The Georgetown Voice, November 11, 2010

Georgetown University’s Weekly Newsmagazine Since 1969 w November 11, 2010 w Volume 43, Issue 13 w georgetownvoice.com

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Bring It.

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november 11, 2010

get ready,

G eorgetown!

B ecause...

we’re bringing our “a” game this season.

Live coverage. every game.

follow us on and off the court Its getting closer and closer to this first game..we got a big week ahead of us!

JCDeuceUNO (Jason Clark)

Watchin pitt play....makes me anxious to start...let’s get ittt

MrJujuVaughn (Julian Vaughn)

Happy Midnight Madness day!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Simsity30 (Henry Sims) Midnight Madness is bout to b to Live SugarFree_15 (Austin Freeman)

“How is Gtown going to remember our time here? One year left to create our own legacy”

Cwright_4 (Chris Wright )

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Voice Crossword “Blast from the Past” by Mary Cass

ACROSS 1. Contraction 6. Hustle 10. Vocal part 14. Raccoon-like animal 15. Margarine

16. Kind of saxaphone 17. ____/Family, experimental folk band 18. Brought into existence 19. Soap bar company 20. Using a keyboard 22. Rose from sleep

24. Can be inflated by compliments 25. Tonight Show host 27. Ogling 29. “None of your _____” 32. Still 33. Approx. appearance time 34. Candle centers 37. Baby’s bed 41. Mike Myers was The Love ____ 43. French agreement 44. Employ 45. River deposit 46. Edit, like the Constitution 48. Digital design (abbr.)

49. Short for short 51. Seoul natives 54. For a specific purpose 56. Sorted into A-, B-, say.

57. Purchase 58. Slow down!

60. Drew forth 64. Revise 66. Continent with the shortest name 68. Chopin’s practice music 69. Musical currently nominated for an Oscar 70. Diseases 71. Judy Dench film ______ on a Scandal 72. Italian general

answers at georgetownvoice.com 73. Hyperbolic function in trigonometry 74. Biscuit, for dogs DOWN 1. Vocal improvisation 2. The ____ Little Puppy 3. Nonprofit for retirees 4. Followers of a Hellenistic philosophy. 5. Little fish 6. Heave 7. Jester 8. Prefix for plane or smith 9. Human’s ancestors 10. Kind of romance 11. U.F.O Pilot 12. Canned chili 13. Go it alone 21. Not just nibble 23. What a Cyclops can’t afford to lose 26. Self-evident truth 28. Scratcher’s target 29. Begs ____ the question.

30. Decorative needle case

get wordy.

31. Duke, Duke, Duke of __ 35. Shark’s stick 36. Naughty 38. Costa __ 39. Persia, today 40. Where oysters hang out 42. Six-sided state 46. Antiquated 47. Slip a Mickey 50. A violinist may use one or take one 52. Cave 53. Blue-pencil wielder 54. Video companion 55. Faulkner’s “As I Lay __” 56. Flip response?

57. __ it like Beckham 59. Capital on a fjord 61. Puppyish 62. Mental flash 63. Reason to cram 65 Summer shirt, for short 67. He’s gotta catch them all

help us write crosswords. contact crossword@georgetownvoice.com

editorial

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VOICE the georgetown

Volume 43.13 November 11, 2010 Editor-in-Chief: Juliana Brint Managing Editor: Molly Redden Editor-at-Large: Tim Shine Blog Editor: Chris Heller News Editor: Cole Stangler Sports Editor: Nick Berti Feature Editor: Sean Quigley Cover Editor: Holly Ormseth Leisure Editor: Brendan Baumgardner Voices Editor: Keaton Hoffman Photo Editor: Jackson Perry Design Editors: Megan Berard, Ishita Kohli Literary Editor: James McGrory Crossword Editor: Mary Cass Assistant Blog Editors: Geoffrey Bible, Julie Patterson Assistant News Editors: Emma Forster, Holly Tao Assistant Cover Editor: Marc Fichera Assistant Leisure Editors: Nico Dodd, Leigh Finnegan Assistant Photo Editors: Max Blodgett, Matthew Funk

Associate Editor: Iris Kim Staff Writers:

Thaddeus Bell, Akshay Bhatia, Tom Bosco, Kara Brandeisky, Rachel Calvert, Matthew Collins, Matthew Decker, John Flanagan, Kate Imel, Satinder Kaur, Daniel Kellner, Matt Kerwin, Sadaf Qureshi, Rob Sapunor, Abby Sherburne, Keenan Timko, Imani Tate, Mark Waterman, J. Galen Weber

Staff Photographers:

Helen Burton, Julianne Deno, Lexie Herman, Hilary Nakasone, Seun Oyewole, Audrey Wilson

Staff Designers:

Richa Goyal, Catherine Johnson, Lauren MacGuidwin, Michelle Pliskin, Nitya Ramlogan, Amber Ren

Copy Chief: Matt Kerwin

Copy Editors: Emily Hessler, Tori Jovanovski, Claire McDaniel, Kim Tay

Editorial Board Chair: Hunter Kaplan Editorial Board:

Gavin Bade, Kara Brandeisky, Ethan Chess, Jackson Perry, Eric Pilch, Molly Redden, J. Galen Weber

GOT YOUR MONEY

Proposed funding reform (mostly) a safe bet It is no secret that many student clubs at Georgetown struggle to make do with meager budgets. As a response, the Georgetown University Student Association’s Finance and Appropriations Committee has floated the possibility of raising the annual Student Activity Fee to increase the amount of funding available to student clubs. It’s an idea worth considering, so long as GUSA can demonstrate that dramatic funding increases are in line with clubs’ needs.

Since the beginning of the last decade, GUSA has diverted $50 of the annual $100 fee to the Student Activities Fee Endowment, with the hope that by 2010 or 2011 it would be generating enough interest to eliminate the need for the student activity fee altogether. Due to the University and past GUSA members’ mismanagement, the SAFE has no chance of doing so before 2027. GUSA’s

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Unsigned editorials represent the views of the Editorial Board. Columns, advertisements, cartoons and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of the Georgetown Voice. The University subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors. The Georgetown Voice is produced in the Georgetown Voice office and composed on Macintosh computers using the Adobe InDesign publishing system and is printed by Silver Communications. All materials copyright the Georgetown Voice. All rights reserved.

On this week’s cover ... Basketball Preview Cover Photo: Matthew Funk

reform plan wisely proposes that we stop funding the endowment and use the full $100 fee to fund clubs, doubling the amount of money that is available for student groups.

But GUSA is also discussing the possibility of raising the activities fee and pegging it to inflation. This would dramatically increase funding for organizations that are underfunded, like the Center for Social Justice and Club Sports, and allow GUSA to finance initiatives with uncertain futures, like the Collegiate Readership program. Students should pay a higher fee to make sure these clubs reach their full potential—but only if doubling the amount of money available to clubs from the current $100 Student Activity Fee is not enough to bolster these programs.

If it ultimately proposes an increase in the fee, GUSA must have proof that even allocating the full $100 to student clubs and

activities is not enough to provide clubs with as much funding as they need to be vibrant organizations. While Club Sports is perennially strapped for cash, not every club needs more than a 100 percent increase in its budget. GUSA itself, famous for gratuitous pizza parties, is a good example of a student organization that does not need so much extra funding. Because GUSA allocates its own budget, the Senate should make a commitment not to increase it. By doing so, GUSA will relieve any doubt students might have about responsible allocation of their money.

GUSA is poised to embark on one of the most consequential reforms in its history.

The SAFE reform has the potential to dramatically improve student life for the better, but GUSA must now focus on clubs’ actual needs and concretely demonstrate that these funding increases are truly warranted.

SYLLABI STANDBY

Time to get serious about online textbook listings As we begin the process of pre-registration this week, students are once again being forced to make important academic decisions based on inadequate information.

Many courses on MyAccess violate federal law by not specifying the required textbooks.

Others do not list course descriptions—or even instructors. The dearth of information is unfathomable and totally inappropriate.

Professors lamented the “crisis” of undergraduate intellectual life at Georgetown in the Executive Faculty’s Intellectual Life Report in 2007, decrying the lack of undergraduate academic engagement. But by consistently withholding information about classes during pre-registration, professors and departments have severely limited the ability of students to enroll in courses most suited to them.

The 2008 Higher Education Opportunity Act, which went into effect July 1, requires

that universities include a list of texts for every course during registration. But so far, Georgetown has not complied with the new law. Although all courses on MyAccess now have links to the bookstore’s website, many lead to an empty text list. Comparative Political Systems—a course taught by many different professors with very different textbook requirements—attracts over one hundred students every semester, but is one of the many classes whose course materials are “still under review by the department.”

Missing information affects students not just intellectually but economically. Because so many professors do not choose their books in a timely fashion, students who must take finances into account when selecting their courses are severely limited. Textbook lists, course descriptions and syllabi enable students to make thoughtful decisions about what material they want to study, but

many Georgetown classes do not list that information. The quality of a professor also makes a big difference in a student’s class experience. It is unacceptable to ask students to make choices about their courses without knowing who will be teaching them.

Providing students with textbook information, professor listings, course descriptions, and syllabi must be a priority for Georgetown’s academic departments.

Georgetown is an expensive, challenging school, and leaving students in the dark as they make huge decision about their academic life sends the message that the University is insensitive to students’ financial needs and academic interests. Although next semester’s pre-registration may be a lost cause, it is time for Georgetown to step up and demand that professors and departments take their legal and academic obligations to students seriously.

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AU candidates should learn from mistakes On Nov. 2, Georgetown students elected Jake Sticka (COL ’13) to be one of seven commissioners on Georgetown’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission. Sticka will now represent students on crucial issues ranging from alcohol licenses to the University’s construction plans for the next decade. Unfortunately, American University students trying to elect their own ANC representative made some careless mistakes that may cost them their voice in local government.

Though the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics will not release the final results until Nov. 12, preliminary results show that AU freshman Tyler Sadonis only received about 15 percent of the vote in his district, which is heavily populated by neighborhood residents. AU freshman Deon Jones, candidate for the district that is almost entirely comprised of AU students and property, may lose to a last-minute write-in challenger, a permanent resident living in that district.

In the lead up to their probable losses, students in charge of the AU voter registration drive, A Voice 4 U, made some bad choic-

es. First, the organizers assured students they could vote in the D.C. election this year and re-register to vote in their home states in 2012.

This may be true in the letter of the law, but it made the student advocates look like carpet baggers and mobilized residents against them. The two AU candidates were also both freshmen, meaning they did not reside in the District 60 days before they registered as candidates and were not legally eligible to be on the ballot. Furthermore, the donations from A Voice 4 U likely exceeded the individual campaign donation limit of $25, campaign literature was missing the legally required disclosures, and the group failed to file a political action committee statement of organization.

On Election Day, the Precinct 9 poll watchers—including one of Georgetown’s own ANC commissioners, Bill Starrels— challenged about 35 student voters, according to the AU Eagle. There is a long history of neighbors intimidating student voters in ANC elections, including a particularly contentious election in Georgetown in 1996,

when the first Georgetown students ran for ANC. If A Voice 4 U had been more careful in their campaign, it would have been easier to stand up for students’ voting rights.

Because District agencies are legally required to take ANC recommendations into consideration when making important decisions, ANC resolutions can have a big impact on student life. For example, the Georgetown ANC urged the Board of Zoning Adjustment to shutter Philly Pizza, Georgetown’s beloved pizzeria. When the University goes to the D.C. Zoning Commission for approval of its ten-year construction plans, the ANC may attempt to keep the plan from getting passed.

