10 09 14

VOICE the georgetown

Cultural Brokers Do Georgetown’s cultural groups foster diversity?

By Kenneth Lee Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w October 9, 2014 w Volume 47, Issue 8w georgetownvoice.com

the

Voice

Oct. 9, 2014 This week: Editorial ... Proposed meal plan policy unjust, pg. 3 News ... Possible third-year meal plan requirement, pg. 4 Sports ... Women’s soccer defeats Providence, pg. 6 Feature ... Cultural groups alienate students, pg. 8 Leisure ... In the Red and Brown Water makes waves, pg. 10 Page 13 ... The 6 Food Groups of Leo’s, pg. 13 Voices ... Feeling the pressures of adulthood, pg. 14

Cultural Brokers

Rifts in student cultural groups create conflicts among students.

Last week’s key:

This Week’s Horoscope

-Ambika Ahuja

Find yourself a Libra love this long weekend. These fluttering social butterflies will truly make your heart skip a beat. They are also hopeless romantics. Once they have your heart, they will do everything in their power to make you smile and feel like your best self.

BLOG

Editor: Ryan Greene

NEWS

Editor: Julia Jester

Assistant Editors: Grace Brennan, Marisa Hawley, Kenneth Lee

Assistant Editors: Shalina Chatlani, James Constant, Lara Fishbane

HALFTIME

FEATURE

Senior Leisure Editor: Daniel Varghese

Editor: Caitriona Pagni

Assistant Leisure Editors: Micaela Beltran, Simone Wahnschafft

EDITORIAL BOARD

COPY

Board: Chris Almeida, Shalina Chatlani, Steven Criss, Lara Fishbane, Ryan Greene, Julia Jester, Caitriona Pagni, Kenneth Lee, Daniel Varghese, James Constant

Chief: Eleanor Fanto

Editors: Rachel Greene, Ryan Miller, Dana Suekoff, Lauren Chung, Maddi Kaigh, Andrew Frank, Jupiter El-Asmar, Bianca Clark, Michael Mischke

Chair: Ian Philbrick

Steven Criss Editor in Chief

Dayana Morales Gomez Managing Editor

Mary-Bailey Frank General Manager

Noah Buyon

Technical Director

Tim Annick

Managing Director

SPORTS

Editor: Chris Castano

Assistant Editors: Kevin Huggard, Joe Pollicino, Max Roberts

LEISURE

Editor: Josh Ward

Assistant Editors: Elizabeth Baker, Sam Kleinman, Manuela Tobias

VOICES

Editor: Chris Almeida

Assistant Editor: Grace May

COVER

Editor: Christina Libre

PHOTO

Editor: Ambika Ahuja

Assistant Editors: Sabrina Kayser, Gavin Myers, Joshua Raftis

DESIGN

Editors: Pam Shu, Sophia Super Assistant Editor: Leila Lebreton

PAGE 13

Editor: Dylan Cutler

editorial

georgetownvoice.com

The georgetown voice | 3

there will be no free lunches

GU’s proposed third-year meal plan extorts students, demands action

Assistant Vice President of Auxiliary Business Services Joelle Wiese revealed yesterday to the Voice that Georgetown is considering implementing a third-year meal plan requirement. Georgetown University Student Association President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15) and Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) wisely decried the possible requirement in a press release distributed late last night, calling it “a tuition increase that would be burdensome to students.” Regardless of whether or not they will be directly subjected to the new requirements, Hoyas should stand in solidarity with their campus representatives and third-year peers in preemp-

tive opposition to this proposed policy.

The proposal represents only the latest instance of the university making decisions without placing its students’ wishes and well-being as its top priority. This mentality accompanied the university’s announcement of a thirdyear housing requirement last spring against the wishes of the student body—a precedent that clearly paved the way for Auxiliary Business Service’s push for a new dining requirement. The same disregard influenced the university’s campaign for a satellite campus first semester last year—a proposal only shelved after massive student

pushback and an organized campaign in opposition from GUSA. Once again, this behavior has been deployed despite inevitable student backlash— and Hoyas must organize to combat it.

Wiese stated on Wednesday that a proposed Flex-only meal plan would satisfy the potential requirement and would, in fact, represent a cost-saving measure for students. This line of argument relies on the fact that Flex Dollars spent at campus eateries are not subject to sales tax.

Nevertheless, juniors wishing to save money have numerous other options that a third-year required meal plan would skirt, such as buying grocer-

A and B the c of d

the same schools. According to figures from the Harvard Crimson cited in T he Economist, the median grade for Harvard students in 2013 was an A-, up from a C+ in the 1950s.

These disparities signal shifting norms that emphasize letter grades over learning.

As both the world and the job market grow more competitive, students are encouraged to maximize their GPAs, even if doing so means choosing easy courses over those that might offer a greater challenge. And, with top schools graduating too many students with A averages, employers have faced increased d iffic ulty in d is tin guishing good students from exceptional ones.

From an administrative standpoint, Georgetown has done everything it can to combat this new standard. Instead, the responsibility will—and must—fall to each individual department.

MCEF data will enable individual professors and department heads to evaluate whether or not grade inflation is a problem among their students.

dened Leo O’Donovan dining hall—along with its employees. Requiring more juniors to wade through the battleground that is the lower level of Leo’s on Monday nights is fair neither to them nor to the hordes of underclassmen who already confront long lines and full tables on a daily basis.

If Georgetown moves toward implementing this policy, it will have, once again, disappointed a student body long jaded by the administration’s ill-considered and revenuedriven behavior. GUSA executives have taken the right steps in condemning the third-year requirement—but it will be left to students to prevent it from becoming reality.

crying over gay milk

GU academic departments fight grade inflation, but issues remain

With midterm season descending upon the Hilltop, grades have sprung to the forefront of every Georgetown student’s mind. While those pulling all-nighters on the second floor of Lauinger Library likely avoid asking themselves whether the grades they receive might be higher than they deserve, criticisms of grade inflation have proliferated across campuses nationwide.

Since the university announced new methods of calculating degree honors in early 2014, the Main Campus Executive Faculty has been working to address grade inflation at Georgetown.

Over the next few weeks, it will begin sending each faculty member grade distributions for every class in their department.

Department chairs will also be provided with the cumulative and major GPAs of every student majoring in their respective epartments.

Grade inflation has been condemned in recent years because of growing evidence that students at toptier universities today receive—and expect— much higher grades than students historically have received at

ies in bulk for less cost from nearby grocery stores.

Re q u i r i n g t h i rd - ye a r Hoyas to purchase an expensive meal plan places a disproportionate burden on juniors who may be struggling with loans, work-study jobs, and the stress associated with attending Georgetown on financial aid. As Tezel put it, “this [proposal] is purely so that the university can gather more for its revenue stream.” A third-year meal plan requirement will simply engorge the university’s bottom line at the expense of its neediest students.

Such a policy will also overstretch the already overbur-

This effort is commendable, but a onesize-fits-all policy from university administration is doomed to fail. It is impossible to account for qualitative differences across content and academic disciplines, except by addressing cases individually at the department level. Because some major disciplines, such as economics, are easier to quantify than others, such as English, each department must account for these inherent differences. University-wide curves will not be effective.

Any measures employd to combat grade inflation must keep students in mind. Because Georgetown is one of only a few schools taking significant steps to address the issue, the university is wary of placing students at a competitive disadvantage to others who will graduate with higher GPAs. While analyzing differences between university departments could mitigate this, employers are unlikely to delve so deeply.

Ultimately, Georgetown’s efforts to do right by its students may be hobbled by the failure of the overall higher education system to do the same.

Catholic U’s canceled Milk screening, advocacy policy lag behind

Administrators of the Catholic University of America last week postponed a screening of Milk, a biographical film detailing the life of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person elected to public office in America. The screening, hosted by the CUA College Democrats, had been scheduled to mark the beginning of LGBTQ Awareness Month.

As rationale for canceling the event, CUA officials cited the size of the rainbow flag on event fliers and literature describing the event as a “KickOff” to LGBT Awareness Month, claiming that the screening’s purpose had changed from education about LGBTQ issues to active advocacy for LGBTQ rights.

In addition to a screening of the film, the event was scheduled to include educational talks from both John White, a CUA professor of politics, and Kevin Walling, an alumnus of the university and chair of the Montgomery County Democrats.

While students were still invited to hear the talks, the screening was canceled due to the school’s institutional policy against LGBTQ advocacy (much like Georgetown’s own policy that prevents H*yas

for Choice from billing itself as an official student group).

This persistent resistance to advocacy demonstrates that, despite the burgeoning strength and acceptance of the LGBTQ community at Georgetown, not all Catholic institutions have accommodated the needs of their LGBTQ students. The canceled screening not only displays CUA’s ignorance of the diversity of sexual orientations within its student body but further illustrates just how antiquated its policies are. Although “committed to being…a Catholic…institution of higher learning, faithful to the teachings of Jesus Christ as handed on by the Church,” as laid out by its mission statement, CUA’s draconian response to the screening lags behind even the stances of the Catholic Church.

Pope Francis himself has opined on how unhealthy the Church’s “obsession” with homosexuality is.

And this, of course, passes no judgment whatsoever of student education about a current and pressing societal issue.

Advocacy, though certainly desirable, is in this case beside the point.

Screening a dramatized account of a gay man’s life

is in no way equivalent to advocating for LGBTQ rights. To restrict the film on the basis that its content is disagreeable to the university administrators is a violation of free speech. The existence of media that includes homosexuality is not activism, nor is it propaganda for a political point of view: media is up to the interpretation of the viewer.

The life of a significant historical and social leader merits examination, regardless of the viewer’s sexual orientation or political sympathies.

At Georgetown, we often struggle to walk the line between our institutional Catholic identity and our academic obligation to open dialog and academic integrity.

We Hoyas are comparatively fortunate, however, that the line is open to discussion. CUA needs to realize that no religious belief is cause to violate the First Amendment to this degree, nor to limit the educational exposure of its students.

Catholic institutions the world over are wrestling with the same disparities between reality and doctrine as CUA; in this case, though, it’s the university that needs to play catch-up.

news

4 | the georgetown voice

OCTOBER 9, 2014

University considering third-year meal plan requirement, GUSA to challenge ELIZABETH TEITZ Georgetown’s Dining and Auxiliary Services is considering a possible expansion of the meal plan requirement to juniors in an effort to accommodate additional students living on campus. Flex Dollar-based options and the growth of the kosher and halal pilot program are also on the table for discussion, according to Joelle Wiese, associate vice president of Auxiliary Business Services.

“With the few extra hundred [385] beds that are coming,” she said, Dining and Auxiliary Services are “all in discussion, trying to look at how to best meet the needs of the students.” A possible solution could include a third-year meal plan requirement.

“We’ve had three discussions on it, but we haven’t done any financial modeling yet, we’re just pulling research from other colleges in the area,” Wiese said. She cited a potential Flex-only meal plan as a money-saving opportunity for students, as Flex Dollars are tax-free, but stressed that the plans were “really in the early stage.”

GUSA is “strongly opposed to the addition of a new

requirement,” according to GUSA President Trevor Tezel (SFS ‘15). “A third-year requirement would be a very bad decision for the university to make, for several reasons, the first and foremost being capacity,” he said. “Leo’s right now doesn’t have the capacity to meet the needs of the students it currently requires to purchase meal plans.”

