GEORGETOWN ALUM RAMELL ROSS ON HIS OSCAR-NOMINATED FILM, NICKEL BOYS By
Hailey Wharram
JANUARY 31, 2025
JANUARY 31, 2025
GEORGETOWN’S STUDENT HEALTH CENTER MUST PROVIDE CONTRACEPTIVE AND GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE By the Editorial Board
14 voices
Is this seat taken? Rethinking life in third places
PHOEBE NASH
4
leisure
Georgetown Alum RaMell Ross on his Oscar-nominated film, Nickel Boys
HAILEY WHARRAM
5
halftime leisure
The Voice predicts the 2025 Grammys
HALFTIME LEISURE
6 sports
After decades of mediocrity, Washington’s football team finally commands attention
ANNA CORDOVA AND BRADSHAW CATE
7 features
Phil me in: Behind Georgetown’s debate societies
CHIH-RONG KUO
8
features
“Absence of access”: How D.C.’s most marginalized communities are fighting back against food apartheid
SAMANTHA MONTEIRO
10
editorials
Georgetown’s Student Health Center must provide contraceptive and gender-affirming care
EDITORIAL BOARD
11
features
The Gender+ Justice Initiative promotes diverse research projects, fosters community
MAHIKA SHARMA
12
sports
Passing midway point, Georgetown women’s basketball still looking to find footing
BEN JAKABCSIN
13
halftime sports
Unrivaled: A slam dunk for womens sports?
EILEEN WEISNER
15
voices
How the sausage gets made: Why going meatfree isn’t so green
ELYZA BRUCE
“...The balloon one is particularly meaningful,” Ross said. “Almost all the images are from my childhood anyway, but that one I just have done so often in my life. It was really nice to make that cinema.””
Editor-in-Chief — Connor Martin
Managing Editor — Eddy Binford-Ross
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Exec. Editor for Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion — Ajani Jones
Asst. Editor for Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion — Imani Liburd
Editor for Sexual Violence Advocacy, Prevention, and Coverage — Franziska Wild
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news:
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Features Editor — Sydney Carroll
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Asst. News Editors — Sophie St. Amand, Aubrey Butterfield, Katherine Wilkison
opinion:
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Thank you Hoya Game Day and Wingo’s for supporting this issue!
Nick’s Auspicious Crossword
1 Star-shaped sign of a sheriff
5 Found in the top-right of an envelope 10 Stink
12 Missing, in military slang 13 Egyptian sun god 14 Non-covalent bond
17 Note after 3 Down 18 Bad signs
20 Hairlike organelles on a cell’s surface
22 Sporting individual
23 The next clue, in French
24 First-place metal, abbr.
26 Name for group of 22 Across at USC
30 Characteristic spirit or culture
32 Works ___ coming after a paper
34 State south of D.C., abbr.
35 Bev at Good Stuff
37 Short form of the Show Me State
38 Or ___!
40 Wedding head covering 42 Wife of el rey
43 Freely complains to destress
1 Element no. 5 2 Man kicked out of Eden 3 Note after Ti 4 Rupert of Harry Potter fame 6 Unspoken but understood 7 Reaction to a cute animal 8 Reminder of death: Memento___ 9 Fold in a garment 11 TLD used in Beijing 15 Start of rhyming kids’ clothing brand (ending in B’gosh)
16 Use this to cool a hurt body part 19 The Blue Marble 21 L of LCM 25 Cut (ties) 27 Cardinals 2018 draft bust Josh 28 Snow, in CDMX 29 Immunity items in Survivor 31 Story 33 Produce (as in emissions)
36 Hoya legend aka “The Answer” 39 “Yes” or “if” depending the accent 41 Language abbr. represented by U.S./U.K. flag
Georgetown alum RaMell Ross on his Oscar-nominated film, NickelBoys
BY HAILEY WHARRAM DESIGN BY MICHELLE WANG
Content warning: This article includes mentions of physical violence.
One of the 10 movies competing for the highly-coveted Best Picture title at the Oscars this year is Nickel Boys (2024)—a visually stunning, gutwrenching epic directed by Georgetown alum RaMell Ross (COL ’05).
Adapted from The Nickel Boys, Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, Nickel Boys tells the story of Elwood (Ethan Herisse) and Turner (Brandon Wilson), two Black teenagers living in Tallahassee, Fla., during the height of the Jim Crow era. After being wrongly accused of abetting a car theft, Elwood is sent to the Nickel Academy, a segregated school where troubled boys can supposedly avoid incarceration and reform their wayward ways before rejoining society.
There, Elwood meets Turner and the boys discover Nickel’s nefarious underbelly: the instructors regularly beat students believed to be violating the rules, and a number of boys have disappeared, slaughtered by the very institution that promised to uplift them. Horrifically, the Nickel Academy is based on the real-life Dozier School for Boys, a nowclosed Florida reform school responsible for abusing hundreds of children throughout its lengthy history.
Though Nickel Boys is fictional, the film incorporates archival footage from databases such as the Florida Memory Project and the African American Home Movie Archive to provide critical historical context. Following a harrowing scene in which an instructor beats Elwood, photographs of Dozier schoolboys flash across the screen—a juxtaposition between historical fiction and cold, hard history that is nothing short of chilling.
“When you put those together you’re having a conversation that you can’t have with words, you know?” Ross said in an interview with the Voice. “When you connect it to the narrative, I think you’re, I hope at least, you’re speaking to the inability for these boys to be treated the way they are without considering the way that they’re visualized.”
During our interview, Ross described his journey to becoming a filmmaker as a “bumblebee path.” Born in Germany and raised in Fairfax, Va., Ross studied English and sociology at Georgetown while playing for the men’s basketball team.
“I learned how big the world was by going to Georgetown,” Ross said. “I was a local kid, grew up in Northern Virginia, born in Germany [...] I knew how big the world was, but I didn't know how big the world was in terms of other people’s experiences.”
In 2018, Ross released Hale County, This Morning, This Evening, an Oscar-nominated documentary showcasing Black life in Hale County, Ala. According to Ross, the producers who owned the intellectual property rights for The Nickel Boys reached out personally to gauge his interest in adapting Whitehead’s novel after watching Hale County. It’s clear to see how Ross’s work on Hale County inspired Nickel Boys—both projects speak the same visual language, one of patience and steadfast observance.
“One of the working concepts with my co-writer was what if Elwood and Turner had their own cameras to make their own Hale County?” Ross said.
Ross is acutely aware of how racism has textured filmmaking’s history; in his brilliant essay “Renew The Encounter,” published in Film Quarterly in 2019, he declares that “the God of the camera is a colonizer.” He embeds within his work a hope to “renew the encounter” between the individuals on-screen, behind the camera, and in the theater seats.
conversation, Ross encouraged aspiring filmmakers to resist the temptation to sideline cinematography by simply “outsourcing” it to a director of photography. Instead, he urged young creatives to nurture their own “personal poetic”—a unique visual perspective reflecting the distinct lens through which they view the world.
“I think taking a photographer’s approach to making films is a way to embed or import a little bit more meaning into the image, into the narrative, than the traditional narrative use of images,” Ross said.