The AU Eagle reported that in a DCBOEE hearing about the allegations of misconduct, A Voice 4 U’s financial director Ed Levandoski said, “As students, it is a learning process.

There are bound to be some minor mistakes.”

A Voice 4 U recognized the power of ANCs to shape student life. Although AU students bungled the campaign this cycle, hopefully they can learn from their mistakes and achieve representation in the next election.

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november 11, 2010

Burglary in Village A as DPS increases presence

by Matt Kerwin On Tuesday night, the Department of Public Safety reported the fifth burglary in Village A since Oct. 16.

The burglary, which resulted in a laptop theft, comes days after the Department of Public Safety and Residence Life announced new security measures in Village A. Four of the five recent burglaries in Village A have followed the same pattern. In all cases, an intruder entered the Village A residence through a window or

door that was left unlocked and stole a laptop.

In a separate incident on Oct. 30 at approximately 1:30 a.m., a man followed a Village A resident home, grabbed her arm, and tried to force his way into her apartment. The man fled after a male Georgetown student pulled him away. DPS reported the incident as an attempted forced burglary.

DPS Associate Director Joseph Smith and ResLife Director Stephanie Lynch first announced security measures to address the recent burglaries in a Nov. 5 email to Vil-

JACKSON PERRY

New lights in Lauinger Library’s parking lot aim to stop the rise in burglaries.

lage A residents. The measures include increased perimeter patrols of Village A, enhanced lighting, and vehicle checkpoints near the Prospect Street and Canal Road entrances to campus. Students living in Village A said they have noticed the increased DPS presence.

“Before, I would see maybe one or two officers a night, but now I see at least five,” Pam Varago (COL ‘13) said. “They just patrol more than I’ve seen in the past.”

In a meeting for Village A residents held Monday, DPS and Res Life officials said that DPS has assigned officers specifically to Village A and has hired patrol officers from AlliedBarton Security Services to temporarily supplement on-campus coverage.

As part of the effort to secure Village A, officers have begun asking people they see around Village A to produce their GOCards. Some residents expressed doubt that this would be an effective measure.

“I’m not sure if having my GOCard checked before I go in Village A is keeping me necessarily safer,” said Jake Sticka (COL ‘13), who is

Pell Grants in doubt after GOP takeover

by Rachel Calvert With newly established Republican majority in the House of Representatives pledging to make broad cuts to nondefense discretionary spending, the future of many Georgetown students’ federal student aid is unclear.

In its “Pledge to America,” released before the midterm elections, the Republican Party promised “to roll back government spending to prestimulus, pre-bailout levels.” The bailout and stimulus bills were passed in 2008. Assistant Vice President for Federal Relations Scott Fleming sees this as a grave threat to the Pell Grant program, which is most often awarded to students whose total family income is below $30,000 per year.

From 2008 to 2010, Congress’s gross appropriations to the program increased from $16.256 billion to $32.295 billion. Fleming is concerned that the House will dramatically cut Pell Grant funding in an effort to return discretionary spending to 2008 levels.

“I find it hard to see how they would avoid it,” Fleming said. “It would be fair to say we are in uncertain times.”

As of Jun. 2010, 827 Georgetown students were receiving a total of $3,471,781 in Pell Grants for the 2010-11 academic year.

The number of students studying under Pell Grants is significantly lower at peer institutions.

The average number of Pell Grant recipients pursuing a bachelor’s degree at a private university was 346, according to data from the Department of Education.

The Pell Grant program is already projecting a shortfall for the 2011-12 academic year. On Jun. 15, President John DeGioia wrote a letter to then House majority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), lobbying for the inclusion of $5.7 billion in congressional appropriations to cover the shortfall.

DeGioia noted in the letter that if the current shortfall is not addressed, the maximum Pell Grant award for the 2011-2012 academic year could be reduced from $5,550 to $4,705.

Such a reduction would result in a $500,000 loss to funds awarded to Georgetown students.

The Department of Education projects that the number of Pell Grant recipients will rise to 8.7 million in 2011-2012 from 7.7

million in 2008-2009, an increase largely attributed to the poor state of the economy.

Edgar Corona (MSB ‘12), a benefactor of a federal grant program, wrote in an email that he thought it was important to “increase grantbased aid as a means of helping individuals move forward and not leave their college career vulnerable to the effects of the economy.”

Corona said that some of his friends in California have been forced to transfer to community colleges because of the state’s reducation of aid.

“Every student at the college level deserves the opportunity to complete their degree, but a decrease in federal grants could be the difference maker in a student’s ability to hold on to this lifelong dream,” Corona said.

Julie Green Bataille, Associate Vice President for Communications, wrote in an email that Georgetown remains committed to need blind admissions and providing full financial aid for students with demonstrated need. She added that Georgetown adjusts its operating budget as needed to cover financial aid costs.

also the incoming student commissioner on the Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E. Several residents also pointed out that this measure does not account for the possibility that a student could be responsible for the burglaries.

DPS has also hired a reimbursable detail of Metropolitan Police Department officers to help secure campus. The officers will provide additional security at Georgetown’s periphery, an area in which DPS does not have jurisdiction, Vice President of University Safety Rocco Del Monaco said.

The University pays MPD directly for the reimbursable detail at the rate of $55.71 per hour per officer, according to MPD Office of Communications Director Gwendolyn Crump.

DPS is also coordinating changes to the physical plan of Village A. “We’re adding additional lighting and also we’re increasing the utility of existing lighting,” Smith said.

According to Smith, University Facilities has been working

to cut back plants that might obscure lighting. Large temporary lights have been installed in the parking lot of Lauinger Library.

Del Monaco said that the process of installing permanent lights should begin by the end of November, with a focus on the central corridor that runs from Riverside Lounge to the Lauinger parking lot.

The long-term plans for Village A may be more comprehensive than an increase in lighting.

“Perhaps in the future, we may be looking at more of a gated community, in which we have fencing that protects Village A, in which we have controlled access with GOCards, and stations that have security officers,” Smith said during the meeting.

As the security changes were enacted over the last week, some Village A residents wondered how long the University would sustain the increase in DPS presence.

“I just don’t know how it’s going to end,” Varago said. “Are they going to keep it up or are they going to leave soon?”

LeVay talks sexual orientation

by Emma Forster What makes a person gay? Is it genetic, cultural influences, or a combination of the two?

Those were the questions posed by neuroscientist Dr. Simon LeVay on Tuesday when he argued to a room of about 200 Georgetown students and faculty members that, though the details remain unclear, a person’s sexual orientation is at least partially determined by biological factors before he or she is born.

LeVay, who was invited as a guest lecturer for the Neurobiology major capstone program, discussed evidence for biological influence on sexual orientation included in his latest book Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation. His research includes genetic patterns, linkage between sexual orientation and physical genderatypical traits, and the impact of sex hormones on the development of cells.

“There is some controversy surrounding the way Simon thinks about sexuality,” Maria Donoghue, the co-ordinator of

the Neurobiology major, wrote in an email. “Some would say that trying to understand why people are gay takes away from the fact that they are homosexual and deserve to be treated fairly.”

Even as LeVay presented the results of his work, he acknowledged that “you can’t predict someone’s sexuality on any one thing,” referring to a “kaleidoscope of characteristics” that determine preference.

“I expected it to be kind of controversial but it really wasn’t at all,” GU Pride Publicity Chair Blake Johnson (COL ’14) said. According to Johnson, some falsely assume that LeVay is searching for the gene behind homosexuality and that his research may lead to calls for a “cure to being a homosexual.”

LeVay said that ultimately biological diversity is something that should be celebrated.

“I would prefer that people welcomed and accepted the value of gay people in their communities for what they are rather than on the basis of some theory of how they come to be that way,” LeVay said.

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GUSA proposes hike in Student Activities Fee

by Holly Tao On Wednesday night, the Georgetown University Student Association Senate released a final draft proposal for the Student Activities Fee and Endowment Reform legislation, including the exact proposed increase in fees.

Since its creation in 2001, half of the Student Activities Fee has gone to student activities and the other half has gone to the Student Activities Fee Endowment.

The legislation, which will be subject to a student referendum if it passes the full Senate, also proposes raising the Student Activities Fee from $100 to $125 for the 2011-12 academic year, and raising it to $150 in the 2012-13 school year. Afterwards, the $150 Student Activities Fee would increase with inflation.

According to the FinApp Committee, $850,000 will be available for allocation to student groups during the 2011-12 school year, and approximately $1 million will be available for each following year. Due to current budget constraints, GUSA was able to allocate only $363,000 of the $435,500 requested by the advisory boards during the 2009-

2010 academic year, according to Greg Laverriere (COL ’12), the Chair of the FinApp Committee.

Adam Mortillaro (COL’12), the speaker of the GUSA Senate, said that the numbers still did not show the full picture.

“There is a substantial gap between what the groups want and what they request,” Mortillaro said. “They’re not going to ask for half a million dollars if we only have $380,000, so they ask for what they can under the circumstances.”

Laverriere noted that Club Sports was particularly underfunded, even after GUSA gave the organization $115,000 of the $150,000 it requested.

“The school couldn’t even replace some of the soccer nets and other basic equipment, and club sports had to pay for things like that themselves,” Laverriere said.

Leaders of some student organizations, though, have said that they have no need for additional funding.

Mia Di Stefano (COL ’12), treasurer for United Feminists, said that the number of events the group plans each year depends largely on the motivation of the students involved.

“I don’t think we’ll see much of an effect from $25 being

No place like home

The Saturday morning of Parent’s Weekend, parents and their groggy sophomores filed into Gaston Hall to hear a panel.

The discussion on study abroad, which veered off on strange tangents about various disaster scenarios, did little to alleviate parental anxieties. But one response was particularly telling.

“How does housing work with study abroad?” one parent asked.

“Honestly,” a student panelist said, with a defeated chuckle, “it’s no more traumatic than the normal housing selection process.”

That’s one adjective to describe housing selection: traumatic. The heart of the issue is that there’s simply not enough room for everybody, so students are only guaranteed three years of on-campus housing.

Every year, students are forced

into the surrounding neighborhood. There, they find themselves stuck in the middle of a longstanding conflict between Georgetown residents and the University. Furthermore, students must decide which year to live off-campus around October of their sophomore year—before they’ve finalized study abroad plans or applied to be resident assistants. Clearly, the housing selection process does little to take student needs into account.

Some students enjoy the independence and freedom from Georgetown bureaucracy, but off-campus living comes with its own pitfalls such as longer walks to campus and fun encounters with the Metropolitan Police Department or Student Neighborhood Assistance Program when a party gets too loud.

Interestingly, the most vocal opponents of this arrangement

added to every student’s bill,” Di Stefano said. “Generally, I’m against raising my tuition in any way, shape or form.”

Other organizations said that the increase will not have a large impact on their activities.

“While an increase in the Student Activities Fee does increase the overall funding the Media Board has access to … we have never encountered funding issues due to a lack of Center of Student Programming funds in the past,” Allison Wilkinson (COL ’11), editor for the Anthem, Georgetown’s literary magazine, wrote in an email.

“We’ve never had trouble getting events. I don’t think it’s necessarily a great thing that they’re charging students more. I think $25 dollars here and $50 there might go a long way,” Joe Knowles (COL ‘13), a member of College Republicans, said. “It might help some of the other clubs … we’re pretty much covered [except] a ten dollar fee here and there.”

