The Hoya: April 11, 2025

Around Six GU Community Members’ Visas Terminated

Nora Toscano Senior News Editor

The federal government has terminated about six Georgetown University community members’ immigration statuses, according to an update posted on a university webpage April 9.

The webpage, on the university’s International Student & Scholar Services website, says the university had not been officially notified of the terminations by the government.

“We are aware of approximately six community members who have had their immigration status terminated,” the webpage reads. “The reasons given for such terminations are limited and Georgetown University was not informed of them by the government.”

“The Office of Global Services is continuously monitoring all F-1 and J-1 student and scholar records in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and will reach out to impacted students and J-1 scholars to provide information and resources,” the website adds.

A university spokesperson said diverse dialogue is essential to the university’s Jesuit mission.

“Georgetown is a global research university guided by a Jesuit commitment to engage all over the world to promote the common good,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya “Central to Georgetown’s mission as a Catholic and Jesuit institution and guided by Georgetown’s founding as a university for students of all faiths, Georgetown promotes interreligious understanding and dialogue among community members of all religious and non-religious backgrounds.”

The university’s update comes less than a month after federal immigration officials revoked the visa of and detained Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown postdoctoral researcher working at the School of Foreign Service’s Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), for alleged pro-Hamas speech on social media.

ACMCU Director Nader Hashemi said the university should continue to support international students.

“Six lives have effectively been destroyed,” Hashemi told The Hoya. “I hope the university will live up to its pledges to support students in this difficult moment, particularly international students who’ve been affected.”

Nico Cefalu (CAS ’27), president of Georgetown’s chapter of the legal advocacy nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said the Georgetown community should come together in support of those whose visas have been terminated.

“I think the university should obviously try to fight this as much as they can and support these students,” Cefalu told The Hoya. “And I think we as students, once we figure out who these people are, we need to offer them support, and maybe we should plan a protest or something, because this is getting ridiculous.”

“It’s just going to keep escalating,” Cefalu added. “They’re just going to keep extending who they try to kick out of universities.”

GUSA Vice President Darius Wagner (CAS ’27) said students must show support for one another through precarious times.

“It’s truly a really grave time when friends that you know or peers that you know, peers that you share the classroom with, can literally have their whole life changed for simply engaging in debate, posting on social media, using their free speech that they’re allotted as students in this country,” Wagner told The Hoya

“It’s just a really scary time. And I know that in the future, that through further collective action, we can ensure the safety and community of our fellow Hoyas.”

Hashemi said the Georgetown community cannot be complacent in light of the visa terminations.

“The worst thing you can do is pretend, ‘Well, this doesn’t affect me. I’m not interested in the Israel-Palestine conflict. This is a passing moment,’” Hashemi said. “It’s not a passing moment. It’s a straight transition toward authoritarianism.”

Publicly available flight logs suggest that the

airline GlobalX to reach away games — flying abroad the aircraft which later carried deported migrants to Central America.

GU Basketball’s Links to Deportation Planes

Evie Steele, Nora Toscano, Jack Willis, Sophia Lu, Caleigh Keating, Aamir Jamil and Maren Fagan Editor in Chief, Senior News Editors, Senior Sports Editors, Executive Editors

On Dec. 14, hours after the Georgetown University men’s basketball team defeated the Syracuse University Orange, a chartered GlobalX airplane with tail number N837VA took off from Syracuse, N.Y., and landed at Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Washington, D.C.

Tracking Khan Suri’s Legal Battle As Lawyers Prepare for Hearing

Aamir Jamil Executive Editor

Awaiting a May 1 hearing in Virginia, lawyers for detained Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri and attorneys from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have exchanged several motions regarding jurisdiction and Khan Suri’s detention. Federal immigration agents detained Khan Suri, a senior fellow

at Georgetown University’s Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), March 17. As of April 11, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) online locator shows Khan Suri is in a detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, where a hearing in immigration court is scheduled for May 6. TheU.S.DepartmentofStaterevoked Khan Suri’s J-1 visa, a non-immigrant

formerly known as Twitter, and Facebook. See KHAN SURI, A7

Three months later, on March 18, the same GlobalX aircraft flew from Richmond, Va. — roughly 30 minutes from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office where detained Georgetown postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri was held that morning — to Alexandria, La., where an ICE database located him that evening. Tom Cartwright, a retired banking executive who has tracked deportation flights since 2020, said Khan Suri’s description of the aircraft and flight data makes it likely he was aboard N837VA.

“That definitely sounds like an ICE flight,” Cartwright told The Hoya. “That’s highly, highly probable.”

Publicly available flight data suggests the Georgetown men’s basketball team used the same planes to travel for away games that ICE uses to transport detainees and deport migrants.

The data suggests that the team flew round-trip flights to and from eight away games between Dec. 12 and March 8 with GlobalX, otherwise known as Global Crossing Airlines — an airline that has become the single largest

federal subcontractor of ICE deportation flights.

One or two days before each of these eight games, a GlobalX chartered aircraft flying as GlobalX Flight 4640 flew directly from Dulles to the away game location, spanning the United States from Providence, R.I., to Omaha, Neb. Within five hours after the end of each game, GlobalX chartered planes flying as GlobalX Flight 4641 flew return flights back to Dulles. A university spokesperson did not See PLANES, A7

GU Undergraduates Prepare For Israel Divestment Referendum

Nora Toscano and Jack Willis Senior News Editors

Georgetown University undergraduates voiced worries and excitement in advance of the April 14-16 referendum on whether the university should divest from companies and academic institutions linked to Israel’s government.

The Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate, the legislative body of Georgetown’s student government, voted April 6 to place the nonbinding question before the student body. To pass, the referendum will require a 25% turnout and a majority vote.

Meriam Ahmad (SFS ’26), the GUSA senator who introduced the referendum with senator Sienna Lipton (CAS ’27), said it enables students to communicate their opinions on a nationwide conversation to the university.

“My colleague and I worked to introduce this referendum because we believe that students should have the opportunity to voice their opinions on a question that has been asked across the country,” Ahmad wrote to The Hoya. “A referendum allows the student body to make

Georgetown students expressed differing reactions to GUSA’s vote advancing a student referendum on university divestment.

ARIA ZHU/THE HOYA, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Georgetown University men’s basketball team flew aborad the ICE-contracted charter

MAREN FAGAN/THE HOYA

TONY PELTIER/THE HOYA Lawyers for detained Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri and attorneys for the U.S. Department of Justice are filing dueling motions on jurisdiction.

New Goldwater Scholar Harry Sun (CAS ’26)

Hoya Blue/Hoya Gray

Georgetown seniors are leading a student section revolution to reinvigorate spirit at basketball games.

Bryk’s new film is, while formulaic, a truly satisfying slasher, James Pocchia (CAS ’25) says.

mascot

Bulldog

GU Students, Vote on the Referendum

Georgetown University students will soon face an important election. Along with voting in student government elections April 14-16, students will decide whether to support a resolution calling on the university to disclose and divest from its investments in companies with ties to Israel and end partnerships with Israeli institutions.

These referendums are not without precedent at other universities. In December, Yale University students faced a referendum on whether or not Yale should divest from companies with ties to Israel. Just eight days ago, University of Maryland students finished voting on a referendum that similarly called on their university administration to divest. It’s easy to ignore this referendum — after all, Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) student government rules demand 25% student turnout for any referendum to pass, a difficult hurdle to overcome in any student government election. Moreover, referendums are not binding for university policy, as a university spokesperson confirmed.

“Any student referendum provides a sense of the student body’s views on an issue,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “Student referendums do not create university policy and are not binding on the university.”

These concerns over the efficacy of referendums are real and legitimate. Yet despite lacking binding force, referendums hold symbolic importance and potential for tangible impact which should not be underestimated.

As such, no matter which side you support, the Editorial Board strongly urges every student to vote.

A referendum is an opportunity to tell the university what we, the student body, believe. What may feel symbolic at most is often the first step to real change. As past student referendums here at Georgetown prove, there is power in student participation.

In 2019, students voted in favor of a referendum to create a fund for descendants of the GU272+, the 314 enslaved people the Jesuits of Maryland sold in 1838 to pay off university debt. Three years later, the university established the Reconciliation Fund, highlighting the referendum as an inspiration.

In June 2024, the university made gender-inclusive housing an option for students following a referendum that approximately a third of the student body voted on.

While their success is not guaranteed, referendums can have significant consequences for university policies and the student community here at Georgetown.

In asking students whether they support divestment from any institutions or companies with ties to Israel, this referendum tackles a subject at the forefront of campus protests. The conflict in the Middle East has brought on immense despair, sadness and rage among students regardless of viewpoint, as protests supporting divestment, vigils mourning war victims and the vandalism of university landmarks display.

HOYA HISTORY

Divestment

April 4, 1986

A referendum offers a different avenue for expression — one that, no matter its result, can be constructive in informing university administration of student sentiment.

GUSA President Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26), who co-sponsored the referendum in the GUSA Senate, underscored its importance.

“I think it’s very important that students vote on this issue, no matter how they feel about it,” Henshaw wrote to The Hoya. “The whole point of a referendum is to get a sense of student opinion and convey it to the administration, and that only works if people turn out, whether in support or against the proposal.”

There are other concerns with this referendum, including the chaotic process behind its introduction in the GUSA Senate. Senators bypassed standard procedures, including introducing the resolution to the senate’s Policy and Advocacy Committee (PAC), a committee dedicated to workshopping legislation, before being sent to the senate.

GUSA Senator John DiPierri (SFS ’25) said that the speed of the resolution’s introduction meant senators were unable to fully digest the referendum’s contents.

“In this case, most of the Senate learned of the referendum for the first time about 10 minutes before our meeting was about to end (as it had NOT gone through PAC) and had no real chance to read it or offer edits to its language,” DiPierri wrote to The Hoya. “While there’s no guarantee the referendum would have been voted down if people had time to process it, it’s a shame we’ll never know, because the rules were strategically and pointedly broken.”

Even if GUSA members bypassed the traditional procedures, voting on the referendum will still occur as scheduled, giving students the opportunity to take a stand.

Students, this is your chance to use your voice. The conflict in Israel and Gaza has defined much of our campus affairs, from informal conversations with our friends and classroom discussions to powerful demonstrations on university grounds and beyond.

The Editorial Board urges all students to turn out to accurately reflect the student community’s opinions and encourage the administration to take action.

The Editorial Board also urges the administration to use this referendum as a chance to recognize and understand students’ concerns. Though the administration has made efforts to get a sense of students’ experiences on campus through surveys and listening sessions, the Editorial Board and other students have reiterated that the administration must further engage with students and their concerns. Acknowledging and addressing the results of this referendum presents a meaningful chance to do just that.

The Hoya’s Editorial Board is composed of six students and is chaired by the opinion editors. Editorials reflect only the beliefs of a majority of the board and are not representative of The Hoya or any individual member of the board.

Since its first issue in 1920, The Hoya has served to inform Georgetown’s campus dialogue. The following article is a glimpse into The Hoya’s rich history, allowing readers to appreciate the evolution of college journalism.

Misses the Mark

Wednesday’s “Petty Apartheid Simulation Day” at Georgetown achieved the valuable aim of increasing public awareness of the reprehensible system under which South Africa is governed. With increased awareness of the difficulties plaguing that country comes the responsibility to examine how the University can affect positive change in South Africa. For the Student Coalition Against Apartheid and Racism (SCAR), the answer to this challenge is clear: Georgetown must divest itself of shares in any corporation engaged in business with the racist South African government. This demand, however, is not the proper way to address the evil of apartheid. Apartheid is a system which bestows privileges on the white population by maintaining a legal system which discriminates blatantly against the black majority of the country. U.S. companies that operate in South Africa do so within this system. The argument of prodivestment forces is that U.S. companies help maintain apartheid by providing it with economic life. They conclude that divestment of stock in these corporations will both absolve the sharehold-

ers of any complicity with apartheid, and force the corporations to cease their relationships with the South African government. Ultimately, therefore, such pressure will result in reform.

The notion that bringing about the collapse of the economic system in South Africa is the best way to end apartheid is ludicrous. Not only will the non-white population be subjected to more suffering as a result of a shrinking economic pie, but the white minority, driven into a corner, will resort to more extreme means to maintain power. The resulting bloodshed and economic chaos will help neither the non-whites nor the whites.

One needs only to look at the rest of the African continent to recognize that economic stability is imperative in bringing about the type of rights and freedoms we as Americans identify with.

The Committee on Investments and Social Responsibility submitted fifteen recommendations concerning divestment to the GU Board of Directors, which determines the investment of endowment money, last spring. Foremost among these was that all corporations in which GU has an interest sign and com-

ply with the Sullivan Principles, which stipulate equal treatment of the races in the workplace. This opens the way to the type of change that is so necessary in South Africa.

Abandoning South Africa to economic chaos is not, as SCAR argues, taking the moral high road. U.S. corporations, through their participation in the economic system, can become, and indeed are in many cases today, vehicles for positive change.

The ultimate goal of divestment forecloses such possibilities.

The Board of Directors should resist pressure to divest holdings in companies that operate in South Africa. The GU Student Association, which has been asked by SCAR to endorse a recent petition calling for divestment, should politely but firmly refuse to do so.

The injustice of apartheid will not be solved by oversimplified sloganeering. The suffering of the non-whites in South Africa is very real, and the future of the nation is ominous. By divesting, Georgetown would essentially be abandoning the people that such a policy is ostensibly trying to help.

The Editorial Board

While their success is not guaranteed, referendums can have significant consequences for university policies and the student community here at Georgetown.”

The Editorial Board “GU Students, Vote on the Referendum” thehoya.com

From April 14 to 16, Georgetown University students will have the opportunity to vote on a referendum, introduced by the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA). The referendum asks students whether or not they support the university divesting from companies with ties to Israel and

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Heather Wang

Founded January 14, 1920

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The

reserves the right to reject letters or viewpoints and edit for length, style, clarity and accuracy. The Hoya further reserves the right to write headlines and select illustrations to accompany letters and viewpoints.

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

If you have a comment or question about the fairness or accuracy of a story, contact Executive Editors Patrick Clapsaddle, Maren Fagan and Aamir Jamil at executive@thehoya.com.

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Strive for Truth, Dialogue Through Student Journalism

Iwas in high school when I first read Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s 1833 poem “Ulysses,” which chronicles the title character’s reflection on his years of travel, as recorded in Homer’s “Odyssey.” Though aging and facing impending mortality, Ulysses remains determined “to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.”

To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield: These tasks have defined my time as a student journalist here at Georgetown University and as editor-in-chief of this publication.

Though I am now on my way out of The Hoya, I urge you — not just campus media reporters, but all students — to continue this work.

In the current campus environment, free speech is under threat. Attacks on dissenting viewpoints have escalated to the point that students, including here at Georgetown, have lost their visas for speaking their minds. Indeed, the federal detention of Tufts University graduate student Rümeysa Öztürk, seemingly for writing a pro-Palestinian opinion piece in the university’s student newspaper, demonstrates the stakes and consequences of these attacks on dissenting journalism.

The tenor of our arguments so often suffocates genuine attempts at forging nuanced dialogue: We berate those who disagree, squeezing out opinions somewhere in the middle and creating a chilling effect on speech. And while it’s fair to criticize opinions that denigrate or minimize others, this response can go too far — we push out legitimate and goodfaith perspectives before we get a chance to understand them in full. It should not be this uncomfortable or dangerous to publicly disagree. Amid this zeitgeist, it is so easy to fall into an echo chamber, refuse to tolerate disagreement and ignore opinions with which we take issue rather than recognizing what they can teach us.

In my experience, this environment has made student journalism far more difficult. Reporting can be a thankless task. Negative comments litter my social media feeds and email inboxes, while positive words take a bit more scrolling to find. Sometimes this criticism is warranted: The Hoya’s coverage of campus and city issues is not perfect, after all.

Yet this environment also makes student journalists’ work even more critical. Good journalism can force institutions like Georgetown to publicly address uncomfortable truths and work towards solutions to campus problems. It can spur community members who disagree to engage with each other’s opinions. And, most powerfully, it can foster the nuanced dialogue our campus often lacks, lowering the temperature and the volume of conflict to provide space for a diversity of perspectives. In “Ulysses,” Tennyson writes, “Tho’ much is taken, much abides.” Though much around us changes, much — our shared interest in building a better community and university — abides. In my time as a student journalist, I have always believed that one of journalism’s many powers lies in pushing our community to cherish and celebrate those commonalities, even as we argue.

To my dear friends at The Hoya and other campus media outlets, this work is a prerogative that comes with the platform we have. Even when it’s difficult, even when our Twitter or Instagram or, god forbid, Fizz accounts are overwhelmingly negative, it is always our responsibility to keep writing, ensuring community members can trust us with their quotes and their perspectives. We must continue to strive for truth, to seek out stories, to find new perspectives and never yield.

To our readers, students and community members, I urge you, too, to write. Scary and uncomfortable though it can be, I firmly believe that it is your perspectives — open, detailed and honest — that move us closer to real change in our political dialogue and eventually real change in our world.

As Tennyson’s title character tells his sailors as he prepares to set sail on one final voyage, “Come, my friends, / ’Tis not too late to seek a newer world.” As I publish my final issue as editorin-chief of The Hoya, I urge you to write your way to this newer and better world.

Evie Steele is a junior in the School of Foreign Service and the 151st editor-in-chief of The Hoya. Her term ends Saturday.

Vote Against the GUSA Divestment

n April 14, Georgetown University students will vote on a measure titled

“An ACT OF REFERENDUM to Establish Transparency Regarding Investments Made by the University AND Demand Georgetown Uphold Its Socially Responsible Investing Policy by Divesting from Companies Engaged in Human Rights Violations.”

One only needs to read past the title to discover that this referendum expresses concern not with Georgetown’s potential ties to human rights violations but with Georgetown’s ties to any facet of the State of Israel, including Israeli institutions like Tel Aviv University. Though I personally disagree with many characterizations of Israel this referendum presents, this is not why I oppose it. Rather, I oppose it for applying a double standard to Israel, stifling academic freedom and contradicting Georgetown’s academic mission.

Concerningly, the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA) Senate railroaded the referendum through without proper procedure, departing from standard practice in using an anonymous vote. For these reasons, I urge all of you to vote against this referendum this Monday. If the referendum truly concerned itself with human rights, why does it not also demand Georgetown end relations with Chinese institutions, such as

Support International Students at GU

Entering Georgetown University as an international student, I knew I would have to adapt to new norms, but I didn’t expect to stumble over words I use every day. On my first day here, standing in my dorm trying to explain to my roommate that we needed a “dustbin,” she seemed confused by my wording, and I felt frustrated that I couldn’t explain what I meant. I quickly realized adjusting to college in another country isn’t just about navigating immigration rules or learning U.S. history; it’s about rethinking the tiniest, everyday details of life that once felt effortless. This experience is the unspoken reality of being an international student. The work of adapting is linguistic, social, cultural and constant. As a university community that prides itself on its global identity, we must work to make cross-cultural interactions real, not just aspirational.

Tsinghua University, when the Chinese Communist Party has been accused of human rights violations? Why not mention Georgetown’s campus in Qatar, which has also seen reports of gross human rights violations? Despite the accusations against both, I do not demand Georgetown cut ties with institutions in either nation. A country’s people and its academic institutions must not be conflated with its government. In the same vein, Israeli institutions are not accountable for their government’s actions.

One partnership Georgetown upholds with Israeli universities is the annual Goldman Visiting Professor, in which a professor from an Israeli university spends a year at Georgetown. Meir Litvak, who currently fills the position, is a professor at Tel Aviv University, the main institution singled out by the referendum. Professor Litvak has been quoted in The New York Times criticizing Prime Minister Netanyahu for anti-Palestinian remarks, calling them “a disgrace.”

