The Hoya: August 30, 2013

GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY’S NEWSPAPER OF RECORD SINCE 1920 thehoya.com

Georgetown University • Washington, D.C. Vol. 95, No. 2, © 2013

friday, august 30, 2013

VILLA LE BALZE

Georgtown’s flagship study-abroad destination has a rich history.

EDITORIAL The Northeast Triangle forums should be a model for future efforts.

GUIDE, B1

OPINION, A2

BUSINESS The Hoya debuts its Friday business page today.

FOOTBALL Georgetown kicks off the season against Wagner on Saturday.

NEWS, A10

SPORTS, B10

Dorm Blueprint Revised

Outdoor Drinking Trial Run Begins Pilot program tests new rule outside Henle, Village A Annie Chen & Eitan Sayag Hoya Staff Writers

Students of legal age will now be permitted to consume wine and beer outside in specific areas of Village A and Henle Village as part of a pilot program beginning today.

The Outdoor Student Living Pilot Program, which originated from Georgetown Community Partnership discussions in June, was implemented Jay Gruber after summer negotiations among the Georgetown University Student Association, Residential Living and the Department of Public Safety. The policy goes into effect immediately.

According to Director of Residential Education Ed Gilhool and DPS Chief of Police Jay Gruber, students will be able to drink from open containers in groups of fewer than 15 people in the barbecue areas of Village A and Henle. Student can drink outdoors at any time of the day as long as they abide by noise restrictions during quiet hours.

There is no campus-wide open container policy, and the pilot program is limited to these two areas.

The success of the pilot program will be assessed by the end of the fall semester and again at the end of the year, at which point decisions will be made about extending the program to areas including the Alumni Square courtyard, the Southwest Quad lawn and the LXR courtyard. Assessment will be based on the number of incidents of noise complaints, underage alcohol consumptions and the frequency of DPS intervention “In this pilot, no news is good news,” Gruber said.

Gruber, who has supported the implementation of the pilot program, said that DPS would intervene only if students were not abiding by the designated rules. DPS officers will not ask for proof of age unless there is a disturbance.

“The intent is that if they are going by the spirit and letter of the policy, we’re not going to approach them, we’re going to sort of ignore them,” Gruber said. “But once they bring attention to themselves, we have to intervene and interact, then people who are underage could get sanctioned for possession of alcohol under the age of 21.”

Although beer and wine will be permitted outdoors, Gruber said that kegs are not within the limits of the pilot program.

“If we’re looking at 10 to 12 people, a keg is overkill,” he said. “It invites that party feel and party atmosphere, which is different from bringing a couple of six-packs or a case shared by a small group of people.”

The same reasoning was behind the decision not to permit liqueur as part of the pilot program.

In April, the university lifted the one-keg limit for on-campus parties to promote on-campus socializing. Last August, the party registration system, which required students holding on-campus parties to inform the university in advance, was abolished. Students were already permitted to drink outside on Village A rooftops.

“We’ve had a series of policy changes regarding alcohol in the past few years,” Gilhool said. “Each time, we’ve seen the students take those changes seriously and be very mindful of the opportunities to have more socializing on campus and prove in time again that these types of initiatives and us looking at policies a little differently can be really successful on campus and enhance the student experience.”

GUSA President Nate Tisa (SFS ’14) said he was confident that the pilot would be successful.

See DRINKING, A5

Ivan Robinson Hoya Staff Writer

Hoya Staff Writer

In 1963, thousands of people joined Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the Na-

tional Mall. On Wednesday, thousands listened to President Barack Obama honor the 50th anniversary of that event from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

“As we mark this anniversary, we must remind ourselves that

CHARLIE LOWE/THE HOYA

Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., third from right, led remarks from the Healy steps to commemorate the March on Washington anniversary.

Newsroom: (202) 687-3415 Business: (202) 687-3947

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SECOND TIME’S THE CHARM?

A new model of Northeast Triangle presented by Sasaki on Wednesday reflected criticism of the past design, with new elements similar to Copley Hall.

See DORM, A7

After Review, Code of Conduct Tweaked Elimination of A, B, C violation system among changes Mallika Sen Hoya Staff Writer

The rewritten and slightly condensed Code of Student Conduct features streamlined guidelines in an effort to increase transparency in the disciplinary process.

The 2013-2014 code, released Thursday night, includes simplified language as well as visual elements to make it easier to navigate and comprehend. At 27 pages, the code is four pages shorter than the previous version. The biggest change is the elimination of the Category A, B and C system.

Previous changes made in the past year — like the elimination of the onekeg limit for on-campus parties and the new parking prohibition for undergraduates — are included.

The changes to the Code of Conduct were taken from recommendations by an external review conducted last fall

‘Dream’ Speech Still Rings True Penny Hung

Revised sketches of the Northeast Triangle Residence Hall were received favorably at the second student dorm forum in Leavey Center on Wednesday evening.

After the original design proposal was panned this summer by students and alumni, architectural firm Sasaki Associates and Georgetown administrators held a forum to gather input in July. Sasaki incorporated recommendations from the first forum into its revised designs.

The material for the dorm’s exterior has been changed from gray slate to stone in an attempt to build a dorm more consistent with main campus architecture. The building will also have limestone, wood accents and carder rock, which are used in both Copley Hall and White-Gravenor Hall, along with some glass features.

the measure of progress for those who marched 50 years ago was not merely how many blacks could join the ranks of millionaires,” Obama said. “It was whether this country would admit all people who were willing to work hard, regardless of race, into the ranks of a middle-class life.”

The anniversary was honored nationwide, with Obama’s speech serving as part of a fivehour event featuring former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. In his speech, Obama urged those who were born after King’s death to revive his advocacy for today’s issues of injustice.

At Georgetown, the university joined institutions across the county in ringing the Healy Hall bells at 3 p.m. in commemoration of the time King began his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., led the ceremony in memory of the historic moment.

“It is fitting at the nation’s oldest Jesuit and Catholic university

by administrators from Duke University and Loyola University Chicago.

“As part of their recommendations, they suggested modifying the code of conduct so that it could be more easily accessed by students,” Office of Student Conduct Director Judy Johnson said.

A primary component of the external review concerned the reduction of bureaucracy. To this end, the revised code abrogates the Category C Review Committee, which formerly reviewed category C violations to determine whether the cases merited judicial hearing board review. All cases will now be handled by the judicial hearing board, which is set to expand student involvement.

“The Disciplinary Review Committee concluded that it was an unnecessary additional step. It added time to the process,” Johnson said. “Cases could be resolved more quickly if the Office of Student Conduct could do the same

function, eliminating the two-day time frame.”

The Office of Student Conduct is pushing to speed up the disciplinary review process. Complainants will now have two weeks to file the initiation of judicial proceedings form, rather than the previously allotted 30 days.

Certain external review recommendations, however, have not been met with immediate implementation.

For example, the revised code did not implement the suggestion of creating a mediation system for resolving disciplinary cases, although Residential Living has a pre-existing mediation process and Johnson is a trained mediator.

The external review also recommended keeping student disciplinary files after graduation for longer than the current period of one day. However, because the university already keeps See CODE, A5

GEORGETOWN DOWNTOWN

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Classes began at the new School of Continuing Studies campus in downtown D.C. on Wednesday. Minor construction will continue this fall.

See MLK, A5 Published Tuesdays and Fridays

Send Story Ideas and Tips to news@thehoya.com

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OPINION

THE HOYA

friday, august 30, 2013

THE VERDICT Founded January 14, 1920

EDITORIALS

Bar Raised for Student Input Wednesday night’s forum on the Northeast Triangle Residence Hall demonstrated the university’s willingness — perhaps grudgingly — to include students and alumni in major campus planning. But looking beyond these 225 beds, architects and administrators should maintain this level of transparency and collaboration in implementing further components of the 2010 Campus Plan agreement.

After critical student and alumni reactions to the dormitory design plans in July, architects at Sasaki Associates got to work, aggregating a “brown paper report” of community input. Six weeks later, the new proposal includes some of the modifications requested: exterior materials similar to those of the beloved White-Gravenor and Copley halls, downsizing an unpopular cantilever and appeasing some demand for sustainability. Notably, the dorm’s capacity dropped from 250 to 225 beds to accommodate these community needs, indicating an interest in

making this mandated living space one also desirable for students.