The FinApp Committee decided on the $25 increase for the next academic year after talking with the Center for Social Justice, Club Sports, the Student Activities Commission, and other advisory boards.

Laverriere said that he

aren’t the students—they’re the residents. They object to our party habits, our trash, our noise, and our choice in pizza. If you’ve ever taken a walk through Burleith, you know from their subtle “Our Homes, Not GU’s Dorm” lawn signs and their resentful stares: they want us out.

But there’s simply nowhere else to go. Georgetown resi-

Saxa Politica

by Kara Brandeisky A bi-weekly column on campus news and politics

dents frequently feign concern for students by bemoaning the “slum landlords”—read: their neighbors—who charge exorbitant prices for sub-standard housing. As someone who spent the summer battling bedbugs in Burleith, I’m not going to contest that characterization. But with University housing in short supply, off-campus housing is a

has also been speaking with University administrators to discuss the referendum and to ensure support from administrators if it passes.

Extra funds from the Student Activities Fee could also affect activities outside the purview of advisory boards. Colton Malkerson (COL ‘13), a member of the FinApp Committee, said the additional funding could help pay for things like the Collegiate Readership program, room fees for clubs, weekend GUTS bus funding, and other initiatives.

Malkerson said that the FinApp Committee originally planned to only change the percent of the current fee allocated to student activities instead of the endowment. But the Committee saw the reform as an opportunity to make more lasting changes.

“There’s not often a referendum like this, and it’s not often you have momentum and interest in the topic,” Malkerson said. “Now is the time to make [these changes]. It might be a number of years before the issue is addressed again.”

JACKSON PERRY

GUSA Senator Colton Malkerson discusses Student Activities Fee reform.

seller’s market.

Town-gown relations have been further aggravated by the debate over the University’s 2010 Campus Plan, a summary of Georgetown’s construction goals for the next decade that will be presented to the D.C. Zoning Commission in December. The plan does not include any proposals for new undergraduate housing. The neighbors, who have been agitating for more oncampus housing since ten-year plan talks began in Jan. 2009, are waiting to pounce. They’ve been raising money since March to hire experts to testify to the D.C. Zoning Commission and keep the plan from being implemented.

That could spell bad news for graduate students, who have much to gain from the plan. In conjunction with the initiative to increase graduate and professional school enrollment by 39 percent, the University hopes to

offer 120 beds to graduate students or faculty in an apartmentstyle living facility on the 1789 block, 36th Street between O and Prospect Streets.

We could use that space to provide more undergraduate University-owned housing, alleviate at least some of neighborhood tensions, and improve student life for the undergraduates already living here. Instead, Georgetown is looking out for its prospective graduate students.

Next month, the 2010 Campus Plan will go to the Zoning Commission. The University will have its lawyers. The neighbors will have theirs. And as usual, there will be no one advocating for the students.

There’s nothing like housing selection season to remind us how much that sucks.

Need to unleash your rage about the Campus Plan? Email Kara at kbrandeisky@georgetownvoice.com

sports

6 the georgetown voice

november 11, 2010

Vaughn prepares to assert himself down low

by Adam Rosenfeld Last year, another celebrated player in a long line of Georgetown big men, Greg Monroe, left the Hilltop for the bright lights of the NBA, creating a void in the Hoya frontcourt. Stepping in to fill the paint is senior Julian Vaughn. But make no mistake, Vaughn isn’t trying to fill anyone’s shoes.

As a junior, Vaughn started alongside Monroe in a dynamic frontcourt that became one of the team’s biggest strengths last season.

“We’re definitely going to miss Greg. I loved playing with him … I think we complemented each other really well,” Vaughn said. “But at the same time, no one here is trying to be Greg. I’m not trying to change my game.

I’m just trying to do what I do and do it better.”

While Vaughn might not have the all-around offensive game that Monroe boasted, he is more than capable of providing the inside presence necessary for success against Georgetown’s rugged opponents. While Monroe’s game featured many face-up moves and swift passes, the large Vaughn will bring physicality to the paint.

Vaughn’s style of play, which puts a greater emphasis on defense and rebounding, is a perfect complement to this year’s extremely talented group of guards.

“We’ve got a lot of firepower at the guard positions, there’s no lie about that,” Vaughn said. “I definitely feel like we have to maintain that physical presence down low, defensive rebound, block shots, anything like that. And the frontcourt has to be effective with

the guards to have a good team.

You can’t rely on just guards, you can’t rely on just big men.”

Vaughn’s importance to this year’s team and his potential is certainly not lost on senior Chris Wright, the starting point guard for the Hoyas.

“Julian is very important. He is going to be a very big part of our success this year,” Wright said. “I think it’s going to come full tilt this year. First year he was adjusting to things, last year he was kind of behind Greg. I think this year he’s going to blossom.

And he’s going to make plays and hopefully he defends and rebounds and does all the dirty stuff that we need.”

Vaughn’s style of play will certainly be a huge asset to the team, but his most important role on the team could be to provide leadership.

“There’s no doubt it’s going to be about what’s expected of him as well as the fact that he’s a senior,” head coach John Thompson III said. “Jules is a senior and Jules has a bigger responsibility this year to be part of the group that is going to provide a post presence for us.”

The Hoyas should have every reason to believe Julian is more than capable of being a leader on this team. His last experience as a senior leader produced championship results.

Vaughn was a four-year letter winner on the basketball court at Oak Hill Academy, a school that has turned out the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Ty Lawson, Josh Smith, and Brandon Jennings to name a few. In his senior year, Vaughn led the Warriors to a 40-1 record, the No 1. National ranking

LYNN KIRSHBAUM

Watch out: Get out of Julian’s way when he’s coming to the hoop.

by USA Today, and was named “Mr. Basketball” in the state of Virginia by the Roanoke Times and World News. So far this year, Vaughn has once again shown the effort and drive of a solid senior leader.

“He had a heckuva summer.

He really was working hard, in the weight room and on the court,” Wright said.

Besides improving his own game, Vaughn knows one of his most significant tasks is to be an example to the younger players on the team.

“You’re more of a leader now to the younger guys, and you

have to help them come along faster,” Vaughn said.

Vaughn’s pre-season work ethic has impressed sophomore Jerrelle Benimon who has the chance to get more playing time in the frontcourt alongside Vaughn with Monroe’s absence.

His younger teammate saw him as one of the hardest workers this past summer.

In a year where the Hoyas are looking to assimilate five new players into a roster that lost an NBA lottery pick, this type of attitude and effort from a senior— which was missing on last year’s senior-less team—is invaluable.

Vaughn has the opportunity to be an integral part of this year’s team. In the guard-oriented offense the team will feature, he will be able to focus on defense and rebounding while being an opportunistic threat for the scoring attack.

He and the rest of the senior class have the chance to end their careers with a special season.

“Me, Chris, Austin, and Ryan Dougherty, we’re all just playing hard, working hard, trying to have the best year possible,” Vaughn said. “We’re just trying to come out with focus this year and play every game like it’s our last.”

the Sports Sermon “I don’t think we’ll reinvent the wheel, we’ll make adjustments and a tweak here and there, but that’s it.” — John Thompson III

enough to make the trip to the Verizon Center.

Good fans should never go to a game for the opponent, but unfortunately, that is what a lot of students did last season. Too many fair-weather Hoya fans think of themselves as the die-hards. It’s easy to make the trek downtown to see Duke and Villanova, even during the biggest snowstorm to hit D.C. in 100 years. But mustering the energy to support the Hoyas when they face less exciting opponents is what

Although this season starts on Friday, the Hoyas do not There are 350 schools that take on their first ranked ophave basketball programs in ponent in the Verizon Center Division I of the NCAA, and until Jan. 12, when they play hundreds more in Divisions II Pittsburgh. Yes, it’s not ideal to and III. For the last five years, wait that long to see a ranked students at Georgetown have opponent to come into the Vehad the privilege of watching a rizon Center, but there will be team that has consistently been a ranked team playing in D.C. in the National top-25. Yes, the this coming Monday—the last few seasons have ended in Hoyas. That should be a good heartbreak and there are curenough reason to make the trip rently no undergraduates left downtown on Nov. 15 and evon campus who witnessed ery other time there is a home Georgetown’s Final Four run, game scheduled. but the team has alAs the team ways been an elite showed last year, Pete Rose Central competitor. home court advanDa bettin’ line But few Georgetage doesn’t mean town fans have much when the Dookies Margin Hoyas shown that they arena is half empty. (underdogs) (duh!) (favorites) deserve this priviBut when the stulege. On the Hilldent section is full, Old Dominion Revenge Georgetown top, we have a the Hoyas can beat Gibbs Big East POY anyone—a fact that Freeman skewed idea of Regularman Dynamic Duo anyone who saw what it means to be Swagman a fan. Yes, Georgethe Hoyas beat ultown has it’s die-hard fans— matters more. True fans cheer timate national champion Duke Hoya Blue boasts quite a few, on their team no matter who can attest to. to say the least. But as a com- the opponent is.

Thousands of college stumunity, we have failed to supThere’s no need to show dents around the country port the team. up four hours early for every would kill to have a consisLast year, on Feb. 3, the game and make a mad dash tently top-ranked basketball Hoyas lost to the University for the front row, just get there program. Sure, we’re not Kenof South Florida in the Verizon in time to see the opening tip- tucky or Kansas, where our Center. The loss was embar- off. Giving up your Spring whole lives revolve around rassing, but the student turn- Break in Cancun to spend it college basketball, but we out was even worse—the stu- freezing in New York for the need to take advantage of one dent section was half full. The Big East Tournament isn’t nec- of the many privileges Georgereason? Our opponent. A game essary either. But if you’re in town offers. Just as the basketagainst USF doesn’t have the Georgetown and don’t have ball team would like to forget same allure of a game against an exam or paper the next day, how last season ended and Duke or Syracuse; few students you should always consider start fresh, you have chance to found the midweek match showing up—no matter who make a new start and give our against a lowly foe attractive the visiting team is. school a better name.

by Nick Berti

sports

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 7

Three years out, Freeman has one last shot

by Nick Berti This October, Austin Freeman returned to Madison Square Garden, the same arena in which Georgetown suffered its last-second loss to West Virginia in the Big East Tournament Finals last March. This time, though, Freeman was there to celebrate. He had been named Big East Preseason Player of the Year. It was the sixth time that a Georgetown basketball player won the accolade, but the first time a Hoya guard had received it. However, the stoic senior downplayed its significance.

“I’m not really paying attention to all of that stuff,” Freeman said. “It only matters what happens at the end.”

He is speaking from experience. Freeman knows all too well how important the end of the season is after experiencing many disappointing losses in early March in each of his three seasons on the Hilltop.

Freeman’s Georgetown career couldn’t have started off better. He shot 40 percent from the three point line as a freshman for a reigning Final Four team. But those dreams were dashed in an instant by Stephen Curry and Davidson in the 2nd round of the NCAA tournament.

In his next season, Freeman was thrust into a bigger role after the core of the Final Four team graduated and two other players transferred. That year, Freeman’s performance paralleled the team’s. He fell into an uncharacteristic shooting slump as the Hoyas went into a colossal second half freefall, crashing and burning in the first round of the

NIT. It was definitely a learning experience.

“You pretty much have to be ready to play every game,” Freeman said. “You can’t have any setbacks because every team is coming in and trying to beat you.”