By cutting Georgetown’s ties with Israel, students would lose access to the diverse array of opinions that exist in Israel (such as Professor Litvak’s), depriving themselves of a nuanced understanding of Israel and the broader conflict.

Ultimately, this academic boycott creates a dangerous precedent. Where would it stop? Would we end our partnership with

the Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF) next, which brings together Israelis and Palestinians grieving losses, simply for involving Israelis?

As Georgetown students, we should welcome, and not shy away, from difficult conversations. Even if you vehemently oppose the current war or any Israeli policy, this referendum is not the appropriate way forward. Instead, embrace the opportunity to study all sides of the tragedy of this conflict, and use that knowledge to advance dialogue on how to build a better future. Furthermore, procedure was not properly followed with regards to passing this measure, leading several GUSA senators to oppose the vote. According to The Hoya, “senators voted to break GUSA rules to advance the referendum without the approval of the senate’s Policy and Advocacy Committee (PAC), which determines whether to send legislation before the full senate.” The article goes on to quote senators expressing their concerns, including the “secretive” process, procedural rule breaking and opinion that GUSA should not be involved in politics. Voting “yes” means the student body accepts this disregard for proper procedure and sets a worrying precedent for how GUSA may operate in the future. Voting “no” holds GUSA accountable to continue following procedural norms regardless of agenda. Beyond process, maintaining academic discourse sits at the

core of Georgetown’s mission. To accomplish this mission, Georgetown must be apolitical as an institution. Georgetown offers students diverse professors and viewpoints from which they can learn, creating their own opinions and improving the world. Georgetown has educated some of the United States’ most prominent politicians on both sides of the aisle, including both the current majority and minority whips of the U.S Senate. I support making a personal choice to boycott Israel or any institution, even if I disagree. However, making that choice for other students by attempting to change university policy is wrong. This referendum does not express the views of individual student organizations or students. By demanding the entire university divest from affiliation with Israel, the student body would state we no longer wish to maintain the impartiality that gives Georgetown its legitimacy as a world-class institution. To avoid imposing a double standard, continue our tradition of academic discourse, hold GUSA accountable and uphold Georgetown’s mission, I will vote no on April 14. I hope you do too.

Jacob Callahan is a junior in the School of Foreign Service.

VIEWPOINT • JEWISH COMMUNITY MEMBERS

At Georgetown, there are 2,652 international undergraduate and graduate students in total. To complement this, the rhetoric of global citizenship is strong, particularly in schools like the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) because its curriculum is rooted in diplomacy, crosscultural engagement and international policy. Yet the lived experience of international students, including my own, at Georgetown tells a more complicated story. In my first semester, I was struck by how often I had to explain myself — not just my accent or references, but even my emotions. Simple tasks like opening a bank account or figuring out how to buy groceries became minor battles. Cultural

code-switching — the constant shifting of language, behavior or appearance to fit in — was a daily necessity, and the social pressure to keep up with other students often outweighed academic challenges. This frustration is not unjustified or exaggerated — it stems from universities’ shortcomings. According to a 2022 report by the American Council on Education, international students often navigate multiple identities at once — national, cultural, linguistic — which shape how they are perceived and how they must perform. While most institutions in the United States emphasize international diversity in admissions, far fewer offer sustained support for integration once students arrive. Orientation ends, and universities seem to expect students to adjust. This experience isn’t just about international students’ discomfort. It’s a small-scale reflection of what happens when multilateralism is reduced to optics. In global politics, multilateralism means cooperation through shared policies and institutions. On campus, it could mean building a culture where different value systems and ways of thinking can genuinely coexist. This change would build reciprocal learning, where international students learn about the United States and U.S. students learn about international students. To combat these feelings that many international students face, Georgetown does offer resources through the Office of Global Services and the Center for Social Justice. Faculty are often willing to listen, and cultural clubs work hard to foster belonging. But

integration cannot be mistaken for celebration. Events that “showcase” culture are not substitutes for spaces where students can help shape, through collaboration, a campus they are willing to call home.

Student groups and clubs play a crucial role in shaping the international student experience, often serving as the first point of real connection beyond the classroom. However, I have found these spaces unintentionally mirror the same social silos found in broader campus life. International students tend to cluster within cultural organizations where their identities are understood without explanation. This divide is not always deliberate, but it is consequential.

That said, change is possible. Slowly, students can find spaces where their differences are not just tolerated but valued. Clubs can become communities. Confusion can become curiosity. And Georgetown begins to feel less like a test and more like a place to grow. But this shift cannot be left to luck or personality. It must be institutional, intentional and shared.

If Georgetown wants to be more than a global university in name, I encourage the community to foster multilateralism not just in syllabi or speaker events but in everyday culture. That requires all of us — students, faculty and staff — to move from passive awareness to active participation. Ask a question. Share a table. Make room in your club or your group chat. True multilateralism isn’t something you study; it’s something you practice.

Aashi Bagaria is a first-year in the School of Foreign Service. This is the fourth installment of her column “Grey Matters.” GREY

Reject Weaponization of Jewish Identity, Stand with Khan Suri

This statement was co-authored by an ad hoc group of Jewish students, faculty and staff of Georgetown University, including Jason Goodman (GRD ’26), Sarah Minion (LAW ’26), Emma Pinto (LAW ’27), Jonathan Mendoza (GRD ’26), Ethan Weisbaum (GRD ’29), Alyssa Kristeller (GRD ’25), Professor Lois Wessel (School of Nursing, School of Medicine), Professor Julia Watts Belser (College of Arts & Sciences) and others who preferred to remain anonymous. The authors have incorporated contributions from various signatories. This statement does not represent any particular organization or institution.

We are Jewish students, faculty, staff and alumni of Georgetown University. While we may hold varying opinions and perspectives on Israel and Palestine, we all agree that the growing wave of politically motivated campus deportation efforts is an authoritarian move being disingenuously undertaken in the name of Jewish safety that harms the entire campus community. We encourage Jews and everyone — at Georgetown and beyond — to take action and speak out.

On March 17, masked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents approached Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Dr. Badar Khan Suri at his home as he was returning from a Ramadan gathering. Despite having a valid visa, the agents detained Dr. Khan Suri and rapidly transferred him to a detention center in Louisiana and then Texas. Dr. Khan Suri is a valued member of the Georgetown community. In addition to the impact this has had on him, these events have terrified his students and colleagues, his wife, three young children, parents and his broader family and friends.

The political arrest, detention and attempted deportation of Dr. Khan Suri and others across the United States, including Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University Ph.D candidate Rümeysa Öztürk, as well as the revocation of hundreds of student and work visas, are transgressions of civil liberties by the Trump administration and DHS that are commonly seen under authoritarian governments. This should alarm us all.

The Trump administration is waging attacks on our spaces of learning, including by politically targeting, harassing, detaining and attempting to deport Palestinian, Arab, Muslim, international and immigrant community members, all while claiming to do so in the name of Jewish safety. Exemplified by tweets such as “SHALOM, MAHMOUD,” President Trump is weaponizing Jewish identity, faith and fears of antisemitism as a smokescreen for his authoritarian agenda, further damaging the campus climate for everyone. Making Jews the face of this autocratic initiative feeds antisemitic conspiracy theories and is dangerous for Jews, on campuses and beyond. For multiple reasons, it is crucial that we as Jewish community members at Georgetown speak out and act against this. We encourage Jews on and off campuses everywhere to do the same.

We call on President Trump and DHS to immediately release Dr. Khan Suri and all those they have unjustly detained and to cease all authoritarian actions against our campuses, which are harming and endangering everyone, Jewish community members included.

We ask Jewish community leaders and institutions, including

Hillel and the Anti-Defamation League, to clearly and officially condemn and oppose these acts, rather than remain silent, merely acknowledge concerns or even endorse these actions.

We support our campus administration in its Jesuit commitment to “build an environment where all members of our community are free to express their thoughts” and where we recognize “the human dignity of all.” We ask Georgetown to continue and strengthen these efforts to protect free speech and immigrant students, faculty, staff and community members. We call on our elected officials to push back against all political detentions, deportations and attacks on universities and to defend civil liberties, tolerance and safety for everyone across our campus communities.

We are horrified to see this escalating authoritarian action that will only worsen and expand unless we act. We urge everyone — especially our fellow Jewish community members, regardless of your political orientation — to make your voices heard however you are able. As the Book of Esther recently reminded us on Purim, “it is possible that you are in this position precisely so you may take righteous action.” (4:14).

We invite Georgetown’s Jewish community members to please add their names to the statement at tinyurl.com/gujewsspeakout, and we encourage Jews and everyone on and off campuses across the country to take similar action and speak out. This statement has been signed by 137 Jewish students, faculty, staff and alumni of Georgetown University, including religious, academic, and student leaders as of April 10.

Despite Promise of New Programs, Capitol Campus Struggles to Attract Students, Faculty

Ari Citrin Student Life Desk Editor

As the Capitol Campus prepares to welcome more undergraduates this fall, Georgetown University students and faculty remain skeptical of the university’s expansion.

Sara Eyob (CAS ’27) dropped her dream major before the end of her freshman year.

After enjoying an introductory public policy class, Eyob planned to join Georgetown University’s new undergraduate public policy degree program, the Joint Program in Public Policy (JPPP). The degree, which the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and McCourt School of Public Policy offer together, requires students to spend their junior and senior years living downtown and taking the majority of their courses at McCourt on the university’s Capitol Campus.

ThoughEyobsaidshefellinlovewith public policy, she decided to change her major so she could stay close to the life she had built on the Hilltop.

“It really does just boil down to community for me, in addition to traditions and on-campus events,” Eyob told The Hoya. “It was really just a matter of the time going by so fast. I was like, ‘Oh my god, junior year is not that far away, and I don’t want to give up all of the connections that I have on this campus to go somewhere else.’” Eyob, who is now pursuing a double major in government and Black studies, said her passion for public policy as a subject made giving up the major challenging.

“It’s still, to this day, my favorite class that I’ve ever taken, and I got really interested in it,” Eyob said. “I was always interested in politics, but that got me interested in policy, like how you write bills, how you implement them and how you assess whether they achieved a goal. But I’m also happy with what I’m doing now.”

Since 2019, the university has significantly invested in developing properties on the Capitol Campus, renovating two office buildings for academic use, constructing a new building for McCourt and building and purchasing apartment complexes for student use along H St. NW. Simultaneously, Georgetown’s academic offerings downtown have grown — especially after McCourt relocated from the Hilltop Campus to the Capitol Campus. At the undergraduate level, the university offers the JPPP alongside the bachelor’s of science in environment & sustainability (BSES) program, a collaboration between the College and the environmental studies institute Earth Commons which also requires students to spend their junior and senior years downtown.

Currently, 17 undergraduate students live at the Capitol Campus through the Capitol Applied Learning Labs (CALL), a semester-long program launched in 2019 — though Capitol Campus enrollment numbers will likely jump this fall as the first upperclass students in both the BSES and JPPP degree programs move downtown.

Long-term projections the university calculated in spring 2024 anticipate 1,000 undergraduates, including JPPP, BSES and CALL students, living and studying on the Capitol Campus by the 2029-30 academic

year, though a university spokesperson said these calculations, based on estimates and student statements of interest, are subject to updates and adjustments as estimates change. The projections also showed the university taking a $91.4 million loss on the Capitol Campus between fiscal years 2025 and 2028, though the university’s full budget was net positive and the school will not lose money as a result of these investments.

Students living on the Capitol Campus have consistently expressed concern over limited opportunities to connect with peers living on the Hilltop and pursue academic interests.

Goran Pope (CAS ’27), who is currently enrolled in the CALL for the Spring 2025 semester, said he has struggled to remain in touch with friends and community on the Hilltop during his time downtown.

“I come back here usually four days a week and, as nice as my apartment is, I don’t actually really end up spending all that much time there,” Pope told The Hoya. “Any free time I have, if I’m not doing homework, I come to the main campus to hang out with my friends because that’s where all my friends are.”

Emma Knebel (CAS ’28) said a visit to a Capitol Campus open house made her worry living downtown would limit her opportunities to explore the academic offerings and social experience on the main campus — leading her to withdraw from the BSES program.

“They had a panel of five or six people who were trying to explain how good it is to be in the middle of the city for career purposes, and all of them were for the public policy majors,” Knebel told The Hoya. “It’s not clear why environmental science is up there. The vibe is more like ‘this is a public policy campus,’ and then also this program is there.”

“I kind of was just like, I don’t like this. I don’t want to do this. That’s when I decided it was too far away and it was not worth it,” Knebel added.

Though Knebel has since rejoined the BSES program in pursuit of her passion for environmental science and will live at the Capitol Campus starting in Fall 2026, she said few other students in her initial BSES cohort made the same choice. Of the 14 students that completed the program’s introductory course, Knebel said only two or three students, herself included, are continuing with the program.

A university spokesperson said students in Capitol Campus programs will have full access to the university’s academic and social experiences.

“Capitol Campus undergraduate program students will begin their education on the Hilltop Campus and complete Georgetown’s signature liberal arts curriculum, gaining exposure to a broad range of disciplines and approaches to knowledge,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “At the Capitol Campus, students get the full breadth of life in Washington, D.C., and the full Georgetown experience, from being a part of lively student communities and clubs to

cheering on the Hoyas at sporting events and exploring the enriching neighborhood and cultural experiences in our nation’s capital.”

Hilltop Faculty Express Skepticism

As a new cohort of CALL students settled into their apartments at 55 H St. at the start of the spring semester, interim president and former provost Robert M. Groves met with the Faculty Senate on Jan. 15 to discuss the downtown campus’s future.

Local regulations constrain the university to a maximum enrollment of 6,675 traditional undergraduates on the Hilltop Campus, according to the university’s 20-year Campus Plan, a document that regulates the university’s development and enrollment. As such, adding additional programs on the Hilltop would require reducing enrollment in existing programs.

In his presentation, Groves said the university consistently reaches this cap, limiting the university’s program offerings. He described the Capitol Campus as a necessary way to increase enrollment.

“If you compare us, if you benchmark us to others, we’re now offering fewer degrees and majors on graduate and undergraduate levels than our peers,” Groves said at the meeting. “We’re getting out-hustled a bit. We have an undergraduate cap that we’re faced with of 6,675 undergrads on the Hilltop campus.”

Groves said the Capitol Campus growth is a faculty-driven priority, allowing professors to develop programs that align with their academic and research interests.

“At the very abstract level, all of us are seeing in our fields that the knowledge base people are using to explore the questions that are motivating one’s field, those are changing,” Groves said at the meeting. “There’s a big reorganization going on. Our faculty, as well as faculty at other universities, want to work in new ways, putting together pieces of knowledge, building new programs.”

In a spring 2024 faculty job satisfaction survey, however, faculty largely disagreed with a statement about the Capitol Campus benefiting Georgetown.

Only 39% of the full-time faculty who completed the survey said they somewhat or strongly agree with the statement that “the new Capitol Campus will benefit Georgetown as a student-centered research university.” Among tenured faculty members, the number was even lower: 28% either somewhat or strongly agreed with the statement.

According to the faculty satisfaction survey, faculty approval of Groves’s stated priorities — including the Capitol Campus — has fallen from 3.66 out of five in 2014 to 2.58 in 2024.

The university spokesperson said the university has received positive feedback on the Capitol Campus’s growth from faculty.

“Georgetown’s faculty members are critical parts of the Capitol Campus experience and we have been pleased to see so much excitement

and forward thought from faculty about the new possibilities provided by the Capitol Campus,” the spokesperson wrote. “As more faculty visit, experience and contribute to the Capitol Campus, we expect cross-campus collaboration and interest to grow.”

Tad Howard, the associate dean advising CAS students on the Capitol Campus, said he thinks some faculty disapproval of the Capitol Campus may be due to a lack of experience working there.

“It’d be interesting to see the uptick from those who’ve actually done the Capitol Campus and whether they’d say something different, because I think those who’ve done it have really positive experiences and have seen the options for incorporating experiential learning into their work,” Howard told The Hoya.

Curricular Concerns Continue

In the Fall 2025 semester, the university will offer 40 undergraduate courses at the Capitol Campus, including one biology course that meets the university’s Science for All requirement, an introductory history course and several one-credit pre-professional “workshops” listed as university-wide cross-disciplinary (UNXD) courses through the CALL. The university is not offering any language courses on the Capitol Campus this fall.

Course offerings include seven JPPP courses and eight BSES courses, alongside a handful of CALL courses meant to meet requirements for government, economics, justice and peace studies and women’s and gender studies majors. The university will offer one philosophy elective, taught by a full-time non-tenure-line faculty member, and one theology elective, taught by an adjunct, on the Capitol Campus this fall.

A mix of adjunct professors, fulltime non-tenure-line faculty and administrative staff will teach 33 out of these 40 courses. Though some of these non-tenured instructors have day jobs reporting on Congress for major publications or working cases as top attorneys, others primarily teach courses, without the wages or job protections afforded to tenured faculty.

Mark Murphy, the chair of the philosophy department, said he worries this adjunct-based structure will pressure departments that offer core curriculum courses, including his own, to hire increasing numbers of part-time, untenured adjunct faculty.

“Our view is that there’s already too much teaching in the philosophy core done by adjuncts, many of whom are excellent teachers,” Murphy told The Hoya. “But these aren’t folks who are full time, who can give this sort of attention and presence on campus to students that that our full-time faculty can.”

Murphy added that the university needs to commit additional fulltime faculty positions to supporting the core curriculum.

“This is their job, working for Georgetown, and if we don’t do that, then I think Georgetown is behaving irresponsibly,” Murphy added.

Felicitas Opwis, an associate Arabic and Islamic studies professor, said she is concerned about opportunities for language instruction on the Capitol Campus.

“Any of the major languages will be disadvantaged by people having the students not being able to continue after the intermediate stage if they started in their very first semester with their language,” Opwis told The Hoya. “Yes, they fulfill their language requirements. But after the intermediate stage, that doesn’t mean you have proficiency, especially not in languages that are a little more complex.”

Georgetown most recently offered two sections of Spanish on the Capitol Campus in Fall 2024, enrolling a total of six students, with no language classes scheduled for the Capitol Campus this coming fall.

Student and faculty bodies, including the College Curriculum Committee (CCC), a faculty legislative body that reviews academic policy in the College, have also expressed concerns. The CCC endorsed JPPP in September 2022 while expressing concern over the university’s plans for student and faculty growth at the Capitol Campus and identifying the potential for student attrition, a lack of academic flexibility in the two-campus structure and staffing the core curriculum as key issues.

The College Academic Council (CAC), an elected body representing students in the College, indicated similar concerns in a letter sent to College administrators, citing a lack of academic flexibility and access to extracurricular opportunities for public policy students.

Knebel said course selection has been challenging for her, as the courses offered at the Capitol Campus are limited and students at the Capitol Campus can only take up to two classes on the Hilltop each semester, but must request permission from their advising dean.

“I’m only allowed to take one class on the main campus, and I want that to be my language because I want to minor in it,” Knebel said.

“That means I can only take my four other classes on the Capitol Campus, but I don’t know if there’s going to be four environmental science classes for me to take.”

The university spokesperson said that the Capitol Campus will offer a comprehensive undergraduate curriculum, including exclusive minor programs like one in law, justice and society.

“Courses offered on the Capitol Campus will include a mix of major-specific courses, core curriculum courses and electives, including electives that could be combined to constitute a minor,” the spokesperson wrote.

Farewell to the Hilltop Han Li (CAS ’27), a public policy major, will be one of the first Georgetown undergraduates to spend two years on the Capitol Campus when he moves downtown this fall. Li said he is excited about the new undergraduate curriculum, though he will have to adapt to the move.

