The Hoya: Jan. 15, 2012

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 94, No. 25, © 2013

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

BACK ON TRACK

Georgetown, now unranked, crushed St. John’s Saturday after a two-game skid.

EDITORIAL The Student Activities Fair highlighted drawbacks of Georgetown’s speech policy.

CABINET CHANGE We analyze how Obama’s staffing changes will affect our professors and alumni.

OPINION, A2

NEWS, A6

SPORTS, A10

Frats Shut Out of Leo’s Fair

MODEL UN Georgetown MUN is first in the nation for the second year in a row.

NEWS, A5

One Year Later, GU Scraps Adidas

KARZAI ON U.S.-AFGHAN RELATIONS

Company failed to adequately address overseas labor abuse

Outside free-speech zone, unrecognized student groups get excluded

HIROMI OKA

Hoya Staff Writer

ANNIE CHEN

Hoya Staff Writer

The location of the Student Activities Fair, coupled with the university’s speech policy, created barriers Saturday for fraternities and other student groups that are not formally recognized by the university.

The fair was held in O’Donovan Hall, a building not among the university’s designated free speech zones. In past years, groups that are not recognized by the university and therefore not permitted to table at student activities fairs were able to set up tables in nearby Red Square and the lobby of Leavey Center, both of which have this designation.

At this month’s event, which was the first time such a fair was held in the spring, unrecognized groups were not permitted to set up tables within close range of the fair because there is not a free speech zone near the dining hall.

According to Director of Media Relations Rachel Pugh, these groups were instructed that because the area outside Leo’s was not reserved for the spring Student Activities Fair, they could not set up tables outside but were allowed to distribute flyers and hold banners.

Sigma Phi Epsilon member Shane See FAIR, A7

KAYLA NOGUCHI/THE HOYA

President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai discussed the post-war future of his country in Gaston Hall on Friday. See story at thehoya.com.

The university has cut its contract with Adidas one year after the sportswear company was accused of violating Georgetown’s Code of Conduct for Licensees.

The Worker Rights Consortium accused Adidas in January 2012 of failing to pay $1.8 million in severance to workers of the PT Kizone plant in Indonesia after the factory shut down in 2011.

The Licensing Oversight Committee — a body formed of students and administrators that monitors the university’s apparel contracts — made a formal recommendation to the Office of the President on Oct. 11 that Georgetown sever ties with the company.

Although the recommendation called for the university to act by Dec. 15, Georgetown waited until yesterday afternoon to send a letter addressed to Adidas representatives Gregg Nebel and Chris McGuire announcing that the school would terminate its contract.

According to the letter, which is signed by Vice President for Public Affairs Erik Smulson, Adidas attempted to assuage the university but ultimately failed.

“As a Catholic and Jesuit university, deeply committed to the dignity of all persons and human

labor, Georgetown University is steadfast in its commitment to improving the working conditions and lives of workers involved in the production of apparel that bears its name or logo,” Smulson wrote.

The letter indicates, however, that Georgetown might someday renegotiate a contract with Adidas.

“It continues to be our sincere hope that, going forward, the [Adidas Group] will take concrete steps to address and rectify the issues for the former workers of PT Kizone,” Smulson wrote. “When that happens, Georgetown University will be willing to reconsider its business relationship.”

Georgetown joins multiple universities that have terminated their contracts with Adidas. Cornell University cut ties with the corporation on Sept. 13, 2012.

LOC student representative and Georgetown Solidarity Committee member Julia Hubbell (COL ’15), who helped organize a petition on change.org in September calling for the school to sever ties with Adidas, was glad to hear of the resolution.

“I am incredibly proud of the university and the decision that it has decided to make in ending its relationship with Adidas. I think it’s an incredibly important statement of our Jesuit values in action,” Hubbell said. “It is an important example of the university upholding its just employment policy — not just on campus, but internationally.”

Athletics Dept. Receives $5M Gift EMMA HINCHLIFFE Hoya Staff Writer

LEONEL DE VELEZ/THE HOYA

The three cars will allow DPS to maintain their presence on campus.

‘Police’ Logo for New Cars Signals DPS Shift HIROMI OKA

Hoya Staff Writer

The Department of Public Safety has revamped its police car fleet by adding three vehicles with explicit “police” markings in the past two months.

DPS bought two Ford Crown Victorias and one Chevy Tahoe, which brings the total number of cars to eight. This number includes the SafeRides vans.

According to Director of Public Safety Jay Gruber, the new cars are replacing old ones that were becoming expensive to repair.

“We had a couple of vehicles that were in such bad shape that they weren’t roadworthy, and we made the decision to put those cars out of service,” Gruber said.

“We were in very bad need of police vehicles. We were down to a couple of vehicles for a couple of months.”

Officers use the cars for a variety of purposes, primarily driving to training and court as well as patrolling campus.

Gruber pointed out that the recently acquired vehicles are reconditioned and cost the department

significantly less than if it had bought new cars.

Compared to the rest of the fleet, the new cars feature the word “police” prominently on the side, while “Georgetown University” is printed below in smaller letters.

Gruber cited the change from the older vehicles’ “Department of Public Safety” markings as a desire to clarify the role of DPS on campus.

“The employees who work here are university police officers, and they perform a police function,” he said. “I think it provides some clarity to the university [and] to our community that the people driving these cars are university police officers.”

Gruber said that while the increased number of vehicles may not necessarily decrease crime, it will allow DPS to better monitor the university area.

“The officers have a more reliable vehicle to drive, and the vehicles will be in service more often,” he said. “It helps to maintain a consistent presence out there rather than an ad hoc presence based on the availability of vehicles.”

Newsroom: (202) 687-3415 Business: (202) 687-3947

The Georgetown Department of Athletics received a gift of $5 million, its largest ever, from Edward (C ’66) and Irene Shaw, Georgetown Athletics announced Friday.

Four million dollars will be used for the construction of the Intercollegiate Athletic Center, a facility for student athletes that was originally proposed as part of the 2000 Campus Plan. The building is expected to cost about $55 million.

“We are honored by the support of the Shaw family for their generous donation in support of our vision for the new athletic training facility and our championship men’s and women’s soccer teams,” university spokeswoman Stacy Kerr said.

Men’s soccer Head Coach Brian Wiese expressed enthusiasm about the donation, stressing the importance of the new facility for athletics at Georgetown.

“The gift from the Shaws was a huge gift for the entire athletic department,” Wiese said. “[The new facility] should be the next major project on campus, we think, in terms of what the needs are and the IAC. That’s something that is certainly going to benefit us, but it will also benefit all of the other teams in the department.”

The remaining $1 million of the Shaws’ gift is earmarked for improving Kehoe Field, which will be renamed Shaw Field in honor of the couple’s contribution and support of the men’s and women’s soccer teams.

Wiese, who called the $1 million for the athletic field “terrific,” added, “Our ability to do things to enhance the atmosphere up at North Kehoe — to make a proper home field with the advantages that should come with that — I think we at the moment are still pricing out what we can do with that.”

Edward Shaw expressed his belief in the importance of Georgetown athletics.

Published Tuesdays and Fridays

COURTESY GEORGETOWN OFFICE OF MEDIA RELATIONS

Edward (C ’66) and Irene Shaw’s $5 million donation will go toward Intercollegiate Athletic Center construction and Kehoe Field renovations.

“Irene and I have always been firm believers in the value of intercollegiate athletics to gather our community, build school spirit and enhance the undergraduate experience — not only for the team members but also for their classmates and friends,” Shaw told Georgetown Athletics. “Our commitment reinforces this belief, along with the value of nationally competitive programs to enhance Georgetown University for now and years to come.”

Wiese said that Shaw’s donation is indicative of a trend toward greater

philanthropy aimed at Georgetown’s athletic programs.

“We feel a lot of gathering momentum at the department and from a sports-specific point of view,” he said.

“The fact that we’re starting to get these kinds of donations from people I think says a lot about the direction that the department is heading right now and the excitement for Georgetown’s athletics as a whole.”

Hoya Staff Writer Ryan Bacic contributed reporting.

Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com

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OPINION

THE HOYA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

THE VERDICT

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EDITORIALS

Free Speech Off the Table Every Blue & Gray tour guide traversing campus throughout the year — followed by his or her gaggle of eager prospective students — touts the well-known statistic that Georgetown boasts over 500 student clubs and organizations, adding — only half-jokingly — that matriculating freshmen promptly sign up for about half of them. Getting involved in extracurricular activities is the hallmark of a Georgetown experience and a valuable complement to a Georgetown education.

Student groups unaffiliated with the university should not expect to receive every privilege afforded to those that are formally recognized. But when withholding privileges means denying rights, university policy is overstepping its bounds.

Saturday’s spring Student Activities Fair was designed to showcase extracurricular opportunities for students looking to get more involved on campus in their second semester. Groups with formal university recognition were given a space inside O’Donovan Hall to table and recruit new members. Yet unaffiliated groups, including the fraternities Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, were refused a space of their own — even outside the dining hall doors. Members were told to move to Red Square or Leavey Center — the university’s official “free-speech zones.” Furthermore, some groups, like H*yas for Choice, did not attempt to table at all.

This handling of the unrecognized groups is troubling on two accounts. With respect to student groups, the university is placing itself in direct opposition to one of its greatest strengths: student-led organizations. While it is perhaps understandable that the school’s Jesuit heritage might prevent it from endorsing all organizations, the administration would do well to remember that Georgetown owes much of its esteem to a diverse culture of studentled initiatives. Creating roadblocks for student groups only weakens the incentive for thriving campus life.

