The Hoya: March 1, 2013

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

SPRING FASHION · · · ·

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 94, No. 36, © 2013

FRIday, march 1, 2013

From preppy accessories to classic frocks, see the best looks for spring

EDITORIAL The oft-bemoaned MSB curve gives students boost in job market.

A6 and A7

Off-Campus Discipline Crackdown Imminent

Campus Bracesfor Sequester

Post-spring break initiative to drive social life on campus

Negotiations today to spell fate of student aid

Penny Hung

Hoya Staff Writer

CHRIS ZAWORA

Special to The Hoya

See SEQUESTER, A9

BEAT ’CUSE, PART 2 Look inside for a sign to bring along to the March 9 rematch with the Orange.

OPINION, A2

GUIDE, G5

Without successful negotiations between President Obama and Congress today to prevent sequestration, spending cuts intended to save the government $85 billion will begin automatically as a result of the “fiscal cliff” deal reached in January.

Congress failed to find a solution Thursday, and today’s meeting is not expected to produce any meaningful results, according to the Washington Post. Instead, politicians are looking toward preventing the government from shutting down on March 27.

The spending reduction is expected to have widespread consequences for the nation as a whole and the District of Columbia in particular. The cuts will be split evenly between defense and non-defense government programs, with such essential services as Medicare and Social Security protected from the automatic cuts.

Education programs will inevitably help bear the brunt of the cutbacks, and Federal Work Study and the Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant, two financial aid programs for college students, are vulnerable to these cuts.

According to a factsheet from the White House, the cuts will affect about 500 fewer students in D.C. receiving college aid and approximately 510 fewer receiving work-study.

However, Associate Vice President for Federal Relations

SPRING BREAK The Hoya will resume print March 15. Check for updates at thehoya.com.

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS BIEN/THE HOYA

Famed for eating boxes at basketball games, Jack the Bulldog will make his final appearance at the Syracuse game March 9.

Syracuse Last Hurrah for Jack Meghan Patzer Hoya Staff Writer

After 10 years of eating boxes at Verizon Center to the delight of Hoya faithful, Jack the Bulldog will retire from his mascot duties March 9 after the men’s basketball team faces off against Syracuse.

Jack’s caretaker, Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J., lives with both Jack and his protégé, Jack Jr., in his New South Hall residence.

Jack’s trademark of responding to cheers of “eat that box!” was unintentional, according to Steck.

“I sort of just happened to find out how much Jack loves ripping boxes apart,” Steck said. “I used to use my leftover brownie boxes from Thursday night mass for him, and initially I was the one painting them for every game until finally students on Jack’s Crew took over those duties.”

Jack arrived on campus during

the summer of 2003 in response to a student campaign to bring back a tradition of bulldog mascots that had been discontinued in the 1960s. The original Jack was inducted in 1962, thanks to the efforts of Stan Samorajczyk (C ’64) and John Feldmann, who sold bulldog shares, ran dances and staged an exhibition basketball game to raise the $150 needed to buy the first bulldog. Though students logically thought the mascot should be named Hoya, the show dog, previously named “Lil-Nan’s Royal Jacket,” would only respond to “Jack,” and the name stuck.

The second Jack, who first began his mascot duties in 1968, was not officially replaced.

Hoya Blue co-founders Michael Boyle (MSB ’00) and Austin Martin (COL ’99), along with Senior Class Committee member Kathleen Long (COL ’99) and then See JACK, A5

The university is planning a crackdown on rowdy off-campus parties after spring break, outgoing GUSA President Clara Gustafson (SFS ‘13) confirmed.

“It’s not that the university is going to OLIVIA HEWITT/THE HOYA be stricter, per se, but they’re going to enforce the rules that already exist,” Gus- The Georgetown Community Partnership tafson said. “It’s not a policy change.” has mandated a reduction in local noise.

The crackdown honors a pledge to neighbors to refocus student socializing ing the university’s dual standard for dison campus. The Georgetown Community cipline on and off campus and neighbors’ Partnership, formed in June as a solution discontent with student presence in the to contentious campus plan negotiations, area.

“The writing was on the wall, especially made noise reduction and decreased offwith the ‘clear and convincing’ ruling apcampus parties a top priority.

Vice President for Student Affairs Todd plying to on-campus and not off-campus Olson did not respond to repeated requests housing, the neighbors voicing their concerns and just the way things have been for comment.

Student Advocacy Office senior advocate going,” Petallides said.

Constantine Petallides (SFS ’13) was unsurSee CRACKDOWN, A5 prised by news of the crackdown, referenc-

$63,860

For Second Consecutive Year, Corp Posts Profits $44,346

$20,783 $15,620

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Just over half of The Corp’s services posted a profit in fiscal year 2012. While the company was profitable overall last year, its net income faced a significant drop from fiscal year 2011 because of poor investment performance. See story on A9.

February Sees Highest Assault Rate on Record

New Leaders for Corp, GUASFCU

Lily Westergaard

The new leaders of Georgetown’s two largest student-run companies, Students of Georgetown Inc. and the Georgetown University Alumni

sexual in nature.

Despite the assault spike, crime figures were lower overall last month, Georgetown’s Department of Public with 40 total reported incidents, comSafety reported eight cases of assault pared to the previous February, in this February — the most on record which 58 incidents were reported, repsince DPS started posting crime num- resenting a decline of 31 percent. However, the bers on its number of website Total Assaults Sexual Assaults reported in 2009 incidents — in adwas higher dition to Feb. 2013 0 8 than this a continJ a n u a r y, 1 4 ued string Feb. 2012 when 33 of dorm 2 0 were reb u r g l a r- Feb. 2011 ported. ies and an 3 2 Thefts o f f - c a m - Feb. 2010 were down pus bur- Feb. 2009 3 1 from 26 glary atin Februtempt last Oct. 2009 6 0 ary 2012 month.

Seven October 2009 former high on record and 14 last month. of the assault incidents were between students Drug and alcohol violations remained and one was between two university constant, with three drug cases in employees, but none involved sexual both February of both years. One assault. October 2009 featured the alcohol violation was reported this former record number of reported assaults with six, of which none was See CRIME, A5

Hoya Staff Writer

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

Bebe Albornoz & Natasha Khan

Hoya Staff Writer & Special to The Hoya

and Student Federal Credit Union, will begin their terms today.

Both Lizzy MacGill (COL ’14), who was selected as the next CEO of The Corp, and Chris Kelly (COL ’14), the new CEO of GUASFCU, list improvements to customer satisfaction as top priorities.

“I really want to focus on custom-

LEFT: SARAH LIPKIN FOR THE HOYA; RIGHT: REBECCA GOLDBERG/THE HOYA

Lizzy MacGill (COL ’14), left, and Chris Kelly (COL ’14), right, will take the top jobs at The Corp and GUASFCU, respectively, today.

Published Tuesdays and Fridays

er satisfaction and overall quality,” MacGill said of her coming promotion at The Corp. “We have made strides this year, but there is still so much more to be done.”

MacGill started out as a barista at Uncommon Grounds after joining The Corp in the second week of her freshman year and later became director of UG. She also served on the company’s Service and Outreach Committee.

Kelly specified improvements to bank processes and competitiveness as priorities in addition to improvements to client satisfaction.

“We’re definitely looking to focus on growing our loan portfolio along with rolling out a new fleet of convenient products for our members,” Kelly said, citing GUASFCU’s new ATM in Hoya Snaxa and the introduction of remote deposit capture, which allows customers to deposit checks electronically.

“The constant goal for the credit union is to remain competitive with not only other credit unions, but larger commercial banks as well, and I think we’re doing a lot of things toward this end,” Kelly added.

See LEADERSHIP, A9

Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com

A2

OPINION

THE HOYA

FRIday, march 1, 2013

C Founded January 14, 1920

C Demand for Disclosure C C C EDITORIALS

GUSA senators are tuned in to the student experience in part through their participation in organizations on campus, an exemplar of representative government. But while giving voice to different groups is democratic, voting with those self-interests in mind can be a perilous process.

There is no serious problem with corruptive bias in the Georgetown University Student Association, but GUSA still has an interest in developing a greater culture of disclosure and transparency.

It would be unreasonable to demand that every GUSA senator make student government his only extracurricular commitment. More importantly, it would hurt GUSA’s credibility. It is important for GUSA members to be involved with and knowledgeable of other groups on campus in order to foster awareness, responsiveness and accountability.

However, last week’s news involving a GUSA candidate’s involvement in a secret society indicated that many students care about their representatives’ organizational affiliations. Simply requiring GUSA senators to disclose all of their

campus group affiliations on the GUSA website would be useful to ensuring transparency in voting without being intrusive or cumbersome.

Another progressive step for transparency would involve establishing a standard for recusal. If a GUSA senator is heavily involved with a group affected by a particular bill under discussion or stands to gain significantly by the bill’s outcome, he or she should abstain from voting.

GUSA already moderates senator bias by maintaining a separate committee to manage the GUSA Fund, yet many other GUSA bills relate to student groups. Voting practices — the difference between abstaining and voting “present,” for example — remain without clarification. A standardized procedure would feature an expectation that students not participate in votes from which they could uniquely stand to benefit.

Last week’s campus debate on affiliations was an encouraging sign that students care about the ethical practices and influences in GUSA. Now, wary of that relevance, it is essential that GUSA address potential conflicts of interest by establishing norms of disclosure.

A Curve That Works It is difficult to evaluate the merit of a grading curve in undergraduate institutions. While certainly a useful way of preventing grade inflation, it brings up larger issues of the nature of grading and what aspects of a student’s performance should be weighed most.

Should students be assessed on the personal value of their achievements or how much more they have achieved than their fellow students?

Depending on the academic program under consideration, the answer varies. In the case of the undergraduate program in the McDonough School of Business, however, a strict grading curve is appropriate.

Implemented in 2009, the policy dictates that the average GPA of students earned in a core class cannot exceed a 3.3. The MSB is the only one of Georgetown’s four undergraduate schools with an established, across-the-board grading curve.

However, it is also the school that is most voca-

THE VERDICT Jack’s Last Supper — March 9 marks Jack the Bulldog’s last eat-that-box at a Verizon Center basketball game.

Hoyas in the Cabinet — The Senate confirmed Jack Lew (LAW ’83) and Chuck Hagel, SFS professor, this week as Secretary of the treasury and secretary of the defense, respectively.

Double Digits — Men’s basketball celebrated its 10th straight win in a dramatic double overtime victory over UConn Wednesday night.

Ten Thousand for Georgetown — Participation in the 1634 Society’s “One for Georgetown” campaign exceeded 50 percent, guaranteeing an additional $10,000 gift from an anonymous donor.

More Bikes in the District — As part of D.C.’s continuing effort to expand the Capital Bikeshare program, Mayor Vincent Gray has committed to nearly double the number of bike lanes in the city as part of his Sustainable D.C. Plan.

A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD US ... @GtownNHS Feb. 26 @thehoya covered the upcoming trip to Japan of Dean Martin Iguchi as part of Japanese American Leadership Delegation. @MethHeadMovie Feb. 26 @Georgetown @thehoya hoping to see lots of folks from GU at #themethheadmovie #premiere DCIFF @SeaMauGue Feb. 26 BREAKING: The back of my head is on the front page of @thehoya and it is #ridiculous @ ErinMeadors Feb. 27 How bout that double OT win?! @georgetownhoyas @thehoyasports #HoyaSaxa #WeAreGeorgetown

tional in nature, and given that a majority of students decide to specialize in a select few majors — accounting and finance — and the intensity of the well-established and systemized recruitment process for upperclassmen, it makes sense to have a system that emphasizes differences between students and their rank.