Last season, Freeman rebounded from his sub-par year and led the team in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game. More

Austin Freeman is ready to carry the load for the new-look Hoyas this season. importantly, he became a leader for the rest of his teammates, none of whom had logged as many minutes in blue and gray as he had. Freeman more than once carried the Hoyas on his back, scoring 28 and 24 second-half points in astonishing comeback

O Henry: Sims’s time to shine

In 2008, before Henry Sims suited up for the Hoyas, an article on ESPN.com had this to say about the newly recruited center: “The upside on this Georgetown commit is limitless. Right now he’s still a work in progress.

He has a long and raw body that needs strength and development.

He can shoot the jumper out to 16 feet. If he continues to work hard and learn the fundamentals (especially how to finish) of the game, he could be special.”

Nowadays, you won’t hear anyone describe Sims’s past oncourt performance as “special.”

In fact, Sims’s play during his first two years at Georgetown doesn’t deserve any feedback that remotely resembles a compliment. Last season, for example, he averaged a meager 1.4 points

wins over Connecticut and Louisville, respectively. But just as they did his freshman year, the Hoyas flamed out early in the Big Dance.

Freeman doesn’t brood about the loss though.

“That’s just the way it goes sometimes,” he said.

But the loss was even harder to deal with given the fact that Freeman had worked so hard to

and 1.4 rebounds per game and spent a little under seven minutes per game on the court.

As a result, I may be the only person on the Hilltop who hasn’t abandoned the Henry Sims bandwagon. Of course, I wouldn’t be surprised if his performance this season is as dismal as last year’s was. But I still believe that Sims can be special. He’s an agile, athletic, 6-foot-10-inch center with a wingspan that puts Stretch Armstrong to shame.

He can jump out of a roof and run the floor as well as most big men in the Big East.

He possesses the ideal center’s body. Watch him play and you’ll see that Henry Sims is just as talented as most other players on the court. His move-

prepare for the postseason after being diagnosed with diabetes.

Although he now says he has it under control, the disease was something Freeman had to learn to cope with and combat as he headed into his senior season.

This campaign will be the last ments are fluid. His jump shot is smooth. At his peak, Henry Sims can be a stud.

So what’s the problem? What is wrong with Henry Sims two years into his career?

Some fans believe Sims isn’t good enough to compete in spite of his build and talent.

Others say he lacks the confi-

Backdoor Cuts

by Tom Bosco

a rotating column on sports dence needed to compete at this level. This is total, albeit plausible, conjecture—at times, Sims is tense on the court, which can lead to his mistakes.

But in reality, the issue is simply one of timing. For the last two seasons, time has not been on Sims’s side. In Greg Monroe’s

for the shooting guard, and Freeman is prepared for what could be his finest season on the Hilltop.

The last three years of disappointment have lit a fire under him, and Freeman says the fresh wounds of last year’s sudden ending won’t heal “until the first game of this season.”

Head coach John Thompson III believes his real motivator will

JACKSON PERRY

be the fact that he has just one more chance to leave his mark on the Hilltop.

“You see it every year,” Thompson said. “It’s a natural process. Senior year rolls around and sometimes for the first time you realize there’s a finite number shadow, for example, Sims’s playing time was inconsistent and coaches relegated him to the backup center position.

Now that Monroe has departed for Detroit’s pastures, however, his 34.9 minutes per game are up for grabs. The presumed starting center Julian Vaughn will pick up some of them, as will sophomore swingman Hollis Thompson.

But Georgetown needs another big body to step up—and while freshmen Nate Lubick and Moses Ayegba may get their shot, Sims has the upper-hand since he has a two-year head start at playing the Princeton offense. In a complicated system like that, that extra time counts for a lot.

Sims is ready to make his next two years really count.

“My first two [years], a learning experience, that’s definitely

of games that I’m going to be able [to] play wearing this jersey.”

Along with fellow senior Chris Wright, Freeman will lead his final chase for elusive postseason success from the backcourt.

“Big Man U” now belongs to the guards.

“We’ve been friends since high school,” Freeman said of his backcourt partner. “Our friendship grew stronger since we’ve been here. It helps out a lot that he is a very competitive person and I am too. Our will to win helps both of us.”

Freeman’s unselfish nature is perfect for their partnership.

When Wright is feeling good, Freeman will give him the space to excel; when he is struggling, Freeman will be there to pick him up.

“I’m a basketball player,” Freeman said. “I’m going to have to make adjustments whenever I’m playing. If I have to do it in order for my team to win, I’ll do it.”

The pressure will be on both of them to carry this year’s squad.

Freeman has excelled for three years with the help of a dominant post presence, but he has no such luxury this year. Of course, no one expects the unflappable guard to fall victim to the pressure.

“I think both of those guys [Wright and Freeman] have been under a microscope for a lot of years,” Thompson said. “I don’t think that they’re going to be under any more pressure or receive any more attention than they have in the past. And if they are, they’re more than ready, willing, and able to deal with that.”

Besides, after all the adversity he’s experienced in his first three years, how much tougher could senior year be?

what they were. And yeah, they will definitely be different,” Sims said. “The next two years, I expect for myself a much harder work ethic and [to] be more focused.”

Sims has also had the privilege to play with and against Monroe for the last two years in games, but more so during practice.

“Whenever you get a chance to play against a lottery pick every practice, in and out, you don’t have any choice but to get better,” Sims said.

Sims is big, he’s talented, and maybe this year, he can finally prove to everyone that he is as good as expected and worth the wait. Maybe this year, there will be a new word that Hoya fans will use to describe his performance.

Feeling big on Henry Sims?

E-mail Tom at tbosco@georgetownvoice.com

feature

8 the georgetown voice

november 11, 2010

Backcourt to the future by tim shine

In case you haven’t heard, Greg Monroe is gone.

The latest in the long lineage of dominant Georgetown big men jumped ship for the NBA, taking his 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists per game with him.

Now, the program that boasted the likes of Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning has no dominant center waiting in the wings to replace Monroe as he replaced Roy Hibbert. In all likelihood, for the first time in head coach John Thompson III’s tenure, the Hoyas will not have a future first-round draft pick anchoring the frontcourt.

“It’s going to be much different,” Thompson said. “It’s no secret that our backcourt is the heart and soul of what we’re going to do this year.”

At the center of that backcourt are senior guards Chris Wright and Austin Freeman.

But it’s unfair to suggest that the two are in any way Monroe’s replacements, because both have proven that they are bona fide stars in their own right. Freeman was even voted Big East Preseason Player of the Year by league coaches.

Whether it was Wright posting a line of 27-6-6 against Syracuse or Freeman’s game-saving 28-point second half against Connecticut, both showed last season that they could carry the Hoyas on their back. This season, the tandem will have to do it more often, and without a lightning rod like Monroe attracting the attention of the defense. They relish the opportunity.

“It’s the first year we really don’t have the dominant big man that we usually have,” Wright said. “So it’s going to be something that—as guards— we’re really excited about and we’re really going to take advantage of.”

Considering how closely intertwined their careers have been, it seems appropriate that

the two will share joint custody of the Hoyas’ title hopes in their final collegiate season.

Having both grown up in Maryland suburbs of Washington, D.C., the duo has been playing with (and against) each other since long before they came to the Hilltop. But even with all that shared history, their coach thinks that they’re only now realizing their potential.

“In spite of how long they’ve known each other, I think this last year, this last summer, they’re getting to a point where they truly go at each other and push each other, and understand that they’re making each other better,” Thompson said.

Wright and Freeman do seem to be the perfect complementary players. Wright’s the point guard, a slasher who scores the most on daredevil drives to the basket. Freeman is more of a pure scorer, gifted at finding his own shot but deadly when he’s set up beyond the arc.

And with the connection they’ve built over the years, they always seem to know where to find each other on the court.

The pair will need to be even more in synch this year because expectations are running high for a squad that returns everyone but Monroe and adds a talented freshman class. The Hoyas were picked to finish fourth in the alwayscompetitive Big East and came in 20th in the Associated Press preseason poll.

Of course, after three seasons, Wright and Freeman are well aware of Georgetown’s standard of success.

“You have to win, and then it will be a successful year,” Wright said. “So I’m just going out there trying to lead my group. It’s my team, Austin’s team, and we just got to carry this team as well as possible.”

Fortunately, Wright and Freeman will have more support this year than they have had in a long time. In the backcourt, the Hoyas return junior

Jason Clark, who started every game last season, and sophomore Vee Sanford, who showed promise in limited minutes. On top of that, Georgetown also has a highly-touted addition in freshman Markel Starks.

No one will be surprised when the Hoyas front a much smaller lineup this season. But the frontcourt is hardly an afterthought—this is still Georgetown, after all.

“We’ve got a lot of firepower at the guard positions, there’s no lie about that,” senior forward Julian Vaughn said. “We [the forwards] definitely have to hold down the court. I definitely feel like we have to maintain that physical presence down low, defensive rebound, block shots, anything like that.”

Still, even Thompson acknowledges that the biggest question about this team is how the frontcourt will come together. While Vaughn figures to start at center, behind him is a collection of inexperienced or underachieving veterans and some promising but unproven newcomers.

Only time will tell if junior Henry Sims will ever deliver on the promise he showed coming out of high school, or if freshmen Nate Lubick and Moses Ayegba have what it takes to compete in the Big East right away. Thompson has the luxury of options. After finishing last season with only nine scholarship players, this year the Hoyas’ bench is loaded with potential.

“We’re much deeper,” Thompson said. “We have to continue to get better at all those spots, but I think there’s a comfort level with more people.”

The expanded roster won’t be given much time to shake itself out, however. Once again, Georgetown plays one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country, beginning with a Friday night grudge match against defending Colonial Athletic Association

champion Old Dominion, who embarrassed the Hoyas in McDonough Gymnasium (again) last December. Things only get tougher with foes such as No. 15 Missouri and No. 19 Memphis blocking the road to conference play.

Thompson plans to use his team’s newfound versatility to his advantage throughout

the seemingly endless slog of the regular season. He is not willing to reveal who opponents will be seeing at the opening tip, and he says they won’t always know what to expect.

“It’s [the media’s] job and it’s the fans job to figure out who the starters are [going to be],” Thompson said. “I don’t think it’s going to matter. I think that with each game, with the different strengths among the personnel that we have, the best group for Game A might not be the best group for Game B.” From this week’s season opener to Senior Day against Syracuse and beyond, it’s likely that there will be no shortage of rotation adjustments and starting lineup changes.

The constants will be the few seasoned veterans on this squad, and none will need to be steadier than Freeman and Wright. The trajectory of this team’s season—a path back to historic heights or to another disappointing flameout—will be largely determined by their play in the backcourt.

The latter is all too familiar to the seniors, who have yet to play beyond the first weekend of the NCAA tournament after joining a team fresh off a Final Four appearance. They know that the Georgetown greats are defined not by regular season titles and victories over rivals like Duke, but by postseason

success. And though they may not be as tall as some of the legends that came before them, their aim is just as high.

“We have an approach this year, me and Austin, that this is our last year so we want to take advantage of it,” Wright said. “We still have a chance to leave our own legacy here. We don’t want to live in the clouds of people that came before us or people that come after us.

We want to be remembered as a special group.”

feature

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 9

best non-syracuse game to see at the verizon center

least likely to match last season's success

Pitt was arguably the Big East’s biggest surprise last season, finishing in a tie for second despite only returning one starter from the previous year. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the Panthers enter this season as the preseason confrence favorites, returning four starters and seven of their top eight scorers from a 25-9 team.