The deeper issue, however, is that of freespeech zones on campus. In general terms, Georgetown’s speech policy points to the right values: the university as a forum for discourse, free speech as a priority of the academic community and tolerance for individual or group-held protest. The specifics of which groups are given such rights, however, have created an environment where speech is limited and only exceptionally “free.”

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education defines Georgetown as a “red light” university — one with “at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech.” The report points to the Code of Student Conduct’s definitions of harassment, bias-related conduct, disorderly conduct and incivility with other students as red light policies.

The real problem with Georgetown’s policy, though, is the frivolous imposition of restrictions. In a university setting, it may be necessary at times to curtail speech that is offensive or could promote dangerous conduct. Yet the university’s policy, both in its language and implementation, establishes the baseline at no right to speech — unless in a private residence, Red Square or Leavey Center — rather than restricting certain types of speech in certain areas.

Thus, it is not only insults and inflammatory language that are preemptively prohibited, but also — as we saw this past Saturday — the promotion of student groups on campus.

As a safe space for students to learn and develop, a university needs a free-speech policy that guarantees meaningful free speech, allowing the expression of diverse views while focusing on prohibiting only the most hurtful forms of speech, such as hate speech. When the issues at hand are as tame as tabling among Georgetown’s own students, the administration should not hide behind free-speech zones as a way to shove some disfavored groups into the shadows.

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Founded January 14, 1920

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Riding It Out — Metro has officially proposed not to increase fare prices this year.

You Win Some — Bradley Cooper (COL ’97) was recently nominated for an Academy Award fir his film “Silver Linings Playbook,” but ...

You Lose Some — ... He lost to Hugh Jackman at the Golden Globes on Sunday.

Never Getting Back Together — Georgetown finally severed their partnership with Adidas after months of conflict over failure to provide severance to workers in Indonesia.

Cheap Eats — Quick Pita will give students 10 percent off their order if purchased with their GOCard this week.

A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD US ... @kellymthomas Jan. 8 “@thehoyasports: Congrats to Jabril Trawick on hitting TWO free throws. 17-10 Pitt. #hoyas” .. Sarcasm should be a class offered at Gtown. @RonaldKlain Jan. 8 Worst loss of this century? @thehoyasports: According to GU SID, #Hoyas haven’t lost by 20+ at home since March of 2000. @pjmcginnis Jan. 11 Where did he find such #rosecoloredglasses “@thehoya: Pres. Karzai - “The most recent period of Afghan suffering is behind us.” #KarzaiGU” @ehbrevard Jan. 13 I’m not mad that I can’t watch the Golden Globes because I’m just reading tweets from @thehoyaguide. #youdabest

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Arturo Altamirano

Laptop Safety Tips Imagine carrying a book-size item that contains virtually every aspect of a college student’s life, from old lecture notes and new essay drafts to family photos and important contacts. To someone from a past generation, that’s science fiction. But for today’s students, it describes one’s laptop computer, yet with that convenience comes great concern for laptop security.

Amid the recent scare involving the hacking of the popular plug-in JAVA and with laptop theft an ongoing concern on campus, it is worth reflecting on simple ways we can all secure what is many students’ most valuable possession.

Although every student on campus is repeatedly told to never leave their laptops unattended, dozens of laptops continue to get stolen every year. To ease the blow — or perhaps even prevent it — that not only results from having over $1,000 and vital academic or sentimental documents fall down the proverbial drain, you can invest in installing tracking software for your laptop. LoJack, Prey and Apple’s builtin Find My Mac programs are all good op-

tions. Even simply writing down the serial number of your device — which is written on the receipt of purchase — can be helpful in tracking down a lost or stolen laptop.

Most students know to avoid suspicious websites and emails. But these precautions tend to fall by the wayside when it comes to streaming the latest episode of “How I Met Your Mother.” To avoid getting a virus, it is vital to back up your data on a regular basis. Signing up for a Dropbox.com account or purchasing an external hard drive are easy ways to back up the mountain of documents, photos, and the like on your computer.

University Information Systems — located in St. Mary’s Hall — is also a valuable and underutilized resource. If you suspect your computer’s software has been damaged or otherwise compromised, the technicians there — comprised of both undergraduates and professionals — will be able to help, or at the very least, identify the problem.

A laptop is a true staple of college life, and students should consider taking every possible measure to protect it.

Danny Funt, Editor-in-Chief Braden McDonald, Executive Editor Victoria Edel, Managing Editor Emma Hinchliffe, Campus News Editor Hiromi Oka, City News Editor Ryan Bacic, Sports Editor Sheena Karkal, Guide Editor Hanaa Khadraoui, Opinion Editor Leonel De Velez, Photography Editor Zoe Bertrand, Layout Editor Hunter Main, Copy Chief Molly Mitchell, Multimedia Editor Lindsay Lee, Blog Editor

Contributing Editors Michelle Cassidy, Patrick Curran, Suzanne Fonzi, Evan Hollander, Upasana Kaku, Sarah Patrick, Lauren Weber, Emory Wellman

Penny Hung Eitan Sayag Ted Murphy Will Edman Arik Parnass Josh Simmons Kim Bussing Nicole Jarvis Emily Manbeck Shannon Reilly Sean Sullivan Katherine Berk Rohan Shetty Chris Grivas Erica Wong Jessica Natinsky Karl Pielmeier Kate Wellde

Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy City News Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Sports Blog Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Blog Editor Deputy Blog Editor

Editorial Board Hanaa Khadraoui, Chair Arturo Altamirano, Patrick Gavin, TM Gibbons-Neff, Alyssa Huberts, Sam Rodman

Mary Nancy Walter, General Manager Mariah Byrne, Director of Corporate Development James Church, Director of Finance Mullin Weerakoon, Director of Marketing Michal Grabias, Director of Personnel Michael Lindsay-Bayley, Director of Sales Michael Vu, Director of Technology Natasha Patel Glenn Russo Martha DiSimone Nitya Rajendran Jonathan Rabar John Bauke Molly Lynch Pauline Huynh Esteban Garcia Addie Fleron Taylor Doaty Eric Isdaner Simon Wu Ryan Smith

Alumni Relations Manager Special Programs Manager Accounts Manager Operations Manager Publishing Division Consultant Statements Manager Treasury Manager Marketing Research Manager Public Relations Manager Human Resources Manager Institutional Diversity Manager Online Advertisements Manager Systems Manager Web Manager

Board of Directors

Lauren Weber, Chair

Kent Carlson, Danny Funt, Evan Hollander, Dylan Hunt, Mairead Reilly, Mary Nancy Walter

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OPINION

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

SPOCK MEETS BARACK

Evan Monod

Gaming A False Culprit

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y breathing is light as I pursue my target down a dark hallway. He has not seen me yet; I hope he never will. I sneak up behind him and aim my rifle at his head. I fire, and a message appears before me.

“75 assault rifle kills,” it says, “+2000” points. I am playing my favorite sci-fi shooter video game to unwind after a hard day of studying for final exams.

I have played this game a thousand times before and never felt a twinge of regret for the virtual monsters I have killed in the name of saving the galaxy.

Yet today is not an ordinary day. Today is Dec. 16, two days after the massacre at Newtown, Conn., that claimed the lives of 20 children and six adults.

I had no personal connection to that event and I do not believe playing violent video games leads to violent behavior. Yet in that moment, I had to put my game down. Trying to cope with a shooting by virtually shooting things just did not seem right. Video games should perhaps be a point of discussion in our national conversation about gun violence, but it cannot obstruct the real culprit: the failure of our existing gun laws.

The video game argument has always struck me as somewhat of a red herring. After all, people play the same games in Australia, Japan, the United Kingdom, France and every other developed nation. They have far fewer gun deaths per year than we do. Indeed, according to sociologist Keiran Healy of Duke University, the United States is the clear outlier when it comes to gun violence. We have averaged around eight gun deaths per 100,000 people over the past half-century. Most other nations like us average fewer than two deaths. Why is this? These other nations, like the U.K. and France, have much stricter gun control laws. Ameri-

A discussion of video games should become a part of our response as a nation to the violence around us. cans are not more homicidal by nature.

We simply do not have proper gun control. And to respectfully rebut those who disagree, I would simply quote the Second Amendment to the Constitution: “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” The words “well-regulated” and “militia” are there for all to see. The Founders, who could not even imagine the death unleashed by modern assault weapons, still decreed that militias should be regulated. Gun control is entirely constitutional and profoundly necessary.

To lay the blame for violence in America solely at the feet of video games is to deny the scope of the problem. To be fair, gun control is not the only answer, either. A comprehensive approach of stricter gun laws and mental health reform is needed. Nonetheless, I still recoiled from playing games in the aftermath of Newtown. I have played violent video games for years.

I am in no way a violent person. Yet I have now come to believe that a discussion about video games should become a part of our response as a nation to the violence around us. Should games be censored? Of course not. But if gaming wants to grow and become respected as a true art form, perhaps it is time to break the violent mold. Just as literature and film tackle a wide variety of subjects, the gaming community should as well. After this unspeakable tragedy, this is the best time for gaming to begin that transition.

A week after Newtown, I began playing violent games again. I still enjoy them. Yet that event forced me to reevaluate one of my core beliefs. It forced me to look at a medium I love in a more critical light. If we force our elected officials to take the same look at gun control, I am hopeful that we will be able to prevent these acts of senseless violence. It will not be easy, but we must begin.

Evan Monod is a junior in the College. SPOCK MEETS BARACK appears every other Tuesday.

THE HOYA

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VIEWPOINT • Goncharova

I

Seize Your Syllabus Week

don’t know if the people at Tackle Box during happy hour feel the same way, but this is one of the most important weeks of the semester for me.