While this is encouraging, it is only the first step of what is sure to be an arduous process toward compliance to the campus plan agreement. The university must add 385 beds to campus by fall 2015 and house 90 percent of undergraduates on university property by 2025. With these relatively imminent deadlines, the university could be forced to explore nonconventional measures that could include options outside the university and its immediate surroundings.

Georgetown must also find new ways to entice upperclassmen back to on-campus housing.

Those changes will inevitably require compromise and tough decisions, and the Georgetown community ought to be included in that process.

If the outreach done for the Northeast Triangle turns out to be an aberration in campus plan execution, the outcome may be hard for those invested in Georgetown’s future to stomach.

Support, Now Sanction Free A welcome shift came for off-campus student life in early August: the creation of the Office of Neighborhood Life.

Before this year, off-campus resources and Code of Student Conduct disciplinary proceedings were both managed by the Office of OffCampus Life. However, grouping sanctions with resources in one office intimidated students and made it difficult to take full advantage of opportunities and assistance available off campus.

Now, the Office of Student Conduct will handle off-campus violations, leaving the newly renamed Office of Neighborhood Life to focus on student support.

The selection of former Residential Life Assistant Director Cory Peterson as interim director will be an asset to the new office, as Peterson has spent the last seven years working on behalf of students on campus.

The office can now market itself as a fear-free service provider, advising students in neighborhood conflicts, providing household utilities to borrow and — most importantly — providing information about tenant rights. The Office of

Neighborhood Life is set to partner with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, the D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate and the newly formed Georgetown Student Tenant Association. These partnerships will provide stronger advocacy power in addition to GSTA’s focus on assisting students in dealings with landlords, representing another step forward for student rights.

With respect to disciplinary procedures, the university’s harsher sanctions for off-campus housing — dictated almost entirely by the 2010 Campus Plan agreement — will remain identical to those of past years’. But by removing conduct procedures from the Office of Neighborhood Life, the administration has made the 1300 block of 36th Street inviting and — by extension — relevant.

In a climate where students often see the administration concede ground to the neighborhood instead of fighting on behalf of off-campus life, separating resource provision from disciplinary sanctions marks a bright spot amid a gloomier trend of town-gown relations.

C C C C C

Olympic Dream — A nonprofit exploratory committee to bring the 2024 Summer Olympics to D.C. was launched on Tuesday.

Stop and Fix — Following a class action lawsuit in New York, the Metropolitan Police Department announced that they would be making changes to their current “stop-and-frisk” policy.

Look Both Ways — A study released by Allstate Insurance Co. ranked D.C. drivers as the worst in the country.

15 Years Later — The Georgetown Business Improvement District’s Georgetown 2028 task force is currently considering proposals for improvements, including one for a metro stop and another for gondolas crossing the Potomac.

Stay in Your Lane — A protected bike lane proposed for M Street will not connect 15th and 16th Streets after protestors claimed the lane would block on-street parking.

A LITTLE BIRDIE TOLD US ... @TomLipinsky Aug. 28 Let’s get POTUS at Commencement 2014 @GUAlumni, @ Georgetown, @thehoya MT via @GhostsofDC @ecderr Aug. 28 Wise words. SA Fair Sun, 9/1. MT @thehoya: ED: There are 200+ student orgs @ GU, don’t buy into the hype of a few. @BikeGuard

Aug. 28 Georgetown University has a bike share set up for spring! The trend continues growing on college campuses @thehoya @bethgarbitelli Aug. 29 Per @thehoya last NYC mayor from GU served in 1933. A new Hoya candidate on @MetroFocus tonite 8:30p on @ThirteenNY

chatter Check out the launch of chatter, The Hoya’s new online portal for daily opinion content. Read online columns and rapid responses to breaking news, then contribute your opinion by submitting to our monthly roundtable question.

Join us at thehoya.com/opinion/chatter.

roundtable question:

On Aug. 22, President Obama called for tying federal financial aid to college performance, providing more financial aid to students based on the performance of their school. Would this policy be effective in increasing socioeconomic diversity on Georgetown’s campus? Submit responses to opinion@thehoya.com by Sept. 8.

Wanted: Bulldog-in-Residence Now that former mascot-in-training Jack Jr. has settled into premature retirement, it is time to look toward the future of Georgetown’s mascot. In doing so, the university would do well to consult the Bulldog Advisory Committee and recognize the unifying value of a live-in mascot.

Fr. Christopher Steck, S.J., illustrated the complicated nature of managing an on-campus bulldog and identified BAC as the best way to make mascot decisions in an op-ed for The Hoya (“Campus Deserves a Voice in Our Mascot’s Future,” Aug. 4). The committee — which includes representatives from Hoya Blue, the Georgetown University Student Association, the Jack Crew and the Office of Advancement along with faculty and alumni — has a holistic view of the mascot’s role in student life.

Rather than have administrators, who are less involved with the mascot on a day-to-day basis, decide the fate of our traditions, the university should have committed — and should commit in the future — to hearing out the views of this

committee. While it is possible that the final decision on J.J. would have been the same had BAC made the call, it would have been received with greater respect and understanding by the Georgetown community.

But beyond this summer’s missed opportunities for dialogue and inclusion, an on-campus bulldog is worth fighting for as a beloved part of student life. Going forward the administration should not consider eliminating a live bulldog altogether or implementing a liability-free “rent-a-dog” model.

Attitudes toward J.J. range from adoration to indifference, and J.J.’s early retirement stemmed from concerns after an incident in which he injured a child last fall. But any justifications for the removal of a live-in mascot altogether would be an overreaction at the expense of tradition.

Harry Truman once said that if you need a friend in Washington, get a dog. A friendlier attitude from the university toward this beloved position would go a long way.

Danny Funt, Editor-in-Chief Emma Hinchliffe, Executive Editor Hunter Main, Managing Editor Victoria Edel, Online Editor Eitan Sayag, Campus News Editor Penny Hung, City News Editor Laura Wagner, Sports Editor Sheena Karkal, Guide Editor Katherine Berk, Opinion Editor Alexander Brown, Photography Editor Ian Tice, Layout Editor David Chardack, Copy Chief Lindsay Lee, Blog Editor

EDITORIAL CARTOON by Janet Zhu

Madison Ashley Mallika Sen Natasha Khan TM Gibbons-Neff Tom Hoff Dillon Mullan Kim Bussing Margie Fuchs Lindsay Leasor Robert DePaolo Jackie McCadden Matthew Grisier Nick Phalen Chris Grivas Erica Wong Michelle Xu Claire Hong Kennedy Shields Karl Pielmeier

Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy Campus News Editor Deputy City News Editor Deputy Business Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Sports Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Guide Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Copy Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Opinion Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Photography Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Layout Editor Deputy Blog Editor

Contributing Editors

Editorial Board

Chris Bien, Patrick Curran, Evan Hollander, Sarah Kaplan, Braden McDonald, Hiromi Oka, Remy Samuels

Katherine Berk, Chair Basil Bastaki, Alyssa Huberts, Hanaa Khadraoui, Sam Rodman, Christopher Stromeyer

Mary Nancy Walter, General Manager Mariah Byrne, Director of Corporate Development Jason Yoffe, Director of Finance Mullin Weerakoon, Director of Marketing Michal Grabias, Director of Personnel Michael Lindsay-Bayley, Director of Sales Kevin Tian, Director of Technology Natasha Patel Christina Wing Tessa Bell Nitya Rajendran James Church Dimitrios Roumeliotis Michael Taylor Nicole Yuksel Addie Fleron Preston Marquis Taylor Doaty Brian Carden Eric Isdaner Simon Wu Taylor Wan

Alumni Relations Manager Special Events Manager Accounts Manager Operations Manager Publishing Division Consultant Statements Manager Treasury Manager Public Relations Manager Human Resources Manager Professional Development Manager Institutional Diversity Manager Local Advertisements Manager Online Advertisements Manager Systems Manager Web Manager

Board of Directors

Evan Hollander, Chair

Kent Carlson, Danny Funt, Vidur Khatri, Braden McDonald, Samantha Randazzo, Mary Nancy Walter

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Viewpoints are always welcome from all members of the Georgetown community on any topic, but priority will be given to relevant campus issues.

