The Georgetown Voice, 10/6/23 by The Georgetown Voice

O C TO B E R 6 , 2 0 2 3

LET BLACK HORROR HAUNT YOUR SCREENS THIS HALLOWEEN BY MIA BOYKIN

OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD: HOW THE GEORGETOWN FLEA MARKET OFFERS COLLECTABLES AND COMMUNITY BY ANGELENA BOUGIAMAS

WINGO'S TO RETURN TO O STREET AFTER 2018 FIRE FORCED THEM TO FLEE THE COOP BY MARGARET HARTIGAN

Contents

October 6, 2023 Volume 56 | Issue 4 Editor-In-Chief Nora Scully Managing Editor Graham Krewinghaus internal resources Executive Editor for Ajani Jones Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion Assistant Editor for Lukas Soloman Resources, Diversity, and Inclusion Editor for Sexual Violence Katherine Hawes Advocacy and Coverage Service Chair Lizzie Short Social Chair Margaret Hartigan, Francesca Theofilou

Archivist Lou Jacquin news Executive Editor Margaret Hartigan Features Editor Amber Xie News Editor Alex Deramo Assistant News Editors Angelena Bougiamas, Eddy Binford-Ross, Ninabella Arlis

halftime leisure

Let Black horror haunt your screens this Halloween to binge MIA BOYKIN

editorials

Student media is valuable, and our funding has failed to reflect that EDITORIAL BOARD

Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is glamorous queer pop bliss

Out with the new, in with the old: How the Geogretown Flea Market offers collectables and community

Scarlet doesn’t need your praise, but you’ll be giving it anyway

leisure

features

HAILEY WHARRAM

ANGELENA BOUGIAMAS

voices

Sometimes, I hate opinion columnists (and not just when I disagree with them)

on the cover

EILEEN MILLER

leisure

ZACHARY WARREN

12 news

Wingo’s to return to O Street after 2018 fire forced them to flee the coop MARGARET HARTIGAN

news

Trans rights panel embodies communitycentered activism at Georgetown

halftime sports

The Sickos’ guide to college football BEN JAKABCSIN AND HENRY SKARECKY

SABRINA SHAFFER, MEREDITH FOSTER, AND AASHNA NADARAJAH

features

"'The queer story is a story of not just surviving in the margins, but thriving in the margins,' panelist Erin Reed said." PG. 6

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

Hoyas need to huddle: Bringing back a culture of sports to the Hilltop

“paisley”

BRADSHAW CATE AND ANDREW SWANK

TINA SOLKI The opinions expressed in The Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty, or students of Georgetown University, unless specifically stated. Columns, advertisements, cartoons, and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of The Georgetown Voice. The university subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors. All materials copyright The Georgetown Voice, unless otherwise indicated.

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

opinion Executive Editor Lou Jacquin Voices Editor Barrett Ahn Assistant Voices Editors Aminah Malik, Lukas Soloman, Olivia Pozen Editorial Board Chair Andrea Ho Editorial Board Jupiter Huang, Connor Martin, Olivia Pozen, Dane Tedder leisure Executive Editor Maya Kominsky Leisure Editor Isabel Shepherd Assistant Editors Hailey Wharram, Eileen Chen, Rhea Banerjee Halftime Editor Zachary Warren Assistant Halftime Editors Nikki Farnham, Sagun Shrestha, Caroline Samoluk sports Executive Editor Lucie Peyrebrune Sports Editor Jo Stephens Assistant Editors Langston Lee, Thomas Fishbeck, Ben Jakabcsin Halftime Editor Henry Skarecky Assistant Halftime Editors Bradshaw Cate, Sam Lynch, Andrew Swank design Executive Editor Cecilia Cassidy Design Editor Sabrina Shaffer Spread Editors Olivia Li, Dane Tedder Cover Editor Tina Solki Assistant Design Editors Grace Nuri, Madeleine Ott, Elin Choe copy Copy Chiefs Donovan Barnes, Maanasi Chintamani Assistant Copy Editors Cole Kindiger, Lizzie Short, Eileen Miller multimedia Podcast Executive Producer Jillian Seitz Podcast Editor Romy Abu-Fadel Assistant Podcast Editor Lucy Collins online Online Executive Pierson Cohen Website Editor Tyler Salensky Assistant Website Editor MJ Morales Social Media Editor Kristy Li Assistant Social Media Editor Mark Manaois business General Manager Rovi Yu Assistant Manager of Sheryn Livingstone Alumni and Outreach support Contributing Editors Adora Adeyemi, Francesca Theofilou Associate Editors Sofia Kemeny, Connor Martin, Nicholas Riccio, Franziska Wild Staff Contributors Meriam Ahmad, Elyza Bruce, Romita Chattaraj, Leon Cheung, Pia Cruz, Yihan Deng, Julia Kelly, Ashley Kulberg, Amelia Myre, Nicholas Romero, Carlos Rueda, Ryan Samway, Michelle Serban, Isabelle Stratta, Kami Steffenauer, Amelia Wanamaker, Fallon Wolfley, Brandon Wu, Nadine Zakheim

graphic by dane tedder; layout by sabrina shaffer

Page 3

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

crossword by brendan teehan; "sudsy scoundrel" by dane tedder; podcast art by madeleine ott; "pia's splendiferous chicken sammy" by pia cruz

→ BRENDAN'S CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. See 1 Down 7. Infamously tempermental "Mount" 8. Senior living in Harbin, maybe 9. Shift + 2 10. Politically savvy daughter from Succession 12. 84,600 seconds 14. What separates a Millennial from a Zoomer 15. ___ ___to differ 17. It can be "Real" or "fake" 18. 87% of applicants hear this from the Georgetown admissions deparment 19. It runs parallel to the radius 21. The shortest Olympian, often

DOWN 1. With 1 Across, a PBS classic, or what you’re doing by scanning the circled letters from left to right 2. Father’s words of encouragement 3. Point of access, say 4. Lil ___ X 5. Intersections of X and Y axes 6. Greeted (an acquanintance) from afar 11. Building block of a laugh 13. "God Rest ___, Merry Gentlemen!" 16. One of few recalled emojis 20. Sol, ___, ti, do

→ GOSSIP RAT

→ TUNE IN TO PODCASTS Welcome back to Post Pitch. This week, join Podcast Editor Romy Abu-Fadel in her interview with writers Henry Skarecky and Ben Jakabcsin. They discuss this week’s Halftime Sports piece which dives into what it means to be a "Sicko" fan of college football.

Dear Gossip Rat, I’ve been swiping on Grindr for the past hour and I still don’t have a girlfriend. Can you help me get one? Best, Horny Little MSBro

→ PIA'S SPLENDIFEROUS CHICKEN SAMMY

Dear Horny Little MSBro, Start by ditching the shower shoes. I salivate at the sight of those slippery, slimy dogs on the Darnall communal shower floor, and I can only assume women do, too. Also, remove your shirt as often as possible. Do it in the common room, in your Problem of God class, and especially in Dahlgren Chapel at 6 p.m. this Sunday. Finally, you should make a campfire. It will be very sweet and musky, and women will love it. I made one in Epicurean a few days ago, and the odor brought all the rat-ettes to my corner. If you need some kindling, you can use the free newspapers all over campus. Just remember that glossy magazines don’t burn well. XOXO, Gossip Rat

OCTOBER 6, 2023

EDITORIALS

Student media is valuable, and our funding has failed to reflect that BY THE EDITORIAL BOARD

s the school year began, the Voice, along with other student organizations, grappled with the fate we have come to expect every year: a reduced budget. While budget cuts are not unique to media organizations, we argue that the role student journalism plays on campus is invaluable. The editorial board’s call is twofold: first, that Georgetown establish reliable financial infrastructure to fund student media through a dedicated endowment, and second, that GUSA not control funds allotted to student media. Student media is crucial in holding institutions accountable. In the past year and a half, the Voice broke stories on the continued mistreatment of facilities workers and covered Georgetown’s silencing of a racist hate crime against LaHannah Giles (CAS ’23). The Hoya’s reporting covered Georgetown professors’ refusal to enact students’ ARC accommodations and William Gaston’s enslavement of more than 163 people. Knowing that our greatest resource is our coverage, we report on District-wide issues such as gun violence and publish progressive editorials demanding D.C. statehood and housing people over removing encampments. While our journalism is not perfect, we are committed to creating a culture of journalism that amplifies diverse voices and campus activism, informing the campus consciousness around social justice issues, and pushing Georgetown to do better. But our role in the community isn’t limited to our breaking news—equally as important, we are an avenue for creative expression, sports commentary, and cultural criticism. The Indy has long been an avenue for students to express their thoughts on arts and culture while also being used to elevate creatives on campus. The Anthem and Bossier allow students to express themselves freely. Groups like WGTB host concerts and other events that give students the opportunity to showcase their work and are a valuable source of entertainment. The Blaxa allows Black students to express and empower themselves. All of these contributions rely on hours of unpaid labor because students seek to share their work and passion with the larger student body. Given the critical role student media plays on campus, Georgetown must establish permanent financial infrastructure to fund us. This year, Media Board—the umbrella grouping of student 4

