 20 student groups.

Off-Campus Study Spot Foxtrot Closes Its 33 Locations, Files for Bankruptcy

Kate Hwang Student Life Desk Editor

Foxtrot, a Chicago-based coffee chain and grocery store, shocked Georgetown University students when it announced April 23 that it would close all 33 of its Washington, D.C., Illinois and Texas locations and file for bankruptcy.

The closest Foxtrot location to campus, on the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and N St., sold high-end grocery products and drinks, including salads and baked goods. The establishment served Georgetown students as a popular off-campus study spot since its opening in March 2021.

While numerous students said that they were upset upon hearing the news of Foxtrot’s sudden closure, others said they would simply find a new coffee shop or grocery store in replacement.

Caroline Saunders (CAS ’26), who frequented Foxtrot for groceries and food, said that she felt Foxtrot’s recent closure came as a disappointment and shock.

“I think that without warning is incredibly upsetting, the fact that they’re closing all 33 locations overnight,” Saunders told The Hoya. “I would’ve gone and bought some more stuff if I had known that they were closing.”

Foxtrot notified employees of their permanent closure and lay-off midday Tuesday, which shocked students who relied on Foxtrot for its convenience.

Syed Hussain, the attorney filing a lawsuit against Foxtrot for violating the Warren Act, which requires companies to give 60 days notice to employees before any large-scale layoff, said that former Foxtrot em-

ployees did not expect the layoff and were entirely unaware.

“People went into their shift not knowing that they would have to look for a job after they got out of there without having done anything wrong,” Hussain told WUSA9. “No cause, no justification. People were let go and left holding the bag. So, absolutely jarring.”

Maxima Molgat (CAS ’24), a student who said she frequently studied in the coffee shop, said the Wisconsin Avenue location was among her top places to study off campus.

“I am a fan of working in coffee shops and some of my other favorite places to go are Blank Street and Starbucks. But those are almost always completely crowded and there’s nowhere to sit,” Molgat said. Kira Agne (MSB ’27), a first-year student who enjoyed grocery shopping at Foxtrot, said that she was deeply surprised by its closure and will miss their wide selection of high-quality groceries available within a walking distance.

“When I got their email this morning announcing their closing, I was shocked. I had no idea that they were having any struggles, and I honestly didn’t think it was real,” Agne wrote to The Hoya. “I was amazed by their selection of quality products and used it as a sporadic grocery shopping spot.”

Agne added that Foxtrot’s bright environment made studying more enjoyable but also made it a good location to catch up with friends.

“I would also go there many weekends to study since I loved the bright environment,” Agne said. “It was also my go-to spot for a quick meet up with someone or a place to just sit and chat.”

Eleanor Power (SFS ’26) said

that the closures reminded her of the recent closure of Outdoor Voices, an activewear brand, that also shut down all their D.C. locations abruptly without notifying employees in advance.

“I was pretty surprised because I felt like it was very sudden and I also drew some similarities between the Outdoor Voices that just closed because they literally emailed their employees two days before and were like, ‘Your shop is closing,’” Power said.

Power added that she was surprised that Foxtrot’s business plan could not prevent the business’s closure and saw it as more of a shopping destination for a slightly older demographic.

“I feel like their goods aren’t really that special. They’re just really expensive and advertised well. So I was surprised that their high profit margins wouldn’t keep them afloat,” Power said. “I think that in terms of culture, I know that whenever I was there I would see some Georgetown students, but there would just seem to be a lot of millennials there.”

Lauren Amodio (CAS ’26) said she understood the attraction to Foxtrot but thinks that students will quickly find a new location to shop and study.

“I think people are just gonna go to different cafes and, and different little grocery stores. It was definitely cute, but I don’t think it’ll be too missed,” Amodio said. Power said she was more interested to see what new business would fill Foxtrot’s place as she more so frequented Foxtrot because of its convenient location.

“In terms of just general convenience, I would say I’m sad to see it go,” Power said. “I’m more interested to see what business takes its place like in that building.”

Bachelor Appreciation Club for Hoyas

Hosts First-Ever Live GU Bachelorette

KATE HWANG/THE HOYA

The first live Georgetown Bachelorette, inspired by the reality dating shows “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” saw seven contestants compete for the final rose April 22.

Kate Hwang Student Life Desk Editor

Georgetown University Bachelor Appreciation Club Hoyas (BACH), a student club that follows the reality dating shows “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” created the university’s first-ever live “The Bachelorette”-inspired show April 22.

BACH, which hosts numerous “The Bachelor”-themed viewing parties and bonding events on campus, created the first Georgetown “The Bachelor” show in 2023, expanding to “The Bachelorette” this year. The show saw Jess Solomon (MSB ’25) and seven contestants compete in a series of “The Bachelorette”-inspired events for two hours in the Intercultural Center (ICC) Auditorium.

Katie Rose (CAS ’25), the main producer of the show and founder of BACH, described Georgetown’s “Bachelorette” as a combination of a pageant show and speed dating event.

Solomon said she decided to interview for Georgetown’s “Bachelorette” upon hearing about her friends’ positive reactions.

“Many of my friends were in the show last year and had incredibly positive experiences,” Solomon wrote to The Hoya. “After being encouraged by my friends to apply, I saw the opportunity as something fun and different than my everyday life.”

Carlos Rueda (CAS ’24) received the final rose after numerous rounds of elimination.

Rueda said that the show was a fun way to share his personality, although the event became contentious as contestants continued to be eliminated.

“I had a blast. I really put myself out there with this one,” Rueda told The Hoya. “One of my friends organizes the Bachelorette, and originally I was just gonna drop once they had enough people, but I stuck around with it and I had a good time. It was really fun — I enjoyed sharing some of my person-

ality with everybody there.” Solomon said that she greatly enjoyed her time on the show and being on stage.

“Beyond the logistics, the show was absolutely hilarious and I had so much fun being on stage. I spent more time laughing than anything else!” Solomon wrote.

The show began with each bachelor making a “limo,” or grand entrance into the auditorium inspired by how contestants begin their time on “The Bachelorette.” From dancing on stage to fake fist-fighting another contestant, each round concluded when a set number of bachelors — who did not receive a rose — were eliminated.

Rueda said his favorite part of the show was his limo entrance, in which he played music on a speaker and danced his way onto the stage.