The curve may not always be fair, as it operates on the incorrect assumption that all core classes are of a similar level of difficulty. And due to the small differences between the median and high achievers, small mistakes make big differences in grades. Nonetheless, it is the best way to help students stand out to potential employers. It is a reason business employers often cite for continuing to recruit so heavily at Georgetown. They respect the level of achievement demanded by the curve and know that the students they choose truly are the best and the brightest.

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Arturo Altamirano

Tracing Lab Fee Funds Tracing to which program and in whose pocket the small fortunes each undergraduate pays to attend Georgetown end up is nearly impossible. And with the cost of attendance for the 20122013 academic year nearing $60,000, it is easy to resent this ambiguity.

Lab fees, a supplemental cost charged to students taking certain kinds of courses in arts, languages and sciences, however, are small and limited enough to track. Revamping the system would allow students to see where that portion of their tuition goes.

For classes within the art department, the lab fees collected do not necessarily go toward paying for the supplies used in the class in which the student has enrolled. Rather, the money gets placed into a department-wide pool that is then redistributed and allocated among art classes.

Because the money is not given solely to the class in which a student is enrolled, it may be the case that students in a class that does not require extensive use of supplemental materials are paying for the supplies in a different, more equipment-heavy class. Students in a drawing class that sketch still lifes may not have anything

purchased for them with their lab fees, while students in a graphic design course have all their materials — including expensive paper and ink — paid for by others.

Students who choose a certain artistic specialty should not have to base it on the financial cost. It is unfair to simply charge graphic design students more than a student specializing in drawing, for example. Perhaps it isn’t wrong to charge all students an equal fee and have classes subsidize each other. Perhaps this system does indeed ensure that the funds are spent most effectively and responsibly. However, there should be some degree of openness.

Having a rough outline on MyAccess during pre-registration of how the professors plan to use the lab fees could create more transparency and accountability for the department and show students where exactly their money is going.

This policy would be simple to implement and would not necessarily impose restrictions on how department heads spend the funds. It would just hold them more accountable to the decisions they make.

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 Steven Piccione, Lauren Weber, Emory Wellman

Penny Hung Eitan Sayag Ted Murphy Will Edman Arik Parnass Josh Simmons Kim Bussing Nicole Jarvis Emily Manbeck David Chardack Shannon Reilly Sean Sullivan Katherine Berk Chris Grivas Erica Wong Jessica Natinsky Kennedy Shields Ian Tice 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 Copy Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Layout 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

CORRECTION The headline of the story “D.C. Reads Protests School Closures” (A1, Feb. 26, 2013) incorrectly stated that the organization participated in the protest. Students who were involved in the organization D.C. Reads did protest, but the organization itself did not organize or endorse the demonstration.

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 Kevin Tian, Director of Technology Natasha Patel Glenn Russo Martha DiSimone Nitya Rajendran Jonathan Rabar John Bauke Molly Lynch Pauline Huynh Esteban Garcia Addie Fleron Preston Marquis Taylor Doaty Brian Carden Eric Isdaner Simon Wu Sean Nolan

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 Professional Development Manager Institutional Diversity Manager Local Advertisements 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

friday, mARCH 1, 2013

ENGAGING BIOETHICS

THE HOYA

A3

VIEWPOINT • Davis

A Campaign for Hope S Maggie Little

A Field Without Apology ‘I

am sorry.” These are the words we want to hear when someone has done something wrong to us — especially if he or she has seriously hurt us.

To face someone who refuses to acknowledge his or her mistakes, and the harm that was caused, compounds the original wrong and undermines any future trust we might hope to have in him or her.

Yet when physicians and hospitals commit errors, “I’m sorry” is often the last thing that patients hear. Medical mistakes are often not even disclosed to patients.

Even — or especially — when those mistakes are deadly. The Institute of Medicine identifies medical error as the sixthleading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing an estimated 98,000 people each year.

There are many reasons that medical apologies are rare. Physicians feel ashamed and scared. They are often told to stay silent by medical lawyers trying to protect against liability risk. And they aren’t taught how to apologize, which isn’t easy to do when the people you hurt are the people you meant to help. Doctors are trained in many skills, like how to intubate a patient or how to calibrate medication dosing. But they are not trained in how to apologize.

This is a problem. Because if anything is certain in medicine, it is this: Every doctor will make mistakes that end up harming someone. Not because they are incompetent or don’t care, but because they are caring for so many. Even the best doctors, like the best cab drivers, will cause an accident some day, for the simple reason

Medical error is the sixth-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. that they are out there day after day, logging mile after mile, and humans aren’t perfect.

More than that, many doctors work in hospitals or clinical settings that are woefully underequipped in basic quality control. As Atul Gawande, a physician who has long advocated admitting to errors in medicine, has pointed out, quality control systems common to other industries, from aviation to the restaurant industry, have evaded the medical profession.

Whatever the root causes of medical error, though, apology needs to become a critical part of its aftermath.

Change is coming. Thirty-six states now have laws that encourage medical apology by offering some form of protection for those who engage in it, usually by insuring that the apology itself cannot be used against the physician if a suit is brought.

Such laws are a critical step forward.

But the real change has to be a cultural one. Apology needs to be seen as a sign of caring, not a sign of weakness. If airlines can apologize when a flight has been delayed, doctors should be able to apologize when a surgery goes awry.

In the meantime, it turns out that good apologies are also good business. Hospitals across the country who have moved from deny-and-defend stances to policies endorsing early apology and restitution have found dramatic reductions in lawsuit payouts. One hospital system in Michigan saw its lawsuit payoffs decrease by 60 percent after instituting a policy that mandated immediate reporting of error, trained practitioners in communication and medical apology and supported practitioners who did apologize.

They are also good for health care practitioners. As Lucian Leape — a physician who has been at the vanguard of advocacy for disclosure and apology in medicine — has argued, a culture that precludes physicians from apologizing can be traumatizing for health care practitioners, whom he calls the “second victims” of medical error.

He cites the critical repair that can come from acknowledging one’s mistakes, expressing remorse and helping to mitigate harm or offer reparations. Allowing room for true remorse, it turns out, can be healing to both sides of the medical encounter.

And healing is what medicine is all about.

Maggie Little, Ph.D., is director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics and an associate professor in the philosophy department. ENGAGING BIOETHICS appears every other Friday.

ix months ago, I sat down with family and friends to decide whether or not I should run for city council of Newark, N.J. The decision was not an easy one. I knew that if I were going to run, I would need three things: passion, persistence and — most importantly — hope. Passion and persistence were easy to come by.

Anyone who knows me knows my love and commitment to the city of Newark. But hope is something entirely different. People often throw it around in a perfunctory manner. They use it as if it is a knee-jerk emotion to struggle and sacrifice. Hope, however, is much more than that.

Hope is a survival mechanism; it is the one thing that pushes you when everything else tells you to stop. Hope is what gave my forefathers and foremothers the inspiration for each step under the North Star as they escaped the bondage of slavery. Hope is what gave my grandmothers and grandfathers the courage to bear the bite of dogs and the blows of hoses as they marched for justice. Hope is what woke my mother up every morning as she worked three jobs to give me a better life. Thus, hope is not something I take lightly; it is something that I cherish, something that is only worth as much as the resolve it is backed up with.

In Newark, N.J., hope is a rare commodity. If you walk down a corridor in Newark, you are bound to see dozens of faces, all with a sense of hopelessness that is so great it could bring some to tears. As a 20-year-old city council candidate, a son of Newark and an African American male, I, too, struggle to find hope. I live in a city where more than half of children under the age of five live in poverty, I live in a country where a third of black

In Newark, N.J., hope is a rare commodity. There, you are bound to see dozens of hopeless faces. males are expected to be incarcerated and I live in a world where 1.4 billion people are forced to live on less than a $1.25 a day. The problems of my city, this country and our world are dire, and the hope that galvanized our ancestors to overcome oppression and atrocity seems to become more distant each day.

I wrestled with this notion of hope for a while — right up until the day I launched my campaign website. I was on my way home from a run in the park when my elderly neighbor stopped me. It wasn’t hard for her to

get my attention, as she spent many hours of her days guarding over our block with the force of her word and wisdom. When I reached her porch, she told me, as she usually does, how proud she was that I was doing well in college. She told me about her grandson who had just had a birthday and had outgrown his bike. Being the observant person she is, she asked if she could buy the bike that was locked to the side of my house, a bike that I had not used since I got my first car during my freshman year of college.

VIEWPOINT • Kerrigan

Without hesitation, I told her that she could have the bike free of charge, and after I fixed a few things and oiled the chain, I brought the bike right over to her. Her face was beaming as I handed over the four-year-old bike. She thanked and hugged me — which I found unnecessary since the bike was so old and ratty. But then it hit me: For my neighbor, all that it took was a small act of kindness to put a smile on her face, to restore her hope amid a neighborhood ravaged by violence and drugs.

As I reflected on the exchange, I realized that, for many people in my neighborhood and in my city, hope was not something sold wholesale but found day by day, hour by hour, through small acts of kindness that restore faith in humanity. Later that day, as I sat with my field director, about to launch our website, I realized that the hope for our campaign and my hope for the city has to come about in the same way as it did for my neighbor, my family and dozens of Newark citizens. I knew that if we were ever going to restore hope to the hopeless, we would have to do it person by person, act by act and house by house.

The hope for our campaign is something I look forward to finding every day as people join our movement, resonant with our cause and believe in our vision. And though our campaign will face a multitude of challenges in the next 14 months, the great words of an anonymous author, whose name I will never know, “Hope sees the invisible, feels the intangible and achieves the impossible.”

RASHAWN DAVIS is a junior in the College. He is running for Newark’s city council representing the city’s West Ward in May 2014.

PAST IS PRESENT

District Needs Blanket More Than One Tactic Plan for Public Schools Required for Iran

A

s a member of the Washington D.C. community concerned with the educational opportunities in the District, I am deeply troubled about the closure of Kenilworth Elementary and 14 other area schools without a viable plan to educate our students. Over four years ago, former Chancellor Michelle Rhee closed 23 schools due to low enrollment, intending to allocate resources more efficiently to stronger programming at fewer schools. Mayor Vincent Gray’s education policy has paralleled hers.

And so it comes as no surprise that five years later, the District is closing more schools using similar logic.

If the major push for these consolidations is enhanced programming, what should students expect at the consolidated schools? According to D.C. Public Schools, consolidating schools will promote teacher collaboration and expand programming. Further, it should permit elementary schools to hire assistant principals, librarians and full-time art, music or physical education teachers as long as their enrollment stays above 300 students. The expanded range of programming will be stretched thin, however, as the majority of the consolidated schools will have fewer administrative staff per pupil than in the schools on the closing list, according to a study created by the D.C. Fiscal Policy Institute. Finally, D.C. standardized testing results have been stagnant after the closures in 2008.

While many variables are responsible for test scores, the trend suggests that consolidation does not lead to increased educational outcomes.

Another argument used for the closing of schools is the potential cost savings. The proposed school closures would save $8.5 million, less than 1 percent of D.C.’s education budget.

These savings fail to account for additional costs of transportation and will not leave much money left over for additional programming, which was the primary goal of the consolidation.

In the case of Kenilworth Elementary, which will be closed in July 2013, the savings from closing would be less than $300,000. This move would be understandable if D.C. were pinching pennies, but the District ran a budget surplus of $417 million in 2012.

While the fiscal savings and the enhanced programming may be minimal, the social costs of these closures are real and significant. First and foremost, a school is public space designed for community engagement and unity. It is central to a strong neighborhood identity and a source of pride. By closing these schools, these communities — especially isolated ones like Kenilworth — will lose some of their last remaining public spaces, which are conspicuously few and far between already. Besides the negative effects

on community development, there will be additional costs to both the parents and students in consolidated schools. Transportation to and from school will become more difficult and will only be provided by the District in the short term. As parents live farther away, their engagement will become even more difficult for schools.