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

publications—received approximately two-thirds of its requested allocation. Groups were forced to resubmit budgets cutting thousands of dollars of expenses. While that might seem insignificant, our revenue is entirely spent on operational costs—print contracts, Adobe accounts, and more. There is no money to spare. GUSA should not have control over the budget of student media. Currently, all student media organizations are allocated funds by the Media Board. Media Board, in turn, is funded by GUSA’s Finance and Appropriations (FinApp) Committee, which singularly determines how to divide the Student Activities Fee—which totals $1,194,200—between all seven club Advisory Boards and the five student organizations outside their jurisdiction. While GUSA has contributed meaningfully to the Georgetown community, we do not believe that it should be given this enormous funding power. GUSA elections and referendums have historically been characterized by low voter turnout, suggesting that its legitimacy is not recognized by most of the student body. Further, GUSA should not be in charge of the funds for the very student organizations that report on them. Student media organizations, especially the Voice and The Hoya, have been reporting on GUSA for decades. The Voice’s reporting on GUSA is not always positive and the candidates we endorse don’t always win their elections. This presents a potential conflict of interest: student media may feel as though they must limit negative coverage in order to avoid further budget cuts from GUSA. This is far from democratic; student media shouldn’t be beholden to the very institution it reports on. We also strongly disagree with GUSA’s stated reasoning for budget cuts. The FinApp committee pointed to the environmental sustainability of print journalism, citing falling publication pickup rates. This is inconsistent with the Voice’s own internal distribution audits, which show that our pickup rates exceeded 80 percent in the last academic year. To us and many other publications, the act of physically engaging with the community through printing is more expansive and personal than social media. While it is true that our online readership is also at record highs, without the funds

to preserve our issues in print, the Voice would have no physical presence to remind students or the Georgetown community to read our work online. Environme ntal sustainability is a priority of ours as well, but it is worth highlighting that the FinApp committee focused solely on Media Board, conveniently ignoring the excessive amounts of flyers and advertisements that go to waste each week from many student organizations. Consulting our editors to devise solutions would be an effective way to act on sustainability concerns, rather than using budget cuts to enact policy. FinApp was also concerned by “$65,010 of unnecessary spending” from the largest media organizations, including the Voice, but did not delineate the exact spending they’re referring to, who spent it, and why they view it as unnecessary or unjustified. Without sufficient funding, we will also be unable to afford the equipment and resources to make our journalism more accessible. For instance, the Voice was unable to offer its Steve Pisinski Student Journalism Grant to help students afford unpaid internships in journalism last year, due to anticipated cuts in FY24. Journalism is rife with barriers to entry—from professional connections to previous experience. The Voice is committed to making journalism as accessible as possible, but we cannot offer grants that facilitate this without funding. Georgetown must establish a reliable financial infrastructure to fund student media; GUSA should no longer be that infrastructure. Rather, we need a stable, well-funded source of financial support that does not come from students with conflicting interests. This could come from the university in the form of a dedicated endowment—a solution that would not only ensure that student politics do not wield power over the outlets that report on them but would also free up funds from the stretched student activities fee. Only by removing GUSA’s authority over student media can we truly guarantee the future of a free press at Georgetown. G

design by sabrina shaffer

VOICES NEWS

Sometimes, I hate opinion columnists (and not just when I disagree with them) BY EILEEN MILLER

s I type out these words, believe me, I am 100 percent aware of the hypocrisy. But there are times when I cannot stand opinion columnists. I was first confused, then furious last year when I saw the headline “The Mask Mandates Did Nothing. Will Any Lessons Be Learned?” on the front page of the New York Times website. Of course, I immediately angrily read the article and finished it, appalled that the Times would publish a piece that was not only inaccurate but dangerous. I was particularly disillusioned when I found out that the author of the anti-mask article was Bret Stephens, a columnist who had written a few pieces I had enjoyed in the past. Then I started thinking about the pieces I had read by him and other columnists for The New York Times. While I don’t keep a list of their names in my head to whip out as a party trick, I realized that if I was shown this list, I would be able to specifically identify them as the Times’s opinion columnists. Why them? Why does The New York Times have a dedicated staff of writers who are, frankly, paid to give hot takes? Well-written, eloquent, and (usually) well-researched hot takes, but hot takes nonetheless. What qualifies them as worthy to bestow their opinions on millions of readers? An expert penning an article related to their area of expertise, I can understand. Some Times columnists, like economist Paul Krugman, are experts in their field and primarily write articles related to that. However, others are simply … what? Smart people? Good writers? Opinionated citizens? One thing they are is alumni of the nation’s most elite universities. In the New York Times’s opinion section, 52 percent attended Ivy Plus institutions for either their undergraduate or graduate degrees. Nationally, the percentage who attended such universities is less than one percent. Many of these columnists come from an educational background that fails to represent the vast majority of Americans, and yet it is their opinions that are published weekly. Furthermore, more than half of these columnists are white, emphasizing the lack of diversity within the opinion section. Rather than a broad range of opinions being published, they are limited to those of a group of primarily white writers hailing from elite universities. Other perspectives, more relevant to other parts of the population, are ignored.

design by elin choe

But even if these columnists weren’t the products of predominantly elite universities and were more diverse, I would still have an issue with them: they simply exist. There isn’t anything wrong with writing opinion pieces and publishing them in prominent newspapers and magazines, but the official title of “opinion columnist,” especially in a paper as prestigious as The New York Times, places an extra level of legitimacy on their opinions. What happens if the opinions the columnists offer are questionable or dangerous? In the case of the anti-mask article, a closer look at the facts behind the article reveals that they come from a study that was ultimately uncertain if masks slowed the spread of disease—it did not claim, as Stephens did, that masks were ineffective. It also noted that the results may be influenced by factors like improper mask usage, subjects not routinely wearing masks, or the use of low-quality masks. Stephens’ reading of the study was likely influenced by his political affiliation as a moderate conservative, exemplifying how a writer’s background colors their opinions. Although the readership of the Times trends liberal (and more likely to wear masks), this article is still problematic as it encourages people to eschew potentially lifesaving measures. It is not usually individual articles that bother me—many of them are well-written, thoughtprovoking, heartfelt, humorous, mournful, or joyous. It is the collective. It is one columnist’s archive that reaches back years, covering topics as broad as politics, technology, private jet travel, and ants. It is the realization that 19 people have been paid to give out their opinions on the basis of a talent for writing and an elite education. Looking at them as a whole, I began to realize that they are simply a glut of one person’s opinions. I wonder why they should have the authority to share their opinions on such a public forum, while other people with opinions to share lack that opportunity. Perhaps they could get published in a guest essay, but that requires their submitted article to be accepted by the Times, whereas designated columnists are guaranteed a spot in the paper.