“I think my walk in was probably my favorite part. I walked in with ‘Después de la Playa’ by Bad Bunny playing. I had a speaker in my hand,” Rueda said. “I walked up there, did my thing, did a little dance and then gave the bachelorette, Jess Solomon, a little twirl.”

“I thought it was a good time. I think the people enjoyed it. Differentiated myself a little bit and had a good time in the process,” Rueda said.

Rose said the preparation process was extensive, so it was incredible to see the show come together.

“It’s kind of surreal when I think of, ‘Oh my God, that happened.’ It is so stressful and a lot of work, insane amounts of work,” Rose told The Hoya. “People will have no idea how much work goes on behind the scenes, like more than anyone would realize.”

“The day of the show comes and then you’re basically like not sleeping or eating because you’re just so focused on getting everything ready.”

Layal El-Ayoubi (SFS ’27), who helped to produce the show, said that her favorite part of the show was watching the contestants exe-

Hawai‘i Club Lu‘au Will Celebrate Island’s Culture Through Music, Hula Performances

Shiva Ranganathan DEI Director

The Georgetown University Hawai‘i Club will celebrate its 27th lū‘au, featuring hula performances, live music and authentic Hawaiian food April 28.

Hawai‘i Club selected the theme of “kuleana,” which translates to responsibility in the Hawaiian language, for the lū‘au’s displays of Hawaiian culture and student-coordinated dance and music. Tickets for the Georgetown community are free in order to incentivize donations to partners of the project during the lū‘au to give back to organizations supporting Hawaiian culture.

Frances Virginia Muaña (CAS ’26), the marketing director of Hawai‘i Club, said that the mission of the lū‘au is raising money for charitable causes, especially following the wildfires that decimated thousands of buildings and took hundreds of lives in Lahaina, Maui.

“We’re partnering with Project Vision Hawai‘i,” Muaña told The Hoya. “They have a shelter on Maui that particularly caters to residents of Lahaina who were homeless even prior to the fire, it’s called Pu‘uhonua o Nēnē.”

“We’ve been doing a little bit of work throughout the year, particularly through our spam musubi nights, raising awareness and trying to get people to donate to different nonprofits and organizations

that are involved in the rebuilding process of Lahaina,” Muaña added.

Project Vision Hawai‘i, a nonprofit organization, works to expand access to health care services across the state.

Reese Yoshikawa (CAS ’26), an active member of the club, said that lū‘au functions not only as a representation of Hawaiian culture on campus, but also as a space for Hawaiian students to feel comfortable away from home.

“At Georgetown, lū‘au is really to bring Hawai‘i to campus and to give people a chance to see our culture and our heritage, and recently, it’s also become a fundraising goal to help serve two purposes,” Yoshikawa told The Hoya “There’s the purpose of bringing people into the community, but also bringing home back to us.”

Mara Goldstein (CAS ’27), a first-year representative, said that the club’s board of directors chose kuleana as this year’s theme for lū‘au because of its place in Hawaiian culture as a catchphrase for the word “duty.”

“It was our first thought, it’s a kind of common word,” Goldstein told The Hoya. “And in Hawai‘i, a lot of people say it to us growing up and going to elementary school and being around teachers. They’ll always be saying, ‘This is your kuleana’ and ‘This is what you must do.’” Goldstein said that Hawai‘i has a wide homeless population that is often not acknowledged as much as the state’s wildfires.

“The wildfires are what people like to think of the most when they think of Hawai‘i, but they don’t really acknowledge that there are a lot of other problems, including the unhoused population,” Goldstein said.

Yoshikawa added that kuleana as a theme helps raise awareness about Hawaiian history and modern issues such as improving living conditions for Hawaiian people.

“Kuleana is very much about spreading the message of what happened in order to secure a better future for native Hawaiian people,” Yoshikawa said. “Kuleana translates almost directly to responsibility.”

Yoshikawa also said that the lū‘au has enabled the Hawai‘i Club’s board to elevate Hawaiian voices, considering the archipelago’s deep-rooted colonial history.

“A lot of the time, Hawaiian people don’t have a voice and have had their culture suppressed because of colonization,” Yoshikawa said. Goldstein added that she hopes future first-year students will get involved with lū‘au to expand their understanding of Hawaiian culture beyond tourism.

“Lū‘au is a good chance to get to know Hawaiian culture and not just think Hawai‘i is a big tourist destination. Open your minds,” Goldstein said. “Open your hearts. Understand the idea of kuleana and take care of the people around you.”

cute their “limo” entrances.

“My favorite part would probably be when we were with the guys backstage, preparing them for like, because we planned out all the limo entrances in advance, stuff like that. Just seeing them represent themselves well,” El-Ayoubi told The Hoya The second round started with each bachelor giving a slideshow presentation about their personality to help Solomon get to know the contestants.

The third round required the contestant’s “Hometown,” or friends to speak on behalf of them, based on the “Hometown” episodes of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette.” The following round included contestants answering questions from Solomon and her friends from the audience.

El-Ayoubi said that preparing was a hectic process, but it was exciting for her to see the production come together.

“I would say that it was a really kind of hectic, fast-paced process,” El-Ayoubi said. “A lot of it was directing some of the limo entrances and the staging, which was really exciting and action packed as you got to see the show, and providing some moral support to the guys. They’re awesome and I’m glad that they had the courage to put themselves out there.

Sami Levick (CAS ’27), an attendee of the show, said that she found the show entertaining and was impressed by the overall production.

“I was very entertained by the show. I thought it was very well produced and organized,” Levick told The Hoya. “I had a good time. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’m not somebody who watches ‘The Bachelor,’ but really enjoyed the live show.” Solomon said that the show’s banter and support from friends made her experience meaningful.

“The banter was ridiculous, and I am so grateful for my friend’s love and support — it was truly a surreal and delightful experience,” Solomon wrote.

Student Art Meets Environmental Advocacy at GU’s First Trashion Show

Kate Hwang Student Life Desk Editor

Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network (GREEN), a student-run environmental advocacy group at Georgetown University, celebrated Earth Month with their first-ever Trashion Show, a fashion show featuring clothing made fully from upcycled materials, April 21.

The show was one of over 25 eco-inspired events that GREEN, GradGov, Georgetown University’s Graduate Student Government, the Georgetown Office of Sustainability, the Earth Commons, which supports environmental policy reform and education at Georgetown, and the Earth Week Collaborative, the group organizing events for Earth Week, are hosting for Earth Month. The show displayed fashion items ranging from a dress made of coffee sleeves to a newspaper skirt, with students designing and modeling outfits and judges scoring them based on creativity, environmental significance, overall design and cohesion.