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Send all submissions to: opinion@ thehoya.com.

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OPINION

friday, august 30, 2013

CURIOUS BY NATURE

THE HOYA

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VIEWPOINT • Hopkins

Charting Your Academic Roadmap M

Katherine Foley

The Origin Of Earth’s Gold Rush E

ver wonder where the items you enjoy came from? Not just where they were manufactured, but how they originated?

The answer comes from the heavens.

Regardless of what you believe about the Big Man, astronomers hypothesize that the diversity of elements we have here on earth was originally formed up in the stars.

Before the full periodic table existed, there were only hydrogen and helium, which have one and two protons, respectively. With a lot of energy, these elements combined to make more elements with more protons. And that’s where stars come in — they harness the energy that facilitates fusion.

But beyond 26 protons, elements become too large to be stable. And by that point, the stars themselves are about ready to explode because their temperatures have risen too high.

At first, it seems that it’s thanks to the energy produced by supernovae that we have elements with more than 26 protons.

But that’s not it, completely. In addition to a low number of protons, nature also prefers an even numbers of protons in its elements.

Mysteriously, gold, with an incredibly high and odd 79 protons, appears in high concentrations on Earth. For every atom of gold, there are one million atoms of 26-proton iron. Yet gold particles can be found in seawater — only 0.00001 parts per million, sadly — and even the average 160-lb. human has 0.2 mg of gold found in his or her bones and liver.

For a while, many thought that our abundance of gold was just a fortunate fluke, considering how we value the stuff. But it still bothered some scientists that the amount present doesn’t really make sense within the rules of chemistry.

The thing about our valuation of gold is that it’s more or less arbitrary.

However, in early June, NASA’s Swift satellite noticed a burst of gamma ray radiation, lasting only a fraction of a second, that was generated by the colliding remnants of two supernovae. A brief afterglow indicated that radioactive heavy metals had been created in the burst of energy. Astronomers from the HarvardSmithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimate that the amount of gold created in this mass is several times the moon’s mass. They hypothesize that this is how we on Earth have accumulated so much of this seemingly uncommon element.

The funny thing about our high valuation of gold is that it’s more or less arbitrary. It seems to me like we value things based on a combination of their perceived scarcity and beauty, rather than actual utility. Everyone remembers the gold standard to which the dollar was held for 44 years. Think of the wars that were started for the element, and the explorations and expeditions conducted with the sole purpose of striking gold.

But other than that, our love of gold jewelry and golden embellishments is more societal than anything else.

Chrome, from chromium, actually has a lot of the same shiny properties we look for in gold, but we tend to think of it as cheaper. No one wants to have chromium jewelry or adapt the chromium standard — that just seems silly.

Sure, there are some actual practical uses to gold over other metals. Namely, it’s a heavy, inert metal that’s quite practical in different chemical situations. For instance, did you know it’s a gold bullet that helps deliver modified genes when biologists are giving one set of genes to another organism? Granted, this wasn’t discovered until years after we started valuing this metal. However, with the recent discovery of gold’s stellar origins, perhaps we were right in recognizing just how special this heavy metal is.

The famous astronomer Carl Sagan once said, “We are made of star stuff.”

Who knew some parts of us were so tricky to make?

Katherine Foley is a senior in the School of Foreign Service. CURIOUS BY NATURE appears every other Friday.

any of you are starting your first year as an undergraduate here at Georgetown. Welcome. By now, you know what “Hoya Saxa” means and have figured out how to navigate our modest campus. Georgetown might not be enormous — and yes, a few of our smaller classrooms do feel a bit like ones you left behind in high school. But there are critical differences between academic life in high school and academic life at a research university. Having spent some 15 years at three different research universities, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on the transition.

The first thing to understand is that research universities like Georgetown aren’t just a scaled-up version of a high school, and there are more differences than the fact that our sports teams get covered in Sports Illustrated. Research universities are organized differently, and students should make understanding this structure a top priority in their first few weeks on campus.

In my high school, for example, any study of literature would have been in the English department, whether it was Poe or Pushkin. I knew I liked literature, so when I got to college, I sought out a wellreputed class in the English department. It wasn’t until months later, over the winter holidays, that I got the chance to read the several hundred-page course catalog, and I realized that at my alma mater, literatures written in foreign languages were taught in language departments. Here at Georgetown, I probably would have made the

It’s time to figure out how academic life is set up and then embark on your own explorations. same mistakes. I also discovered whole fields I had never encountered in high school, ranging from computer science to anthropology.

If I were starting again, I’d spend a lot more time reading — or now browsing online — the course catalog. The goal wouldn’t just be to find additional courses but also to get a better sense of how the fields are organized at the university level. If you choose to do this, don’t just read up in the fields you are most interested in. In fact, it’s probably most helpful to read the fields about which you know nothing.

Spend time asking other students about their own areas of interest, the skills they develop and their driving curiosities.

High schools are frequently organized by topic area, while universities are organized partly based on different disciplinary toolkits. For instance, while you might be interested in animal physiology, you might also see value in developing the skill set of a computer scientist.

You might not be religious but love theology.

Choosing courses at Georgetown also requires its own skill set. Good

VIEWPOINT • Sarhan

classes convey facts, certainly. But they also convey ways of thinking and learning about the world. More than specific facts, you are more likely to retain these ways of thinking and methods of problem solving. If you notice an instructor posing questions in a compelling way, pay attention and sign up for their courses for future semesters.

But figuring this all out will likely require asking a lot of questions.

So whom to ask? Like all research universities, Georgetown is a busy place. That’s where your advisers, professors and deans come in. Harvard professor Richard Light has studied what makes for a successful college experience, and one of his main insights is that students who get to know their instructors have a richer college experience.

He advises making it a goal to get to know one instructor per semester, which, thankfully, Georgetown’s small class sizes make feasible.

Getting to know an instructor might mean balancing big lecture classes with smaller seminars. It might mean thinking hard about a problem and then heading to office hours to ask about it. Or it might even mean asking a professor about his or her research, and then seeing if you can get involved in it.

Now that you’ve unpacked your suitcases and figured out what a Hoya is, it’s time to figure out how academic life at Georgetown is set up, and then embark on your own academic explorations.

Daniel J. Hopkins is an associate professor in the department of government.

A UNIVERSITY FOR OTHERS

After Morsi Failure, Egypt A New Tradition Deserves True Democracy In Schoolwide Service

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s I travelled from France to cree making his decisions immune England last June, border of- from judicial review and effectively ficials peered at me with be- cancelling all checks and balances. wilderment upon seeing my small, Although he subsequently withgreen Egyptian passport. They drew the decree, this attempt at a asked me about Egypt’s 2011 revo- power grab indicated Morsi’s ultelution and the then-recent election rior motives. In his administration, of Islamist president Mohamed there was little consideration for Morsi. As he handed back my pass- the representation of women and port, one of the officers inquired Christians, and Morsi was even how Egyptians expected a demo- quoted as saying that Christians cratic process when they’ve elected must either pay a tax or emigrate.

Islamists to the government.