These are smart people writing interesting articles, but I question why they are paid to write on a semi-weekly basis. I could understand occasional opinions, but more space should be made for other commentators. In fact, I think there should be no permanent opinion columnists. No matter how well-written their columns are, they are essentially paid to churn out opinions. Even if they diversify the topics they cover, their stances will inevitably be influenced by their own political and personal beliefs, and the articles they produce will ultimately reflect only their own perspectives. What’s lost is a fresh viewpoint. Now, this article is not to say that all opinion sections—including the one I currently write for—are all out of touch and unrepresentative bodies of writers. A strength of publications like the Voice is our lack of permanent columnists. Any Georgetown student who wants to write articles for the Voice can do so. To publish a greater range of voices, newspapers like The New York Times should focus on soliciting opinion pieces and publishing guest essays. Maybe this would lead to a logistical nightmare—a mad scramble of opinion editors clambering to find pieces for their paper each day, no longer able to rely on a reliable stream of articles from their staff columnists. But the world has no shortage of opinionated people itching to share their views with the world. Just don’t make it the same 19 people.G

OCTOBER 6, 2023

NEWS

Trans rights panel embodies communitycentered activism at Georgetown

BY SABRINA SHAFFER, MEREDITH FOSTER, AND AASHNA NADARAJAH

our activists made Georgetown history on Sept. 26, becoming the first panel entirely of transgender and nonbinary individuals to speak in Gaston Hall. The event, titled “Trans Rights in America,” was organized by Georgetown University College Democrats (GUCD). It gathered 300 students, faculty, and community members for a celebration of trans visibility. “The queer story is a story of not just surviving in the margins, but thriving in the margins,” panelist Erin Reed said. Reed tracks anti-trans legislation in the United States and has created a database of gender-affirming healthcare clinics to help trans individuals find and access care. Other panelists included Rep. Zooey Zephyr (D-Mont.), who was banned from the Montana House floor this year for speaking out against antitrans legislation. She is the first openly bisexual and transgender legislator in the Montana House of Representatives. Rep. Mauree Turner (D-Okla.), a community organizer by training, is the first Muslim state legislator in Oklahoma and the first nonbinary state representative in the country. Writer, communication strategist, and army veteran Charlotte Clymer (CAS ’16) returned to campus after serving as a GU Politics Fellow in 2021. Dr. Amanda Phillips, a Georgetown professor of English, Film and Media Studies, Women and Gender Studies, and American Studies, moderated the discussion. The panelists called attention to ongoing attacks on trans rights, effective ways to combat anti-trans legislation, and the importance of intersectional activism. Organizers noted that the history of LGBTQ+ activism at Georgetown is long and complex. In 1980, Georgetown rejected calls for an officially recognized LGBTQ+ student group. The students filed a lawsuit against the university, beginning a nearly 10-year legal battle for formal recognition. The students won the court battle in 1987 and established the “Gay People of Georgetown,” which later became GU Pride. In the early 2000s, a string of violent hate crimes against LGBTQ+ students compelled GU Pride and a coalition of student organizations to demand the university provide better support for queer students. In response, Georgetown established the LGBTQ Resource Center in August 2008.

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

The resource center provided financial support for the panel alongside organizations like GU Politics and Georgetown Lecture Fund. Organizers with GUCD highlighted the necessity of community learning and trans visibility in light of recent widespread legislative attacks on trans rights. Since the start of 2023, 568 anti-trans bills have been introduced in state legislatures across the country. This legislation bans individuals from accessing lifesaving health care, participating in school sports, and obtaining gender-affirming official documentation, like state IDs and birth certificates. While the panelists were highlighting issues facing trans communities, across campus in Lohrfink Auditorium, Michael Knowles, a rightwing political commentator at The Daily Wire, spoke at an event titled “The Dictatorship of Minorities.” Georgetown University College Republicans (GUCR) announced the event in late August, prompting GUCD to organize a response. “When we found out about Michael Knowles coming to campus, and having heard some of the stuff he said: ‘transgenderism needs to be eradicated,’ ‘abortion is much worse than slavery,’ we were appalled at that kind of rhetoric and someone who would spread that hateful and, frankly, violent language to people who listen to him and clearly take his word as serious,” Evan Farley (CAS ’25), GUCD’s co-chair, said. Farley said GUCD considered several courses of action before deciding to host a panel. “Our event was intentionally designed not to be a counter-event,” Brandon Wu (SFS ’24), Farley’s co-chair, said. “Because trans rights should not be talked about in the context of someone who’s expressed hateful, dehumanizing views on trans people.” Farley and Wu credit the panel’s success to Felix Rice (CAS ’26), GUCD’s alumni relations and advancement director, who organized the event in less than a month. Rice said he sought to create an event that was inclusive and representative of the trans community. As the largest progressive student organization on campus, GUCD saw an opportunity to use its institutional pull to demand the university’s attention, the co-chairs said. At a school where gender inclusivity is not the norm—from the lack of gender-affirming housing to gender identification

on university portals—genderqueer students underscored the importance of events that center compassion and belonging. “In the context of all of the threats to trans rights in America, it’s really important to find a space where people feel supported because there are very few of those spaces,” GU Pride director of advocacy Liam Moynihan (SFS ’25) said. Panelists emphasized how trans rights advocates must address intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality. “We all are a combination of privileges and oppressions,” Clymer said. “If we are not standing beside those who lack privileges in certain areas, we’re not doing what we’re supposed to be doing as engaged and informed citizens.” The panel also advised cisgender students on how to show up in meaningful ways for the trans community. “Allyship is synonymous with action, right? And uncomfortable action,” Turner said. “What’s the next step? Is it showing up to the rally? Is it speaking at the rally? Is it talking to an elected official? Because progress and being progressive means that you have to keep moving in order for us to get to that other side of liberation.” To the panelists, allyship is an ongoing process, one that involves more than attending a rally; they encouraged students to engage, to the best of their ability, in difficult conversations with people holding opposing political views. “Attending a panel amongst 200 other students at Georgetown who are also going to support the trans community, that seems like a pretty comfortable way to be an ally,” Phillips said in an interview with the Voice. “I also hope that the students who were there will continue to find ways to make the world safer for trans folks in their everyday lives.” Throughout October, which is National LGBTQ+ History Month, on-campus organizations will continue to host events celebrating queer identities, like the LGBT Center’s OUTober. The trans rights movement should be built on sustainable community building and organizing, the panelists said. As the event came to a close, Reed offered parting advice: “Sometimes our best activism is finding our community.” G Editor's Note: Brandon Wu is a staff contributor for the Voice.

photos courtesy of sabrina shaffer; design by madeline jones

LEISURE

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is glamorous queer pop bliss

BY HAILEY WHARRAM

t’s sexy, it’s sensitive, it’s sparkly! It’s also been six years in the making. Twentyfive-year-old Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, known professionally as Chappell Roan, released her debut album The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (2023) on Sept. 22—exactly six years after releasing her first project School Nights (2017). Artistically, Roan has grown tremendously since then. As its bleak black-and-white cover suggests, that angsty EP was sullen to its core; though Amstutz’s haunting vocals were beautifully rich, there was not one ounce of fun to be found. Cut to today, where her artistry is virtually unrecognizable from those earlier days. With a flare for the bedazzled and extravagant, Amstutz has swapped her sadness for sequins. On The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, Chappell Roan—a stage persona Amstutz considers “a drag-queen version” of herself—is liberated in every sense of the word: unapologetically queer, flirtatious, and joyful. Even when tackling sorrowful themes of heartbreak and homesickness, she never lingers there too long. While many might assume that a pop star’s maturation necessitates a mellowing from lighthearted pleasure to more “grown-up” melancholia, Roan reverses this narrative, recognizing that her hard-won happiness defines who she is more than the despair of her teenage years. An integral stepping stone in our Midwest Princess’s origin story is fictionalized in the stunning “Pink Pony Club.” This song recalls Roan’s first experience at a gay bar in West Hollywood after leaving her hometown of Willard, Mo. “All of a sudden I realized I could truly be any way I wanted to be, and no one