Makenna Dovel (CAS ’27), the creator of the event, said she was inspired to organize the show based on a demonstration she saw on trash bag usage in elementary school.

“When I was in elementary school, my school did this demonstration of how many trash bags were used in one day and piled them all up,” Dovel told The Hoya “Seeing that visual demonstration of all the trash that was displayed was really effective in making me care about these issues and really made me understand the actual dilemma that was going on.”

Dovel also said she was inspired by her dad because the two of them frequently repurposed items.

“My dad and I were really interested in repurposing old things. I would never throw anything out,” Dovel said. “If I had a plastic cup, I would just make something new out of it.”

The Trashion Show team initially ran into difficulty getting enough contestants for the show and decided to open the competition up to all schools in the Washington, D.C., area, which drew in students from the George Washington University (GWU). Nonetheless, the team found success after a last-minute donation from Depop, an app that sells second-hand clothing, and catering from Slow Food Georgetown, an organization that promotes social bonding through cuisine.

Bella Kumar, a junior at GWU, won the competition with her piece “Bag Lady,” which is meant to critique American consumerist culture through its use of branded plastic bags.

“It was a dress made out of plastic bags that were crocheted to make the top,” Kumar told The Hoya. “It’s a textile that I made out of fabric scraps and then the bottom was insulation.”

Kumar said that she intended to raise awareness on the effects of capitalism while reusing textiles to avoid consumerist culture.

“I think for me that hope is in being able to take care of yourself and live as sustainably as possible,” Kumar said. “And so being able to make your own textiles is really fun and interesting, particularly if you’re trying

to escape consumerism.”

Dovel said that part of the goal of the show was to shock people on the amount of trash they throw out every day through inspiring contestants to create costumes using all sorts of trash, from Amazon Prime plastic bags to textile waste.

“I wanted people to recognize how much waste was in the world and to think of a different way that they could make it more of a circular system,” Dovel said.

Genevieve Jobson (CAS ’26), a member of GREEN who tabled to raise student interest in the show, said the show was a full-day effort, with rehearsals and hair and makeup as well as a workshop with special guest Celia Ledón, a Miami, Fla.-based fashion artist and costume designer, in the Maker Hub.

“Rehearsing kicked off at 3 p.m., so we were having a dress rehearsal and marshaling all the models and hair and makeup,” Jobson told The Hoya. “Our special guest judge, Celia, was there and she had made some pieces for the runway, so she was getting her models ready as well. And then the show started at 6 p.m.” Dovel said the show offered an opportunity for students to reflect on their relationship with waste and their environmental footprint. “I kind of wanted to have that element of making people think about it and care and slightly overwhelmed,” Dovel said. “To try to get people to think, ‘Oh man, there is a lot of waste in the world. How can I be a part of solving this?

How can I be a part of coming up with a new system that’s a little bit more circular, eco-friendly?’”

COURTESY OF MAKENNA DOVEL

Georgetown Renewable Energy and Environmental Network (GREEN) celebrated Earth Month with its first-ever Trashion Show on April 21, featuring outfits made from recycled materials.

OUT OF LEFT FIELD

It Is High, It Is Far, It Is Gone! Reflecting On the Sounds of Bygone Summers

Growing up, my bedtime was

7 p.m. In theory, this would have been acceptable to me, except for the fact that the New York Yankees’ games often started at 7:05.

As a result, there were multiple nights when my brother and I would huddle around his nightstand listening to his vintage-looking white radio. We would set the volume to the lowest possible notch to ensure our parents could not hear Yankees’ radio announcer John Sterling’s dramatic play-by-play from downstairs.

After all, we had to get our fix.

Every time I turned on the radio as a child, Sterling’s voice would fill the room. His calls became all too familiar. If the Yankees hit a home run: “It is high…It is far…It is gone!” If they won: “Ballgame over, Yankees win, the Yankees win!” Sterling even had his own way of calling a routine groundout: “Grounded to short. Scooped by Jeter. IN time.”

These calls started making their way to my dinner table, car rides and shower monologues. It did not surprise me to learn that Sterling was widely regarded as the voice of the Yankees among baseball fans; his broadcasting style was iconic, after all. Still, when Sterling announced his abrupt retirement last week, not much changed in my daily life. Though he never stopped broadcasting games in New York, it has been years since he was truly the voice of the Yankees — at least to me.

As our worldview has become interchangeable with our screens, I have simply forgotten to turn on the radio. I have brushed aside the rhythmic satisfaction of listening to Sterling’s calls, forgoing his predictable exclamations in favor of something I could watch or poke or click on or swipe.

To me, the voice of the Yankees has become dictated by convenience.

If I am too busy to do anything but sneak my phone out of my pocket every once in a while, the voice of the Yankees is the Major League Baseball (MLB) app’s live notifications, which update me when the score changes. Except recently, my notifications have stopped working, leaving me feeling somehow more untethered than the mornings when my alarm clock forgets to make noise.

If I am in class but have my laptop in front of me, the voice of the Yankees is ESPN’s Gamecast feature, complete with the sudden rush of anxiety when the screen refreshes to a blue line captioned, “in play.” I have to wait

about 10 seconds before it tells me whether it was a two-run home run or an inning-ending double play. On the rare occasion that I have three uninterrupted hours to spend, the voice of the Yankees becomes the team’s television play-by-play announcer Michael Kay, who punctuates Yankees’ home runs with a crescendoing, “There it goes…See ya!”

And of course, if I’m lucky, there is no voice of the Yankees; instead, I’m watching the game in real time at Yankee Stadium, destroying my own eardrums with the Bleacher Creatures, the rabid Yankees fans that occupy the right field bleachers.

Missing from this equation is the radio. The only time I turn it on is when I’m in the car, sitting in the passenger seat as my dad grumbles about traffic on the way to upstate New York. He

ROUNDING THE DIAMOND

demands that I entertain him; I let John Sterling do it instead. That is the only time it is convenient for me.

I hate that I let convenience dictate the way I consume baseball. I hate that I did not appreciate John Sterling enough until the moment he retired. I hate that I can no longer change that.

I can go back to listening to baseball on the radio, but I’ll never again hear remnants of my childhood escapades through a car speaker. But maybe I will turn the radio on anyway — and grow to love Sterling’s replacement.