Ross’s experimental and fiercely empathetic sensibilities are obvious in Nickel Boys’ first-person point of view style, which invites the viewer to see Tallahassee through Elwood and Turner’s eyes, heightening our attachment to these characters tenfold. For instance, in the beginning of Nickel Boys, we only catch glimpses of young Elwood (Ethan Cole Sharp) in reflections—in a silver iron gliding across a shirt or in a TV store window. And yet, by showing us a visual tapestry of his childhood—lying in the grass and gazing up at a sun-polished orange tree, letting a balloon climb skyward and collide with a ceiling fan, and watching Christmas tree tinsel fall like moondust upon his head—we come to know him even more intimately by experiencing life alongside him.
Though Nickel Boys is saturated with beautiful cinematography from start to finish, Ross cited the balloon scene as his favorite shot.
“The balloon one is particularly meaningful,” Ross said. “Almost all the images are from my childhood anyway, but that one I just have done so often in my life. It was really nice to make that cinema.”
By leaning into his own “personal poetic,” Ross has created films adored by critics and general audiences. In addition to its Best Picture nomination, Nickel Boys is also nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Regarding the awards season buzz, Ross described his feelings as “both good and strange.”
“It makes me realize the relationship between the awards and the attention of the public,” Ross said. “If this film wasn’t being awarded, I wonder how many people would be coming across the story in the cinematic form, and then you realize, ‘way less,’ and it makes you want even more.” G
The Voice predicts the 2025 Grammys
BY HALFTIME LEISURE
Record of the Year
Prediction: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” Should win: “Good Luck, Babe!”
From Sabrina Carpenter’s short n’ sweet “Espresso” to Kendrick Lamar’s scathing “Not Like Us,” this year’s nominations for ROTY demonstrate 2024’s musical diversity and ingenious artistry. Although, there is one clear outlier—“Fortnight” is not on the same wavelength as Charli xcx’s bumpin’ “360.” While the Recording Academy would be remiss not to award the productional genius that is BRAT (2024) or Lamar’s disparaging attempts at bringing down Drake, there are only two clear contenders for ROTY.
Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” broke the media. Roan’s crescendoing vocals had millions screaming to the dance-pop ballad about comp-het frustrations. Its goosebump-inducing bridge alone demonstrates its musical prowess, encouraging the listener to belt the layered yet raw “You know I hate to say, but, I told you so.” The song as a whole is brilliant, with a unique and explorative flair that makes it stand out. However, this award will most likely, albeit deservingly, go to Grammy darling Billie Eilish. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” dominated the radio and the internet with a fluttering soundscape that invokes the warmth of shared love and lasting connection. It exemplifies the matured production style the Academy loves.
— Rhea Banerjee
Song of the Year
Prediction: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” Should win: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
The iconic Eilish sibling duo is gearing up to put yet another gold-plated gramophone on the family shelf. Billie and Finneas stand among powerful contenders with the likes of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Still, their brainchild, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” might just boast the winning blend of sentimentality and commercial success that the Academy cannot help but salivate over. Artists must, to some extent, curry the Academy’s favor for a Big Four category, and nine-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish undeniably has that favor on lock.
However, this is not to say that “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is undeserving—it’s quite the opposite. The artistry of the duo’s songwriting is manifest. The melody never dwells—featherlight, it skips from line to line against a sparkling keyboard riff as earnest and, at times, intense lyrics fill the space. Self-described by Billie Eilish to be almost “love-bomby,” the song speaks to longing for a profound connection to transcend life and death. An intricately woven love song with a tasteful tinge of darkness, the track possesses a universal and timeless quality that makes it deservedly Song of the Year.
— Kristy Li
Album of the Year
Prediction: THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT or BRAT
Should win: COWBOY CARTER
GRAPHICS BY ISABELLE KIM; LAYOUT BY LUCY MONTALTI
After a particularly nasty streak of snubs in the Big Four categories over the last few years, the Academy has backed itself into a corner. This year’s line-up for best album, however, is impossibly stacked; there are very few objectively wrong choices the Academy could make.
With the history of the Grammys in mind, Taylor Swift or Charli xcx seem most likely to walk away with the win. Swift has teed herself up to make history again, as she would be the first five-time winner of this coveted award. While THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (2024) was no doubt a commercial, albeit controversial, success, it was far from Swift’s best technical work. Meanwhile, BRAT was the unequivocal album of the summer, leaving a lasting cultural impression following its release. It impacted all facets of life, from everyday slang to … politics?
Although these two albums are most likely to be crowned, COWBOY CARTER (2024) has the potential to break Beyoncé’s streak of snubs in this category. While the genre-bending country album made smaller commercial waves than its nominated counterparts, it more than makes up for it with innovation, artistry, and cultural impact. COWBOY CARTER truly cemented Beyoncé as peerless in her craft.
Whatever the outcome, we may once again be left to wonder if the Grammys will ever “get it right?”
— Ajani Jones
Best New Artist
Prediction: Chappell Roan
Should win: Chappell Roan (or Doechii)
There is quite a competitive fight for Best New Artist this year. Doechii makes a strong case with her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024), presenting a fresh, yet nostalgic take on rap. She was also featured on Tyler, The Creator’s “Balloon” and was praised by Kendrick Lamar as the “hardest out.”
Sabrina Carpenter’s nomination, on the other hand, is more contentious. The Grammys define this category as an artist who has achieved a “breakthrough into the public consciousness.” Carpenter’s career has been well-established for some time, though. It’s difficult to ignore the impact of “that me espresso,” but her Disney-girl history and five other full-length albums make it hard to argue that she’s deserving of the “new artist” title.
Chappell Roan, however, absolutely fits the bill of “breakthrough.” Roan experienced an astronomical ascent into pop stardom in the past year, going from a small artist on a tiny Midwest tour to drawing in Lollapalooza’s largest crowd ever. This was no small feat, and neither was the explosive impact of “Good Luck, Babe!” and “HOT TO GO!” which dominated everything from Billboard charts to the TikTok For You Page. Despite the tough competition, there’s one clear answer: give the Midwest Princess her crown. G
— Lucy Montalti
After decades of mediocrity, Washington’s football team finally commands attention
BY ANNA CORDOVA AND BRADSHAW CATE
DESIGN BY LUCY MONTALTI
For the first time since 1992, the Washington Commanders made it to the NFC Championship, one win away from the Super Bowl. Division rival Philadelphia Eagles ended D.C.’s Cinderella run on Jan. 26. Yet, as fans of a team that went 4-13 last year, Washingtonians can finally have hope after a dark quarter-century. To understand the gravity of this moment, the Voice decided to write a real retrospective for students.
On Jan. 4, 1992, in the pouring rain, the Washington Commanders defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24-7 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs at the now defunct RFK Stadium. As the final minutes of the fourth quarter ticked away, the 55,181 fans in attendance showered the field with the yellow seat cushions they received at the entrance. One week later, in the NFC Championship, the Commanders dominated the Detroit Lions with a decisive 41-10 victory. This win secured their place in Super Bowl XXVI, where they triumphed over the Buffalo Bills with a final score of 37-24, marking their fifth Super Bowl appearance and third championship title.
Now, it is 33 years, six U.S. presidential transitions, 35 starting quarterbacks, 12 head coach changes, three owners, two stadiums (and soon another), two name changes, and a wildly unsuccessful “swinging gate” trick play later. The Commanders’ drought was the longest in the NFC and second-longest in the NFL, trailing only the Cleveland Browns, who haven't been to a conference title game since 1989. That distinction now belongs to the Cowboys, one of the Commanders’ bitter rivals, who last made the NFC Championship Game 29 years ago, in 1996.