One of the best presents Georgetown gives to its students is the add/drop period at the beginning of each semester, otherwise known as syllabus week. Some forfeit this 10 day gift for the chance to extend their vacations, but they may not fully grasp the value of a period of time to handpick their academic experience for the rest of the semester.

There are many compelling reasons to overlook the potential of syllabus week. Georgetown’s adddrop process looks pretty daunting at first. There are forms in the registrar’s office reminiscent of the stone tablets Fred Flintstone used, confusing online course registration and, besides all that, we’d actually have to search that Windows 98-esque MyAccess to survey the classes we want to consider.

There are other problems, too.

Most professors upload their syllabi, but others don’t — and some will tell you to disregard the entire thing on the first day of classes. It’s also tough to decide between pursuing your interests or signing up for that economics class your parents have been hounding you to take.

Finally, there’s the pressure of figuring out how you’d like this one semester to fit in to your entire four years at Georgetown.

You know you’re thinking too hard about your course selections decision when — head spinning — your eyes glaze over tabs with RateMyProfessor.com, MyAccess, MyDegree, the professor’s resume and an article he wrote in 1998.

This is a week to sample a broad range of classes and step outside your comfort zone.

So which headache is worse?

The one that results from ignoring the academic advantages of syllabus week, realizing at the end of the add/drop period that there’s no turning back and being stuck playing online Tetris in a class you never really liked?

Or the other headache — the one that results from hopscotching

all around campus to different courses with different professors that is soon relieved as you find a professor you get along with and a course topic that satisfies both your graduation requirements and your personal interests?

It may first feel like a draw. But let’s remember that with the first headache — the one that comes

with ignoring syllabus week — there’s a lack of interest and a sense of regret that we must live with for an entire semester. At Georgetown, it’s fair to say we are bright and interested enough to take courses that challenge our intellect and extend our interest beyond mere satisfaction of graduation requirements.

This is a week to sample a broad range of classes and step outside of your comfort zone. It’s a time to take classes where you don’t have the security of at least three friends and to try a subject you’ve never heard of or want to know more about. And if you don’t like it, you’ve only lost an hour of your life.

If respecting your interests and time aren’t compelling enough reasons to participate in syllabus week, then consider it a minimum show of respect for whoever is paying for your education.

We’re buying the class — professor and syllabus included — and syllabus week is Georgetown’s return policy. But unlike a bad present, we can’t re-gift it to a second-rate acquaintance if we forget to return it in 10 days. Our course schedules are ours for four months, and we’ve got to literally wear them on our transcript.

The greatest way of customizing our course schedules comes from maximized use of the gift that is syllabus week. If you think about it, weighing our options now during this one week will incrementally release us from stress and work overloads throughout the semester, granting us even more extended vacation time than those who loafed around at happy hour.

MASHA GONCHAROVA is a junior in the College.

IDENTITY POLITICS

VIEWPOINT • Belcher

TFA Sparks Grad’s ‘Django’ Warps School Initiative Racial History A

s my 10-year college reunion approaches, I think back on my days at Georgetown with gratitude. As a proud graduate of the Class of 2003, I am thankful for the path those four years put me on. Joining Teach For America gave me a chance to make a difference right after graduation and allowed me to pursue my passion for social justice.

When I came to the Hilltop, I wanted to become a social worker.

I studied psychology and Justice and Peace Studies. As a freshman, I began volunteering at a D.C. public school through an AmeriCorps program called Heads Up. I worked at the school throughout my four years in college and witnessed the disparity between the world-class education I received at Georgetown and the poor ones my students received at a school located just blocks from the Capitol. I started to realize that the most influential social change happens in schools, where students spend the majority of their time. All of this led me to consider teaching as a career.

I heard about Teach For America when a former professor, Fr. Ray Kemp, invited Kaya Henderson, a member of Teach For America’s 1992 corps who later became chancellor of D.C. Public Schools, to speak to our class. Kaya’s compelling story and the mission and purpose of Teach For America resonated deeply with me.

The following fall, I joined the corps and began teaching at O.S. Hubbard Elementary in San Jose, Calif. While I learned a great deal there, I longed to see a high-performing school making real changes for students from low-income communities. I found just that when I transferred to Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School in Compton, Calif. As part of a team of committed, passionate educators — including several Teach For America corps members and alumni — I saw the school transform and students’ test results rise through the roof. In 2006, Bunche Elementary became the first school in Compton’s history to be honored with a California Distinguished School award.

Despite our students’ incredible learning gains at Bunche, I was concerned that they might advance to middle schools that would not build on this growth. I wondered how much more our students could excel if their education were better designed from the first

day of kindergarten to the last day of college.

Around this time, I met another Teach For America alumnus, Ryan Hill, who had founded the highly regarded Knowledge Is Power Program school in Newark, N.J. KIPP, a national network of charter schools, had a proven model for preparing kids for college and beyond. Georgetown recently partnered with KIPP, agreeing to provide the necessary academic and financial support to help students from the program obtain college degrees. Inspired by KIPP’s work in Newark and Ryan’s vision, I decided to start Newark’s first KIPP elementary school, SPARK Academy, in the summer of 2009.

In its fourth year of operation, SPARK Academy currently has 418 students between kindergarten and third grade. Most of our students receive free or subsidized lunches.

Almost all are black or Latino. At SPARK, the goal is to ensure that its fourth graders head to middle school as prepared and confident learners. Last year, 90 percent of our students were reading at or above grade level. The connection to Teach For America continues here as well, with nearly 60 percent of our teachers at SPARK Academy being corps members or alumni.

My students back in D.C. had limitless potential but were educationally restrained by their zip codes. I see that same potential in my students at SPARK, who have the opportunity to succeed academically — despite the history of inequitable access to education in their areas — because of incredible teachers. Their relentless hard work ensures that our students will go to college — and hopefully, some will even apply to Georgetown. The partnership between KIPP and Georgetown to increase college completion rates of KIPP students at Georgetown will play a huge role in helping our scholars spark the change they wish to see in their communities and, one day, the world.

Teach For America allows its corps members to work towards the more just society that our Georgetown education calls us all to embrace.

JOANNA BELCHER (COL ’03) is the founder and school leader of SPARK Academy Charter School and a Teach for America Corps alumnus.

I

t is not often moviegoers get -— blame history! Movies like to see the ugly side of Ameri- “Django” give Tarantino and Holcan history. For once, “Django lywood a free pass to bend the Unchained” is a big production truth of a history that still very that has the issue of slavery at much affects our social interacits core. When I first heard this tions in this country. In filming movie, which generated a great the movie, several cast members deal of buzz and acclaim for expressed apprehension toward writer and director Quentin Tar- filming in former plantation antino, was coming out, I felt sites. Instead, Tarantino ignored excited and nervous for the his- all these requests and used the tory it would portray. Rarely on realism to elicit real tears from the big screen do his black cast we see issues of members. race and slavery Directors dissected, and have a certain much less comamount of remonly do we see sponsibility to black actors play set a high bar central heroic for historical roles. My exciteaccuracy when ment quickly making movies turned to disabout slavery beappointment cause few such when “Django” movies exist to Zenen Jaimes Perez proved to be not begin with. so revolutionary The interpreThe much bigger at all. tations people Tarantino has in this movie problem that Tarantino see made a name will be accepted for himself with and “Django” are guilty of as fact by milhis ultraviolent lions of movfilms — which is a huge misinterpretation iegoers.

And frequently inunfortunately, of slavery in America. corporate the nthe movie reword — that he’s made through- moves any agency from enslaved out his career. But “Django” is a peoples in their own liberation. slapstick throwback to the era What about a character like Nat of Blaxploitation cinema and Turner, a black enslaved man suffers from the same “white- that led a rebellion that took the people-solve-racism” syndrome lives of 50 white plantation ownthat characterized the films “The ers? Would Hollywood be comHelp” and “Lincoln.” fortable releasing a movie about But the much bigger problem Turner? A slave who granted that Tarantino and “Django” are himself freedom? Of course not, guilty of is a huge misinterpreta- and that is part of the problem. tion of slavery in America. TaranTo bring up the issues of misintino helped tell a story where a terpretation and history seems to slave was freed only by a white provoke a lot of hot-headedness man’s hand. There is gratuitous rather than intelligent discususage of the n-word, and the bru- sion. People with critical views tal rape and torture of a black of the movie are told to shut up female character is used as a and not make it a “race thing.” catalyst for the plot of the entire But ignoring the real concerns movie. Surely these types of rape people of color have about the and violent scenes would not be movie and the history it portrays portrayed similarly with a white will continue to allow filmmakactress. ers like Tarantino to pat themI am not a director or writer of selves on the back while leaving films, and I cannot force anyone the rest of us with a masturbato make a movie that reflected tory ode to stereotypes and false the realities of slavery in Amer- history. ica. But directors like Tarantino are quick to point their fingers Zenen Jaimes Perez is a senior at American history whenever in the School of Foreign Service. people take offense to their mov- IDENTITY POLITICS appears every ies. Don’t blame the filmmaker other Tuesday.

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THE HOYA

PAGE FOUR

NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE GUASFCU installed a new ATM in the Edmund A. Walsh Building. See story at thehoya.com.

Your news — from every corner of The Hoya.

IN FOCUS

A FOGGY BOTTOM

verbatim all heard “ You’ve of pomegranates.

They come from Afghanistan.

”

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai in his lecture about Afghan-U.S. relations in Gaston Hall Friday.