Some people make New Year’s Resolutions; I make — slightly delayed — Opening Day resolutions. And this year, my Opening Day resolution is to rediscover the magic of baseball on the radio.

An Ode to Tigers’ ‘Hankus Pankus’

This semester, I decided to take “History of Baseball” with Professor Chandra Manning. I knew I would like the class as soon as I registered, but I didn’t know how it would quickly become my favorite class I’ve taken at Georgetown University. A large contributor to my enjoyment of the class has been learning more about some of my Jewish ball-playing childhood heroes. As the Jewish holiday of Passover has just begun, I thought it would be a great opportunity to call attention to Hank Greenberg, also known as “Hankus Pankus,” one of the greatest Jewish ballplayers of all time.

Among Jewish households like my own, Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax often receives praise from the more devout members of my family for sitting out the first game of the 1965 World Series because it was Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement. What’s often left out, however, is the fact that Hank Greenberg had set that very precedent nearly 30 years before Koufax stepped foot on a Major League Baseball (MLB) diamond. Greenberg, a power-batting first basemen who famously played for the Detroit Tigers, retired after only nine full seasons, missing the prime years of his career to serve in the army during World War II. Nevertheless, he accumulated 331 home runs and 1,276 runs batted in (RBI) in just 1,394 games and a career batting average of .313 (or an on-base plus

slugging (OPS) of 1.017 for the smarties reading). He was named to the All-Star team five times and won the American League most valuable player (MVP) award in 1935 and 1940. But most importantly, Greenberg was a Jew during a time when it was especially hard to identify as one. Historian Michael Beschloss wrote in The New York Times that the “1930s were the high solstice not only for Greenberg’s career but also for anti-Jewish anger in the United States.” Throughout his career, both fans and players yelled antisemitic slurs at Greenberg. Further, Greenberg had to address antisemitism head-on in Detroit, Mich., where both Charles Coughlin and Henry Ford were based.

Coughlin, a passionate Catholic priest and speaker, fervently incited the public to engage in antisemitic rhetoric, broadcasting his hateful views to as many as 40 million listeners during his weekly radio shows. Meanwhile, Ford, who established Ford Motor Company in Detroit, declared that Jews were responsible for America’s problems.

Born to Orthodox Romanian Jewish immigrants, Greenberg faced a tough decision during the 1934 season. On the same day as Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, Greenberg’s Detroit Tigers had a crucial matchup against the Boston Red Sox and were only four games away from playing Babe Ruth’s New York Yankees in the race for the American League pennant.

In his autobiography, Greenberg wrote that the “team was fighting for first place, and I was probably the only batter in the lineup who was not in a slump. But in the Jewish religion,

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Hoyas Fall Short of

Expectations

In Two Big East Tournament Losses

The Georgetown University men’s and women’s tennis teams traveled with high hopes to the Big East Tournament in Cayce, S.C. April 18 to 22. Both teams entered the championship tournament seeded third and hoped to capitalize on recent successes.

Unfortunately, the teams failed to achieve their lofty goals. The Georgetown women’s team (8-13, 4-2 Big East) lost in the quarterfinals to sixth-seeded St. John’s (10-8, 1-2 Big East), while the Georgetown men’s team (14-7, 4-3 Big East) defeated sixth-seeded Xavier (4-18, 2-4 Big East) before falling in the semifinals to the eventual champions DePaul (14-9, 4-1 Big East).

The women’s team entered the tournament after finishing their regular season with a win over Villanova 6-1 on their Senior Day.

The Hoyas faced off against St. John’s for their first match of the Big East Women’s Tournament for the second year in a row.

The Hoyas entered the match hoping to turn the tides and calm the Red Storm after losing to them 4-0 last year. Similarly, St. John’s, coming fresh off a victory against 11th-seed Providence (5-14, 0-3 Big East), was hungry to extend its successes.

In doubles play, St. John’s defeated Georgetown on courts one and two to gain early momentum. Senior Olivia Ashton and graduate student Chloe Bendetti fought valiantly for Georgetown on the first court but were ultimately defeated 6-2 by Mouna Bouzgarrou and Arina Gumerova. On the second court, first-year Katie Garofolo-Ro and sophomore Ashley Kennedy suffered a tough 6-1 defeat to Noemi Babikova and Alicia Gomez. Georgetown managed to fight back at the start of the singles

matches. First-year Emily Novikov, who has proved to be an excellent asset after leading the Hoyas with a singles record of 10-4 this spring, defeated Arina Gumerova in two sets, 6-2 and 6-3.

Despite the inspiring effort by Novikov, St. John’s followed its doubles success with 3 singles victories. Kennedy and senior Avantika Willy each fell to their respective St. John’s opponents, Babikova and Nicoline SartzLunde, in two sets, while Garofolo-Ro also lost but took her opponent Gomez to three sets.

Ultimately, the Georgetown women’s team fell 2-4 to a tough St. John’s side, ending their tournament campaign early.

Like the women’s team, the Georgetown men’s team entered the quarterfinals with a rematch against Xavier from last year’s tournament.

Having defeated the Musketeers 4-1 in their previous matchup, the Hoyas hoped to replicate their success en route to a deep run in the Big East Tournament after earning the most victories in a single season since 2011.

Right away, the Hoyas secured the doubles point. On the second court, sophomore Arthur O’Sullivan and junior Jake Fellows soundly defeated the Musketeers’ Jorge Santamaria and Kyle Totorica 6-2. Simultaneously, Georgetown juniors Burke Pablo and Adhvyte Sharma topped Xavier’s Christian Gonzalez and Charlie Temming 6-3 on the third court.

Moving to the singles matches, the Hoyas kept up their momentum and completed the sweep. Fellows, at the No. 1, showed resilience and defeated Xavier’s Ryan Cahill in two sets, both of which ended 7-5.

Fellows has played outstandingly this year, earning a spring season singles record of 18-2 and notching 25 wins on the season.

Sophomore Zamaan Moledina

and graduate student Kieran Foster also found success in their victories over respective Musketeer opponents, Pascal Mosberger and Temming, sealing the 4-0 series sweep.

After its impressive quarterfinal victory, Georgetown was set to face DePaul in the semifinal game seeking redemption, having previously faced the Blue Demons March 22 and falling 3-4 in a narrow defeat.