“some [students] are dependent on not having a meal plan in order to make ends meet.”

“Additionally, a third year requirement brings up very serious socioeconomic concerns, because it is, in effect, a tuition increase on students,” Tezel said. “Some [students] are dependent on not having a meal plan in order to make

ends meet and make sure they continue to be fed … If you are requiring them to frequent chain businesses, you are thereby saying to that Hoya, ‘No, you can’t be in charge of your own decisions and budget your own food costs, you have to pay this extra amount of money, and there’s no ifs, ands, or buts about it.’”

In addition to considering adding the new requirement, Wiese said that the University is focused on “adding more value” to existing dining options. This includes the addition of Hilltoss and Bulldog Tavern with the opening of the Healey Family Student Center, as well as the expansion of hot options at the Leavey Center Grab and Go location. Going forward, Wiese said that increasing value also includes looking at meal exchanges in Hoya Court, which would increase options for meal plan users.

Other changes could include the addition of halal meals to Leo’s to supplement the pilot kosher program that was launched this year. Currently, sandwiches and microwaveable meal options are available by request, catered by certified kosher vendor Wrap2Go. The company,

A STUDENT REACHES FOR ONE OF THE FEW REDEEMING PRODUCTS OF LEO’S. owned by Georgetown alumnus Azik Schwechter (Ph.D. ‘06), is in the process of becoming halal certified, and would then be considered to cater halal meals in Leo’s as well. Additionally, Elevation Burger, which already serves several halal-certified meals, is also working on expanding those options. Students with kosher and halal dietary restrictions are currently able to request an exemption and opt out of meal plan requirements.

In a press release sent late Wednesday night, Tezel and GUSA Vice President Omika Jikaria (SFS ‘15) critiqued Leo’s ability to accommodate even more dining needs.

“Leo O’Donovan Hall is not in a position to take on more

MEGAN HOWELL

students,” they wrote. “It is already plagued with long lines, insufficient amount of seating and silverware, and there are serious concerns about exceeding capacity under the fire code.”

While the third-year meal plan requirement would occur simultaneously with the new third-year housing requirement, Tezel argues there is a significant difference. “There’s nothing in the campus plan that says, ‘You need to create a third year requirement for dining.’

This is purely so that the University can gather more for its revenue stream. And we don’t think this is the best way to go about doing that,” Tezel said.

Award-winning Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks in Gaston on Friday BASSAM SIDIKI Award-winning Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, who gained popularity when her speech on feminism was featured in Beyonce’s “Flawless” music video, will speak at Georgetown on Friday at noon in Gaston Hall. The African Society of Georgetown was the leading organization behind coordinating the event with Adichie.

“We had a variety of people and campus departments who made [Chimamanda’s talk at Georgetown] possible,” said ASG President Zoe Gadegbeku (COL ’16). Gadegbeku said that while the ASG came up with the idea and the issues about which Adichie would speak, many other organizations provided financial and logistical

ADICHIE SPEAKS TO AUDIENCES AROUND THE WORLD. support, including the President’s Office, the Lannan Center, and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, among others.

Adichie writes about the intersection of race, gender, and inequality. She has won numerous awards for her work, including 2007’s Orange Prize for Fiction and a

KELLY WRITERS HOUSE

Macarthur Foundation Fellowship in 2008. Her critically acclaimed novel Americanah was named one of New York Times’ 10 best books of 2013.

“Not only has she addressed issues of social justice and inequality in Nigeria and around the continent, but Americanah touches on issues of race and gender equal-

ity as seen through the lens of a young Nigerian woman arriving in the states for the first time,” Gadegbeku said.

Adichie, however, is best known for her speech, “We Should All Be Feminists,” which was originally given at TEDXEuston in April 2013, and later featured in Beyonce’s “Flawless” music video.

Her speech, which emphasizes the ways in which society limits young girls’ choices, forms the second verse of the song. “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller,” Adichie says. “We say to girls, ‘You can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise you will threaten the man.’”

“The thing about Americanah is that it gives a voice

to those who struggle to navigate their identity, […] especially those who have not grown up here,” Gadegbeku said. Another member of ASG, Naa Adeley Kome-Mensah (SFS ’16), also noted the cultural significance of Adichie’s newest work. “Americanah is going to be made into a film starring Lupita [Nyong’o], who is originally Kenyan, so it is really interesting that she will be starring in the movie,” Kome-Mensah said.

Gadegbeku hopes this event will bring further visibility to the experience of women of color at American universities. “Georgetown students should go to her talk because she’s an inspiring example of someone who uses her art to address social issues and to empower her readers and audience.”

news

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the georgetown voice | 5

SAXA POLITICA: COMPETITIVE CULTURE PRESIDES ON CAMPUS

BY IAN PHILBRICK

a tri-weekly column about CAMPUS news and politics

SOME STUDENTS STUDY HARD, WHILE OTHERS HARDLY STUDY.

Taryn Shaw

Main Campus Executive Faculty takes steps to tackle grade inflation LARA FISHBANE Over the past few months, the Main Campus Executive Faculty has been actively working to address grade inflation and disparity across departments. “In the next week or two, all faculty will receive the grade distribution for every class in their departments, and chairs will get the GPAs for each department’s majors inside the major and outside,” wrote MCEF Chair Ian Gale in an email to the Voice.

“The important issue was not inflation, per se, but compression,” Gale said in a subsequent interview with the Voice. He explained that when professors are assigning higher grades, there are fewer grades within the grade spectrum for them to choose from. “That’s the problem. You’re no longer making the same distinctions among students that you were previously,” he said.

In an effort to address the issue across academic departments, the Office of Assessment and Decision Support collected data from the 2014 graduating class comparing students’ grades inside and outside of their majors.

“Part of the impetus was the concern that there were also differences in grading across departments,” said Gale. “We simply asked that more information be made available to faculty so they know exactly where they stand relative to other members of their own department and across departments.”

This information hasn’t been made available to departments for the past several years. When asked whether or not grade inflation was a problem in the history department, Director of Undergraduate Studies Tommaso Astarita was not certain. “The data I have seen is all about the entire university, not by department, and I actually do not know if our

department is experiencing the problem to the same exact extent, or less, or more,” Astarita wrote in an email to the Voice.

According to the Dean of the College, Chester Gillis, the main purpose of spreading this information is to raise awareness among faculty members.

“It may pique the consciousness of some faculty members who weren’t previously aware,” he said. “Anything that brings it to awareness is helpful. Whether or not it will change things is another question.”

Gillis, however, does not plan to force departments to make any mandatory changes based off of the data. “I’m not going to dictate to them that [they] must change or set a standard,” he said. “I just hope departments become more aware.

Internally, they may have conversations based on whether their grading patterns were pretty high or pretty low.”

James Lamiell, chair of the psychology department, does not believe the information will be helpful for his department.

“You cannot infer lax grading standards from a grade distribution graph,” he said. “Looking at distributions of grades across majors isn’t in itself enough to raise questions about equity.

This kind of standardization is not going to accomplish what it sets out to accomplish. It’s just generally a bad idea.”

On the other hand, government department Chair Michael Bailey believes that departments should be striving toward an equilibrium of grades inside and outside of their departments. “A goal would be fairness,” Bailey said. “It just seems kind of unfair if when a student goes in one direction and he gets all this validation … but if he goes in another direction, he could get really low grades when the difference isn’t his performance.”

’Tis the season of disappointment. Applications to the Corp and GUASFCU have been written, received, and rejected. Academic Council and, most recently, GUSA Senate committee chair votes have been cast, counted, and alternately celebrated or condemned.

According to a project manager for the Hilltop Microfinance Initiative, which provides credit and consulting services to local small businesses, HMFI received over 200 student applications this cycle and accepted less than six percent.

Hilltop Consultants—the closest thing on campus to working for Deloitte, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, or McKinsey—boasted similar numbers. General interest meetings for both were standing room only.

For newly arrived Hoyas, the carnival atmosphere of last month’s Student Activities Fair has been replaced by the realization that, statistically, it’s often easier to get into Georgetown itself than to get involved with extracurriculars on campus.

Disappointment isn’t a viewpoint common to discussing participation at Georgetown.

Nevertheless, it’s a lens we need in order to clearly perceive what this campus promotes: an often damagingly pervasive, pre-professional, and politically competitive culture that prizes activity and advancement while chalking up rejection to personal failings.

The problem arises when this pre-professional culture of participation becomes a mainstay—indeed a requirement—of our collegiate environment. This culture isn’t the direct fault of student groups, though, with many interested candidates and few slots to fill. Whether because of necessary exclusivity or organizational

self-importance, it creates a pressure-cooker culture of campus involvement—take part, get that position, and win that election.

Otherwise, you fail. Winning a position with a student group is as much an institution on this campus as sitting on John Carroll’s lap.

What’s more, this expectation is both ubiquitous and universally reinforced. It’s alive in everything from the profusion of fliers outside Village A to the measured cadence of Blue & Gray tour guides describing their various campus commitments to wide-eyed campus visitors (but good luck getting an interview with them, no matter how practiced your backwards walking is). This expectation is not only a significant aspect of campus culture, but it’s also central to how we conceptualize, communicate, and create the pressures of student life.

Of course, this culture isn’t all bad. It’s the reason Georgetown’s branch of the NAACP tabled in Red Square in the rain on Tuesday afternoon to advertise their trip to Ferguson, Mo. this coming weekend. It’s also why Georgetown is considered a factory for producing careers in public service.

Competitive applications do have their place, and Hoyas shouldn’t eschew learning to write better cover letters or how to perform better during interviews. Successfully landing a job marks the sort of achievement that will define life after Georgetown. These are valuable skills, and practice makes perfect. And, of course, that says nothing of the numerous campus groups forwhich resumes and cover letters aren’t required.

But if we’re going to partake in, discuss, and perpetuate these laudable aspects of campus culture, we need to acknowledge and take responsibility for the drawbacks

of the climate it creates. Plenty of pundits—most recently, William Deresiewicz in The New Republic and David Brooks in The New York Times—have argued persuasively that today’s colleges fail to live up to their moral mission of helping students “[build] an integrated self.” If Georgetown’s pre-participatory culture suggests anything, it’s that this failure isn’t just the fault of university administration.

President DeGioia, Todd Olson, and U.S. News & World Report have no more influence on campus culture than they do on which of us the Corp ends up hiring. The responsibility for addressing this culture—or at least evaluating it judiciously—lies with students.

This campus is already famous for its endemic pre-professionalism, and the word is spreading.

Georgetown was recently ranked alongsideYale and the Universityof Pennsylvania as the best institution to graduate from if you want a job in investment banking. It wouldn’t be fair or accurate to claim that this issue singularly—or even disproportionately—affects Georgetown.

But at a university circumscribed by slogans such as “cura personalis,” it’s worth asking how we’re impacting the students our credos purport to put first.

So what to do? Closed application cycles and expired polling periods have muted these issues of late—subtly pervasive, rather than overtly rampant. But if you’re feeling down-and-out about extracurriculars (and, more importantly, if you aren’t), remember two things.