See story at thehoya.com.

from

METROBUS.COM

LEONEL DE VELEZ/THE HOYA

Dense fog covered the city over the weekend, making it difficult to see sights across the Potomac River and obscuring the Kennedy Center from view from Georgetown Waterfront Park, pictured above, Sunday afternoon.

Boathouse Evades Eviction LILY WESTERGAARD Hoya Staff Writer

While the eviction of Jack’s Canoes & Kayaks, LLC is temporarily on hold, the fate of the neighborhood institution, popular among Georgetown students, is still up in the air.

The boat rental and storage company, better known as Jack’s Boathouse, will remain in its location on 3500 Water St. NW pending further review, according to a Dec. 24 announcement

by National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis.

“We are in the crosshairs because of our success, but we’re not going anywhere,” Paul Simkin, the current owner of the boathouse, said.

The announcement came less than a week after the company received formal notification that it had until Jan. 31 to leave its storefront.

According to NPS officials, Jack’s Boathouse received the eviction notice because the name of the store’s previous owner and founder, Jack Baxter, was on the lease instead of that of Simkin, who assumed full ownership in 2009.

The stay of eviction announcement came after widespread public backlash. Jesse Rauch, executive director of the D.C. State Board of Education, spearheaded a campaign to save the boathouse from eviction. Rauch has garnered 2,265 signatures thus far in a petition to stop the eviction.

According to the petition, Jack’s Boathouse, despite being promised a three-year lease, was notified of its impending eviction after certain waterfront properties in Georgetown were transferred from the jurisdiction of the District of Columbia to that of NPS. As first reported in The Washington Post, NPS wants the boathouse to operate on a concession contract, which reserves a portion of the boathouse’s profits for NPS funding. As of press time, spokespeople for NPS were not prepared to provide comment.

Simkin praised the online pe-

FROM A TO B, VIA G2 January signals students’ return from break and the return of the G2 MetroBus line. Check out 4E to see where it can take you. blog.thehoya.com

Students Campaign for Justice and Peace Major MEGHAN PATZER

Hoya Staff Writer

RICHARD OLIVEIRA SOENS/THE HOYA

Jack’s Boathouse has been alllowed to remain open despite originally being told it had to leave its location by Jan. 31. tition and other community efforts to support the boathouse, which employs about 15 Georgetown students and alumni.

“The grassroots efforts really kicked in and really made a difference and is making the process more transparent,” he said.

“The best thing [supporters] can do is [visit] change.org, because I know the right people are reading that.”

The strong showing of local support has boosted Simkin’s confidence in the boathouse’s future.

“The boathouse is more important to folks than I ever thought,” he said.

Simkin added that Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans said he believes the city is behind the boathouse and recommended that Simkin hire an attorney to fight NPS. Evans could not be reached for immediate comment.

“His words were, ‘You are going to open and you are going to stay open. The National Park Service doesn’t have a leg to stand on,’” Simkin said.

Kyla McClure (COL ’15) and Gianna Maita (COL ’15) are campaigning for the introduction of a major as part of the Program on Justice and Peace, which currently offers 13 courses, a minor in the College and a certificate in the School of Foreign Service, School of Nursing and Health Studies and McDonough School of Business.

McClure and Maita met with Georgetown College Dean Chester Gillis throughout the fall semester to discuss the process of developing a major. The JUPS minor already includes a thesis requirement and community-based learning element, and these aspects of the program will be extended to the major, but widespread student interest will be the most instrumental in garnering support.

Gillis supported the idea with a few caveats.

“I’ve made no promises — we need resources — but I think the program is robust and it could support a major given sufficient student demand,” Gillis said. “It would be wonderful if it could happen within the next year, but I’m not going to put a timeline on it. I’m not guaranteeing that it will be done at all. … I don’t want to create something I can’t support.”

Maita emphasized that students already commit so much of their own time and resources to the minor that a major would be the next logical step.

“Students pursuing a JUPS minor or certificate already have to complete a 50- to 60-page thesis, which is a requirement that not even all established majors have here,” Maita said.

If the university approved the major, Georgetown would be one of a handful of national universities to have a specific major in the subject, but more than 80 schools offer courses in the field.

Director of the Program on Justice and Peace Andria Wisler praised McClure and Maita’s efforts.

“The students involved thus far have shown how much they’ve learned in their JUPS classes,” Wisler said.

Maita and McClure said that the process of advocating a major has been surprisingly simple to due the strong support of students, faculty and admin-

istrators.

“We’ve really been responsible for getting the word out,” Maita said. “In our collaborations with professors and deans, we’ve been received very well with our proposal.”

McClure agreed, adding that the support has come from students and faculty all over campus.

“We’ve received wide-ranging support from a variety of individuals from different groups as well, which I think speaks to how many people would benefit from the creation of this major,” McClure said.

McClure stressed that a JUPS major would be compatible with Georgetown’s Jesuit identity.

“Justice and peace studies embodies our mind, body and spirit approach to education,” McClure said. “It enacts our motto of cura personalis and ‘women and men for others’ in a hands-on and supplemental way that allows students to dedicate themselves more wholly to these ideals. We don’t want JUPS to just be something tacked-on; we want to give it relevance.”

Wisler emphasized that a major would increase the interaction between social justice work and study.

“There are a lot of people here who are committed to social justice,” she said. “I see a lot of students who don’t just want to do social justice work in the [Center for Social Justice] but want to study social justice in the classroom. … The questions we need to ask about the world fall between academic disciplines to create such an amazing JUPS classroom experience.”

Ideally, both Maita and McClure would like for current juniors to have the option to pursue a JUPS major, though they recognize the difficulties involved.

“When you look at the news, you can see that this is a rapidly expanding field,” Maita said. “We can’t continue on the paths we are currently on, particularly in respect to conflict resolution. A JUPS major would give new graduates a wholly different perspective on these pressing issues and provide for innovative thinking that could make for a better society. If Georgetown could be a leader in this growing field, it will be amazing for both the university and graduates.”

NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

DC to Vote on Budget Control EMMA IANNINI Hoya Staff Writer

Washington, D.C. voters will cast their ballots on a proposed amendment to D.C.’s home rule charter that would give the D.C. Council direct control over the city’s budget April 23.

Currently, the District’s yearly budgets must be approved by Congress during the federal budget process, and supporters say that the passage of the referendum would be a significant step forward in the city’s quest for greater autonomy.

“Along with D.C. residents, I share the D.C. Council’s frustration at sending the city’s local budget to a Congress that has no part in raising the city’s local revenue,” Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), the District’s non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives, said in a press statement. “The denial of budget autonomy not only violates a basic tenant of self-government, it also imposes substantial operational and financial costs on the city,” But the council’s push for increased autonomy could incite backlash in Congress, according to Norton.

“After being informed of the proposed charter amendment and in-

vestigating it, we briefed the mayor and council chairman on the legal and institutional issues and risks of a referendum that would allow the city to give itself budget autonomy,” Norton said in the statement. “In light of these issues and increasing Republican and Democratic support for budget autonomy, we will continue to work with our allies in the House and Senate to pass a budget autonomy bill.”

The referendum’s announcement comes just weeks after then-Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced a bill to the now-adjourned 112th Congress that would have granted D.C. statehood. Norton introduced a companion bill in the House of Representatives. The bills, however, were largely symbolic and were wiped from the congressional docket when the 112th Congress ended on Jan. 3.

Although both bills put before the 112th Congress failed to pass, the upcoming referendum is the latest phase of a grassroots movement for D.C. home rule and eventual statehood that originated almost 40 years ago.

“I do support statehood for D.C. strongly,” Ron Lewis, chairman

of Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2E, which encompasses Georgetown, told The Hoya. “I think it’s time we have a say at the national level because we are U.S. citizens, we pay our taxes the same as anyone else, we serve our country the same as anyone else and we deserve representation as much as anyone else.”

As to how enhanced D.C. autonomy would affect the university, Associate Vice President for Federal Relations Scott Fleming said that the passage of the referendum and other proposed measures would be heralded as positive developments.

“With regard to the question of both budget autonomy and voting representation for D.C. in Congress, in both instances, the university is well-served if those changes can become law,” he said. “Just like other citizens of the District of Columbia, we rely on the District government for a variety of services, [such as] police protection. The current situation, which requires the federal government — the Congress of the United States — to have to sign off on budgetary decisions by the government of the District of Columbia involving funds from taxpayers here, poses periodic risks for those services to be disrupted because of this cumbersome

Professor’s Op-Ed Stirs Debate HIROMI OKA

Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University Law Center Professor Louis Michael Seidman ignited a media firestorm after writing an op-ed about the pitfalls of strict constitutionalism for The New York Times published Dec. 30.

The article, called “Let’s Give Up on the Constitution,” has garnered at least 17 response articles. Seidman, the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Constitutional Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, has also appeared on Fox News and National Public Radio following the op-ed’s publication.

Seidman said that he was amazed by the reaction his piece has received.

“I’m surprised and delighted that

people are paying attention to it,” he said. “I hope it’s caused at least some people to think about a problem that’s not much discussed.”

The op-ed discusses the consequences of following what Seidman calls “archaic, idiosyncratic and downright evil provisions.”

Seidman said that although there are some tenets of the Constitution such as equality and liberty that are generally accepted, they do not help solve any of the contentious issues the United States faces today, including gay marriage and abortion.

“There are much more specific provisions in the Constitution that settle disputes, but the question is why we ought to be bound by a settlement that was annunciated by people who lived several centuries ago and who

don’t know anything about the way our country functions now,” he said.

“It just doesn’t seem like it makes any sense to use their preferences as a basis for running our country.”