Much of the Commanders’ decades of failures can be attributed to longtime owner Dan Snyder, who purchased the team in 1999. In his 20 years of ownership, the franchise plunged into the deep waters of mismanagement and constant public scandal.
Snyder began his controversial reign by making the Commanders the first NFL team to charge fans for training camp admission in July 2000. He also developed a reputation for frequent coaching changes, firing head coach Norv Turner in December
2000, despite a winning record at the time. In 2022, financial misconduct allegations surfaced when the U.S. House Oversight Committee investigated claims that Snyder had underreported ticket sales to the NFL, allowing him to retain more revenue. Further scrutiny revealed that Snyder had secured a $55 million line of credit in 2018 without the knowledge or approval of the team directors, leading to a 2023 federal grand jury investigation.
Snyder’s legacy also includes a series of even more serious missteps, from staunch resistance to changing the team’s formerly racist name to pervasive allegations of sexual misconduct and facilities neglect. Under his leadership, the once-proud franchise, known for its Super Bowl championships and passionate fan base, devolved into an organization plagued by poor performance, toxic culture, and a reputation that discouraged players from joining. Fortunately for the franchise, Snyder sold the team in 2023 to an ownership group headed by private equity investor Josh Harris for a record $6.05 billion. Since then, Snyder has reportedly been dismissive of the Commanders’ success, with a colleague reporting “he f---ing hates it.”
Harris took command quickly to unravel Snyder’s damage, and his scrappy offseason moves formed the genesis of Washington’s transformation. First, the new ownership group hired former Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as head coach. Quinn was a top candidate, with Dallas ranked fifth in points allowed per game for the 2023 season, and he had previous head coaching experience. However, that experience came with some trepidation. Fans were afraid of the defining moment of Quinn’s career: while leading the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI, he allowed Tom Brady’s Patriots to come back from a 28-3 deficit late in the third quarter.
Still, the experience of both Quinn and new general manager Adam Peters led Washington to a highly graded 2024 draft class, headlined by quarterback Jayden
by a rookie, and the most yards in a playoff game by a rookie. At time of writing, Daniels is the heavy favorite for offensive rookie of the year.
While the rookie class is exciting, veteran players serve as the backbone of this Washington team. On offense, wide receiver Terry McLaurin provided the safety blanket that helped Daniels adjust to the NFL. McLaurin caught the most passes of any Commander and went over 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth consecutive season. Off the field, the vet has modeled training and film study at the pro level for Daniels, and the two developed a tight connection over their faith.
On the other side of the ball, Quinn brought in future hall of fame linebacker Bobby Wagner to anchor the defense. While Wagner may not return next season after the expiration of his one-year deal, his locker room leadership helped mentor Washington’s young defensive unit.
Last week, the Commanders ended their conference championship game drought with an incredible divisional round win over the Detroit Lions 45-31 in Detroit. In a historic second quarter frenzy, Washington outscored Detroit by 14 points—the highest-scoring quarter in NFL playoff history—to take a 31-21 lead at halftime. While the team could not make the full journey to the Super Bowl, something yet to be achieved by a rookie quarterback, this mix of sage veterans and eager rookies should excite any Commanders fan for the future of this franchise. G
Phil me in: Behind Georgetown’s debate societies
BY CHIH-RONG KUO DESIGN BY ELLE MARINELLO
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, hordes of 20-somethings can be seen flocking to the MSB or Healy Hall in business attire. Inside, they engage in heated debates about topics ranging from reproductive rights to the ethics of beauty pageants. With (confusingly) similar names, the Philodemic and Philonomosian societies are two different hubs for discourse, debate, community, and rivalry.
While some students may only be familiar with the societies’ flyers on the wall advertising their newest debate topic, many of these clubs’ members believe their debate societies play a critical role in the promotion of free speech on Georgetown’s campus.
Georgetown was ranked the 11th worst for free speech among 250 universities in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s 2025 College Free Speech Report, which based its data on surveys of undergraduates and recent alumni alongside campus behavioral metrics. The topics these debate societies discuss are contentious, but they also provide an important space for discussion of ideas, members said.
“We are trying to be a center for big ideas and big questions on Georgetown’s campus and, at the same time, really helping tool up students to become better public speakers, to engage with ideas that they disagree with,” Joe Massaua (SFS ’26), a member of the Philonomosian Society, said.
The Philodemic Society was founded in 1830. According to their website, the society is fundamentally about the “protection of freedom and liberty through discussion of ideas.”
theories of ethics, literature and history,” Scott Lichamer (CAS ’26), president of Philodemic Society, said.
The recently-revived Philonomosian Society, originally founded in 1839, is a business and current affairs debate society based out of the MSB. In 2023, a group of students decided to re-start Philonomosian after nearly a century of inactivity, Massua said.
The structures of the societies are also different. Debates in the Philodemic Society center around two sides—affirming or negating a proposition.
In contrast, the Philonomosian Society follows a cohort system. Cohorts are organized from right to left on the political spectrum: Tories, Federalists, Independents, Liberals, and Progressives. Members are divided into these cohorts and can rise to leadership positions within them.
This unique structure lends itself to an entertaining experience. During debates, members of Philonomisan yell “Hear! Hear!” to express agreement and hiss at other cohorts to express dissent. While most speakers abide by the House Rules, those who don’t will be fined a small amount by the censors, appointed members who enforce the rules. The House Rules include a ban on the use of electronics, time constraints for speeches, and a prohibition on “chatter, chuckling, or unbecoming behavior.”
Despite having different practices, both societies emphasize their place on campus as forums for student discussion and freedom of speech.
“Public speaking and freedom of speech come in a lot of different forms,” Massaua said. “Philonomosian, in its own little part, is just helping to advance students being able to disagree respectfully with each other.”
However, some students have misconceptions about the membership of
“A stereotype that I really have been trying to break is: the Philonomosian was the Republican debate society, whereas we were the Democrat society, which is, for the record, very untrue,” Lichamer said. “We’re working on even separating that further to make sure that there’s a real mix of opinions, because I think that’s something very valuable to have.”
Philonomosian Society President James Beit (MSB ’26) said that this issue is particularly salient for the Philonomosian Society.
“As a club, it has conservatives in it, we tend to get lampooned,” Beit said. “As a debate
society, it gets very hard because you are, to a certain extent, platforming these beliefs, but you don’t necessarily endorse them.”
While debate societies may not be for everyone, members say free speech on campus is important for every student.
“Free speech is not a bad word,” Massaua said. “It’s a good thing to engage with and that’s what we’re here at Georgetown and at university to do.”
Organizers for both societies said that it’s important to balance their policies with accessibility.
“Tradition is something that is important to the Philodemics,” Lichamer said. “We believe it’s something to guide, not to restrict. So, creating a welcoming environment, having members reach out to freshmen members at the beginning of every debate, is another thing that is a long-standing tradition.”
Meanwhile, the Philonomosian Society is in the process of building its traditions.
“The big difference between us and Philodemics is we don’t really have this institutional memory, so we can kind of do whatever we want or whatever would work,” Beit said. “We’re always for accessibility. A lot of our stuff in the society is optional, like you don’t really have to pick a cohort as a guest.”