design by pia cruz

would bat an eye,” Roan shared in an interview with Headliner Magazine. The first few twinkles of tickling ivories instantly transport us to a piano bar. Lyrically, this safe haven—renamed the Pink Pony Club—is fondly memorialized as well: “And I heard that there’s a special place / Where boys and girls can all be queens every single day.” After a timid, blushing pink first verse, the song’s galloping chorus describes the protagonist taking the reins of her own life. Though this smalltown dancer revels in the chance to inhabit a space where her gay identity and passion for performance are celebrated, the bridge reveals that she still reflects on her hometown affectionately. Similarly, “California” sees Roan soulfully crying for her hometown over drums that pound like sprinting footsteps: “I miss the seasons in Missouri / My dying town.” Roan’s fun-loving confidence shimmers throughout the album as she dabbles in humorous yet suave flirtation. The playful seduction on “Red Wine Supernova” sees Roan’s singsongy voice bunny-hopping over a grooving backing track. Where this track is slick, “HOT TO GO!” is downright silly, utilizing a giggly, cheerleader-style shout chorus bolstered by smushy synths and a peppy hi-hat to recreate the feeling of screaming at the top of your lungs from the bleachers of a high school football game. Don’t let the ritz and the rhinestones fool you; Roan’s highly theatrical performance doesn’t prohibit her from establishing deep connections with her audience. She replicates the feeling of dancing at the Pink Pony Club for her listeners, creating safe spaces for free expression. By dauntlessly embracing whimsicality as an indivisible element of her personhood, Roan invites her listeners to embrace the bolder parts of themselves that they might feel the need to keep subdued, if not altogether hidden. Even when Roan’s positivity wavers, she remains courageous as she confronts heartbreak head-on. We see this in the remarkable back-toback tracks “Coffee” and “Casual.” The former is a tender ballad where Roan’s wistful, wailing vocals shine, describing an on-again-off-again relationship and the difficulty that comes with trying to detach from someone who has become a routine, anxietyinducing obsession. Coffee is a perfect metaphor for Roan’s feelings toward her lover: she’s bitter, yet addicted. On the other hand, “Casual” perfectly captures the tiresome tongue-biting of being trapped in a situationship with uneven emotional investment.

Despite Roan’s embarrassment at being “a loser … still hangin’ around,” the chorus reveals she’s not at fault for falling too deep; from her perspective, her lover’s claims of “casualness” are miserably unsupported (“Two weeks and your mom invites me to her house on Long Beach / Is it casual now?”). In a revelatory moment, the songstress removes her rose-colored glasses, and the song’s dreamlike production floats the listener right into Roan’s headspace as her self-loathing mounts in the crushing bridge. Though devastating, “Casual” is a masterclass in catharsis—as Roan finally gets these confessions of private longing off of her chest, we exhale along with her. In the aftermath, a teary-eyed Roan simply reapplies her mascara, readjusts her tiara, and persists onward. Like “Casual,” both “Kaleidoscope” and “Naked in Manhattan” also explore themes of redefining relationships, albeit in wildly different styles. “Kaleidoscope,” a stripped-down piano ballad and Roan’s only solo writing credit on the album, omits the flashy colors its title invokes. Here, Roan toes the line between friendship and romance before shakily retreating to platonic ground. Roan’s soothing, pillow-soft upper register sweetly reassures her friend of their strong bond, regardless of their boundary breach: “It’s never just a shape alone / Love is a kaleidoscope.” “Naked in Manhattan,” though considerably more jubilant, is also rooted in reassurance. While the rest of the record sees Roan celebrating her sexuality without fear or reservation, this song depicts the nervousness that frequently accompanies a first queer experience. Nevertheless, with coquettish lyrics and a bouncy, high-spirited musical accompaniment, Roan reassures her lover, “I know you want it, baby you can have it.” Her artistic versatility is on full display on these two tracks—regardless of the tempo or tone, her storytelling remains delectably compelling. Chappell Roan has no interest in sprinkling in a few easygoing songs intended for passive streaming across her tracklist—instead, she curates collections of anthems that demand your full attention upon every listen. With Roan set to open for pop darling Olivia Rodrigo on her GUTS world tour in 2024, her star will only continue to rise, and I, for one, will be cheering her on every step of the way—in my mini skirt and my go-go boots and all. G VOICE’S CHOICES: Casual; Supernova; Coffee; Pink Pony Club OCTOBER 6, 2023

Red

Wine

FEATURES

Out with the new, in with the old: How the Georgetown Flea Market offers collectables and community BY ANGELENA BOUGIAMAS

Sunday morning walk down 34th Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown can be dizzying for the unsuspecting pedestrian. On any other day of the week, they would be greeted with the usual staples of any neighborhood: their favorite restaurant, the school they used to attend, maybe their dream homes. But between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Sundays, the Hardy Middle School parking lot transforms into an ecosystem that fuses the entrepreneurial spirit of local business owners with customers’ searches for novel antiques— forging connections over pre-loved, dated items. The flea market was founded in 1974 by Michael Sussman after finishing Georgetown Law. He has kept it operational for over 50 years now, even while he practiced law. Though vendors are charged rent, profit is not Sussman’s priority in the market’s operation. Rather, the outdoor market operates altruistically “to benefit the small businessmen who operate the vendor tents,” according to a 2017 appraisal by the D.C. government. Several vendors interviewed by the Voice spoke highly of the market’s organization. Vendors mainly sell secondhand goods. Sprawled out on the concrete pavement are 8

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

bins of costume jewelry, racks of streetwear, stacks of paintings and vintage prints, rows of antique china, piles of old-style camera equipment, and more. The range of products has expanded in recent years as newer vendors have an easier time finding spots to set up than those who tried to in the past, according to vendor Chris Cloud. Cloud has been selling Depression-era glass, china, silver, and crystal with his husband Brian at the Georgetown market for four years. Brian has been selling the collectable dishware at various other markets since 2004, but he and Chris chose to sell exclusively at the Georgetown Flea Market because it is the longest running, most consistently operational flea market they’ve sold at. “At one point it was just nothing but antiques, collectibles, the higher-end merchandise. At one point, that’s all you could bring. There were vendors here that, in other words, if you wanted to get a space, they would have to die for you to get the space,” Chris said. Nowadays, the market offers a diverse array of products to its myriad of customers. Visitors include neighboring college students, residents from down the street and across the DMV, and tourists from all over the world. There are people searching for a bargain, leisurely browsing, or looking for a specific item they can’t find anywhere else.

To attract as much foot traffic as possible, getting a premium spot is key for sellers. Regular vendors, like the Clouds, are set up in the center of the parking lot—they arrive before 7 a.m. to keep their assigned spaces. Newer vendors set up in the remaining spots at the discretion of Butch Finch, the flea market’s manager. “Some people, like, sleep here overnight, like they get here at 12 in the morning, at midnight, and then they’ll set up,” 26 year-old owner of Hiraya Vintage, Philip Tiamson, said. “It’s getting a little competitive now.” After selling exclusively online, Tiamson has now been at the flea market with Hiraya Vintage for two years. He said he’ll be quitting his job soon to sell clothing full-time. “It’s a job that you’re thinking about 24/7,” Tiamson said. “You’re always looking for stuff. I care a lot about, like, my presentation and experience to the customer, so I have all the same hangers, I have hang tags that I’ve individually put on each one so I can kind of see the item, make sure it’s to my standard.” For Tiamson, the time and energy he puts into clothing curation is worth it when a customer goes home with a piece they love. “You see all these vendors and they have such amazing things, like everything is color coordinated. You don’t find that in the thrift store. You’re getting the experience right in front of you, so you have more of a chance to

photos courtesy of angelena bougiamas; design by grace nuri

find something you love. And I think that’s the best part,” Tiamson said. On a recent Sunday, Tiamson’s tent was grouped in the corner of the parking lot by Wisconsin Avenue with about five other vendors also selling vintage, curated clothing. Despite their less central locations, the vendors can still rely on internet trends that have popularized secondhand clothing to bring in customers. Cecilia Hill, who sells vinyls and CDs of all genres at the stand The Music Man, has similarly enjoyed people’s renewed interest in its items. Hill and Derrick Lundy, the shop’s primary coowner, sell the leftover inventory from Lundy’s music store in Takoma Park, Maryland, from the 1990s at prices lower than what he sees them going for online. Hill said Lundy is hoping to eventually open another store. “We have a lot of repeat customers, we have customers that refer people to us and also the community of vendors. It’s a real community amongst us as well,” she said. The music they sell and play out of their stand has helped them build community. “People come over here and just start dancing, you know, and that’s what we kind of want, to liven it up,” Hill said. “We play the music that people are kind of like familiar with and that takes them back. We’re also shocked that there’s so many young people who’s familiar with the old-school music, you know, so it’s really neat.” The Clouds have seen a similarly newfound interest in their items from the younger generation, aside from their regular customers. Their spread of engraved ceramic dishware and tinted glasses carries a rich history with a modern physical appeal, which has drawn a younger audience in the last few years. “One thing that I’m really proud of is [that] the younger set is coming, because we’re older,” Chris said. “Grandma and grandpa had this stuff back in the day. [The younger buyers have] seen some of them. They remember it, but they’re now starting to appreciate it. I guess it’s like, they’re saying everything old is coming back into place.” While some vendors have looked toward a business future invigorated by their younger customers, for others, the flea market is the last stop of a long career. Lee Smith has owned LRS, a vintage watch shop and jewelry business named after his initials, for 40 years now after starting out as a nuclear physicist. He and his wife, Elke Smith, have been selling the store’s inventory at the flea market since they retired and closed his own LRS storefront in Georgetown 15 years ago. “I love being out here, that’s why I come. I come for fun,” Lee Smith said about selling at the Georgetown Flea Market. “This is fun, as long as you ain’t got to eat.” As he’s sold aging inventory over the years, he says his prices have gone down. One customer who approached him with a silver bracelet tried to negotiate the price down to $10 from $15 dollars—Lee said he used to ask $100 for it.

