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Since 1920 FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2024
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Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 105, No. 08, © 2024
GU Academic Community Hosts Vigil for Palestinian Colleagues Killed in Gaza
COURTESY OF BADREDDINE RACHIDI
Georgetown University Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine hosted a vigil to honor the lives of academics killed in Gaza.
Jack Willis
Executive Editor
The Georgetown University Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (GUFSJP) led attendees in a Jan. 18 vigil that honored the lives of Gazan academics whom Israeli forces have killed. Participants gathered for a procession from the university front gates to the front steps of Healy Hall. Lining the Healy Hall stairway, professors clad in multicolored faculty gowns read aloud the names of their late Gazan colleagues to an audience of students, some donning keffiyeh, scarves symbolizing Palestinian pride. Over the course of an hour and a half, those present at the vigil remembered two dozen academics killed in Gaza as faculty held up signage with their faces and names. GUFSJP, whose members include professors, staff and graduate students, calls for a divestment of U.S. tax dollars from Israel, the right of Palestinians to return to their
homeland and the recognition of the full rights of Palestinians. Fida Adely, the director of the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, said the purpose of the event was to share in grief over the deaths of thousands of students and academics killed in Gaza. “We gather to mourn the death of our colleagues — educators, researchers, teachers — who have worked tirelessly under oppression, a stifling blockade, and more than half a century of military occupation to educate, innovate, mentor and guide young people in Gaza,” Adely wrote to The Hoya. “Their murders represent an attack on Palestinian history, culture and futures.” Israeli attacks have killed several of the most prominent Gazan academics, including Sofyan Taya, physicist and president of the Islamic University of Gaza. Citing statistics that indicate immense damage to educational See VIGIL, A6
COURTESY OF THE SACHMAN FAMILY
Matteo Sachman, a first year in the College of Arts and Sciences known for his spontaneity, humor and energy, died Jan. 1 in an accident, aged 19. Sachman's friends and family remembered his warmth, constant positivity and cheerful spirit.
Georgetown Remembers Matteo Sachman Evie Steele
Executive Editor
M
atthew “Matteo” Sachman, a first-year in Georgetown University’s College of Arts and Sciences who impressed his friends with his good humor and cheerful energy, died Jan. 1 in his hometown of New York City. He was 19. Sachman came from a family of Hoyas. His mother graduated from Georgetown in 1989, his sister graduated in 2022 and his brother is a third-year student.
“Matteo was so proud to be a Hoya,” the family wrote to The Hoya. “He loved eating at Call Your Mother and Whisk and hanging out with the many great friends that he made both inside and outside of class.” “Our hearts are broken, but we are grateful he experienced the Hilltop and made the most of his amazing first semester at Georgetown,” his family added. Sachman’s family said the cause of death was a Jan. 1 accident in the New York City subway system. Born July 19, 2004 in New York City, Sachman attended the Collegiate School, an independent boys’ school
in Manhattan, graduating in 2023. During his summers, he spent time in Nantucket, Mass., working in a plant nursery and furniture showroom. Sachman was a member of the Georgetown Marketing Association (GMA), a volunteer with the Center for Social Justice’s (CSJ) HOME (Homelessness Outreach, Meals, Education) program — which provides services to Washington, D.C.’s homeless population — and a bartender at the Hilltop Tap Room, an on-campus bar. Sachman, a resident of New South Hall, was very close to his roommate Ansel Scholl (CAS ’27), who described Sachman as a steady
presence and a light in his life. “As a rock, Matteo anchored me in what would otherwise be a rather turbulent point in all our lives,” Scholl wrote to The Hoya. “Despite all the daunting change that is inherent in the first weeks at college, Matteo’s warmth and generosity gave the dorm a permanent feeling of home.” Scholl said Sachman’s energy lifted his friends. “Someone like Matteo lives on a little bit in everyone who he meets,” Scholl wrote. “We are all better for it.” See SACHMAN, A6
Georgetown Raises Undergrad Snowstorm Cancels GU Classes, Tuition for Third Straight Year Spurs Student Snowball Fights Evie Steele
Executive Editor
Georgetown University students took to campus outdoor spaces to sled and hold midnight snowball fights following a rare snowstorm Jan. 15. The storm saw 3.4 inches fall at Reagan National Airport, the official measuring site for Washington, D.C., making it the largest snowstorm in two years and the first time over an inch had fallen in the District since Jan. 16, 2022. As a result, the university moved in-person classes held Jan. 16 be-