These issues could be addressed with some critical thinking and planning from the District, but there remains one issue that must be tackled and addressed amid consolidation — the lack of a District-wide plan for public schools. By July, DCPS will have shuttered nearly 40 schools since 2008, while charter enrollment has increased by 10,000 students in that time.

The exodus of students from traditional public schools is troublesome as it sets the stage for another generation of segregation. Although this segregation will not be propagated by legislation or bias, it will create a deep divide within our public education system.

On one side, the students with the resources to navigate the complex application process will enroll in charter schools or participate in the out-ofboundary lottery. On the other side, students who don’t have the time, resources or expertise will be marginalized in their traditional neighborhood schools. This runs contrary to a government’s obligation to educate all students equally, not just the ones it prefers to educate or those that can maneuver the system. These distinct populations will continue to divide and segregate until a District-wide plan focuses on equal opportunity for all children in D.C. What could a District-wide plan look like? First, it must address the achievement gap between socioeconomic groups by supplying more effective resources to our students that need it most, not closing schools in these areas. Second, the District must make an effort to understand the individual needs and desires of the communities its schools serve.

Too often, directives from the DCPS central office, like the school closings, lack community collaboration and alienate the very population they intend to serve. Finally, Gray and the city council must find a way to foster cooperation between DCPS and the Public Charter School Board in order to formulate a coherent plan for the future of public education in D.C. If the District fails to act with any long-term vision in mind, we will be talking about this very same solution — and problem — five years from now.

What a shame that would be.

MATTHEW KERRIGAN is a senior in the School of Foreign Service and a coordinator for D.C. Reads.

T

his week’s revelation that tiple times. In 1958, acting under Iran has once again returned the Truman Doctrine, President to the nuclear negotiating Eisenhower sent nearly 14,000 U.S. table brings global attention back troops to Lebanon in order to stabito the Middle East and presents lize Camille Chamoun’s Westernan early test for newly confirmed friendly government. The crisis Secretary of State John Kerry. Presi- ended badly for the United States: dent Obama and his administra- Chamoun was replaced by a protion have consistently stated their Nasser and Soviet-friendly governpreference of a diplomatic resolu- ment and Lebanon remained in a tion to tensions with Iran. Some brutal and violent civil war for anscholars, such as Georgetown’s other 30 years. own assistant professor of governIn the past two decades, the mament Matthew Kroenig, have advo- jority of American attention in the cated that the time is right to strike Middle East has centered on Iraq.

Iran and eliminate the country’s Although the final outcome of two nuclear capabilities. As a result, it wars and thousands of American might be wise to check the record lives lost to neutralize any threat and examine the — real or perceived — historical efficacy has yet to be written, of dramatic Ameriit can be said withcan action in the out a doubt that it Middle East. will be opaque. AlContrary to popthough optimistic ular belief, Ameripredictions suggest can involvement in that Iraq’s most the Middle East is democratic and stanot purely a prodble days lie ahead, Ethan Chess uct of post-Worldit would be foolish War-II geopolitical to ignore the nearly realities and energy The Middle East is 10 years of internal demands. In fact, that have too complex for one violence Washington’s conravaged the country. flict with the region On the other military has existed as long hand, Washingepisode to alter it. ton’s most recent as the United States itself.

America’s direct engagement first international, armed conflict in the region, in Libya, brought a was a set of wars known today as much clearer success. This time, a the Barbary Wars, which lasted concerted, international coalition from 1801 to 1805. At the time, assembled by the United States rethe North African coast was dotted lentlessly urged Libya for months with city-states that gained most until Gaddafi’s regime was termiof their riches from pirating ships, nally damaged. and, then ransoming their hosSomething all of these cases have tages and participating in imperial in common is that the accomplishtrade. Since his term as minster to ment of immediate military obFrance, Thomas Jefferson had been jectives had little bearing on the trying to build up a military force outcome of the situation the direct capable of ending the practice alto- action was trying to solve in the gether. One of his first acts as presi- first place. dent was to commission six frigates Iraq and Libya are truly open capable of defending American questions. Both have shown potencommerce on the high seas. tial for a positive move, but also In 1804, one of these frigates, the may be prone to more dangerous USS Philadelphia, ran aground in paths since their U.S.-led — techniTripoli harbor. The Navy felt that cally, NATO-led in Libya’s case — it was too valuable to be left in the interventions. What the historical hands of the enemy, so Lt. Stephen record shows is that the Middle Decatur secretly burned the ship East is far too complex a region for one evening under the watch of one episode of diplomacy or milithe Tripolians. Adm. Horatio Nel- tary action to alter its landscape son called it “the most bold and in a lasting way. No one set of air daring act of the age.” One year strikes or negotiated agreements later, the American flag was raised will succeed in neutralizing the Irafor the first time on foreign soil in nian threat. That is simply not how victory. things have worked historically in Since that initial triumph, the the Middle East, and it would be results of America’s dramatic foolish to start thinking that now. action in the region have been mixed. In Lebanon’s dragged-out Ethan Chess is a junior in the decades-long civil war, the United College. PAST IS PRESENT apStates attempted to intervene mul- pears every other Friday.

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NEWS

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2013

ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Georgian Ambassador Temuri Yakobashvilli explored Georgian Jewish emigre tradition Tuesday. See story at thehoya.com.

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Main Executive Faculty Chair Terrence Reynolds on rampant grade inflation in the U.S. and at GU. See story at thehoya.com.

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Georgetown Solidarity Committee members and Leo’s workers joined workers and students from other D.C. schools in a march Thursday encouraging universitites to sign on to the Real Food, Real Jobs campaign for food worker rights. See story on thehoya.

FROM FRUIT PUNCH TO CINNAMON We’re looking at every student’s favorite cheap vodka — Burnett’s — and ranking the best and worst flavors. blog.thehoya.com

For Exchange Students, Georgetown Elicits Culture Shock CARLY GRAF & PENNY HUNG Hoya Staff Writers

Despite his preconceived notions of American culture, Max Campbell did not expect to personally experience the Second Amendment in action when he arrived at International Pre-Orientation in August.

“I got a gun pointed at my face when I was knocking door to door [for the Obama campaign],” Campbell said.

“Coming from a country where guns aren’t legal, I was not expecting a real person with a gun, let alone a gun pointed at my face.”

This encounter was one of many cultural shocks Campbell has faced during his time as an exchange student from the University of Edinburgh.

“I expected the workload to be tougher and the level of professionalism within each school to be a lot higher than the British schools,” Campbell said.

He was surprised, however, by how different reality was from his expectations.

“I had this idea of coming to an Ivy [League school] or prestigious East Coast college and seeing all these students who were almost like intelligentsia, but no, not everyone was like that,” Campbell said. “I guess what I always thought was a stereotype.”

A World of Opportunities Exchange students often cite Georgetown’s academic prestige and Washington, D.C.’s, professional and political opportunities as reasons to spend a semester on the Hilltop.

“Georgetown appealed to me because of its quality teaching in my areas of interest … and, of course, it is in D.C,” Trinity College Dublin exchange student Catalina de la Sota said.

Universidad San Francisco de Quito exchange student Maria Aguirre agreed, saying that of all of the options her university provided for exchange programs, Georgetown was the most reputable.

“I’ve learned that the professors here are very successful and this is a very highachievement university. Only the best people study here, so I wanted to be near them,” Aguirre said.

To attend Georgetown, exchange students must submit a transcript, personal statement, resume and letters of recommendation to a competitive applicant pool in a similar process to the one regular applicants undergo.

Home universities often have their own internal applications prior to the Georgetown application process. For

those coming from countries where English is not the official language, students also need to send Test of English as a Foreign Language results.

After acceptance, however, come more barriers to Georgetown enrollment: the student visa process often takes two to three months.

“If I hadn’t had the Georgetown International Office sending us emails with step-by-step instructions of what to do, I probably never would have made it here,” University College Dublin exchange student Laura O’Philbin said.

Culture Shock Upon arriving at Georgetown, exchange students are often startled by the vast cultural differences.

“I was really surprised at the amount of shops dedicated to cupcakes, doughnuts and other stuff like that,” O’Philbin said.

Campbell said the largest difference is the American drinking age.

“Americans have a weird relationship with alcohol. A lot of people put alcohol on a pedestal here, which they don’t do back home,” Campbell said. “Just the scarcity of alcohol and the difficulty to get ahold of it … definitely drives students here to do some pretty unnecessary things.”

According to Campbell, who had his first experience with the Department of Public Safety on his 21st birthday, Edinburgh does not have campus police.

“We had a barbecue in the backyard with a bit of beer going around — something like a family gathering, really — when suddenly there’s 10 DPS officers,” Campbell said. “It was really shocking getting dragged into a disciplinary hearing over a barbecue.”

After the initial culture shock, exchange students have found the university environment, both socially and academically, to be vastly different from their home experiences.

“It’s just different in the way you live,” Universidad San Francisco de Quita exchange student Paola Carrera, who lives at home in Quito, said. “Me and my friends — we live at home, so you’re at school, then you go home, and you’re away from the constant pressure of school. Here, though, you don’t have the same luxury.”

Campbell agreed.

“There are some good things, such as not having to walk a mile to get to class,” Campbell said. “[At Edinburgh], after first year, nobody lives in dorms; everybody lives out in the city, so everyone’s

very much independent.”

Campbell said that despite the convenience of living on or near campus, he preferred living off campus, adding that he would not have enjoyed living at Georgetown for four years.

“Life as a freshman seems miserable — a rubbish existence — walking around the streets looking for parties,” Campbell said. “It’s after you move off campus that life gets better.”

Campbell added eating in a dining hall for four years seemed unsavory.

“I can’t imagine eating Leo’s for four years,” Campbell said. “I think the dining hall is grimy and horrible. ... If I was a real third-year, I’d think that would be the most depressing thing, eating at Leo’s.”

Academic Pressures Exchange students said that Georgetown students are more involved on campus and more academically motivated than their international counterparts, attributing their universities’ lack of residential life programs to disinterest in campus clubs and societies.

“At home, the majority lives off campus and thus is less involved,” former Trinity College Dublin exchange student James Crampton said.

The students’ home universities’ focus on independence is also reflected in the universities’ academic policies. According to Hassan, Georgetown’s mid-semester assessments, as opposed to foreign schools’ reliance on final exams, add more stress to student life.

“You only have exams at the end of the year for everything,” Hassan said. “There are few assessments in the middle of the semester, so people slack a lot more in the middle.”

Perhaps due to this constant assessment, exchange students said that the academic environment at Georgetown is more driven than at their home universities.

For example, Campbell said that his university did not give assignments.

Rather, students were graded based on one or two papers and a final exam, often contributing to a “slacker attitude.”

“Probably more than half of the time students spend in Lau here is spent in a pub in Dublin,” de la Sota agreed.

But Aguirre added that the attitude exemplified at Georgetown is contagious.

“I feel that here academics are more of big deal,” Aguirre said. “People spend a lot more time studying, so that’s challenging because you feel more pressure,

and it’s infectious — you feel like you have to keep up with everything.”

Campbell also said that with fewer excuses to visit professors, student-professor relationships are less common at Edinburgh.

“Georgetown professors are a lot more approachable — on the whole, it gets a lot less personal [back home],” Campbell said.

De la Sota said she was surprised that Georgetown students could manage to find time to participate in so many activities.

“Being able to fit so much in was invented by Georgetown students who take six classes, have an internship, a job, are on a sports team, in three student associations and who still have friends to go out with,” de la Sota said.

But de la Sota said that such an intense lifestyle is not without its repercussions.

“Sometimes when you run into someone you know on campus, that person would barely say hi because saying so would be delaying their tight daily schedule of class-gym-Lau,” de la Sota said.