Finding the right items to display is a continual process. Lee has recently started putting out low-priced rings that he knows will attract younger buyers next to his higher-quality items. When he first started at the flea market, he also tried to sell clothes in addition to his watches and jewelry but never found success with it. “When we came here about 15 years ago in this market, we had clothes. Nobody bought them. So I gave them basically to a Goodwill. And then like 15 years later, they’re selling clothes in the flea market. And more and more are coming, so I figured it would die out after a bit, but you never know. Young people are hard to predict,” he said. A seasoned negotiator and seller of timeless products (Smith made three sales at his asking price during our conversation), he considers himself one of the market’s more lucrative vendors. “We’ve always sold watches and gold and silver. And people say, ‘Oh I don’t wear gold,’ but they love gold. Everybody likes gold,” he said. “We do well in here, whereas some people come and they don’t sell nothing. It’s good to have us in here because we draw people in.” Smith isn’t the only one that thinks he has a positive effect on the other sellers—each vendor’s presence at the market complements that of the others. “I really don’t see it as, like, competition or anything. It's just, if they’re bringing people, we’re bringing people, we can kind of commingle our customers,” Tiamson said of the flea market’s other vendors. The vendors’ interdependence is illustrated by the Inti Coffee booth at the market’s entrance, which offers visitors a caffeine fix. Inti Coffee was founded two years ago by Judy Greco and Maurico Quito, who used their professional backgrounds as a web designer and a coffee chain operations manager, respectively, to start the company. They are driven by a desire to minimize the coffee industry’s pollution as well as by their personal love for the beverage. The business sells sustainablymade coffee sourced from José Jimenez, co-owner and third generation farmer from Loja, Ecuador. They hope to scale up their business model and manufacturing practices in the future. “I know coffee is a very polluting industry and we just like to kind of offset everything,” Greco said. “Our concept for the future, if we are able to scale up, is to just make our locations farm to cup. So maybe hopefully work with a separate farmer for each location.” For now, they sell their product at rotating locations on Saturdays while they look for a physical storefront,

though they have their most consistent clientele right in their own neighborhood at the Georgetown Flea Market. “It’s [a] symbiotic relationship,” Greco said of the market’s vendors. “I've said before, having [Inti Coffee] here allows people who are shopping to have their coffee instead of having to leave and then come back. Sometimes they don’t come back.” In addition to the benefit of the vendors’ close proximity for customers, they also are actively in service to each other. As it began to rain on Sept. 17, vendors hurried to cover not only their own inventories, but those of their neighbors. “We look out for each other,” Hill said. “If we don’t see somebody, both of us have each other’s numbers like ‘Where are you? Are you okay?’ So it’s that type of atmosphere and vibe.” The camaraderie and community building appeals to customers as well. With the market’s evolving products and vendors, its social component appears to remain a constant appeal. Lee said he still comes out to the market because he enjoys seeing and talking to the people. Tiamson similarly values the personal relationships he’s built through the flea market, especially the other vendors. “For the most part, all the guys around me right now, we’re all just great friends. And to be honest, it doesn’t really feel like it’s a business. I feel like we’re just hanging out with homies,” Tiamson said. G

OCTOBER 6, 2023

HALFTIME LEISURE

haunt your screens this Halloween

Let

BY MIA BOYKIN

ctober has begun! Let the horror movie fans crawl out from the underbelly of film nerds and begin their treacherous movie marathons. Whether binging all 10 Saw films or attempting to decode the Stephen King universe, the time is nigh to sink deeper and deeper into your couch until Halloween. Unless you’re a Black horror fan; in that case, you may only have a week’s worth of viewing content that won’t kill you off in the first act or invigorate annoyance at stereotypes. Luckily, that may change soon with Black horror’s limited catalog growing significantly over the past years. “If [horror] movies allow themselves to look at the fears and horrors that are specific to Black communities, that’s the greatest hope,” Colva Weissenstein, program manager of American Studies and professor of American horror in the 20th century, told the Voice. “They [filmmakers] aren’t repackaging white fear with Black casts. That is boring, not interesting.” The reconstruction of the genre may be groundbreaking, Weissenstein said, and the public seems to agree. Indeed, Black horror is booming. Several films released this summer to overwhelmingly positive reviews and streaming success. Both The Blackening and The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster premiered in June, with They Cloned Tyrone following in July, reflecting growing public interest in the genre. Its mainstream popularity was championed by Jordan Peele’s Get Out (2017), which sparked discussions about race, fear, and the complexities of horror, facilitating the release of similar films. Crucial to Black horror’s identity is the centering of Black cultural codes in the plot. For example, They Cloned Tyrone features a hair relaxer poisoning Black women’s brains while The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster delves into the horrors of police brutality. Both of these plots intentionally use obvious cultural symbols that become part of the terror itself to explore the complexities of Black racial identity. In addition to physical and visual symbols, Black horror engages concepts that non-Black audiences might recognize as scary, but are significantly more so for a Black viewer. For instance, They Cloned Tyrone uses cloning as a metaphor for the disposability of Black bodies, which is terrifying in itself, but resonates more deeply with Black audiences who recognize this daily—and generational—fear. These films use a fear factor that demonstrates

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

their dedication to Black audiences and makes them more relatable for those whose experiences are less often represented on screen. Weissenstein said this isn’t new. She cited Blacula (1972), Tales from The Hood (1995), and Blade (1998) as important touchstones in Black horror history, though they were previously confined to a niche audience. “Now, studios are starting to pick it up and run with it,” she said. Even within Black horror, new additions employ a wide diversity of subgenres, giving Black audiences more choices and increased representation of Black actors in Hollywood. The Blackening is considered a heavily comedic horror; They Cloned Tyrone blends comedy and sci-fi; The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is more serious, addressing emotional vulnerability and grief. The diversity of these three examples alone demonstrates how Black filmmakers are providing a longer menu for Black horror fans. Opinions from Black horror fans on these new additions vary. Alex Leon (CAS ’24) became interested in the genre through the American Studies and Anthropology departments’ horror movie showings, the “Car Barn Creepies.” “I feel like there’s a lot more diversity with the types of horror movies that Black people can relate to now, which is nicer because nobody likes to watch the same movie over and over,” they said. Leon highlighted this representation as a good thing—more Black horror movies mean more Black actors and stories.