“The Capitol Campus definitely started out as a con, like a weird hiccup that I have to deal with,” Li told The Hoya. “But the more I’ve thought about it, I was like, ‘It is what it is. I want to do this program and I’ve got to live with the consequences of that.’” “I’m not going to dwell on whether it’s good or bad. Rather, I’m going to figure out, obviously, how it’s going to change the way I live my life, and what do I do about it,” Li added. Howard said he expects more students will become interested in Capitol Campus programs as the campus’s visibility grows, adding that its opportunities could become an added bonus for prospective students considering Georgetown.

“We’re seeing students who have the Capitol Campus as a part of the vision that they’re hearing about from the minute they research Georgetown,” Howard said. “I think that’s going to be part of a slow cultural change. In addition to us building cool new things that you can do there and making a strong case for it, I also think it’s about — we don’t want it to sound passive — letting the students kind of catch up and see that it’s a brave thing to make the leap.” Li said he will make a conscious effort to stay in touch with his community and remain involved on the Hilltop campus.

“I think it comes down to just being very proactive with the things that I do here on the Hilltop — just saying I want to make a commitment in my mind, but also in my actions, to my clubs and friends,” Li said. “I want to be very proactive in getting that set up, instead of saying, as the wind blows, I’ll see my friends, because that’s no longer going to be the case. It really just comes down to how intentional I am with these things.” Knebel said having the opportunity for academic exploration while at the Hilltop Campus allowed her to make a more thought-out choice about her major.

“I think it helped me make a more informed decision about the fact that environmental science is what I want to do,” Knebel said. “I think I would have really regretted it if I didn’t do those electives and just stayed on the environmental science path.”

As Knebel solidifies her plans to move to the Capitol Campus in Fall 2026 with the rest of her BSES cohort, she said she remains apprehensive.

“Honestly, I try not to think about it because it makes me kind of sad,” Knebel said. “I’ll definitely be on the Hilltop for clubs and to see friends, so I think I’ll still be connected to life on the main campus, but we’ll see if I can make it work.”

Though she has come to terms with her decision, Eyob said she would have pursued a major in public policy if she could have had the option to continue living on the main campus.

“I’m passionate about what I’m doing now,” Eyob said. “But definitely, there’s no question that if I could stay here and do public policy, I would be doing that.”

ILLUSTRATION BY ELLIE HILL/THE HOYA Some students must make the tough choice between pursuing academic passions downtown and leaving behind community on the Hilltop.

SOH Dean Emphasizes Importance of Community Healthcare at Event

Sarina Hattiangadi Science Writer

The dean of the Georgetown University School of Health emphasized the role of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in providing health care in Washington, D.C., at a March 31 event.

The Health Systems in Medicine (HSIM) program, which educates students on providing quality medicare and public health, hosted the dean, Christopher King, to discuss the social determinants of health, which are nonmedical factors that affect a person’s health outcomes. King focused on FQHCs, community-based health care organizations that provide comprehensive primary care services to underserved populations, regardless of their ability to pay.

The HSIM program trains students to recognize these determinants, which include socioeconomic status, education and

social support networks, within the larger health care system.

King, an expert who researches health system transformation, said health care systems should reconceptualize health care delivery to promote better societal outcomes.

“They should ask themselves: How do we cultivate a society that delivers prevention and well-being?” King said at the event. “That cares for the whole person?”

FQHCs receive federal funding and must meet specific standards set by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

King said hospitals and health systems should consider patient backgrounds and social determinants to reduce the risk of patient readmission to the hospital.

“We have a system of ‘sick care’ instead of health care. Currently, we treat the sickness and not readmission. We need to care for the whole person,” King said. According to King, FQHCs improve health equity by serving

vulnerable communities, including low-income individuals, uninsured populations and those with special health care needs.

Caroline Efird, an assistant professor in the department of health management and policy who researches health equity in rural populations, said another problem arises when patients fail to feel personal connections with their providers.

“When patients have told me about positive experiences they’ve had with health care providers, they frequently reference times when their physician or nurse connected with them on a personal level,” Efird wrote to The Hoya “Then providers ask questions about their family, or reference a topic that was discussed during a prior appointment — these points of connection go a long way for building trust and rapport.”

Lois Wessel (GRD ’96), a professor at the School of Nursing and School of Medicine, said the inter-

est in working at FQHCs demonstrates a positive trend toward personal, patient-forward care.

“I really feel at the Federally Qualified Health Centers, the people that are attracted to working there are a unique breed of people,” Wessel told The Hoya. “The care is very patient-centered.”

Wessel said FQHCs still face limitations, such as an inability to provide specialist or imaging services after delivering primary care.

“These FQHCs can provide basic care, but beyond that if a patient needs an X-ray or an MRI, that has to be done at a hospital,” Wessel said.

Wessel added that these issues generally stem from issues within the health care system in the United States that lead to burnout, saying the immense quantity of patients doctors see daily and the limited time to accommodate each one represents the core of this issue.

“Doctors have time limits, and the health care community is really burnt out and overwhelmed,” Wessel said.

Author Investigates Systemic Pollution in French Antilles

Delaney Brown Science Writer

An author and educator detailed the long-term effects of chlordecone, a toxic insecticide used for decades in the French Antilles — the islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe — at a Georgetown University event March 31.

Jessica Oublié, an author who researches the unjust legacy of chlordecone, analyzed the historical adoption of this insecticide in the French Antilles at the talk, drawing attention to the injustices its residents faced. During the event, Oublié also explored the use and legacy of organochlorine products, organic compound-based pesticides, on the islands.

Oublié said lasting effects of chlordecone can be seen throughout the ecosystem.

“What you see today is that chlordecone has really polluted not just the soil but also waterways, so you see contamination of the whole food chain,” Oublié said at the event.

The use of chlordecone began in the 1960s to combat the banana weevil, a beetle that destroyed banana crops until organochlorine products effectively terminated the insects. With this, farmers used the insecticide generously in the Antilles for decades.

Some organochlorine products — including chlordecone — are persistent pollutants, meaning they accumulate in the environment, humans and animals. The high amount of chlordecone used in the French Antilles is expected to persist for 600 to 700 years.

Oublié referenced a 2018 study that found 95% of the population of Guadeloupe and 92% of Martinique had evidence of contamination in their blood due to the high presence of chlordecone.

Melyssa Haffaf, executive director for Georgetown’s Gender+ Justice Initiative, a hub addressing the issues in gender inequality and discrimination, said the effects of pollution disproportionately affect women.

“The effects on reproductive health and increased cancer risks are particularly alarming, with the potential to harm women and their children for generations,” Haffaf wrote to The Hoya

“Additionally, given that women in the region are disproportionately single mothers, caregivers and leading advocates for public awareness, their role in this crisis extends far beyond personal health impact.”

Although chlordecone was banned in mainland France in 1993 for being an endocrine disruptor and possible carcinogen, banana farmers in the Antilles used chlordecone procured from illegal imports through the early 2000s.

In presenting a study from the early 2000s, Oublié said chlordecone-contaminated sweet potatoes exported to France were destroyed before they reached the mainland.

“After this, there was the belief that there are two justice systems, one making sure French citizens in mainland

were looked after, whereas Antillians had been exposed to that pesticide for many decades and nothing had been done to address the sanitary and health issues at stake here,” Oublié said.

In exploring government responses to chlordecone — called Kepone in the United States — Oublié said the United States completed extensive de-pollution efforts faster than France, which took 13 years to ban the sale of chlordecone completely and 31 years to start de-pollution efforts.

“De-pollution, do a fishing ban, sales ban, analyzing research on water, vegetables, meat, epidemiological research, then an investigation done by the Senate,” Oublié said.

“This difference is pretty shocking.”

Josh Chang (CAS ’26), a student who attended the event, said the French Ministry did not appropriately address these health concerns that result from chlordecone.

“Despite having knowledge of chlordecone’s toxicity and per-

sistence, the French Ministry of Agriculture approved the use of chlordecone due to pressure from the corporate/Béké lobby, highlighting the importance of building local movements by and for the community in the face of a state that refuses to address the very issues it caused,” Chang wrote to The Hoya

Haffaf said the legacy of chlordecone exemplifies other systemic inequalities such as gender injustice.

“Women in the Antilles face distinct and disproportionate impacts — both in terms of health, environmental and economic consequences — that have been severely under-researched,” Haffaf wrote.

Haffaf said reparations for people impacted by the pesticide should be made with a decolonial lens.

“Without a gender-focused approach, reparations risk perpetuating the very inequalities they seek to redress,” Haffaf wrote.

What the New Era of McCarthyism Means for Science

Keerthana

Ramanathan

Science Columnist

Recently, a global alliance of civil society organizations called CIVICUS added the United States to a global watchlist, citing a narrowing state of civil rights. Although most people can still exercise their right to free speech and assembly, multiple attempts to violate rights, including mass arrests without evidence-based accusations, are occurring. This climate seems to eerily echo a phenomenon of anti-communist propaganda in the 1950s: McCarthyism. The term is making a comeback in the media in the face of concerns for decreasing civil liberties and free speech. Well before recent developments making President Donald Trump’s intentions clear, presidential historian Jon Meacham told NBC News that the parallel between Trump’s and McCarthy’s movements is “the clearest analogy we have.” Senator Joseph McCarthy (R-Wisc.), McCarthyism’s namesake, claimed in what is now considered an infamous speech that 205 internal federal employees were serving the Communist Party, saying that they were the enemy within.

From this speech grew McCarthyism. In numerous trials, McCarthy condemned political officials and accused numerous colleagues of being communists without evidence, often going as far as to exaggerate and distort the truth to achieve his ends. His actions instilled fear among the general public surrounding the expression of any ideas that referred even remotely to communism. Any and all criticism from the press was silenced. These tactics seem to mimic that of President Donald Trump. Trump’s administration has fired public officials with the goal of ending diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and has arrested academics including Georgetown’s own Badar Khan Suri, whom the Trump administration accused of having ties to Hamas yet has not produced evidence beyond his free speech. Trump has also limited reporting access and seems to have focused goals of censoring the press. These efforts are driven by fear mongering, catering to extreme ideologies and claiming inaccuracies about the people and ideologies the administration seeks to repress.

This new era will have significant and possibly irreversible consequences for scientific discovery, as already evident in ear-

ly instances of data censorship.

Nearly 2,000 elected members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have already condemned this censorship in a recent open letter. Science thrives on scrutiny. Censorship of medicine goes beyond suppressing facts — it extends to the stifling of access to information itself.

In the name of removing DEI, the Trump administration removed terminology relating to gender from several federal websites and entire datasets that scientists and the public rely on for information. By unilateral executive order, the administration has also tried to limit DEI processes in university admissions that seek to ensure equity in higher education. Even before Trump, disparities in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields were rampant; one can only imagine how much they may widen in the next few years as a result of these changes.

Scientists — including Wayne A. I. Frederick, the interim CEO of the American Cancer Society — have since called on the administration to restore access to this data. Several other medical groups have echoed this call, with a joint statement by leading physician groups warning the removal of crucial datasets and

According to King, the solution lies in hospitals working with community health centers to exchange holistic care practices, with hospitals providing necessary resources. King said it was important to have patience and creativity in providing inclusive health care,

THE SINGULARITY

AI That Lies? Clarifying An Emerging Strategy For Prompting AI Models

Jay Liu Science Columnist

Chain-of-thought (CoT) prompting is an increasingly popular approach to artificial intelligence (AI) training that boosts models’ reasoning capabilities. The technique prompts large-language models, which use existing data to predict and generate human-like text, to show step by step how they logically reach conclusions. Instead of training models based on direct question-and-answer prompts, CoT prompting allows models to predict how a human may approach any given task, allowing it to more accurately mimic the human thought process.

For example, traditional training would teach a model multiplication by repeatedly telling it the answer to 10 times 10 is 100. On the other hand, CoT prompting might teach the model that multiplication is like asking, “How many of something — 10 times 10 — can be thought of as there being 10 groups of the number 10 and therefore 100 total?”

Training AI models with CoT prompting improves their performance in complicated tasks, such as advanced math or programming problems. It also allows users to see how an AI model reached its conclusions, enabling them to more easily spot potential misinformation or mistakes in reasoning. This not only improves models’ reasoning capabilities but also gives their operation more transparency.

However, it is unclear how well the generated CoT truly represents how a model reaches its answers.

The CoT generated is not necessarily the same logical pathway the AI used to arrive at its answer; it might be a series of arbitrary steps generated to justify its answer that do not accurately describe the actual process that led to the output.

This raises the question of how trustworthy CoT responses are.

guidelines from federal websites will jeopardize patient care.

This censorship affects all types of science, according to a Silencing Science Tracker developed by the Columbia Climate School, which tracks government efforts to limit and censor scientific research and discussion. Attacks have included the elimination of the chief scientist of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and funding cuts to 91 ongoing research studies in the social sciences. Another particularly striking change has been a warning to scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to remove references to mRNA vaccines from grant applications, lest they be flagged or rejected.

Censoring science doesn’t just affect research and is not just about politics: It’s about public health, conserving science advancement and protecting the liberties of the First Amendment to allow researchers to explore what they please.

Dissent matters. Government-imposed censorship and McCarthyist practices destroy meaningful thought, stifle creativity and curb scientific advancement. The current emergence of such practices seems to be forcing us down a path that looks eerily similar to McCarthy’s America.

Anthropic — the AI company that develops and maintains Claude, a family of large-language models — published a blog post April 3 summarizing findings from a paper about demonstrated doubt in the faithfulness of CoT responses. They are, more often than not, inaccurate representations of how the models process information and produce answers.

Anthropic’s alignment science team, which evaluates and monitors AI safety, tested the faithfulness of CoT responses for two prominent models, Claude 3.7 Sonnet and DeepSeek R1. The team first gave the models questions to answer and then gave them the same questions, but

this time with hints to the correct answers. The team found that, although the models changed their answers based on the hints, they rarely acknowledged the existence of the hint or discussed how it changed their decision-making in their CoT responses. Averaging their findings with different types of given hints, the team found that the Claude and R1 models mentioned the hint in their responses only 25% of the time and 39% of the time, respectively. In a different experiment, the team offered models giveaway hints that fully revealed the correct answer but told models they had gained unauthorized access to it. In these types of situations, Claude admitted to using the information 41% of the time and R1 did so only 19% of the time, showing that these models may access such information without users’ knowledge, even when explicitly asked for a CoT explanation. It also means that, in general, CoT responses do not accurately showcase how models think, revealing persistent ethical challenges. Many dangers could arise from this lack of faithfulness. In these tests, AI models are hiding how they generate answers, even when the hints given are labeled as information that they were not meant to access. This, by extension, means that such models may misuse critical information they find in their vast training data — all without human awareness. In the same paper, the team also showed that AI models are vulnerable to reward hacking, the process of optimizing for positive feedback rather than for task completion. For example, when a model receives behavioral reinforcement points for giving incorrect answers, it starts to give incorrect answers despite being programmed to give correct ones. 99% of the time, the two models answered the questions with incorrect answers that rewarded them through reinforcement points. CoT analysis admitted that the reward affected decision-making less than 2% of the time. All of these results illustrate potential dangers of AI with regard to how models use information. Frequently, they do not accurately display their reasoning process. They do not reliably disclose their use of sensitive information, nor do they acknowledge how rewards affect their decision-making. These findings highlight many ways malicious actors could exploit AI models. They also prove that, despite its potential, the CoT feature cannot act as a proxy for models’ true “thought” processes, presenting new obstacles to AI regulation.

DELANEY BROWN/THE HOYA

Author Jessica Oublié spoke about the effects of chlordecone, a toxic insecticide, in the French Antilles during a talk at Georgetown University March 31.

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In this week’s column, Jay Liu (CAS ’28) explores mixed findings surrounding chain-of-thought AI models.

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY

School of Health dean Christopher King discussed federally qualified health centers at a March 31 event.

IN FOCUS

GU Mexican Ballet Troupe Stages Spring Show

GUSA Arts Week Returns, Highlighting

Student Musicians, Designers, Artists

Ruth Abramovitz GUSA Desk Editor

In collaboration with student organizations including Georgetown Radio (WGTB), GU Queer People of Color (QPOC) and Prospect Records, the Georgetown University Student Association (GUSA), Georgetown’s student government, is presenting 23 events for Georgetown Arts Week April 6 through April 13.

The weeklong series of exhibits, events and performances marks the revival of GUSA’s Arts Week, which had been an annual spring tradition before the COVID-19 pandemic. Throughout the week, students will perform concerts and pop-up a cappella performances in Red Square, mount a full-scale fashion show, perform full dance showcases and exhibit paintings and sculpted works.

Sebastian Larsen (SFS ’27), president of Prospect Records, Georgetown’s student-run record label, said Arts Week sheds light on Georgetown’s unique arts community.

“What’s cool about Arts Week is it’s a chance to amplify art on campus, of course,” Larsen told The Hoya. “What I would hope for it to do is to raise awareness about the art community on campus, whether it’s music or visual art or whatever else.” Larsen, a member of the student band No One and the Elses, said Arts Week has given Prospect Records the opportunity to host benefit concerts.

“It’s been a lot of fun, especially collaborating with a student affinity group or more of a charity group,” Larsen said. “It’s very nice to be able to pair my passion and the club’s passion for live music with a good cause that is really going to tangible benefits.”

Oz City News Desk Editor

Georgetown University students joined around 200 protesters outside the Department of Education (DOE) in an April 4 rally opposing President Donald Trump’s moves to dismantle the agency.

The “Hands Off Our Schools” rally, organized by student governments at six universities, including Georgetown, saw politicians and activists discuss the importance of education before crowds of students.

Students protested Trump’s March 20 decision to “gut” the department as well as the administration’s crackdowns on campus free speech, diversity programs, civil rights protections, student loan forgiveness, academic programs and deportation of student visa holders.

Georgetown student body president Ethan Henshaw (CAS ’26), who organized the rally, said Trump’s policies threaten universities’ autonomy and student safety.

“We are students, many of us from private institutions, who want nothing more but to make education accessible and to make receiving that education a comfortable and welcoming experience,” Henshaw said at the rally. “We want all students

Prospect Records co-hosted the Arts Week kickoff concert in Bulldog Alley on April 6, and will host “Cosmic Bloom,” a benefit concert for Ward 2 Mutual Aid, a communal organization that provides aid to homeless people in Ward 2 of Washington, D.C., on April 12.

Other musical performances throughout the week include the Spring Sing a cappella festival and performances from the Chimes and the Saxatones in Red Square. Dance student groups like Ritmo y Sabor and Vibe will perform dances throughout Arts Week.

Isabella Sicilian (CAS ’26), WGTB’s general manager, said Georgetown Radio makes Arts Week possible by giving musicians the technical and logistical support they need to perform.

“At WGTB, we view Arts Week as an opportunity to provide students with performance spaces and make equipment accessible to all,” Sicilian wrote to The Hoya

“It’s important to us that students have platforms to express themselves and even advocate for issues through their art.”

Sicilian said Arts Week is valuable for both Georgetown’s artists and the broader campus community.

“A dedicated Arts Week is particularly valuable at Georgetown, given how academically rigorous our environment is,” Sicilian wrote to The Hoya. “Students need these creative spaces to balance out the academic intensity.”

“We hope students take away an appreciation for artistic spaces on campus and feel encouraged to engage with creative outlets,” she added. In addition to musical events, Arts Week will feature Diamanté, an annual fashion and dance show presented by QPOC, a show that will highlight work by creatives of color April 13.

to feel that they belong at our campuses and at our schools, yet I cannot ask for help from my university administration anymore because half the policies are not under their control.”

Asher Maxwell (CAS ’26), one of the rally’s organizers, said students need to come together and push back against the administration’s policies.

“This is about students,” Maxwell told The Hoya. “It’s not about politics. What they are doing to the Department of Education through executive orders, what they’re doing through ICE is coming after all of us, and we as students need to band together and stand up and say that we’re not okay with that and that we’re going to push back.”