No matter which debate society students choose to engage with, they are bound to encounter people and discussions that challenge their beliefs.
“One of my deep, deep held beliefs is that debate and the exchange of ideas are going to be the thing that saves us as American
“Absence of
access”: How D.C.’s
most
marginalized communities are fighting back against food apartheid
BY SAMANTHA MONTEIRO
GRAPHICS BY AYLA FENG; LAYOUT BY MAGGIE ZHANG
Nearly one-fifth of households in D.C. have skipped meals because they lack access to adequate food. Another fifth has experienced uncertainty around accessing needed nutrition, according to the Capital Area Food Bank’s 2024 Hunger Report.
Food insecurity is a problem throughout D.C., where, depending on which ward a person lives in, a grocery store might be miles away. Underinvestment in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods compounds this insecurity. But local advocates are fighting back against these disparities, mobilizing community resources to bring healthy foods where they are needed most.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as the limited availability of nutritious foods or the limited ability to acquire them. District residents experience food insecurity due to high prices, low access to transportation, an inability to find healthy or culturally relevant foods, and—most pressingly for many in D.C. Wards 7 and 8—a lack of grocery stores.
Significant geographic disparities in grocery store access exist across the city. There are 74 full-service grocery stores in D.C.—approximately one per square mile—but they are largely concentrated in neighborhoods with higher median incomes, according to a 2024 report from D.C. Hunger Solutions, a nonprofit that conducts advocacy and research on food access.
Ward 3 had the most, with 15 stores to serve its 76,884 residents. Georgetown sits in Ward 2, which has 13 grocery stores for 82,156 residents.
Wards 7 and 8 had the lowest number, with only three fullservice grocery stores to serve the area’s combined population of nearly 150,000 people— five times fewer stores than Ward 3 to service almost twice as many residents. Ward 8
only has one supermarket, a Giant, which has been the only grocery store in the ward since 2007.
Geographic distribution of food insecurity has long been associated with the idea of food deserts—neighborhoods with limited access to affordable and nutritious foods due to low incomes, long walking distances to grocery stores, and limited transportation.
“We know that deserts are a naturally occurring part of our ecosystem, and there is still life in deserts,” said LaMonika Jones, director of D.C. Hunger Solutions and author of the report, noting that people still live in neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food. “There is still very much life going on, even though there are areas across the District that have absence of access.”
Jones explained that inequitable geographic distribution of grocery stores in D.C. can be better understood with a different term: food apartheid.
Food insecurity in D.C. is not naturally occurring. Rather, it is the result of decades of discriminatory practices that have displaced and marginalized primarily Black and lowincome communities in the District. Jones prefers using “food apartheid” to describe the interconnected, systemic issues that leave Wards 7 and 8 residents with less access to food. Just as other forms of cultural and political apartheid segregate communities through policies that discriminate against them based on race and class, the term “food apartheid” makes clear
that food insecurity can be a racialized policy decision.
“Some of the things we see with food apartheid are historical injustices,” Jones said. “What are some of those things that have a longstanding history in the District that [disproportionately] impact communities east of the Anacostia?”
Among these factors is the historic income inequality in Wards 7 and 8, which have the lowest median household incomes compared to other wards—$49,814 and $45,598, respectively—and the highest rates of individuals living below the poverty line of $15,060 per year.
By contrast, every other ward in the District has a median household income of at least $100,000 and boasts at least eight full-service grocery stores. Ward 3, which has the most grocery stores in the District, also has the highest median household income, at $147,968.
Furthermore, Wards 7 and 8 have the highest proportion of Black residents in the District, meaning disparities in food access also occur along racial lines—Wards 2 and 3 are predominantly white. Historic practices of redlining, gentrification, and restrictive zoning have limited the availability of affordable housing in D.C. and led to the significant displacement of the District’s Black residents, particularly to Wards 7 and 8 and neighboring counties in Maryland.
“We also have to look at systemic racism as a big part of this as well, so looking at the system as itself: How has the system set up residents in a way that they are continuing to experience a lack of access?” Jones said. Wards 7 and 8 also both have limited access to D.C.’s metro system, with only three stops in Ward 7 and two in Ward 8 east of the Anacostia, each on just one metrorail line. Ward 2 alone has five stops and four different lines.
According to data collected
by DC Health Matters, many households in these wards report not having a vehicle, making it difficult for people to reach grocery stores, especially for older residents and those with limited mobility.
Even where there are grocery stores, there can be disparities in the quality and nutrition of foods on their shelves. Shoppers in some wards may see a lack of fresh produce or have difficulty finding culturally relevant foods, a significant concern for D.C.’s large immigrant communities, who may struggle to find familiar ingredients from their home countries. At standard grocery stores, these items might be more expensive or entirely unavailable, making it difficult to cook foods that reflect their cultural identities while living in D.C.
Trazy Collins, director of the food and clothing programs at Bread for the City, explained that the organization and several partners teamed up to see if there was a difference between the Giant supermarket in Ward 2 and the one in Ward 8. She explained that in Ward 8, there were more lower quality or highly processed foods compared to those available at Ward 2.
The team also noted striking differences in the design of the Ward 8 store, impacting how people experience grocery shopping.
“Even the way that folks feel—when you walk into the Giant in Southeast [D.C.] there’s metal detectors, and you feel like you’re much more surveilled than if you walk into the Giant on 7th Street, and it’s like a whole different world,” Collins said.
Because a multitude of issues shape food insecurity in D.C., solutions that seek to holistically address food security may need to look beyond the scope of just constructing another large supermarket.
“It’s a combination of looking at the system as an entire whole and understanding, ‘What does that system look like?’” Jones said. “Instead of us just saying, there’s no grocery stores in this particular area, let’s just put another one here, sometimes it’s not that easy.”
Jones said that a more feasible solution for many communities is to focus on building up “small footprint” locations rather than large grocery stores. Smaller stores are typically locally owned, giving them a closer connection and greater investment in the community, and are often in more convenient locations for customers.
D.C. Hunger Solutions developed the Healthy Corners program in partnership with DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) to equip local corner stores with the capacity to sell healthier options like fresh fruits and vegetables.
Alexander Moore (G ’09), chief development officer at DCCK, said the program supported small businesses in Wards 7 and 8 to offer healthy foods they were not selling before, making small improvements with significant impact.
“They didn’t have refrigeration, they couldn’t take a minimum delivery from a traditional produce wholesaler because they were too far from those other routes, and they didn’t have room to put 150 apples in there,” Moore said.
Even if they cannot store or sell as much food as a traditional large supermarket, Moore said that this increase in availability, even on a small scale, makes a major difference.
they set communities up for failure, because they say ‘eat this, not this’ or ‘grow this, not that,’” Moore said. “If you’re not actually thinking holistically and creating the opportunity for communities to choose, then you’re going to be limited.”
Since food insecurity is a systemic issue, Moore also pointed to policy shifts in the D.C. government as a way to expand food access. DCCK advocated to change D.C. laws so that corner stores could accept Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits alongside Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, which are government assistance programs that help families in providing food for their households. Starting in 2021, three corner stores in Wards 7 and 8 began accepting WIC benefits.