“Now I feel like there’s more of a sense of community, maybe more of a mainstream community,” they added. “Because [Black horror] obviously was always a community, but it feels more accessible and I think that empowers me and a lot of people I know to actually go out and achieve our dreams.” But this representation is a double-edged sword. Get Out’s success was partly due to its obvious allegory for chattel slavery—an easily understandable concept for non-Black viewers. Black students may remember the uptick of virtue signaling from white peers after its release in 2017, and the overzealous film nerds who lectured on race at parties. While the increased attention on Black horror films may be beneficial, Get Out’s success pressures filmmakers to follow in its footsteps, presenting Black cultural codes so obviously that non-Black viewers understand them, thereby boxing in Black creativity. Older Black horror films did not have these expectations to make a statement about racial complexities—simply being scary for the sake of being scary was enough. When asked about new Black horror, Malik Clinton (CAS ’25) echoed this sentiment. “I hate it,” he said. “There’s always a bigger message today. I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m crazy saying that.’ But Black horror to me—or at least, the Black horror I grew up on—was like, ‘Here goes the spooks.’ That’s it.” To Clinton, contemporary films tend to overexplain the Black experience, bogging down the scare factor. The 2021 reboot of Candyman (1992) embodies this shift. “The new Candyman versus the old Candyman, both Black, but the old Candyman had you spooked,” Clinton said. “Cause it was real, it was authentic, it kept it simple.” Discussing Night of the Living Dead (1968), he says, “It was never like, ‘Let’s make Black horror because we need Black horror.’ It was more like, ‘Black people can do horror too. Here goes a movie on it.’” While recent Black horror films are definitely fun to watch and diversify the genre, we should remain cognizant of Hollywood producers pandering to Black audiences for their money and diluting their creativity for white palatability. However, despite the pushback, this trend shows promise, with no signs of waning. With drive, new money, and creativity, the future of Black horror could be bright. G

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LEISURE

Scarlet doesn't need your praise, but you'll be giving it anyway BY ZACHARY WARREN

“I

make fucking music, and you like it. And if you don’t, cool, great, I don’t give a shit.” That’s what Doja Cat had to say in a now-infamous Instagram Live in which she callously criticized her critics and fans alike. The 27-year-old artist’s words, a fiery reaction to accounts of her boyfriend being abusive, sparked outrage among her followers who felt unappreciated and proclaimed their hatred for her new “edgy” personality. They could tolerate the artist’s regular Twitter trolling and even her denunciation of her past two albums, Hot Pink (2019) and Planet Her (2021), as “cash-grabs” and “mediocre pop,” but the blatant disrespect toward her supporters was too far. Such was the atmosphere going into the release of Doja’s highly anticipated fourth studio album, Scarlet (2023). A combative yet cryptic Doja was simultaneously beefing with her fan base while hinting that her next album would be genre-shifting and careerdefining, leaving many critics skeptical that she could recreate the magic of past works. But when the album was released on Sept. 22, there was swift consensus: she had done it again. Does Scarlet achieve everything Doja wanted? Not exactly. The album undergoes a tonal shift halfway through, transitioning from high-energy, forceful raps to softer displays of emotion similar to previous work—a far cry from the revolutionary sound she had been teasing. Despite these unmet promises, though, there’s no doubt that this album represents a return of the devilishly delicious Doja that fans love. On Scarlet, an unapologetic Doja Cat showcases her vocal ability, lyricism, and sexuality with a brash confidence that oozes out of every track, captivating fans and haters alike. From the album’s opening, we see Doja’s new brazen attitude toward her public image. Now that she has achieved worldwide renown, she no longer feels the need to dilute her creative vision to appeal to mainstream tastes—a sentiment she expresses in “Paint the Town Red.” Although criticized for its simplistic production, the opener’s basic rhythm and interpolation of Dionne Warwick’s “Walk on By” (1964) infuses the song with an undeniable retro hip-hop flair—a genre that saturates the album. Lines like “I don’t need to wear a wig to make you like it” emphasize her rejection of popular beauty standards, evident by her new demonic aesthetic and freshly-shaven head.

design by bahar hassantash

Doja relishes the fact that, whether or not listeners like the new Doja, they’re still consuming her music and lining her pockets. On “Demons,” a track featuring a frenzied tone and exasperated vocals, Doja proclaims that “I’m the fastest growing bitch on all your apps now,” a nod to her notorious online virality. And on “Fuck the Girls (FTG),” Doja lays into a particular brand of her followers: those who parasitically attach themselves to her image and feed off of her fame like vultures. “They wan’ pull out cameras at hotels / Sell that shit for a dime, I pay they home bills,” she raps,

likening these “girls” to social bottom feeders. The toned-down production of this track places the emphasis on Doja’s rapid biting verses, making them feel right at home with diss tracks of the ’90s. Perhaps Scarlet’s greatest success is the room it gives Doja to fully display her lyrical prowess. Although Planet Her solidified Doja Cat’s status as a pop icon, its reliance on complicated yet enchanting choruses made her rap verses feel lacking in comparison. Scarlet reverses that framework, letting Doja’s flow take center stage in the album’s first half. “Ouchies” opens with a particularly simplistic yet entertaining chorus, evoking the blocky synthesizer sounds of fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter; yet it’s merely an appetizer before Doja masterfully spits bars like “A hunnid billies, I’m the GOAT, no Eilish.” Whereas Scarlet’s opening half brings a punchy, in-your-face fervor, the closing half opts for a slower, steamier atmosphere—the

perfect playground for Doja’s sensual side. In many ways, this vibe fits right in with her older tracks like “Streets” and “Need to Know,” which aroused heart palpitations in even the most frigid of listeners. Scarlet combines this energy with classic hip-hop, a pivot from prior productions. Piano keys and low bass guitars permeate the record’s second half, perfectly complementing both Doja’s lower, raspier tones and her higher, angelic pitches. “Agora Hills” emerges as a highlight here, taking the form of a sensuous confession to her partner. Doja often utilizes the second person in her more sultry music, situating herself as the lover serenading her muse. A sparse drumbeat and otherworldly harmony provide the baseline—a simple yet effective foundation that is equal parts soothing and hypnotic. “I wanna show you off,” she chants, an appeal made to her object of affection. Doja’s verses on this song are particularly unique, a result of her modulating her voice differently between lines. She adopts a higher register akin to a Valley Girl accent, emphasizing her pure devotion to her flame. While the allegations facing Doja’s boyfriend make these lyrics troublesome, there’s no denying the track’s outstanding quality. Doja may have seemed callous leading up to Scarlet’s release, but several songs across the album express genuine gratitude. “Love Life,” a lowtempo jazzy number, feels especially directed toward her fans. “They love it when I embrace my flaws / I love it when they doin’ the same,” she raps, simultaneously relishing the confidence they give her and her pride in their enjoyment as well. She also references her controversial behavior, citing it as a product of her temper but acknowledging that her true fans just want to see her succeed. It’s not a regretful admission—her unashamed nature is part of her charm—but a promise to never again forsake her fans out of pettiness. In anticipation of its release, some fans theorized that Scarlet was more than just the album’s name, but the debut of an entirely new alter ego. Regardless of the rumor’s veracity, there’s no doubt that this Doja is one we’ve never seen before: a woman who takes shit from no one and continues to mesmerize the world. Time will only tell whether we’ll see her again. G VOICE’S CHOICES: Fuck The Girls (FTG); Agora Hills; Attention; Balut OCTOBER 6, 2023

NEWS

Wingo’s to return to O Street after 2018 fire forced them to flee the coop BY MARGARET HARTIGAN

t’s a 10,000-year-old tradition, one that brings its devotees comfort and satiety. It appears everywhere in popular culture, from iconic lines in film (“The sky is falling!”) to schoolyard insults. It’s an essential element of modernity and antiquity combined into one beautiful three-or-four-bite-size piece. Yes, I am talking about chicken. Following five years of closure kickstarted by a fire and extended by a pandemic and lawsuit, the original Wingo’s location at 3207 O St. NW will open on Nov. 1, according to Mike Arthur, owner of both the O Street and the currently open Wisconsin Avenue Wingo’s locations. “We’re about to reopen and we are so excited. It’s ready to go,” Arthur said of the O Street location. “We’re just finalizing the permits.” Once famous among Georgetown students for its half-price Wednesdays and long weekend hours, between 2002 and 2018, Wingo’s offered buffalo and hot wings, burgers, and spicy fries, among other classic 3 a.m. food options. Arthur also told the Voice that another location in Adams Morgan will open in January. According to Arthur, when the O Street restaurant reopens, it will be an almost exact replica—inside and out—of what it looked like when it first closed in June 2018. It had closed originally due to a mechanical fire that damaged both the building that housed Wingo’s and the flower shop next door, English Rose Garden (which temporarily moved before