Furthermore, Morsi cancelled free “It doesn’t matter,” I insisted. speech in the media and cracked “They deserve a chance just like ev- down on anyone criticizing him, eryone else.” the Brotherhood or Islam. Bassem Although Morsi was our least Youssef -- an Egyptian equivalent of preferred candidate, my family de- Jon Stewart -- faced a lawsuit simply fended his election and cautioned for “ridiculing the president.” others not to write him off with Perhaps the most infuriating of an “Islamist” label until we had Morsi’s actions was his appointgiven him a fair chance. One year ment of a member of a militant later, however, I am convinced that Islamist organization, al-Gamma this experiment with the Muslim al-Islamiya, as governor of Luxor -- a Brotherhood has gone horribly major tourist destination. Since the wrong. Unlike organization some Egypin question tians, I do not takes responIt remains for us to hope for sibility for a think that Morsi is the sole a government that is demo- 1997 massacre cause of our that claimed cratic in action as well as problems, but 68 victims in he did still fail Luxor itself, rhetoric. to implement this appointthe values of ment displayed the revolution complete disreand to show accountability to his spect to Morsi’s own citizens. The people. Even worse, he exploited former president can claim legitiIslam to serve his own needs and macy as much as he wants, but to to pressure voters into supporting me, and to many others, he abused him. his powers and proved to be an inOn Morsi’s first day in office, he competent leader for the challengand his wife denounced the extrav- es that Egypt faces. agance of the presidential palace During the period of Morsi’s conand reassured the Egyptian people trol, leaders of the Brotherhood that religious or political differ- and other extremist clerics used ences would never cause blood- the media to brainwash Egyptians. shed again. At the time, many of us At Brotherhood rallies, they associhopefully believed that this could ated Morsi with prophetic figures be the leader for which we had and claimed that it was our obligabeen anxiously waiting. Unfortu- tion as Muslims to accept his leadnately, he proved himself to be in ership. The exploitation of Islam the same rotten vein as Mubarak by Morsi and the Brotherhood has and his other predecessors. enraged many Egyptians, including “So what?” a friend asked. myself, who identify as religious “Morsi is stupid, but so are many Muslims. presidents. That doesn’t mean you Like most Egyptians, I prefer a should revolt.” My Egyptian friends civilian government. But currently, and I hear this criticism repeated- there is no alternative to the army, ly. But beyond his stupidity, Morsi which is Egypt’s most powerful and was manipulative and prioritized most structured organization. the Brotherhood’s interests above I am sadly unsurprised by the risall others. Critics argue that Egyp- ing death toll. Too many individutians should have waited until the als in Egypt have weapons and take end of Morsi’s term to replace him. advantage of inadequate security The Brotherhood’s plans, however, to harm others. Whoever claims were harmful far before the end that only the Brotherhood or the of his term. During his presidency, military causes deaths overlooks Morsi planted Brotherhood mem- countless massacres over the past bers — many of whom were unqual- two years. ified — all across the government to ensure the organization’s future Yomna Sarhan is a senior in the role in Egyptian politics.

School of Foreign Service. She grew In November, Morsi issued a de- up in Cairo and in Northern Virginia.

W

hile bemoaning the our short time on the Hilltop. loss of our beloved How can we make this a realmascot-in-training, ity? It’s unlikely that a signifiJ.J., we reached an interesting cant portion of students would conclusion: Georgetown needs willingly relinquish an entire a new tradition. We certainly day of their overscheduled time cherish the ones we’ve inherit- for community service. With the ed, from the intellectual stimu- right incentives, however, we lation of “The Problem of God” strongly believe that interest in to the frivolities of homecoming this project would immediately and Georgetown Day, but these present itself; namely, the posmoments are rare, and few of sibility of being excused from them are explicitly rooted in class.

Georgetown’s principles.

For this single day, all classes It was the hope of the late Fa- will be cancelled so that our ther General of the Society of entire community can act as Jesus, Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., that men and women for others. A Jesuit institutions throughout Georgetown Service Day planthe world would form “men and ning committee will create women who cannot even con- project options for students to ceive of love of God which does choose from, ranging from volnot include love for the least of unteering in inner-city schools their neighbors.” Now, we hope to campus beautification efto put this imperative into action forts. All students will also be through the creation of a George- encouraged to submit their own town Service Day. proposals for serWe propose that vice for approval the administraby the planning tion set aside committee. one day early in An alternative the fall semester option would where every sinbe submitting a gle student must thoughtful reflecengage in comtion on the immunity service. portance of comPhillip Dearing Georgetown munity service. & Benjamin Weiss Service Day Failure to particiwould replace pate or submit Community Seressay would Georgetown needs a this vice Day, an event result in the innew tradition rooted ability to register for new students after they first arfor classes in the in its values. rive on campus. following semesWhile a positive ter. While this initiative, Community Service seems like a harsh measure, it Day has suffered from low par- ensures campus-wide participaticipation and technical issues tion in the event and would help despite fiscal and physical dedi- solidify this tradition through cation from university staff and its fledgling years. upperclassmen committed to We understand the imporcommunity service. Our propos- tance of traditional class time al would expand this exclusively and the effort that goes into freshman and transfer event to planning curricula, and we anencompass the full manpower ticipate that faculty will not be of our student body. pleased with losing this entire While replacing the alcohol-fu- day. However, we believe the eled festivities of Georgetown Day altruistic goal of this project with this new Georgetown Ser- would ultimately overcome any vice Day might seem attractive to hesitations. the administration, this would To Healy Hall, we offer this be misguided. Since Georgetown trade: One day of cancelled classlacks unifying events, the an- es for a great and unified display swer is not to replace one tradi- of Georgetown’s best values and tion — especially one so loved as ideals. In your consideration Georgetown Day — but to create of this open proposal, please a new one. Georgetown Service heed the words of our beloved Day would serve as a conscien- Fr. James Schall, S.J.: “Do not let tious foil to its more social spring school get in the way of our educounterpart. It would serve as an cation.” early reminder of our responsibility as Georgetown students, Philip Dearing and Benjamin while the day of celebration near Weiss are juniors in the College. A the end of the year would con- UNIVERSITY FOR OTHERS appears tinue to encourage us to treasure every other Friday.

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THE HOYA

PAGE FOUR

NEWS

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013

IN THIS ISSUE The Hoya launches a new Friday business page this week. See businessrelated news and opinion on A10.

Your news — from every corner of The Hoya.

IN FOCUS

verbatim

WELCOME BACK

want to “ They inspire students to change the world.

”

Young Changemaker Leader Cherie Chung (SFS ’16) See story on A9.

from

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Students celebrated the start of the academic year and warm weather with Georgetown University Grilling Society burgers and free T-shirts during the Welcome Back Jack Barbeque on Copley Lawn on Tuesday afternoon.

OH, THE PLACES YOU’LL GO Georgetown will have its own bike share program this spring. Head to 4E for a look at local biking trails. blog.thehoya.com

Rebranded Office Aims to Assist Students Off Campus PENNY HUNG

Hoya Staff Writer

An administrative shift this summer eliminated the Office of OffCampus Life in favor of a new Office of Neighborhood Life, separating off-campus resources from disciplinary action.

The new office will assist students with offcampus life, while CORY disciplinary sancPETERSON tions off campus will be handled by the Office of Student Conduct.

The separation will refocus the mission of the Office of Neighborhood Life on helping students, Interim Director Cory Peterson, who has worked for Residential Life for the past seven years, said.

“Our mission is really to be a resource for students,” Peterson said. “[The separation allows] our office to be set up as a resource for students about anything, whether from ‘[the Metropolitan Police Department] knocked on my door last night’ or ‘I have an issue with my landlord.’”

The Office of Neighborhood Life will partner with the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, the D.C. Office of the Tenant Advocate and the Georgetown Student Tenant Association, an offshoot of the Georgetown University

Student Association launched this summer.

“We really believe students should be living in safe houses,” Peterson said. “Too long have students been paying thousands and thousands of dollars a month to put up with a hole in the ceiling or the wall … or a landlord who’s absentee or just unhelpful. … Our students are people too.”

Peterson — who spoke to freshmen and sophomores about offcampus life at floor meetings this week — said he aims to uphold transparency in communicating the reality of off-campus life to students, despite university efforts to move students back on campus as required in the 2010 Campus Plan agreement.

“There’s no smoke and mirrors …

We want to make sure you have all the information to make the right decisions,” Peterson said. “The students are at the table as well.”

Peterson said his experience in Residence Life helps him communicate clearly with off-campus students.

“I feel like I’m a better advocate for students, talking about how we want to free up social space on campus, such as getting rid of the keg limit [and] party registration,” Peterson said. “I lived in that era a few years ago where it was difficult to socialize on campus. It’s important to have that kind of voice at the table who understands both sides … to see what it used to be like and

what it could be.”

Some students found the new distinction between off-campus resources and disciplinary action helpful.

“I think Cory has been super helpful and responsive as to what students are looking for and I’m happy that the judiciary side has been moved,” Adaire Carey (COL ’14), who lived off campus last year and this year, said. “Now that I know the punishment side is being handled by another office, I’m more likely to see Cory as an ally.”