A Home Away From Home Because exchange students are only at Georgetown for a semester or a year, it falls on them to get involved and active in university culture.

“There was a lot of information available about joining various organizations,” Aguirre, who is a member of four organizations on campus, said. “Everyone was very welcoming.”

Crampton agreed and said the best way to meet fellow students was to join organizations.

“I played hockey and had a radio show, so that got me mixing with a lot of Americans,” Crampton said.

Campbell said it was easy to make close interpersonal connections quickly, citing his 21st birthday as an example.

“I’d always been worried about coming over here and celebrating my 21st birthday with people I would’ve known for two or three weeks,” Campbell said.

“But when it came around, people were so cool about it — it was 24 magical hours.”

Campbell attributed this to the roommate system present in American university housing, in contrast to that in the United Kingdom, where roommates are uncommon for college student.

“It’s completely unheard of to have a roommate; it’s a very American thing,” Campbell said. “I was surprised how good it was.”

Programs such as the International Ambassadors program and the Global Living and Learning Community are instrumental in helping exchange students make connections on campus.

Aguirre said that Exchange Students Advisor Lisa Gordinier was especially helpful.

“She was like our mom,” Aguirre said.

“Any time we have problems, we could go to her. I took advantage of it, and she was helpful in every way. At no point did I feel like I was alone — I always felt supported.”

GLLC Advisor Amy Dorsey agreed and said that her LLC provides a community of peers.

“I think the GLLC provides a community of peers through which not only is it easier to get to know other students but also students who are willing to provide additional support,” Dorsey said.

But O’Philbin said that it was sometimes difficult to make friends outside of student ambassadors or fellow international students.

“It can be hard to make friends with Georgetown students, particularly because we are juniors, so most students already have well established groups of friends,” O’Philbin said.

Lasting Impressions Though exchange students only stay at Georgetown for a short time, they bring their Hilltop memories back home.

“The classes are amazing, the people here are amazing … just everything. I’m going to all the events I can — I can’t go to all of them — but I’m trying,” Carerra said.

Aguirre said she would encourage others to spend a semester at Georgetown.

“I will recommend anyone to come here because it gives you the opportunity to see the world from a different perspective,” Aguirre said. “Not only that, but to share that with people of other cultures and to get to know yourself better. When you come from a place where you’ve lived all of your life and then come to a new place where you don’t know anyone, you get to know yourself and what you look for in life.”

And despite her excitement to reunite with family and friends, O’Philbin said that some elements of Georgetown would always remain with her.

“I love Midnight Mug,” O’Philbin said. “In Dublin you are only allowed to have water in the library, and if you’re caught with anything else, you get fined 20 euros.”

News

friday, MARCH 1, 2013

Jack to Retire as Mascot JACK, from A1 English professor Fr. Scott Pilarz, S.J. (COL ’81), launched the Bring Back Jack campaign in 1999, which brought a bulldog back as the university’s mascot later that year. The Jack prepared to retire is second in this new era of bulldog mascots.

“Jack is a strong personality. At his age, he knows what he wants, when he wants and how he wants it,” Paulina Sosa (COL ’13), co-head of Jack’s Crew, said. Jack’s Crew is a group of about 20 students responsible for caring for and walking the mascot.

Jack is released by a student walker to attack a box painted with the opposing team’s colors and logo after the first official time-out under the 12-minute mark of each basketball game.

“Jack knows his duty and relishes in it,” Sosa said. “At games, Jack knows when the box trick is coming. He literally drags me from the stands to the spot where he stands right before the box trick. He loves games and he

loves helping.”

Steck was quick to point out that Jack is not retiring in full. Instead, he is very much still up to his two other main duties: being petted and posing for photographs.

Indeed, Steck said that Jack can occasionally be high- maintenance.

“He definitely has his diva moments and is sometimes

“He definitely has his diva moments ... but he’s always very good about going with the flow.”

FR. CHRISTOPHER STECK, S.J. on Jack the Bulldog

not as naturally friendly as I might want, but at the same time, he’s always very good about going with the flow,” Steck said.

Mitchell Allen (MSB ’15), a member of Hoya Blue and an avid basketball fan, said

he will miss Jack’s performances.

“Definitely one of my favorite things to see at the games is Jack getting out there and doing his thing, so I’ll be sad to see that go,” Allen said. “But at the same time, I’m definitely excited to see what J.J. can do.”

According to Steck, the transition between the two dogs, the younger of which arrived on campus last March, remains a matter of figuring out when Jack’s health and J.J.’s preparedness converge. Currently, Steck and the Athletics Department have not solidified plans for when J.J. will take over duties at the home basketball games, nor has it decided what will happen in the interim period before J.J. takes over or what the dog will do when he does appear on the court.

Nonetheless, Steck said that J.J. has developed an affinity for his predecessor.

“J.J. loves and always wants to play with Jack, but sometimes that interest isn’t mutual,” he said with a laugh.

Burglary Spell Continues CRIME, from A1 February, down from two in the same month last year.

The number of burglaries remained consistent with the January total of six incidents, but this represented a sizable increase from the two that occurred in February of last year.

DPS has been investigating a rash of dormitory burglaries that began in January and has extended into February. A room in McCarthy Hall was targeted Feb. 4, and two burglaries occurred in Copley Hall Feb. 26.

According to DPS Chief of Police Jay Gruber, the sus-

pect in the Copley burglaries, a young female, matches the description of the suspect in recent dorm crimes.

“The working relationship with the other universities has been key to developing the suspects and exchanging photos and images,” Gruber said.

Gruber denied that the suite system in Copley, in which two double rooms share a common bathroom in the middle, created any additional risk of theft.

“The suite system only creates issues when doors are left unlocked,” Gruber said.

The introduction in January 2012 of the Community

Action Team, which most recently arrested a man attempting to enter university townhouses Feb. 13, is part of the campus police’s efforts to bolster analytical and investigative capabilities.

“We continue to improve our crime analysis function and to use our CAT team to focus on crime trends including the burglaries,” Gruber said. “We have also procured funding to fix, replace and upgrade our video camera infrastructure.”

Gruber could not provide official commentary on the spike in the number of assaults before press time.

THE HOYA

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Neighborhood Officials Laud March Crackdown CRACKDOWN, from A1 Citing the university’s need to cooperate with its neighbors, Petallides stressed that it is important for students keep the various sides of the issue in mind.

“The reaction is, on one hand, it’s a bit arbitrary and unfair, and at the other, the university is doing what it needs to,” Petallides said.

“There’s no solution that will make everyone happy all of the time.”

Gustafson said that a successful partnership between the university and the community must rely on mutual compromise.

“There is some need to demonstrate commitment from all sides that this is something everyone wants to participate in, and the neighbors have been around here for a very long time,” Gustafson said. “Noise has been their primary concern, but they also understand we’re college students, and we need ways to enjoy ourselves and each other.

We’re currently working on ways on how both of those things can happen in a safe way.”

Burleith Citizens Association board member Christopher Clements said that the planned crackdown is a step in the right direction toward minimizing town-gown disputes.

“To be honest, I didn’t know there was an impending crackdown,” Clements said. “But my understanding was that’s been part of the goal of the Georgetown Community Partnership — to manage some of those things that residents identified as problems.”

The university has made some efforts to fulfill its promise of making on-campus life more inviting by bringing food trucks to campus on weekend evenings, eliminating party registration for on-campus parties, upping on-campus evening activities and announcing plans to increase student housing space on campus.

Clements said that the new focus on campus life would benefit both students and community members.

“I agree with Georgetown in the strategic vision of making campus more student-friendly,” Clements said. “If you have a dynamic and entertaining campus, everybody wins. I definitely support that.”

But Petallides said that the transition period toward a more campus-centered social life is still littered with obstacles, citing a culture that places emphasis on off-campus life.

“A lot of juniors and seniors live off campus because there’s not enough housing on campus,” Petallides said. “And there’s incentives to get out [of campus], such as price differences.”

Petallides added that until the university

OLIVIA HEWITT/THE HOYA

The university will begin to more strictly enforce its policy regarding off-campus parties upon return from spring break. can provide the additional promised on-campus housing, there would be a large number of students living off campus with nowhere to go.

“There’s going to be growing pains,” he said.

Petallides said that the university’s crackdown would be a strategic move.

“Every four years, they get a completely new fresh pot of people; anyone who is a freshman here will be gone,” Petallides said.

“And [Georgetown] can just say — ‘Hey, these are the new rules now.’ It’s a smart decision for them.”

Clements said that BCA’s ultimate concern was to minimize objectionable student behavior.

“The main concern is for people to be good neighbors, and if that means cracking down on an extremely loud and disruptive party at one in the morning on a weekend, I don’t think that’s a bad thing,” Clements said.

“That’s just not being a good neighbor, so I don’t see what’s controversial.”

Petallides, however, saw the situation as a fight over the campus plan that strands students in between.

“The students are stuck in the middle, and they will react on an individual basis how they feel like they want to react,” Petallides said. “Some will say what they want — this will cause more incidents and this will cause a downward spiral. It has happened before, and it can certainly happen again. It may be productive, or it may be counterproductive; there’s no way to predict it.”

BE ’CU

AT USE

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news

THE HOYA

friday, march 1, 2013

After Long Debate, Hagel Leveraging Leo’s Leftovers To Take Top Defense Job Alexandra Douglas Special to The Hoya

Ivan Robinson

Special to The Hoya

The U.S. Senate voted to confirm Georgetown professor and former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) as the next secretary of defense on Tuesday after an embittered nomination process.

President Barack Obama nominated Hagel Jan. 7, but his nomination stalled temporarily as Hagel faced scrutiny for comments he had made both during and after his tenure as senator.

Republicans filibustered Hagel, marking a historic first in a secretary of defense nomination, and forced at least 60 senators to vote in favor of proceeding with the confirmation debates. The Feb. 14 vote failed, but Hagel garnered the votes necessary to break the filibuster and then win confirmation Tuesday.

Government professor Stephen Wayne noted that historically, the Senate has deferred to the executive branch when it comes to secretary-level nominees.

“One of the effects of this partisan political polarization has been to really slow down the appointment process in the Senate and to subject it to the filibuster process in the Senate,” Wayne said. “This meant that you needed 60 people to stop the Republicans from talking to vote on the nomination.”

Hagel served two terms as senator before joining the School of Foreign Service as a distinguished professor of national governance in 2009.

“It may be that while he was in the Senate, there was some personal interchange that people didn’t like and didn’t want him there,” Wayne said. “And maybe they thought that that kind of nature was not the nature of a person that we need as Defense Department secretary.”

Government professor Andrew Bennett said that Hagel and Congress will have to move past the protracted confirmation battle and work together in the areas where the president lacks authority.

“I don’t think he’s going to hold any personal rancor against the senators who voted against him — they’re going to need him and he’s going to need them,” Bennett said.

Confirmation is just the first of many stumbling blocks Hagel will face as he takes office. One of Hagel’s first challenges will be the sequester, which is expected to slash around $42 billion from the military’s budget, representing half of the total cuts.

“I think [Hagel’s] biggest challenge will be the downsizing of the defense budget, the downsizing of the number of military personnel and eventually civilian personnel,” Wayne said. “The budget,

DAVID WANG/THE HOYA

Former GU professor and senator Chuck Hagel will become the next secretary of defense after an embattled nomination process. which has been expanding for years, is going to be contracting in the future and yet the interests of our country have not contracted. ... The world is still very volatile, and America’s presence needs to be out there.”

Hagel’s other major challenge will come from managing the largest department of the executive branch. The former senator has never had managerial experience, a quality that has produced mixed results for past defense secretaries.