Like the Hoyas, Pitt will need leadership from their experienced guards this season, with senior Brad Wanamaker and junior Ashton Gibbs forming a lethal backcourt combo. Meanwhile, Coach Jamie Dixon will look to reproduce the Big East’s number one scoring defense to secure Pitt’s tenth straight 20-win season. A victory against this top five opponent would be the perfect pick-me-up after the first day of spring semester classes on Jan. 12.

The West Virginia Mountaineers are coming off a historic year for their program, making their first Final Four since 1959 after earning a two-seed in the NCAA tournament with a 27-6 record (13-5 in the Big East).

However, they will desperately miss the contributions of Wellington Smith, who graduated last year, and current Los Angeles Lakers forward Devin Ebanks, who left school early for the NBA draft. Hoya fans will also be happy to know that Big East Championship hearbreaker Da’Sean Butler has graduated, too. Versatile junior Kevin Jones will need to have a breakout season if Bob Huggins’s team is going to make this more than just a rebuilding year.

most likely to revitalize a great '8Os rivalry St. John’s was once a perennial powerhouse that posted five regular season Big East titles and dueled with Patrick Ewing’s Hoyas in the 1980s. But in recent years, the Red Storm have fallen on tough times. So this summer, when the school hired former UCLA coach and ESPN analyst Steve Lavin as head coach, the campus buzzed with optimism.

St. John’s boasts commitments from some of the nation’s best class of 2015 recruits. But the Red Storm will be no slouch this season, either, thanks to star swingman D.J. Kennedy and the return of seven of their top eight rotation players. Whether the Johnnies return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002 remains to be seen, but this program is clearly headed in the right direction.

superlatives by daniel kellner

most confounding superstar Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell is a pre-season All-Big East First Team pick and a serious contender for the conference scoring title after posting 20.4 points per game last year. Yet the senior, who has never seen a shot he didn’t like, lacks many of the qualities of a team player—he averaged just 1.5 assists last year, despite having the ball in his hands on almost every possession. Meanwhile, Hazell took over 16 shots per game and led the nation in three-point attempts.

The Pirates will live and die by the guard’s streaky jumper, but they will also rely heavily on the interior play of junior Herb Pope and senior Jeff Robinson as they try to secure an NIT bid or perhaps even a trip to the Big Dance.

Jackson perry

Jones has big shoes to fill this year.

Jackson perry

Hazell jacks up yet another three.

name that hoyas will be eager to forget again When Carmelo Anthony left for the NBA in 2003 after carrying Syracuse to a national title, the Hoyas took comfort in knowing the brief reign of Melo had come to an end. This season though, another Melo is donning orange: Fab Melo, a Brazilian 7-footer who could easily become one of the most formidable big men in the Big East.

Widely considered the top center in this freshman class, Melo will help replace the departed Arinze Onuaku’s interior presence and NBA lottery pick Wesley Johnson’s rebound skills. Melo is hardly the only Orange newcomer Hoyas have to hate (future star free-scoring guard Dion Waiters could replace Andy Rautins’s sharpshooting), but with Georgetown’s frontcourt situation very much unsettled, Melo could wreak havoc with his combination of height and talent.

Courtesy Sports Info

FRESHMEN PREVIEW by abby sherburne

Matthew funk

The Class of 2014 that John Thompson III has put together does not disappoint. This year’s four scholarship freshmen are a wellrounded bunch of recruits, and the addition of walk-on John Caprio only adds to the depth of this crop of talented young players. The Hoyas will need at least a few of them to step up and play meaningful minutes this season, especially in the Greg Monroe-less frontcourt. Luckily, these kids are ready to work.

“We have a very willing freshmen class,” Thompson said. “Sometimes you get kids in and they’ve got all the answers, and they know how we should do things. But this group is a clean slate.”

That attitude has already earned the respect of their teammates.

“They’re a hard-working crew,” Austin Freeman said. “They just want to learn and get better.”

Nate Lubick

6’8 ½” | Forward Southborough, MA

A highly sought-after forward, the big-bodied Lubick is an extremely dedicated player who is deceptively agile. His understanding of the game combined with his size makes him a very versatile player— it’s no wonder that Thompson competed with schools like Duke and Michigan to recruit him. The two-time Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year’s toughness will make him a daunting defensive force and strong around the rim.

Markel Starks

MoseS Ayegba

AARON Bowen

Starks is a point guard who attacks the paint with his speed.

His outside shot and quickness off the dribble could make him a very powerful addition to an already loaded Hoya backcourt.

He was able to dominate the game in high school, but he will have to learn to play in a more balanced team atmosphere. A season under the tutelage of Chris Wright should help, but nevertheless expect the talented Starks to see the court sooner rather than later.

Born and raised in Nigeria, Ayegba only came to the United States in November 2009. The player formerly known as Moses Abraham is not as polished as his fellow recruits, but what he lacks in experience, he makes up for with his potential and desire to improve his game. Both his drive and ability are already evident on the defensive end of the court. His offensive skills may take some time to come around, but his strength on the boards could still earn him a place in the rotation.

Bowen, who decommitted from Marquette before choosing Georgetown, will add to the offensive depth of the Hoyas with his speed and aggressiveness in the frontcourt. His considerable scoring ability and his range as a shooter make him a legitimate perimeter threat. Bowen’s skill suggests that he may become a key player for the Hoyas down the road. But this season, he’ll probably struggle for playing time behind Hollis Thompson and other veterans.

6’2” | Guard Accokeek, MD

6’8 ½” | Center Kano, Nigeria

6’6” | Forward Jacksonville, FL

feature

10 the georgetown voice

november 11, 2010

nitya ramlogan

Follow Julian Vaughn on Twitter: @mrjujuvaughn

#swagman sees a lil girl dropped her books...I kick one 10ft away to give her exercise #swagmanrescue

#swagman walks past a burning building..plz help says the citizen..#swagman uses the flame to light his cigar of justice, and keeps walking

CASUALLY TAKING OVER THE WORLD (WIDE WEB) by chris heller

Casual isn’t a word we often associate with Georgetown basketball. But don’t tell that to Andrew Geiger (COL ‘99), better known online as Casual Hoya, the co-founder of the eponymous Georgetown basketball blog.

“Certain people are casual.

Certain foods are casual. Certain things are casual. And certain Big East teams that play at the Verizon Center can be both casual and not casual depending on the game,” Geiger wrote in an email.

Casual Hoya isn’t just a bored alum’s musing, however; it’s become many fans’ go-to source for everything Georgetown basketball. As the site’s audience responded favorably to its unique style, traffic rose by more than 900 percent between September 2009 and September 2010.

It all started after Geiger was fired “from some awful finance job” and began writing about Georgetown basketball online as Casual Hoya in 2008.

He started off on his own, but within mere months, SB Nation approached him to join its sports blog network.

“We aim to bring in the most high quality, fan-centric communities out there. Casual Hoya was and is a perfect example of that,” Tyler Bleszinski, founder and executive director of SB Nation, wrote in an email.

Before he would join SB Nation, Geiger needed some help.

He recruited Ankit Bishnoi

(MSB ‘06), who ran a personal Georgetown basketball blog under the pseudonym Hire Esherick.

“Casual contacted me to start the SB Nation thing with him,” Bishnoi wrote in an email.

“I thought the idea of merging blogs was funny and went along with it. Worst decision ever.”

Although Casual Hoya launched less than two years ago, it is already a success by any standard. The site draws more than 13,000 daily page views during the basketball season and now boasts three more anonymous writers: Jeff Green’s Dad, itsallthatmatters, and lordnick. Even Matt Glaude, the man behind the Syracuse basketball blog Hoya Suxa, offered his compliments to the gang.

“I used to read [Bishnoi’s blog], then when they moved over to SB Nation, I started reading [Casual Hoya] like everyone else,” Glaude said. “It’s definitely changed things for me.

I’m watching as many Hoyas games as I am Orange games now, which is nuts.”

Casual Hoya did have its bumps, however. Last year, Bishnoi and Geiger heard rumors about members of the men’s basketball team reading their blog posts. Henry Sims and Julian Vaughn, began to tease Casual Hoya through their Twitter accounts.

Although the writers responded to the jabs—they even established their collective self as the arch-nemesis to Vaughn’s Swagman, his online superhero

alter-ego—they had trouble reconciling objective, critical blogging with their desire to see the Hoyas win.

“We’ve decided that interacting with the players is something we’re not going to do going forward,” Geiger wrote.

“Engaging the guys on the team doesn’t do anything to help us achieve that [objectivity].”

Together, the five-man editorial staff covers Georgetown basketball unlike any traditional newspaper or sports media outlet: Bishnoi is the closest to a traditional sports journalist, Geiger adds a funny, whimsical edge, and the rest of the staff add fans’ perspectives to the site. They are tight-knit group.

Despite only meeting in person once a year, they trade 100 to 150 emails back and forth daily. “[We’re] the bestest of blog friends,” Geiger wrote. “One weekend out of the year we host a Casual Extravaganza D.C. on a day when the Hoyas play that allows us to all get together and make fun of one another in person as opposed to our usual email forum.”

On Casual Hoya’s front page, capital-lettered text declares that the blog is a “global phenomenon.” The claim isn’t far from the truth; Casual Hoya headbands, which were given away at the Verizon Center last year, have popped up as far away as Spain, Zimbabwe, and the Virgin Islands.

And though it may not be a global phenomenon yet, Casual Hoya has defnitely conquered the Hilltop.

MEN’S BASKETBALL 2010-2011 Schedule Date

Opponent

Time

11/12/10 11/15/10

at Old Dominion vs. Tulane

7:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET

11/18/10 11/19/10 11/21/10

Charleston Classic vs. Coastal Carolina TBD TBD

12:00 p.m. ET TBA TBA

11/27/10 11/30/10 12/04/10 12/09/10 12/12/10 12/18/10 12/23/10 12/29/10 01/01/11 01/03/11 01/08/11 01/12/11 01/15/11 01/18/11 01/26/11 01/29/11 01/31/11 02/05/11 02/09/11 02/13/11 02/16/11 02/19/11 02/23/11 02/26/11 03/05/11

vs. UNC Asheville vs. Missouri vs. Utah State at Temple vs. Appalachian State vs. Loyola (Md) at Memphis at Notre Dame vs. DePaul at St. John’s vs. West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh at Rutgers at Seton Hall vs. St. John’s at Villanova

vs. Louisville vs. Providence at Syracuse vs. Marquette at Connecticut at USF vs. Cincinnati

vs. Syracuse at Cincinnati

12:00 p.m. ET 9:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 9:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 8:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 1:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 4:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET 12:00 p.m. ET

feature

georgetownvoice.com

hoyas look to defend newfound success by melissa sullivan After exceeding all expectations last season and earning the program’s first NCAA tournament berth in 17 years, the Georgetown women’s basketball team knows that it has raised the bar for the upcoming season. The Hoyas had some memorable wins last year, including one against then-No. 4 Notre Dame, but this time around they hope their success will extend deeper into March.

“The program has changed—the whole energy, the vibe, the confidence, the swagger of it all,” senior guard

Monica McNutt said. “Last year’s team worked so hard.

We had high expectations of ourselves. I think this year’s team is stepping into that.”

Head coach Terri WilliamsFlournoy, who is entering her seventh season with the Hoyas, pinpointed a more tangible reason for Georgetown’s leap out of mediocrity.

“Last year, we played defense,” Williams-Flournoy said, laughing.

The pressure the Hoyas placed on opponents was no joke. They limited them to an average of just 57.1 points per

game and averaged nearly 13 steals, leading to the best turnover margin in the nation.