Andrew Greenough (SFS ’14), who lived off campus last year, said he was more likely to rely on the new office.

“By and large, I would be more likely to use it just because it’s easy to put more trust into their intentions,” Greenough said.

Other students, however, said the separation was not enough to distinguish the two functions.

“I know that they’re not able to write you up, but a lot of them have old members of the staff team … I personally have an issue distinguishing that they have separate jobs,” Katie Lawlor (COL ’14), who was written up by a current Office of Neighborhood Life staff member when she lived on campus, said.

In his new position, Peterson hopes to improve the sentiment surrounding the Office of Neighborhood Life and to increase the engagement between students and neighbors, potentially by sponsor-

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

The new Office of Neighborhood Life will provide resources to students living off campus separate from disciplinary concerns. ing community dinners. “[We want] students and nonstudents to engage not in communityrelation conversations, but just conversations,” Peterson said. “It

might be about Syria, it might be about the legalization of marijuana … whatever they want to talk about.

It’s about building relations and building the community further.”

Verizon to Install Cell Tower on Leavey Center Roof CHRISTOPHER ZAWORA Hoya Staff Writer

The familiar complaint of dropped cell phone calls in Burleith and Darnall Hall will be eased next summer when a Verizon cell phone tower will be installed on the roof of Leavey Center.

The university is currently in the process of obtaining a construction permit from the D.C. municipal government to begin construction of the tower, which is expected to be completed by July 2014. The tower will consist of a set of antennae

that are four feet high.

“Verizon Wireless is working with Georgetown University to expand our 4G LTE network coverage on campus to provide students, faculty, medical center staff and patients, as well as the greater Georgetown community, with the best possible wireless coverage,” Verizon spokesperson Melanie Ortel wrote in an email to THE HOYA. Verizon Wireless will pay the cost of installing the antennas and will also pay Georgetown for the use of university property.

“Having these antennas at

Georgetown is a total win for the Georgetown community,” Chief Information Officer Lisa Davis said.

The construction of the tower is intended to alleviate the poor signal many Verizon customers receive on campus. According to Davis, the Verizon signal is the weakest of all mobile carriers at Georgetown.

“In some places it’s fine, [but] in general, the service is pretty bad,” Kelli Foy (SFS ’16) said.

Talks between Verizon and the university have been going on for several years. Davis said she prioritized this project when she became

chief information officer in January 2012.

“So many of us have Verizon as a vendor,” Davis said. “Any opportunity to increase coverage with any of the vendors is a welcome opportunity.”

There are no plans, however, to install cell towers for other mobile service providers.

“There really hasn’t been a need or requirement from the AT&T or Sprint perspective,” Davis said.

The university will receive $22,000 in revenue and spend no money to complete this project.

The surrounding neighbors will also receive a noticeable increase in mobile coverage.

The Verizon tower is part of University Information Services’ five-year modernization plan to increase the university’s capacity for mobile devices, which has focused on Wi-Fi, virtual computing and network connection upgrades since its early 2013 launch.

The network connection upgrade will increase the university’s data transmission capacity by 1,000 percent, and the private cloud upgrade will save the university $700,000.

News

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Eight SAC Groups Join Student Activities Fair Line Up Lily Westergaard Hoya Staff Writer

Eight new student groups will join hundreds of other groups at the Student Activities Fair this Sunday.

Georgetown University Signs, the Georgetown Development Initiative, Georgetown Individuals Vocal and Energetic for Service, the Pre-Law Society, Riqueza Dominicana, the Chess Club, GSWAG and Tappin’ Jacks were all officially recognized by the Student Activities Commission at the end of last semester.

SAC changed the name of the event from SAC Fair to Student Activities Fair last year, before the spring semester event.

“The name change came about to reflect the scope of the fair and to more actively engage other advisory boards in the planning process,” SAC Chair Jennifer Chiang (SFS ’15) said.

The core mission of the fair remains the same, according to the SAC Commissioner who coordinated the fair.

Philip Dearing (COL ’15), co-founder of GIVES, said that his club had not originally planned to apply for Student Activities Commission recognition, but ultimately realized the advantages

“Last fall we only had around 12 Kelly Kimball (NHS ’16) — founder of of SAC funding and official affiliation Tappin’ Jacks, a tap dancing group — members,” he said. “Starting last spring with the university.

GIVES, which has approximately 100 also noted the advantages of full SAC we started grabbing a table on Lau 2 once a week and lay out our chess sets.” members, is dedicated to stewardship, recognition.

Chen hopes that as a SAC group, the “Now that we have access to benefits service and random acts of kindness.

“We’re hoping that it will be such we are able to get our club into the club will be able to acquire at least 10 a shining light of positivity, that it’s rehearsal schedule, so we’ll be able to chess sets, have more than 20 regular going to shine throughout the entire have more consistent rehearsals,” she members and send members to profescampus,” Dearing said. “A major goal said. “We want to have a good-sized sional chess competitions to represent Georgetown. of ours for this semester is to increase group performing at Posada.”

Timothy Loh (SFS ’16), co-founder While SAC benefits are awarded to our effect, to make it a little more profound, a little more deep, to make these newly recognized groups, some of SIGNS, said he was inspired to help people think about what we’ve been groups, such as fraternities and H*yas found a sign language and deaf culture club because of his work at given.” a deaf ministry back home.

The Georgetown Develop“Now that we have access to “Frankly, we the founders ment Initiative also emphasizes benefits we are able to get into were surprised that a sign lancompassion and service, but on guage [and] deaf culture club a larger scale. According to cothe rehearsal schedule.” like ours did not exist in Georgefounder Berk Guler (COL ’14), the town and so we decided to create group aims to produce and take kelly kimball (nhs ’16) one,” he said. “We plan to conaction on specific, sustainable, Tappin’ Jacks founder duct [American Sign Language] small-scale and innovative develclasses, raise awareness about opment projects that will benefit communities in need around the for Choice, are unable to gain SAC deafness and connect with the larger world, while cooperating with local recognition and can only table in free- deaf community in D.C.” Adam Kaldor (COL ’14) said that he and international NGOs and receiving speech zones.

Alan Chen (MSB ’14), co-founder of founded the Georgetown Pre-Law Sociassistance from experienced faculty.

“Throughout the semester, we will the Georgetown Chess Club, said that ety because he felt there was no orgaresearch and choose from several his organization has been operating nization helping students understand small-scale projects to work on and since last fall, but required a full year the law profession.

“A student group such as GPS will be also try to evaluate the effectiveness of to meet SAC’s membership requireable to reach out to all these potential ments. our efforts,” Guler said.

Campus, DC Honor MLK MLK, from A1 that we pause on the first day of classes to reflect on the meaning of King’s dream for all of us because this is a dream which is both holy and very human,” O’Brien, who also serves as vice president for mission and ministry, said.

Seven students whom O’Brien said represented a cross section of the student body read excerpts from King’s speech.

“We wanted different races and different ethnicities, we wanted different religions and different genders because that’s the diversity King spoke of in the speech,” O’Brien told The Hoya.

The events on the National Mall were the culmination of a weeklong celebration, which included a rally and remembrance march, organized by Martin Luther King III and the Rev. Al Sharpton on Saturday. The Supreme Court’s June decision to strike down Section 4B of the 1965 Voting Rights Act

served as the rallying cry behind the march.

Obama touched on the sentiment of discontent surrounding this ruling in his speech.

“To dismiss the magnitude of this progress — to suggest, as some sometimes do, that little has changed — that dishonors the courage and the sacrifice of those who paid the price to march in those years,” Obama said. “But we would dishonor those heroes as well to suggest that the work of this nation is somehow complete.”

On campus, O’Brien called on students to continue the fight for diversity and equality of all kinds.

“We wanted to remember both the call and the challenge of the dream speech,” O’Brien told The Hoya. “We know that much has been accomplished over the last 50 years, but there is much more that needs to be done. This was a moment of celebration but also a moment of challenge for us as a

university.”

Adan Gonzalez (COL ’15), who read from the speech at Healy, said he was inspired by the moment.