“People were eligible for these benefits and not able to use them right in their own neighborhood,” Moore said. “But now, those dollars are flowing to small, local businesses, and families can get healthy food and infant formula right on their own block.”
“Sometimes it’s easier for people to access a smaller footprint store because it’s exactly that: it’s smaller, it’s community run and operated, and centrally located to the residents who live in that community,” Jones said.
The Healthy Corners stores could receive produce shipments to sell a greater variety of healthier foods to their customers, and the program spread awareness to local residents about the nutritious options their local stores now provide.
Moore explained that many food advocates run into problems creating more stable food security because the families they serve do not have the resources to access the healthy foods that these services provide them on their own. For example, Moore said that children who receive free healthy lunches from DCCK’s school programs ask their parents for similar meals at home, but live in neighborhoods where those foods are inaccessible.
“This is where so many food advocates run into challenges, where
To Moore, investments in small businesses like Healthy Corners are an important step to eventually bringing larger grocery stores to areas that need them. He said the success of Healthy Corners stores can demonstrate to potential investors looking to build grocery stores that the same demand for nutritious choices exists in historically food insecure neighborhoods.
“It’s getting people in this city and in cities across the country to say, ‘Wait a minute, can these small businesses actually be part of the solution?’” Moore said.
Jones added that the District has taken important steps to improve access, like the Nourish DC Collaborative and the Food Access Fund, which provide financing and technical assistance to new grocery stores, corner stores, and farmers’ markets.
For Collins, increasing access to healthy food options in Wards 7 and 8 is just one part of a bigger picture in creating food justice and food sovereignty. Collins emphasized the need to directly reach communities who have been systematically denied access to food. The resources are there, she said, it’s just about making sure they’re made available to those who need them.
“There’s enough food in the world for everybody; it’s just not shared equitably,” Collins said. “Food sovereignty is more like shifting it to the people who have had that right or that freedom taken away and prioritizing those folks.” G
Georgetown’s Student Health Center must provide contraceptive and gender-affirming care
By the Editorial Board
Content warning: This article includes mention of suicide.
In the same week as President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Georgetown hosted its annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference, the largest student-run, anti-abortion conference in the United States. After the Dobbs decision and increasing state bans on abortion, an ultraconservative majority now controls the federal government. It is thus all the more critical that Georgetown’s Student Health Center provides accessible contraceptive and gender-affirming care to its students.
Contraceptive healthcare provides students access to birth control, Plan B, condoms, and dental dams. Genderaffirming and gender-inclusive healthcare refers to a range of medical, social, and psychological interventions dedicated to providing support and care that affirms an individual’s gender identity. Lack of access to this medically necessary care can be extremely harmful to transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming students. The mental health consequences caused by limited access to gender-affirming healthcare, such as gender dysphoria and depression, are extremely severe and contribute to the national epidemic of LGBTQ+ youth suicide.
Georgetown’s Student Health Center does not prescribe birth control or other hormonal medicines, such as the morning-after pill, solely for the purpose of contraception. They do not offer gender-affirming care for any reason. MedStar Georgetown University Hospital also does not fill prescriptions for birth control for contraceptive purposes.
The university healthcare plan, which is required unless a student has a qualifying personal plan to waive it, covers contraception and gender-affirming healthcare in compliance with relevant laws, but students must seek these services off-campus, often at a greater cost.
Georgetown must provide contraceptive and gender-affirming healthcare. This service would not only grant students the lifesaving right to govern their own bodies but would also ensure their gender identity and medically necessary care are not threatened by federal policies or religious condemnation.
While Jesuit universities across the country broadly align with Georgetown’s policies, many peer universities provide students access to contraception and gender-affirming healthcare, including Harvard, Columbia, Boston University, Stanford, and the entire University of California system.
For many on the Hilltop, the oncampus Student Health Center is the most accessible healthcare provider because of its location and acceptance of the universityprovided Premier Plan health insurance. Students with the Premier Plan only pay a $10 copayment when visiting the Student Health Center. The next most affordable option would be in-network providers, typically other MedStar locations, with a $25 copayment. For all other out-of-network providers, the copayments and overall costs that students incur can be expensive and therefore inaccessible for many.
Students who rely on Georgetown’s health insurance—often due to financial necessity— are left with few options. Off-campus care is costly and logistically challenging, disproportionately impacting low-income and international students. Taking courses while also participating in extracurricular activities and working makes it difficult for students to go off campus to receive medical care. Lack of time, as well as insufficient public transportation in the Georgetown area, creates barriers in addition to the high costs of off-campus care for students.
Furthermore, knowing where to find contraceptive and gender-affirming healthcare outside of Georgetown can be extremely challenging and confusing for young people. Some of these students may also be unable to turn to their parents or other family members because of the intimate nature of reproductive health and gender identity.
Campus healthcare is meant to be accessible and convenient for students of all socioeconomic backgrounds—this is reflected in MedStar’s stated “patient-first philosophy that combines care, compassion, and clinical excellence.” Georgetown must work to make this mission a reality.
We believe that a university has a responsibility to care for all its students— including those who require accessible contraceptive and gender-affirming care. Georgetown cannot let its Jesuit identity interfere with that responsibility. The School of Health’s mission includes a commitment “to advance health equity,” and thus it “profoundly rejects racism, faith-based persecution, sexism and gender discrimination, ageism, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia, and transphobia.”
We believe that denying students access to contraception and gender-affirming care within the campus they live in is, by definition, discriminating on the basis of gender and sexual identity. Georgetown cannot claim to value the whole person if it denies members of our community care.
Georgetown students have access to some resources on campus, including from H*yas for Choice (HFC), a student organization unrecognized by the university due to its provision of contraceptive care. They offer a variety of contraceptives as well as education on STI prevention, birth control, condoms, and referrals to local abortion providers.
HFC is undoubtedly a vital resource for Georgetown students—students at some other Jesuit institutions lack their own HFC equivalents—but it should not be the duty of an independent, volunteer-based student group to wholly and critically provide for the sexual health of the student body.
Instead of hosting anti-abortion conferences that promote homophobia, Georgetown must live up to its basic responsibilities of caring for its students. As protections in students’ home states erode amid Trump’s increasing threats to BIPOC, women, and LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming people, Georgetown must act. Georgetown’s Student Health Center must provide accessible contraceptive and gender-affirming care for all students. G
Graphics by Katie Snyder; Layout by Tina Solki
While Georgetown is a hub for diverse areas of research, there’s only one program where students are encouraged to explore Afro-Colombian feminism through musical traditions while professors debate weaponizing artificial intelligence against human trafficking.
Georgetown’s Gender+ Justice Initiative (G+JI) “aims to address the pressing problem of gender inequality, discrimination, and injustice across intersecting identities.” The initiative was created in response to faculty discussions on supporting gender justice research during the 2015-16 academic year, according to G+JI. This year, the program is hosting 20 fellows, providing them with a $1500 stipend to conduct a research project culminating in a report on their findings.
This Georgetown-based initiative is particularly important in light of President Donald Trump’s executive order banning the use of federal research grant funds for studies that “promote gender ideology.” Furthermore, legislation defunding or banning women and gender studies programs has become increasingly common. Nearly 42% of women and gender studies departments across the U.S. saw budget decreases in 2024, according to the National Women’s Studies Association. The laws, budget cuts, and Trump’s executive order indicate a growing lack of institutional support for gender-related research.