First, you’re not alone. Second, the place, role, or group on campus you’ll eventually find will empower you to either perpetuate or alleviate the pressures of this culture. But for now, it’s a bit like that old breakup line, only truer: It’s not you, it’s us.

According to Gale, another concern is equity in assigning Latin Honors. Because of the difference in grading between departments, students in majors that are graded more leniently are more likely to receive these distinctions. “If you think Latin Honors should go to the strongest students irrespective of choice of major, then you would have to equalize grading across majors,” he said.

Gillis, however, does not believe that differences in grading between departments will af-

fect Latin Honors. “You have to remember the major is only 10 courses and you’re going to have 30 other courses in other disciplines and the core,” he said, “The major will make a slight difference, but statistically, not a huge difference.”

Although Gillis would like to see more consistency in grades between departments, he thinks it would be difficult and could hurt students applying to postgraduate programs when compared to students from other institutions. Grade inflation,

according to Gillis, is not just a Georgetown problem—it must be addressed at the national level.

“Yes I would like things to change, however, they can’t simply be unique to Georgetown,” Gillis said, “One thing that can be really problematic about this is that if you really tighten up policy and then our students have much lower GPAs than everywhere else and they’re applying to professional schools … they may not look as strong as other students when they are as strong.”

sports

6 | the georgetown voice

October 9, 2014

Women’s soccer snatches late victory from Providence ROBBIE PONCE

After 88 minutes of scoreless play, the Georgetown women’s soccer team (8-2-3, 3-0-1 Big East) were headed for extra time against the Providence Friars (5-6-2, 1-3-0 Big East) when senior forward Audra Ayotte netted her first goal of the season and secured the Hoya’s a crucial victory.

Now with their third straight win, the Hoyas extended their undefeated streak to seven consecutive games. Though most of the contest was a defensive stalemate for both sides, Georgetown dominated possession and exploited the fatigued Friars late in the game to continue their unbeaten 2014 Big East campaign.

The Hoyas have benefitted from the offensive contributions of several players in the past few weeks, now including Ayotte, whose late goal would end up being the game-winner as time ran out on the 1-0 contest. With just over two minutes to play, senior midfielder Daphne Corboz’s free kick service from near midfield was headed across the face of goal by junior midfielder Marina Paul. The Friars’ keeper was caught out of position by Paul’s redirection and Ayotte took advantage by streaking to the back post and touching in the game-winner.

“I was just looking for scraps and rebounds,” Ayotte said. “I don’t know if it hit off me or the other girl, but it was in the back of the net, which is what matters.”

From the opening whistle, Providence seemed content

to play a passive, defensive game that hoped to exploit the Hoyas on the counter-attack. The Friars frequently dropped nine players into their defensive half and quickly looked to free forward Catherine Zimmerman whenever they retained possession of the ball. Aside from one run at net during the first half, Providence never even made it close to Georgetown’s goal.

Though the Friar’s compact defense stifled the Hoyas in the attacking third for much of the game, the Hoyas wore down their opposition by dominating play in the midfield.

Georgetown Head Coach Dave Nolan acknowledged that his team struggled to find freedom within the attacking third of the pitch, but he was pleased with his team’s offensive efforts.

“I told the girls at halftime that if we continued to move the ball, they would eventually tire and we would get more space and more opportunities,” said Nolan. “It’s hard to defend as hard as they defended for 90 minutes.”

As the Hoyas threatened to break through the Friar defense in the second half, they received an offensive spark from sophomore Grace Damaska. Damaska, whose hat trick had led the Hoyas past Butler last week, wreaked havoc down the left wing and exposed holes in the Friars defense on several occasions. Though the Hoyas did not capitalize on several of Damaska’s efforts, the forward’s impact on the Hoya’s offensive campaign was evident.

jennifer costa

WOMEN’s Soccer Squeaked By Providence in the last MInute for the Victory.

“Pinging the ball around, Providence was getting really tired and it left me open,” Damaska said. “I tried to just take my girl down the wing and beat her.”

“We might have had a little good fortune with the finish, but it wasn’t like we hadn’t done enough before that to deserve to win,” Nolan said. “I was really happy with how we managed the game.”

Having played three games in eight days, the Hoyas will now take some much needed rest in order to prepare for their most pivotal test thus far in Big East play. Georgetown now sets its sights on the Mar-

quette Golden Eagles (6-5-2, 2-0-1 Big East), who have won the Big East tournament in each of the last two years.

After starting the 2013 season undefeated through 13 games, the Hoyas suffered a huge 4-0 defeat at the hands of the Golden Eagles.

Despite Marquette’s Big East dominance in years past, the team has looked vulnerable early and often this season.

Though Marquette defeated No. 16 Kansas in September, they have lost five games this season, four of which were against unranked opponents.

When Georgetown and Marquette square off on Oct.

12 at 1 p.m., it will be the first time the Hoyas have hosted the Golden Eagles since 2010.

The Blue and Gray certainly aren’t taking their return lightly. Though the team has struggled against Marquette in the past, Ayotte is just one of the many returning players looking forward to avenging last year’s abysmal 4-0 defeat in Milwaukee, Wis. “I think it’s definitely good to have a win going into Marquette, and I think with a strong week of practice we’ll be ready to play Marquette,” Ayotte said. “Hopefully we’ll get some revenge from last year.”

Chris tano’s SPORTS SERMON--as C “If guys aren’t in this locker room I don’t have much time for them—if any.” - Chris Bosh on missing LeBron James Head to any peewee sports practice and the coaches will be emphasizing the values of hard work and sportsmanship to their young charges, instilling in them the upstanding values of American (and international) sporting culture.

That’s all well and great if, for you, it doesn’t really matter who won and who lost, but instead how both teams played the game. If you really want to get somewhere in the world of sports, though, at some point you’re going to have to realize that it’s actually not all fun and games. Sometimes athletes need an edge that goes beyond their physical ability.

Sometimes you have to scare the crap out of whomever you’re up against.

Anyone who thinks that intimidation is not a part of victory is sadly mistaken. At the very top levels of most professional sports, the mental aspect of a player’s game is just as important as the physical. If you can find some way to mess with your opponents and make them believe that you’re better than they are before that whistle even blows, you’ve won the first battle. Don’t believe me?

The world of sports is littered with examples of intimidation used to devastating effect.

The haka is the traditional ancestral war cry and dance of the Maori people, the indigenous Polynesian population of New Zealand. These days, if you want to see a haka performed, and you’re not hooked into Maori culture, you can tune into the next New Zealand

rugby game and watch the All Blacks scare the living hell out of their opponents.

Even via a YouTube video, watching 15 of the most musclebound goons in New Zealand slap their thighs, bare their tongues, and scream their heads before a game curls my toes. In any other situation, these guys would look absolutely ridiculous. Instead, they look downright terrifying. Why? They simply believe in every slap, every step, and every guttural noise that emanates from their throats. When the camera pans to the other team, shadows of the All Black’s conviction dance on the faces of their opponents. The Welsh team once tried staring them down. They lost convincingly. The Australians tried walking right up to the dance and getting right up in the New Zealanders’ faces.

They never stood a chance.

Boxing legend Mike Tyson was also a master of inciting fear in everyone he faced.

Watch any documentary that covers “Kid Dynamite,” and someone will mention how Tyson always looked as if he were ready to kill his opponent. The former heavyweight world champion would stand in his corner before the bell rang and stare his opponent down like a jungle cat.

Personally, I think the likes of Evander Holyfield and Razor Ruddock probably would’ve preferred squaring off against the jungle cat.

Some particularly dramatic fans like to say that soccer is war. No one ever told former

Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane that the saying was just a hyperbole. The Irish enforcer patrolled the pitch like he’d be subbed if he didn’t bruise at least seven of his opponents. He went so far as to say to the press, “Aggression is what I do. I go to war. You don’t contest football matches in a reasonable state of mind.” The man was a maniac, and strongly believed in what he was doing. No one screwed with Roy Keane—to this day, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest midfielders of all time.

Don’t think for one second that less aggressive sports don’t involve the I-factor. Part of the reason tennis megastar Roger Federer was nigh unbeatable in the middle of the 2000s was because he was simply considered the best. He had an aura of invincibility, and anyone who faced him knew they were in for one hell of an afternoon—one that certainly ended in a loss. It was an inevitability; there was no way it wasn’t going to happen. And Federer knew it.

I could keep going—Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, and Randy Johnson. The list just goes on and on. Whether used consciously or unconsciously, intimidation is an intrinsic part of victory. It’s not something that writers or fans want to glorify, or acknowledge as a part of the reason their favorite athletes are great, but it’s undeniably present. Not many are teaching it, but you better‘ ‘ believe rising stars had better learn it quickly if they ever want to become the best.

sports

georgetownvoice.com

Crimson paints over Blue and Gray JOE POLLICINO

In front of a sold-out home crowd of 2,504 fans, the Georgetown football team (2-4, 0-1 Patriot League) fell to Harvard (3-0, 1-0 Ivy League) 34-3 in a game much closer than the final score indicated. Mistakes and poor execution plagued the Hoyas throughout their second-consecutive loss and first-ever meeting with the Crimson.

“We have a theme around here, it’s either ‘win or learn,’ and we learned lots of things,” said Georgetown Head Coach Rob Sgarlata. “We played an excellent opponent, and when you do that you have to execute at a high level.”

On the opening drive of the contest, the Crimson asserted their offensive prowess as they put together a 55-yard scoring drive, culminating with senior running back Andrew Casten’s 2-yard touchdown run, his first of four touchdowns on the day. The Hoyas answered on the ensuing drive, as senior quarterback Kyle Nolan marshaled the offense down the field to the Harvard 19yard line with ease. The offense, however, failed to gain further ground and settled for a 36-yard field goal from sophomore kicker Henry Darmstadter. The field goal turned out to be the Hoyas’ only score of the day, which cut the Crimson lead to 7-3.

The Crimson responded with a pair of Casten touchdowns, including a 22-yard run at the 4:13 mark of the first quarter and a 6-yard run with 55 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

Many of Georgetown’s sports fans are well aware that the National Hockey League starts back up this week. What they may be less aware of is the continued success of one of Georgetown’s lesser known club sports.

The Georgetown club hockey team defeated Millersville University on Friday by a score of 5-3.

Later in the weekend, the team earned a 9-4 road victory over the University of Richmond.

At a school that prides itself upon on its athletic achievements, the club hockey team has carved out a reputation as one of Georgetown’s most successful teams. Despite an obvious lack of notoriety and top notch facilities nearby, the team manages to stay successful with a combination of motivation and chemistry.

– FullCourtPress – Joe Pollicino’s TRI-weekly column about sports

Sports culture needs a makeover

Poor Execution Cost the Hoyas in their Matchup with Harvard.

Harvard went into halftime with a comfortable 20-3 lead and never looked back. Casten’s final touchdown, a 3-yard run, and a 27-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Scott Hosch to freshman receiver Joseph Foster capped the scoring for the Crimson.

Despite scoring three points, the Georgetown offense moved the ball effectively for most of the game, especially in the middle part of the field. Junior quarterback Kyle Nolan completed 16of-33 passes passes for 153 yards and no interceptions, while junior running back Jo’el Kimpela rushed for 55 yards on 16 carries.