“Sometimes that didn’t work out so well, like when Les Aspin came from the Congress and was famously loose in his managerial style,” Bennett said of secretaries with no past experience managing large organizations. “I don’t think that’s going be so much of an issue for Hagel, considering his style is different already.”

Hagel is known for being fiercely independent, a quality that may prove crucial to his success.

“One of the hardest things to do to a president is to tell him what he doesn’t want to hear,” Wayne said. “If Chuck Hagel, behind closed doors, can do that to the president, he’ll be making a contribution to Obama’s presidency.”

Professional Foreign Service Sorority Celebrates Forty Years Madison Ashley Hoya Staff Writer

For four decades, the sisters of Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Sorority have been encouraging foreign service among the women of Georgetown.

Founded in 1973, the sorority celebrated its 40th anniversary Feb. 24. It takes its name from the DPE fraternity, which was founded in 1920. Though the fraternity and sorority are separate, they are both the charter chapters of the DPE nationwide fraternity.

The sisters will celebrate their 40th anniversary with a Founder’s Day luncheon next month with DPE chapters at American University and The George Washington University.

“We’re definitely trying to increase communication with our other chapters in the D.C. area because, in the past, there hasn’t been a lot of coordination,” DPE Vice President Alexandra Eitel (SFS ’13) said.

The sorority hosted a panel in the fall featuring eight D.C.-area alumnae working in jobs everywhere from Deloitte to the Department of Defense, an example of the networking it tries to facilitate across generations of members.

“I am in awe of where our alums are and how they help us get there,” DPE President Lara Markarian (SFS ’13) said. “In this bad economy it helps to see people that are very successful.”

The sorority is working on a mentorship program between alums and current sisters based on career and personal interests.

“Sisters in DPE can empower them and show them different career options,” Eitel said. “Getting this many motivated women in one room is a great thing — we feed off each other. We pass around internship opportunities.”

Markarian said that the group’s presence on campus has changed since it was founded.

“I think we have a bigger campus presence now,” she said. “It’s progressed to an organization that encompasses everything Georgetown is about: community, integrity, professionalism, community service.”

This year, the sorority partnered with the Knights of Columbus on a community service project and sponsored dance classes with Take Back the Night and campus dance groups to support the nonprofit One Billion Rising, Makarian and Eitel said that DPE could not have found a better home than Georgetown.

“For us to be able to open our own professional foreign service organization at Georgetown was a big stand for women,” Eitel said.

DPE Secretary Christine Folger (COL ’13) agreed.

“We have such a politically, socially and economically conscious student population,” Folger said. “I can’t imagine a better place to have a foreign service sorority.”

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Economics professor Garance Genicot is exploring the possibility of a starting a Georgetown branch of the Food Recovery Network, a program that supplies the large quantities of food waste produced by campus dining halls to local shelters.

Since its founding at the University of Maryland, the program has expanded to universities across the country, including Brown University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of California, Berkley and Pomona College.

According to Leo’s Marketing Manager Kendra Boyer, Leo’s uses a computerized menu management system to accurately calculate the amount of food required for a full menu each mealtime. Leo’s cooks smaller amounts of food throughout an extended time period rather than cooking a large batch at the beginning of the meal to prevent waste.

Unused portions are also sometimes worked into other recipes.

“This allows us to provide a continuous supply of fresh cooked food and minimize the amount of overproduction,” Boyer wrote in an email.

Using these methods, Leo’s produces two pounds of usable food waste along with an average of 240 pounds of unusable food waste per day.

GUSA Senate Subcommittee on Food Service Co-Chair Sam Greco (SFS ’15) added that a recent poster campaign encouraged students to take only what they can eat.

In addition, although Georgetown has worked with nearby shelters and food banks to donate food waste in the past and sponsored a canned food drive in November, Greco noted that specific types of food are commonly wasted.

“There is an opportunity

RICHARD OLIVEIRA SOENS/THE HOYA

While Leo’s uses technology to minimize food waste, about two pounds of food waste are produced for every 240. to donate … bread, but Leo’s hasn’t identified a food bank that will take it,” Greco said.

But for Genicot, any food waste is a matter of personal concern.

“My grandmother was in Belgium during the war, and the idea of throwing food away is something I absolutely hate.

As much as I can, I try to give away extra food and not throw it away,” Genicot said. “If you are exposed to anyone who lived during those times, then throwing food in the trash seems like such a waste.”

To solve this problem, Genicot proposed a partnership with Martha’s Table, a local nonprofit that provides food and nutritional programs for D.C. residents in need, but said that Georgetown’s relatively small size could be an obstacle in establishing this program.

“Georgetown is much smaller [than the University of Maryland], and I don’t know what the level of waste is here and at what level it makes sense to organize food recuperation,” Genicot said. “This is something that is worth exploring.”

Martha’s Table depends on donations from academic groups, charities and other informal organizations for volunteers and donations. Martha’s

Table Food Programs Assistant Director Demetrios Recachinas, however, said that the organization is selective about food donations.

“We are being more selective about things that people donate,” Recachinas said.

“Going through some of the product tends to be more laborious. While some product does really well, some product takes much more effort and is not worth the cost. But we are all about developing partnerships.”

Recachinas did not specify what steps would have to be taken for Leo’s to partner with Martha’s Table.

Boyer stressed that Georgetown Dining is also open to new partnerships, and Greco added that the Georgetown student body’s commitment to social justice suggests it would be an effective partner of Food Recovery Network.

“Georgetown students are incredibly committed to helping others, the environment and social justice,” Greco said. “We are in a better situation than Maryland, but if a group of students wanted to work with Leo’s to initiate a similar program I’m sure students would rally around that and take that initiative.”

News

friday, march 1, 2013

THE HOYA

A9

GUASFCU, Corp CEOs Cuts to Impact Federal Aid Transition Leadership SEQUESTER, from A1

LEADERSHIP, from A1 This focus on competitiveness inspired this year’s GUASFCU leadership to introduce free overnight deposit service, Quick Pay service, student-friendly branch hours and house accounts, which are designed for housemates to conveniently split payment for rent and utilities.

“We’re competing with commercial banks with tools that many other credit unions do not normally provide,” he said.

Kelly acknowledged that the presence of Capital One in Leavey Center presents a constant competitive challenge.

“Our biggest challenge is going to be oncampus competitors and maintaining our image as the premier Georgetown banking institution and competing with technology and scale,” he said.

MacGill’s term as CEO of The Corp will be dominated by the development of the company’s new salad and smoothie shop, which is slated to open in the New South Student Center in fall 2014.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge but also really exciting to work on,” MacGill said.

MacGill, who has been working closely with outgoing CEO Mike West (COL ’13) since learning of her appointment Jan. 14, said she looks forward to serving as the final stop and sounding board for various Corp directors and management teams, she will miss the hands-on experience of working in UG. “The most frustrating aspect of being CEO is actually the lack of tangibility you have since you’re not in the stores every day, so in a way, I’m visualizing a lot more and communicating with different services’ directors to support their visions,” she said.

But MacGill stressed that her early days as a barista at UG formed an indispensable foundation to her success as CEO. “It was so valuable to learn the business from the very bottom up — from stocking shelves to making coffee to managing the cash register,” she said. “If you don’t know the ins and outs of how a Corp service works, you can’t successfully manage it.”

Kelly, too, earned his stripes at GUASFCU first through an entry level position as teller and then as a member of the company’s credit and information technology depart-

ments. He was named vice-chair of the credit department in his sophomore year and later chosen to manage GUASFCU’s operations alongside three other interns last summer.

“It becomes easy to work long hours when you’re with people whose company you genuinely enjoy,” Kelly said.

Reflecting on their early days with their respective companies, both Kelly and MacGill expressed a degree of disbelief at how far they have come.

“To think that I was once a freshman meeting the then-CEO and being impressed that he’d even know my name to now being in this position and getting to train new hires is such an incredible feeling,” she said. “It’s really exciting to watch someone else discover just how much The Corp shapes their entire Georgetown experience, like it has for me.”

Kelly’s assessment of his ascendance through the ranks was similar.

“I honestly never thought about becoming CEO early on. I was just excited to be a part of the organization,” he said. “I think it’s natural to want to do as much as you possibly can for something you love, though, so in this case, I think then wanting to become CEO is a natural extension of that sentiment.”

The outgoing CEOs of both companies — Nikhil Lakhampal (MSB ’13) at GUASFCU and West at The Corp — expressed confidence in their successors’ ability to carry the torch forward.

“Chris brings a number of skill sets to the table and I am confident that [he] and the new board of directors will collectively improve the Credit Union over the next year,” he said.

West cited MacGill’s track record of success as a source of his confidence in her fitness for the CEO position.

“She has a vision and the skills to be able to pull off that vision,” he said. “When she talks, she commands the room. People listen to her and respect her in The Corp. She was a young director, and she came into her own over the past year. I have the highest expectations for next year and what she can accomplish.”

The Corp is the largest entirely studentrun 501(c)(3), or non-profit organization, in the United States, and GUASFCU is the largest student-run credit union in the country.

Scott Fleming (SFS ’72) said that sequestration would not affect financial aid packages until next academic year. The severity of the cuts remains uncertain.

“It’s not like a cookie cutter, where everybody does the same thing,” Fleming said.

Each federal agency has the authority to choose the areas of its budget to cut and how much to cut from each area, but no official specific plans for how sequestration cuts will be applied have been announced by any departments.

“They are holding it close to the vest,” Fleming said.

Despite the impending cuts, the university still remains firm on its policy regarding need-blind admissions, according to university spokeswoman Stacy Kerr The majority of the money in Georgetown’s financial aid packages comes from the university itself and donors, not the federal government, which supplies fewer than 10

percent of aid. Fleming believes that the university can produce funds to compensate for changes in federal policy to ensure that the university maintains its financial aid standards.

Federally funded science and medical research grants will also be impacted. The White House factsheet stated that the National Science Foundation would issue about 1,000 fewer research grants and awards, affecting around 12,000 scientists and students.

The National Institutes of Health, the primary source of biomedical and health-related grants, expects to see a 10 percent cut in noncompetitive renewals of existing awards. Individual institutes and centers at the NIH will set policy for how the cuts will be addressed, and Georgetown University Medical Center will work to absorb the cuts the best it can, according to Howard Federoff, executive dean of the Georgetown School of Medicine.

Federoff believes that GUMC, which receives much of its $132 million in

sponsored research from the government, will be able to effectively manage the cuts anticipated by the NIH. Kerr said that the university’s medical research is also funded in large part by the Department of Defense, whose spending will be cut by 23 percent.

In addition to medical grants, the university also receives funds from government agencies for research and education in other areas. Fleming noted that Georgetown receives money from the State Department to run programs such as the English Language Fellows Program, which brings with it an $8.5 million grant, and the Scholarships for Education and Economic Development, among others.

The White House indicated that the District would lose about $1 million in environmental funding that could affect water and air quality.

The city is also expected to have a cut of about $80,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that go towards crime prevention and prosecution.

Corp Revenue Rises, Profits Dip Andrew Wilson Special to The Hoya

In the year of its 40th anniversary, Students of Georgetown, Inc. announced a record revenue of $5,077,956.24 in its annual report released Feb. 18, marking the first time the company’s revenue has surpassed $5 million.

But while the company’s operating income increased from approximately $77,000 in 2011 to more than $91,000 in 2012 year, representing an increase of 18 percent, its net profits decreased by just under 56 percent from the 2011 record of $244,384.17 to $108,158.01 in 2012 due to poorer investment performance this fiscal year. While The Corp made $166,935.36 from investments last fiscal year, it made only $16,777.62 this year, a 90 percent drop.

Nonetheless, top executives were optimistic about the com-

pany’s performance “We’ve had a very successful year — a record year,” Corp CEO Michael West (COL ’13) said.