The March 20 executive order to transfer DOE’s responsibilities to state-level education departments came after DOE announced March 11 that it would reduce its workforce by nearly 50%, raising concerns about the department’s ability to oversee federal funding for low-income and disabled students. Catherine Hiemstra (SFS ’27) said she attended the rally in support of equal access to education.

“I’m frustrated with this administration continuing to attack students, attack educa-

Giovanni Garcia (SFS ’25, GRD ’26), the president of QPOC, said Diamanté is a multidisciplinary arts experience unlike any other event on campus.

“It’s not just a fashion show, it’s almost like a fashion experience, because you see these people in real time modeling their clothes, modeling other people’s clothes, as well as having these amazing talented dancers come up on stage and perform for you,” Garcia told The Hoya Larsen said having a rich arts culture on campus brings the university community together.

“I think it’s so important to have a developed arts community on campus for the holistic development of students,” Larsen said. “And I think it’s important just purely for a student body to have the ability to have a live music scene where they can go support their friends in bands and play music and celebrate music.”

Garcia said QPOC’s mission of providing an outlet for self-expression for queer students of color coincides with Arts Week’s mission.

“It’s like the whole mission of the arts and expressing yourself — QPOC is a place where everyone can be expressive and do what they want to do as they please,” Garcia said.

Garcia said he hopes Arts Week inspires students to explore new forms of artistry and self expression.

“I hope that kids at Georgetown, when they see performances that we’ve put on at QPOC, like Diamanté, like the concert, see these opportunities as ways for them to get involved, and ways for them to learn to be the most authentic versions of themselves,” Garcia said.

tion,” Hiemstra told The Hoya

“As a student who has had so much privilege in getting to have the education that I do, I recognize that not everybody has access to it, and the fact that that access is continuing to be limited is scary.”

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon has defended the administration’s cuts as efforts to return education policy to the state and local level.

“I believe, and I know the president believes as well, the best education is that that is closest to the child, where teachers and parents, local superintendents, working together and local school boards to develop the curriculum for those students is the best way that it can happen,” McMahon said in a news conference April 2.

During the rally, speakers urged protestors to have unity in continuing to oppose Trump’s education policies.

LaJoy Johnson-Law, the Ward 8 representative on the Washington, D.C. Board of Education, spoke at the rally and said the protesters came together to fight for their rights instead of succumbing to fear.

“Fear means people are going to be still, people are going to be confused, people may be stag -

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Ajani Stella Academics Desk Editor

A Georgetown University junior and immunology researcher won the Barry Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious grant for science and engineering students, the university announced April 3.

Harry Sun (CAS ’26) received the $7,500 award for his research in immunology with a focus on understanding how cancer interacts with immune systems to develop more effective treatments. Sun will join 441 other recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship, established in 1986 to honor Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) through supporting the next generation of scientific leaders.

Sun said he was surprised and thankful to learn he earned the award.

“When I found out, there was a mixture of emotions — a little bit of shock, a little bit of being super excited, being overjoyed, but also a familiar gratefulness,” Sun told The Hoya. “This was a reflection of my own efforts, yes, but also my mentors, and a lot of people were a part of this journey.”

Sun said clinical research allows students and scientists to broaden the scope of medical science to unlock new ways to treat patients.

“What really is motivating for me is the gaps in our current understanding of how these conditions, these diseases, work,” Sun said. “I want to be able to address that, and I think the best way to do that is clinical research. There’s no way to figure out how to improve our health care, how to help other people, without research.”

Sun has conducted research in labs at the University of Connecticut, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) — a federal immunology research center — and George-

nant, and they may not want to do anything,” Johnson-Law told The Hoya . “But that’s not what we’re doing today. We are saying we don’t care who’s in the White House — we are moving forward. We are coming together, and we are fighting for our rights.”

In a speech during the rally, Jamaal Bowman, a former Democratic member of the House of Representatives who served as a middle school principal before taking office, said the protest represented fighting against the dangers of a miseducated society.

“This is about the concentration of power,” Bowman said at the rally. “This is about fascism, and this is about the spreading of misinformation and miseducation. And we know why. Because the more miseducated we are, and the less educated we are, the more we can be oppressed and the more we can be controlled.”

In attendance at the protests were students from Georgetown, Howard University, The George Washington University, George Mason University, and American University, as well as Temple University in Philadelphia and D.C.-area public schools.

Sara Holler (CAS ’28), who attended the rally, said she was inspired to see students from

town University Medical Center (GUMC). He also co-authored a June 2024 study detailing the underrepresentation of elderly patients in clinical trials.

Hao Jin, director of the NIAID lab where Sun worked, said Sun was an important contributor to the lab and an adept researcher.

“He consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic and a passion for his research,” Jin wrote to The Hoya. “As a researcher, Harry was both independent and receptive to feedback. He often took the initiative in exploring new ideas while maintaining a high level of curiosity and critical thinking.”

“Harry’s intellectual curiosity, drive for excellence and passion for scientific discovery were key traits that helped him earn the Goldwater Scholarship,” Jin added.

Sun said he feels his experience and self-motivation allowed him to build a well-rounded application.

“Some of the strong parts of my application were the diversity of research experiences I’ve had,” Sun said. “It’s important to be able to consistently learn and be able to be an independent thinker — not just contributing to research, but also playing a significant role in the research, being able to set up your own experiments.”

Sun said he is grateful for his mentors’ support, who taught him strong skills and values.

“My personal mentors have really sculpted not only the techniques that I know I’m able to perform towards research, but also the way I think about and approach specific problems,” Sun said. “They are the inspiration for me to research.”

Sidharth Jain (GRD ’25, MED ’27), one of Sun’s research mentors at the GUMC lab, said Sun stands out because of his passion for helping others through research, which Jain said reflects Georgetown’s value of cura personalis.

different universities at the protest, emphasizing the widespread implications of the administration’s policies.

“It’s really inspiring to see people from many different schools come out for this and hear speakers from different universities because it shows that this is not a movement that’s necessarily centered on any one group, any one social class, university, because we’re all impacted,” Holler told The Hoya

Nico Cefalu (CAS ’27) — the president of Georgetown’s chapter of the civil rights nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) — said he hopes D.C.-area students will continue to come together in protest.

“This is the first time we’ve actually tried to organize all of the schools in the area together,” Cefalu told The Hoya

“So I’m really hopeful this will just be the first one, and we can keep doing more of these.

As people see that we got this many people to show up, we can keep growing it.”

Maxwell said the administration has been cracking down on academic freedom and making students and professors afraid to express their opinions — raising the stakes of the protest.

“The Trump administration is going after our campus free

“Harry has been an absolute pleasure to work with,” Jain wrote to The Hoya. “From his first day, he was very eager to learn and came with a sense of curiosity and interest that you rarely see in other students. I was struck initially not only by his scientific acumen, but by his thoughtfulness and interest in philosophy — a real embodiment of ‘cura personalis.’” Dr. Anton Wellstein, a GUMC professor of oncology, said Sun’s humility and dedication while working in the oncology lab impressed him.

“He’s very disciplined, and it’s very impressive,” Wellstein told The Hoya. “When I wrote his recommendation, it was easy to write because he’s such an outstanding person — as a human being as well as a scientist.”

“He is somebody who will do well,” Wellstein added.

Jain said Sun’s nature makes him a good collaborator and an even stronger researcher.

“Despite being incredibly high-achieving, Harry is also just a fun person to be around — he’s thoughtful, but also is constantly smiling and laughing, and it’s very easy to work with and talk to him,” Jain wrote.

“He’s an excellent communicator, writer and learner and has a lot of drive to learn.”

Sun said while he is unsure what research he plans to pursue, his central goal will be to discover new ways to help others.

“Research is a way for me to try to figure out a bit more about what’s going on in a way that we don’t currently know,” Sun said. “I want to be able to contribute and see where I see myself — how can I continue this research to help other people in a way that we can’t currently do right now.”

speech,” Maxwell said. “They’re going after our civil rights protections, they’re cutting funding for student aid and student programs and they’re making it so that professors feel like they can’t teach the truth so long as it disagrees with what the administration believes.”

Besides cuts to the department, Trump’s administration has repeatedly targeted and revoked the visas of international students and researchers — including one Georgetown researcher — who have engaged in what his administration claims is antisemitism.

“They’re making students think that if they express their opinion on a topic that the administration disagrees with, they could potentially be deported or arrested,” Maxwell said. “That’s not America. It’s unconstitutional, and it’s unacceptable.”

Maxwell said he was proud of the crowd who showed up despite the administration’s detention of student activists and protestors.

“In this environment, given how much the Trump administration is going out of its way to make students feel afraid, this crowd makes me feel really happy and optimistic and really proud of what the students who have come out here are saying,” Maxwell said.

LENA MAILLET/THE HOYA

Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Georgetown, a student-run Mexican dance group, performed its annual spring showcase in Gaston Hall on April 6, attracting its largest audience in 28 years of shows.

Shira

Flight Reports Reveal Georgetown Men’s Basketball Uses Deportation Planes

PLANES, from A1

confirm or deny whether the men’s basketball team flew on GlobalX aircraft.

“Georgetown Athletics engages a third party company to broker its men’s basketball team travel,” the spokesperson wrote to The Hoya. “Georgetown does not directly select the planes or carriers used for this travel.”

Tracing GU’s GlobalX Connection

The Hoya corroborated this information by cross-checking images from the team’s social media with publicly available flight logs for Washington, D.C.area airports.

The team posted images of the men’s basketball team boarding or deplaning from chartered flights eight times throughout the season: Dec. 12, as the team traveled to Syracuse to play Syracuse University; Jan. 5, as the team traveled to Milwaukee to play Marquette University; Jan. 23, as the team traveled to Providence to play Providence College; Feb. 3, as the team traveled to Cincinnati to play Xavier University; Feb. 13, as the team traveled to Indianapolis to play Butler University; Feb. 23, as the team traveled to Omaha to play Creighton University; Feb. 25, as the team traveled to Hartford, Conn., to play the University of Connecticut; and March 7, as the team traveled to Chicago to play DePaul University.

According to publicly available flight logs, GlobalX flights operating as Flight 4640 were the only chartered flights to depart from any Washington, D.C.area airport and arrive in each

corresponding city on those dates.

The flight logs also reveal that in seven of those eight cases, GlobalX flights operating as Flight 4641 were the only chartered flights to arrive in any D.C.-area airport from each city between the end of the team’s games and their next game days. On March 8, Flight 4641 was one of two chartered flights traveling from Chicago to a Washington, D.C.-area airport.

Each flight operating as Flight 4640 departed from Dulles, while each running of Flight 4641 arrived at Dulles.

In addition, several photos the team posted on social media of their travel show players or coaches boarding a plane with neon blue and neon green wingtips. Multiple aviation experts confirmed to The Hoya that the planes depicted in these photos match GlobalX Airbus A320 planes.

GlobalX has publicly acknowledged that 12 college basketball teams flew on its planes during this year’s regular season.

A GlobalX spokesperson did not respond to a request for confirmation Georgetown’s basketball team was among them.

GlobalX as ICE Air GlobalX’s fleet of 19 aircrafts flew 74 percent of ICE’s 1,564 deportation flights in 2024, transporting detainees from the United States to locations across Latin America.

All six of the planes operating Flights 4640 or 4641 have flown routes between ICE operating airports and destinations in 11 Latin American and Caribbean

countries since December.

The plane that operated Flight 4640 from Dulles to Syracuse on Dec. 12 was GlobalX aircraft N276GX. Four days after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the same plane left Alexandria, La., en route to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, carrying 88 migrants, some in chains. Turbine problems and broken air conditioning forced the flight to land in Manaus, Brazil, across the country from Belo Horizonte, sparking outrage in Brazil.

On March 15, plane N837VA, which operated Flight 4641 from Syracuse to Dulles on Dec. 14 and likely carried Khan Suri on March 18, was one of a convoy of three planes which flew from Harlingen, Texas, to Tegucigalpa, Honduras, and then on to San Salvador, El Salvador, carrying migrants who had been prepared for deportation without hearings.

Though a federal judge ordered the three planes to return to the United States, staying the migrants’ deportation, they continued flying in violation of his order.

The other planes that operated as Flight 4640 or Flight 4641 have also flown to airports in Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Brazil and Cuba — including the notorious U.S. air base in Guantanamo Bay, where N276GX flew April 3.

GlobalX has flown deportees since 2023, when it landed an emergency contract with CSI Aviation, the federal contractor for ICE Air — a subdivision of ICE that organizes the transfer and deportation of immigrants.

Cartwright said that because the federal government lacks its own air operations for deportations,

Khan Suri’s Legal Team, DOJ File Opposing Motions in Legal Suit

KHAN SURI, from A1

Khan Suri’s lawyers, including lawyers from the legal advocacy nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed a motion to return Khan Suri to Virginia March 20, arguing his March 18 transfer to an ICE facility in Alexandria, La., and his March 21 transfer to the Texas facility prevented him from accessing counsel and due judicial process.

In an April 8 press release, Mary Bauer, executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, said the detention of pro-Palestine activists — including Khan Suri and Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful U.S. permanent resident and prominent activist during pro-Palestine student protests at Columbia University last spring — is illegal.

“The Trump administration is trying to silence speech it doesn’t agree with by targeting people like Dr. Khan Suri and Mahmoud Khalil, but ideas are not illegal,” Bauer said in the press release.

“Americans don’t want to live in a country where the federal government ‘disappears’ people whose views it doesn’t like.”

The ACLU has joined the legal teams of several visa holders whom the government has detained over their speech and protest attendance. ACLU lawyers also joined the representation of Khalil, whom ICE detained March 8. ACLU lawyers submitted a memo March 27 calling for Khan Suri to be released on bond, saying Khan Suri’s detention has harmed his family, prevented him from accessing legal aid and interfered with his Muslim faith.

“As a result of the federal government’s actions, Dr. Khan Suri has lost his freedom, his

ability to practice his deeply held religious beliefs, his ability to have meaningful access to his legal counsel and this Court, his professional credibility, reputation, and employment opportunities, and perhaps most deeply personal of all, he is experiencing the ongoing separation from his wife and three young children,” the lawyers wrote in the filing.

In response, DOJ lawyers filed two motions April 1, one dismissing Khan Suri’s challenge to his transfer to Texas and the other opposing Khan Suri’s return to Virginia. Both motions argue the Virginia federal court lacks jurisdiction over Khan Suri’s case.

The government also filed a motion opposing Khan Suri’s release on bond April 3. In the filings, DOJ attorneys also refuted assertions of forum shopping, where prosecutors choose a more favorable court, saying Khan Suri was transferred to Texas due to space concerns, not because Texas’ more conservative judges might have a higher chance of ruling in favor of the government.

Khan Suri’s lawyers filed an amended complaint April 8, also publishing a video of Khan Suri’s arrest and adding details of Khan Suri’s experience in the Texas detention center.

The filings outline that Khan Suri was originally housed in a common room, sleeping on a plastic frame and mattress. According to the complaint, Khan Suri did not receive halal food or religious accommodations, including a Quran and prayer mat, until April 2, when he was also given a room after complaining to his lawyer. The filing said Khan Suri’s family has been devastated by his detention.

“His children keep asking their mother when their father will come home,” the lawyers wrote in the amended complaint.

“Dr. Khan Suri normally holds his older son every night at bedtime, helping him fall asleep. Lately, his son has been crying uncontrollably and has stopped speaking. He is worried especially about his older son.”

Khan Suri’s lawyers also said he is not a risk, highlighting his devotion to his family and work in peace studies, in April 8 filings seeking to return him to Virginia and release him on bond.

“It is uncontested that Petitioner Badar Khan Suri is neither a flight risk nor a danger to the community,” the lawyers wrote in the filing regarding releasing Khan Suri on bond. “The evidence presented in this case thus far — core bail factors which Respondents do not challenge in their opposition to his release — demonstrate that Dr. Khan Suri is a legal visitor to this country on a visiting scholar visa with no criminal record; a loving and devoted husband to his U.S. citizen wife and father to his three small children; a kind, thoughtful, and considerate colleague and friend; and an academic dedicated to ending wars and finding just and peaceful solutions to conflicts.”

Khan Suri said in the ACLU press release that he never expected to be detained for his speech.

“I’ve never even been to a protest,” Khan Suri wrote. “I came to the U.S. to work and raise my family: I go to work, come home late, and still they came and took me and broke my family. In my work, I’ve seen lots of injustice. I just didn’t think it would happen to me here.”

GlobalX acts as a subcontractor for the federal government.

“ICE Air doesn’t own any planes,” Cartwright said. “They operate this way through charter companies, primarily.”

Spokespeople for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.

In 2023, GlobalX negotiated a new five-year contract with ICE Air, a contract expected to earn the company $65 million per year, according to the company’s second quarter earnings in fiscal year 2024. Simultaneously, the airline held a contract to transport college basketball teams between game locations during this year’s March Madness tournament.

According to Cartwright, GlobalX’s business model relies on rapidly switching between deportation flights and other private charters.

“Global Crossing could fly a flight that takes fans to the Masters tournament or to an NCAA tournament one day and two days later do a deportation flight or a flight with migrants that are in detention centers,” Cartwright said.

Georgetown basketball contracts flights through sports travel service Anthony Travel, which coordinates all air transportation for men’s basketball games and tournaments and is known for “unique costsaving vendor programs.”

Anthony Travel employees declined to respond to a request for comment.

Angelina Godoy, a professor at the University of Washington who has researched deportation flight contracting, said airlines can refurbish the interior of

planes in as little as several hours, depending on whether its passengers are high-end clients or ICE detainees.

“My understanding is that many of these planes can be switched out in terms of level of luxury accommodations inside,”

Godoy told The Hoya. “You have the plane itself, sort of the shell of the plane. But then you can remove the seats from it and put in wider, more comfortable seats with more luxurious cushions.”

“But then the same plane with the same tail number, the same shell of a plane, could also be equipped more bare-bones for just economy flights or deportation flights,” Godoy added.

Aboard GlobalX When GlobalX aircrafts are used to deport individuals or transfer them between U.S. ICE facilities, ICE agents often place detainees in physical restraints, leading to intense travel conditions.

Godoy said being a detainee aboard an ICE flight places individuals in a particularly vulnerable position.

“There’s kind of no recourse for people in that situation,” Godoy said. “They’re just in an extreme situation of vulnerability.”

According to the ICE Air Operations Handbook, handcuffs, waist chains and leg irons must fully restrain detainees throughout the duration of their flight. Detainees cannot wear shoelaces or jewelry, cannot have a bag weighing more than 40 pounds and are provided only a sandwich and granola bar for flights less than 10 hours long.

Khan Suri detailed experiencing

these conditions in a court filing his lawyers filed April 8. According to the complaint, ICE transported Khan Suri in shackles for the duration of his March 18 flight, and agents did not allow Khan Suri to close the door while using the bathroom.

Findings from an April 1 investigation into GlobalX flights from ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism outlet, mirror these complaints. In interviews with ProPublica, GlobalX flight attendants described worrying about how to evacuate shackled passengers and described a disaster as “only a matter of time.”

Godoy said such restraints present a safety problem should the plane face an emergency.

“If folks are shackled at the arms or wrists and ankles, how would they get off the plane in any kind of emergency?” Godoy said. “They are able — as long as they’re able bodied — to walk or to shuffle in those chains. But that certainly wouldn’t be an easy way to get off the plane quickly in an emergency, so it raises all kinds of safety concerns.”

Godoy said that while athletes and university leadership are likely unaware of connections between GlobalX and ICE, the evidence is readily available.

“At some point it becomes too obvious to deny, when you see, for example, these published flights going to El Salvador in recent days, taking people with no criminal record and locking them up,” Godoy said.