According to Seidman, shifting the country’s adherence to the Constitution requires looking beyond the law itself.

“What’s needed is not so much a change in statute but a change in our culture,” he said. “[Why] can’t we talk about the merits of this instead of what people thought about it 200 years ago?”

But Seidman admitted that concerns about the Constitution are multifaceted.

“This is a complicated question, and there’s more than one side to it,” he said.

THE HOYA

A5

Model UN Team Earns Top Ranking MOLLY DEPIPPO

of Public Relations Andrea Cohen (SFS ’15), the achievement stemmed from the hard work of all 75 team members.

“The competition this year seemed …

When Dane Shikman (SFS ’13) became conferences coordinator for George- tougher than last year,” she said. “That’s town’s Model United Nations Team this going to be what we’re going to have to fall, he was determined to break tradi- keep fighting against this semester.”

Cohen singled out the members new tion and put community over competito the team this year as being pivotal to tion.

“I shifted the vision away to be more in- the ranking.

“We have amazing freshmen and new clusive — to say Model UN is about more than winning, it’s about building a com- people [in] the Model UN class, and that’s munity of people that feel like they’re really important because those are the connected to something very valuable people that can sometimes determine awards,” she said. “I think that’s one of and meaningful,” Shikman said.

Conference judges evaluate Model UN the things that put us ahead in rankteams partly based on the number of ings.”

The first-place ranking this year surdelegates on each team, with fewer delegates increasing a team’s odds of win- prised Shikman because, in addition to ning. While former Georgetown confer- its increased size, the team was awarded second place at two ences coordinators conferences this seafocused on choos- “Model UN is about more son. ing a lower num“We didn’t know ber of delegates to than winning, it’s about if we would be boost their chances building a community number one,” he of winning, Shiksaid. “I didn’t exman refused to do of people that feel like pect Best Delegate so. to weight team size “There’s some- they’re connected to thing different something very valuable.” like I thought they should.” about Georgetown, Beyond the glint and it’s not just beDANE SHIKMAN (SFS ’13), cause we do Model Conferences coordinator for GU Model UN and gleam of its awards and recogUN well — because nition, members we clearly do — but that’s not something that keeps us [at] of the Model UN team are enthusiastic number one,” he said. “It’s the George- about the committee topics and countown spirit. It’s something unique about tries that they represent.

“The goal is to solve world issues. We the energy we bring to a conference.”

Even with the odds against them, the go for the love of diplomacy,” said DirecGeorgetown Model UN team, which tor of Operations Jeffrey Caso (SFS ’15).

In addition to discussing international brought 44 students to a recent conference — a large jump from the usual 15 policy, conference delegates have the — was ranked as the top Model UN pro- chance to meet students from other colgram in North America this fall by Best leges.

“You really get to know a lot of people Delegate, an organization regarded as the national authority on Model UN from different universities, which is one of my favorite parts of Model UN,” Cohen rankings.

The Best Delegate rankings are based said.

Students that participate in Model UN on the competitiveness of the conferences that teams have participated in, the bring Georgetown traditions to the conawards they have won and how many ferences that they attend.

“At the end of every conference, whethpeople competed on the team at each er we win or lose, the Georgetown team conference.

While Georgetown was also ranked stands on our chairs in the big assembly number one last year, the team faced hall and sings the fight song before we obstacles in retaining their leading po- leave,” Caso said. “We’re growing, and sition. According to Model UN Director we’re bringing the Georgetown name.”

Special to The Hoya

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NEWS

THE HOYA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

Georgetown’s Past and Present Found Amid Political Reshuffling

A

s President Obama prepares for his Jan. 21 inauguration and new members of Congress find their footing on Capitol Hill, many politicos in the Washington power circle are in the process of changing hats. Georgetown University can be found on both ends of this job search, with faculty and alumni appearing on many Cabinet short lists and ex-government officials looking to the Hilltop for their next gig. Here is a breakdown of where Georgetown has been involved in this political shake-up.

Jack Lew

• Graduated from GU Law Center in 1983 • Nominee for Treasury Secretary

Dick Lugar

• Former Indiana senator • Appointed visiting distinguished professor in GPPI

?

Denis McDonough • •

Lisa Brown

• Currently federal government’s chief performance officer • Appointed GU’s general counsel

Graduated from MSFS in 1996 Contender for Obama’s chief of staff

Chuck Hagel

VS Ron Klain

• Class of 1983 • Teaches government seminar • Contender for Obama’s chief of staff

?

Prof. Hagel Tapped for Defense Georgetown professor and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) was nominated Jan. 7 by President Obama to serve as secretary of defense.

While Hagel’s confirmation is expected to meet with some opposition in the Senate, the nomination also drew mixed reviews from Georgetown’s faculty.

Mehran Kamrava, professor and director of the Center for International and Regional Studies at the School of Foreign Service in Qatar, said that Hagel’s appointment is unlikely to independently influence the course of American foreign policy. “[Hagel] still has to operate within a larger political and institutional environment in which policies are the result of collective deliberations, negotiations, policy advice and input from within the Pentagon,” Kamrava wrote in an email. “What is more important, therefore, is to look at the team that the president is assembling for his second term.”

However, Kamrava added that the nomination, when considered in combination with the nomination of others like Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to secretary of state, might foreshadow foreign policy shifts.

“It could very well be that President Obama is putting together a team that can affect meaningful change to some of the features of U.S. foreign policy as we have come to know them over the last four years. What those changes are remains to be seen,” he said.

Dan Schueftan, the current Aaron and Cecile Goldman visiting professor in the government department, cautioned that Hagel’s appointment sends a message of weakness to Iran and other radical powers because of remarks Hagel has made in the past.

“If you look at what Hagel has said so far, you will see a picture that is soft on Hamas and speaks about negotiating with them, as with Iran,” Schueftan said. “Any radical anywhere in the world will say, ‘Here is a weaker American posture, so why should we give up something that we consider to be very important for our interests?’”

Hagel was due to teach an international affairs course titled “21st Century Geopolitical Realities” this semester in the SFS, but the class has been can-

celled in the wake of his nomination, forcing students like Taylor Wettach (SFS ’13) to adjust their schedules.

“For me, the perception was that Chuck Hagel was a good cross in terms of being on the policy side and making the big decisions in the political arena,” Wettach said. “He would have been great to learn from.”

Lew Nominated for Treasury Jacob “Jack” Lew (LAW ’83) was nominated Jan. 10 to replace Timothy Geithner as Treasury secretary, having served previously as White House chief of staff.

Economics professor Arik Levinson expressed his confidence in Lew for the role. “[Treasury secretaries’] diverse backgrounds are fitting given the Treasury’s diverse roles: tax collection, finance, minting coins and printing money, regulating banks [and] advising the president on international and domestic policies,” he wrote in an email. “Given the likely importance of federal budget issues in the next few years, Lew’s background as budget director for two presidents seems especially apt.”

Prof. Klain and McDonough On Short List for Chief of Staff It is being reported by numerous news outlets, including The New York Times, that adjunct government professor Ron Klain (C ’83) and Denis McDonough (MSFS ’96) are the top candidates being considered to replace Lew as Obama’s chief of staff.

Klain, who previously served as chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, declined to comment on the chance to be Obama’s fifth chief of staff until a decision is publicly announced. He is teaching a seminar entitled “Presidential Debates” this semester.

McDonough, who could not be reached for comment by press time, was appointed deputy national security adviser to President Obama in fall 2010.

According to history professor John McNeill, who taught McDonough in a required history course, McDonough is well suited for the position.

“Denis was a good student in one of [Georgetown’s] best programs. Since his graduation, he has made the most of opportunities that have come his way,” McNeill wrote in an email. “All signs

indicate [that] Obama has liked what he has seen from Denis in the last four years and thinks his skillset corresponds to what is necessary in a chief of staff.”

McNeill added that McDonough has returned to Georgetown to address current MSFS students.

The Georgetown University College Democrats selected Ron Klain to receive their Alumnus of the Year award last March.

Sen. Richard Lugar Joins GPPI Former Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) will join the Georgetown Public Policy Institute as a visiting distinguished professor of public policy in spring and fall 2013. Lugar lost his party’s primary while seeking re-election after serving 38 years in the Senate.

He will also give the 2013 Whittington Lecture, an annual lecture on public policy created to honor former GPPI associate dean Leslie Whittington, who died in 2001.

“Given Sen. Lugar’s distinguished career in public service and his breadth of experience, we are honored to have him join us in 2013,” GPPI dean Edward Montgomery wrote in a press release.

Former White House Staffer Brown Appointed GU’s General Counsel Acting Chief Performance Officer at the Office of Management and Budget Lisa Brown will become Georgetown’s new vice president and general counsel in March.

“I’m incredibly excited about coming to Georgetown,” Brown said in a press release. “Educating and preparing students to contribute in a global world and to actively work to make society better for those less fortunate is very appealing and is at the heart of Georgetown’s mission.”

According to the release, Brown will be on an executive management team that will address the campus master plan, globalization and the role of technology.

“Lisa Brown is a longtime public servant whose experience in the private sector and at the highest levels of the federal government will be an exceptional asset to our university,” University President John J. DeGioia said in a statement.

- Hoya Staff Report

• Formerly taught an SFS seminar • Nominee for secretary of defense

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

Free Speech Policy Limits Student Group Presence SAC Fair was renamed the Student Activities Fair this fall to reflect collaboThomas (COL ’15) was frustrated with ration between all advisory boards, the what he described as a convoluted and Georgetown University Student Associaunfair rule. tion and the Student Group Union.