The Hoyas started strong, winning 2 doubles matches and collecting the doubles point. Foster and Moledina bested their opponents, Jona Gitschel and Shourya Verma, on the first court, 6-2. Foster and Moledina continually proved to be a stellar duo throughout the season, leading the team with a record of 11-4 as a doubles pair.

On the second court, O’Sullivan and Fellows also managed to defeat their rivals, Leon Huck and Sven Moser, 6-3. Unfortunately, after these 2 victories, the match took a turn for the worse for the Hoyas.

The Blue Demons burst to life in the singles matches, coming back from their doubles defeats by winning four of five of the singles matches. Fellows was the only Hoya able to scrape out a victory, defeating DePaul’s Vito Tonejc in two close sets. Besides that, O’Sullivan, Foster and Sharma took their opponents to 3 sets but were not able to add a point to the team’s total.

Georgetown ended up losing 3-4 to the competitive DePaul team. The Blue Demons went on to win the entire tournament, defeating the previous champions and first-seeded St. John’s 4-2 in the final.

The early exits from the Big East Tournament meant that both Georgetown teams ended their seasons and did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Still, both teams have much to look forward to as the majority of their players will be returning next year, providing a solid foundation to build on.

Graduate Kieran Foster helps seal a 4-0 series sweep over the Xavier Musketeers, but the men’s tennis team was unable to secure a win over the DePaul Blue Demons in the Big East Tournament.

MEN’S LACROSSE

it is traditional that one observe the holiday solemnly, with prayer. One should not engage in work or play. And I wasn’t sure what to do.” Greenberg’s rabbi said that Rosh Hashanah was a “festive holiday” and playing would be acceptable.

Hankus Pankus ended up playing on Rosh Hashanah, hitting 2 home runs, one of which was a ninth inning game-winner. “I caught hell from my fellow parishioners, I caught hell from some rabbis, and I don’t know what to do. It’s 10 days until the next holiday — Yom Kippur,” Greenberg said.

Reversing course, Greenberg sat out the Tigers’ game during Yom Kippur, attending services at Detroit’s Shaarey Zedek congregation instead.

The Greenberg-less Tigers ended up losing 5-2 on Yom Kippur, and their first-place lead over the Yankees shrunk to six-and-a-half games.

A few days after Greenberg’s decision to sit out Yom Kippur, the Detroit Free Press published the following poem written by Edgar Guest titled “Speaking of Greenberg.”

“Came Yom Kippur — holy fast day worldwide over to the Jew / And Hank Greenberg to his teaching and the old tradition true / Spent the day among his people and he didn’t come to play / Said Murphy to Mulrooney, ‘We shall lose the game today!’ / We shall miss him on the infield and shall miss him at the bat / But he’s true to his religion — and I honor him for that!” So at your Passover table this year (or even maybe at Epi’s), I implore you to correct the next person who mentions Koufax’s decision to sit out on Yom Kippur. Have a happy Passover!

Carroll, Crogan Score Two Goals Each As Georgetown Crushes Red Storm

Following a tough loss against the seventh-ranked Denver Pioneers, the Georgetown University men’s lacrosse team walked onto the field April 20 prepared to rain on the St. John’s Red Storm. Before the Storm knew what hit them, the Hoyas took a commanding 5-0 lead, and they never looked back.

Ultimately, No. 11 Georgetown (9-3, 3-1 Big East) dominated St. John’s (410, 1-3 Big East) and cruised to a solid 20-6 win on their home turf. Georgetown set the tone right out of the gate. Less than a minute into the game, sophomore midfielder Patrick Crogan swung the ball to senior attacker Aidan Carroll, who calmly tucked a shot into the corner of the goal to propel the Hoyas into an early lead. Carroll scored again just minutes later to double the Hoyas’ quick lead.

The Red Storm attempted to respond to the Hoyas’ electric start by running a press that involved the goalie exiting the crease, but the Hoyas countered their efforts with a brilliant shot from graduate defender Wesley Chairs that sailed nearly the entire length of the field before entering the net, bringing the Hoyas’ lead to 3-0.

The Hoyas scored twice more to continue their domination early

in the game — with Georgetown scoring five in the first 6:21. Their fifth goal from graduate midfielder Will Godine was a highlight, with Godine dusting his defender with a full-field sprint before firing a blistering shot into the corner of the net to give the Hoyas a 5-0 leg up on the Red Storm. Though the Hoyas conceded a goal to St. John’s, they scored twice more before the end of the quarter, with senior attacker TJ Haley making a nifty stutter-step move and scoring on the Red Storm goalie to put the Hoyas up 7-1 to end the quarter.

The early lead did not satisfy Georgetown; the Hoyas continued to shut down the Red Storm at the start of the second quarter. Godine dazzled the crowd as he turned a long pass, which a Red Storm defender nearly picked off, and converted to extend the Hoya lead. Just five seconds later, graduate faceoff James Ball won the faceoff and took his momentum all the way to the Red Storm goal, finishing the play by ripping a shot in the top netting. Continuing the excitement for Hoya fans, senior defender Wallace Halpert blasted a shot into the corner just 15 seconds after the goal from Ball. With the score now 10-1, the Hoyas made it clear through their continued attacking strength that they were dedicated to securing the win. Firstyear attacker Jack Schubert and graduate attacker Graham Bundy Jr.

each added a goal, and Crogan added two more goals of his own to make the score 14-2 by the half.

The Hoyas’ dominance continued into the second half, with St. John’s looking to weather the storm and return to New York. Bundy Jr. put a shot through the legs of the Red Storm goalie to make the score 15-2.

Schubert scored again when he ripped the ball from the left side of the goal into the top right corner. Not to be outdone, senior midfielder Chase Llewellyn took his own shot from the left side of the goal into the top right corner just over a minute later, before first-year attacker Will Coale put the icing on the cake late in the game with the Hoyas’ 20th goal of the game.

While the entire team showed an outstanding effort, the performance of a few players stood out. Early in the game, Carroll scored twice and picked up 2 assists. Crogan added another 2 goals and an assist. Racking up a spectacular 3 goals and 2 assists, Bundy Jr. played an instrumental role in the Hoyas’ victory. Ball also delivered for Georgetown, going 9 for 13 on his faceoffs.

The Hoyas will continue their Big East play with a game at Villanova (8-5, 2-2 Big East) April 26. They will look to ride the momentum they established on Cooper Field this past Saturday and hope their energy carries over to their next matchup in Pennsylvania.

FLICKR

After 35 years calling games, John Sterling retired April 15 from his iconic radio announcer position for the New York Yankees.