Sophomore wide receiver Justin Hill was Nolan’s most popular target. He finished the day with five receptions for 44 yards. Sgarlata found a lot of positives in his team’s offensive performance.

“We moved the ball against one of the better defenses in [Division 1-AA],” said Sgarlata.

“You’re not going to see a better looking football team than that as far as from a physical standpoint. We talked to our kids

carolyn zaccaro

about ‘aim small, shoot small,’ focusing on just one play, one technique, one thing that we’re doing. I thought for the most part we did that.”

The offense, however, failed to translate this effort onto the scoreboard, as costly mistakes, such as penalties and missed assignments at inopportune times, prevented the Hoyas from mounting a comeback. “We got to do a better job on third down,” said Nolan.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot [on offense],” said Nolan.

We just have to finish drives... we’ve just got to find a way to get it into [the end zone].”

The Blue and Gray will look to snap their two-game losing streak when they resume their Patriot League schedule at Lafayette this Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Sgarlata feels they will bounce back.

“We always tell the kids it’s not a one game season. This whole thing is a journey, not a process. We’ll flush this out, see what we can learn from it and move forward.”

Hockey continues winning ways MAX ROBERTS

the georgetown voice | 7

“It comes down to us being hungry. We can’t get on the ice as much as other teams can.

We’ve played at great programs, and that’s what helps us out. We know how to play together and we can make things happen when we need to,” said junior forward Jeff Wong.

The hockey team’s impressive cohesion was on display when sophomore forward Harry Clifford broke a 2-2 tie against Millersville.

“It was a tic-tac-toe type, and [Clifford] ended up scoring,” Wong said. “That best encapsulated the way we play and our chemistry. That broke a 2-2 tie and that let us get on the board and help us get together.”

Despite adding eight freshman to the team, they still are feeling the loss of their graduated seniors, especially on the defense.

“[Our] two biggest losses were Zach Markel and Connor Broga, the best goalie and the best defenseman in the league,” Wong elaborated. “Knowing that we don’t have that same steel in net forces us to work harder and be more diligent” Despite these losses, strong teamwork and an influx of young players have Wong and the rest of the team optimistic for the current season.

“The chances are hopefully pretty good [for success],” Wong said. “Hopefully we can have another great season and bring home another championship” If you’re willing to make a short road trip, you can catch Georgetown club hockey’s next home game on Friday, Oct. 17 at 8:30 p.m. against the University of Delaware at the Laurel Gardens Ice House in Laurel, Md.

Over the last few months, the growing conversation surrounding Ray Rice’s brutal and cowardly assault of his then-fiancée and current wife, Janay Palmer, has nearly broken the NFL and its commissioner, arguably the most powerful man in sports, Roger Goodell.

As despicable as Rice’s actions and the league’s subsequent punishment were, their egregious behavior has helped foster a national debate on the historically ignored issue of domestic violence and the treatment of women in our society.

The NFL and other sports leagues and organizations have recently taken small steps in the right direction.

The league finally got it right with the suspensions and deactivations of players, such as Greg Hardy, Ray McDonald, and Jonathan Dwyer, for their respective roles in violence-related incidents. Even Florida State, historically infamous for ethical violations, bent to public pressure and suspended Heisman-winning quarterback Jameis Winston for a game after he publicly shouted a grossly misogynistic phrase in the middle of campus.

But the measures taken by these organizations are temporary and have only helped assuage public outcry for now. I’m fearful they will not take the necessary next step toward addressing one of the root causes of this systemic problem, which is to eradicate a culture that subliminally condones this objectifying and appalling behavior.

Go to any major professional or college sporting event and take in the sights and sounds.

You’ll hear songs played that are filled with offensive lyrics and find scantily clad cheerleaders performing for everyone’s pleasure.

It does not stop there.

Sports leagues and teams have elevated celebrities who, through past actions or artistic pursuits, have committed or condoned these horrific actions toward women. Eminem has frequently become an onair guest at games he attends and is celebrated as a musical visionary by his interviewers.

Drake, who hosted the ESPY Awards this past summer, has an official position with the Toronto Raptors as global am-

bassador and will serve as the host for the 2016 NBA All-Star game in Toronto. Rick Ross will headline the University of Memphis basketball team’s upcoming Midnight Madness festivities. And that’s just to name a few.

The phrase that Jameis Winston uttered in public would be considered tame relative to the misogynistic abominations that pass for lyrics in these artists’ songs. Based on the disciplinary punishment administered by Florida State, if Winston sang the entirety of one of their selected songs in public, he would have been suspended for the entire season.

By supporting these respective artists, what values do our sports leagues, teams, and their associated ventures communicate to our society?

Do parents want their son to believe that this type of behavior toward women is permissible? Or, even worse, would parents want their daughter to believe that she has to submit to living in a society where this is simply deemed part of our culture? Whether they intend to or not, that’s the precise message that our beloved teams are sending.

I do not intend to come across as a naïve, self-righteous social justice warrior. In fact, I recognize that I am a part of this large-scale problem because I continue to give teams incentives to promote this type of culture. I have supported these artists in the past by attending their concerts and listening to their music, and by attending sporting events where my aforementioned grievances are prevalent.

Something, however, must be done. It’s time for our favorite sports leagues to take more permanent steps toward addressing the misogynistic culture that permeates the sports world.

While a more strict disciplinary policy toward the agents of these cowardly actions may discourage future acts of domestic violence, it will not wholly solve the problem. As long as we continue to support a culture that inadvertently condones and celebrates this abhorrent behavior, we should continue to expect more of the same.

8 | the georgetown voice

feature

October 9, 2014

Where to draw the line:

Cultural groups on campus create an atmosphere of exclusion

By Kenneth Lee On a campus commended for attracting students from all corners of the world, it comes as no surprise that Georgetown sustains an assortment of cultural clubs.

At the beginning of every semester, undergraduates flock to the Student Activities Fair to find cultural clubs that will allow them to form connections with other students from their home countries, practice a new language, or simply participate in the many events hosted on campus.

Daniel Kim (COL ‘17), a Korean-American Maryland native, arrived at a general body meeting of the Korean Student Association his freshmen year hoping to connect with other Korean students. He quickly realized, however, that the KSA primarily exists as an organization for international Korean students, and lost his desire to be involved after attending just one general body meeting.

“When I went to the general body meeting, I wasn’t really talked to or engaged at all,” he said. “I don’t want to say [I felt] rejected, because it’s not like I applied to something and felt rejected, but I want to emphasize that it was very unwelcoming. The environment was one where I didn’t want to initiate further contact.”

The impenetrable bubble of international students Prior to the beginning of each school year, the KSA reaches out to potential members in South Korea. “They have a big welcome party for incoming freshmen in Korea over the summer, “Maryland-born Sophia Yang (SFS ‘17) said.

According to Yang, no similar outreach initiatives exist for Korean-American students, and this disparity makes it harder for Korean-Americans to form relationships with KSA members once the semester begins.

Yang said that the KSA tries to emulate the hierarchical sunbae-hoobaei relationship between elders and younger people in Korean society.

“When you enter KSA, naturally you’re a hoobaei. The upperclassmen, the sunbae, expect you to be respectful toward them,” Yang said.

As a Korean-American, Yang felt alienated by this practice. “I don’t want to feel like I have to be super-Ko-

rean to be friends with them. I’d rather them be my friends because we’re all students at Georgetown. We’re all the same,” she said.

The KSA’s constitution states that the club aims to promote Korean culture to the larger Georgetown community. However, Yang believes that, in practice, spreading Korean culture does not top the list of the organization’s priorities.

“When they make events, who are they expecting to come? Who do they invite to the events? Who actually comes to the events? It’s primarily Koreans,” she said. “I appreciate KSA for what it does … but I knew from the beginning I wasn’t going to be very involved.”

Part of the reason that American-born Koreans, known as gyopo in Korea, feel alienated is that the KSA’s international members shows an affinity for Korean speakers.

“On campus, Koreans are always with other Koreans. Especially KSA people … I feel like they’re more enthusiastic or they come out more when they’re with other Koreans,” said Joone Wang (COL ‘17), who moved to the United States when he was three. Wang said their attitude discouraged him from associating with the KSA. Kim believes that collectivist thinking in Korean culture further exacerbates the divide in the KSA between American-born Koreans and those members born in Korea. “There’s ingroups and outgroups. So if you’re in, you’re in for life. You’ll have excellent networks. If you’re out, you’re never going to get in,” she said.

Shaquille James (COL ‘16), an African-American student whose Korean professor encouraged him to join the KSA, made a strong effort in establishing rapport with Korean students and their wider social circle. He thinks that Korea’s homogeneity as a country contributes to the difficulty of making such connections.

James believes that the KSA can serve as a cultural refuge for Korean students who feel overwhelmed by American culture.

“To find somebody else who speaks Korean, you know, that’s a big thing,” he said. “That’s somebody else who you can com-

municate with in your mother language.”

Current KSA Co-President Ted Oh (MSB ‘15) counters that the perception of the KSA as exclusive is unfair.

The public, according to Oh, generally misunderstands the nature of the KSA. “There’s always cliques.

That’s how everything works in life … Sometimes, when people talk in other languages, they might look at you, or you might not necessarily feel welcome to sit at a certain table where they are,” he said. “It can give off that wrong impression.”

Oh went on to say he does not know why the perception of the KSA as an exclusionary group is so prevalent on campus, “I can’t say how we got this label. I really don’t like it,” he said.

Oh, who himself is from Montreal, said that he made many connections with Korean students in the KSA. “I myself am a gyopo and I don’t understand where they might be coming from. I felt like I had a really smooth transition getting to know international Koreans,” he said.

Oh said that whenever KSA sends communications in Korean, an English translation always follows. “I think it’s a good way to promote our culture, or language, just to show that there’s a Korean description available,” he said. “I can’t speak for prior years … but as far as this year’s GBM [general body meetings], they’ve been in English.”

“I can’t say how we got this label. I really don’t like it”

Oh joined the KSA last year with the intention of clearing up its image and gaining support from a more diverse group of people. He could not, however, disclose what events the KSA

is planning this semester because the KSA currently is in restoration status with the Student Activities Commission for not filing a budget.

“Hopefully, through this article, people will start to be more aware that maybe that’s not the case, the impressions that they had, and maybe come and approach us a little more,” Oh said.

A home away from home Having chosen to spend four years thousands of miles away from home, international students have to orient themselves to American life, laws, and customs—an extra burden in Georgetown’s fast-paced student culture.

They, therefore, will want to congregate in cultural clubs to smooth their transition to college.

Randy Puno (COL ‘16), born and raised in Manila, Philippines, wanted to be a part of Club Filipino from the very moment he arrived on the Hilltop.

“I was a homesick freshman in America for the first time. I had spent a week or so at all sorts of orientations…

It overwhelmed me a bit,” he said.

“Naturally you look for things that are familiar when you feel stressed out when you feel you’re somewhere you don’t belong,” he said.

Puno initially thought Club Filipino was “corny,” but he found a mentor who helped ease him into an American college environment.

“I knew that there was someone there who was in the exact same boat as I was and he was doing great,” he said. “That’s when I felt that there’s really a group of people here that come from exactly the same place I come from and I can relate to in the same way that I relate people back home.”