G+JI, which does not receive federal funding, provides a valuable opportunity for scholars to enrich their understanding of such issues and supplement the gap in federal research.
Sreya Patri (SFS ’26) is among six undergraduates participating in the fellow program. Patri took a Women, Peace, and Security class her sophomore year that sparked her interest in the intersection of gender and security among Arctic natives. With G+JI, Patri is researching “Reconciling Masculinities, Femininities, and Climate Justice within Indigenous Arctic Communities.”
“I was also super interested in the Arctic and Indigenous communities there, and I wanted to shed more light on their voices because I feel like they haven’t been talked about from a security standpoint,” Patri said.
As someone newer to research, Patri credits G+JI with providing resources that bridged gaps in her knowledge.
“We’ve had a couple of workshops with various experts ranging from how to research to what to research to where to get published,” Patri said. “It’s pointed me in the right direction.”
While G+JI’s strong support systems ensure participants stay on track with their projects, the bulk of the program is self-directed. After fellows submit their research proposals, they work throughout the year to turn their vision into a finished project.
Cassius Hou (LAW ’28, PhD ’29) hopes to eventually publish a full-length book with their findings on nonbinary gender identities.
“My inspiration for this project came from a couple of different points. I’m focusing on the nonbinary gender identity because I’m nonbinary,” Hou said. “I also thought it was interesting that, in more recent times, we’re seeing this uptake of ‘X’ to signify the nonbinary gender identity. Gender is always something that exceeds language, but we must reduce it to something packageable in order to make ourselves intelligible.”
Given that nonbinary gender identities are a fledgling focus of academia— and this research is now restricted for federal researchers following Trump’s executive order denying legal recognition of nonbinary people—G+JI offers an important space to learn how to conduct and circulate research like Hou’s.
“When you are a beginning academic, you look at journal articles and the acceptance rates and you’re like, ‘Wow, no one will accept my work. I don’t want to even try,’” Hou said. “I think that’s really pernicious around minority groups who have been coached to think they are somehow lesser than.”
However, Hou added that G+JI builds fellows up, encouraging them to strive for recognition by prestigious publications “because there’s always room at the top.”
Aside from the undergraduate and graduate students breaking into research, nine faculty members are G+JI fellows this year, each with their own academic interests. One is Halimat Somotan, an African Studies professor and historian of Nigeria whose research focuses on women and housing during decolonization.
“I began to think about what kinds of people were discussed, [and] a lot of the academic materials gave the impression that the only people renting apartments were men,” Somotan said. “So, how do we make visible the women who were also trying to create a space for themselves in a city?”
In her upcoming book, “The Decolonizing City: Popular Politics and the Making of Postcolonial Lagos, 194176,” Somotan explores women’s roles in pushing for rent control and housing justice in post-independence Lagos, one of Nigeria’s largest metropolitan areas. Much of her research for G+JI uses archival materials from Nigeria and Britain, along with supplementary oral histories.
“Through interviews I’ve been able to really get at the daily lived experiences of people. What kind of amenities did they have? What kind of visions about the city did they have? What kind of relationships did they have?” Somotan said. “The archives promote this idea that the relationship between renters and landlords is only conflict-based. The conflict is part of the story, but it’s not the only story.”
Somotan finds an important benefit in researching with the G+JI: community. In the face of turmoil and anxiety over federal bans, the initiative has cultivated offers hope for the future of gender studies.
“It’s a space that gives you an opportunity to form relationships with like-minded scholars,” Somotan said. “The program has a lot of mechanisms that are put into place to help everybody flourish and achieve their goals.” G
Passing midway point, Georgetown women’s basketball still looking to find footing
BY BEN JAKABCSIN
The expectations:
Coming off one of the better seasons for the program in recent memory, firstyear (without the interim tag) coach Darnell Haney looked to build on the success.
With a 23-12 record (9-9 BIG EAST) and a second-round appearance in the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament in 2023–24, the Hoyas returned one of the best players in the BIG EAST in graduate guard Kelsey Ransom, one of its best shooters in junior guard Victoria Rivera, and a strong paint presence in senior center Ariel Jenkins. They also brought in a strong newcomer class including graduate forward Chetanna Nweke, graduate guard Siobhan Ryan, and a talented group of freshmen. However, the Hoyas lost a lot of talent as well. Chief among them is the graduated forward Graceann Bennett who, a season ago, finished top-20 in the conference in the following statistics: player efficiency rating, total win shares, defensive win shares, rebounding, blocks, field goals, 2-point percentage, and more. Bennett served as the linchpin of the 24th-best defensive unit in college basketball last year, per Bart Torvik. All of this led to the Georgetown women beng voted as the fifth-best team in the conference in the preseason, a mid-table ranking, with the predictions having them at 97th nationally. The results so far:
The Hoyas have largely performed to expectations. With a 10-11 (3-7 BIG EAST) in the conference, but still ahead of where Georgetown is currently seventh Torvik’s preseason projections had them, at 90th nationally. This ignores the fact that the Hoyas lost Nweke, a starter, to injury in the opening minute of their season.
Unsurprisingly, Ransom has played a major role when games have broken the Hoyas’ way this year, averaging a career-high and conference-leading 19.8 points per game. Another non-surprise is that Rivera has also been a factor, averaging over 12 points while shooting 38 percent from three. Jenkin’s breakout to join Ransom and Rivera as one of the best trios in the league has surprised, and all three rank among the top 10 players in the BIG EAST in offensive value per Torvik. After averaging only three points and three rebounds as a junior, Jenkins now averages 12 points and 10 rebounds as a senior. Outside of those three, freshman guard Khadee Hession has averaged seven points, four rebounds, and two assists. As the Hoyas’ other offensive initiator besides Ransom, she has continued to have highlight moments that showcase her high ceiling as a player, starting with her near triple-double in her first-ever collegiate game to open the season.
The numbers:
Per Torvik, the Hoyas have accrued six game grades of 95 or better, and three of 30 or worse (on a 1-100 scale) so far this season, meaning the team can beat or be beaten by
anyone. The simple answer, from a metrics standpoint, is that the Hoyas do not excel at much, only ranking in the top 100 in freethrow percentage and defensive free-throw rate. On the flip side, though, there is not much this team struggles with either. Of the over a dozen metrics that Torvik tracks, the Hoyas only rank outside the top 300 (of 362) in a single one, defensive block rate. So, while the Hoyas may not have a go-to way of winning like shooting lots of threes or generating lots of ball pressure, the team lacks an obvious Achilles’ heel.
On one hand, Georgetown has a very young roster, and improvement throughout the season is normal for younger players, creating optimism for turning things around this year. At the same time, things like that block rate won’t magically improve, Bennett is not walking back through that door, and with the injury issues the Hoyas have had, what you see is more or less what you can get.
Looking ahead:
Through 21 games, the two best avenues of improvement are continuing in-season development of Georgetown’s freshmen and a return to the types of defensive intensity and connectivity that made last season’s team a defensive force.
The first point will happen naturally, as it has all year. While the process won’t be without its bumps, as the young players have made significant errors, most recently late in their win over St. John’s, it is not unreasonable to assume an upward trajectory given this staff’s encouraging early signs of talent development. The second will be more tricky, as defensive intensity is not something so easily measured, and, without a player like Bennett, there may just be a lower ceiling for what this team can accomplish on that end. If this program under Haney is going to make good on their “Outside Dawgs Only” mentality, then they simply have to find a way to be reliable on that end.