“It was amazing to see everyone gather in a huge circle and realize what the speech was about,” Gonzalez said. “Looking into the crowd and realizing that the dream, one way or another, is being realized on our campus, we’ve come a long way.”

David Price (COL ’14), who also read from King’s speech, attended the march through Washington on Saturday.

“It was very profound. The atmosphere sent chills through my body,” Price said. “What we often forget is that what King was saying 50 years ago was going against the grain of what people wanted … and although King was shot and slain [and] although they killed the person who created the dream, they did not kill the dream itself.”

Minor Changes to Student Code CODE, from A1 files of suspended students who later return for two years and it keeps files of students who do not return after suspension or are expelled permanently, they have declined to keep the rest for longer for the time being.

Additionally, elaborating on the speech and expression policy has been tabled for future review. Free speech was a main platform of Georgetown University Student Association President Nate Tisa’s (SFS ’14) campaign platform last year, and Tisa has said he plans to work on expanding free speech zones this year.

While Johnson described the effort as “ongoing,” there is no amnesty clause for reporting sexual assault — another item on Tisa’s agenda.

The DRC is convening to explore further policy changes.

“Now that the stylistic change is complete, we actually hope to be able to utilize more student input and more student energies in looking at the code and making it something that is a reasonable

and shared community standard that we all feel is appropriate,” said Tisa, who also sits on the DRC. “Idea number one has always been transparency … and then goal number two is reform.”

The Code of Student Conduct revision was a joint effort by the Office of Student Conduct and the DRC, which includes students. However, it was Olson who meted out final approval for the implementation of these recommendations.

“I think it is going well,” he said.

“After the results were shared, there was a lot of discussion. ... There have been a variety of changes made and I am very encouraged by it.”

In an effort to increase the accessibility of the code, GUSA’s Student Advocacy Office will release a statement highlighting certain changes and describing the reasoning behind them. The student conduct will be available through the Georgetown mobile app.

The decision to expand the Judicial Hearing Board to hear all cases, undertaken after discussion between SAO and the Office of Student Conduct, aims to amplify student engagement. Each case sits

before a board of two students and three administrators.

“The pool of hearing board students is being expanded because we want students to feel connected. We want them to feel like there is student ownership of the process because now that the SAO is involved in that process, there is,” Tisa said.

SAO is attempting to expand the pool of students trained to deal with such matters. The group has received more than 40 applications — a large increase from last year.

The application period closes Sept.

11.

“One of the difficulties in addressing changes really quickly is that we didn’t have enough hearing board members for turning cases around very quickly,” Johnson said.

Ultimately, Tisa said, a more accessible student code will help students advocate for themselves.

“We are hoping that students read [the code] and are more active and more knowledgeable about what it says so they can advocate for themselves and then we can be more effective as an institution once the general knowledge is a little higher,” Tisa said.

law students, and aid them in understanding what exactly they are getting themselves into and how to best tackle each step,” he said. “However, rather than being purely informational, we would also like GPS to act as a place for active discussion of current topics in law.”

GSWAG, the Georgetown Speechwriting Advisory Group, brings together students who are interested in learning more about speechwriting and improving their written communication skills, GSWAG President Will Simmons (COL ’16) said. The group invites speechwriters and communications professionals to campus to share their experiences and stories with its members, and it is planning on running a pilot program for the Annual D.C. Speechwriting Contest this fall.

“GSWAG is about more than just speechwriting,” he said. “While that is our defining centerpiece, we have members who specialize in marketing, strategic planning, operations and finance.”

Riqueza Dominicana, launched in fall 2012, aims to provide a cultural home for Dominicans and DominicanAmericans on campus and to share Dominican culture with Georgetown.

Jackson Talks African American Affairs Maurice Jackson, an associate professor of history at Georgetown, was appointed the first chairman of the new D.C. Commission on African American Affairs in July. Natasha Khan (COL ’16), a staff writer for The Hoya, sat down with Jackson this week to discuss his new role in the city government.

What are the goals of the D.C. Commission on African American Affairs?

My goals, and the commission member goals, are to really study the problems of the population of Washington — the black population.

The commission was mainly created because of the population loss of the African American community.

I think the loss is quite tragic and drastic, when you consider that the city has gained 10,000 whites in the past 10 years and lost almost 40,000 blacks.

What is causing this mass exodus?

The economic situation is bad, and it’s only getting exacerbated. And why should that be? Why shouldn’t African Americans be able to afford to live in the city? There are many problems — first of all, affordable housing. But before you can afford housing, you need to get a good job.

And what is affordable housing?

Some people think it is a $40,000 house. That might not sound like a lot to a Georgetown student, but that house is a lot of money in certain parts of Washington. We need moderate housing created for moderate income. We need houses that families of two or three or four can afford. The city has to find creative ways of financing, like low-income mortgages. The city has done it before, but we need to do it on a more drastic scale.

What is a major issue facing the black community?

If you read some of the things available, they say that reading scores have improved 2 percent in the last couple years. Well, that is 2 percent more reading at grade level, so 2 percent more of African American students are reading at grade level. And then, of course, the large dropout rate. And people drop out for many reasons. When I was a kid, people drop out to go to work. People drop out because they’re so far

behind; they were ashamed to catch up. I know this: I grew up in Newport, Virginia — I was in the projects there. I was sent down to live with my grandmother in the Deep South.

When I came back to school in Newport, even though the education there maurice was very poor, I was jackson two grades behind because the education in Alabama was 10 times worse.

What are ways to encourage and support young students?

Sometimes a kid gets behind and it’s embarrassing, so that kid might need extra help. And sometimes, it’s because of nourishment — they need a balanced meal. And of course, a stable family situation. Even rich people know that if you can’t make payments on certain things, it creates schisms in the family. What people don’t realize is that, in some communities, it’s not that this generation is bad; it’s the generation before them.

Let’s say that a kid’s parents, grandparents, weren’t fortunate enough to finish school, so maybe they didn’t grow up in an environment where people constantly read. It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault. You can’t solve all the problems in one generation, and we’ve let other generations falter, too. And it becomes a problem — why do you think you have so few African-American men teaching at this campus? You can count them on one hand … many of us are first generation. I asked some inner-city kids, what was the one thing they would say about Washington? They said the violence, just the inner-city violence.

But we can’t say we’re going to solve the next generation’s problems if we haven’t solved this generation’s problems or even the previous generation’s problems.

How can students help with this situation?

Students have to do more than just go out and touch the world. They need to make it a lifelong commitment. But also, they need to understand the problems in the city and use that knowledge and go out into the world. It can’t just be a semester.

Outdoor Drinking Tested on Campus DRINKING, from A1 “If you give students more control over their lives, it’s a privilege but also a responsibility. We think students are up to the challenge,” Tisa said.

GUSA Vice President Adam Ramadan (SFS ’14) emphasized that the goal of the pilot program is to make on-campus housing as appealing an option as off-campus housing.

“On campus, the sense of ownership stops as soon as you leave your door, whereas in an off-campus apartment, your backyard and driveway is your living space,” Ramadan said. “What students can do in their off-campus private space, we want to extend it on campus.”

Gruber said the program has the potential to benefit everyone involved, including the neighborhood community, students and DPS. “We’ll hopefully have less large parties that we’ll have to re-

spond to. Upperclassmen who are of age will have an opportunity to use alcohol in a responsible way and won’t have to be in a situation where the drinking light is on or the drinking light is off.”

Although they cited the central goal

“Happy Labor Day, I guess.” nate tisa (sfs ’14) GUSA President

as making socializing more appealing on campus, both Gruber and Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson said there was not a direct connection between the pilot program and the 2010 Campus Plan agreement, which mandated drawing social life to campus and away from residential neighborhoods.

“It’s not just about the campus plan.

The fact that it juxtaposes with the campus plan, I think is a win-win,” Olson said. “I believe this is an element of that agreement that very much listens to and responds to student interests and student concerns.”

Tisa said that the campus plan was still a vital component when discussing the policy changes of the past year. This year, the Office of Residence Life will meet with InterHall to discuss the possibility of decreasing quiet hours.

“If you look in the campus agreement itself, one of the clauses we’ve really latched onto is you have to equalize policy on campus and off campus,” he said. “It should [be] equally, if not more, attractive to socialize on campus.”