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

reopening in 2021). The only difference between the old O Street Wingo’s and the one that will reopen this month, according to Arthur, is updated technology. “We tried to put it back the way it was because it worked perfectly the way it was,” Arthur said. “The logo is the exact same—the original logo from 2002—the layout of the store, everything is the same. The technology is more current, but everything else is the way it was before the fire.” According to Arthur, the fire caused significant damage due to a failure of the building’s fire suppression system. That fire was severe enough to send two firefighters to the hospital, though it caused no major injuries or casualties. Following the 2018 fire, a restaurantstyle Wingo’s opened on Wisconsin Avenue in Glover Park (the original had always been take-out only). That location offers karaoke on Tuesdays and live music occasionally, but according to Arthur, it never matched the energy of the Georgetown Wingo’s. “The kids are different. Carry-out is different. You become a fabric of the community,” Arthur said. Among the ways that Wingo’s promoted their chicken to the Georgetown student body was by offering free delivery to campus during finals week and advertising in student publications, including the Voice. To mark the reopening, Arthur said there will be a grand reopening celebration, complete with free chicken. “We’re going to give out free food the whole day,” Arthur said. “From 12 to 6 [p.m.]. No purchase necessary. We’re just gonna be handing out free food for everyone who walks up.” Wingo’s has been overly optimistic about reopening timelines in the past, however. Arthur has offered up plans to reopen numerous times to various publications that were not met. Despite this, Arthur assured the Voice that the reopening will take place on Nov. 1. And once the Wingo’s on O Street reopens, management’s focus will shift to Adams Morgan. That 18th Street Adams Morgan location was originally slated to open in early 2019. Setbacks related to the O Street fire and the COVID-19 pandemic, however, delayed its

opening. Now, with the Adams Morgan Wingo’s fully built next to Madam’s Organ, a popular nightclub, Arthur’s goal is to get that location up and running by the new year. The O Street Wingo’s faced similar challenges in its reopening. A 2018 Washingtonian article detailed an initial goal of reopening before the start of the 2018-19 academic year. Two years later, a Georgetown Metropolitan article reported a new reopening goal of July 2020. That article, however, was published on March 9, 2020, days before nationwide lockdowns began in response to COVID-19. “We really thought when we had the fire in 2018, it would just take a short time to reopen,” Arthur said. They initially estimated it would take around two to three months to get the store open for business again. By the time they got the proper permits, however, COVID-19 had shut down the world. “Once you close, it’s so hard to reopen,” Arthur added. That’s especially true when one faces a pandemic and a lawsuit at the same time, followed by repeated roadblocks involving permits and other elements of D.C.’s bureaucracy. According to Arthur, the lawsuit involved the failure of their ANSUL fire suppression system—a mechanism intended to stop large kitchen fires—which contributed to the disaster that closed down the chicken shop in June 2018. The fire suppression system has since been fixed, Arthur said. “The store is built. All we have to do is put food in. The staff is ready to go, and we will be open,” Arthur said, then paused. “Finally.” G

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HALFTIME SPORTS

The Sickos' guide to college football BY BEN JAKABCSIN AND HENRY SKARECKY

ollege football is now in full swing, and while most fans are soaking in the season’s top headlines—the incomparable skill of Caleb Williams, the swagger of Deion Sanders’s Colorado Buffaloes, or the possible return of Texas to football powerhouse status—there’s a group of fans out there that prefer a different type of spectacle. These fans—known as Sickos—seek out the weird and unusual corners of college football. United under an X (formerly known as Twitter) account with over 100,000 followers, Sickos cheer games rife with turnovers, punts, and missed field goals when most fans would just change the channel, and stay up past 2 a.m. to watch games they have no rooting interest in. They even celebrated Georgetown’s homecoming victory over No. 15-ranked (FCS) Fordham this past weekend. In times when mainstream fans are absent, the Sickos are there to celebrate. These are some of their favorite things. Iowa Football: Move aside, Georgia. The undisputed champion of Sicko football is crowned in Iowa. In the modern offensive-minded world of high-scoring football, the Hawkeyes combine a lackluster offense with a consistently strong defense to create some of the lowest-scoring games in recent memory, and as a result are a staple of Sicko football. In fact, the Hawkeyes’ offense has been so dismal recently that offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz now has a clause in his employment contract stating that Iowa must score an average of 25 points per game this season. If he doesn’t, he’s fired. How’s that going for him? Not well. Five games in, Iowa is averaging 22.2 points per game, with its highest scoring game being a 41-10 victory against Western Michigan, in which Ferentz was accused of running up the score in the final minutes of the game in order to raise his average. Despite being a famously lowscoring team, Iowa hasn’t posted a losing record since 2012, meaning that opposing teams are likely bound for an equally low-scoring affair. Some famous examples include a 6-4 win over Penn State in 2004, in which both teams

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combined for seven turnovers, and a 7-3 victory over South Dakota State last season, where instead of a touchdown the Hawkeyes scored two safeties and a field goal. Unimportant Bowl Games: Only about a dozen postseason bowl games existed 50 years ago, and they invited only the most successful teams to give fans one more exciting matchup before the end of the season. Nowadays, there are over 40 bowl games, and while regular fans look forward to the highprofile postseason matchups played around New Year’s Day, Sickos get to watch dozens of nationally televised games between mediocre teams in the last couple weeks of December. These early bowl games often have quirky names reflecting a strange corporate sponsorship like the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl or the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl, a match which, despite being played in the Bahamas, was sponsored by the town of Elk Grove Village, Ill. Sometimes a gem appears, such as in the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl when TCU defeated Cal 10-7 in a late-night overtime thriller which featured nine interceptions. Amid the expansion of the College Football Playoff to 12 teams, analysts are questioning whether there is any value to playing these “meaningless” matchups, but a situation where two teams with nothing to lose are playing in a game with a funny name is rife with the thing that Sickos desire most: chaos. Pac-12 After Dark: It pains me to write about the Pac-12 After Dark with the recent implosion of the conference, but omitting one of college football’s best traditions would be a disservice to this guide. There are few things better in life than getting to kick back after a tiring day of

yelling at referees on TV to watch UCLA and Washington State in a 67-63 barn burner. It’s the only type of game where as a fan you could say, “I could probably score a touchdown against that defense” and actually be right. Remember as a kid when you would stay up late just so you could watch Nickelodeon’s Nick at Nite programming because that’s when all the cool shows that adults would watch would come on? This is like that, except instead of cool shows it’s a fever dream of pastel colors, and instead of adults watching it, well … it’s still adults watching it, I guess, but in this case, they’re all wasted. MACtion: Conference realignment may come and go, but MACtion is forever. While other schools may be sending their student athletes crosscountry on a regular basis to increase revenue, the Mid-American Conference has found a much more sicko way to secure that sweet, sweet television rights bag. Since the turn of the century, this small conference has played football games on weeknights to pay the bills. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Who wants to watch a 17-13 grudge match between Northern Illinois’s Rocky Lombardi (who's been in college for almost a decade at this point) and Western Michigan on a Wednesday night? Sickos, that's who. There's magic to MACtion. While most of the country and I will frustratingly have to watch Southern Cal travel to play Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J. (in what is somehow a conference matchup), I know I can always count on some weekday MACtion escapism on Lau 2 to keep my soul balanced. There you have it, the highlight mixtape of Sicko specialties. While not all of the best bits of the Sicko lifestyle were explored, here are some other things we’d love to give a shout-out to which are worth a quick Google search: flightwatch, one-point safeties, scorigami, twopoint shootout overtime games, the antics of the Stanford Band, and, of course, the triple-option offense. G

OCTOBER 6, 2023

FEATURES

Hoyas need to huddle: Bringing back a culture of sports to the Hilltop BY BRADSHAW CATE AND ANDREW SWANK

t the University of Arkansas, the electricity of rumbling bleachers rattles your heart as you look out at a sea of red, thousands of fingers waving intensely in the air. The deafening roar of 76,000 people crying out “Woo Pig Sooie,” the cheer for the 50 student athletes rushing onto the field. Across the nation, college sports do more than unite students during games; entire university communities and identities are formed around these sports. For example, the influence of sports at Indiana University (IU) poses the question: which came first, the IU Hoosiers, or the hoosier demonym referring to Indiana state residents? Sports traditions are part of the fabric of these universities, uniting students, alumni, and fans. If college games can be so sensational, then where are all the students at Georgetown’s? With the exception of some men’s soccer games, you would be hardpressed to find a thriving student section here on the Hilltop, despite the university’s historic successes and national sports identity. For example, the average stadium attendance for a men’s home basketball game last season was 5,442— just a quarter of Capital One Arena’s maximum capacity. In comparison, the average attendance at away games was 11,620. For women’s soccer, an average of 239 fans attended home games, only 15 percent of Shaw Field’s capacity, while away games had an average attendance of 754 fans, although many of the games were at larger stadiums. Clearly, Georgetown’s student section isn’t showing up, and coaches and players have been taking note. Some, like Dave Nolan, the women’s head soccer coach of 20 years, blame it on Georgetown’s focus on academics. 14

THE GEORGETOWN VOICE

“I think the first thing is, it’s a school full of students, more so than a school full of sports fans. So, I feel that probably there’s not enough students at Georgetown who are genuinely interested in sports to begin with,” Nolan said in an interview with the Voice. However, other academically rigorous schools with a rich history of sports, like Duke and Notre Dame, are consistently ranked high in “best student section,” according to Bleacher Report. While Georgetown created a sports passion powerhouse during its championship runs of the 1980s, its current turnout is lackluster at best. What Georgetown needs is a symphony of community-building efforts by the athletics department, student organizations, and student athletes, according to members of these groups.