“We were asked to move from the front According to DeBellis, SAC requested [of Leo’s], and the rule apparently was a separate budget for the fairs at GUSA’s that the table couldn’t hit the ground 2012 Budget Summit in order to alleviate … and it just didn’t make a lot of sense,” SAC’s burden of supporting this campusThomas said. “[It] seemed like an odd ad- wide event. ministrative method … like [they were] “We requested $10,000 and spent aplooking for a way to get us out of there.” proximately $5,500 in the fall and $4,500 Brian Saslow (MSB ’15), vice president in the spring,” DeBellis said. of marketing for Alpha Kappa Psi, agreed SAC Chair Jennifer Chiang (SFS ’15) atthat the rules seemed arbitrary. tributed the difference in the expenses to “It didn’t make sense that we weren’t space rentals. allowed to set up a table but we were al“The expenses were more or less the lowed to stand out there with our sign. It same besides the space,” Chiang said. seemed like a picky rule,” Chiang said that the Saslow said. idea of holding a spring “We should have Saslow said that he did fair was prompted by not believe that these some exposure to requests from student obstacles would siggroups. nificantly affect AKPsi’s the student body “We started the spring spring recruitment,which Student Activities Fair is mainly conducted because I believe as a response to some of through information ses- students deserve to our groups. A lot of them sions and via Facebook. wanted to promote more H*yas for Choice, anoth- hear our story.” during the middle of the er unrecognized student academic year,” Chiang group, chose not to attend DEREK EMBRY (MSB ’15), said.

Sig Ep Director of Recruitment this Student Activities Fair, DeBellis added that anticipating these sorts of the spring fair provided obstacles. extracurricular oppor“It wasn’t something we discussed at- tunities for students seeking more intending because we know the laws re- volvement in campus activities midway garding free speech zones on campus through the year. really well. We knew that if we were to “It’s a great opportunity for people who attend, we would get kicked out,” H*yas were abroad to get engaged again,” she for Choice President Kelsey Warrick (COL said. ’14) said.

However, if the Student Activities Fair Despite these hiccups, Student Activi- is not held on the front lawn or in Leavey ties Commission Vice-Chair Andi DeBel- Center, groups without access to the benlis (MSB ’14) was pleased with the event’s efits that come with university recognilocation. tion are likely to continue to experience “Leo’s was open and there wasn’t con- similar difficulties in advertising their gestion at all,” she said. organizations and recruiting members, The fair, previously and still commonly as they did this Saturday. known as the Student Activities Com“The larger issue is that just because a mission Fair, changed its affiliation last group is not affiliated with Georgetown, spring to accommodate the broadened it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the scale of the event. ability to be exposed to the same traffic as In the past, the fair was not exclusive other organizations,” Thomas said. to student groups under the SAC advisory Derek Embry (MSB ’15), Sigma Phi Epsiboard, allowing tabling by groups under lon director of recruitment, agreed. all the other advisory groups, including “We deserve to have equal treatment the Media Board, Advisory Board for Club as other groups. We should at least have Sports, Performing Arts Advisory Council some sort of exposure to the student body and the Center for Social Justice’s Adviso- because I believe that students deserve to ry Board for Student Organizations. hear our story,” Embry said.

FAIR, from A1

NEWS

THE HOYA

A7

SPEAKER’S CORNER

Linda Thomas-Greenfield U.S. State Department Director General

“Do something that is outside of your comfort zone because it may lead you to a career path that can be rewarding.”

“Trying to instill American values in my children while abroad has been extremely challenging.”

“You have to be a people person — you have to be decent to people.”

“You should see [the application process] as a campaign — most people don’t pass it the first time.

If this is something you want to do, don’t give up on it.”

ZOSIA DUNN

Special to The Hoya

Foreign Service Director General Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to students about careers in the Foreign Service in the ICC auditorium Friday afternoon.

Students asked questions about the application process and job specifics during the event, which was co-sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and the

School of Foreign Service Graduate Career Services.

Thomas-Greenfield, the current State Department director of human resources, began working for the Foreign Service in 1982, after which she served in Jamaica, Nigeria, The Gambia, Kenya, Pakistan and Switzerland. Most recently, Thomas-Greenfield served as ambassador to the Republic of Liberia from 2008 to 2012.

Thomas-Greenfield spoke

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

about her career path and encouraged students to pursue careers that would draw them out of their comfort zones.

She stressed the importance of perseverance, encouraging students to continue applying even in the face of rejection.

She described the difficulties of a career that requires moving every two years, but maintained that the ability to reinvent herself is uniquely exciting,

A8

SPORTS

THE HOYA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

MEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Revitalized Hoyas Down SJU Porter Jr. Named to

Second Wooden List

ST. JOHN’S, from A10 St. John’s freshman center Chris Obekpa was the only reason the hosts’ afternoon wasn’t even more embarrassing. The 6-foot-9 Nigeria native blocked six shots and altered several more, compensating for his team’s general inability to defend the Hoyas’ backdoor cuts and quickpassing offense.

St. John’s hit three three-pointers in the closing minutes of the game to make the final score slightly more respectable, but it wasn’t enough to mount a legitimate comeback.

Georgetown returns to Verizon Center — where it has struggled for most of this season — to face off against Providence (9-7, 1-3 Big East) tomorrow night. Thompson III has thus far deflected questions on Whittington’s status for the Providence game, but if the Hoyas play anything like they did Saturday, he won’t be needed.

PAT CURRAN

Hoya Staff Writer

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera had eight points and 10 rebounds off the bench Saturday against St. John’s.

GAME OF CHANGE

WTA Needs to Address Grunting WTA, from A10 grunting from the next generation of tennis stars. While it is laudable that steps are finally being taken to ensure that all players can compete in a fair atmosphere and that all fans can enjoy the matches, the WTA need not wait another 10 years for this protocol to take effect.

Tennis players, more so than most other athletes, are attuned to every minute motion and muscle.

They know how to angle their racquet ever so slightly to produce the perfect drop shot. They spend years perfecting their service motion, only to spend more years making adjustments to it. They hit hundreds of balls a day until they can hit a flawless forehand with their eyes closed. Tennis players have such finely tuned control over their bodies that I find it impossible to

believe they cannot adjust their breathing to avoid letting out an almighty screech every time they make contact with the ball.

The popularity of women’s tennis has grown steadily for decades, but the grunting problem has unfortunately begun to distract from the skill of the players. If the sport is losing viewers due to fans’ aversion to the common occurrences of on-court yelling, that’s a problem that needs to be solved now.

Tennis is one of the few sports in which male and female athletes receive equal pay — Wimbledon began awarding equal prize money in 2007 — and so the expectations of the game should be the same as well. Should male players take up the habit of shrieking during every point, you can be sure the Association for Tennis Professionals (the male tennis governing

body) would do something about it immediately. To be fair, some male tennis players have also been known to exhale audibly, but the volume and frequency of the grunts are much lower and therefore less distracting.

I would like to watch a major tournament without hearing commentators mentioning how the players sound. I would like to see coverage of the tournaments without a single video montage of women yelling as they power the ball across the court. For as long as I can remember, the issue of grunting has clung stubbornly to women’s tennis. It’s time for that to change.

Maybe then we can get back to focusing solely on the game.

Laura Wagner is a sophomore in the College. GAME OF CHANGE appears every Tuesday.

NATALIA ORTIZ/THE HOYA

Junior forward Steve Neumann had a hand in all three of his team’s goals Saturday, turning in a performance very much worthy of the all-Big East honoree that he is.

Snoh Provides Game-Winner

Georgetown sophomore Otto Porter Jr.’s sharp rise to national prominence continued last weekend when the star forward was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list.

Named for legendary UCLA coach John Wooden and administered by the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the award has been bestowed on the top men’s basketball player in the country each year since 1977, as well as on the top women’s player since 2004.

No Georgetown player has ever won.

Porter Jr. is averaging 13.3 points and 7.7 rebounds through 14 games this season. He leads the Hoyas in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocked shots per game, and is second in assists per game. Even though Porter has been somewhat inconsistent on offense this season, the award’s advisory board likely included him on the midseason watch list because of his rebounding talent and importance to the vaunted Georgetown defense.

The list includes four other Big East players: Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams, Notre Dame’s Jack Cooley, Cincinnati’s Sean Kilpatrick and Louisville’s Russ Smith.

While Porter Jr.’s importance to Georgetown is hard to overstate, he remains a long shot to win the Wooden Award barring a spectacular Big East season. Michigan’s Trey Burke, Duke’s Mason Plumlee and Creighton’s Doug McDermott, among others, appear to be the current favorites for the award, which is announced during the Final Four.

The watch list announcement is only the latest spotlight to shine on Porter Jr., who in the last two years has gone from a hidden gem in high school to one of the most lauded college athletes in the country.

As a high school star in rural southeast Missouri, the 6-foot-8 forward elected not to play AAU basketball and subsequently flew under the radar before committing to

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. has a lot of competition and a lot of work to do to bring home the award.

Georgetown in the spring of 2011.

Even last year, as an important role player on a nationally ranked team, Porter Jr. was inexplicably left off the Big East all-rookie squad at the end of the year.