Michael Santos Sports Staff Writer

Ceci Lukas Sports Staff Writer

Eliat Herman Hoya Sports Columnist

Eli Blumenfeld Hoya Sports Columnist

MEN’S

Barriers to Entry Are Too High In US Youth Soccer Formidable DMV Recruiter Joins

LONERGAN, from A12 signaled the first successful league in North America, bringing talents such as Pelé, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best to its shores. It was not financially stable enough to fund a youth setup like the ones seen in Europe, however. As a result, the league had to fund itself, and it relied on a pay-to-play model similar to U.S. youth sports. This barrier to entry caused the sport to prosper in the areas where parents could afford it: the suburbs.

“It’s white picket fence...It is without a doubt an exclusive sport, it’s not inclusive like it is in other places. And it is a sport of privilege rather than a sport of the masses,” former Venezuelan International and current ESPNFC analyst Alejandro Moreno said in an interview with ESPN.

In fall 2022, the average family spent $833 on each child’s primary sport per season, according to the Aspen Institute’s Project Play, a nonprofit initiative that seeks to improve access to sports. For families with household incomes at or above $150,000 a year, that average clocks in even higher at $2,068 per year.

In addition to the steep costs associated with participating in kids’ sports, racial disparities also play a role in making involvement in sports less accessible for some American youth.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, families with a white, non-Hispanic head of household had 10 times more wealth than those with a Black head of household in 2021. And in 2019, the typical white household had $168,800 more in wealth than the typical Hispanic household. In urban areas, white households make up 44% of the population, whereas in the suburbs, white households account for 68%.

The diversity problem in U.S. youth soccer does not just manifest in which families can pay for their children to play. The sport is geographically inaccessible to those in urban areas, which tend to house lower-income families and higher proportions of people of color. A high-

er median income is associated with schedule flexibility in jobs, allowing affluent parents to work around their child’s soccer schedule. However, lower-income and hourly-wage workers often cannot afford to miss work to drive their kids to soccer practice.

Even if an underprivileged kid overcomes the odds to make it to training, cultural differences do not create a conducive environment to give kids of all identities equitable opportunities to perform at their best.

A predominantly white system produces white leaders. A 2022 Statista report found that across MLS, out of 29 head coaches, only around 34% identify as people of color.

You may ask why this lack of diversity does not exist in such a stark contrast in other parts of the world, and this is where soccer’s cultural status in the United States lets it down.

Soccer in other countries is embedded into the fabric of the community. Everyone plays and can play any time they feel like it. Youth clubs are government-funded using taxpayer dollars. Oftentimes, clubs use facilities for free while sponsors and local businesses pay for their equipment.

Unfortunately, this is not the case in the United States. A large contributor to this phenomenon is the high barrier of entry to play, but broadcasting the domestic league on a streaming service and the World Cup on a cable channel stunts its growth as well.

Another crucial element to the success of soccer is the high-quality management of the clubs. In other countries around the world, the clubs are often operated by former players who put the development of the club and its players above all. In the United States, parents who have kids who play in the system usually operate the club system. Rather than focusing on what is best for the club, the parents prioritize the success of their child.

While MLS academies are free for any player who qualifies, the sport remains widely inaccessible in the United States. Because of the social and financial obstacles to playing soccer in the United States, the country is missing out on so much joy that soccer brings.

JOHNSON, from A12

Christian Academy in Fort Washington for two years before leaving for URI in 2022 to join Head Coach Archie Miller’s staff.

Caldwell University forward

Moussa Ngom, who played at National Christian from 2020 to 2022, described Johnson as an instrumental tutor both on and off the court. Ngom, who is Senegalese, said that Johnson played an essential role in his adjustment to the United States.

“He was more than a coach to me,”

Ngom told The Hoya. “I had a good time playing there and learning a lot from him, teaching me about the game and life. He helped me as a person and also someone who is not from here in the U.S.”

Johnson rounds out a recruiting staff that includes coaches Jeff Battle, Brian Blaney and LaDontae Henton, adding additional firepower to a core that has extensive experience throughout the East Coast.

As the Hoyas look to vastly improve in Cooley’s sophomore season, Johnson marks a crucial investment to vault the program into a legitimate conference contender.

“He’s gonna do what he’s done everywhere,” Howard said. “For the DMV, to have a homegrown guy that is well-respected in our business is a significant add for Coach Cooley and his staff.”

Ngom echoed Howard’s sentiment that Johnson would become an essential part of Cooley’s team.

“He’s a winner,” Ngom said. “He loves to win. He will help the program get better and be at the next level.”

Hoyas’ Staff

X/@GOCARDS

Johnson has extensive connections across the DMV region from his time coaching with several Maryland high schools and AAU powerhouse

Ficca, Castillo Lead Georgetown’s Offensive Barrage

GW, from A12 of the year to reinstate the 12-run lead. Ficca managed another walk in the inning but could not come around to score as the Hoyas exited the inning with a score of 13-1.

George Washington managed to accrue 2 more home runs behind catcher Tim Nicholson and outfielder Ellis Schwartz in the seventh, bringing the score to 13-5. Both pitchers combined for three efficient innings with 2 and 3 strikeouts, respectively, helping seal the Georgetown victory.

The Hoyas’ potent bats combined for 10 hits and 10 walks in the game. Ficca had 5 RBIs on 2 hits and 3 walks, while Castillo had 2 RBIs on 3 hits and 1 walk.

“It was a really good baseball game, played good defense and guys came off the bench and played well,” Thompson told Georgetown Athletics. “Tonight was a good win for the Hoyas and we look forward to hitting the road for another conference series with Creighton.”

Mastroianni is quickly cementing himself as a bright spot in the Georgetown rotation, boasting an impressive 3.60 ERA in his collegiate debut season.

The Hoyas return to conference play this upcoming weekend against the Creighton Bluejays (29-9, 4-5 Big East) for a threegame series in Omaha, Neb.

Furthermore, the Hoyas’ strong form in the last three innings was an encouraging sign after losing by just 1 run in each of their three games against UConn earlier in the week. After an excellent start to the season, Georgetown’s bullpen looks to return to form in preparation for postseason play.

Geist, Hazen Put Up Hat-Tricks Against Monmouth

MONMOUTH, from A12 coaches did a great job of communicating their confidence which helped us stay focused and motivated.”