“The pictures are there — it’s a GlobalX flight,” Godoy added. “At some point people have got to put two and two together.”

Students to Voice Opinions on Israel Divestment in GUSA Referendum

REFERENDUM, from A1 their voices heard on this issue.”

“I hope that the Georgetown community uses this opportunity to engage in the democratic process that a referendum brings,” Ahmad added. “I would highly encourage the entire undergraduate student body to vote!”

The referendum, which will have no binding effect on university policy, asks voters whether they support the university’s divesting from its investments in companies with ties to Israel’s government. Georgetown’s investment in Google’s holding company, Alphabet, is valued at approximately $43 million, and the university’s investment in Amazon is valued at about $12.7 million. Both companies have provided technology to the Israeli military.

“I support Georgetown University disclosing all private investments to its community members and upholding its Socially Responsible Investment Policy, through divesting from companies arming Israel and ending university partnerships with Israeli institutions,” the referendum will read.

The referendum is a response to ongoing violence in the Middle East, which has prompted protests and vigils across campus for over a year. The most recent stage of the conflict escalated Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas and other militant groups attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza has killed over 50,000 Palestinians and displaced 1.9 million Gazans.

Nate Schindler (MSB ’26) — a member of the Georgetown Israel Alliance, a student organization supporting Israel — said politicization of the Israel-Hamas war may impact students’ vote on the referendum.

“I think around the topic, there are sound bites that get caught in the media when it comes to the opposite side of the conflict, and people go around chanting, and they’re easy to pick up because they rhyme, but that’s in no way able to summarize this entire conflict,” Schindler told The Hoya . “I think there are huge, gigantic claims of genocide and apartheid that people take at face value, rather than thinking through on a deeper level.”

Two resolutions have recently passed through the student body referendum process. In 2021, students passed a referendum asking the university to use a portion of tuition fees to support descendants of the

GU272+, the 314 enslaved people sold by the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in 1838 to financially sustain the school. While the university did not adopt the measure, it launched a $400,000 reconciliation fund providing grants for community-based research projects impacting descendants of the GU272+. Last April, a passed referendum implemented by university administration made gender-inclusive housing available to the Class of 2028.

Some GUSA senators and Georgetown community members voiced concern over senators voting without long-term public attribution to advance the referendum — a departure from standard GUSA procedure — and bypassing the senate’s Policy and Advocacy Committee (PAC), which determines whether to send legislation before the full senate.

Marina Chernin (SFS ’27), a GIA member, said she felt taken aback by the GUSA referendum’s sudden entrance into public light.

“It was done under the shadow of secrecy, which I think is just contrary to the principle of democracy of, ‘Let everything out into the light,’” Chernin told The Hoya

“It’s a really disappointing statement to come from my representatives, whom I elected to speak for my voice and the fact that they did it in such an undemocratic way — I would love to say shocked, but I wasn’t even shocked, just sad,” Chernin added.

Senator Evan Cornell (CAS ’27) said voting procedures on introducing the referendum strayed from typical GUSA procedure as a caution for senators’ safety.

“As for how this referendum was voted on to be authorized, out of an abundance of caution and for the sake of Senator or GUSA member safety and security it was necessary to only publicly report, as the Bylaws require, the final vote count,” Cornell wrote to The Hoya

“Each referendum that students have recently voted on in past referendums was brought to the student body by breaking Senate rules for whatever reason each introducer had,” Cornell added. “This may have been unorthodox, but it definitely was not a departure from either precedent or the past.”

Some students said they support the referendum’s goal of disengaging the university from the violence in the Middle East.

Lela Tolajian (SFS ’26) said the referendum signifies an

opportunity for students to choose a new path forward for Georgetown.

“Georgetown has a moral imperative to divest from the corporations facilitating the genocide in Palestine,” Tolajian wrote to The Hoya. “Our university’s ongoing complicity in mass slaughter, scholasticide and war crimes is beyond shameful.”

“While this referendum is non-binding, it is a key step in continuing to escalate pressure on our university to divest from genocide and cut all ties with Zionism,” Tolajian added. Fiona Naughton (SFS ’26) said she plans to vote in favor of the referendum.

“This is an issue that is hugely impactful,” Naughton told The Hoya. “Georgetown has over $57 million invested in the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

“And that is why I will be voting for divestment in the referendum, because I believe that an educational institution should, in no way, shape or form, have any financial investment in genocide,” Naughton added. “And I think it’s egregious and morally reprehensible for any of our tuition dollars to be going towards the bombing and slaughter of innocent civilians in Palestine.” In contrast, Chernin said she believes the referendum itself to be antisemitic, as it criticizes Israel for human rights violations without referencing other violations in Qatar and China.

“You can have conversations about where the school should be investing,” Chernin said. “But the fact that I’ve not seen anything about Qatar, not seen anything about China, I’ve not seen anything about all of these different countries and companies that our school is invested in, you have to ask, ‘Why is Israel the only one that’s getting this attention?’”

“Why did there have to be the secretive referendum about this one country? About this one country out of all the countries in the world?” Chernin added.

Naughton said the referendum, despite being nonbinding, will allow students to voice their opinions to the administration.

“It’s very much symbolic, but symbolic decisions also carry a lot of weight,” Naughton told The Hoya . “I think that, considering this within the context of the GU272 referendum, it’s really important to remember that the university is not bound to a referendum, but that it’s still such an incredibly important way for the administration to know the true demands and desires of the student body.”

AJANI STELLA/THE HOYA

Georgetown University researcher Badar Khan Suri’s legal team and the Department of Justice filed opposing motions in the detained professor’s deportation case.

GU Community Among Thousands at Rally Against Trump Administration

Ajani Stella Academics Desk Editor

Georgetown University students and graduates joined tens of thousands of protesters rallying against President Donald Trump’s administration at an April 5 protest on the National Mall.

Protesters crowded around the Washington Monument for over three hours carrying signs opposing Trump’s cuts to federal agencies, tariff policies and deportation efforts. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) headlined the rally, which featured other Democratic politicians, federal employees and union leaders urging attendees to speak out against the Trump administration.

During his speech at the rally, Raskin said Trump threatens the United States’ commitment to democracy.

“Our founders wrote a Constitution that does not begin with ‘We the dictators,’” Raskin said to the crowd. “The preamble says ‘We the people.’ No moral person wants an economy-crashing dictator who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”

Sara Holler (CAS ’28), who attended the rally, said she hoped her participation would demonstrate how the public can take a stand against the Trump administration.

“Every single person who shows up and just stands there makes a difference,” Holler told The Hoya. “When people walk by and feel that power and see that there’s so many people doing so many different things, then they see that they can have a role in this too. They can have a role in changing our government.”

Terri Merz (GRD ’16), another rally attendee, described Trump as a “tyrant” and said Georgetown’s Jesuit values encouraged her to protest his policies.

“What we learn from Georgetown University, a Jesuit school, is care for

the whole body, the whole person,” Merz told The Hoya. “We have to be here. We have to speak out.”

According to the organizers, the rally in Washington, D.C., was part of a national movement of more than 1,200 “Hands Off” rallies across all 50 states and globally that aimed to assemble cohesive opposition to Trump and drew millions of supporters.

Holler said the rally’s ties to other marches inspired her because it displayed the solidarity of activists nationwide, even across different movements.

“There’s just so many issues that people are showing up for and that resonate with each person individually,” Holler said. “Seeing that collective come together and show that it’s not just a rally for the climate or for trans rights or anything, but it’s a rally for our future as a whole.”

Jenna Bogda (CAS ’28), another student protester, said she had never joined a protest before but felt like she needed to speak out.

“One of the most dangerous things that could happen is people just going quiet and rolling over to the administration,” Bogda told The Hoya. “This demonstration, not just in D.C. but across the entire country, shows that people are not going to accept the oligarchs.”

Protesters including Heather Martin, of Albany, N.Y., travelled across the country to join the Washington, D.C. protest. Martin said she drove the six hours to the District because she wanted to find a community and solidarity in what she called a historic moment.

“I wanted to be here because I knew it would be historical,” Martin told The Hoya. “I just can’t stand for what’s happening. I feel like I have to do something. I feel alone, and this makes me feel a little sense of togetherness.”

GU Law Student Groups Boycott Law Firm Over CooperationWithTrump

Sofia Thomas Special to The Hoya

A Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) student group boycotted a recruiting event with a top law firm over the firm’s cooperation with President Trump, the student group announced in a March 31 letter.

The Georgetown Energy Law Group (GELG), which advocates for energy policy, sent an open letter to Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom announcing its members would not attend an April 1 recruiting event at the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. The student leaders cited Skadden’s March 28 agreement to provide over $100 million in pro bono services to Trump’s political causes while discontinuing its diversity, equity and inclusion programs to avoid an executive order targeting its federal contracts and clearances.

In the letter, GELG executive board members said Skadden’s actions did not reflect GELG’s commitment to justice and the protection of the law.

“As future members of the legal profession, we seek to align ourselves with institutions that uphold justice, equity and professional integrity,” the board members wrote in the letter. “We cannot, in good conscience, engage with an organization that has so visibly retreated from these values in the face of unlawful political pressure.”

Carly Tolin (LAW ’26), GELG’s outreach chair and the letter’s co-writer, said GELG’s executive board collectively decided to boycott the recruiting event to take a stand against the Trump administration.

“It is important that the legal profession be independent and preserve the rule of law, and when we as student leaders see that being threatened, we have the option to do what’s within our power to take a stand,” Tolin wrote to The Hoya.

Skadden’s agreement with the Trump administration came two weeks after Trump targeted another top law firm with an executive order terminating federal contracts in a March 14 executive order. Skadden negotiated a deal with Trump to avoid a similar executive order.

A representative from Skadden’s D.C. office did not respond to The Hoya’s request for comment.

Alanna Belmont (LAW ’26), GELG co-president, said GULC Dean William Treanor’s March 6 letter defending the law school’s

Diane Greene, who traveled from northern Virginia to participate in the rally, said she hopes the rally exposes what she sees as an undemocratic concentration of wealth and power.

“When our society values nothing but the greed and the enrichment of the top 1% at the expense of the 99% on the bottom — when people cannot work a 40-hour job, and feed themselves and their family — something is wrong,” Greene told The Hoya. “We must speak out against the wrecking ball that’s being put to our democracy, to our Constitution, to checks and balances.”

Rallygoers cited specific policy moves, including the federal detainment of Georgetown postdoctoral researcher Badar Khan Suri, as reasons for joining the protest.

Marvin Wiley (GRD ’20), a Georgetown graduate and federal employee, said he joined the rally because he believes the Trump administration is undermining democracy.

“It’s an attack on democracy, what they’re doing,” Wiley told The Hoya. “We have people being disappeared from the streets — we have scholars from Georgetown being disappeared. It’s important to show up today and shine a light on the injustices that are happening before it’s too late.”

Federal immigration officials detained Khan Suri on March 17 for allegedly posting “Hamas propaganda” on social media, though the government has not yet publicly substantiated these claims.

Wiley said the Trump administration’s actions are unpatriotic and undemocratic.

“It’s important to me because I want to have a future,” Wiley said. “Students, whether Georgetown or other universities, should have a future. This isn’t American, what’s happening now. It’s very un-American and it’s dangerous.”

Martin said she protested for her son’s safety and to protect against the hate she said Trump’s rhetoric fosters.

“We have to speak out against the hate that he represents and he emboldens,” Martin said. “We talk about the groceries, about the economy, but for me, it’s about the people. For me, it’s about equal rights, and it’s about making sure that my child, who’s 18 years old

and a Black man, is welcomed in the United States.” Greene said she hoped the unity and solidarity attendees showed would inspire other movements nationwide.

“I hope that this inspires people to see that everyday Americans just like them are protesting, and that they can speak up,” Greene said. “The time to do that is now, before it’s too late.”

Bogda said the rally was an opportunity for ordinary people to come together against the federal government’s actions.

“It was a show of strength that we’re not backing down and we’re not going to be quiet about this,” Bogda said. “There’s so much to say, there’s so much to stand up for, and this shows that it’s not only the senators in office but it’s people all over the country that are standing up against it.”

GU Professors in Center for Jewish Civilization Win Book Award for Research on Far-Right Terrorism

Ajani Stella Academics Desk Editor

DEI initiatives in response to the U.S. Attorney for D.C. inspired GELG to cancel the recruiting event.

“Dean Treanor’s commitment to upholding the rule of law, the Constitution and core legal principles is inspiring,” Belmont wrote to The Hoya. “Dean Treanor’s stance made it easier for our organization to choose not to further engage with Skadden, and made us less afraid that we would be damaging the reputation or job prospects of our fellow students.”

Tolin said GELG received support from the GULC community after they announced their decision.

“Though we have not received a response from Skadden, we have received an overwhelmingly positive response from our fellow GULC students and some members of the broader legal community,” Tolin wrote.

Nico Cefalu (CAS ’27), president of Georgetown’s undergraduate chapter of the legal advocacy nonprofit American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), said it is important for students to stand up to the Trump administration.

“It really says that there are still people, especially young people, who are unwilling to give in to Trump’s attempts to just centralize so much power and go after anyone or anything that he thinks has wronged him,” Cefalu told The Hoya “It just really gives me some hope.” Belmont said Skadden and other law firms’ cooperation with the Trump administration concerns her as a law student because it suggests Trump’s power over the legal profession.

“When these firms cave to such political pressure, it sends the wrong message to the general public — a message that he has more power than he actually does,” Belmont wrote. “Further, failure to fight back shows such a lack of moral character; the firms that ‘bend the knee’ to Trump shirk their responsibility to uphold the notions of justice, equity and professional integrity as required by the legal profession.”

Belmont added that it is important for law students to work together to hold firms responsible in the face of political pressure from the Trump administration.

“Collective action is a powerful tool, but it requires all of us to come together to work,” Belmont wrote.

“If we want to continue to have a functioning legal profession, it’s up to us to dictate what’s acceptable and unacceptable behavior.”

Two Georgetown University professors won a top award for their book on far-right terrorism in the United States, the British think tank the Airey Neave Trust announced March 27.

Bruce Hoffman, a professor at the School of Foreign Service (SFS), and Jacob Ware, an assistant adjunct professor at the Center for Jewish Civilization (CJC), detailed the rise of terrorism and extremist violence in the United States in their January 2024 book titled “God, Guns and Sedition: FarRight Terrorism in America.” They won the Airey Neave Book Award, which is considered the preeminent award in terrorism studies, according to CJC director Jonathan Lincoln.

Ware said he and Hoffman aimed to recommend effective long-term peacebuilding solutions to extremist rhetoric and violence.

“Our ultimate goal is really rebuilding unity in our country and rebuilding trust in institutions and in people,” Ware told The Hoya “The question of trust and unity is now a generational struggle for our country — that is not something that’s going to be solved this week,

this month, this year. That is going to be something for our children to have to figure out.”

Ware said the book profiles how extremism spreads and creates long-term damage within the United States.

“I think our book tells an important story about a darkness within our country,” Ware said. “Our book tells a story of forces within our country that seek to divide us, that seek to undermine our democracy and that seek to hurt people, especially members of minority communities.

“At this very divisive and polarized moment, our book has insights about how these forces have been combated before, and I think it has an optimistic take on a path forward,” Ware added.

In their book, Hoffman and Ware advocate for creating a specific domestic terrorism law, confronting misinformation on social media and promoting trust and unity.

Hoffman said he began researching extremist violence at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic as he saw conspiracy theories and violence proliferate.

“I’d been following it and writing about it, but it occurred to me that this movement was changing and that social media was abetting it,” Hoffman told The Hoya.

“Social media weaponized this movement and has given it greater presence. These conspiracies were now circulating in a way that was inconceivable before.”

Hoffman said far-right terrorism increased as they wrote the book, notably when Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempted insurrection Jan. 6, 2021.

“We were writing this book in real time,” Hoffman said. “The fundamental arguments of the book about how this movement has evolved, had been on a violent trajectory that went beyond just hatred and intolerance to sedition was materializing before our eyes.”

Lincoln, who succeeded Hoffman as CJC director, said the book provides a novel outlook on farright terrorism that speaks to the current political moment.

“Bruce and Jacob have shed incredibly important light on this topic and really helped us understand it a lot better,” Lincoln told The Hoya. “There’s, unfortunately, no obvious solution to this problem and no obvious way to combat it. But certainly it’s a critical aspect of the ongoing political debate in this country and across the world.”

Ware said the award demonstrates increasing attention to far-

right violence in academic spaces.

“I feel that this award is recognition of the importance not just of the book but of the moment,” Ware said. “I think one of the reasons why we were awarded the prize is because there’s a lot of fear about this moment, and the more we can frame it in historical terms, contextualize it and advance sober and serious solutions, the better.” Lincoln said Hoffman and Ware’s research and teaching enhance the CJC’s ability to engage students and academics alike.

“Their ongoing research, their teaching remains critical and we really want to do what we can to support their research and their efforts,” Lincoln said. “For me as a relatively new director here at Georgetown, it’s just an incredible atmosphere for me to be surrounded by really some of the top notch academics and researchers in their fields.”

Looking forward, Ware said fostering social cohesion will rely on cooperation to combat extremism.

“We’re in a battle, an existential battle for the values that many of us hold dear as a society,” Ware said. “People should engage in that battle. They should not shy away from it, because the path to our salvation lies in engagement, not in fear and division.”

GU Jewish Community Members Oppose Deportations

Jack Willis Senior News Editor

Over 100 members of Georgetown University’s Jewish community signed a public statement condemning the weaponization of Jewish identity and fears of antisemitism to deport visa holders from the United States.

As of April 9, 46 faculty members added their names to the statement, which calls on Georgetown and its Jewish community to speak out against anti-immigrant rhetoric and advocate for free speech protections. The statement highlights federal immigration agents’ March 17 detention of Badar Khan Suri, a postdoctoral researcher at Georgetown, to display the impact of deportations on academic freedom.

Daniel Silbert (COL ’18), the former president of the Georgetown Israel Alliance (GIA), said he signed the letter because of his commitment to American values of democracy and freedom of speech.

“I think the letter makes clear this is not about Israel,” Silbert told The Hoya.

“This is about America and what kind of country we want to live in.”

“When armed men, not in uniform, show up outside your home in

the middle of the night, tear you away from your family, whisk you away to some remote detention center without charges because of what you said, a viewpoint you expressed and who you are, frankly, you are not in a democracy,” he added.

Lois Wessel (GRD ’96), a nursing and family medicine professor who signed the statement, said attempting to deport U.S. visa holders like Khan Suri does not address accusations of antisemitism.

“We don’t want the use of antisemitism or the excuse of antisemitism to be what is being used to validate the attempted deportation and disappearance of people like Dr. Suri, who was one of ours at Georgetown,” Wessel told The Hoya. Wessel, whose grandfather was suddenly detained and later killed by the Nazis in Germany, said her personal background and professional experiences in family medical care inform her perspective on deportation efforts in the United States.

“I keep coming back to Dr. Suri’s three small children,” Wessel said. “I come back to that, because my mother grew up as a Jew in Nazi Germany, and one day, the Nazis came and took her father away.”

Judy Feder, a professor of public policy and former McCourt School of Public Policy dean, said her Jewish heritage inspired her to sign onto the statement.

“My own interpretation of Jewish values is to stand up for myself and others when I see wrong and to resist wrongdoing, ideally as part of a community,” Feder told The Hoya. “I think that’s what this letter represents.”

Feder added that the detentions undermine genuine attempts to combat antisemitism and center the Jewish community in actions that do not reflect its values.

“What I see as weaponization is the hypocritical claim that depriving others of their rights in the name of fighting antisemitism is a positive thing to do,” Feder said. “It really is putting antisemitism and Jews front and center in a movement that reflects hate, not humanity, and that is not good for Jews.”