The defense will have to remain strong despite the loss of four seniors from last year’s team. Luckily, Georgetown’s two incoming freshmen will be great assets. “[We’re] excited about both of them,” McNutt said.

“They’re going to be the future.”

The two newcomers, both from Virginia, will shore up the backcourt and frontcourt.

Six-foot forward Andrea White was a four-year All-State player, and guard Samisha Powell received a number of defensive accolades in high school.

“The freshmen are doing well,” Williams-Flournoy said. “[Powell] maintained her same defense and intensity…[and] so has Andrea White. Both of them fit very well.”

the georgetown voice 11 Right now, one of the team’s key advantages is experience. With the exception of the two freshmen, the team is filled with upperclassmen who saw first-hand the difference their dedication to defense made.

“Experience is probably one of the most important factors a team can have,” McNutt said.

“This team is different. I’m a senior; I was here when we weren’t doing anything [and] I was here … when we’ve done better. I think we’ve come a long way.”

They still have a long way to go before March though. Their path begins with a home game this Saturday against Augusta State University. The Jaguars did not have as successful of a season as Georgetown last year, but the Hoyas are hardly looking past their first opponent.

They’re just excited to get back

on the court and prove that last season was no fluke.

“I just want to go back to the [NCAA] tournament and further in the Big East tournament, too,” McNutt said. “We have to do something big in the Big East.”

Jackson perry

Coach Flo’s team has a lot to prove.

Sweet-Shooting Sugar pours it in WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 2010-2011 Schedule Date 11/13/10 11/16/10 11/19/10 11/25/10 11/26/10 11/27/10 12/01/10 12/04/10 12/07/10 12/09/10 12/11/10 12/19/10 12/22/10 12/28/10 12/30/10 01/04/11 01/08/11 01/15/11 01/18/11 01/22/11 01/25/11 01/28/11 02/01/11 02/05/11 02/08/11 02/13/11 02/20/11 02/23/11 02/26/11 02/28/11

Opponent vs. Augusta State vs. Maryland vs. La Salle

Time 2:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET

Paradise Jam (U.S. Virgin Islands) vs. Georgia Tech 8:00 p.m. ET vs. Missouri 5:45 p.m. ET vs. Tennessee 8:00 p.m. ET vs. Richmond at Wake Forest at Miami at Rutgers at Rider vs. Missouri State vs. Coppin State at Houston vs. Clemson vs. Syracuse vs. Marquette at Providence at Notre Dame vs. Villanova vs. West Virginia at Seton Hall at Louisville vs. Cincinnati vs. USF at St. John’s at DePaul vs. Pittsburgh

vs. Connecticut at USF

7:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 7:30 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 3:30 p.m. ET 8:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 4:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 2:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 3:00 p.m. ET 9:00 p.m. ET 2:30 p.m. ET 5:30 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET 3:00 p.m. ET 7:00 p.m. ET

by sean quigley

What a difference a year makes.

Last November, Sugar Rodgers was just another incoming freshman on a relatively lowprofile team coming off of an NIT season. But after leading the Hoyas in scoring with 17.6 points per game in her freshman campaign and setting the school record for three-pointers in a season with 83, the 5-foot11 shooting guard has made a name for herself—and for the team—in a Big East conference that has consistently been dominated by Geno Auriemma’s Connecticut Huskies.

The Hoyas established themselves with their suffocating defense, but they could not have reached such heights without their wunderkind guard.

“Of course the addition of Sugar Rodgers just makes your team even better,” head coach Terri Williams-Flournoy said.

Now, Rodgers is the reigning Big East Rookie of the Year and owns a spot on the First Team All-Big East squad and the Honorable Mention AllAmerican list. Though only a freshman, she was last year’s team’s leader and talisman— along with then-junior guard Monica McNutt—guiding the Hoyas to a 26-7 record and a (still standing) 15-game winning streak at home in McDonough Gymnasium.

The rest of the conference has taken notice. The Hoyas enter the season ranked 13th

nationally, which makes it very difficult for them to sneak up on anybody.

“We have a target on our back now,” Rodgers said. “Last year we didn’t.”

Opposing teams figure they ought to focus primarily on stopping Rodgers. But Rodgers, for her part, says the increased attention hasn’t affected her preparation for the season. Now the team’s cocaptain, she spent the offseason working on her midrange offensive game and familiarizing herself with WilliamsFlournoy’s full-court pressure defense—two of her few weaknesses last year.

Still, it was obvious to anyone who watched the Hoyas last season that Rodgers’s game doesn’t need much improvement. Even more so than last year, Rodgers is at the center of what the Hoyas do on the court.

Improving her mental toughness and maturing as a leader, she says, are more important than any adjustments she’s made to her jumper or knowledge of defensive schemes. No longer the flying under the radar as a freshman, Rodgers—along with fellow cocaptain McNutt—is the heart and soul of this year’s young team.

She credits McNutt more than anyone else for helping her evolve as a leader and helping her keep her personal successes and failures in perspective, likening her to a big sister. Their bond is apparent to everyone around the team.

Jackson perry

Looking to avoid the sophomore slump. “[McNutt and Rodgers] have always had this ridiculous connection,” Barbara Barnes, the team’s sports information director said. “Moni is an amazing role model for her.”

While Rodgers led the team in scoring last year, McNutt, the team’s lone senior, is a more vocal leader. The Hoyas’ hopes to advance past the second round of the NCAA tournament this year rest squarely on the dynamic backcourt that they make up.

Whether they satisfy or fall short of those expectations is largely up to Rodgers and her almost effortless ability to score the basketball.

“I have a huge role,” Rodgers said. “I have to lead us on the court, kind of like I did last year, but now I’m just doing it as a sophomore.”

leisure

12 the georgetown voice

november 11, 2010

For films that are really underground

by Leigh Finnegan The building at 2301 M Street does not look like a haven for culture. It’s big, gray, and industrial looking, and flanked by two equally bland office buildings. But if you venture past the United Bank branch and Panerastyle breakfast-and-coffee place it houses, and head down a set of concrete stairs to the sub-sidewalk level, you’ll stumble upon a temple to the art of motion picture: the West End Cinema.

Just a few weeks ago, this space hiding beneath the sidewalk was little more than a crypt for the small D.C. multiplexes of yesteryear. It used to be home to the Inner Circle Theater, an independent film cinema owned by the local Circle Theater chain. After a series of buyouts, the theater was gobbled up by AMC and subsequently shut down in 2003. But it remained untouched.

Behind its boarded-up windows, its projection rooms and concession stand lay dormant for seven years, waiting for a revival. On Oct. 29, the staff of the West End Cinema fired up the projectors and got the

Stella Artois tap flowing for the grand opening of the only independent and art house theater in this cinematically-challenged corner of the District.

“The Washington I grew up in had four movie theaters in Georgetown and three movie theaters in DuPont Circle, and they’re all gone,” Josh Lavin, a film producer for Gallant Films and one of West End’s managers, said. “There is a huge need in Washington for a small, responsive, art house theater.”

Although there’s no marquee on the concrete outside, on the inside, West End looks like an actual, somewhat old-timey movie theater.

The lobby is clean and simple, free from the obnoxious lights and giant movie posters of larger multiplexes.

After buying a ticket, normally $11 but $8 for students, the concession stand is the next stop. The stand has your typical offering of candy and popcorn, but also boasts a fridge full of sandwiches and baked desserts.

For those who don’t think it right to see Howl without a glass of whiskey in hand, there is a small but serviceable bar behind the counter.

“Seriously, honey, if you’re gonna drag me to another art house movie, I’m gonna need some whiskey.”

Past the popcorn-stand-cumwatering-hole lie the small, cozy screening rooms where West End lives up to its self-proclaimed “art house, off-the-beaten-path” credentials. A team of movie-loving bookers and programmers selects the films screened there, which rotate weekly according to the audiences’ responses. The movies are of the type you find at E Street Cinema—a lot of foreign, documentary, and indie films.

What sets West End apart from its larger downtown competitor, however, is its focus on person-

alizing the relationship between audience and film.

“It is a definite emphasis of the West End Cinema to have directors, producers, and experts come and talk after we show their films,” Lavin said.

Indeed, in the week-and-ahalf it has been open, the cinema has already hosted numerous directors and producers, including Frederick Wiseman, creator of Boxing Gym, and Alex Gibney, the acclaimed director of the documentary about former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, Client 9.

Chloe Tanaka

That’s not to say that the opening of West End has been without its kinks. During a special screening of Client 9, the film inexplicably started up twice without any sound.

“This is an experimental film,” Gibney joked as the staff addressed the technical difficulty.

At Loews, a glitch like that would be frustrating. But when you’re sitting in a tiny theater, baklava in hand, arm’s length from the movie’s director, it is just a part of the art house charm that you came for.

Four Lions declares a fatwa on your funny bone

by Brendan Baumgardner What kind of stories does a bumbling, would-be homegrown jihadist tell his son before tucking him in to bed? According to Four Lions, the provocatively dark debut comedy from British satirist Chris Morris, he tells him the same children’s stories we all know—in this case, the Lion King.

But in his version things are a little different, because Simba and all his cuddly friends are martyrs who strap bombs to themselves to defeat the evil Scar.

“They’ll be in heaven before their heads hit the ceiling,” the son says, smiling. Laughing yet?

Four Lions is a comedy, except for all the times when it’s not. And when it’s not, it is a brutally dark film about extremism and suicide bombing. With great success, it flips the switch from slapstick comedy to terrifying reality, keeping the audience constantly off balance. Dramatic twists in the plot open them up for a sucker punch sight gag—like the sudden explosion of a bomb-laden crow, the groups newest weapon in the war against the West.

O RLY? You think I’m going to blow up that building for you? Lolz.

IMDB

The film opens on a Monty-Python-esque group of aspiring suicide bombers who are filming a video in hopes of being recruited to mujahideen training camp in Pakistan.

Their sloppy execution immediately betrays their inexperience. Unable to get his hands on a real AK-47 to point menacingly at the camera, for example. Waj, the most inept of the group, settled for a child-sized toy replica. “Nah man, it’s me hands brotha. I got big hands,” he insists.

Despite their incompetence, the group is eventually invited to training camp, where it quickly becomes clear that they are neither as focused, devout, or prepared as their brothers in arms—but this only strengthens their resolve to bring chaos home to London.

Four Lions perpetually dances on the edge of becoming too bleak or too intense, but the way Morris unflinchingly moves forward with his comedic conceit is impressive.

He takes a serious subject and undercuts it with comedy in a way that will probably piss off a whole lot of people. But the jokes are strongest when things are at their most dire,

Donatello is sad because you don’t get 72 pizzas in heaven. to the point where you almost feel bad for laughing so much. A police sniper shooting the wrong man is not funny. A police sniper frantically rationalizing his mistake shooting the wrong man because he doesn’t know the difference between a bear costume and wookiee costume is.

For all of Four Lions’ absurdity, though, its honesty is what makes the film. The characters are foolish and misguided because, by and large, those are the people who find themselves attracted to terrorism.

Excellent acting prevents these characters from becoming caricatures.

Riz Ahmed is fantastic as Omar, the

IMDB

group’s leader who provides his cohorts with some semblance of conscience and reason, while Kayvan Novak imbues Waj with a naïveté that is sweet and heartbreaking.