Georgetown solidified their victory in the fourth quarter, adding 6 goals and allowing just 2 points from Monmouth. The Hoyas were able to walk away with a whopping 18-7 road win. Starr, who had 2 goals and 1 assist during the match, attributed the endof-season turnaround to increased comfort with the team game plan.

“We have shifted into only playing zone defense and have worked on a new offense, which have both been very successful,” Starr told The Hoya. “Also, we really had a mindset

shift after our losing streak and saw the second half of our season as a new opportunity, which we knew we could be successful in.”

Georgetown put up an offensive clinic, earning 40 shots on goal compared to Monmouth’s 12. Hazen led the team in points with 3 goals and 3 assists, while Geist added a hat-trick of her own on the day. Particularly of note was the Hoyas’ ability to draw free position opportunities, earning 7 opportunities compared to the Hawks’ 2. Georgetown will host their last home game of the season on April 27 against the University of Connecticut. Starr said that the team will head in with the same mentality as in previous

Big East matchups.

“I think the mindset will be a little bit different this weekend though, as we will be playing for our seniors,” Starr told The Hoya. “It is their last time playing on Cooper Field, so we all want to make sure they end their careers with a win.”

The team will honor senior and graduate players Katie Goldsmith, Maria Hudson, Tessa Brooks, Melissa Massimino, Lauren Lisauskas, Tatum Geist, Neely Holt, Ellie Vogel, Kylie Hazen, Emma Driggs, Johanna Kingsfield, Maggie O’Brien and Margaret Lonergan on Saturday in a ceremony before the game.

“This game is emotional and special since it is our last on Cooper. However, we are still prepar-

ing like it is another conference game and going in with the same mindset to compete for 60 minutes,” Hazen told The Hoya “I think I will miss the camaraderie on this team, playing for something bigger than myself and representing such an amazing lacrosse program the most,” she added. Starr said the upperclassmen helped facilitate a strong culture for the entire team, which has proved impactful for her personally.

“Their vibrant personalities have really brought a lot of energy and positivity to our team, significantly enhancing my experience here at Georgetown,” Starr told The Hoya

“They will really be missed both on and off the field,” she added.

program Nike Team Takeover.

GUHOYAS

The Hoya offense accrued 10 hits and 10 walks en route to scoring 13 runs over George Washington. Senior first baseman Christian Ficca and graduate second baseman Marco Castillo led the way for the Hoyas with 5 and 2 RBIs, respectively.

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 2024

MEN’S LACROSSE

The Georgetown University men’s lacrosse team cruised to a 20-6 victory over St. John’s in a dominant showing.

See A10

BEATING THE PRESS

Infrastructure, Inaccessibility Mar US Youth Soccer Setup

Jack Lonergan

Hoya Sports Columnist

One ball — that is all you need. You can play indoors, outdoors, on dirt, grass, astroturf — even concrete. The game will go on in the sun, rain or snow with as many as 22 and as few as two people. Soccer, at its core, is the most accessible and racially diverse sport in the world. The International Association Football Federation (FIFA) has 211 member associations, spanning six continents. In 2022, almost 1.5 billion people all over the world tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup final. Wherever you go in the world, you are never far away from a football pitch.

However, in the United States, this is not the case. It is no secret that soccer does not experience the same popularity in the States as it does almost everywhere else in the world, but that does not mean U.S. children grow up deprived of playing the sport. In 2010, almost 11% of all U.S. children between ages 6 and 12 played soccer regularly. However, despite the steady growth of Major League Soccer (MLS), the increasing success of the U.S. men’s national soccer team (USMNT) and the sustained success of the U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT), this figure decreased to 7.4% in 2021. This trend of steady decline reveals an unfortunate truth — U.S. youth soccer is broken.

The largest difference between soccer in the United States and the rest of the world is where the sport is played and who plays it. In the 1970s, the burgeoning North American Soccer League

See LONERGAN, A11

BASEBALL

TALKING POINTS

We had some familiarity, but we needed some deep-seated roots here, so that was very much an attraction.

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley

NUMBERS GAME

The Georgetown University baseball team drew 10 walks against the George Washington Revolutionaries.

X/@GOCARDS

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Cooley Hires Kenny Johnson as GU Assistant Coach

Oliver Ni Senior Sports Editor

Following Associate Head Coach Ivan Thomas’ departure from the Hilltop to fill the head coaching job at Hampton University, Georgetown University men’s basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley hired Kenny Johnson on April 15 to fill the role.

Johnson joins the Hoyas following a two-year stint as an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island (URI). Highly regarded as a recruiter, Johnson returns to his roots in the Washington, D.C.-MarylandVirginia (DMV) region, where he has extensive ties to the local high school and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball infrastructure.

“I am excited to add Kenny Johnson to the coaching staff,” Cooley told Georgetown Athletics.

“He is an outstanding coach who has worked alongside some of the best coaches in our game at all levels

— from high school to AAU and at the NCAA Division I level.”

The hire adds to a busy offseason for Cooley, who has overseen considerable roster and administrative changes. Since finishing 9-23 overall and 2-18 in the Big East, Cooley has been busy working the transfer portal, adding Harvard guard Malik Mack, Texas Christian University wing Micah Peavy and Louisville wing Curtis Williams Jr. Originally from Oxon Hill, Md., Johnson began coaching in 2002 at nearby Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Md., before leaving for St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., in 2007. He also served as a director and the head coach of the 16-andunder team of Nike Team Takeover, a nationally recognized AAU program that churned out more than 53 Division I athletes during Johnson’s stint.

Cooley said Johnson’s extensive ties to the local basketball infrastructure

were a major factor in his hiring, helping round out the staff with additional swaying power in the DMV. “We wanted someone that had some familiarity with this DMV area,” Cooley told The Hoya. “We had some familiarity, but we needed some deep-seated roots here, so that was very much an attraction.”

Transitioning to the college level, Johnson began a series of assistant coaching stints at Towson University (2011-12), Indiana University (2012-14), the University of Louisville (2014-17) and La Salle University (2018-20). During this stretch, Johnson was responsible for multiple strong recruiting classes featuring the likes of future National Basketball Association (NBA) players Donovan Mitchell, Victor Oladipo and Terry Rozier.

Former Indiana Head Coach Tom Crean said Johnson provided a strong developmental presence for his players.