Wessel said she signed the letter to make it clear that members of Georgetown’s Jewish community oppose Israel’s actions in Gaza and the Trump administration’s deportation efforts.

“I worked on writing it and signing it because I think it’s really important for people to know that there is a large contingent of Jews

at Georgetown and beyond Georgetown who are both opposed to the way Israel has treated the Palestinians and also opposed to these deportations and visas being revoked, supposedly in the name of protecting Jews,” Wessel said. In the aftermath of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, the Israel Defense Forces invasion of the Gaza Strip has displaced over 90% of Palestinians living there as its troops have killed upwards of 50,000 Palestinians. Silbert, who has practiced immigration law pro bono, said he feels subverting democratic institutions to silence free speech will not effectively combat antisemitism in the United States.

“If history has taught us anything, where the rule of law and democracy collapses, the world doesn’t become a safer place for the Jewish people,” Silbert said. “They’re trying to stifle academic freedom, trample free speech and create fear among targeted ideologies,” he added. “I don’t know these professors, these students. I might not believe in their ideas or what they’re doing, but I do believe in democracy, and this just isn’t.”

AJANI STELLA/THE HOYA

Tens of thousands of protestors crowded around the Washington Monument, rallying against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, at an April 5 “Hands Off” protest.

Spring Faculty Convocation Celebrates Faculty Members’ Teaching, Research

Annie Quimby Hoya Staff Writer

Georgetown University honored 32 faculty members for achievements in research and teaching at the spring convocation April 7.

The convocation recognized this year’s recipient of the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers, which the university awards to a faculty member who portrays excellence in research and teaching, and platformed university community members to commemorate faculty who have worked at Georgetown for more than 20 years. David Luban, a distinguished professor at the Georgetown University Law Center, delivered the annual “Life of Learning Address,” in which a faculty member reflects on lessons from their experience in academia.

Soyica Diggs Colbert (COL ’01), interim university provost, introduced Eloise Pasachoff, a law professor who won the President’s Award for Distinguished Scholar-Teachers, saying past awardees and Pasachoff represent the character faculty members should exemplify.

“By naming these Presidential Scholar-Teachers, we hold them up as models for all of us,” Colbert said at the event. “As the years have progressed, the group of awardees has come to represent a definition of what is the best at Georgetown.”

In a video played at the event, Pasachoff said Georgetown facilitates her curiosity and research opportunities.

“I can be curious at Georgetown because I know there are no limits on the kinds of questions I can ask, and there’s also no limit on the kinds of answers I might reach,” Pasachoff said in the video. “The idea that growth is the point, that’s just, that’s really rewarding.” Luban said he credits much of his success to family and colleagues.

“As for luck, I’ve often reflected that the commitments that matter to us and the talents we’ve cultivated are never really under our control,” Luban said at the event. “They depend on accidents of birth and health, like friends and mentors and students and inspiring people we’ve met along the road.”

The convocation awarded 18 full-time faculty members gold vicennial medals, celebrating 20 years of service. Recipients included eight members of the School of Medicine, seven College of Arts & Sciences (CAS) professors, one McCourt School of Public Policy professor, one School of Health professor and one Law Center professor. Silver vicennial medals also honored 13 part-time faculty across the university’s undergraduate and graduate schools, including two at the law center, three in the CAS, two at the McDonough School of Business and one at McCourt.

Interim President Robert M. Groves, who addressed the medalists, said their efforts embody the ideals of commitment and engagement.

“You embody something special in this community,” Groves said at the event. “We honor you and recognize you for that. Most importantly, you have modeled, over the years, our values and expectations. You provide an example of academic excellence.”

“Year after year, you have welcomed into our community new members, and they go on to lead this country, this world, to a better place,” Groves added.

Luban said his time in academia encouraged him to devote the rest of his career to advocating for the rule of law worldwide.

“What comes next should be obvious: to spend whatever remains of my intellectual energy defending the rule of law which faces deadly threats in backsliding democracies the world over,” Luban said.

Luban asked his faculty members to protect each other, saying academic freedom is threatened with global democratic backsliding.

“Today, the life of learning is under the most serious attack I’ve witnessed in my half-century in academia,” Luban said. “It’s an attack against our research and our teaching. It’s an attack against our community and our mission.”

“At this convocation, I would ask you to look around at your colleagues from many disciplines with a wide range in viewpoints, and pledge that we will support each other the best we can without second-guessing or self-censoring, without turning aside in our pursuit of truth in our various disciplines,” Luban added.

Disney Experiences Executive Talks Creativity, Uncertainty in Business

Aria

Zhu Senior Design Editor

The chairman of Disney Experiences, the division of The Walt Disney Company that manages theme parks and other vacation services, advocated for the intersection of creativity and business at an April 8 event hosted at the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business.

Speaker Josh D’Amaro (MSB ’93) emphasized the importance of embracing uncertainty and saying yes to new opportunities in business and life. The discussion was part of the Stanton Distinguished Leadership Series, which aims to connect Georgetown students with business executives and leaders to generate dialogue about leadership in a rapidly shifting world. D’Amaro said his role at Disney Experiences merges his interests in art and finance, referencing his experience with a group of creatives pitching an idea to have Spider-Man soar nearly 80 feet through the air unsupported and land in a net above a crowd.

“People walk into that part of the park, Spider-Man flies up and they just watch,” D’Amaro said at the event. “Little kids, teenagers, full-grown adults, just standing there, holding their breath for a moment. They feel like you’ve created magic. They feel like you’ve created a connection from

what they’re seeing.”

“The best finance people will realize you’re doing something for the brand, you’re doing something for the families and that ultimately will come back to you,” D’Amaro added. “For that one moment, it’s the best thing in the world.”

At Disney Experiences, D’Amaro leads a team of 185,000 and oversees the company’s efforts to grow the business through a 10year, $60 billion investment plan.

D’Amaro said he originally had planned to pursue art in college before deciding to channel his passions into business administration and marketing.

“In my head, I was going to be an artist — I was painting, sculpting and studying art with a bit of business on the side,”

D’Amaro said. “I loved it, but I realized I didn’t know what the hell I was going to do when I got out. That’s when I came to Georgetown to study business and marketing.”

D’Amaro said the lessons he’s learned on the job, particularly the power of vulnerability, have complemented his education and benefited him throughout his career.

“The moment you say, ‘I don’t know,’ is one of the most freeing, liberating, invigorating feelings you can have,” D’Amaro said.

“More than that — people respond to it. They want to talk to you, give you advice, pull you in. You’re not just empowering

Theology Academic Explores Meaning Of Hope, Disorientation, Resilience

Elyse Ellingsworth Events Desk Editor

An author and academic called on individuals to reframe hope and resilience in the face of challenges at a Georgetown University event April 7. Vincent Miller, the director of doctoral studies in the religious studies department at the University of Dayton, focused his talk on understanding hope through a theological and literary lens. The event, titled the Robert S. Mason Lecture, is an annual series endowed in the name of a public affairs executive who studied world religions at Georgetown in his retirement.

Miller said individual disorientation, which varies in intensity, is detrimental to feelings of hope.

“It’s possible to become disoriented on multiple levels, from the personal to the societal and cultural,” Miller said at the event. “On the simplest level, our own personal plans are thrown off track and the work we’ve done towards some goal is disrupted, but the scale can go from the personal to a more extensive level of disorientation.”

“Beyond crises within stable systems or personal crises which require reorienting our efforts, this more extensive level comprises broader systemic crises which ruin the very coordinates by which we reorient ourselves,” Miller added.

Miller is also the author of “Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture,” a book examining the intersection of religion and modern materialism.

Miller said how we experience hope is influenced by Western cultural notions of the mind.

“We experience life from a distance in an inner mental space,” Miller said. “This partly comes from secularization in the West, where the boundary between agents and forces, the boundary between mind and the world, is fuzzy, porous and open to influences from other persons, beings and objects.”

“We can see how this buffer is implicit in the understanding of hope that we discuss — we experience profound feelings of loss and chaos in our interior mental space, in our emotional space,” Miller added.

Tod Linafelt, a professor of biblical literature in the theology department at Georgetown, introduced Miller, saying his contributions to the theological space are wide-ranging and crucial to public understanding.

“Vince Miller is, quite simply, one of the most interesting theologians working today,” Linafelt said at the event. “His book remains a formative work, and since that book, Vince has continued to explore — in numerous publications — questions of consumerism, globalization, our current moment of ecological crisis and, more generally, the task of public theology in relation to the common good.”

Miller said that Christian theologian Thomas Aquinas, known for his extensive writings such as the “Summa Theologica,” which compiles the main teachings of the Catholic Church, offers a vision of hope that contradicts modern conceptions of the theme.

“Hope for Aquinas is simul-

taneously a desire for good and an awareness of the chaos and challenges that are a way of actually achieving,” Miller said.

“This is key because it’s a movement already towards the good and being influenced by it. This is very valuable for thinking about disorientation because hope is already at work in the experience of disorientation, that moment of ‘What is going on? I can’t cooperate with this. I have to do something.’”

Miller added that this feeling is how he thinks of hope and how it interacts with despair.

“Thinking of hope as a passion helps us understand that it’s a real response to the brokenness of the world — we are feeling moved in that moment,” Miller said. “The feeling that something has to be done, even if you don’t know what it is, perhaps isn’t despair. The clouds don’t part, the sun doesn’t shine and the angels don’t necessarily sing. We’re all still there in the mess, but we’re on our way. Hope is always a movement towards something particular, moving towards some good made difficult, and it’s connected to particular actions.” Miller said that in moments of disorientation and despair, leaning on others and the community is important.

“When you say ‘I need to respond to it and I don’t know what to do,’ this is when others are so important for that action of hope,” Miller said. “You can say ‘Here are the people I’m around with, and we are doing this and this,’ which leads to a sense of solidarity and relinquishing control of the outcome in the moment.”

GU’s McCourt School of Public Policy Hosts Annual Public Policy Challenge

Annika McCanne Hoya Staff Writer

yourself, you’re empowering the people around you.”

Reflecting on his first major promotion, D’Amaro said he has learned from mistakes from day one on the job after incorrectly advising his employees at his first meeting, an experience that centered on the importance of engaging with his team.

“Afterwards, I asked the senior leaders, ‘Why didn’t anyone say anything?’ And they said, ‘You didn’t ask.’ I didn’t even stop to say, ‘Hey, I’m just Josh. I don’t really know what the hell I’m doing.’ If I had said that, the room would’ve come alive,” D’Amaro said. “They would’ve said, ‘We’ve got 10 ideas no one’s heard yet — let’s go.’”

“There’s gravity to a business card with a title on it. You start to take on that identity, but that’s not who you are,” D’Amaro added. “Now, every time I walk into a new job, I say, ‘I don’t know.’ But I know you do, and I know I can help.”

D’Amaro said an open mindset and embracing uncertainty has shaped his career and life journeys.

“One of the things I tell my kids is, ‘Just say yes,’” D’Amaro said. “If someone offers you something a little unfamiliar, say yes. There’s so much serendipity in life — you’ve got to open yourself up and explore.”

“Everything is never lined up perfectly,” D’Amaro added.

“Sometimes you just have to hold your breath and go for it.”

Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy will host the final round of its annual Public Policy Challenge, which gathers graduate students to pitch innovative solutions to Washington, D.C.’s pressing issues, April 11.

Applicants for the challenge included students from across all of Georgetown’s graduate schools who submitted policy proposals for review by Georgetown faculty, previous winners and leaders in the D.C. area. This year, five finalists were selected April 1 from over 50 applications who will then revise and workshop their projects and present the finalized versions.

Jaclyn Clevenger, the director of student engagement at McCourt who leads the challenge, said it inspires students to find solutions to difficult problems.

“The Policy Challenge asks students to take the valuable lessons they have learned inside the classroom and apply them to addressing real-world issues,” Clevenger wrote to The Hoya. “They have to ask hard questions when evaluating those issues and utilize a human-centered design approach when developing their solutions.”

Nina Bachich (GRD ’26), who worked on the finalist proposal “A.C.C.E.S.S. D.C.” to design emergency preparedness plans for individuals with disabilities in D.C. schools, said programs like the Policy Challenge make Georgetown stand out.

“This is one of the things that makes Georgetown what it is,” Ba-

chich told The Hoya. “So why not put ourselves out there and try our best to see if we have what it takes to be able to create policies that impact people?”

“It’s not just another fun extracurricular activity that we have available, but a great bonding experience,” Bachich added.

Bachich said her personal experience helped shape her team’s project to make a real impact on the D.C. community.

“I am a wheelchair user, and we had a fire alarm go off last semester,” Bachich said. “I had no idea what to do.”

“I felt like my life was not cared about in the school,” Bachich added. “Then I thought about schoolaged children, and I can’t even imagine how they would feel in an emergency situation.”

Katherine Burbank (MED ’26), who worked on another finalist proposal — “Nourish to Flourish,” a virtual program that brings culinary medicine to medical students to help underserved communities — said she was inspired to join the competition because working on public policy pushed her out of her comfort zone as a medical student.

“I was inspired by last year’s winners and the fact that they were able to be successful in this space that medical students are exposed to in some ways, but don’t necessarily have as much practice in enacting policy as maybe some of the other schools do who are part of this proposal competition,” Burbank told The Hoya.

“So that, along with the idea of just being able to challenge myself and ourselves with doing something new, and seeing if it’s something that could actually be

enacted in our local community is really inspiring,” Burbank added.

Abril Hunter (GRD ’25), who worked on the finalist proposal “Truancy to Opportunity” that aims to limit youth crime in D.C. by empowering students to boost school attendance, said participating in the pitch competition last year inspired her to apply again.

“As public policy students, we don’t really get a lot of chances to formulate our own ideas on public policy and take it in a creative manner whichever way you want,” Hunter told The Hoya. “So last year we were really inspired by all that we learned in our courses so we wanted to take all the knowledge we were gaining and make it more applicable.” Finalist proposal “Empower Immigrant Parents to Improve Their Children’s Success” aims to support immigrant parents in navigating D.C. school systems. The fifth finalist, “Curbing Diabetes at the Curbside,” was created to provide free diabetes screenings to Wards 7 and 8 to help with early detection. Clevenger said bringing this competition to Georgetown bridges the gap between what students learn in the classroom and enacting real change in the community.

“I saw firsthand how important it was for students to learn more about the communities in which they were living and the issues that impact their neighbors,” Clevenger wrote. “Washington, D.C., is such a vibrant and unique city, and my hope is that the Policy Challenge offers students an opportunity to study local policy issues and engage directly with policymakers and community leaders.”

ELYSE ELLINGSWORTH/THE HOYA

Vincent Miller, an author and religious academic, reframed the meaning of hope as a passionate response to injustice and emphasized the importance of community at an April 7 event.

ARIA ZHU/THE HOYA

Josh D’Amaro (MSB ’93), who runs Walt Disney Company theme parks and resorts, advocated embracing uncertainty and creativity in business as a Georgetown University event April 8.

New IOC President Takes the Helm GU’s Offensive Onslaught Beats Xavier

Ava Hult Sports Staff Writer

Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic medalist in swimming from Zimbabwe, was elected March 20 as the 10th president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She will become the first woman to lead the organization in its 130-year history, following incumbent IOC president Thomas Bach’s impending retirement in June. Coventry’s election signals a hopeful new era of diversity for global sports leadership.

Coventry, 41, is now the youngest IOC president since its co-founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, helped lead the organization between 1896 and 1925. As the only woman in the pool of seven candidates, Coventry brings her own history with the Olympic Games. Coventry holds seven of her country’s eight medals in swimming, including four silvers, one bronze and two golds in the 200-meter backstroke in the 2004 Athens Games and the 2008 Beijing Games. Her election comes at a pivotal moment for the Olympic movement, which faces growing pressure to address IOC issues, ranging from gender equality and inclusion in sport to environmental accountability and the politicization of global events. With climate concerns escalating, host cities and the IOC are under increased scrutiny to prove that hosting the Olympics can be both sustainable and economically practical.

Coventry’s new role blends diplomatic, financial and sports acumen. She will lead a committee that is responsible for bringing in billions of dollars and organizing the foremost international sporting

event that is watched by millions around the world.

Committee members select the president via secret ballot at an IOC session, which took place in March of this year. IOC members include active athletes, former athletes and the presidents and senior leadership of each country’s International Sports Federation. To win the presidential election, a nominee must receive an absolute majority, or over 50% of the votes. There are multiple rounds of voting, with each round eliminating the candidate with the least amount of votes until one candidate secures an absolute majority. Presidents are elected to serve a term of eight years, with the potential to be renewed for an extra four years.

This time around, Coventry won decisively in the first round of voting, securing 49 of the 97 votes cast — clearing the majority threshold and leaving her closest challenger, Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr., well behind with only 28 votes. The swift result surprised many of the IOC’s voters, a group that features not only leaders of the sports world but also royals, business moguls and Hollywood stars.

The organization’s current leader, Thomas Bach, a former Olympic fencing champion, led the IOC through a turbulent 12-year presidency marked by unprecedented crises — from Russia’s state-sponsored doping scandal to mounting criticism over the enormous financial and other costs of hosting the games. Now, Coventry steps into the role with her own challenges: preparing for the Los Angeles Summer Olympics amid heightened global scrutiny of the United States and global leadership and environmental responsibility.

When asked about the prospect of working with President Donald

Wizards Frustrate

Maddie Taylor Deputy Sports Editor

In their final home game of a long rebuilding season, the Washington Wizards (17-63, 12-38 Eastern Conference) were unable to overcome a second-half push from the Philadelphia 76ers (24-56, 15-35 Eastern Conference), falling 122-103 April 9 at Capital One Arena. This loss marked yet another frustrating night for the Wizards, who dropped to 8-32 at home this season.

The Sixers, however, successfully ended a seven-game road losing streak and secured their first win in 10 games behind guard Jeff Dowtin Jr., who led the 76ers with a careerhigh 30 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. The Wizards entered the night without guard Jordan Poole, who has led the team this season with 20.5 points per game, as well as Malcolm Brogdon, Bilal Coulibaly, Anthony Gill, Richaun Holmes, Corey Kispert and Khris Middleton. Meanwhile, the Sixers’ similarly extensive list of injuries included Joel Embiid, Paul George, Eric Gordon, Kyle Lowry, Tyrese Maxey, Jared McCain, Andre Drummond and Kelly Oubre Jr.

The Wizards opened the game slowly, going several possessions without a score as the Sixers quickly gained a 7-0 lead. Rookie center Alex Sarr got Washington on the board with a pair of free throws, and a jumper from rookie forward Kyshawn George gave the Wizards their first field goal. Sarr added a fast-break dunk off a steal from forward Justin Champagnie as the Wizards began to find some rhythm as the first quarter wore on. After trailing for much of the first quarter, a 3-pointer from guard A.J. Johnson, followed by a layup from guard Jaylen Martin, gave Washington its first lead of the game at 15-13 with just over five minutes remaining in the first. However, their lead didn’t last as 76ers center Adem Bona responded with a putback layup, followed by a pair of free throws from guard Quentin Grimes. A turnover by Colby Jones and a string of missed shots hindered the Wizards’ momentum late in the first, allowing Philadelphia to end the quarter ahead 25-23. The second quarter began with Johnson picking up his second foul, followed by his third minutes later, forcing him to the bench — a blow for the Wizards’ perimeter defense. At the same time, Washington struggled from behind the arc, going 3-for-16 on first-half 3-pointers. The most memorable moment of the quarter came from a heated exchange when 76ers forward Lonnie Walker IV was assessed a Flagrant I foul after shoving George, leading to a brief on-court altercation. George then

Trump ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Coventry offered a measured response. Throughout her career, she remarked, she has had plenty of experience dealing with “difficult men in high positions.”