There’s no room to play it safe when it comes to comedy. It is strongest when it is clever and irreverent and gets its audience to laugh at what scares them the most. With Four Lions, Chris Morris fearlessly confronts an issue that few people are even comfortable discussing, let alone joking about. He dares you to be offended, and at times you probably will—but only after you’ve caught your breath from laughing.

georgetownvoice.com

the georgetown voice 13

“let’s go get sushi and not pay.”—Repo Man

Int’l ecoNOMics

C r i t i c a l V o i c es presents

SIDE A / S I D E B

by Nico Dodd

Kid Cudi vs. Cee Lo Green

by Sean Quigley Maligned by East Coast hiphop classicists but embraced by hipsters and alt-rockers, Kid Cudi’s debut album was part of an important paradigm shift in rap music. Swapping Timberland boots and braggadocio for skinny jeans and emotive introspection, Man on the Moon: The End of Days marked the beginning of a more melodic, emotional era for rap music.

Its sequel, Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, suffers from many of the same defects that held back Cudi’s debut—it’s bloated with a grandiose, unearned sense of self-importance.

The lyrics are just as sophomoric and self-indulgent, with some sounding like they were torn straight out of the poetry notebook of an awkward 13-year-old.

But you will be hard-pressed to find a more sonically diverse rap album this year. Produced primarily by his manager, Emile, and “Day ‘n’ Night” architect Dot da Genius, Mr. Rager moves past the atmospheric houserap sound of his debut into ‘90s grunge, trip-hop, turn-of-thecentury backpacker rap, and contemporary indie. Despite the wide range of sounds, the album manages to be more grounded and coherent than its predecessor. It also has a decidedly gloomier vibe than his previous

work—plodding, grimy drums and ghostly synths match Cudi’s lonely, stoned mopiness.

There’s nothing here to dance to, but the album is at its best when it channels its melancholic grooves into a kind of stoned, somnambulant funk. It’s like hearing the sounds of a club through the ears of a druggedout zombie who has no interest in dancing. The only overtly radio-friendly cut is the Jim Jonsin-produced, Kanye West-featuring “Erase Me,” which samples Duran Duran but sounds more like Weezer’s Make Believe.

While Cudi’s semi-melodic flows sound natural over synthy trip-hop beats, he sounds totally lost over chugging, palm-muted power chords. It’s bizarre, and it does not generate the crossover interest he was probably hoping to achieve.

Rap fans are quick to crucify artists who blatantly try to appeal to mainstream audiences, but Mr. Rager is seriously hindered by its lack of pop appeal and almost painfully self-absorbed lyrics. Cudi is probably proud of his refusal to make artistic compromises, but he could use a lesson from Cee Lo Green (who sings the hook on Mr. Rager’s opener). The Lady Killer, the onetime Goodie Mob and Gnarls Barkley member’s third solo effort, is a glossy, pop-oriented showcase of Cee Lo’s considerable vocal skills, but it’s also a much stronger album.

Teach me how to play

I’m not much of an explorer when it comes to slogging through the University’s course catalog during pre-registration. I know which classes I need to take, I know where to look for them, and I go and get them. For many semesters, this kept me from stumbling across a gem hidden among Georgetown’s more boring courses: the Leisure and Recreation Education classes. But last semester, after a friend mentioned she had preregistered for a swimming class, I decided to test the waters, too. And before I knew it, I was signed up for a racquetball class.

It turned out to be a fantastic idea. For starters, Leisure

and Recreation Education are those rare classes help relieve stress. They don’t show up on transcripts, and skipping class or dropping it entirely does not carry any consequences. Without worrying that you are shooting yourself in the foot, you can explore a long list of classes—including ballet, tennis, jazz dance, modern dance, yoga, golf, rock climbing, and ballroom dance.

Some Hoyas exercise at Yates religiously and don’t need extra encouragement, but many others have only been inside for a free flu shot. For those who can’t bear the tedium of 30 minutes on the elliptical every morning, these classes

The Lady Killer, which also drops this week, is the most accessible that Cee Lo has ever been. The album is 50 minutes of immaculately produced retrosoul classicism, courtesy of British producers Fraser T. Smith and Paul Epworth (along with Bruno Mars’s production trio The Smeezingtons). From the Stax boogie of “I Want You” to the syrupy, string-laced cover of Band of Horses’ “No One’s Gonna Love You,” the whole album is glossy, catchy, and appealingly vintage-sounding.

But Cee Lo’s vocal performance is the main attraction.

Recalling the vigor and power of Barry White and the understated crooning of D’Angelo, he’s both comfortable and charming, whether playing the part of a snubbed lover (on “Fool for You”) or a debonair ladies’ man (“Love Gun”).

Ever since debut single “Fuck You” became an instant viral smash when it was posted on Youtube at the end of the summer, Green has been poised finally to achieve a solo commercial breakthrough. The Internet attention he has received might not translate into album sales, but it’s hard to believe that mainstream solo success could elude someone as talented as Cee Lo forever. It might not be as personal or honest as Mr. Rager, but it’s a whole lot more fun. provide a more engaging alternative. And for students who simply struggle to find time to exercise or lack motivation, knowing that people are waiting for you, and that they expect you to be at Yates is a helpful motivator.

Rub Some Dirt on It

by Sadaf Qureshi a bi-weekly column about health These free gym classes are also a great way to make friends, or spend time with old ones. Even if none of your classmates ever master ballet, sink a hole-in-one, or become racquetball gurus, the exercise and social engagement will keep your mental health in check

At noon on a typical weekday, groggy students coming from their morning classes have formed a slow line in front of the Leo’s wrap counter. On Tuesday, in Copley Formal Lounge, however, a full room of students was snaked around the room in line for Moby Dick catering, chatting enthusiastically—presumably because the wraps contained real meat and were free.

This Tuesday, Chris Fair, author of Cuisines of the Axis of Evil and Other Irritating States: A Dinner Party Approach to International Relations spoke to a large group of students about international relations through the lens of a foodie.

While listeners munched on gyros, Fair, an associate professor in the Security Studies Department, gabbed about her culinary and romantic escapades in India, China, Pakistan and Israel. Instead of a stiff and wonky lecture about international relations and gastronomy, Fair gave a talk that was casual, candid, and raised many an eyebrow in the audience.

Each chapter of Fair’s book focuses on a specific nation’s foreign policy and government and how they affect the way its people eat. They all include recipes for national dishes. Guilty parties include the “Axis of Evil” states— North Korea, Iran, and Iraq—the “Dashers of Democracy,” like Cuba, and “The Great Satan Barbecue,” or the good ol’ U.S. of A.

and help you release excess energy, anger, or tension.

Seeing your weekly exercise class tucked neatly into your “Week at a Glance” page doesn’t hurt, either. Type-As may find it difficult to justify saving two hours each week to fool around.

But it becomes much easier to justify when exercise, fun, and spending time with friends are on their “to-do” lists.

Finally, novice athletes can take comfort in the fact that none of these courses list experience or athletic ability as a pre-requisite.

I had never been in a racquetball court before taking the class this semester, but now I wouldn’t hesitate to challenge you to a match or two.

The rest of the class will likely be

According to Fair, states define their national identity by creating dictionaries to define their language and define their culture by creating a national theater. Cookbooks, Fair says, act like dictionaries by specifying the culinary style of a specific region.

Food appeals to different tastes, but also carries the cultural baggage of the place it comes from.

Take, for example, the gastronomic identity of Israel. Fair said that the while falafel is often identified as Israel’s national food, some Israelis see it as an unfortunate appropriation of Arab culture. Israel and Lebanon have recently battledover which state can make the largest plate of hummus. And to defy their culinary ties to the Arab world, Israel has tried to create a national cuisine based on foods found in the Torah.

According to Fair, though, the culinary differences between nations may be what divide us most. Fair presented her inability to make pita bread as the biggest issue in her romantic relationships in India. Eating dog in China is not easy if you worship man’s best friend, and ox penis might not be easy to keep down for, well, almost anybody.

But there is no need to worry about your ability to stomach Fair’s recipes. Fair’s book does not recommend foods she herself would not eat—meaning there aren’t any dogs. And minimal ox penis.

in the same boat as you—lacking in skill but looking for fun—so there is no need to worry about reliving that particularly humiliating game of kickball in seventh grade gym class. You know the one.

So as you shop for classes this week, venture into the often-unexplored Leisure and Recreation Education section of the course catalog. Squishing a squash class between Problem of God and International Political Economy might sound overly ambitious now, but come April, your sweaty session at the gym will be a welcome break from Kierkegaard.

Wanna get hot and sweaty with Sadaf? Challenge her to raquetball at squreshi@georgetownvoice.com

voices

14 the georgetown voice

november 11, 2010

Modern art: Not just for wine-sipping, beard-stroking snobs

by Ceyda Erten What if I told you that the cardboard box sitting in the trash room of your dorm is a piece of art? Modern art aficionados might be impressed with its artistic flair and the provocative stance the piece takes on human consciousness. But what if, for you, it’s just a box?

For the less avant-garde, modern art can be intimidating.

To appreciate how its purity of expression produces art that is free from stylistic limitations, you need to let go of the idea that it is “supposed to” mean anything at all.

When I first went to the Mark Rothko exhibit currently on display at the National Gallery of Art’s East Building, all I saw were a series of huge canvases lacquered in dark paint. Since all the canvases look almost exactly the same— all are large, dark squares—few visitors to the Gallery put in the effort to ride the elevator up to the

Gallery. Those who successfully make it there usually only stay for as long as it takes them to decide that they are looking at “modern crap” and leave.

I once sat by myself in the Tower, as the exhibit is called, for two hours, observing the people and their reactions to Rothko’s seemingly bland collection. Everyone was confused, and honestly, so was I. I saw many people asking themselves, “Do these blocks of paint have any meaning at all?”

The truth is that modern art requires its viewers to decide what its abstractions mean to them. Visitors who desperately try to divine a piece of modern art’s objective meaning will find a trip to the Tower to be a painful experience. Unable to understand it, people often unfairly think of modern art as a movement that forces expression onto formless canvases.

But I find it refreshing. Unlike math or science, art requires

no formal explanation, and the viewer is free to imagine and derive meaning in his or her own way. Academics have debated whether the goal of art is to convey emotion or master a technique. Art’s purpose, though, isn’t technical. In a world where the stress of getting through the day hampers our ability to be individual, I believe that art is the only space we have left for truly free expression.

Throughout history, people who see art as formulaic have caged its potential. Introductory Art History courses segregate works of art into “-isms” depending on their chronological and stylistic elements. While modern artists strive to escape stringent stylistic forms, academics relegate modern art itself to a system of rules that it sought to avoid.

Luckily, we have come a long way. From the 17th century French school of art, with its extremely rigid rules for cre-

ativity, to today’s urban graffiti and street art scene, society has come to appreciate a greater variety of modes of expression.

As for the Renaissance-era artists who only lauded painstakingly crafted portraits of royal or Biblical figures, I am unimpressed by their picture-perfect portraits and chiaroscuro.

Museum goers who see modern art and think, “Oh, I could have done this when I was three years old,” may be intrigued by the use of light and perspective in those works, but I certainly am not. Where is the passion?

Modern art can be interpreted as silly, random, and meaningless, but you can also interpret art as an expression of the world’s most pressing problems through seemingly haphazard layers of black and brown paint on a square canvas. Art doesn’t have to be complicated. It is whatever you want it to be, and it gives you the ultimate freedom—seeing what you want.

So if you’re willing to step out of your classical shell and enjoy D.C.’s vibrant contemporary art scene, I suggest you go check out the National Gallery of Art. Take it all in. Get a feel for both the traditional paintings in the West Building and their more abstract counterparts at the Tower.