Stellar performances at two highlevel basketball camps last summer vaulted Porter Jr. into the lottery on most NBA mock drafts, subsequently drawing the national media’s eye to the quiet sophomore for the first time. The Hoyas’ impressive 10-1 start — including a brilliant performance in the nationally televised Legends Classic — only fueled the hype around Porter Jr. While Porter Jr. and the team as a whole have struggled of late, both returned to form in Saturday’s win at St. John’s, where the star forward scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in his best game of 2012-13.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

THE HOYA

A9

TURNING TWO IN THE 202

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

No. 2 ND Up Next for GU New MLB Agreement

An Injustice to Free Agents

CAROLYN MAGUIRE Hoya Staff Writer

Coming off an 86-56 blowout loss at the hands of Syracuse, the Georgetown women’s basketball team (10-6, 1-2 Big East) faces a tough opponent in No. 2 Notre Dame (14-1, 3-0 Big East) against whom it will try to turn things around Friday in South Bend, Ind. And while the host Irish enter tonight’s contest riding a nine-game winning streak — the longest in the Big East — the Hoyas are now losers of two in a row.

“I am kind of disappointed at the Syracuse loss — I don’t think that we played as we usually play,” Head Coach Keith Brown said. “If we can play hard, I think things will take care of themselves. … In the Big East, you are going to go through these stretches. I would rather go through them early than late because if we go on a run late, we won’t even remember these [losses].”

Notre Dame, coming off of a 71-46 rout of Rutgers, boasts a strong record that includes notable wins over No. 3 Connecticut and No. 12 Purdue, with its only blemish a loss against No. 1 Baylor.

“Notre Dame is going to be Notre Dame,” Brown said.

“Notre Dame is one of the best teams in the country.

The stars have to be aligned, [and] all of our kids have to play well for us to come out of there with a win, because it is extremely difficult to play in South Bend.”

The matchup pits two of the premier guards of the Big East — and the country as a whole — against each other. Georgetown will once again turn to senior guard and Big East leading scorer Sugar Rodgers to set the tone, while the Irish will look to All-American senior point guard Skylar Diggins.

Rodgers currently leads the largely one-dimensional Hoyas in many statistics, averaging 25.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game thus far on the season, in addition to 52 total assists and 57 steals.

“Sugar can get 20 in her sleep. Everyone gears up to stop her,” Brown said.

Diggins likewise leads her squad in a number of key categories, including assists and scoring, but the Irish are a noticeably deeper team. Junior guard Kayla McBride, junior guard Natalie Achonwa and freshman guard Jewell Loyd are among Big East leaders in scoring, as all three average over 13 points a contest. “[Diggins] is one of the best players, but [Notre Dame] has [a few] of the best players in the country on their team, and she is just a piece of that. I think that stopping [Diggins] is difficult, but we do a pretty good job with her,” Brown

W

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

Senior guard Sugar Rodgers led the Hoyas in rebounding against the Orange, not a good sign for GU’s front line. said. “She actually is not doing a whole lot of scoring right now — she is actually being [more of] a facilitator, so we just want to put a lot of pressure on her.”

Georgetown will have to control the boards — something they have struggled to do all season — against Notre Dame in order to stand a real chance. Currently, the Irish lead the Big East in rebounding margin,

“I am concerned with doing what we do. If we do what we do, [...] we will be fine.”

KEITH BROWN Women’s basketball head coach

outrebounding their opponents by an average of 11.1 per game. The Hoyas, meanwhile, are being outrebounded by an average of 0.5 per game.

“One of the things we tell [senior center] Sydney [Wilson] is not so much score for us but just be aggressive. If she is being aggressive, she will rebound the basketball,” Brown said. “We have to get more rebounds out of Sydney. Sugar is leading us in rebounding, [and] she is doing that from the twospot. So our bigs — everyone who goes in there — has to

do a better job rebounding.”

The turnover-prone Hoyas will also have to make a note of protecting the ball against the Irish’s tough defense. Thus far this season, Notre Dame forces 22.9 turnovers per game on average, nine more than their opponents.

“I just think that we are young. If we stop being tentative and start being strong with the ball, I think [the turnovers] will take care of themselves,” Brown said. “I think sometimes they don’t want to make mistakes, and when you are trying not to make a mistake, that is when you [actually] make mistakes. We have to get to the point where we stop thinking about every single thing and start playing.”

Despite Notre Dame’s impressive resume, then, Brown said that the Blue and Gray will not be fazed. “[I expect us to] play hard, to capitalize on their mistakes, minimize our mistakes, for us to get up and down the floor and for us to execute what we do. I am concerned about us doing what we do,” Brown said.

“If we do what we do — if we defend, rebound and share the ball — we will be fine.

Those things have a way of taking care of themselves.”

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. tonight in South Bend.

ith recent lockouts taking place in But while the new system is incredibly detrithe NHL, NBA and NFL just in the mental to some players, it is beneficial to othpast two years, baseball fans can be ers. Another part of the new rules states that thankful that Major League Baseball’s future players traded midseason are ineligible to be ofwill remain secure through the 2016 season. It fered qualifying offers at season’s end. Starting is old news today, but as the league concludes pitchers like Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez its first full year under its new collective bar- were hot commodities this winter, signing gaining agreement agreed to by the players lucrative deals with the Los Angeles Dodgers and owners in November 2011, certain players for six years and $147 million and the Detroit —like pitchers Kyle Lohse and Rafael Soriano — Tigers for five years, $80 million, respectively. have fallen victim to a collection of new rules.

Although Greinke was arguably the top free MLB adopted in 2012 a more restrictive agent available and likely unsusceptible to the policy to its first-year player draft similar to effects on the signing team’s draft flexibility the NBA’s and NFL’s slotting systems, limiting anyway, it is conceivable that the price might teams’ ability to spend in what was previously not have reached $147 million with the threat a free market. Instead of allowing teams to pay of collateral damage to the signing team’s draft. as much as they want for their drafted players, Sanchez, however, embodies an excellent MLB now assigns a specific price comparison to what could have been for each pick. Teams may still for Lohse had he not been eligible to exceed those “recommended” receive a qualifying offer, as well as prices but face significant sancan appropriate demonstration of the tions — such as the loss of future new CBA rules in action. draft picks — if they exceed the Based on both Sanchez’s and overall allotted cash pool for Lohse’s 2012 performances, it is imtheir collection of picks. possible to argue that Sanchez was In other words, retaining significantly more deserving of the draft picks and therefore encontract he received, and actually, abling a greater salary cap for the opposite case can be made. UsPreston Barclay draft picks has become vital. ing traditional statistics, Lohse’s Teams are forced to change earned run average was a full run their drafting and free agency better, 2.86 to Sanchez’s 3.86, while strategies, as losing draft picks Losing draft picks his walks and hits per innings is now significantly less attracchecked in at 1.09 against is now significant- pitched tive than in the past.

1.27 for Sanchez. Although Sanchez So how does that affect playly less attractive bested Lohse in strikeouts (167 to ers such as Lohse and Soriano?

143), the difference is not huge, sugthan in the past. gesting Lohse had a slightly better Other than violating the draft salary cap, the only other way 2012 season. for teams to relinquish draft picks is via free Although it is also impossible to ignore age agency, by signing players who were offered (Sanchez will be 29 on Opening Day, while “qualifying offers” — one year and $13.3 mil- Lohse will be 34), consistency (Sanchez’s career lion this offseason — from their teams after the ERA of 3.75 versus Lohse’s of 4.45 — though conclusion of the 2012 season. If the player re- stronger recently), and prospect pedigree (Sanjects the offer, any new team with which they chez had a strong reputation as a minor league sign loses a first-round draft pick (or second, if player with excellent potential), surely Lohse the team picks in the top 10 in the first round) could reasonably have expected to land a deal and money from their draft pool, and the play- of three to five years at an average annual saler’s old team will receive the pick and money ary from $12-16 million per year, especially as well. As a result, teams immediately target given the constant demand for quality starting other players that did not receive qualifying of- pitching. fers from their old teams to avoid the penalties.

Lohse’s likelihood of landing such a deal, Players like Soriano and Lohse (the latter of which he expected when he turned down a whom has claimed he has not received an of- one-year pact at $13.3 million with the Carfer of any kind this winter), who are both de- dinals, however, now appears increasingly serving of lucrative long-term deals given their unlikely. It is evident that the combination of track records and phenomenal 2012 seasons, new rules regarding the draft and free agency now have significantly less leverage in contract has limited the market for Lohse’s services and negotiations with teams and thus remain un- serves as an injustice in comparison to some of signed. While it’s hard to imagine that players his fellow free agent counterparts. of their caliber will remain idle come opening day, as injuries and failed trade negotiations Preston Barclay s a junior in the McDonough surface, they will likely sign deals for signifi- School of Business TURNING TWO IN THE 202 cantly less than they originally anticipated. appears every Tuesday.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Brown Looking to Wilson, White to Help Stop Skid SYRACUSE, from A10 mistakes, that is when you make mistakes. make mistakes, we’ve got to get to the point where we stop thinking about everything and just play.”

Junior forward Andrea White has averaged 10.7 points and 5.4 boards this season but came up with only four points and three boards against the Orange. Similarly, senior center Sydney Wilson was well under her season averages of 7.1 points and 5.5 boards, recording only four and one, respectively.

Needless to say, the Blue and Gray cannot afford to allow those types of performances to con-

tinue.

“Andrea has done a good job, but she has had nagging injuries, so she hasn’t been at 100 percent for about a month and a half,” Brown said.

“We need Sydney to step up — she’s 6’6” in the middle — [and] when Sydney plays well, we play well. If Sydney plays better, we play better.”

Luckily, Brown and his players will have another shot at Syracuse when the Orange travel to McDonough on Feb. 12.

“To say that this loss hurt would not be the right word. The word I would use is that it bothered me a great deal,” Brown said. “It hadn’t been a rivalry — we won seven in a row and had beaten them the last four years — but we look forward

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SPORTS

BASKETBALL Hoyas (11-3) vs. Providence (9-7) Wednesday, 7 p.m.