The athletics department plays an important role in engaging students and fostering their support for Georgetown sports teams, including through giveaways a n d advertising games to the student body. But to Nolan, these resources are often reserved for the more popular sports. “Free t-shirts, free fanny packs, free whatever it is. You know, you go to a basketball game, they're firing t-shirts into the stands. I wish we had the resources to do a little bit more for our [other] sports besides basketball,” Nolan said.

John Corwin, the assistant athletic director of marketing, hopes to change that. Despite only having been on the Hilltop since August 2023, he has developed a new mantra for the athletics department: “Be visible.” To Corwin, visibility is all about meeting students where they are. First, that means building awareness about games by advertising in spaces that are easily accessible to students. Then, it’s all about convincing them to attend and support the Hoyas. The department has been implementing a similar sports advertising approach on campus. During fall move-in weekend, athletics took time to hand out t-shirts to new students across campus. Flyers for upcoming games have begun popping up on tables in the Leavey Center. Corwin suggested that posters may begin popping up too, informing students of teams’ season schedules to drive turnout. These are just the first steps, however. The department’s end goal is to build tradition. Prior to Georgetown, Corwin worked in a similar role at University of California, Berkeley, where tradition-building was as much a part of his job as it is now. “Every Thursday, we would do nighttime rallies, where we would go through all the residence halls with about 20 band members, play different Cal fight songs, and people would come out of their [dorms] and come down and participate. We did that every single home football game and that’s been a tradition that’s been kept for years and years,” Corwin said of his favorite Berkeley tradition. Corwin hopes to one day bring the same level of student enthusiasm and cheer from Berkeley to Georgetown. Two of Corwin’s current proposals include boosting the game day atmosphere f o r students a n d involving more students in game production. First, he recognizes the importance of generating hype before a game, especially en route to matches. “Can we get some of our buses to have lights on them, music on them, things like that, where it’s an engaging process?” Corwin said. He believes this will help make game days a can't-miss experience. He also wants students to be the ones engaging fans during games. “What I’m looking to do for game days is get, like, a student on-court emcee,” Corwin said. “We’re looking for more of that fan engagement, NBA-type environment.” “It just adds to it, right? Building those traditions, I think, coming from a student, again, that energy is going to just change everything,” he said.

graphic by athanasios aristeidis basiakos; layout by lou jacquin

Corwin does recognize the limitations of the athletics department in creating lasting change to student culture. “There’s only so much we can do in marketing in regards to pushing initiatives or traditions, like trying to create them ourselves. The ones that have stuck, with like “Enter Sandman” at Virginia Tech, Wisconsin’s “Jump Around,” those are all organic,” Corwin said. In order to develop more “organic” traditions, he hopes to develop stronger relationships with student organizations like Hoya Blue and Pep Band, often the face of the student cheer sections at home and away games. Hoya Blue serves a crucial role in Georgetown’s student-fan experience. While most students will recognize them for cheering at various Georgetown matches, their operations also include holding watch parties for away games and making signs to display at matches. Hoya Blue has already built a few traditions within their club that promote a lighthearted atmosphere around athletics, although these traditions are largely limited to the club rather than the entire student body. Those who attend a Hoya Blue meeting for the first time may be shocked when the club yells the time, followed by an emphatic “AND ’CUSE STILL SUCKS,” at the end of each meeting. President Quentin Fidance ( S F S ’24) also mentioned the “stalk doc,” a sheet of paper with information pulled from the internet about an opposing player meant for students to “get in their head.” However, Fidance recognizes that those without friends in Hoya Blue can be too intimidated to join the space, admitting himself that he experienced some social barriers when he first joined the club. COVID-19 also exacerbated the lack of student support. “There was a little bit of a social divide— people had lost a lot of social skills during the pandemic, but there were a lot of set friends groups within the club,” Fidance wrote to the Voice. However, he believes that the club is now doing a better job of being open to all. Nolan recognizes and appreciates the role Hoya Blue plays in garnering more support at Hoya sporting events.

“I think Hoya Blue do a job that's not an easy task for them,” he said. “I know they do their best. I remember when we went to North Carolina in 2018 for the Final Four—we had a fantastic bunch of students who came down to support us for that.” Pep Band is another student organization with a major presence at games. The band most often plays at home football and basketball games, but they will also play at a few men’s soccer games this fall. “I love that about Pep Band—no matter what, we're always there, we're always going to cheer on the team,” Jenna Thomas (CAS ’24), one of the conductors of the Georgetown Pep Band, said. When not playing their instruments, the band can also be seen starting chants among the students at the games, another way to improve the fan experience. Thomas mentioned that Pep Band has been working to use their social media presence as a way to build the Georgetown fanbase. Student athletes also have a growing role in promoting games and attracting fans on social media. It allows student athletes to showcase their personalities and connect with the larger student body on a more individual level. “It almost makes them more approachable, makes it more fun for

the students because they feel like they can have some type of relationship, even through a screen. It's just fun to watch,” Thomas said. Nevertheless, Nolan pointed out that social media is most effective at reaching students who are already Georgetown sports fans. Students who are simply not as interested in sports are unlikely to search for and find social media content from Georgetown athletics or athletes. “[For] kids today, social media is the easiest way to reach them, but it's only the easiest way to reach them if they're already aware of you and they're already following you. If you have a student at Georgetown who doesn't follow women's soccer on Instagram or Twitter, they're not going to be any wiser. And I sometimes feel that we forget that,” Nolan said. Instead, Nolan highlighted a role that the athletics department, Hoya Blue, and Pep Band can all fill: collaborate and synergize to increase awareness of the department’s activities on the main Georgetown University account to get new eyes on underappreciated sports. Encouraging followers to engage with athletics posts can become a positive feedback loop that would boost Georgetown’s turnout at games, according to Thomas.

“I just think there needs to be some type of culture shift, which I do think is coming with the coaching turnaround for basketball,” Thomas said. “They've been advertising the football games even more. I walked into Leavey the other day and I saw all the little printouts they had. I thought that was pretty cool, and I think there was a pretty good turnout that last game.” Looking ahead, Thomas is hopeful that a new era of Georgetown sports is beginning. A hot start from Georgetown football and a new coach for the basketball team could be signs that Georgetown sports culture is about to change for the better. Last season, frustration with Georgetown basketball peaked as fans became extremely unhappy with former coach Patrick Ewing and the team’s abysmal performance. However, the Ed Cooley era is now well underway on the Hilltop, and it’s clear that students are excited about the new hire. Cooley and his staff have made a concerted effort to change the sports culture on the Hilltop and engage more with students, looking to attract more students to Georgetown basketball games. “I want to meet every student. I’m going to ask them to give us a chance. Even if we struggle early, hang in there with us … we want passion and energy, but we need every student,” Cooley said in his introductory press conference in March. “I promise you, people are going to want to wear this ‘G’ more than anything they have wanted to wear in their life,” he added. “Already, there's quite a bit of change. We played at the New Student Orientation closing ceremony, and [Cooley] was just like chatting with us, coming around giving everybody fist bumps, asking how are you, introducing himself, which is just so nice and such a change,” Thomas said. But Corwin believes that Hoyas can and will create a strong sense of community. “If our students get involved, we build this culture … that’s gonna go a long way for the experience of everyone,” Corwin said. “One thing we can all circle back to is we’re all Hoyas, we’re all a part of this family.” G OCTOBER 6, 2023