This particular policy change comes in time for the long weekend.

“Happy Labor Day, I guess,” Tisa said.

NEWS

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THE HOYA

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Students Review Design Plans DORM, from A1 Sasaki architects cited the Rafik B. Hariri Building’s blend of traditional stone and modern glass design as a main influence.

Other key changes to the dorm included reducing the number of beds from 250 to 225. The height of the building was reduced where it is closest to the walkway from Red Square to Leavey Center to address concerns that the original design was too obtrusive.

As part of a sustainability push, the new dorm designs also include a bicycle storage area that will fit 100 bikes at the back of the dorm. Dorm rooms will be Copley-style suites with one bathroom per suite. There will also be apartments for chaplains-in-residence, as is standard in Georgetown dorms.

To address concerns that the location of the dorm is taking up one of the last remaining green spaces on campus, Sasaki will add green space on the rooftop, though the exact details and the accessibility of the roof have yet to be determined. The design also leaves in place many of the large oak trees that dot the landscape between Intercultural Center and Henle Village. The dorm will create a terraced hill that Sasaki hopes will be more utilized than the current green space.

“What we’ve heard from you is that green space is very valuable,” Sasaki architect Katia Lucic said. “In our design, we are leaving 50 percent of the space open and green.”

Reactions to the new dorm designs were generally positive. Georgetown University Student Association Director of Student Space Jack Appelbaum (COL ’14), who serves on the Northeast Triangle design committee, noted the evident response to criticism received at the previous event.

“There’s still lots to be improved upon,” Appelbaum said. “But almost all of the changes were positive and direct responses to student and alumni feedback.”

The forum comes one week before a meeting of the Old Georgetown Board, which will review these revisions. The board had postponed deliberations on the dorm July 3 until Georgetown and Sasaki would be prepared to present information about the seven other dorm sites that had been considered.

Adding 225 beds to the north side of campus will be a step toward creating roughly equal population distribution of students between this area and the east and south sides of campus.

“Over the next five or six years, we probably have to add roughly 694 beds to meet the letter of the demand from the city of Georgetown,” Sasaki Prin-

cipal Architect Ricardo Dumont said.

“This first project will give us roughly 225 beds. What we’re looking to do is balance the distribution of beds from this unbalanced distribution.”

The Sasaki architects were pleased with the tone of the feedback at the Wednesday forum, saying it reflected well on the changes made to the design.

“We were encouraged that there was less acrimony today,” Dumont said. “We tried to be very open and honest at the last forum. We did that — it resulted in a lot of good feedback that they gave us and we incorporated into the design. We thought it was positive, and there’s still months left to design.”

Though student feedback was more positive than at the previous forum, some criticism remained. One student had a question about how handicapped accessible the building would be.

“It was a little disconcerting to be talking about the [Americans with Disabilities Act], and for Sasaki to just say ‘Oh, we’ll comply,’” Alyssa Peterson (COL ’14) said. “It really felt like they hadn’t made an effort to reach out to people with disabilities. It feels like they could be doing more.”

The next student forum will be held in September.

COURTESY SASAKI ASSOCIATES

Sasaki Associates revealed new designs for the Northeast Triangle Residence Hall to students at a forum Wednesday evening.

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

ALEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

COURTESY SASAKI ASSOCIATES

Sasaki Architect Ricardo Dumont explains a model of the proposed dorm, planned across from Reiss.

Vice President for Student Affairs Todd Olson discusses the residence hall with students after the forum.

The new dorm plans depict the dorm’s exterior made from stone instead of gray slate. The original model was criticized as too modern.

invites you

GEORGETOWN IN FIVE

A Conversation With Student Leaders Speakers Include: Nate Tisa

GUSA President

Lizzy MacGill The Corp CEO

Kyle Zhu

SFS Academic Council President

Aya Waller-Bey SOCA Co-Chair

Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.

Leavey Program Moderated by Evan Hollander, Chair of THE HOYA

INTERVIEW PRESIDENT DEGIOIA. Create our new marketing plan. Attend the Inauguration.

Photograph the new mascot. Connect with alumni.

DESIGN A WEBSITE. Report from the Inauguration. Meet JTIII. Make our biggest sale yet. Write a viewpoint everyone reads.

Chat with Bradley Cooper about his newest film.

COVER THE FINAL FOUR. See President Clinton in Gaston Hall. Design graphics.

Launch a social media campaign. Revamp our hiring process.

Help build a business. Break GUSA election results.

CHANGE THE WAY WE DO NEWS.

Head to Alabama for the College Cup Championship.

Lay a page. Make videos the whole campus will watch.

SEE YOUR NAME IN PRINT. OR ONLINE. MAYBE BOTH. Balance the books. Meet student leaders. Make best friends.

Visit the newest restaurants. Find your passions.

Write a blog post that goes viral. Fix our grammar.

BECOME A PART OF A TRADITION THAT’S 93 YEARS IN THE MAKING.

JOIN

Visit The Hoya at Student Activities Fair on Sept. 1 or Come to Our Information Session Sept. 4 to find out more about joining Georgetown’s newspaper of record.

FIND THE APPLICATION AT thehoya.com

news

friday, august 30, 2013

THE HOYA

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Servicemen Adapt at Bakery GU, GWU Students

Partner at LearnServe

Christopher Zawora Hoya Staff Writer

The Dog Tag Bakery, an upcoming addition to the Georgetown dessert scene, will do more than serve cookies — it strives to integrate young veterans back into the workforce through a partnership with the School of Continuing Studies.

The bakery, located at 3206 Grace St. and set to open in Feburary 2014, will serve baguettes, rolls, Danishes, cookies, fudge, dog biscuits and coffee in a space staffed by veterans who simultaneously take SCS courses.

The bakery will employ veterans between the ages of 19 and 25 for four to six months as they take classes in order to earn a certificate in entrepreneurship, business and theater.

Dog Tag Bakery founder Fr. Richard Curry, S.J., a Catholic Studies professor at Georgetown, said that he founded the bakery in order to help put wounded soldiers and their spouses back to work and to provide training for successful civilian life.

Curry worked with the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and other veterans’ affairs facilities and also obtained a grant from the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, which will fund 12 weeks of SCS education and training for the first veteran hired at the bakery.

Curry stressed the importance of the entrepreneurial skills learned through the bakery.

“We are very excited to get the disabled veterans through our program so that they can go out and start their small businesses,” Curry said.

Georgetown University Student Veteran Association President Zachary Zimmerman (MSB ’14) added that the experience of learning and applying

Mallika Sen Hoya Staff Writer

COURTESY RICHARD CURRY, S.J.

Fr. Richard Curry, S.J., founded Dog Tag Bakery with the School of Continuing Studies to prepare disabled veterans for civilian life. skills would give disabled veterans a needed boost.

“They don’t just learn a new skill as far as baking,” Zimmerman said. “That’s a hard skill, sure, but the soft skills are really going to be important — how do you run a business, what is something that an entrepreneur needs to focus on.

It really gives them their own set of tools so they can get back on their feet in a self-sustaining way.”

Near the end of the employment period, the veterans will also utilize their newly learned theater skills to perform their personal stories onstage in the bakery. Curry said this was an important step in the veterans’ mental health.

“Our real goal is to re-integrate the disabled veterans so they get used to their transformation of their bodies, get them very comfortable with the public, re-integrate them

into society and get them astute in business, so they can go out and get the employment that they deserve,” Curry said.

“I consider the stage as important as an oven.”

Zimmerman emphasized the importance of acknowledging the mental trauma in addition to the physical difficulties that disabled veterans often face.

“You go from being able to do superhuman things to not even being able to tie your own shoes,” Zimmerman said.

Curry added that the bakery would hire Georgetown students as waiters and waitresses. The presence of local students would create a college atmosphere for the veterans and would remind students of the harsh realities of veteran sacrifice.

“I think it’s important for students to realize that fellow students their age are defending our country,” Curry said.

Writing Core Set for Revamp Madison Ashley Hoya Staff Writer

Students across all majors will begin to see changes to their writing curriculum this year as part of a transition before writing requirements are completely revamped next fall.