Looking at their remaining schedule, they have a very navigable stretch coming up with Xavier, Depaul, and Butler, and going 3-0 could be a great spot to build momentum before going on the road to play Creighton and Villanova in mid-February. Outside of those three games though, the Hoyas may not be outright favorites again this season, and the Barttorvik.com metrics project the Hoyas with a final record of 14-15 (7-11 BIG EAST), which means a 4-4 close to the season if it plays out as such.
While there is still much to unfold this year, this much is clear: this team has the top-end talent to keep them in any game. The question is whether they will get the boost that they need from their supporting cast to have a shot at a Cinderella run like they had a season ago in the BIG EAST tournament. G
Unrivaled: A slam dunk for women’s sports?
BY EILEEN WEISNER
DESIGN BY ELIN CHOE
Afresh look has arrived on the scene of women’s basketball.
Unrivaled Basketball League, a 3v3 professional women’s league, evokes the authentic, youthful, and joyful experience of playing pickup on a blacktop court. Based in Miami, Fla., Unrivaled features six teams competing in roundrobin style matchups over eight weeks, culminating in a week of playoffs. The league’s inaugural season, which launched Jan. 17, looks to combat inequalities in women’s basketball—and its unparalleled existence already does just that.
Familiar names in the new league include WNBA standouts such as the Chi-Town Barbie Angel Reese, New York Liberty point guards Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot, Minnesota Lynx center Brittney Griner, and Washington Mystics forward Aaliyah Edwards. Disappointingly, two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson isn’t participating this season, nor is WNBA Rookie of the Year and 2024 Time’s Athlete of the Year Caitlin Clark. Unrivaled reportedly offered Clark a $1 million contract, but she said she wants some time out of the spotlight to rest.
Founded by two U.S. Basketball Olympians, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart (who are playing in the league), Unrivaled is for female players, by female players with twists on the game of basketball. For example, the coaches work together to select the six players on each team and, to ensure fair competition, the coaches do not know which team they will be assigned to.
look to minimize slow-downs in play. The first three quarters are seven minutes each, while the fourth quarter uses an 11-point Elam Ending. If the score is 66-59, 11 points are added to the leading score, 66, to make 77. The first team to reach that total of 77 wins the game. Collier, who plays for the Lunar Owls, explained that this twist ensures “a game-winner every single game.” Her teammate, Skylar Diggins-Smith, put in that game-winning shot for the Lunar Owls on opening weekend, complete with a body-shaking celebration.
Beyond its differences in rules, Unrivaled provides a higher average starting salary than the WNBA—$220,000 to the WNBA’s $147,745. It is the highest average salary in all of women’s sports, thus explaining why so many stars are drawn to the inaugural season. In the past, WNBA players traveled abroad to play, either for offseason competition or supplemental income. This can be dangerous, as in the case of Griner receiving a prison sentence for illegal drug possession while traveling to a Russian league. Players feel forced to choose between traveling to earn an income or staying with their families, while higher-paid male athletes get to rest at home during the offseason. With Unrivaled, WNBA stars can now have the same offseason competition with a liveable salary, all in the U.S.
viewership. However, initial viewership data should be taken with a grain of salt— as seen with the WNBA, momentum and popularity build as the season progresses. While no games take place on Sundays to minimize overlap with the NFL, the season does compete with the NBA and NHL, hinting at possible issues with split viewership. Still, the league has quite a few eyes on it (averaging just over 200,000 viewers through the first six games) and has already given highlight-worthy moments to its fans.
But the league faces broadcasting problems in addition to viewership concerns. Unrivaled hopes to rely on a media-rights deal with TNT Sports rather than ticket sales, but so far, TNT has restricted Unrivaled to a one-hour window on either TNT or TruTV (also available for streaming on Max). This has already proved too short, as the few games played so far have exceeded one hour.
Playing pickup on a half court is quick, vibrant, and nonstop. To mimic that, Unrivaled games are on a compressed court, 70 by 50 feet, 24 feet shorter than a full-size court. This shortened court ensures player stamina over the four quarters of play, promoting a fast-paced atmosphere. If a player is fouled while shooting, they will only get one shot, regardless of where they were shooting. This and the 18-second shot clock— compared to the WNBA’s 24 seconds—
Unrivaled is made possible through sponsorships, including Samsung, State Farm, Coca-Cola, Miller Lite, Sephora, as well as investments from soccer stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe, tennis phenom Coco Gauff, the NBA’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps, and University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. The initial players also receive equity shares in the league and free childcare at the league’s Miami facility, Wayfair Arena.
However, Unrivaled still has room to grow. The league is tiny; their 36 players are a quarter of the WNBA’s 144. Not only are the rosters small—the arena is, too. Wayfair Arena only seats 850 fans. This puts a weight on the importance of TV
While the season is young, Unrivaled seems poised to draw more attention and raise the bar for women’s sports that have long been underappreciated and underpaid. The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team has been embroiled in lengthy fights for compensation equal to the men’s team from the U.S. Soccer Federation. Women’s hockey faces similar challenges, and despite Title IX, women’s NCAA basketball teams still lack the same training facilities as men’s teams.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has been supportive thus far of Unrivaled and its mission. Collier mentioned that Engelbert gave her and Stewart tips for game-day security, medical resources, and links to business connections. While not competing with the WNBA’s player base or season time, Unrivaled still looks to elevate the standards for women’s basketball. Their pay, amenities, and operations put pressure on the WNBA to improve—sooner rather than later. G
Is this seat taken? Rethinking life in third places
BY PHOEBE NASH
Five days into what seemed like an endless finals period, frustrated by the lack of open seats in the HFSC and developing one too many Lau-induced headaches, my friends and I decided to venture past the front gates. We made the pilgrimage to Tatte Cafe on Wisconsin Avenue, eager to discover a new atmosphere, and maybe a good breakfast sandwich too.
However, we quickly realized not everyone was as excited as we were about our off-campus discovery.
While waiting in line, we overheard one customer complain about the chic cafe’s transformation into a popular study spot. “This place is infested with college students and their laptops who sit here all day and ruin the neighborhood,” she said to the manager.
My initial reaction, admittedly, was anger. Why does this lady think she deserves to sit here any more than us?
As the study day marched on, I could not get her comments out of my consciousness, inspiring thoughts of what it meant to occupy the space.
In truth, I have little sympathy that my prolonged stay may lead to a slight dip in Tatte’s profits. I am a paying customer after all. Instead, I empathize with other customers whose avocado toast-fueled dreams are crushed by all-day cafe dwellers occupying precious real estate. But how many overpriced lattes do we need to buy to prove ourselves worthy of a too-small table?
While I don’t think we need to prove our worth to cafe chains or aggravated managers, we owe something to the people who, like us, are sharing the space. In my mind, there are clear study
GRAPHICS BY ELLIE TA; LAYOUT BY KARINA HAN
space infringements: one person taking up a table meant for four, taking a loud call in an otherwise silent room, or hogging every outlet in the vicinity. But, beyond these guidelines, we must determine our own moral code.