Now president of Club Filipino, Puno believes that the club can both be a home for himself and a place to explore Filipino culture.

“Knowing that there will always be someone else new that will think something that you’re not used to about the little things we do—about the food, the way we talk, the way we hang out—it always make it interesting to come back to CF,” he said.

georgetownvoice.com Cultural groups that provide a home away from home for international students and also reach out to students outside of the group help create positive experiences for all students, says Rachel Villanueva (SFS ‘16), who is Tsinoy-American and a secretary for the Taiwanese American Student Association.

After transferring from the University of Miami, which only has one Asian student organization, Villanueva joined TASA’s “sibling” program on a whim, but did not expect to gain much from the experience because she was not Taiwanese.

“I was really nervous because I’d met these people only once briefly,” she recalled of her first outing with her “siblings” to a Taiwanese restaurant in Maryland.

A TASA upperclassman invited her to frozen yogurt immediately after the event, however, and she realized that the club’s members were interested in establishing meaningful connections and wanted to get to know her .

“The people I was paired up with were really engaging. They seemed to care about me beyond just getting me to come to their events,” she said. “To them, I felt that it didn’t really matter that I could just learn about their culture as I go.”

feature come up to me and they were nice,” she said. “You could tell they were obviously doing it after the article because they never had a conversation with me.”

Comments on the Voice website defended the inclusivity of the groups she had alluded to. “I am white. Period,” one commenter wrote.“I became good friends with many of the members of the South Asian Society over the next two years and consider many members to be some of my best friends. I was never not invited to a party, told I couldn’t bring a friend somewhere, or gossiped about in a negative way.”

Okolie said that these responses missed the point of her op-ed. She was upset, not because she couldn’t explore the South Asian community, but because she felt she should have been included in the South Asian community by virtue of her heritage in the first place.

“I don’t think that a standard for whether a group is accepting or not is whether they let white people attend their events,” she said. “If you’re a white person or a person who’s just not in that group or not from that place … it’s more of an exploration,

ciling Okolie’s argument that Okolie was discriminated against because she didn’t fit a certain Indian student mold.

“I really felt that there’s really a group of people here that come from exactly the same place I come from and I can relate to in the same way that I relate people back home.”

“There’s no such thing as a typical South Asian experience. None of us fit into any kind of mold … I’ve never experienced one mold of the perfect South Asian,” she said, citing the vastly different religious and ethnic backgrounds of past and present board members.

Even so, Martin expressed regret that Okolie had a negative experience with the HSA and commended her for sharing her experience.

Not accepted for who you are

Individual concerns about cultural groups on campus have long been a concern for students. In April 2013, the Voice published an op-ed written by Indian-Nigerian student Sonia Okolie (COL ‘15), titled ‘Biracial student snubbed by Georgetown cultural society,’ sparking conversation about the South Asian Society (SAS) and the Hindu Student Association (HSA). [Full disclosure: Okolie is a former copy editor for the Voice.]

Born and raised Hindu, Okolie wanted to seek out a sense of community in these groups. “When I got here, I was really excited that I would You can’t sit with us. Groups table in Red Square Photo by the Georgetown Voice be able to join these groups and have Indian friends, because growing up, I didn’t live in an area that had any In- or you’re just trying to see and learn “I applaud her for speaking up bethings, and that’s different.” cause I’m sure there are other people dian people,” she said.

Smiti Mohan (MSB ‘15), HSA preswho have felt this insecurity or feel Instead, she said, SAS members ident, denied that HSA members ing of not being accepted. I hate that questioned the ownership of the Indiever asked Okolie whether she was people have felt that. I genuinely do, an clothes she wore to a club formal. attending its weekly pujas for class. because I’ve experienced it as well in Additionally, Okolie said HSA mem“None of the HSA board members other groups, and I hate to think that bers singled her out because they did ever ask this question to attendees people experienced that in a group not believe she practiced Hinduism. during our services,” she wrote in an I’m involved in.”

“If you’re saying that you’re an Voice .

“We usually find email to the

open group on campus, I feel like you out because the attendees tell us that have an obligation to at least be polite What makes a diverse campus? and be courteous to everyone who they are here for a class and then ask us questions about different aspects Students’ mixed experiences comes to your event,” she said.

The day after her article was pub- of our service.” with cultural clubs bring into lished, the SAS held a spring formal, Mariam Martin (COL ‘15), SAS pres- question the proper role of culwhich she attended. “I had some people ident, said that she had trouble recon- tural groups on campus.

the georgetown voice | 9 According to Villanueva, simply sending newsletters and inviting members to events, which is the extent of many cultural organizations, is insufficient. Personal outreach and connections are what strengthen a cultural group’s community, especially because the University is still what she calls a “white-dominated space.”

“Many cultural clubs have the priority of being a safe platform for members of their community.

Sometimes [that] gives off the impression that they’re unwelcoming and exclusive,” she said. “Diversity and unity aren’t mutually exclusive.

By recognizing this we can create a stronger sense of community… sometimes that requires you to go beyond ethnic bounds.”

As president of Club Filipino, Puno strives to strike a balance between pride toward his own heritage and a willingness to share it with others.

“Never be satisfied with your membership. Always look to improve and increase what your club looks like, how many different perspectives exist. Just always be open, always be ready, always look for more opportunities to increase appreciation for what your culture has to offer and don’t be selfish with it,” he said.

Erika Cohen-Derr, Assistant Dean for student engagement, said the Center for Student Engagement has not received complaints about specific groups being overly exclusive.

“Given that it hasn’t merited students to file official complaints with us, I don’t know that I have any evidence that this is a generalized, persistent problem,” she said.

Cohen-Derr stressed that the CSE expects all clubs to adhere to the Student Organization Standards, which provides standards that membership must not be discriminatory and open to all students. “The mandatory training that CSE provides, called Blueprint, speaks to the principles of openness and inclusion that is an expectation of all groups,” she said.

Some of those who have tried to join the KSA hope that the club will eventually be more open and embracing. “I think there’s already enough exclusivity on our campus,” Yang said.

“I would hope that KSA would be more embracing of other Koreans, of all Koreans, and people in general that are interested in Korean culture.”

For Wang, international students from Korea, ultimately, have no choice but to reach out to Americans on an American campus. “You’ve got to pop your bubble. You’re not going to get anywhere if you stay in your comfort zone your entire life,” he said. “You’re not going to die. You’re just talking to people. It’s worth it.”

leisure

10 | the georgetown voice

October 9, 2014

In The Red and Brown Water churns Yoruba lore at Devine Studio ELIZABETH BAKER Oya, the goddess of wind and lightning in Yoruba mythology, summons the spirits of change and tumult with deep inhalations.

Alluding to her divine namesake, Oya, the protagonist of In The Red and Brown Water played by Aloysia Jean (COL ‘16), must summon her own spirits as her life and sense of security fall apart.

Under the direction of Professor Isaiah Matthew Wooden (COL ‘04), the Department of Theater and Performance Studies and Black Theatre Ensemble’s co-production begins the 2014-15 season with a young woman’s journey into the unknown world of adulthood, set in the confining Louisiana projects. Oya’s talent for running track appears to be her ticket out of the projects, setting her on the path for a better life. But when her mother Moja, played by Nona Johnson (COL ‘17), suddenly falls ill, Oya makes the difficult decision to stay behind to care for her.

In her attempts to fill the void left by her mother, Oya shifts between lovers: the awkward, and safe Ogun, played by CeeJay Hayes (COL ‘17), and Shango, played by Isayah Phillips (SFS ‘15), who epit-

omizes irresistible carnal love.

Oya’s tragic inability to create a family to replace the one she lost transforms her home from a haven into the ultimate confinement.

The actors read the stage directions aloud, at the playwrights direction, drawing extra participation from viewers, who were made

“Hang on, chicken madness is about to win the LXR GOOSA Senate seat!” aware of the inner machinations and desires of the characters. Jean, who plays the tender Oya, agreed that the stage directions help make the characters more personal. “It’s a way of bringing yourself into the character. As Tyrell

Breeches&BODICE: A bi-weekly column on style by Tim Annick

As a man with two amazing sisters, I like to think of myself as a feminist. But lately, I’m beginning to wonder if this de facto feminism has its limits.

I was thrilled when my sister bought a pair of slick monkstrap shoes this summer, as I have always encouraged my sisters to dress modestly. It is, afterall, my role as the overbearing and safeguarding older brother.

Upon further reflection, however, I think I’m actually impeding my sisters’ self-confidence.

By encouraging and lauding my sisters’ androgynous looks, I passively and inadvertently discourage their femininity.

I want my sisters (and all women) to be free to choose the path they want in life, and to not be restricted by gender.

But by encouraging menswear-as-womenswear, I am subtly gender policing in a way that

[McCraney] told us, you are not this character… you’re a person telling their story, and the way you personally tell it is unique.”

McCraney, the playwright, also uses different artistic forms to heighten the beauty and tragedy of In The Red and Brown Water. Both dance and music weave

discredits their identities, a practice I have decided to change.

My Tumblr dashboard is filled with reblogged pictures of women tagged “#menswear.”

Wait, what? All these women are putting together male staples better than anything I could think up. For example, slip-on sneakers? On dudes, my initial reaction is always, please, just no.

On these women, though, I’m suddenly digging slip-on sneakers and those infamous normcore Birkenstocks. It seems to me, however, that womenswear has an increasingly anti-feminist double standard.

Stylistic androgyny has come at the fashion world full force, and many are crediting Jack and Jane Hoya’s favorite store and homogenizing squad, J. Crew. Creative head Jenna Lyons recently took charge of the company, popularizing and

through the storyline, often symbolizing a transition from reality into a dream realm, to which both Oya and Elegba retreat when reality becomes too much to bear.

Yoruba cosmology, too, plays a fascinating role in the play,

lending a symbolic nature to each character. Shango, the god of war in Yoruba mythology, epitomizes masculinity through his decision to serve in the army and his unbridled lust. On the other hand, both Elegba, played by Jack Schmitt (COL ‘15), and Elegua, played by Daniella Lomas (MSB

Joshua Raftis

‘15), are representations of Eshu, the “trickster” god, providing excellent comic relief. The relationships within the play also mirror Yoruban cosmology and lore—while Shango represents thunder, Oya is lightning—two

It’s my birthday, and I can wear what I want to spreading “Lyons’ signature girl-in-her-boyfriend’s-clothes look,” as Fast Company writer Danielle Sacks put it.

While J. Crew is convinced that it’s just feminizing men’s clothing for women, I cannot shake the feeling that Lyons is recontextualizing the deeply embedded male chauvinism that runs rampant in our culture. With the “Broken-In Boyfriend” jean, “Schoolboy” blazers, and various loafers, monk straps, and brogues, feminine dress is being discouraged by one of the most widely available and accessibly stylish clothing companies in the U.S. This trend didn’t start at the bottom of the fashion hierarchy. As Time journalist Ingrid Sischy pointed out in 1998, even Coco Chanel, whose “work is unquestionably part of the liberation of women would not

have defined herself as a feminist.” Yet Chanel was revered for her ability to “[mix] up the vocabulary of male and female clothes.” It’s certainly feminist to appropriate men’s clothes for women, but that gendered appropriation seems to only run in one direction.