Coventry’s campaign platform emphasized realism and reform. She pledged to strengthen communication between IOC leadership and its broader membership — many of whom felt sidelined during Bach’s tenure — and to make the organization more transparent and athlete-focused. Her new vision frames the games as a way to bridge people and countries, creating a force for good.

Her message resonated in an election many saw as a mandate for change. Coventry’s victory was historic given who she is, but, more importantly, in respect to what she represents: a push for greater inclusion, equity and representation at the highest levels of leadership in sport.

Coventry said she was excited to be elected and she looks forward to the future.

“This is going to be etched in my memory for a long time. I am incredibly humbled to be here,” Coventry told IOC members after the vote. “I think as a 9-year-old girl, I did not think I’d ever be standing here getting the opportunity to give back to this movement and to work with all of you to make sure that other 9-year-olds realize their dreams.”

As the games face an immediate future shaped by political tension, cultural debate and environmental pressure, Coventry’s new presidency will begin June 24, with both symbolic weight and tangible responsibility. Her win marks a break from the past — and increasing pressure to turn a historic first into a lasting transformation.

Fans in Home Finale

hit one of the flagrant free throws and moments later added a layup, cutting the Wizards’ deficit to 3.

However, in a continuation of an unfortunate pattern for the Wizards, Philadelphia answered quickly. A series of scores from Dowtin Jr. and guard Jared Butler put the 76ers up 4837 and forced a Wizards timeout with just over four minutes to go in the half. Despite a last-minute burst from the Wizards, including 7 points from Jones in the final three minutes of the half, Washington headed into the locker room trailing Philadelphia 5350. Forward Tristan Vukčević led the Wizards with 9 first-half points, while Walker IV led the Sixers with 12. The third quarter belonged to Dowtin Jr., who went on an 11-2 run late in the period, hitting multiple threes and wearing down Washington’s perimeter defense.

Earlier in the quarter, a 3-pointer from guard Bub Carrington gave the Wizards a brief 2-point lead, but a Grimes three quickly put Philly back up 64-62 with seven and a half minutes remaining in the quarter. The Wizards trailed closely behind for the next four and a half minutes until Philadelphia took control. Dowtin hit back-to-back threes and a jumper, followed by his fourth three of the night after a Wizards turnover. A Grimes 3-pointer from 30 feet closed the quarter and the Sixers finished on a 15-3 run to enter the fourth up 89-79.

The fourth quarter was littered with fouls, including Johnson picking up his fourth and fifth within the span of 13 seconds, fouling out with over six minutes remaining. The Wizards briefly cut the Philadelphia lead to single digits with a 3-point play from Vukčević to start the quarter, but could not sustain any momentum. Philadelphia then responded with offensive rebounds and transition scores, while Washington missed open looks. Dowtin Jr. and guard Ricky Council IV, who finished with 11 points, continued to drive the Sixers’ offense. Two free throws from Council

IV gave Philadelphia its largest lead of the game — 116-93 with just under four minutes remaining — and Wizards fans began to stream toward the exits for the final time this season.

The Sixers dominated the boards, out-rebounding Washington 55-47, and retained a significant advantage in 3-point attempts, shooting 16-for-50 compared to the Wizards’ 10-for-33.

Despite the loss, Vukčević scored a career-high 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 7-of-9 from the line. Meanwhile, Sarr recorded his 100th block of the season, becoming just the third rookie in NBA history — alongside the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama and the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Chet Holmgren — to record 100-plus blocks, 100-plus assists and 100plus 3-pointers. Sarr finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block and 1 steal in 25 minutes played.

Though wins have been scarce for the Wizards this season, who will finish last in the Eastern Conference, developing their young core in Sarr, Carrington, George and Vukčević has been a silver lining. Carrington contributed 12 points and 6 assists, while George added 13 points on 4-of-10 shooting.

Wizards Head Coach Brian Keefe said the team grew significantly throughout the season.

“We’ve seen progress with the group,” Keefe said in a postgame press conference. “You know, this young group is improving before our eyes, week to week, month to month. We still have a long way to go, and we know that.”

While the loss was not the farewell Wizards fans had hoped for, when asked about what they would say to the Wizards fanbase that has stuck with them through a tough season, Carrington and George said that the support has not gone unnoticed.

“We got y’all,” Carrington told The Hoya “‘Preciate y’all. Thanks for coming back,” George added.

Liv Villella Sports Staff Writer

The Georgetown University women’s lacrosse team (7-5, 2-1 Big East) defeated the Xavier Musketeers (1-10, 0-3 Big East) 22-11 in a dominant victory Saturday, April 5. This game marked the culmination of a 2-0 week in Big East play for the Hoyas as they continue to push for a strong regular season finish.

Xavier attacker Lola Mancuso started the game with 2 goals in the first four minutes. Despite their early deficit, Georgetown responded quickly and settled into the game with 5 unanswered goals over the course of the first 10 minutes, putting them up 5-2. The goals came from sophomore midfielder Reagan Ziegler, graduate attacker Hanna Bishop, senior midfielder Rileigh Meyer and two unassisted goals from first-year attacker Sophia Loschert. The first quarter ended with 3 goals from the Musketeers and a pair of goals from the Hoyas, with Xavier’s Mancuso earning a hat trick in the last five seconds of the quarter off a quick shot. Georgetown held a 7-5 lead going into the second quarter.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

After starting strong in the first quarter, Georgetown continued their effort into the second quarter, tallying 3 consecutive goals in five minutes to put them up 10-5. Xavier managed to slip behind the defenders and worked to close the gap, making it 10-6.

However, Georgetown responded with 2 more goals from graduate midfielder Rosie McCarthy and junior midfielder Jacqueline Jaskiewicz, bringing the score up to 12-6. The half ended with an exchange of goals with the goal from sophomore attacker Lauren Steer to make the score 13-7.

Xavier opened the second half with a goal two minutes in. Still, Georgetown retaliated and started to run away with the lead, making it 15-8 with a goal apiece from sophomore attacker Anne McGovern and senior attacker Emma Gebhardt. The Hoyas and Musketeers exchanged 2 more pairs of goals near the end of the half.

Loschert led the offensive efforts, adding in her sixth goal of the game. Xavier slipped a late goal in with nine seconds left, making it 17-11 Hoyas heading into the final quarter.

The Hoyas silenced the Musketeers in the final quarter. With goals from first-year midfielder Ryan Kinkead,

Loschert, junior attacker Molly Byrne and 2 goals from Steer, the Hoyas secured the 22-11 win. Georgetown Head Coach Caitlyn Phipps said she was proud of the team’s performance in the blowout win. “Proud of our team for going 2-0 in Big East play this week,” Phipps told Georgetown Athletics. “Xavier is a tough, relentless opponent, and it took a full team effort to come away with a win today.” Loschert delivered a career-high performance of 8 points, including 7 goals in Saturday’s game. Steer netted 3 goals, while Gebhardt had 2 and Bishop added 2 of her own along with 5 assists. Driggs proved vital in maintaining Georgetown’s possession, with 12 draw controls. In goal, senior Leah Warehime recorded 10 saves.

Overall, Georgetown outshot Xavier 37-27 and showcased their offensive power, not allowing the Musketeers to regain momentum. With a strong overall performance, the Hoyas proved their offensive and defensive prowess. Georgetown will now prepare for a midweek matchup against James Madison University on April 9 at Cooper Field at 4 p.m.

Cooley Projects High Hopes for Hoyas’ Offseason Following Crown Loss

Evan Greenfield Sports Staff Writer

Though the Georgetown University Hoyas (18-16, 8-12 Big East) ended their season in an 81-69 loss to the eventual champion University of Nebraska Cornhuskers (21-14, 7-13 Big Ten) in the College Basketball Crown, Head Coach Ed Cooley reiterated the optimism that many Georgetown fans have maintained over the course of the season.

“It’s my goal to never be in this tournament again,” Cooley told Georgetown Athletics after the Hoyas’ loss. “I think the accommodations are great, it’s nice to see all the bright lights, but this is not what we’re trying to build our program to be.”

Coming off a frustrating 9-23 debut season in 2023-24 that saw the Hoyas win just two conference games — both against DePaul University — Cooley retooled most of the roster, bringing in a total of four transfers. Future first team allBig East forward Micah Peavy from Texas Christian University and 2024 Ivy League rookie of the year guard Malik Mack from Harvard University both headlined the transfer class.

In addition to a strong portal class, Cooley successfully recruited a whopping eight high school seniors, led by future Big East allfreshman team and all-Big East third teamer center Thomas Sorber. After a stellar first year that saw him average 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, Sorber declared for the NBA draft and is projected to go in the first round if he elects not to ultimately return to the Hilltop.

With high expectations hanging over Cooley and his men, the Hoyas proved their mettle early on in the season, winning 12 of their first 14 games and starting out conference play 3-0. Although Georgetown was able to take advantage of a very weak out-ofconference slate — the Hoyas had the 183rd ranked non-conference strength of schedule (SOS) — the team still went 9-2 and picked up two wins against future 2025 NCAA tournament teams Mount St. Mary’s University (23-13, 12-8 MAAC) and St. Francis University (1618, 8-8 Northeast) in dominant fashion. The Hoyas got off to a dazzling start to Big East play, eclipsing their 2023-24 Big East win total in their first three games with wins over Creighton University (25-11, 15-5 Big East), Seton Hall University (7-25, 2-18 Big East) and Xavier University (22-12, 13-7 Big East).

Following their hot start to the season, Georgetown found themselves put to the test for the first time on the road against perennial conference power Marquette University (23-11, 13-7 Big East). The underdog Hoyas gave their all against the Golden Eagles, who at the time ranked seventh in the Associated Press Poll, but ultimately succumbed down the stretch 74-66. However, big performances from Mack (18 points, 5 assists) and Sorber (11 points, 13 rebounds) put the Big East on notice.

The encouraging effort against a top-10 opponent sparked a renewed interest in the team both on campus and in Washington, D.C., evidenced by a crowd turnout of 17,168 at Capital One Arena for a showdown against the two-time defending champions

University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies Jan. 11. The Hoyas went back and forth with the then-ninth ranked Huskies in the first half but ultimately caved in a 68-60 loss that saw most of the crowd clear out following an earlysecond-half blitz from UConn.

From then on, the Hoyas devolved into a tailspin, with the group losing five of their next seven games. While Georgetown notched wins over Villanova University (21-14, 11-9 Big East) 64-63 and Butler University (1520, 6-14 Big East) 73-70 at home, the group showed real growing pains in losses to DePaul University (14-20, 4-16 Big East) — which snapped DePaul’s 39-game Big East losing skid — and against Cooley’s former home at Providence College (12-20, 6-14 Big East).

The loss to a middling Friars squad was particularly disappointing, as a rowdy and bitter crowd in Rhode Island played a part in the Hoyas faltering down the stretch — although Cooley would get sweet revenge in a 93-72 blowout over the Friars back home Feb. 19.

The breaking point for the Hoyas came Feb. 15, when Sorber endured a season-ending left foot injury in a 9786 loss to Butler on the road. The loss of Sorber and his post presence proved too big of a loss for the Hoyas, as the team would manage to win just two more conference games before losing to DePaul for the third time (and the second time in four days) 71-67 in the first round of the Big East tournament. With the Hoyas out of contention for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the team accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas. Georgetown drew the Washington State University Cougars (19-15, 8-10 West Coast) in the first round. However, shortly before the game, Georgetown announced that a number of players would be out for an undisclosed health issue, leaving the rotation severely shorthanded.

Without regular starters such as Peavy and sophomore forward Drew Fielder, along with other key pieces like junior guard Jayden Epps and first-year forward Caleb Williams, the Hoyas relied heavily on Mack and a supporting cast that included playing time for walk-ons sophomore forward Austin Montgomery and first-year guard Michael Van Raaphorst. In a tight back-and-forth affair, Mack’s best performance as a Hoya — 37 points, 8-12 from three — ultimately enabled Georgetown to squeak past the Cougars 85-82 and advance to the quarterfinals to face Nebraska.

Despite another big performance from Mack (25 points, 3 assists) and solid contributions from sophomore forward Jordan Burks (11 points, 6 rebounds) and first-year guard Kayvaun Mulready (9 points, 3 rebounds), Nebraska’s star senior guard Brice Williams (28 points, 5-9 from three) overwhelmed the Hoyas in a 81-69 loss that officially put an end to Georgetown’s 2024-25 campaign. One feel-good moment from the loss came at the hands of Van Raaphorst, who drilled his first career 3-pointer from the left corner early in the second half. Metrics-wise, the Hoyas finished the year ranked 88th in the NET rankings (the primary metric-based evaluation tool used to rank and rate college basketball teams), peaking at a high of 68 on Jan. 13. In the KenPom rankings, the Hoyas finished 90th. Notably,

Georgetown picked up their first Quad 1 win since the 2020-21 season when they defeated Villanova 64-63 on the road. The most notable in-season improvements came on the defensive side. The Hoyas finished 80th in scoring defense and 66th in turnovers forced, but were dragged down by their anemic offense, which finished tied for 239th in scoring offense and 292nd in 3-point shooting percentage.

Recognizing the desperate need for shooting, Cooley and his staff have already been hard at work in the transfer portal, securing five commitments in the past few days. Georgetown’s most prized pickup thus far has been rising junior guard K.J. Lewis from the University of Arizona. Lewis averaged 10.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game this year for the Wildcats, who fell in the Sweet 16 to No. 1 seed Duke University 100-93. Lewis is a crafty and lengthy guard who is projected to pair nicely with Mack in the back court. Outside of Lewis, Cooley also earned a commitment from rising senior guard Langston Love out of Baylor University. Love, who has struggled with injuries, averaged 8.9 points per game this year in 23 appearances (12 starts) for the Bears, but put up 11 points per game on 48% 3-point shooting in the 2023-24 season. Love’s career 38.9% mark from beyond the arc and veteran presence should supplement the squad’s shooting well for the next year. Cooley also landed commitments from rising junior guard Deshawn Harris-Smith out of the University of Maryland, rising sophomore forward and former four-star prospect Isaiah Abraham from UConn and rising senior forward Duncan Powell out of the Georgia Institute of Technology. Powell, at 6-foot 8-inches and 235 pounds, should serve as a force inside for the Hoyas, who would love to see him replicate his 12.2 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game from last season with the Yellow Jackets. With five scholarship players coming in, the Hoyas also saw multiple players from this year’s roster enter the transfer portal. Fielder originally committed to the University of Southern California but flipped to Boise State University April 9. First-year forward Drew McKenna, sophomore guard Curtis Williams Jr., Mulready and Burks are still all looking for teams to land on for the next season. Despite an up-and-down season, Hoya fans should be excited for what’s to come under Cooley’s tutelage. With the addition of five immediate impact transfers already, along with the return of the ascending Mack, the Hoyas are in good shape to take another step forward next season.

Cooley will have substantial pressure from the fanbase to make the tournament next season. With a revamped roster and continued development, Georgetown has a real opportunity to be among the Big East’s best for the 2025-26 season. The next few weeks will be critical for the program, as it remains to be seen whether Sorber returns and what additional portal activity occurs on the Hilltop. Hoya fans have much to be excited for looking ahead as Cooley and his staff continue to revive this historic yet dormant power from its long-time hibernation.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE COMMENTARY COMMENTARY

Rookie guard Bub Carrington has provided solid depth

Hoyas Overwhelm UMD In Competitive DMV Battle

MARYLAND, from A12

with a shot to center field on a low fastball. The ball got halfway up the wall and Caster had himself an RBI double, extending Georgetown’s lead.

The Hoyas went from one lefty to another as senior Marshall Whitmer took the ball. He got two quick outs but then ran into some trouble. He hit a batter and allowed two singles, the second driving in a run. He limited the damage with an inning-ending flyout.

Georgetown batters struck out three times in the top of the ninth, but Thomas recorded his third hit of the day. They entered the bottom of the ninth needing to protect a five-run lead.

Senior righty Matthew Sapienza was tasked to get the final three outs. Hacopian reached on an error to lead off the inning, putting a minor scare into Hoya supporters. The next two batters

singled to load the bases. Suddenly, one swing of the bat could make it a 1-run game.

An unfazed Sapienza bore down, striking out the next batter. He allowed 1 run on a single before getting a flyout and another strikeout to seal a Georgetown victory, 11-7.

Head Coach Edwin Thompson said the team made him proud, especially considering the quality of the opponent and previous results.

“What a great win today for our program, obviously to beat a wellcoached team and a program like Maryland is great for our guys,” Thompson told Georgetown Athletics. “I am really proud of how we responded after the weekend.”

Georgetown will look to carry this momentum into a tough upcoming series against a perennial Big East contender, the University of Connecticut (14-17, 2-4 Big East). Game one is on Friday night in Storrs, Conn., at 6 p.m.

Basketball Fan Groups Search For New Energy

HOYA GRAY, from A12

As the team struggled on the court and remained secretive and inaccessible on campus, student interest in going to see games over 20 minutes away in downtown Washington, D.C., winnowed over the years until student attendance, excluding the pep band and cheer squads, for some nonconference games reached the single digits.

Brummell said that legacy still lingers around the team to an extent, despite their efforts to rid themselves of it.

“I’m so sick of Hoya paranoia,” Brummell told The Hoya. “I hope there’s no more Hoya paranoia.”

Brummell said Cooley has made a conscious effort to decouple from that era of Georgetown basketball and to bring the students back into the fold. To that end, he tasked Brummell with working to increase student support.

Brummell first met Hoya Gray when they were some of the few students in the crowd during a midweek nonconference game this year. Then, at the end of winter break, three Hoya Gray members added a stopover to their flights back to Georgetown in Milwaukee to see the Hoyas’ Jan. 7 game at Marquette.

Sensing their enthusiasm, Brummell invited them and some of the team’s other most loyal student supporters to a breakfast with herself and Cooley. At that breakfast, she asked them, “What do we need to get fans in the seats?”

Moore’s response was automatic: $1 beer night.

$1 beer night was an idea that had been percolating for years in the same online spaces where Hoya Gray is active. One such Hoya fan account, aptly named @DollarBrewskis, had been an especially vocal advocate.

Other Big East schools had also successfully implemented the promotion to drive attendance and boost the atmosphere.

Cooley was familiar with the promotion from his days as the head coach of the Providence Friars and supported replicating it at Georgetown, but the event faced large logistical challenges.

The Hoyas rent Capital One Arena from its owner, Monumental Sports Group, which retains control

over the in-game concessions. The arena regularly charges over $20 for alcoholic beverages at Georgetown games, and the team could not cover that price difference at scale.

Another figure was keenly watching the student section. Mark Guerrera (CAS ’91) — a lawyer and the president of Hoya Hoop Club, the team’s booster club — held the key to unlocking $1 beer night. Guerrera said he used his connections to make $1 beer night happen.

“A good friend of mine works for Capital Eagle, who is the distributor for Anheuser-Busch throughout D.C.,” Guerrera told The Hoya. “I got in touch with him, and we worked with the arena to make it happen.”

“It’s frankly something I’ve wanted for the past ten years, so when I heard there was a student initiative to have it this year and that Coach Cooley and Sharon were supporting it, I was all on board,” Guerrera added.

Originally, the plan was to hold $1 beer night in a bar in neighboring Gallery Place, but Guerrera believed the event would only be successful in the arena itself. He and Capital Eagle negotiated with Monumental Sports to use the Michelob Ultra Lounge on the arena’s suite level for the event.

The first $1 beer night came to fruition Jan. 31 for the Hoyas’ win over Butler University. The team treated it as a proof of concept, restricting the event to seniors only and with a twodrink maximum.

As students poured into the arena over an hour before tip-off, Brummel stood watching. She said later she thought to herself, “This is unbelievable.”