This struggle contributes to a larger project of developing so-called “third places.” These are places outside our homes (first place) and work or school (second place) where we can connect with others. Ideally, these locations are casual, social, and relationship-inducing. However, the requirement to buy a drink, often on the wrong side of five dollars, turns this sociology-backed need for community into another frustrating expense. Alarmingly, third places are becoming increasingly hard to come by, are often economically prohibitive, and generally seem to disincentivize interaction.
to meet someone new. The purpose of a third space, after all, is to connect with our communities, not the same handful of friends we came with—we cannot utilize the concept while ignoring its intent.
Sure, hours deep into homework you are probably not thinking about making a new friend. But meaningful interactions do not have to be long: smiling when you sit down, making eye contact, or complimenting someone can bring a quick burst of joy.
Notably, for this to work, our interactions with strangers need to be more than just desperately asking, “Can I steal this table from you?”
Perhaps the ideal third space is selfregulated. Instead of imposing time limits or minimum spending, inhabitants see people waiting tableless and sense it is their time to leave to invite in the fresh wave of clientele. But this may just undermine the entire idea in itself: a third space cannot be accessible up until the point that too many people want to access it.
Another option is designated usage. Arguably, the conflict at Tatte was one of usage—studying versus eating, laptops versus lattes—but dedicating spaces just for studying, meeting new people, or playing games could avoid this issue. However, this returns to the problem of effectively buying our seats. In America’s third space desert, increased cost and regulation is a non-solution.
Increased funding for genuine public spaces—libraries, parks, and plazas— would undoubtedly be the ideal solution. Government investment instead of individual spending addresses these problems and takes the pressure off of overcrowded cafes and restaurants.
However, while we wait, the answer may be found in the very strangers we are fighting against. As we search for a seat, instead of seeing halffull tables as a violation of tightly-held beliefs about etiquette, we should see them as an opportunity
This can be difficult, but maybe we just need a bit more practice. If there is one thing my time working in retail taught me, the checkout process is a natural time for small talk. If approaching someone new is scary, try asking the barista a question with your order. Talk to classmates, friends of friends, and ultimately, strangers—small talk can boost happiness and a sense of belonging.
There are also structural ways to support this community building. Large collaborative tables—the kind impossible for just one group to fill—encourage sharing, without awkwardly needing to ask. Sitting at a table in a way that encourages others to join takes the pressure off both sides of the interaction. Above all else, a community-forward outlook can redefine how connected we feel to those around us; existing in the context of others is more meaningful than a self-focused view of these spaces.
Having an individualistic mindset makes life in public spaces, to quote Thomas Hobbes, “nasty, brutish, and short.” We are not meant to reduce our fellow community members to competition for a seat while drinking a latte or writing a think piece for Georgetown’s best campus publication. Sure, forming community can be challenging, expensive, and awkward, but it is fundamentally human. So, next time you feel the urge to complain about one person taking up a four-top in a cafe, take a deep breath, smile, and say “Excuse me, can I sit with you?” And maybe compliment their laptop stickers, too. G
How the sausage gets made: Why going meat-free isn’t so green
BY ELYZA BRUCE GRAPHICS BY SOPHINA BOYCHENKO; LAYOUT BY MICHELLE WANG
The climate crisis is a problem so immense that it can, for the average person, be too overwhelming to comprehend. If you’re like me, you have attempted to make small, tangible changes in your life, such as recycling or buying second-hand clothes, to at least feel like you are doing your part. Switching to a meat-free diet seems like one of the best ways to live more sustainably and reduce your individual carbon emissions. Plant-based diets are on the rise among Americans, as 10-15% identify as either vegetarian or vegan, and three-fifths of American households eat meat-free meals part time. But are widespread plant-based diets the environmental remedy we are hoping for?
In reality, plant-based diets are not as “environmentally-friendly” as is widely believed. Although plantbased meat substitutes on average have a 50% lower environmental impact than meat, the majority of plant-based products consumed by Americans are still produced through industrial farming techniques characterized by monocultures and harmful chemical fertilizers that contribute to the depletion of soil health, deforestation, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and threats to biodiversity.
Not to mention, plenty of popular plant-based foods such as avocados, mushrooms, and almonds also have a substantial environmental toll, especially if they are imported from across the world. As a vegetarian myself, I always question whether my diet—characterized by daily coffees, snacks wrapped in singleuse plastics, and copious avocados—is as “green” as I hope.
This points to an important distinction: a sustainable diet is not defined by the kinds of food you eat, but how they are produced.
The problem lies in the system in which meat is produced, typified by widespread factory farms with horrific conditions (both for their workers and the animals they slaughter) that prioritize profit above all else. Large-scale factory farm operations threaten the local environment, as they convert local ecosystems into industrialstyle farmland and deposit agricultural runoff into waterways. The key to building a sustainable, zero-carbon society is reforming these unjust, destructive, profit-hungry systems, not placing all of the responsibility on the shoulders of individuals.
The question should not be whether one should become vegan or vegetarian either. This may sound counterintuitive, but hunting, when properly regulated, is arguably one of the most sustainable methods to consume meat. In many Indigenous cultures, taking an animal’s life is a sacred act, and ethics of sustainability are already built into many traditional hunting practices. Likewise, although many people (including myself) recoil at the idea of hunting cute animals like deer, venison from a deer you hunted yourself is one of the most eco-friendly foods on the planet, especially as deer overpopulation causes environmental damage in many regions.
Despite these sustainable alternatives to acquiring meat, the reality is that most people will still get the majority of their food from supermarkets. While browsing the aisles, most Americans don’t really know where their food is coming from or how it was made. Did the cow that provided the beef graze in the open air or did it live and die in confinement within a factory farm?
Not to mention, switching your diet is really only available to those who are privileged enough to afford the switch. Although fruits and vegetables are generally cheaper than meat, plant-based meat is more expensive than animal-based counterparts.
Beyond the price tag, making such a drastic change in diet requires additional time and energy that many working Americans simply do not have. Those worrying about where their next meal will come from can’t think about whether it will contain animal products as well. Additionally, for many, going meatfree would also mean losing touch with cultural foods that are meaningful to them, as many cultures and religions have meat-based meals that carry spiritual or symbolic significance.
consumer to meticulously research the origins of their food in order to ensure maximum sustainability is entirely unreasonable, so is asking people to abandon culturally significant
cuisines because of systems outside of their control. This is why the system must change in tandem with shifts in consumer behavior. Achieving net-zero carbon emissions will require an almost total transition to regenerative agriculture, which is a collection of practices that aim to maintain soil health, maximize biodiversity, and minimize carbon emissions by reducing the use of heavy machinery. Ensuring that almost all food products on the market are produced sustainably and ethically makes a consumer’s capacity for change more realistic. These changes will not come easily, but all of this is not to discourage you or make you crumble in hopeless despair. Yes, do anything you can to reduce your carbon emissions if you have the capacity. Switch to a plant-based diet if you want to—or even just commit to eating less meat than before. Even better, support local or regenerative farms if they are available to you or volunteer for community organizations in your area that are fighting for more sustainable food production. But don’t get discouraged if you feel like you aren’t reaching some ideal of what the “perfect” sustainable lifestyle is. You are only one person; your choice of what protein to put on your salad is not going to end the world. There are broader inequitable systems at play that are working against your efforts to be an ethical consumer.