But perhaps this trend is changing. The man-skirt seems to be gaining traction. According to fashion blog Opening Ceremony’s “History of the Man-Skirt,” it appeared in a designer collection in the form of a sarong in 1994. Vin Diesel wore a kilt in 2003 at the MTV Europe Music Awards. More recently, we have seen ultimate style god Kanye “Yeezus” West preach in his iconic Givenchy leather skirt-kilt. West positively rocked that skilt (I’ll take credit for that portmanteau).

These guys are all hyper-masculine, which does

forms of energy that are never far apart.

The production’s stage becomes a romanticized wasteland, lined with rusted shutters and tilted walls. A small moat surrounds the stage, changing colors and rippling when characters drift into dream states, and the actors embody complex roles, as they adopt several layers to embody bitterly realistic characters.

But what makes In the Red and Brown Water a story of origins? For starters, it’s a tragic coming-of-age story, as Oya struggles to find her way into womanhood without her mother.

As for migrations, it’s not necessarily the move from place to place, but rather, as Aloysia explains, the change within the individual as life goes on.

“It’s the migration within ourselves, and our different states of mind. We originate as one person, and we think we’ll stay that way. As time goes by, we keep those roots—but we change, migrating from one state of mind to the next... That’s just life.”

Devine Studio Theatre Oct. 9-12, Oct. 16-18 performingarts.georgetown.edu

nothing for throwing off our everyday gender policing. These men were surely not concerned about giving anyone the wrong idea by wearing a skirt. Implicit in the taboo of men in skirts is that it is socially unacceptable to display femininity, as if it were a negative or character flaw.

French male students in Nantes staged a movement earlier this year called “Lift the Skirt,” which, as Erin Cunningham reported for The Daily Beast, was deemed “scandalous” by conservative political leaders—as if they could rock Kanye’s skilt.

If men, who by and large are more highly represented in positions of power, are scorned for wearing skirts, it associates skirts and dresses with the stigma of a powerless class—which women are not and should never be. Both men and women should be freed from this anti-feminist gender policing that is constantly being performed.

Take a peak up Tim’s skirt at tra25@georgetown.edu

georgetownvoice.com

“GIVE ME A BREAK! THEY CAN’T HAVE NEWS. NOTHING HAPPENS IN CANADA!” — ANCHORMAN 2

the georgetown voice | 11

One Chance merits encore Hummus House dips into Georgetown GRAHAM PIRO It’s fitting that a movie about a man’s ability to sing opera at the top of his lungs lacks subtlety. One Chance tells the (somewhat) true story of Paul Potts, an average Joe with a passion for opera. Much like Potts’ voice, the film is loud and bombastic.

Director David Frankel revels in its clamor, resulting in a brilliantly inspiring, albeit predictable, experience.

James Corden portrays Potts with a charismatic, wide-eyed sensibility. Potts’ life hits on most of the cliches that have become typical of the underdog story: Unsupportive father?

Check. Problems with women?

Check. Childhood bullying?

Check. Corden’s performance and some clever dialogue, by writer Justin Zackham, help keep the viewer from completely withdrawing from the film during these scenes.

Though the story ticks along at a reasonable pace, it hits a low note when it focuses on arcane plotlines that can only be understood by opera aficionados.

Still, Frankel injects enough humor and drama into the film to keep the viewer involved.

The main strength of the film lies in its emotion. It goes to great lengths to ensure that the audience will empathize with Potts—and it w orks. Some of the best scenes come with the protagonist’s triumphs, whether it’s when a performance in a bar is well-received or when Potts wins “Britain’s Got Talent.”

There’s genuine emotion to be found, and these scenes are a pleasure to watch.

Potts’ girlfriend, unfortunately, is one of the more

one-dimensional characters in the film. She comes in and out of the story when convenient, and quickly falls in and out of love with Potts. Their relationship lacks any real tension, as it’s obvious that the two will end up together. Easily the best relationship in the film is between Potts and his old-fashioned, gruff father, portrayed magnificently by the stalwart Colm Meaney. Father and son are depicted early in the film at the dinner table, sharing food and poignant silence.

The improbable fairy-tale nature of the story forced me to continually remind myself that what I was watching actually happened. Potts goes through so much failure and bad luck that I had to question how much of the true story actually made it to the screen. The use of real footage of the judges’ reactions at the conclusion of the film mixed with Corden’s performance was awkward, though it gave a sense of realism to the positive ending.

One Chance is certainly not going to be remembered as a particularly deep or subtle film. It has no qualms about being a predictable underdog story. Everyone in the movie embraces this fact, and the movie triumphs because of it. If the viewer can turn a blind eye to the predictable plotline and the one-note characters, then there is a legitimately uplifting and inspiring story to be enjoyed. Much like Potts himself, the movie is earnest and passionate, and puts a new spin on the tired message of “chasing one’s dreams.” That, most certainly, earns the movie at least one chance.

“Come on, the castrati movement ended years ago!”

imdb

SERGIO BETANCOURT

Complete with faux-ivy crawling over the brick walls and ceiling, Sabra’s brand new pop-up restaurant, Hummus House, initially appears to be a traditional Middle Eastern eatery with a modern twist.

After spending a few moments inside, however, it’s clear that this place is far from authentic. In fact, the pop-up has a distinctly unpleasant corporate atmosphere to it. The embarrassing stock photos and the Sabra logo scattered everywhere only reinforce the sense that you’re inside a pop-up advertisement.

A small gathering of protesters were present in front of Hummus House, muttering the words “boycott Sabra” to passersby. One of the joint owners of Sabra, the Israeli food product manufacturer Strauss Group, has allegedly supported the controversial Israeli Defense Force Golani Brigade for years, prompting worldwide boycotts of Sabra products. In terms of first impressions, this one certainly wasn’t the most pleasant.

Upon entering the store, a friendly host greeted me and walked me to the restaurant area, passing the refrigerator of prepackaged Sabra products and a staircase to the empty second floor—giving a hollow vibe to the odd marketing stunt. Once I accepted it for what it was, though, the rest of the dining experience was admittedly quite pleasant.

I ordered the Baba Ghanoush and pita chips to start, curious to try something Sabra does not sell in grocery stores.

The dish was as simple as it was advertised, but it did not disappoint. The roasted eggplant came through delicately and the creaminess of the dip was complemented by the salty crunch of the pita chips.

The hummus plate entree came as a large platter of warm, thick hummus topped with chickpeas and tahini. Italian olive oil and sea salt garnished the dip, and it was served with perfectly toasted pita bread and crunchy pita chips.

The platter also included guacamole, roasted red peppers, and sliced vegetables from a local farm—all fresh and colorful additions to the pop-up’s signature platter.

I had tasted Sabra hummus before from Safeway, and while gourmet for a college budget, a warm version didn’t sound all that exciting. I was pleasantly surprised. While a gentleman was preparing hummus from scratch at a table set up adjacent to mine, he told me this dish was going to be “the best damn hummus” I had ever tasted.

This hummus was nothing like the store bought kind.

Each of the fresh flavors competed for attention, and the olive oil and pita alone were delicious. The guacamole was good, too—better than store bought, but nothing special and vividly incongruous with the Mediterranean vibe of the Hummus House.

If you need to ease your hummus cravings, dip into Hummus House before it closes its doors on Oct. 26. Just remember to leave your consumerism at home as you enter this chickpea-flavored, store-shaped billboard.

Hummus House 1254 Wisconsin Ave. N.W. 11 a.m-9 p.m, through Oct. 26 sabra.com/hummus-house

Sackler Gallery decodes Nasta’liq script TIM ANNICK It’s hard not to feel like Lara Croft when you trek through a dim hallway, descend two staircases, and finally stumble into the Sackler Gallery. It’s underground, in a dark purple room that feels like the excavated tomb of a minor nobleman who lived long ago. It’s small and reverently lit, but the space perfectly suits the “first exhibit of its kind to focus on nasta’liq,” as the museum describes it. Nasta’liq is a style of Persian calligraphy whose lines look as though they were traced by a ballerina leaping and twirling across the pages of the exhibit’s ancient manuscripts.

Nasta’liq: The Genius of Persian Calligraphy focuses on the work of four major calligraphers between 1400 and 1600: Mir Ali Tabrizi, Sultan Ali Mashhadi, Mir Ali Haravi, and Mir Imad Hasani.

Ali Tabrizi is largely credited with inventing the calligraphic style, although much of his story is known only from legend. The

style was originally supposed to mimic the “wings of flying geese,” and it certainly looks that way. The script is often written in a diagonal, so it looks as though a flock of geese is ascending to the heavens en masse.

The stories in the exhibit, however, feel largely like reading a dry art history textbook— enumerating the technical attributes of the works. For someone trained in neither calligraphy nor in Arabic script, the exhibit has the potential to alienate the viewer. Outside of the exotic beauty of the script sampled in the exhibit, there seem to be a large number of stylistic similarities between the intricate European style books of hours and the nasta’liq texts. Placing the oeuvres of each artist on a global art chronology would have given less knowledgeable viewers more context.

Even so, the exhibit created a clear timeline throughout the space, explaining each calligrapher’s contribution to the

art of nasta’liq. While more monochromatic than a book of hours, the nasta’liq texts are text-centric, usually featuring the calligrapher’s favorite poetry or Quranic verses. The poetry plays a background role to the exquisite pages and books scattered throughout the exhibit’s two rooms.

Despite the exotic nature of the nasta’liq texts, the intricate penmanship inevitably sweeps you off your feet, as do the intricate artwork, patterns, and gold leaf adorning the pages. The Freer and Sackler Galleries also possess the only known signed work

by Ali Tabrizi in existence—the exhibit is more rife with exciting treasures than a Brooklyn flea market. And who knows? You never know when Nicholas Cage might need help finding elusive Illuminati relics.

Freer and Sackler Galleries 1050 Independence Ave. S.W. 10 a.m.-9 p.m. weeklong asia.si.edu

leisure

12 | the georgetown voice

CRITICAL VOICES

Flying Lotus, You’re Dead!, Warp Steve Ellison’s You’re Dead! infuses hard jazz with a labyrinth of clacking, psychedelic guitar pedals and hip hop drum kits—not your average Darnall elevator tunes.

In an interview with Rolling Stone this past summer, Ellison (a.k.a. Flying Lotus) declared his annoyance with “all this Starbucks jazz shit” as the inspiration behind the album that has been two years in the making. Originally slated to be a purely hard jazz record, You’re

SBTRKT, Wonder Where We Land, Young Turks SBTRKT’s new album, Wonder Where We Land, glides us through magnificent atmospheres of edgy textures and abstract synths, but, in the end, misses its landing. Straying from his groovy EDM roots, Aaron Jerome (a.k.a. SBTRKT) takes a step away from the mainstream with the experimental Wonder Where We Land. An album that begs to be listened to twice, its occasionally bizarre soundscapes turn

Dead! injects that inspiration into the music of the electronic era.

In his fifth studio album, the Los Angeles producer’s “you’re dead, now what?” concept guides listeners through the new album.

The execution of every track upholds the posthumous theme, creating a cohesive experience.

The follow-up to 2012’s Until The Quiet Comes presents a loyal audience with a different kind of Flying Lotus, one with a seriously experimental palate.

At times, the album resembles a musical discussion with too many ideas, as in “Cold Dead.”