“I didn’t know what I was doing,” Brummell said. “Then we talked about doing it again, even bigger.”

The second time around, the event broadened to all students above the age of 21 for Georgetown’s Feb. 19 game against Providence.

Because Hoya Blue is an official student organization, they are prohibited from directly organizing events with alcohol. After Hoya Hoop Club confirmed the event, Hoya Blue promoted the events through social media channels and flyers around campus.

The second $1 beer night could not have come at a more important time

for Cooley or the program. The Friars had beaten the Hoyas in their first four matchups since Cooley left Providence to join Georgetown in 2023. Two days before the game, Cooley’s mother, Jane Cooley, passed away.

Georgetown beat Providence in a nearly wire-to-wire blowout, with the student section electric throughout.

Even Friars Head Coach Kim English tipped his cap to Hoya Gray when they unfurled a banner with “The Tweet,” a since-deleted post from before his time at Providence where English wrote, “I would have crawled backwards from Baltimore to be a Hoya.”

The student section avoided profanity but remained passionate this time around, with chants including “Crawl backwards,” “Tony Skinn” — the coach who succeeded English in his prior job at George Mason University — and “We love Cooley.”

Brummell said the student support during the game against Providence came at the perfect moment.

“It was amazing,” Brummell said. “It was the right time, it was the right occasion and it was like God was working because it needed to happen when it did.”

After the success of the two $1 beer nights, the work of Hoya Gray caught the attention of many Georgetown graduates online. A group of them, led by anonymous X account @HoyaOptimist, launched a fundraising campaign to send Hoya Gray to the Big East tournament.

Hoya Gray raised $3,751 via GoFundMe and offered to pay for any interested students’ tickets, transportation and lodging at the tournament. More than 50 students took them up on the offer.

The largest demographic, according to Moore, was seniors in their second semester, but students from all years went to the March 12 game against the DePaul University Blue Demons.

Hoya Gray members expected most attendees to be their close personal friends but were pleasantly surprised that a much broader group joined the trip, including some members of Hoya Blue.

Of the money they raised, over $1,000 remains. The group hopes to use it next year to support more student section activities in collaboration with Hoya Blue and the administration.

There is still plenty of work left to reestablish Georgetown as a top fanbase in the Big East, Brummell and Guerrera acknowledged. The Hoyas had the second-lowest average attendance among Big East teams in conference play this year. While the UConn and Providence games were high points, they were few and far between this season. Now, Brummell said, she and the team are in contact with Hoya Blue’s leadership for next school year and are working together to develop plans for next season.

One such idea was coordinating with Hoya Blue to organize student transportation to a game at the University of Maryland (UMD), the historic rival against whom the Hoyas will play a four-year series beginning in 2025. UMD’s campus is less than an hour from the Hilltop, but Georgetown and the Terrapins have only played five games against each other since 1980.

Brummell confirmed to The Hoya that, while next season’s schedule has not been finalized, the team would host multiple $1 beer nights. She also plans to work closely with Hoya Blue and other interested students to develop more ways to connect the team with the student body. As for Hoya Gray, Brummell said she hopes there will be no repeat of a division of the student section but that the group of seniors, many of whom have jobs in the area after graduation, will remain involved in and active members of the fanbase.

Brummell said Hoya Gray could become a revival of the Stonewalls, the young graduate fan group that Georgetown lost in the midst of the Ewing era, and that this year was a special season for senior Hoyas to enjoy Georgetown basketball. “They’ll be at the games. If I have to get them tickets, I’ll get them tickets,” Brummell said. “Their first three years, it’s not been a good experience as far as basketball’s concerned. This year, they were happy.” At the end of the season, messages of gratitude poured in from Hoya Gray members to Brummell. One read, “Thank you so much for making our senior year the best year we’ve had.”

Behind the Costume, Mascots Find Joy in Fans’ Smiles

MASCOT, from A12

I was wrapping my head around the whole thing, like wow this is real, I am actually going to do this,” deGroot wrote to The Hoya “At the same time I was so excited and could not wait to start and find out what it’d be like to be the Georgetown mascot.”

“This was probably different than any other position you ‘land’ because we couldn’t tell any of our friends, so we were just extremely excited and could not believe it, and had to keep that all between the two of us,” deGroot added.

Once the duo officially accepted their offers, they underwent an extensive orientation teaching them the ins and outs of mascotting and practicing with the mascot coach weekly to ultimately receive their first in-game assignments as Jack the Bulldog.

Adjusting to the role in real-time was difficult at first because it required a large amount of thinking on the fly. Field recalled initially struggling with the Jack the Bulldog suit, which has a heavy mesh-like covering over the eyeholes that limits the wearer’s field of vision.

Though the mascot has a handler who guides them at each game, Field said she still had to think outside the box to maintain her bearings, often squinting at different angles to see the scoreboard after crowd-rousing plays.

“You can’t see out of the eyes, which also makes it super tough because when you’re at a basketball game and people start cheering, you don’t know if it’s the other team that did something good, or Georgetown did something good,” Field said.

Field and deGroot also recounted their responsibility to keep fans engaged with each game, even when wins were few and far between. To keep the crowd on their feet, Field said the mascots employed tactics such as dancing with fans to renditions of the song “Hey, Baby!” during timeouts and playing rock, paper, scissors with fans.

“I feel that is what makes people laugh at a mascot,” Field said. “You don’t expect a mascot to be sitting down in the chair next to you. I feel like mascots are funny when they do unexpected things.”

DeGroot said she also had to creatively maneuver when interacting with fans, especially with children, who were often extremely excited to meet Jack the Bulldog.

“There will always be like, ‘Jack, Jack, someone wants a picture!’ And you’re like, looking around,” deGroot said. “You always have to be looking at the ground in case a kid is running towards you.”

At the same time, Field said she found one of the most rewarding aspects of the job to be meeting and positively shaping the in-game experiences of children who look up to them and other mascots.

“When the kids give you a hug, I feel like it’s the nicest, you just feel like the best person in the world,” Field said. “That’s the best feeling. And I would do it over and over again.”

Being the “woman under the suit” as Georgetown’s mascot provided many unique opportunities for Field and deGroot, including attending a bat mitzvah, visits to Congress and a Washington Nationals game, community events and being among the first students to meet men’s basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley — albeit usually while wearing the Jack the Bulldog suit. The unorthodox mascot experience provided many amusing moments as well, such as one time when 5-foot-9 Field swapped for 5-foot deGroot midway through a game — and fans noticed the difference.

“One time, we switched halfway through a game,” Field said, referring to her swap for deGroot.

“When she came out in the suit, the people in the crowd yelled, ‘Jack, you look like you’ve shrunk in the wash!’”

“The suit hangs a little differently on me,” deGroot added. DeGroot said the rare, secret experience of playing Jack for nearly four years was the

it with a select few people.

“It’s something that made my Georgetown experience for sure, which is funny because no

one knows it made my Georgetown experience,” deGroot said. “There’s something special about having a secret team.”

MEGHAN HALL/THE HOYA

Lily deGroot (SOH ’25) and Virginia Field (CAS ’25) describe their time as members of the Jack the Bulldog mascot team.

GUHOYAS

Junior infielder Jeremy Sheffield notched 4 RBIs, 2 hits and 1 run in the Georgetown Hoyas’ 11-7 win over the Maryland Terrapins.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

The Georgetown women’s lacrosse team trounced the Xavier University Musketeers 22-11 on April 5.

See A10

TALKING POINTS

I think the accommodations are great, it’s nice to see all the bright lights, but this is not what we’re trying to build the program to be.”

MBB Head Coach Ed Cooley on the Crown

Georgetown vs. Denver

Saturday, 3 p.m. Cooper Field

GAME

First-year attacker Sophia Loschert scored 8 points, including 7 goals, for the Georgetown women’s lacrosse team against the Xavier Musketeers.

Under Different Banners, Students Build a New Fan Culture

Nate Seidenstein

Hoya Staff Writer

Joe Moore (CAS ’25) has a secret.

The classics major and Tombs waiter is the leader of a revolution within the Georgetown University men’s basketball student section. Throughout the halcyon years of Georgetown basketball, the student section formed a key component of the Hoyas’ success and the culture that surrounded them. But after the better part of two decades of mediocrity, much of that support had evaporated.

Sensing this, and seeing a team on the rise in the second year of Head Coach Ed Cooley’s tenure, Moore and a group of his friends banded together to form Hoya Gray, a quasi-official group of fans — primarily seniors — who organized multiple events throughout the season.

The group is instantly recognizable to regular attendees of Georgetown home games, sitting in the first few rows clad in high-visibility construction vests and hard hats. According to Moore, the vests represent the team’s rebuilding era.

The vests appeared at practically every home game this year and at road games against Marquette University and Providence College.

Hoya Gray’s visibility also extended beyond attendance. The group was crucial in organizing two $1 beer nights and fully-funded student trips to the Big East tournament in New York City. They did not start to call themselves Hoya Gray, though, until Georgetown’s game against the University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies on Jan. 11. At that point, the Hoyas were undefeated in conference play and, hosting the twotime reigning national champions, drew their largest crowd in ten years, with 17,168 fans filling Capital One Arena to the rafters.

Even when the Hoyas’ attendance — long among the lowest in the Big East — rose, Moore noticed a palpable, student-driven culture seemed to still be missing. He observed some students sitting in the front rows of the section at the UConn game put their jackets down and left their seats vacant until after the game started.

Around halfway through the first half, the student section launched into a profane chant directed at UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley.

Moore said this was his final straw, resolving to chart a more constructive path for the student section.

“I don’t like swearing in general,” Moore told The Hoya. “That game led

to a lot of discussion online about what’s going on in the fanbase.”

Ayush Karthick (MSB, SFS ’25), who was sitting next to Moore, said he too felt disaffected by the disconnection between the students and the team.

“Engagement was a lot lower than it should have been,” Karthick told The Hoya. “Let’s get people down here that are actually at the game.”

From there, the idea of Hoya Gray was born, with the name a play on Hoya Blue, the official student fan group, and the university’s two primary colors.

That day, Karthick created the @ HoyaGray account on X, formerly known as Twitter. Many of the group’s activities are on X, which plays host to an incredibly active community of college basketball fans, many of them behind anonymous accounts.

Hoya Gray, while described by members as less a true organization and more a scattered group of friends, first garnered recognition from online fans.

“The online presence is important,” Moore said. “My theory that I’ve developed over the past few months is that the players are online way more than we think and they 100% know what’s going on.”

Some of the first posts on X about Hoya Gray were direct

shots across to Hoya Blue. One such post, from two days after the UConn game, called Hoya Blue “apathetic” and disconnected.

Alex Verbesey (CAS ’26), Hoya Blue’s spokesperson, said that while the posts were akin to a declaration of “civil war”, the official group was not interested in any in-kind response.

“Whatever’s going to get more students to come to the games, so be it,” Verbesey told The Hoya. “We’re all just trying to support Georgetown athletics, so if they thought that’s the best way to get their friends to come, then who cares?”

Madeline Ehlenbach (SFS ’26), who was elected president of Hoya Blue in March, said the group is looking to generate more interest in men’s basketball as the team improves while balancing their commitment to support every varsity team.

“This year, there were a lot of people who had never been to a Georgetown basketball game before that came to their first game and had a really great time because of the environment we built and the culture that is developing,” Ehlenbach told The Hoya. “For next year, I would like to see the student section full every time.”

Ehlenbach added that Hoya Blue wants to encourage

Hoyas Beat Terps Behind Offensive Explosion

Teddy Gerkin

Hoya Staff Writer

The Georgetown University baseball team made the short trip to College Park, Md., to take on the Maryland Terrapins after the Delaware State Hornets made an abrupt cancellation. In an offensively-fueled affair, the Hoyas prevailed by a final score of 11-7. Georgetown (12-20, 1-2 Big East) entered this matchup coming off an underwhelming beginning to conference play. They opened against Villanova (17-13, 2-1 Big East) on the road, losing two of three and scoring only 8 runs across the three games.

Right-hander Joey McMannis started for the Terps (14-19, 3-9 Big Ten), and the Hoyas jumped on him early. First-year outfielder Jackson Thomas singled with 1 out and stole second. Thomas, putting himself in a scoring position, allowed sophomore infielder Blake Schaaf to drive him in with a single of his own.

Graduate righty Nadell Booker toed the mound for the Hoyas. He sat down a potent top of the order, inducing a double play after a leadoff walk. Georgetown went down in order in the top of the second, granting Maryland another opportunity to strike back. Once again, the Terps put the leadoff man on, this time via a single. They would not squander this opportunity, using smallball tactics to tie things up at 1-1. Booker worked out of the inning without any more damage, marking the end of his day.

Undeterred, the Georgetown offense responded in the top of the third. Thomas singled and stole second again. He then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Again, Schaaf drove him in, this time on a sacrifice fly. With the bases cleared and 2 outs, it appeared that McMannis would get out of the inning without further damage. The Hoyas thought otherwise.

Graduate catcher Connor Price turned on an inside pitch and roped a double before sophomore outfielder Ashtin Gilio walked, provoking a Maryland mound visit. The attempt to soothe McMannis’ nerves did not work, as he walked graduate outfielder Kavi Caster to load the bases. Senior outfielder Jaden Sheffield delivered the clutch, singling in two runs. Another wild pitch allowed Caster to score. Although Sheffield was stranded on second, the Hoyas left the inning with a 5-1 lead. Sophomore Johan Franco was first in relief for Georgetown. Unfortunately, his outing ended almost as soon as it began. He walked the first two batters before a single loaded the bases. Georgetown took a mound visit. Franco then induced a fielder’s choice from the dangerous Chris Hacopian. Hollis Porter, already with a hit on the day, proceeded to change the game with one swing. He sent a homer down the right field line to tie both teams at 5-5.

Franco responded by getting a flyout before walking another batter, provoking Associate Head Coach

George Capen to opt for junior lefty Andrew Jergins. Jergins hit his first batter but no harm was caused, as he got a flyout to end the inning.

Logan Hastings replaced McMannis for Maryland and worked a 1-2-3 top of the fourth. Jergins replicated Hastings in the bottom half, walking the leadoff man before inducing a flyout and inning-ending double play. Hastings began the fifth with two walks, causing a mound visit. Gilio then dropped a bunt in front of Hastings and reached on the infield single, loading the bases for Georgetown. Caster drove in Schaaf with a sacrifice fly to regain the lead. Price advanced to third on the play. Gilio then stole second to put two runners in scoring position for Jaden Sheffield. Hastings struck him out to close the book on his day. Devin Milberg entered to face graduate infielder Noah Leib, ending the inning with a flyout.

Graduate arm Griffin O’Connor started the bottom of the fifth. He allowed a leadoff single to Hacopian but responded with a strikeout of Porter. He then traded two hitby-pitches and two strikeouts to get through a scoreless fifth.

Georgetown also loaded the bases in the next half, but couldn’t plate any. Junior infielder Jeremy Sheffield singled with one out. He stole second during Thomas’ plate appearance, which resulted in a walk. Schaaf also walked, setting the stage for Price. Unfortunately, both he and Gilio struck out looking to end the threat.

With the Hoyas clinging to a 1-run lead, sophomore Jack Volo entered to replace O’Connor. First-year Ashton Seymore was also subbed in for Leib at first base. Volo sat the Terps down in short order, striking out the first man he faced before getting a groundout and a lineout. Georgetown, desperately searching for insurance, got it in the top of the seventh. Caster reached on an error to lead off the inning. Seymore, in his first plate appearance of the game, worked a walk. Firstyear outfielder Dylan Larkins followed with a walk to load the bases. This prompted Maryland to go to the bullpen, bringing in Jack Wren. Jeremy Sheffield stepped to the plate. He has been one of the Hoyas’ most consistent hitters all season with a .297 batting average and .811 OPS. In a 2-1 count, Wren pumped a fastball over the heart of the plate and Sheffield did not miss it. He smoked the offering to right field and watched it clear the fence for a grand slam. The Hoyas led 10-5.

Graduate lefty Axel Johnson took the ball in the bottom of the seventh. Facing the heart of the Maryland order, he went flyout-popup-groundout to sit them down.

The Hoya offense did not stop in the eighth. Price led off with a single and stole second. Gilio moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. Andrew Johnson, a lefty meant to neutralize Caster, entered the game. Caster greeted him

attendance not only at games like those against UConn, but for nonconference and lower-profile matchups too. She said she views Hoya Gray as an ally in this goal and as evidence of a new, stronger culture forming around the team.

“Knowing that there are people who we hadn’t necessarily seen at games, who hadn’t come to our meetings who were super excited and super passionate and wanted to get student attendance up was really exciting for us,” Ehlenbach said. “I think it shows a lot of promise.

There’s a common goal there.”

Reflecting after the season, and after working with Hoya Blue’s board, some Hoya Gray members were contrite about their initial hostility as well. Hoya Gray member Will Phillips (CAS ’25) said the group realized cooperation produces the best results.

“We all have a part to do,” Phillips told The Hoya. “It’s better when everyone is unified going into games.”

Students and Basketball Team

Representatives Collaborate

The university was watching too. The coaching staff, seeking to build a stronger student support base, were fans of Hoya Gray’s theatrics.

One of Hoya Gray’s biggest supporters is Sharon Brummell, chief of staff for the men’s basketball team, who affectionately refers to the group as “my boys.”

The relationship between the basketball program and the fanbase had become dysfunctional during the Ewing years. The legacy of Hoya paranoia — the team’s reputation of hostility towards journalists and secrecy in the 1980s and 1990s — certainly lived on and sealed the team off from Georgetown students. The program did not know the names of Hoya Blue’s board members until last month. While Hoya Blue did have front-row passes to the student section and distributed cheer sheets before every game, they were unable to coordinate larger-scale activities with the administration.

Ehlenbach said she is building direct contacts between Hoya Blue, Brummell and others in the athletics department.

“I’m still trying to develop those relationships. In the past, we’ve had a very good relationship,” Ehlenbach said. “I’m really excited for the opportunity to work with her and other organizations.”

Sophia Lu and Caleigh Keating Senior Sports Editors

Like most other passionate Georgetown basketball fans, Lily deGroot (SOH ’25) and Virginia Field (CAS ’25) make a point of attending every regular-season home game, sometimes even traveling hundreds of miles to away games. But unlike their friends and classmates, the duo has spent the past four years harboring a secret.

Since their first spring semester, deGroot and Field have served on Georgetown’s mascot crew, dressing up as Jack the Bulldog in front of the thousands of fans cheering on Hoyas sports teams.

Looking for an adventure after spending their first fall semester settling in, the two friends came across a recruiting call on Instagram for new Jack the Bulldog mascots. On a whim, deGroot and Field decided to send in applications together and were pleasantly surprised when they both received an invitation to audition for the role.

Given the opportunity to audition, deGroot and Field set their minds on performing as well as possible. In the two weeks before the audition, the duo studied other schools’ mascots.

Field said they also felt nervous about the range of skills that the role appeared to require.

“I really remember sitting in our Copley dorm, and we were watching YouTube videos of other mascots,” Field told The Hoya “We were like, ‘how can we do this?’ He’s doing backflips. I was like, all I have is the worm.” Nevertheless, deGroot and Field marched to McDonough Arena on the day of their tryout with moral support from several friends cheering them on. Once they arrived, deGroot and Field each underwent a two-stage audition designed to test their ability to improvise and their creativity in interacting with fans. The first test was a typical club-style interview and the second was an improv-style audition, with the cheerleading coach, mascot coach and several athletic department interns watching. Both anxiously awaited the results. One week later, deGroot and Field celebrated the news of their acceptance. DeGroot said processing her acceptance took a moment, yet she became overjoyed when she realized Field was also accepted. “At first I had a moment where

See HOYA GRAY, A11