But please give a Rothko masterpiece at least 15 minutes of your time. In the end, what you see and feel is your experience, but if it is anything like mine, you will never mock his work as thirdgrade-caliber again.

Ultimately, modern art loses its universal voice when critics bury it with sophisticated and lofty rhetoric. So cut the disparaging jargon, and let the art speak for itself.

Ceyda Erten is a sophomore in the SFS. She thinks that Rothko’s Magenta, Black, Green on Orange looks better in color.

There are two sides to every brain, why not use both?

by Leigh Finnegan Two weeks ago, knee-deep in midterms with no end in sight, I was sitting in a Lau cubicle staring at a pile of books and an empty Microsoft Word document. As an English major, I’ve written plenty of literature papers—and I anticipate writing dozens more— but this particular essay was giving me a massive case of writer’s block. Discouraged, I slammed my computer closed and decided to focus on something other than books to clear my head for a little.

So I started the other homework I had due the next day: directional derivatives.

If you’ve got a baffled look on your face, I’m used to it. It’s the look most give me when I tell them I’m a double English and Math major. The rightbrained bunch thinks my Multivariable Calculus homework looks like extra-terrestrial communications, while science and math nerds grow disconcerted at the mere mention a paper assignment. “Ten pages? … Of words?!”

Neither solving differential equations nor analyzing why the sun made Mersault kill someone in The Stranger has universal appeal. But many friends have told me that the kinds of

AMBER REN

If I compute the derivative of the arclength of a rainbow, maybe I’ll find a pot of gold!

thought that the two require are irreconcilable, which is where I take issue. Yes, math classes are less subjective than English or philosophy classes. Arguing with your calculus professor usually consists of telling him that he accidentally wrote x² instead of x³ on the board, and you only dare correct him after you’ve checked your work a few hundred times. But does that mean that math has a value of absolute zero in the world of deep thinkers? Definitely not.

As someone who studies and loves these two seemingly incompatible fields, I have realized that once you hit a certain level, both take really conceptual thinking. Sure, every problem in Calculus I has a definite right answer. But sometimes that answer is infinity, or it’s zero divided by zero. When you really think about what that means, suddenly, you’re not plugging in formulas as much as you’re thinking in weird, abstract thought patterns. Any philosophy major would gladly slurp these up—if he didn’t dive for cover into Leviathan the second he saw an integral sign.

The ability to process those complicated, mathematical thoughts about infinity, dimensions, and bizarre abstractions like String Theory and Chaos Theory, are married to creative talent and have been responsible for great works of literature and art. (And a lot of bad science fiction, but

we won’t go there). Flatland, an acerbic, satirical critique of England’s social hierarchy by 19th century British teacher Edwin A. Abbott, is narrated from the perspective of A. Square, who is—you guessed it—a square living in a polygonal society where the more sides you have, the higher your class status. Abbott not only constructs an engrossing two-dimensional world for the purposes of his novel, he corkscrews his reader’s mind when A. Square meets a sphere, the dimensions of which he can’t comprehend because he doesn’t exist in one of them.

The math-art love affair didn’t end with some Victorian teacher waxing philosophical about life in another dimension either. Famed artist M.C. Escher was fascinated by impossible images, and he manipulated objects to built worlds governed by different mathematical laws— where staircases simultaneously go up and down and the viewer can’t tell where the sky ends and the ocean begins. (Once, in a moment of unparalleled geekdom, I had a nightmare that I was in Escher’s “Ascending and Descending,” trapped on an infinitely rising staircase). He’s the perfect example of how the subjective qualities of math and art can harmonize beautifully, and has gotten me through many a homework assignment when I want to pull a Farenheit-451 and torch my calc textbook.

These historical examples aside, few of us enjoy and understand math and literature enough to pursue degrees in both. The other day in Multivariable Calculus, when my professor put a four-dimensional equation on the board and asked if we could “visualize it,” I wanted so badly to turn to somebody and say that no, I can’t visualize it, because I’m not from planet Tralfamadore and can’t see the passage of time. But I refrained. Just as I don’t make math jokes in English classes (or know any math jokes, for that matter), I did not expect that anybody would get my Slaughterhouse-Five reference in a math class, regardless of how perfectly the professor had set me up.

Like a lot of other liberal arts-y kids, people usually ask me a question like, “What the hell do you do with that?” after they get over their shock that I’m an English and math major.

What do I do? Well, I graduate knowing that I spent four years studying subjects I was wholeheartedly interested in.

And then who knows? Maybe there’s a market out there for the next Flatland.

Leigh Finnegan is a sophomore in the College. She is currently looking for a drummer for her math rock band, the Natural Logs.

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15

Slipping on a peel, Hoya flounders in Japanese job market

by Yuko Shimada “I’m sorry to say that this time, we are unable to offer you this job...”

This phone call rejection, which I received this summer, did not come from a law firm, top-notch investment bank, or government bureaucracy. It wasn’t from the White House or a marketing company.

No, this summer, I was rejected as a candidate for a week-long job as a salesperson at Tokyo Banana, a store in Tokyo Station that sells the popular Japanese

banana-flavored sponge cake filled with custard cream. Tourists in Tokyo purchase boxes of these souvenirs in bulk to distribute to their friends and families. Although I don’t quite understand the popularity of these sweets, priced at 2,700 yen a box (approximately $32.71), I was excited to work for such an appealing brand.

The job description, which I found on a public Japanese job search site, called for an applicant to stock inventory, organize lines, scream “irasshaimase!” (“welcome!”) at customers in a high-

Working at Tokyo Banana is overrated. No one looks good with a banana hat.

FLICKR

Isolationism in Italy When I was 12, I read Cornelia Funke’s The Thief Lord, a novel about two runaways who become thieves in the city of Venice. I instantly fell in love with its romantic portrayal of Italy and read it over and over again. I was captivated by its descriptions of Venetian canals and enormous cathedrals, and it sparked my curiosity for all things Italian.

The more I learned about Italy, the more I knew I wanted to eat its food, learn its language, and try to live there.

When I came to Georgetown, I was thrilled to take courses in Italian and feed my passion while fulfilling my language requirement. My love affair with Italy soon led me to de-

clare Italian as my minor and commit to studying abroad next semester in Italy, where I will directly matriculate into the University of Florence.

Because of my pure ardor for Italy and its culture, I do not want to meet a single other Georgetown student while abroad in Italy. I want to fully immerse myself in Italian culture and language, which I doubt I can do in the company of rowdy, English-speaking Hoyas. I have to admit that I look down on students who go abroad and spend the majority of their time with other Georgetown students. To put it bluntly, they are throwing away their study abroad experience.

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pitched voice, and offer samples of Tokyo Banana to travelers going through Tokyo Station during the busy summer vacation period. The job entailed wearing embarrassing, banana-shaped hats and ugly black pumps while running around one of the busiest train stations in the city.

“No experience necessary,” the site said. “First-timers welcome! Academic background not required.”

I applied thinking I was a shoe-in. “I‘m smart,” I thought, “This is easy. I can do this. I go to Georgetown, for goodness sake.”

But they rejected me.

Maybe I didn’t sell myself right at the interview. Maybe I smiled too much and the interviewer saw right through my pearly white grin to my lack of confidence. Maybe they rejected me because I got lost on my way to the interview and had to ask the receptionist to guide me to the building over the phone— several times. The more I thought about it, the more I became disappointed that they had probably denied me, a Georgetown student, for seeming incompetent. A friend of mine made this plain in her honest reaction to my situation.

“Oof, a Georgetown student rejected from Tokyo Banana?

That’s ... harsh.”

Ever since I decided I was going to study abroad in Italy ,I have told anyone who will listen that I want to avoid other Georgetown kids like the plague and not speak a word of English. As long as I am still in the United States, though, I still have to meet with the other students directly enrolling at vari-

Carrying On

by Satinder Kaur A rotating column by Voice senior staffers

ous universities in Italy, including the University of Florence.

I’m not going to lie, the people studying abroad next semester seem like a lot of fun and at one point in the meeting, I felt I should compromise with myself and reach out to Georgetown students next semester. But compromising would be a mistake. The whole point of studying abroad in Italy is to interact with Italians and understand how they see the world. I already know enough about Americans, especially Georgetown students.

It is. But by attending a brand-name university, we carry a burden. My friend’s reaction reminded me of the SAT prep teachers I’d had back in Los Angeles. Their “elite university labels” equally burdened them. These SAT boot camp instructors were all Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford graduates. Predictably, I once overheard one of my fellow students whisper, “What’s a Harvard alum doing at an SAT boot camp? That’s sad.”

The college grads probably agreed. They detested their jobs and considered them temporary. They were there because for the moment, it was the only way they could get paid.

They felt that way because of their pride. My SAT teacher did not label himself as Mr. SAT Teacher, he saw himself as Mr. Harvard Alum. Throughout the Tokyo Banana application process, I had considered myself Ms. Georgetown Class of 2013.

I let my status as a student at a prestigious school define me and I assumed that it determined what I deserved to get.

But the fact that we proudly wear a Ms. or Mr. Georgetown Student badge on our J. Crewclad chests says absolutely nothing about our life skills, talents, characters, or competence

Alumni of the program at the University of Florence have warned me that it is difficult to get to know Italian students, most of whom have been enrolled in school together since they were young. But maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to meet them if study abroad students weren’t constantly forming tight-knit groups of their own.

Students abroad should never fall back on what is familiar to them. I would much rather be alone and try to understand Italy on my own terms than feel compelled to see Italy through my experiences with fellow study abroad students. Besides, having taken many Italian courses, I should be able to survive on my own.

At the meeting last week I saw how intent the other students are on spending time together during their time abroad and I realized that their experience would probably bring them close together. After all, alums of the program who spoke to us made clear that many of their great friendships at Georgetown came from bonds formed while they were in Italy. As I am studying

in the workplace. I let that shiny badge feed my ego until I could not even comprehend rejection from Tokyo Banana.

So what should we, as Georgetown students, do as we face job hunts and the real world with this self-imposed burden on our shoulders? We must detach ourselves from the Georgetown label.

Many of us, without realizing it, equate our college standing with our identity because we love our school so much. But we can’t let ourselves get high on our Georgetown pride. Our degrees do not define who we are or somehow guarantee us success in the real world.

I’m not pessimistic, really.

I’m realistic. I want to help other students to stop saying, “Psh, you’re graduating from Georgetown. You’re set,” because it takes more than graduating from Georgetown to be “set.”

And let me confess that I’ve never even eaten a Tokyo Banana before. Maybe I’ll stop by the booth next time and ask for a sample.

Yuko Shimada is a sophomore in the SFS. She imagines that monkeys must be pretty upset with all their bananas being used in cakes.

in a different department than literally all the other students (I will be in Scienze Politiche while everyone else will be in Lettere), I will already by geographically and academically distant. And I’m sure this article won’t bring me any closer. But at least I can say that I intend to throw myself so deeply into a new country that I will come out with a better appreciation and respect for it than I would if I decided to let friendships with other Georgetown students define my study abroad experience.

I know I sound like something that rhymes with “itch,” but I’m really just a romantic at heart. When I go to Italy, I intend to take The Thief Lord with me and actually live what I have dreamt about for so long. I’ll be damned if I let other Georgetown students take away from what should be an entirely Italian experience.

Satinder Kaur is a junior in the College. While in Italy, she hopes to learn the Italian phrase for “stupid Americans.”

hoya saxa