fore 12 p.m. and Jan. 17 before 10 a.m. to an online format. As the snowstorm hit D.C. on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a university and federal holiday, students were able to enjoy the snow on Georgetown’s campus — using makeshift sleds to slide down Leavey Esplanade, hosting snowball fights on Healy and Copley Lawns and making snow angels outside Dahlgren Chapel. Sophia Copeland (SFS ’24) said she enjoyed going with a roommate to a late-night snowball fight on Healy Lawn. “We pelted snowballs at each oth-
er, at our friends, at strangers,” Copeland told The Hoya. “At one point we were by the cannons and someone was yelling ‘cannonball!’ as they threw snowballs into the crowd. I had the time of my life, and it may have been the most fun I’ve ever had in college.” Reesa Bhowmik (SFS ’26), a native of Singapore, said the snowstorm was only the second time she had ever seen snow and the first time she had ever experienced significant snowfall after only flurries fell during the winter of 2022-2023. See SNOW, A6
GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY
Georgetown University announced a 4.5% increase in undergraduate tuition for the 2024-25 academic year, bringing the undergraduate tuition up to $67,824.
Maren Fagan
Academics Desk Editor
GeorgetownUniversityannounceda 4.5% increase in undergraduate tuition for the 2024-25 academic year, the third increase in the past three years. With the 4.5% increase, tuition for the upcoming academic year will be $67,824, a figure that does not account for room and board. This increase comes after the university announced a 3.5% tuition increase in 2022 and a 4.9% increase in 2023 for the current academic year. A university spokesperson said the university considers several factors when setting the tuition price, including educational costs, faculty and staff salaries and national price inflation, while also seeking to
support students with financial aid. “Georgetown is deeply committed to ensuring that all students and families can afford the cost of a Georgetown education,” a university spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “Georgetown plans to continue our commitment to our ‘meet full need’ policy and provide financial aid for all eligible new and continuing undergraduate students across our campuses. The University will increase its institutional support for financial aid in the face of these tuition, room and board increases.” In a Jan. 12 email to undergraduate students, Provost Robert M. Groves said the university allocated $257 million in financial aid for undergraduate and graduate students
in the current academic year. Groves said the additional tuition cost will go to providing students with resources such as academic programming and account for rising costs. “The tuition rate reflects a balanced approach to managing rising costs, as well as providing the resources needed for academic and student priorities, new programs and initiatives and our commitment to minimizing addon fees,” Groves wrote. Private universities like Georgetown saw a 4% increase on average in tuition for this current academic year. While this average tuition increase is less than the inflation rate of 4.5%, the cost of tuition will remain increasing with See TUITION, A6
MICHELLE VASSILEV/THE HOYA
A Jan. 15 snowstorm moved Georgetown University classes online and sent students outside to build snowmen, start snowball fights and make snow angels on frosty lawns.
NEWS
OPINION
GUIDE
SPORTS
Remembering a Professor Students, faculty and alumni gathered to celebrate the life of late English professor John C. Hirsh on Jan. 16. A6
Rangila Reflections
Wrestling with the Patriarchy
Women's Basketball Triumphs
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The Hoyas pulled out a gutsy 73-71 win over Providence with a last-second jump shot from senior guard Kelsey Ransom. A10
Reproductive Rights
Celebrate Women's Art
A Sweet Watch
New Virginia Neighbors
H*yas for Choice and the Georgetown University College Democrats hosted a discussion on reproductive healthcare.
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Sanaa Mehta (SFS '25) and Saar Shah (MSB '24) recall running Rangila, Georgetown's philanthropic South Asian dance show.
Grace Rivers (CAS '24) calls on Hoyas to value and celebrate female artists' contributions in film, music and art.
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Zac Efron shines in the emotional "The Iron Claw," which poignantly tackles issues of masculinity and abuse.
"Wonka," starring Timothée Chalamet, casts viewers back to childhood into a magical world tinged with nostalgia and chocolate.
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Published Fridays
The Capitals and Wizards are discussing potentially relocating away from Capital One Arena — will the Hoyas follow suit?
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