“We’re very excited about projects going forward.”

This marks the second consecutive year that The Corp has posted profits, following a two-year streak of losses, when it recorded net losses of $181,745 and $10,418 in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

While a slim majority of the company’s services posted profits this year, three of them — coffee shops Uncommon Grounds and More Uncommon Grounds and a grocery, Hoya Snaxa — reported losses. The most profitable division was coffee shop Midnight Mug, with $63,859.78 in net income this year, whereas the least profitable was Uncommon Grounds, which reported a net loss of $18,176.51 this year.

The student-run nonprofit is

working on expanding through new initiatives, such as the salad and smoothie shop in the New South Student Center, set to open in fall 2014.

“It’ll be a huge challenge, but it’s something that we’re excited about,” incoming CFO Matthew Oswald (COL ’14) said.

The shop is intended to provide students with a healthy alternative to current Georgetown dining options and will feature the Corp’s premade sandwiches and coffee in addition to salads and smoothies.

According to the annual report, further projects include new coffee cup design, the continued streamlining of operations at current Corp storefronts and the internal Corp Capital Investment Fund.

“It’s a very exciting time to be a Corpie,” acting Chief Financial Officer Vidur Khatri (MSB ’14) said.

A10

Sports

THE HOYA

raising the bar

Consistent Spurs NBA Team to Watch BARSTON, from A12

Best Director

The fiery Tom Thibodeau has his Chicago Bulls sixth in the Eastern Conference and second in the Central Division on the back of their stingy defense, which ranks third in the league in points allowed per 100 possessions. Thibodeau’s defensive genius has the Bulls primed to be a tough out from this year’s playoffs despite the continued absence of star player Derrick Rose. It is a testament to Thibodeau’s coaching ability that the Bulls, who have been devastated offensively by the loss of Rose, find themselves with one of the 10 worst offenses in the league and yet remain within three games of the divisionleading Indiana Pacers. Rose’s return will only brighten the prospects for the tireless Thibodeau’s quest for a “Best Picture.”

Best Actor

Simply put, LeBron James is the best basketball player on the planet, and there’s little argument to be made to the contrary. LeBron has put together a first half of the season worthy of the highest praise, as his string of six games with 30-plus points while shooting at least 60 percent from the field was a first in NBA history.

The streak met its untimely end in garbage time of a February game against the Thunder when James missed a late three-pointer. His field goal percentage that night?

“Only” 58 percent, to go along with 39 points in a comfortable Heat victory. LeBron’s stellar play this campaign has been no flash in the pan, either: He is fourth in the league

in points per game, in the top 15 in assists per game, in the top 30 in rebounds per game and in possession of a sizable lead over Kevin Durant for the honor of most efficient player in the league as measured by effective field goal percentage. James’ otherworldly play so far has the Heat firmly atop the leaderboard in the Eastern Conference, six games up on the second-place Pacers, and it also has him playing the role he was born for: king of the court.

Best Picture

What a joy the San Antonio Spurs are to watch. Charging out to the best record in the league, the familiar cast and crew of the Gregg Popovich era have done it again. The same three wily veterans continue to spearhead the Spurs attack: Tim Duncan (36 years old), Manu Ginobili (35) and Tony Parker (30) are the top three scorers on the team. Three more Spurs average double-figures in points per game, and these six account for the bulk of the production for the fourthhighest-scoring offense in the game.

The Spurs are defined by unselfishness — leading all teams in the league in assists per game — and it shows in the sheer aesthetic beauty of their game. What is the last season you can remember in which the Spurs weren’t championship contenders?

San Antonio’s ensemble isn’t the flashiest in the league, but there is no more satisfying feeling than seeing the Spurs surgically dispatch another helpless opponent.

Peter Barston is a freshman in the McDonough School of Business.

RAISING THE BAR appears every Friday.

baseball

Struggling Georgetown Heads to Florida Will Edman

tion could be credited to George Mason’s unorthodox decision to change pitchers at the start of every inning.

Home may be where the heart is, The Patriots pitched nine players, and but as the Georgetown baseball team Georgetown may have had difficulty learned on Wednesday, home is not to adjust to the changes. necessarily where the wins come. The “It is very difficult to get into a Hoyas (2-3) fell to George Mason (4-4) rhythm when they throw their enin their home opener at Shirley Pov- tire staff at you, and sometimes it’s a ich Field — the team’s distant home brilliant strategy,” Wilk said. “When field in Rockville, Md. — despite load- you are in a situation where you’re ing the bases with one out and the not getting enough swings and you middle of the batting order coming throw in a Johnny All-Staff game, it up in the ninth inning. just makes it that much harder to get Three straight singles from sopho- a rhythm going.” more Ryan Busch, senior Danny The Patriots had no such problems Poplawski and senior Justin Leeson with Polus, as Tobin blasted a two-run — who went 3-for-4 and recorded two home run to give George Mason a 3-1 doubles — brought the winning run lead at the top of the third inning. to the plate with the bases loaded in Josh Leemhuis tacked one more on the final frame. Indeed, Georgetown in the fifth with a single off reliever looked poised for a dramatic walk- James Heine and Georgetown could off win as junior not recover from the cleanup hitter Steve three-run deficit.

Anderson came to “It’s a matter of Despite the loss the plate, but GMU and the team’s ofpractice and getting fensive struggles, closer John Williams kept his cool, reps. We haven’t the Hoyas did see fanning Anderson positive displays and forcing junior gotten into a seafrom several key Christian Venditti to players.

Leeson, ground out to end soned rhythm where Georgetown’s top the game. we’re swinging a bat offensive threat, The disappointing continued his torrid conclusion high- every day.” start to the season lighted head coach Pete wilk while Venditti, who Baseball Head Coach struggled in GeorgePete Wilk’s concern prior to the game town’s first three that his players were leaving too many games, went 2-for-5 after hitting a on base on offense. In fact, George- home run in a win against Davidson town recorded seven hits — only one last weekend. Additionally, the bullshort of George Mason — but stranded pen contributed another outstanding 13 players over the course of the game. performance, giving up zero earned “It’s a matter of practice and get- runs for the second consecutive ting reps,” Wilk said of his team’s of- game. Wilk will undoubtedly hope fensive struggles. “We haven’t gotten that his starting pitchers can begin into a seasoned rhythm where we’re to emulate the performances of his swinging a bat every day. It’s been a relievers. difficult spring from a weather standToday, Georgetown will head to point, and we keep stalling.”

Port Charlotte, Fla., to participate in The Patriots opened the scoring the Snowbird Baseball Classic for the in the top half of the first inning as entirety of Spring Break. During the leadoff hitter Nick Allen scored on a weeklong road trip, the Hoyas will single from Colonial Athletic Associa- play nine times, including games tion player of the week Tucker Tobin against Air Force on Saturday and off Georgetown senior starting pitch- Michigan on Sunday. er Thomas Polus. Polus, who was makThough the Hoyas will enter the ing his first start of the season, gave pivotal Florida trip with a losing reup four earned runs on four hits in 4 cord, they hope to return back at .500 2/3 innings. and with a better understanding of The Hoyas responded quickly in the team’s strengths. the bottom of the first, as Leeson hit “We’re going to have to earn every a two-out double off Patriots pitcher win, because there are very few pushTanner Love. After Anderson walked, overs on that schedule,” Wilk said.

Venditti stepped up and singled to “Hopefully, we can go 5-4 or 6-3. If you left center field, scoring Leeson and told me now that we would go 6-3, I tying the score. would be ecstatic. I think anything beDespite such an auspicious start on yond that is unrealistic at this point offense, the Hoyas would fail to score where we’re at with only five games again. This anemic offense produc- under our belt.”

Hoya Staff Writer

friday, MARCH 1, 2013

women’s basketball

Senior Day a Winnable Game MARQUETTE, from A12 away from Brown and Co. “We didn’t close out to their shooters well, and it was one dribble, one pass and a shot. We just are supposed to be a better defensive team than that,” Brown said.

“Any time you hit 12 threes in a game, you are hot — you have a hot hand. But I think we gave up too many open looks.”

Georgetown —­ which forced 19 Blue Demon turnovers in its own right on the day — was led by White and senior shooting guard Sugar Rodgers, who both chipped in 17 points on the game.

“Sugar and Andrea are our best two players, [and] they played like our best two players. But it is unfortunate that we don’t get to see Sugar’s talents like we are used to seeing because she has to play [point guard],” Brown said. “But she almost had a triple-double — she is unbelievable. Both of them are playing 40 minutes. We have to get some of our younger people

to step up and play better.”

Georgetown aims to put the tough road outing behind it this weekend at McDonough when it takes on Marquette (13-14, 5-9 Big East), a team that is coming off an 81-70 win over Providence on Tuesday.

The Hoyas will be honoring their three seniors Saturday, as a pregame ceremony will recognize the contributions of Rodgers as well as centers Sydney Wilson and Vanessa Moore. Brown, for one, is hoping that the occasion will spring his team to a win.

“It is one of their last home games, one of their last games at McDonough,” he said. “They have been here four years. It should mean something to them.”

Marquette has struggled with turnovers so far this season, ranking last in the Big East with 20.5 coughed up per game. The Hoyas, who are second in the Big East in steals with 11.9 per game, will look to exploit that weakness above all.

“I hope we can turn them over.

We just don’t have the bodies,” Brown said, referring to his team’s shortened depth chart due to injury. “It is so hard to press the basketball when you already know that players are going to play 40 minutes. But if we can pressure them a little bit, it will help us a great deal to get some turnovers.”

With the regular season winding down, every game matters even more, especially contests like Saturday’s at home against such a beatable opponent.

“Right now, we are fighting for our seeding in the Big East,” Brown said. “We know we aren’t going to get a bye or a double bye, so now we are trying to position ourselves to win one or two games in there.

“It is important that we beat Marquette because if it comes down to tiebreakers, the head-tohead is going to be the most important thing.”

The Hoyas will take on the Golden Eagles tomorrow at McDonough Arena. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.

men’s Lacrosse

Dartmouth Awaits in Patriot Cup Ryan Bacic

Hoya Staff Writer

After two home games against regional opponents to open its season, the Georgetown men’s lacrosse team (1-1, 0-0 Big East) will undergo a big change of pace this weekend as it heads down to Dallas, Texas., to take on Dartmouth in the Patriot Cup. Like the Hoyas, the Big Green (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) started its 2013 campaign with back-to-back home contests and split that pair in the form of an opening loss followed by a bounceback win.

After a 13-10 loss to No. 10 Colgate Saturday in Hanover, N.H., Dartmouth rebounded three days later to top the Catamounts of Vermont 13-8 and even up its record. Hanging tight with a top-ranked team like Colgate showed that Dartmouth should at the very least have the chops to improve upon last year’s disappointing season, during which the team went just 1-5 in conference and 5-9 overall.

And while Vermont currently sits at a wholly unimpressive 0-3, the Big Green was able to overcome a 3-1 firstquarter deficit in an eventually lopsided comeback win.

But though Georgetown and Dartmouth have played the same number of games thus far,, the number of competitive minutes put in by each side hardly matches, thanks to the Hoyas’ first two matchups both going to overtime. Whether that extra playing time helps the Blue and Gray’s cause Saturday — through added experience, pressure and adversity — or hurts it — through tired legs — may well be a factor in the outcome.

Senior midfielder Nikki Dysenchuk leads Dartmouth in scoring through its first two games with five goals, a mark that was boosted by a hat trick against the Catamounts on Tuesday; no other member of the Big Green has more than three, although an impressive 12 players have scored at least once.