“Kenny makes you better as a player on the court with his knowledge,

Hoya Bats Thunder to Victory over GW

Martha Brennan Sports Staff Writer

After dropping a tough series to the University of Connecticut this past weekend, the Georgetown University baseball team thundered back in a convincing win over their crosstown rivals.

By asserting their early offensive dominance and utilizing their pitching depth, the Hoyas (27-13, 8-4 Big East) defeated the George Washington University Revolutionaries (23-17, 6-6 A-10) 13-5 in the intracity showdown.

“Great night of baseball, winning the city championship again is always something we strive to do,” Georgetown Head Coach Edwin Thompson told Georgetown Athletics.

First-year left-handed pitcher Marcello Mastroianni took the mound for the Hoyas, keeping the Revolutionaries scoreless through 5 innings. Only allowing 3 hits, the Little Silver, N.J., native earned his fifth win of this season. Thompson said he was pleased with Mastroianni’s performance, citing an ability to mix up different offerings to keep hitters guessing.

“He really kept them off balance,” Thompson said.

The Revolutionaries and Hoyas exited the first inning runless, but the second inning saw the Hoyas’ bats come to life. Georgetown scored 2 runs behind 4 walks, 1 hit and a passed ball before standout senior first baseman Christian Ficca stepped up to bat with 2 outs and helped cap the rally with a bases-clearing double to bring the lead to 5 runs.

Georgetown sophomore right-handed pitcher Kai Leckszas threw two shutout relief innings en route to a 13-5 Hoya victory over the George Washington University Revolutionaries.

In the third inning, to accompany Mastroianni’s pitching, the Hoya defense stayed strong. To force the last out of the top of the inning, junior catcher Owen Carapellotti threw out George Washington’s Sam Gates on an attempted steal of second base. The Revolutionaries left the inning runless. Georgetown stayed hot in the bottom of the third, batting around the order en route to scoring 7 more runs. Senior outfielder Andrew Bergeron

drove in a run on a hit-by-pitch, before a Revolutionary error gave the Hoyas 2 more runs. Ficca continued his strong form with a single up the middle to drive in two, while graduate second baseman and designated hitter Marco Castillo also had a 2 run-batted-in (RBI) single, helping solidify the Hoyas’ lead at 12.

teaching ability and preparation,” Crean wrote to The Hoya. “He also makes you better off the floor in countless ways. Kenny is a relationship builder and relationship keeper. He is not afraid to tell you the truth and he is certainly a hard worker.”

Villanova Assistant Coach Ashley Howard, who previously worked with Johnson as La Salle’s head coach, said he has built up a strong national reputation as a recruiter.

“He’s not just a guy that can recruit the DMV — he’s a national recruiter,” Howard told The Hoya. “He has relationships and connections to people all throughout the country, and they all respect him because they know that he’s a good person and you can trust your kids with him.”

However, both Louisville and La Salle fired Johnson after uncovering links to recruiting violations at Louisville. As part of a larger effort by Louisville and school sponsor Adidas to pay recruiting targets, Johnson allegedly arranged a $1,300 payment

to a visiting recruit’s father, according to court documents. Due to the violations, the NCAA later banned Johnson from offseason recruiting outside of college campuses for two years. That term will expire in September, allowing Johnson to resume full recruiting activities at Georgetown.

Despite the sanctions, coaches familiar with Johnson’s situation continue to praise his character and drive. Howard, who hired Johnson after the recruiting allegations became public, continues to stand by his decision.

“It was a no-brainer for me at the time because I knew Kenny’s character,” Howard said. “Despite all of the things that people may say, you look at him as a man, look at him as a father — he’s a great man, a great coach.” Johnson returned to Maryland in 2020 to take a high school head coaching position at National

See

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Hoyas Crush Monmouth Hawks In Big Road Win

With their backs against the wall late into the season, the Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team proved their grit and perseverance in earning their fourth consecutive win, an 18-7 victory on the road against the Monmouth Hawks.

Coming off a strong Big East win last weekend against Marquette University (6-10, 2-3 Big East), the Hoyas (7-9, 4-1 Big East) capitalized on their much-needed momentum, proving their ability to turn around from eight consecutive losses earlier in the season and giving Hoya fans another reason to celebrate April 20.

The Hoyas started strong, netting two back-to-back goals in the opening three minutes of the first quarter behind junior midfielder Maley Starr and senior midfielder Tatum Geist.

After the Hawks (6-9, 2-5 CAA) responded with 2 of their own to tie the game at the 11:01 mark, the Hoyas went on a 3-score run to end the first quarter with a 5-2 lead, capped off by a dramatic buzzer-beater goal by junior attacker Emma Gebhardt.

four minutes later, sophomore attacker Gracie Driggs added another point to the scoreboard with her team-best 37th goal of the 2024 season, more than six times her output in 2023. Just before the end of the half, the Hawks sought to come back with a solid goal — but the Hoyas dug in and left no stone unturned. Graduate defender Maggie O’Brien, in her first goal of the season, gave the Hoyas a 9-4 lead with just 30 seconds left in the second quarter, cementing the Hoyas’ advantage heading into the half.

The Hoyas commanded the third quarter, adding another 3 goals and keeping their opponents at bay with just 1 score.

During the third, Geist added one more to the scoreboard, earning her a coveted hat-trick.

“Scoring 5 in the second and 7 in the third gave us a good cushion,” Thompson said. Neither team scored again until the sixth inning. Then, in the top of the sixth, the Revolutionaries began to jump on the Hoyas’ defense. Sophomore southpaw Andrew Jergins replaced Mastroianni on the mound and loaded the bases before being replaced by graduate right-hander Jordan Yoder, who walked in a run before completing the inning.

online

Senior shortstop Michael Eze reciprocated with his fourth homer of

Senior attacker Kylie Hazen joined her teammate, scoring a hat trick of her own with 2 goals in the third and widening Georgetown’s lead to 12-5 going into the final quarter.

After the game, Hazen attributed her team’s performance to their strong team dynamics. “We know how much talent we have,” Hazen told The Hoya. “We are having fun playing with each other. I also think our

A11 See GW, A11

To start the second quarter, the Hoyas scored another set of backto-back goals in 10 seconds. Just

The Georgetown University men’s basketball team hired Maryland native Kenny Johnson to fill an assistant coach vacancy. Johnson previously held assistant coaching jobs at Towson University, Indiana University, the University of Louisville, La Salle University and the University of Rhode Island.

GUHOYAS

Siena Holowesko Sports Staff Writer

JOHNSON,