Stay with it, though, for the the clear focus on collaborations with Snoop Dogg and Thundercat stabilize the 19-song tracklist, balancing the album’s most avant-garde instrumentals.

Piano legend Herbie Hancock lends his deft hands to the project too. He authenticates Ellison’s jazz update, right down to the drums

sounding like they came out of a 1930s Chicago nightclub. Tunes like, “Moment of Hesitation” and “Tesla” are, thus, best served with a dry Manhattan.

The exclamation mark in the album’s punchy title declares Ellison’s intentions for the work, which rapper Kendrick Lemar reinforces in his verse on the lead single “Never Catch Me.” “It’s that life beyond your own life, this ain’t physical for mankind, this that out-of-body experience, no coincidence you been died,” he sings.

Keep an open mind with You’re Dead! Ellison’s new album is inventive and experiential, and although probably not the soundtrack for your Saturday night pre-game, it is definitely suitable for your Sunday afternoon recovery.

lush and vivid as Jerome expands into new sounds.

Jerome compares and contrasts a wide range of moods and effects. The opening synth chords on “Osea,” while eerie and unsettling at first, gradually diffuse and help clear the palette for the more upbeat tracks that follow.

The album’s eclectic curation of percussion, synths, piano, and rap requires you to give the music and its subtleties room to sort themselves out, but often fails to precipitate into cohesive tracks.

Throughout the album, Jerome infuses the soul of R&B and hip-hop with flashy EDM build-up and drop-off. Balancing these disparate elements, “Higher” and “Temporary View” are upbeat yet perfectly restrained, evoking a recurrent sense of excited unease. In “Voices in My Head,” J Dilla-esque, soulful beats mingle with smoky piano chords, laid-back drums, and eventually dusted synth.

When the two genres, R&B and electronic, mesh together successfully, they demonstrate Jerome’s skill in arranging divergent musical styles. But when they clunkily collide, they produce cacophonous, confusing tracks, desperately crying to be more clearly defined by a common genre.

All of these elements may seem like an unexpected mixture, but Jerome combines them in such a way that effectively strikes up many moods that mingle in novel ways. The pace of the album builds gradually, the plot thickening with each song. But once the last track finishes, the album’s horizons remain just as cloudy as they initially appeared.

Voice’s Choices: “Never Catch Me,” “Coronus, the Terminator” —CAROLINE KOCH

Voice’s Choices: “New Dorp.

New York,” “Higher” —SARAh SANTOS

CONCERT CALENDAR FRIDAY 10/10 JEFF the Brotherhood Rock and Roll Hotel, 8 p.m., $15

SATURDAY 10/11 Generationals U Street Music Hall, 7 p.m., $15

TUESDAY 10/14 The Orwells Black Cat, 8 p.m., $15

SATURDAY 10/11 Yelle 9:30 Club, 8 p.m., $25

SATURDAY 10/11 Otis Brown III Bohemian Caverns, 10 p.m., $20

WEDNESDAY 10/15 La Femme U Street Music Hall, 7 p.m., $15

IDIOTBOX:

october 9, 2014

TV’s moral insurgency

A bi-weekly column about TV by Julia Lloyd-George

Politics and television are hardly strangers—the drama, intrigue, and pantsuits of the former are often perfectly suited to the latter, if a tad exaggerated.

The challenge of political TV is bringing the politics to a personal plane, humanizing the suits behind the decisions, and resisting the urge to make morally simplistic portrayals.

The new season of Homeland is an ethical tug-of-war, taking the real-life contention of drone strikes and posing troubling questions about means and ends. Our familiar protagonist, Carrie, is caught in the middle of this Machiavellian conflict. Her role as a decision-maker behind an ill-advised strike on a wedding party places her in a position of justifiable blame that she blithely shakes off.

When a lieutenant confronts her about the attack, calling her a “monster,” it’s difficult to be truly sympathetic to her side. Her lack of remorse for collateral casualties casts her as a cold-hearted bureaucrat objectifying figures on a screen. A clever device allows us to see the story on the other side of that screen: a boy whose family was killed in the strike gets unwillingly caught up in the subsequent media circus.

While his story is a good balance for the narrative arc, he’s often cast as a little too noble, leaning too far to one side of a moral binary that Carrie seems to be on the other side of. “I try to see the bigger picture,” she says, a simple, yet chilling statement when human life hangs in the balance.

It begs the question of how leaders differentiate between political strategy on the macro level and the less palatable consequences on the micro level.

This isn’t a Carrie we’ve seen before. The power and security of finally having a stable job, after seasons of fluctuating in and out of the CIA’s good graces and payroll, appears to have corrupted what used to be her previously impervious moral compass.

It’s a development that both makes her a less likable character and also provides an interesting complication to the show.

What happens when a person downtrodden by the system has to turn around and pick up the pieces of her life?

Carrie’s answer is switching off emotion and exiling herself to a war zone, buying into the morally ambiguous status quo in order to grasp any traces of stability.

That is, of course, when Carrie’s idea of stability means divorce from any kind of emotional relationship, including with her baby daughter.

The first two episodes of the season, in fact, read as a handy guide for “How Not To Be A Mother.” It kind of makes you wish Oprah would swoop down in a deus ex machina moment and tell Carrie how to be her best self. Obviously, there’s a double standard at play here; a bad mother will almost always get more flack than a bad father would, as Don Draper of Mad Men and Walter White of Breaking Bad prove.

It’s strange, however, to be putting Carrie on the same plane as a couple of TV’s greatest anti-heroes at all. Their motivations are not so simple, though power and fortune seem to be common denominators.

What appears to tie anti-heroes together is initially a good motive for morally questionable actions, often twisting into something far less justifiable.

Carrie, the former truth crusader who went through all levels of hell to exculpate the good guys and bring the bad guys to justice, is now an expert manipulator. She blackmails without blinking in order to stay in the field and avoid her maternal duties.

Staying on this track and manipulating her way into declaring peace in the Middle East is unlikely, but I’m curious enough to see how her worldview might change over the course of the season.

This is a new and fresh Homeland, back with a litany of ethical problems to solve in the political arena. Carrie may be less likable, but that’s the typical reality of powerful people.

It’s challenging, yet imperative to see flawed characters like her on screen, so we might exercise restraint in putting people on either side of a moral dichotomy in real life.

Go undercover with Julia at jfl49@georgetown.edu

georgetownvoice.com

PAGE THIRTEEN

the georgetown voice |13

– Dylan Cutler

voices

14 | the georgetown voice

OCTOBER 9, 2014

The man in the mirror: Feeling the pressures of adulthood CHRIS CASTANO Attention Georgetown students and faculty: I don’t like the way I look. Crazy, groundbreaking, and allaround unheard of, I’m sure, but bear with me. Ragging on one’s own physical appearance is practically a human pastime at this point, but it’s time I said my piece. Thankfully, I feel like I’m touching on an aspect that hasn’t been covered to death in Nickelodeon tween shows, or complained about on Tumblr.

I’m self-conscious not because I wish I could change my current appearance, but because when I see myself, it’s hard to reconcile my current countenance with the image I hold in my head.

What’s amazing to me is that every time I look in the mirror, it’s like I’m having an out of body experience.

I rarely ever recognize the

person looking back, and not because I’m a tortured soul who can’t reconcile who he is, but because I just don’t think of myself as a grown-up. In my mind, I don’t look like someone with facial hair and a slowing metabolism.

Inside my brain, I look like I did when I was 14 years old—wide-eyed, shaggy-haired, gangly as a marionette, and a host of other pre-pubescent adjectives that (rightfully) batter teenage males. Given the social climate millennials are raised in, I’d be willing to bet I’m not the only one whose brain doesn’t have a great point of reference for looks.

I’m 21. When my dad was around this age, he was on track to be married and driving around New England, working full-time.

He owned something that cost more than a laptop. He was an adult.

I, on the other hand, am still in school, have no

plans for my future whatsoever, and am just trying not to screw up the status quo of my life before things fall apart on their own. We might have been on the earth for the same amount of time, but my Dad was leagues ahead of me in terms of his development. To be honest, I don’t feel like I’ve matured much since I was 14.

Modern psychologists have proposed a proverbial get-out-of-jail-free theory for anyone on the same boat. Supposedly, thanks to the economic and social climates millennials deal with, our development hits a bit of a stumbling block around the time we graduate from college. It used to be that you turned 18 and were immediately considered an adult.

These days, because its been getting harder and harder to find a job, because of a greater focus on grad-school and continuing

studies, and because rising housing costs are forcing young people to rely on family, we’re left feeling both dependent and independent.

Many practicing professionals have accommodated the developmental index to include a stage in between the teenage years and adulthood.

It’s called early adulthood.

Frankly, I’m feeling like early adulthood sucks right about now.

Looking in the mirror is weird because it reminds me of the difference between where I feel I am in my life and where I look like I am in my life. I’m trying to start a career, but with the supreme level of competition due to an unfriendly economic climate and companies doling out unpaid internships instead of real opportunities, it’s just hard. I’m trying to keep up with my studies, but unpaid internships and extracurriculars intrinsic to getting a job keep getting in the way.

I’d like to build meaningful relationships with people and spend time with friends and family, but I can’t. My head’s buried in a book 95 percent of my week.

On top of that, instead of handling my life like a proverbial “man,” I’m sitting here whining about it in an op-ed, which doesn’t really feel like a terribly adult thing to do.

Now, I know there are a lot of people who probably feel the same way. Everyone’s got their insecurities and their problems—I guess I should keep it all in perspective. But knowing how I should think of myself doesn’t stop the little devil on my shoulder from whispering into my ear when I’m brushing my teeth in the morning.

CHRIS CASTANO COL ‘16 struggles WITH MIRRORS, BUT STILL ISN’T CALLING HIMSELF “GREEN GOBLIN”

Excessive, aimless workloads displacing creativity on the Hilltop LARA FISHBANE I was passively scrolling through Tumblr with five reading assignments open in adjacent tabs when my roommates asked me when I was going to bake chocolate chip oatmeal cookies for them. I shrugged and said I would give money to anyone who was willing to actually put in enough effort to do the cooking.

“What?” my roommate yelled as if I had just deeply insulted her. “I would much rather do the baking than have to pay for the ingredients! Do you not like baking?”

I paused. I did like baking.

In fact, in high school, I baked different decadent desserts every Sunday night without fail. I would spend hours probing the Internet for the most intricate recipes before finally deciding on what my creation of the day would be. As I set out to begin the process, I would always find myself drifting further and further away from the original recipe and toward my own inclinations.

Fudge brownies would become cookie dough-infused fudge brownies and I would dye the batter of angel food cupcakes to make them into “rainbowcakes.”

So, yes, I do like baking. The better question is, however,

ERIN ANNICK

“NO, I HAVEN’T LISTENED TO ANY MUSIC LATELY, BUT I READ ABOUT IT FOR A CLASS.”

why I don’t bake anymore. Last year, I had the excuse of lacking a proper kitchen—with miscellaneous dishes stored in the oven and week old pasta burnt into the stove, baking was hardly an option. But this year, I have no excuses. Although my Henle doesn’t exactly have a Martha Stewart kitchen, we have ample utensils and appliances for baking.