Verizon Center

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2013

COMMENTARY

TALKING POINTS

Columnist Preston Barclay examines the ramifications of MLB’s new CBA. See A9

NUMBERS GAME

“

HOLLANDER

” 0

We can lose to anybody else, but losing to Syracuse is a sin.

Women’s basketball Head Coach Keith Brown

Number of minutes played by sophomore Greg Whittington Saturday. The guard was suspended for violating team rules.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Rebounds Hoyas Bounce Back in the Big Apple Pace GU In Victory A PAT CURRAN

Hoya Staff Writer

fter falling in its first two Big East games, contests marred by horrendous shooting, Georgetown headed to New York Saturday in need of a pick-me-up. It got one by easily dispatching St. John’s 67-51 in a less-than-half-full Madison Square Garden.

While offensive woes were the storyline going into the game — Georgetown failed to crack 40 percent from the floor against Marquette and Pittsburgh — the tale of the tape against St. John’s was about a different matter: rebounding.

The Hoyas outgrabbed the Johnnies 42-28, an effort that looks better considering that sophomore forward Greg Whittington, who has been averaging seven boards a game, sat out due to an unspecified violation of team rules.

In 14 games, the Blue and Gray have averaged 33.5 rebounds per game. But in its three losses, the team has done considerably worse. Georgetown snagged 21 rebounds against Indiana, 25 against Marquette and just 20 against Pittsburgh.

That allowed the Hoosiers and Golden Eagles nine more opportunities apiece, while the Panthers got seven more possessions off the glass.

That may not explain the shellacking that Head Coach John Thompson III’s team received at the hands of the Jamie Dixon-coached Panthers, but the rebounding figures should give pause to

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Junior point guard Markel Starks (5) had 17 points in a game-high 36 minutes Saturday at the Garden.

All that Georgetown needed to soothe its offensive woes was another trip to the concrete jungle.

Georgetown (11-3, 1-2 Big East), unranked for the first time since Nov. 26, avoided a three-game losing streak by dominating St. John’s (9-7, 1-3 Big East) from wire to wire in a 67-51 blowout at Madison Square Garden Saturday.

“Our guys responded today up and down the line. We had energy, enthusiasm and communication with each other,” Head Coach John Thompson III told ESPN. “We played well. It was fun.”

Sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr. scored 19 points and added 14 rebounds, and junior guard Markel Starks added 17 points for the Hoyas, who improved to 3-1 in four games in New York City this season.

The only loss came in overtime at the hands of then-No. 1 Indiana at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Georgetown’s victory was convincing in its own right — the Hoyas took a 23-point lead in the first half and smothered their hosts on defense all night — but was all the more impressive considering the situation. The Blue and Gray had failed to score 50 points in each of their previous conference games, while St. John’s is notoriously tough at Madison Square Garden. Georgetown sophomore

and second-leading scorer Greg Whittington, meanwhile, was suspended for Saturday’s game due to an undisclosed violation of team rules.

None of that seemed to matter Saturday. Porter Jr. compensated for his classmate’s absence on the boards, Starks found his threepoint range once again and the much-maligned bench chipped in a combined 15 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. 6-foot-3 freshman guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera pulled down 10 boards on his own, contributing to the Hoyas’ plus-15 advantage in that category.

Playing at home and coming off a huge win over then-No. 14 Cincinnati, St. John’s could do no right against a re-energized Georgetown squad, especially in the first half.

The Red Storm was sloppy on offense — at one point going four minutes without a field goal — and downright awful on defense, giving up 36 first-half points. The margin was wide enough that Georgetown junior guard John Caprio, who usually enters the game only at the end of a blowout, saw action in the first half.

“We just played defense. No tricks. No gimmicks,” Starks told ESPN. “You have your teammates’ back. ... We’re a good defensive team, but we have to keep getting better.”

See ST. JOHN’S, A8

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Georgetown Embarrassed by Rival Syracuse DILLON MULLAN Hoya Staff Writer

Evan Hollander those who believe the Hoyas’ lackluster scoring will hinder the team in conference play.

It’s easy to see why sitting 261st in the nation in points per game is a concern. While a pithy response might be that “defense wins championships,” there are more sophisticated reasons to believe that Georgetown’s offense is not as much of a problem as many think.

Except for the Panthers, the Hoyas have held all of their opponents to under 50 percent from the floor. In fact, Georgetown actually outshot Marquette from the field, but the Golden Eagles were able to overcome the Blue and Gray at the charity stripe.

If you hold offensive and defensive efficiency equal, three factors — rebounds, fouls and free throws — become the key to determining who wins and who loses.

That assessment is still not all sweetness and light for Georgetown, however. Despite its length, the Hoyas have a frontcourt that seems light on rebounding and heavy on fouling.

The worst performer has been junior center Mikael Hopkins, who has not scored in double figures for over a month. In those last six games, Hopkins has more fouls (18) than he has rebounds (nine). Instead of creating opportunities for his squad to score, he has given opponents a freebie at the charity stripe.

Junior forward Nate Lubick and sophomore forwards Otto Porter Jr. and Whittington have made more meaningful contributions in the frontcourt although Lubick and Whittington are both foul-prone.

This all screams for Thompson III to emphasize the fundamentals over the shooting percentage. Georgetown’s stifling defense allows for a lower-octane offense. But there is little room for too many fouls or missed shots that end up in the opponents’ hands. Fix those things, and this team will prosper.

The women’s basketball team (10-6, 1-2 Big East) made its final trip to the Carrier Dome for a Big East contest this past Saturday and left upstate New York with a disappointing 86-56 blowout loss. The Hoyas kept it close in the first half, down only 34-30 at the whistle, but the Orange (14-1, 2-0 Big East) hung an impressive 52 points on them after the break.

That the loss came against a fierce rival, Head Coach Keith Brown explained, only made it hurt that much more.

“I don’t think this group understands what the last group did, [which is] we don’t lose to Syracuse,” a disappointed Brown said.

“We can lose to anybody else, but to lose to Syracuse is a sin. It’s an embarrassment to the University to lose to Syracuse — that is how serious that rivalry is between us on the men’s side, but on the girls’ side, it’s even worse.”

While shooting guard Sugar Rodgers was held under 20 points for the first time all season — she still led the team with 17 but shot just 5-21 from the field — Brown was quick to defend his star.

“Everybody played bad. That’s

“I don’t think we played as hard as we usually play. I’m not worried about Sugar she can get 20 [points] in her sleep.”

KEITH BROWN Women’s basketball head coach

one of those games that you play and throw it out the window, don’t even look at the tape,” Brown said.

“I don’t think we played as hard as we usually play. I’m not worried about Sugar — she can get 20 [points] in her sleep.”

Georgetown was outrebounded

54-38 in the loss and tallied only seven assists to Syracuse’s 21. Rodgers led the Hoyas in rebounding with nine; no matter how impressive it is for a 5-foot-11 guard to lead a team in rebounding, though, the statistic speaks volumes about the deficiencies in the supporting cast, who will undoubtedly have to come up with larger contributions if Georgetown is to be dancing come March.

But while the rebounding and assists numbers were poor, it was the 23 turnovers that plagued the Hoyas the most on Saturday, as Syracuse was able to press all game long and take Georgetown out of its offensive rhythm.

“What we have to do is stop being so tentative. A lot of the 1-2-2 presses that they run we actually invented here at Georgetown, and now other schools are doing it,” Brown said. “Sometimes they don’t want to make mistakes, and when you’re trying not to make See SYRACUSE, A9

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

Senior center Sydney Wilson will need to step up to avoid such results in the future.

GAME OF CHANGE

Tennis Background Noise Coming to Forefront

G

et out your earplugs and prepare to press the mute button: The Australian Open is here.

Four times a year, people across the world are captivated by the drama of the Grand Slam tournaments that play out on the tennis courts in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York City. The anticipation and prestige of these events are unrivaled, and the competition is always at its highest level.

Unfortunately, another thing that is always at its highest level is the screeching of a few female tennis players.

World No. 2 and infamous grunter Maria Sharapova won her opening match Monday against fellow Russian Olga Puchkova 6-0, 6-0. Though the

match only lasted a merciful 55 min- their unnecessarily loud grunting, but utes, Sharapova made her presence no action has been taken to fix the isknown not only with her aggressive sue. And though the problem is not new, it is worsening, with play but also through her fans — as well as players — typical noisy grunts. now grumbling about the While superstars like earsplitting shrieks echoing Sharapova and world No. from the courts.

1 Victoria Azarenka have Because tennis is a game received the brunt of the of tradition and etiquette, criticism in recent years, the officials have been slow to decibel problem is far more reprimand even the most widespread and dates back egregious offenders. Chair to the 1960s, when players complained about the vol- Laura Wagner umpires can award a point if a player gives a celebratory ume of American tennis star yell before their opponent Victoria Palmer. Through the years, players like Monica Seles, Anna has had a chance to make a play on Kournikova, and Venus and Serena the ball (as was the case in Serena WilWilliams have all been criticized for liam’s loss to Samantha Stosur in the

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2011 U.S. Open final). However, there are no sweeping rules that ban or even limit the amount or volume of grunting allowed in a match.

Though top players such as Agnieszka Radwanksa, Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic have publicly spoken out against the epidemic, it appears that the complaints from fans finally motivated the Women’s Tennis Association to address the decades-old issue.

Regrettably, officials are still not doing enough. The plan that the WTA put forth calls on youth coaches to teach their pupils correct breathing techniques so as to eliminate See WTA, A8