Georgetown, on the other hand, was largely a one-man show in its loss to Lehigh in the Feb. 16th opener, as senior attack Brian Casey scored four goals and added an assist in an 11-10 overtime defeat.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Redshirt junior Tyler Knarr won 13 of 19 faceoffs against Navy, a mark that he will hope to match against Dartmouth on Saturday in the Patriot Cup. Sunday represented a more balanced effort for the Hoyas, though, with junior attack Jeff Fountain’s hat trick — including the game-winner — leading the way for the Hoyas in a 9-8 win over Navy. Casey and sophomore midfielder Charles McCormick each netted a pair apiece in that fortunereversing overtime victory, but the statistic that perhaps stands out the most from that first 2013 win was the faceoff percentage of redshirt junior defender Tyler Knarr.

Knarr, who wasn’t given primary faceoff duties in the Blue and Gray’s loss to Lehigh, won 13 of 19 against the Midshipmen, playing a huge role in allowing his side to maintain possession and ultimately generate more offensive opportunities.

“I thought Tyler Knarr was awesome today,” first-year Head Coach Kevin Warne said after Sunday’s win, the first of his Georgetown tenure. “It’s unique facing off with a long stick, but Tyler is quick enough to get the ball out and he did a great job.”

The Big Green lost out on the faceoff battle against Vermont (winning just 10 of 25), so Knarr’s ability to replicate his performance against Navy could very well give Georgetown an advantage in the matchup.

Dartmouth and Georgetown comprise just half of the action scheduled to take place in Dallas this weekend, as intrastate rivals Texas A&M and hosts Southern Methodist are also set to do battle. Proceeds from this year’s Patriot Cup — the fifth edition of the event — will go to the Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit that “provides programs and services to severely injured service members during the time between active duty and transition to civilian life,” according to its official site.

“The Patriot Cup has grown beyond our expectations in the last five years,” Patriot Cup Co-Chair Tom Fitzsimmons said. “These matchups highlight Dallas as the place to see lacrosse played at its best.”

Warne echoed Fitzsimmons’ ambassadorial spirit.

“I think playing in the Patriot Cup is great for the Georgetown lacrosse program,” he said in another interview with the Patriot Cup website.

“It’s an opportunity for our guys to experience a different atmosphere.

It also gives us a chance to help grow the sport away from the east coast into a place like Texas.”

The opening faceoff between the Hoyas and Big Green is slated for 1 p.m.

MEN’s Basketball

Facebook a Syracuse Ticket Hub TICKETS, from A12 broadcast College GameDay show.

Perhaps reflective of this potential issue, the Georgetown Athletic Ticket Office sent an email Wednesday to student ticket holders asking them to “pledge” to attend the game. The email linked to the Georgetown Athletics Facebook page, where students were asked to enter their emails and promise to donate their tickets if they would not attending.

Georgetown Sports Information did not respond to an email request for comment by press time.

Demand for Hoyas-Orange tickets — among the student body or otherwise — is normally sky-high, and, indeed, many students are turning to social media to search for a vendor. A quick survey of the Georgetown GAAP Facebook groups — especially the Class of 2016 one — shows that they have little to fear, even if it suggests that the athletics department perhaps does: On Thursday alone, seven students posted

in the 2016 group about selling their tickets a little more than a week before the game.

The timing of spring break was students’ most commonly named reason for selling their tickets to what is by far the season’s biggest home game “My train back was already booked way in advance before I knew the game was Saturday and couldn’t be changed, so I [was] stuck,” Stephanie Szakats (COL ’16) said.

It hasn’t been as nice of a process for some on the opposite end, however.

Greg Rodarte (SFS ‘13), for one, explained he has had a hard time finding a ticket for any remotely reasonable price, and it was clear his patience is waning.

“Given that the student ticket only costs 130 for all home games, I feel it is unfair and unjust to charge fellow students up to 75 dollars for a single game. And this ‘bid system’ is just a way for people to unfairly take advantage of their peers,” he said.

Despite the high prices that some

like Rodarte have come across, though, Stephanie Donahue (COL ’16) feels that most of the transactions have not been about cutthroat monetizing, a sentiment echoed by a few other freshman vendors.

“I had heard of a broad range of asking prices, anywhere from free to $60.

I figured $30 was a fair price, seeing as I only paid $125 for the season ticket package,” Donahue said. “Honestly, I was just trying to make a little cash, not rip people off or try to maximize my profits.”

Zach Markell (COL ’14) experienced this lighter and cheaper side of the Syracuse market.

Having gone abroad in the fall, Markel didn’t purchase season tickets, but next Saturday’s game marked a spectacle he knew he could not miss, even if it would cut into his break.

“It’s ‘Cuse,” Markell explained simply.

The athletic department is hoping that the rest of the student body comes to that same conclusion.

sports

friDAY, March 1, 2013

men’s basketball

THE HOYA

raising the bar

Show Players the Money L

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

Sophomore forward Mikael Hopkins was largely quiet Wednesday night against UConn, but it was his screen that gave Otto Porter Jr. room for the game-winner in double OT.

Porter Jr. Layup Secures First Hoya Win in Storrs UCONN, from A12

the front end of a one-and-one that would have iced the game for Georgetown, and the Huskies pushed the ball up the court to Calhoun on the left wing. The freshman then calmly knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 62 with three ticks to play.

Georgetown forward Nate Lubick nearly blew the game with an uncharacteristic turnover on the ensuing inbounds play, but, fortunately for Lubick, Connecticut’s Niels Giffey missed a hurried threepointer as time expired.

Napier continued his trend of overtime heroics with an assist to a cutting Ryan Boatright and a clutch three-pointer of his own to give the Huskies a two-point lead in the first OT, while forward DeAndre Daniels contributed several big rebounds and free throws of his own. But Starks and Porter Jr. countered the rally at each turn, eventually forcing another extra period.

A 9-2 Connecticut run in the first three minutes of the second overtime had things looking grim for Thompson III’s squad. UConn’s arsenal of sharpshooters caught fire all at once, Georgetown freshman D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera appeared to injure his shooting arm diving after a loose ball and the Hoyas found themselves staring down a seven-point deficit on the road with little time to make it up.

That’s where this story diverts from the familiar late-season Georgetown narrative.

Porter Jr. dialed in a strike from several feet beyond the three-point line. The Georgetown backcourt teamed up to force a turnover. Smith-Rivera re-entered the game

and immediately nailed a corner trey, trimming the deficit to one.

After a UConn timeout, Smith-Rivera picked Napier’s pocket and pushed the ball up the court to Porter Jr. The Georgetown star, who is quickly making a name for himself as one of the country’s most clutch players, glided coolly through the lane for a go-ahead layup with nine seconds left. A group defensive effort forced Boatright into an impossible three-point attempt as time expired, and the Hoyas began celebrating as the ball fell harmlessly to the court.

“The last shot wasn’t what we were looking for,” UConn Head Coach Kevin Ollie told the AP. “Ryan was trying to rush to get the ball to the rim, but Porter got there and they cut him off and got him in the corner.”

The double-overtime drama overshadowed what was already an entertaining second half. After the sloppy opening frame, both the Huskies and Hoyas had caught fire from deep, with the latter squad hitting eight of its first nine three-point attempts in the half. But it was UConn that hit its stride at the right time, storming back from a double-digit deficit to force the overtimes.

Daniels led the Huskies with 25 points and 10 rebounds, and Napier chipped in 16 and six assists.

The win was Georgetown’s 10th straight — tightening the Hoyas’ grip on first place in the conference — and its first ever in Storrs, Conn.

It even provoked an uncharacteristically open display of pride from the Blue and Gray’s perpetually stoic head coach.

“That’s not a good win. It’s a great win,” Thompson III told the AP.

A11

ast Saturday, Otto Porter Jr. shot 63 percent, scored 33 points and had one turnover while playing all 40 minutes. Any player should in theory become less efficient and less effective the more minutes he plays in a game, but that common sense clearly doesn’t apply to anyone who is on a personal mission to send 35,000 fans home disappointed. Somehow, Porter Jr.’s game never slipped from beginning to end.

Not only did Saturday’s performance preemptively earn Porter Jr. a lot of money whenever he decides to enter the NBA draft, but, as a result of the high NCAA seed that he’s about to deliver, he may have earned his school a bucketful as well.

But are the players who generate such incredible revenue for their schools like Porter Jr. getting their fair shake? It’s perhaps the most popular question in sports these days: Should top-flight NCAA athletes get paid?

In my opinion, absolutely.

Whether you are a top basketball player from Georgetown, a top football player from Alabama or any other NCAA athlete, you deserve part of the money that you’re generating for your institution.

Many will argue that college sports are designed as an extracurricular program within institutions that are centered on education. After all, the reason that most NCAA athletes play a sport in college is to receive the educational benefits, making athletics just another part of the overall college experience.

This viewpoint, however, overlooks the way that the NCAA treats its athletes. Any athlete in an elite college sports program will tell you that — between practices, meetings and travel time — athletics are a job, not an extracurricular activity. If the coaches, athletic departments, trainers, NCAA executives and even fans treated elite college sports as just another activity in which college students can partake, I’d understand the above argument.

But proponents of this conten-

tion forget that student-athletes are told to emphasize the word “athlete” far more than “student.”

Many will also compare student-athletes directly to the other students on campus.

If the university is based on academics, and most students were accepted to the school for academics, some would suggest that the universities are doing enough for the student-athletes by giving them scholarships for something that isn’t even academic.

Consider, though, how many paid on-campus jobs Georgetown offers. I don’t know the exact number, but I can at least gauge that it’s very high rela-

Tom Hoff

Porter Jr.’s work for GU is worth more than that of typical student employees. tive to the 7,000 undergraduates we have. Now whose services are more important to Georgetown — those of Otto Porter Jr. or those of the average job-holding Georgetown student?

The last thing that I’m trying to do is belittle the jobs that students on this campus undertake, but Porter Jr.’s services are clearly more important to Georgetown than any other student’s on the Hilltop.

And he gets no financial compensation for it.

People are still going to argue that such a situation is appropriate because college sports are not seen as a job, but that’s precisely my point.

So many students have an obligation to fulfill their jobs for the university, and studentathletes are no different. They have an obligation to the university to give every ounce of

energy they have to improving the university’s sports programs.

Because college coaches, university athletic departments and NCAA executives already treat players like the sport is their job, it’s time that colleges view student-athletes in the same way that they view other job-holding undergraduates.

Chris Webber, a member of Michigan’s “Fab Five” basketball team in the early 1990s, famously voiced his displeasure with his lack of compensation.

While walking past a sporting goods store near the Michigan campus with a reporter during his college years, he once asked why it was that they were selling a jersey with his number on it for $75, but he couldn’t afford to eat lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Finally, there’s Walter Byers, the NCAA president from 1951 to 1988, who governed the NCAA with relatively unquestioned control and with great esteem within the NCAA community. Byers, however, reflected on his years as president by writing a book called “Unsportsmanlike Conduct: Exploiting College Athletes” in 1997. In his book, Byers not only compared modern-day college athletes to plantation workers but also argued that the days of sports being a student activity were gone, as student-athletes should have had the same free market earning potential as their coaches. Considering the source, it’s hard to find an opinion more powerful than that.

On both the executives’ and players’ ends of the spectrum, Webber and Byers, who were each entrenched within the NCAA in very different ways, realized that athletes should have been paid for their services — and that was over 15 years ago.

There’s no good reason that Otto Porter Jr. shouldn’t be getting compensated for lighting up the Carrier Dome like a Christmas tree.

Tom Hoff is a sophomore in the McDonough School of Business. DOWN TO THE WIRE appears every Friday.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Princeton Rivalry Renewed Laura Wagner Hoya Staff Writer

For the second straight week, the No. 10 Georgetown women’s lacrosse team (2-0, 0-0 Big East) is set to do battle against a team tigers.