“I don’t have enough time,” is probably the worst lie I tell myself on a weekly basis because I didn’t have any more time in high school than I do now. I woke up at 5:50 a.m. every morning to fight for a spot in the parking lot at school, attended after-school clubs every day, played varsity tennis, and often worked on class work past midnight. Yet somehow, I had time to bake.

If baking were the only casualty during my transition to college, it would have been okay, but it’s not the sole sacrifice. Before I came to college, I used to write in my black journal every single day. I wrote poetry on my computer at night. I read novels on my own time.

I took computer illustration classes in school, but I also worked on Adobe Illustrator at home. I painted on canvases by my window, drew sketches while on my bed, and went on long walks to take pictures of

the sun streaming through autumn leaves.

I was creative. I was the antithesis of the brain-dead zombie from William Deresiewicz’s article in The New Republic on why you shouldn’t send your kids to the Ivies. For this reason, when I initially read the article over the summer, I laughed because, clearly, I was the exception. I loved to write, draw, and read novels cover to cover.

The moment my roommate asked me if I like to bake was the same moment I realized that I had become one of the uninspired students aimlessly wandering around a prestigious college campus who Deresiewicz had cautioned against.

After all, how can I like baking and love writing, drawing, and reading if I simply don’t do any of them anymore?

I haven’t written anything besides papers, articles, and to-do lists since returning to college this semester. The only things I draw are doodles in the margins of my notebooks. I just don’t have the capacity to engage creatively.

No matter how passionate I am about the classes I am taking, I find it hard to sustain the passion while worrying about which facts from lecture will be arbitrarily questioned on the exam. Instead of being able to appreciate the learning, I find myself exhausted

from trying to comply with varying grading standards. Before an exam, all my time is consumed with anxiety and afterwards, I find that sleep and Netflix are the only solace for my exhausted, post-stress mind.

With all of this being said, however, I refuse to completely concede that I am as brain-dead as Deresiewicz would assert. Although I have relinquished my creativity in the most tangible forms, I have found a new outlet for it: conversation.

When it’s late at night and the day’s work is still sitting piled high, I’ll sit in my living room with friends and debate issues like grade inflation, cultural appropriation, or even topics from weekly reading assignments.

Our conversations are motivated by curiosity and a deep passion to engage and learn more from each other. I have never felt more inspired or insightful than when I am speaking at length with other students here.

So maybe I don’t write or draw or read or have anything to show for my creativity. But that doesn’t mean it is gone, only displaced.

LARA FISHBANE COL ‘17 Bakes only when it can be used on her resume

voices

georgetownvoice.com

THE GEORGETOWN VOICe | 15

Pigeonholing ‘typical’ Hoyas should not unify student body KEVIN HUGGARD We all know the image of the typical Georgetown student.

He comes from a northeastern prep school. He wears flip-flops when it’s warm and boat shoes at all other times. He—and I say “he” intentionally because the stereotype is usually cast as male—is a model of the majority. He is white, rich, and Catholic. He came from a place where everyone else is white, rich, and Catholic. He is thoughtless about his circumstances and fails to grasp his own privilege. He identifies only with those who are like him and barely tolerates everyone else. He’s the one lobbing ping-pong balls across a table on the weekends, and he’s the one who stays quiet during that social justice class he got placed into because everything else was full.

There are plenty of people on campus who fit part of this description, at least on the surface.

I am one of them. I come from a comfortable, suburban setting. My hometown was, by the count of the latest census, the most Irish town by percentage in America. Growing up just south of Boston, I had only a few friends from minority groups. I went to a private Catholic high school. I don’t wear boat shoes, but much of my wardrobe is preppy enough to be just as incriminating. With all this in mind, I am uncomfortable with the idea that, for many, these attributes go along with close-minded elitism.

I find the thought that some actually do fit this image of thoughtlessness troubling, but I also dislike the willingness of some to ascribe these qualities to those they don’t necessarily match. I don’t consider myself to be this caricature of a Georgetown student that the student body has drawn, but I feel as though I need to prove this to people. I feel as if I need to pick a side: with the Sperry-wearers or against them.

CARRYING ON

In associating the clothing and the background with an elitist attitude, we risk reducing a part of the student population to basic cartoon villains. And that strikes me as dangerous.

If we attempt to define ourselves as something other than this negative, “typical” Georgetown student, we give the image of the stereotypical Hoya more power than it deserves. It becomes the standard to which we all must be compared, evaluating how close or far we are from this set of preppy qualities. In our vigilance for the those who match this stereotype, we may see somebody who matches 75 percent of our preconceptions and add the final quarter without bothering to inquire any further. To do so, and assume that someone is intolerant and uncaring because of their dress or economic background, is wrong, regardless of what that background might be.

Humanity’s good nature revealed in marathons

BY LAURA KUREK

A rotating column by senior Voice staffers

It was an impossibly perfect day. The April air was cold against perspiring legs and raw against expiring lungs. The entire city of Boston was in the streets, offering encouragement and orange slices. It was the ideal first marathon.

And then the bombs went off.

I had just spotted a Shell Gas sign, marking mile 25 of the Boston Marathon’s historic course. I was running for the Boston College Campus Schools charity, a special-education day school for students ages 3 to 21. As a bandit runner—a charity participant without a bib number—I was running a marathon for which some had spent their lives training to qualify.

It would be a day I would never forget.

As I willed my body to maintain pace, I noticed several policemen had joined the course. They ran in the same direction as I—toward the finish. I would not cross it that day. At 25.6 miles in, a squad car and a megaphone halted all runners.

We stood for 45 minutes without a word from officials.

The runners who had smart phones, however, soon enlightened us. One man said

the bomb reportedly detonated near spectator stands. At this news, seven grown women around me began to cry. I turned numb as I thought of my parents who had planned to meet me at the finish. I thought of my twin, farther back on the course, with whom I had paced for the first 10 miles. Had she not asked me stay with her until mile 12, I might have already reached mile 26.2, where chaos now ensued.

And then, someone offered me a cup of water.

A resident of the block had a tray full of them. Another neighbor had garbage bags for makeshift jackets, as runners’ body temperatures had already lowered. Runners and spectators began offering mobile phones to call loved ones.

I was without a phone, money, or any idea of how to get back to my sister’s dorm, but I managed. With the phone of a German man, five dollars from the lady who worked at the subway ticket office, and the smile of a runner, I navigated a half-closed public transportation system.

While the 2013 Boston Marathon was an exceptional year, I believe it serves as crucible to demonstrate the unique nature of marathon

I believe that there is great value in acknowledging our weaknesses as a community.

One of those weaknesses is the lack of diverse backgrounds within the student body.

This problem needs to be addressed. Nobody should want to be a part of a student body that is defined by an image of thoughtless elitism.

I see many among us reacting against such exclusivity in our culture, but I think we need to be careful of the form this reaction takes. There is a danger of missing the ultimate goal, which should be to address the root problems of careless elitism.

When some students identify as “atypical” Georgetown students, we just end up with two opposing, exclusive groups. If combatting elitism aims to promote a more inclusive student body, then this factionalism is counterproductive.

The way in which we talk about these things matters. As

running and the possibilities it presents.

A friend once asked me, “If there is no chance for an average person to win, as he or she is unable to compete against a paid elite runner, what is the point of running a marathon?”

To this question, I cannot help but smile, as running a marathon is almost never about beating someone else. It is a race between oneself and will.

Every runner on that Marathon Monday (as Bostonians

“

Marathon running is not about flaunting athleticism. We do not run for others’ approval.

”

call it) was every other participant’s biggest fan. We waited together with awful anticipation at the starting corrals.

We urged one another on as we crested Heartbreak Hill, an infamous landmark of the Boston course. And we came to each other’s aid as a crisis unfolded at the finish.

Marathon running is not about flaunting athleticism.

We do not run for others’ approval or admiration. Vet-

eran spectators, including most residents of Boston, can attest to the glamourless-ness of it all: the blisters and the chaffing.

The marathon, rather, is where the individual plays with the limits between mind and body. A single word from a fan can get a runner through 10 miles seamlessly, while a toenail can end a race. With such peculiar phenomena, runners explore pain, its boundaries, and its reality.

Crossing the finish with shaking limbs and aching joints, a runner fully understands the incredible capability of the human body. It is a capacity we often grossly underestimate.

A year passed and April found me back in Hopkinton, Mass. at the start of the 2014 Boston Marathon. After the events of the previous year, I knew I had to return: to stand in solidarity with Boston, to run for a worthy cause, and to be with those who understand the possibilities running can provide.

Marathon running exposes the magnificence of the human body. It unites spectators and participants alike by instilling a respect for human vitality and provoking a contemplation on humanness.

members of the student body, we are tasked with defining a Georgetown student, and I would like to redirect that discussion.

There are legitimate problems with elitist attitudes on campus, and I am all for confronting them. But instead of using a negative stereotype as the cornerstone of our identification strategy, we should define what it means to be a Hoya in a way that makes these negative images irrelevant. If the process of forming our self-image were a basketball game, then the boat shoe-clad caricature should be no more than a drunk fan heckling from the stands. We are all better off if we ignore him. To let him get on the court and influence our choices is an embarrassment to the entire process.

KEVIN HUGGARD SFS ‘17 THINKS EVERYTHING LOOKS BEST WHEN IT IS SALMON-COLORED

The events of 2013 took this abstract wondering and converted it into a sense of faith in humanity. Both before and after the bombs detonated, I witnessed act after act of selflessness. After Boston 2013, I sincerely believe that humans are good at heart.

For readers who may doubt the veracity of these claims on marathons, go see a race, or better yet, run one.

Then tell me what you think.

The concept of marathon running is relatively new, especially outside of the U.S. Studying abroad this semester, I had the unique opportunity to run the Moscow Marathon.

The event was only in its second year, and women were outnumbered six to one. But it was a fantastic race: not only because of a finishing time I am proud of, but because I helped to foster running culture for a community and further norms of female fitness.

My experience in Moscow only reinforced my belief in the marathon. Standing at the start, as the Russian national anthem blared, I once again felt excitement and fear wrestle in my stomach. I looked about and saw similar emotions play out on the faces of those around me. I smiled encouragingly at the woman next to me, and she smiled encouragingly back. I knew it was going to be a good run.

les.”

-MM (COL ‘ 1 7) “Coc oa

Pebb

“I stole a bottle of Clean and Clear face wash, and I felt really bad about it in the morning.”

-BK (SFS ‘17)

“I stole three entire strings of Christmas lights! I didn’t have anywhere to put them, so I went to the bathroom and wrapped them around my legs and waist” -JC (COL ‘17)

in erta is c “A ouse e ts h ubl spor ing tro irls g hav ng to ow.” i n k tal 7) S ’1 H (N -CM

(COL ‘17) S G ” s o e “Or

“I d at som e a p efinit el eon a e’s ck o y gum f -Z sna my c B CO ks.”

L ‘15

Questionable...

The Voice asked Georgetown students if they had ever treated themselves to a free souvenir after a fun night out.

“A lampshade.”

-EB (COL ‘17)

WHAT HAVE

(COL ‘16) C N .” k “A for

“A Trader Joe’s college cookbook and returning it was super awk.”

-AB (SFS ‘15)

YOU STOLEN

AT A PARTY?