ELECTION DAY 2016
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 98, No. 19, © 2016
tuesday, November 8, 2016
CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS
The women’s soccer team won its first Big East title in convincing fashion Sunday.
FUNDING GEORGETOWN Georgetown’s endowment funded one-quarter of scholarships in 2016.
EDITORIAL Students can play a vital role in reclaiming political discourse.
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OPINION, A2
NEWS, A5
Following Heated Campaigns, Election Day Arrives lisa burgoa Hoya Staff Writer
Even as the results of the 2016 presidential election remain mired in uncertainty, Bethan Saunders (SFS ’17) has known her exhaustive Election Day schedule well in advance of Nov. 8. As a co-founder of student-led voter mobilization initiative GU Votes, Saunders plans to lead scores of Georgetown students to the polling station at the Georgetown Public Library on R Street NW today after casting her own ballot. Later, she hopes to visit the offices of POLITICO Magazine with the Georgetown Institute for Politics and Public Service, spearhead a photo campaign at the Healey Family Student Center and conclude the day with a celebratory run to the White House after the election’s winner is announced. A Political Agenda
Saunders’ schedule represents just a sampling of the programming planned for Georgetown’s Election Day, a collaborative effort between GU Politics and student organizations including GU Votes, GU College Democrats, GU College Republicans, the Georgetown Program Board and the Georgetown University Student Association, among others. Other events include election trivia, prediction competitions, panel discussions and watch parties in
the hours leading up to the election’s results. This marks the first presidential election for GU Politics since the institute first launched in the McCourt School of Public Policy last fall. The institute has spent six weeks strategizing today’s agenda.
“I’ve seen across the board, Georgetown students are very passionate and very excited about the election.” BETHAN SAUNDERS (SFS ’17) Co-Founder, GU Votes
The programming runs from 7 a.m. until past 2 a.m., depending on when the election is called for either Republican nominee Donald Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Saunders, who helped GU Votes surpass the goal established by the organization’s #1000GUVotes campaign by registering over 1,600 Georgetown students to vote, said Election Day represents a culmination of months of political fervor building up on campus.
“I’ve seen across the board, Georgetown students are very passionate and very excited about the election, no matter what side of the aisle they fall on. They’re going to be buzzing with energy, there is going to be a lot of excitement, there is going to be a lot of nerves, I’m sure, on both sides,” Saunders said. GUCD Chair Mattie Haag (COL ’18) said her group’s efforts to politically mobilize both Georgetown students and others in the community culminated in a field trip to Philadelphia in which over 100 students were bused for a weekend trip to register voters and canvas for Clinton’s campaign. “We have been having groups go out to Philadelphia and other areas in Pennsylvania because it’s just such a contested state in this election. Students have been canvassing almost every weekend since the start of the semester,” Haag said. “Last weekend, we had our huge Get Out the Vote Weekend, coordinated with the campaign.” Ricardo Mondolfi (SFS ’19) participated in the Get Out the Vote Weekend, an effort sponsored by Clinton’s campaign that encouraged prospective voters to cast their ballots. Despite the Clinton campaign’s influence, Mondolfi maintained the initiative focuses less on partisan politics and more on encouraging all to vote. “It’s less partisan than you think it is. All we want to do is
LISA BURGOA/THE HOYA
Numerous efforts by student organizations such as GU Votes have encouraged students to make their voices heard in the 2016 election. make sure people are ready to vote and that they actually do exercise their constitutional right,” Mondolfi said. Playing it Safe
Despite the excitement, Election Day on campus is accompanied by an undercurrent of anxiety by those who worry the
results of the election may induce violence or psychological duress in students. GUSA President Enushe Khan (MSB ’17) cited last week’s incident involving the circulation of a “Frito Bandito Party” with quotes misattributed to Trump as See ELECTION, A6
University Wins Interfaith Honor Hotel to House Students In Need Over Winter charles trepany Hoya Staff Writer
The White House selected Georgetown as the winner of its Interfaith Community Service Award from a group of 766 colleges and universities, the university announced last Monday. The award, which is a community service initiative led by the White House and the Corporation for National and Community Service and supported by the Department of Education, represents the highest federal recognition bestowed to an educational institution for community engagement and service learning. The award has been administered annually since 2006.
“How many schools have a rabbi, an imam and a Hindu priest, all together?” Piyusha Mittal (sfs ’18)
The Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency that announced the award, spotlighted Georgetown’s Homelessness Outreach, After School Kids, Service Learning and Magis programs as some of the highlights among the over
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alfredo carrillo obregon Hoya Staff Writer
Georgetown has committed to directly fund 15 students with uncertain housing conditions to stay in the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center during winter break. The accommodations will be funded by the Offices of the President, Provost and Student Affairs. This marks the third consecutive year that winter housing has been provided for students in need, and the first year in which the administration has pledged to cover all expenses. The project is the culmination of a two-year partnership between the Georgetown Scholarship Program and various student groups, including the Georgetown University Stu-
dent Association. In coming weeks, GUSA and GSP will extend an invitation for interested students in need to apply confidentially for accommodation. GSP Director Melissa “Missy” Foy (COL ’03), who will be reviewing requests alongside an ad hoc committee, said she expects approximately 15 students to be housed, an increase from last year’s 10 students. Georgetown first began offering winter accommodation for students in 2014. Last year, Foy used funds donated to GSP from student groups and the university to rent a house for 10 students in the Woodley Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C, through Airbnb. Last year, GSP received donations from Students of Georgetown, Inc., See HOUSING, A6
CAMPUS MINISTRY FACEBOOK
Georgetown’s Campus Ministry was awarded for its work to encourage community engagement, such as the building of the Sukkah. 100 university-sponsored service opportunities available at the school. Georgetown was further recognized for having 25 professors teach 40 community-based undergraduate courses. Georgetown’s selection comes three months after the university became the first U.S. college to hire a full-time Hindu priest chaplain, Brahmachari Vrajvihari Sharan. Georgetown was also the first Catholic university to hire a full-time Jewish chaplain in the 1960s and a full-time Muslim chaplain in the
late 1990s. Georgetown was selected from the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. The Center for Social Justice, the Office of Campus Ministry and the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs submitted a joint application for the award in June, highlighting their combined 770,653 hours of community service through 8,135 volunteers during the 2014-15 school year. See AWARD, A6
FILE PHOTO: TINA NIU/THE HOYA
The Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center will house 15 students facing financial concerns over winter break.
NEWS
Opinion
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Mediocre Grade for MedStar MedStar Georgetown University Hospital received a C rating for safety from The Leapfrog Group. A5
Ideologies in Flux The current election cycle will disrupt the future political landscape and partisan lines. A3
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OPINION Bridging Minority Gaps
SPORTS A Fruitless Season
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Brazil’s current government needs to become more inclusive in order to avoid social unrest. A3
Published Tuesdays and Fridays
The men’s soccer team saw its season come to a close due to an inefficent offense. A10
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