The Hoyas, fresh off a 13-10 win over the No. 17 Towson Tigers Saturday, will host Princeton at MultiSport Facility on Friday at 4 p.m., in what will be the latest installment in a series of ultra-competitive games dating back to 1997.

The Tigers are coming off a 10-5 win over Villanova in which their defense impressively managed to hold Villanova’s leading scorer goalless on the game. Georgetown will put Princeton’s strong defense to the test, however, with a potent and balanced attack that has averaged 14.5 goals per game this season.

“Offensively, we are playing really well together,” Head Coach Ricky Fried said. “We’re distributing and dispersing the scoring, so a number of people are producing for us right now.

It will be hard for [Princeton] to focus on one or two players.”

While he is pleased with the way his offense is moving, though, Fried believes the team could be stronger on the opposite end of the field.

“The big emphasis for us overall is while we’re playing well on the offensive end, we need to shore up our defense a little bit more,” he said. “We showed some improvement from the Delaware game to the Towson game and look forward to continue to improve in that area.”

Fried’s predecessor, Kim Simons, who coached the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team in the late ‘90s, attended Princeton and was the catalyst in bringing the two teams together to compete 16 years ago.

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

Sophomore defender Casey McGowan tied for the team lead with two ground balls in the Hoyas’ win over Towson.

Since then, the Tigers have taken an 11-6 lead in the series and have come out on top the last three times the teams have met, including in a tight 12-11 victory over the Blue and Gray in 2011 and a four-overtime win in 2010.

And according to Fried, the competition and history between the two programs has inspired a bit of a rivalry between the two.

“We cross recruit a lot because people that are interested in playing at a high level and going to an excellent academic institution tend to look at these two schools,” Fried said. “I think that because most of the games are one- to three-goal games either way, it’s competitive, and there are some bragging rights that go along with it.”

Still, despite the lengthy history between these two programs, the Hoyas are going to approach this game just like any other.

“I think this is a big possession game, and so first and fore-

most, we need to concentrate on winning the draws to gain possession,” Fried said.

A win on Friday would mark Georgetown’s best start to a season since 2009, when it won its first three games and made it to the NCAA tournament only to lose in the first round to none other than Princeton.

A 3-0 start to the season would give the Hoyas some momentum, but it certainly would not give them a chance to relax; Georgetown faces lacrosse powerhouses Johns Hopkins and North Carolina in mid-March before starting its Big East campaign.

“At this point, since we have two wins under our belt, it s really about maintaining momentum and continuing to build that momentum because there’s no real break in our schedule,” Fried said. ”I know its cliche, but we do have to focus on one game at a time because if we get ahead of ourselves, it becomes a big distraction.”

SPORTS

MEN’S BASKETBALL Hoyas (22-4) vs. Rutgers (13-13) Saturday, 9 p.m.

Verizon Center

FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2013

MEN’S LACROSSE The 1-1 Hoyas head down to Dallas this weekend for the Patriot Cup. See A10

CATHOLIC KICKOFF

NUMBERS GAME

7

The Catholic 7 will keep the Big East moniker, ESPN is reporting, and begin play in 2013 alongside Xavier and Butler of the Atlantic 10.

The men’s basketball team’s deficit against UConn with two minutes left in double OT. The Hoyas would win by one.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

HOLLANDER

Fans Now GU Sinks UConn With 2OT Comeback Free to Dream Big T PAT CURRAN

the stage for Porter Jr.’s game-winning layup.

The Hoyas had squandered a A season-high national ranking 12-point lead to the Huskies, who has been the kiss of death for many are playing without hopes of a Big high-profile teams this year.

East or NCAA tournament appearLeave it to Otto Porter Jr. and ance due to NCAA sanctions. Conthe Hoyas to break the trend in dra- necticut junior Shabazz Napier, matic fashion. one of the conference’s premier The sophomore forward scored guards, suddenly came alive after 22 points, including the game-win- a scoreless first half and energized ning basket with his team. He hit under 10 seconds freshman back“That’s not a good to go, and No. 7 court mate Georgetown (22win. That’s a great Omar Calhoun 4, 12-3 Big East) for an open win.” withstood a furit hree-pointer JOHN THOMPSON III Men’s Basketball Head Coach ous rally to pull to stop UCoas told to the Associated Press out a 79-78, dounn’s bleeding, ble-overtime win then made a laat Connecticut (19-8, 9-6 Big East) yup of his own to spark the comeWednesday night. back.

“That was a hell of a basketball Three minutes of missed jumpgame right there,” Georgetown ers, fouls and turnovers from the Head Coach John Thompson III told visitors followed, and the Huskies the Associated Press. clawed at the deficit until it stood Junior guard Markel Starks at only five points with under 20 added 19 points, and freshman seconds to play. Calhoun put back guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera a Napier miss for two, and Starks scored 14 in another big night that was fouled with nine seconds left. featured clutch defensive plays The veteran point guard missed and a three-pointer that brought the Hoyas within a point, setting See UCONN, A11

Hoya Staff Writer

here are few spots worse for a basketball team than trailing on the road in overtime. An energized home crowd and momentum going the wrong way can take down even the best squads.

For that reason, it wasn’t so much sophomore forward Otto Porter Jr.’s 21 points in the second half and overtime or freshman guard D’Vauntes SmithRivera’s gritty late game trey that made Wednesday’s victory so impressive. It was No. 7 Georgetown’s collective mental fortitude and quiet confidence.

Porter has finally gotten his fair share of publicity the last few weeks, although the national media seems more focused on calling the likely Big East player of the year “unassuming” than in analyzing how well he works with the Blue and Gray’s supporting cast.

Junior guard Markel Starks has finally found his stroke and tightened up his ball-handling, which Smith-Rivera complements with an uncanny ability to make tough buckets.

And as sophomore center Mikael Hopkins has continued to play erratically, both junior forward Nate Lubick and sophomore guard Jabril Trawick have taken on bigger roles for the Hoyas, ones that show up less on the stat sheet and more in the quality of their minutes, especially on defense.

Prevailing despite falling behind is something that differentiates good teams from great ones, which makes Wednesday’s victory perhaps the most

RAISING THE BAR

LeBron, Thibodeau Headline NBA Oscars I

t’s that time of the year again.

With the Academy Awards coinciding nicely with the NBA’s halfway point, here are my picks for the NBA’s midseason Oscars.

Best Original Screenplay

important in a winning streak that has now stretched to 10 games.

If there’s a game that would be comparable to the way Head Coach John Thompson III’s squad performed in Storrs, it might be Georgetown’s 2007 win over North Carolina in the NCAA East Regional final.

While the Huskies never fell apart like the Tar Heels did that year, the Hoyas showed the kind of poise that it takes to survive tough rivals and hostile crowds in the NCAA tournament, including the ability to understand that while your mistakes might send you to overtime, your skills can bail you out.

Thompson III has established himself among the nation’s best regular season coaches, continuously knitting together rosters that appear simply average into one of the Big East’s best teams, year in and year out.

Winning in the tournament, however, takes an altogether different skill set, which is the reason last year’s Final Four, for instance, was made up of four coaches who had all been there before.

Having tasted the tourney in Atlanta in 2007, is Thompson ready to make a return trip to the Georgia Dome this season?

Without a Roy Hibbert or Greg Monroe, Georgetown’s performance around the rim is a potential Achilles’ heel, but a bona fide star in Porter and solid insideoutside play means the skill set is in place.

Still, earning the privilege to cut down the nets is as much about mentality as footwork and as much about confident attitudes as pressure defense. In that department, these Hoyas have what it takes.

Just as I-95 between Washington and Atlanta is a long drive, there is a lot more basketball to play and many more obstacles along the way. But for Georgetown, the pieces are falling into place, and postseason success might not be out of reach.

EVAN HOLLANDER is a junior in the School of Foreign Service and former sports editor of The Hoya.

FILE PHOTO CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

DEJA VU Otto Porter Jr. was the hero again for the Hoyas Wednesday at Connecticut, providing the game-winner with nine seconds left.

The Los Angeles Lakers were instantly deemed title favorites in the wild West earlier this year when they acquired superstars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to pair with stalwarts Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant. Assembling four future hall-of-famers in Hollywood was going to be a sight to see, but who would have ever thought it would end up like this?

Total dysfunction has engulfed the team, which currently sits two and

a half games out of the last playoff clude Howard’s claim to be fully fit spot in the Western Conference. Gas- and Bryant’s silencing of Mark Cuol and Nash have missed a combined ban with a monster 38-point game against the Mavericks, 45 games already. The point to the Lakers persecond unit has been haps finally being on headlined by Earl Clark, the right track. With who has never averaged what’s happened so far more than five points this year, though, the per game in any of his end to this script is anyfour full pro seasons. thing but certain.

And the Dwight Howard experiment Peter Barston has been a consistent Best Supporting Actor letdown, with the big Chris Paul has quietman putting up his worst numbers ly taken over the city of Los Angeles. since his second year in the league. While the Lakers’ melodrama holds The end result? Plenty of distracting the attention of the basketball world, stories and not nearly enough wins. CP3 is making his case for best point The latest developments, which in- guard in the game. And his case is

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

convincing: 16 points, nine assists and 2.5 steals per game, with the Wake Forest product’s crunch-time intangibles equally as impressive.

In the last five minutes of games with his team ahead or behind by no more than five points, Paul has notched 66 points on 43-percent shooting from the field and a sultry 92-percent shooting from the charity stripe. Paul has taken the wheel for the more relaxed L.A. team this year, content to sit back and let the drama play out on the purple and gold side of town as he calmly distributes the ball and scores when his team needs him the most.

See BARSTON, A10

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Changes Needed After Blowout Break Puts Attendance In Doubt CAROLYN MAGUIRE

FILE PHOTO: CHRIS GRIVAS/THE HOYA

said. “All the [Big East] teams are very similar, but it comes down to who wants it more down the stretch. We could have done a better job against DePaul.”

Although the high-powered offense of the Blue Demons got off to a quick start and put the Hoyas in an early hole, Georgetown responded and closed the DePaul lead to within a few points. The Blue and Gray continued to keep pace with the Blue Demons for much of the first half, and a jumper by freshman Dominique Vitalis with 8:46 remaining in the first half closed the gap to just three at 23-20.

But DePaul responded with a three to push its lead to six, and the Blue Demons rode pressure defense and hot shooting to extend their lead to 11. The advantage sat at nine going into the half, after a late jumper by Georgetown junior forward Andrea White brought the visitors back within single digits.

DePaul’s continued ability in the second half to force Georgetown turnovers as well as its spectacular work on the glass allowed for easy baskets as the game began to slip further and further

Senior guard Sugar Rodgers tied for the team lead in Tuesday’s loss and is hoping that her team fares better on Saturday’s Senior Day.

See MARQUETTE, A10

Hoya Staff Writer

After a lackluster showing Tuesday in a 75-55 road loss to DePaul, the Georgetown women’s basketball team (14-13, 5-9 Big East) is

looking to move on and pull out a win Saturday on Senior Day against Marquette.

“We didn’t play with enough effort [against DePaul]. Our effort wasn’t there — that’s the biggest thing,” Head Coach Keith Brown

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RYAN BACIC

Hoya Staff Writer

As the March 9 rematch with Syracuse at Verizon Center draws closer, many students are already starting to buy and sell their seats for the big game. Some are looking to make what they know will be a surefire profit, of course, but most are simply unwilling to cut their spring breaks short to attend the matchup, which is slated to take place the Saturday before classes start up again.

The regular season finale for both teams, the game also will mark the final meeting between legendary rivals Georgetown and Syracuse as members of the Big East Conference, barring a final chance reunion in the 2013 postseason.

Even with the hype surrounding the game, though, its timing has caused concern about student attendance, especially considering the fact that Verizon will play host to ESPN’s nationally See TICKETS, A10