GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 95, No. 8, © 2013
TUESDAY, september 24, 2013
LATE HEROICS
Kaitlin Brenn’s goal in the 86th minute gave the Hoyas a 2-1 win over UConn. SPORTS, A10
COMMENTARY GUSA senate elections offer an opportunity for future female leaders.
ABROAD IN DC? Instead of Europe, students at other schools spend a semester in D.C.
SCS ADDS STEM The School of Continuing Studies added its first STEM master’s.
NEWS, A4
NEWS, A7
OPINION, A3
Extended Hours Flop at Epicurean Campus eatery fails to profit from plan to draw late-night crowd Ashley Miller
Special to The Hoya
JACOB ROSEN FOR THE HOYA
Hoya Court, originally slated to reopen in time for the beginning of the fall semester, is now set to open Oct. 25. Construction in the dining area was delayed two months due to an extended licensing transition.
Hoya Court Construction Lags Ryan Thomas
Special to The Hoya
Serious delays in construction have pushed the reopening of Hoya Court eateries back two months, with completion of the renovations now projected for late October. The Leavey Center dining area will include new vendors Elevation Burger and Salad Creations in addition to a larger Subway, replacing KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. The university had two years remaining on its contract with the former food services provider in Hoya Court but decided to negoti-
Payscale Ranks GU 41st Salary-oriented metrics highlight variability in college rankings Natasha Khan Hoya Staff Writer
Much fanfare is given each year to ranking the country’s colleges. Yet as Georgetown demonstrates, a greater challenge can lie in ranking the value of these various lists. While U.S. News & World Report ranked Georgetown at 20th place this year, PayScale, which uses a metric focusing on graduates’ earnings, put Georgetown in a three-way tie for 41st with Kenyon College in Ohio and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. PayScale has ranked colleges based on graduate salaries since 2008. The company also analyzes salaries to help employees and employers assess what workers should be making. Harvey Mudd College in California ranks first on PayScale’s list; the California Institute of Technology came in second. Princeton University, the top college according to U.S. News, was ranked 5th by PayScale. The marked difference between the two lists can be attributed to each ranking’s different standards of measurement. U.S. News ranks based on peer university evaluations, high school counselor ratings, freshman retention rate, graduation rate, class sizes, faculty pay and credentials,
ate an alternative contract with Aramark, which already operates O’Donovan Hall, Starbucks, Cosi, Grab ‘n’ Go, the dining at Wolfington Hall and Dr. Mug in the Preclinical Science Building. The deal with Aramark allows for greater flexibility in licensing options, as Aramark has partnerships with many restaurant groups, as opposed to the former, local provider, which had partnerships with just three businesses. “The former vendor left a little later than we had anticipated, so the project got out to a month late start because of that,” Associate
Vice President and Chief Business Officer Debbie Morey said. “Going into any aggressive project, there are issues that come out.” The decision to expand a hood over Elevation Burger to increase its prominence hampered progress, as did unanticipated plumbing and infrastructure issues. The garage, which lies underneath the site, required core drilling and scaffolding. The university also encountered difficulties in securing licenses for the food court. See CONSTRUCTION, A7
Study Abroad Interest Swells Beyond Europe Griffin Cohen
Special to The Hoya
At least half of Georgetown undergraduates will venture off the Hilltop to study abroad during their college career. But while opportunities in the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and France remain popular, more and more American students are exploring less traditional destinations in Asia and the Middle East. In November 2012, the Institute of International Education announced in its Open Doors Report that China, now ranked just behind those four European
options, has jumped in popularity as a study abroad destination. Other countries with significant gains included Brazil, Costa Rica, India and South Korea. Director of Overseas Studies Craig Rinker said that Georgetown is consistent with the national trend, which he attributed to increased accessibility and the expanded global nature of academia. “Europe is where study abroad was founded, but as the world becomes smaller, students are drawn to newer locations,” See ABROAD, A5
Epicurean and Co. introduced 24hour service before finals in May in an effort to lure students onto campus late at night. But since aroundthe-clock operations resumed Sept. 3 after a summer hiatus, late-night patronage at Epicurean has languished. The restaurant’s late-night hours have not been profitable, drawing no more than a few dozen customers after 2 a.m. on a typical night. Though the decision to remain open is questionable for the restaurant and the average student spends less than $5 per visit, owner Chang Wook Chon said that he will keep Epicurean open to align with the university’s goal of bringing student social life back to campus as outlined in the 2010 Campus Plan agreement. “If you look at the success side, it isn’t the finances,” he said. “I made a commitment. We are open 24 hours.” While Chon estimates that the restaurant serves upward of 80 customers during peak hours between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m., this number tails off after 2 a.m. Although Chon originally said that Epicurean was losing money in a joint interview with Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services Joelle Wiese, Chon claimed in a second interview that Epicurean was breaking even. However, Wiese maintained
that Epicurean is indeed losing money during its nighttime operations. Chon declined to provide the amount that Epicurean was losing and said that his business’s finances were private. The university does not currently have any plans to recoup Epicurean’s late-night losses, as the establishment is not losing money overall. “It’s by mutual agreement. Because we all are in the customer service business this is something that we’ve all agreed to,” Wiese said. “When you look at a business model you don’t expect to make money every single hour. We’re trying to understand what service it does provide and what are the hiccups.” However, Auxiliary Services is willing to re-evaluate the situation with Epicurean eventually. “I think if they say this isn’t working for us we’ll re-evaluate it,” Wiese said. “It really depends on the particulars and we just need to build up that history and that’s kind of what we’re doing now.” Auxiliary Services and Epicurean are currently collecting data to decide how often Epicurean should operate in the future. The restaurant will remain open 24 hours through the fall semester, but changes could occur further down the road. At this point, Wiese and Chon are unsure of whether late-night Epicurean will ever be profitable. “It could just be where it always loses money in those nighttime hours, but overall it does provide a service, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” Wiese said. See EPICUREAN, A6
KRISTEN SKILLMAN/THE HOYA
Epicurean and Co. was empty at 4 a.m. on Saturday night, a frequent sighting since 24-hour operations were instituted full time this fall.
FIELDING CONCERNS
NATASHA THOMSON FOR THE HOYA
Administrators addressed concerns surrounding a proposed satellite residence at forums that began last week. Vice President for Planning and Facilities Robin Morey, left, and Assistant Dean for Residential Living Stephanie Lynch, right, review alternatives with students. See story on A6.
See RANKINGS, A7 Published Tuesdays and Fridays
Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com