GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com
Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 97, No. 21, © 2015
TUESDAY, NOVEMber 17, 2015
MAKING HISTORY
The Georgetown men’s soccer team won its first-ever Big East tournament title Sunday.
COMMENTARY Tossed but not sunk: The motto of my Paris stands stronger than ever.
SECURITY TIGHTENS GUPD implements extra security measures in light of threats to D.C.
OPINION, A3
NEWS, thehoya.com
SPORTS, A10
Heeding Demands, University Renames Buildings Toby Hung & Ashwin Puri Hoya Staff Writers
University President John J. DeGioia and the board of directors approved the Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation’s recommendation to rename Mulledy Hall and McSherry Hall on Saturday, one day after student activists began their sit-in outside the Office of the President. The group changed the names of both Mulledy Hall and McSherry Hall to the interim names of Freedom Hall and Remembrance Hall, respectively.
“Through this process of dialogue, the intended timeline is to identify recommended permanent names sometime during the spring semester.” JOE FERRARA Chief of Staff, Office of the President
The retention of the name of Mulledy Hall sparked controversy earlier this semester, calling attention to the actions of Fr. Thomas Mulledy, S.J., who authorized the sale of 272 slaves to a Louisiana plantation in 1838 while serving as the Maryland provincial of Jesuits; Mulledy would later serve as university president. McSherry Hall is named after thenUniversity President Fr. William McSherry, S.J., who served as Mulledy’s lawyer during the sale. “We are grateful to the Working Group on Slavery, Memory and Reconciliation; to students, including the Black Leadership Forum and other student groups on campus; and to other members of our community
FILE PHOTO: LAUREN SEIBEL/THE HOYA
Freedom Hall, part of the Former Jesuit Residence, pictured, joins Remembrance Hall as the newest additions to Georgetown building nomenclature — albeit temporarily. The university dropped the names “Mulledy” and “McSherry,” respectively, Saturday, following demonstrations. for their thoughtful engagement in these important, and sometimes challenging conversations,” DeGioia wrote in a statement to The Hoya. According to a letter attached to a university-wide email sent at 5 p.m. on Saturday, DeGioia met with several student activists Friday morning outside his office, then received a recommendation from the working group to change the names of the two halls. The university’s board of
directors approved the recommendation electronically on the same day. “As a university, we are a place where conversations are convened and dialogue is encouraged, even on topics that may be difficult,” DeGioia wrote in a university-wide email. “This is what we will continue to do at Georgetown. We are supportive of our students and proud of the depth of their engagement in these urgent conversations.”
Student activists began staged a sit-in outside the president’s office from 9 a.m. to midnight Friday. The activists intended to continue staging daily sit-ins until the administration met their demands, but they temporarily halted the sit-ins Monday in light of the name change. The group has not announced further plans, but encouraged activists to “not lose momentum” on the Facebook
Attacks Reverberate Among Students
event page of the demonstration. Latazia Carter (COL ’17), who attended the sit-in, emphasized that student activists were acting in response to a lack of recognition and responsiveness by the Georgetown administration. “I don’t want this to seem like a new movement, because it’s not,” Carter said. “But we’ve had to take See RENAMING, A7
FEATURED
NEWS Scalia Speaks
The Supreme Court justice and College alum addresses first-year GULC students. A4
OPINION Commentary
ISABEL BINAMIRA/THE HOYA
SUZANNE MONYAK/THE HOYA
Students, faculty and staff gather in Dahlgren Quadrangle for an interfaith reflection following attacks in Baghdad, Beirut and Paris.
The Eiffel Tower casts a shadow over Paris on Sunday, less than 48 hours after the Friday attack. It remained dark the night before.
At Campus Vigils, Community Reflects
In Paris, Scenes Of Loss, Resilience
Molly Cooke
suzanne monyak
Hoya Staff Writer
Around 250 students and community members gathered in remembrance of the victims of last week’s terror attacks in Paris, Beirut and Baghdad at an interfaith prayer vigil held Sunday and a solidarity event yesterday. The prayer vigil, organized by the Office of Campus Ministry, took place in Dahlgren Quadrangle and featured representatives from various faith communities, including the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and
Buddhist ministries. Around 200 people attended the vigil. After a moment of silence and the lighting of candles, Hannah Gerdes (SFS ’16), a member of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship who spoke at the event, called on the community to remember the Jesuit values of service and understanding in the face of the attacks. “As we light these candles, we quietly recall that all are called upon to be people of peace not war, people of life not death, of
Newsroom: (202) 687-3415 Business: (202) 687-3947
See VIGILS, A6
Hoya Staff Writer
PARIS — I chose the right restaurant Friday night. My boyfriend had flown up for the week to visit me in Strasbourg, France, where I am studying abroad for the semester, and we had just arrived in Paris that day to spend our last weekend together. The day began with an overnight bus, followed by a muchneeded café au crème at a Parisian cafe and a full day of tourism. Exhausted from a night of travel, we decided to eat at a restaurant near our hotel in Montmartre rather than explore the city at night. We Published Tuesdays and Fridays
stepped back into the hotel’s Wi-Fi zone after dinner around 10 p.m., and our phones started to blow up with notifications. First came the CNN update: a shooting at a restaurant near the Stade de France, just a few kilometers from where we had just eaten and only one arrondissement north. And then the panicked email popped up from my Strasbourg coordinator, Susan Witkowski, to my study abroad group with the subject line “Suzanne Monyak,” searching for my contact information. I reassured George-
I am a minority. I am a woman. I wear a hijab. I will sit in solidarity. A3
NEWS Lafayette Square Vigil
The French Embassy held a vigil in the shadow of the White House on Saturday. thehoya.com
Sports Local Rivalry
The Georgetown men’s basketball team will face No. 3 Maryland tonight. A10
See PARIS, A6 Send story ideas and tips to news@thehoya.com