The proposal, passed in February 2013 by the Main Campus Executive Faculty, approves changes to the Humanities and Writing core requirements as well as the treatment of writing across all academic departments.

“We spent about five months really finishing the process of a conversation that has been going on for several years about how to do a better job preparing students at Georgetown as writers,” Director of Writing Curriculum Initiatives Sherry Linkon said.

The first major change, to go into effect in fall 2014, will be the renaming of “Humanities and Writing I” to the “Writing and Culture Seminar,” a small, first-year writing seminar capped at 15 students.

“Right now, only a little more than half of students take the first-year writing course,” Linkon said. “We believe because writing is just so essential that everyone should be exposed to that course and that students who are already pretty good writers really benefit from having someone pay attention to them.”

Currently, students must complete both a “Humanities and Writing I” course and a course that satisfies the more general “Humanities and Writing II” requirement. Students who receive a score of 4 or 5 on Advanced Placement exams in English typically place out of one or both classes.

“Humanities and Writing II” will become a humanities distribution course, allowing students to choose courses from the art and theater or performance studies departments to fulfill their requirements.

Students can already take an English or foreign language course for the “Humanities and Writing II” requirement.

Linkon hopes to eventually change requirements so that only a 5 on the AP exam

would exempt students from the “Humanities and Writing II” requirement. To fulfill that, however, would require hiring three full-time writing faculty. The university has already hired two new faculty members to help teach the new “Writing and Culture” seminar.

“We’ve not yet been able to find the money to hire the faculty that we need to do that.

It’s on the provost’s radar to do this. We’ll get there at some point,” Linkon said.

Writing requirement changes, however, are not limited to “Humanities and Writing” requirements and will affect departments across the university. Part of the proposal was an integrated writing core that will become part of the Georgetown core by fall 2015.

“We’re asking every academic program, every major to have a conversation and think

“We used to think the job of teaching writing was the job of the English department.”

Heidi ELmendorf Co-Director of Undergraduate Studies in the biology department

about what students need as writers in their field,” Linkon said. “It will be very rare that any program will add a course to fill this requirement.”

An Integrated Writing Advisory Committee, which includes professors from all four undergraduate schools, was created to ease the transition into the new requirement.

German professor Heidi Byrnes — who serves on the committee — said that the committee will be involved in discussions with Linkon and department heads throughout the coming year.

“I think the push for this academic year will be to encourage all departments to have that kind of internal discussions and begin to lay out its plans with regard to how it will foster the development of writing abilities in this discipline,” Byrnes said. “The committee would be involved in

helping to facilitate that kind of discussion within departments.”

Professors across several science departments took part in a “Writing and Disciplines” pilot program this past summer during the Teaching, Learning and Innovation Summer Institute organized by the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship.

“It’s something we’ve been talking about for years,” said Heidi Elmendorf, a co-director of undergraduate studies for the biology department who took part in the TLISI workshop this summer. “Our students do a lot of writing — we had writing expectations, but we hadn’t systematically thought of ourselves as teachers of writing.”

Elmendorf does not believe that teaching writing is limited to the English department.

“We used to think the job of teaching writing was the job of the English department,” Elmendorf said. “It’s the recognition that writing in different disciplines is inherently different. At the same time, we’re realizing, hey, we all believe in thesis statements and paragraphs.”

To that end, Elmendorf hopes to begin incorporating more writing across entry, mid-level and upper-level biology classes this year.

“We’re committed to starting in the first-year course, setting aside time in class and lab for writing [and] peer review,” Elmendorf said. “For their first lab paper this year, students will write it together in the lab. We want our students to start writing, and as they do that they’ll start thinking more.”

Elmendorf and the department are also exploring the idea of attaching a one-credit, “communication-intensive” recitation to a set of secondyear courses.

Linkon contends that the importance of writing in everyday life has increased with technology.

“People are understanding that a huge amount of our conversation is in words,” she said. “Writing is a much more accessible thing — just look how many people keep blogs.”

Georgetown students are familiar with social entrepreneurship. Now, a new campus group is committed to helping Washington, D.C. high school students foster an appreciation for the field through projects of their own.

The program, Young Changemakers, is part of LearnServe International, a D.C-based nonprofit dedicated to providing high school students with the skills needed to launch community service projects.

“The goal is to equip them with the knowledge and skills to launch their own ventures to address what really frustrates them in the world, whether it be locally or globally,” said LearnServe Young Changemakers Program Leader Jake Sorrells (SFS ’16), who participated in the one-year LearnServe Fellows Program in high school.

Each fellow learns how to develop business plans, design marketing strategies, fundraise and improve public speaking. Students are also given the opportunity to meet with local entrepreneurs, with the goal of creating their own projects.

Sorrells felt that the knowledge he had gained through the program should be shared with more students and he chose to create a similar program for his personal project.

“Too few teens were able to reap from a similar kind of opportunity,” Sorrells said. “It’s an extraordinary experience, but therein lies the problem — it should be an ordinary experience.”

After piloting the program in his high school during his junior year, Sorrells expanded Young Changemakers to Thomas Jefferson High School in Fairfax, Va. This year, the organization plans to expand into three more area high schools. While the programs were initially run by high school students who were LearnServe Fellows alumni, a team of college facilitators

are now helping to lead the program.

In the spring, five students from Georgetown and two students from George Washington University were recruited to serve as leaders. All students chosen had some sort of community participation experience.

“After traveling abroad and experiencing the shortcomings of the developing world … it was difficult to ignore my feeling of helplessness,” said Elizabeth Cunningham (COL ’16), who participated in LearnServe during high school. “I also could not ignore the problems in my own area as well.”

Sorrells partnered with Compass Fellows to seek applicants.

“I applied to Young Changemakers because the mission of the program is the same as that of Compass — they want to inspire students to change the world through social entrepreneurship,” said Cherie Chung (SFS ’16), a former Compass Fellow.

LearnServe International, a decade-old organization with ties to the D.C. community, officially adopted the Young Changemakers program last year. Young Changemakers has expanded LearnServe’s reach from five students at each high school to more than 30.

“How Young Changemakers was implemented at [local high schools] helped the LearnServe fellows be more successful with their work because they had teams helping them out from the start,” LearnServe International CEO Scott Rechler said.

The team is in the process of raising $5,000 through its website to cover seed funds for participating schools and transportation costs, while also applying for grants at both universities.

High school students in the Young Changemakers program have produced 25 projects, including raising money to provide educational funds to students in Ethiopia and developing a nonprofit to provide scholarships for students with incarcerated parents.

Transfer Admits Up by 81, Applications Remain Stable Penny Hung

students I’ve talked to, they get an immediate sense of community.”

Keith Bennett (COL ’16), a transfer from The number of transfer students admitted Connecticut College this year, agreed and to Georgetown this year increased by 81, with said he appreciated the feeling of coming in transfer enrollment jumping by more than with a large community of fellow transfers.

40 for a total of 228 new sophomores and ju“I didn’t expect the class to be as large as niors this year. it is, but I’m glad it is — we’re already startThis marks the second year of consecutive ing to bond as a transfer class,” Bennett said. increase in the number of transfer students “The transfer-only events [of NSO] were parentering the university. In 2011, the univer- ticularly good because, well, personally, I sity experienced an unexpectedly high yield turn 22 in October, and meeting new freshon first-year students, causing the university men was strange, being four years older to purposefully limit transfer student enroll- than them.” ment to 141. Since then, application and enChamberlin added that transfer students rollment numbers have steadily risen. approach the admissions process more deThe rise to 81 admitted liberately because of the transfer students was not “We’re talking about difficulty of leaving anothheavily influenced by aper school — a sentiment plications, as only 11 more a sizeable portion of Bennett agreed with. transfer students applied “It was difficult to say the student body.” this year than in 2012. goodbye to my friends,” Senior Associate Director Bennett said. “But once BRUCE CHAMBERLIN of Admissions Bruce ChamI got into Georgetown, Senior Associate Director of Admissions berlin said that this year it was a pretty easy decifalls on the higher end of the sion in terms of fit — I was range of transfer student enrollment, which looking for a place that had opportunities usually runs from 140 to 230 students. beyond what was available to me at my old Chamberlin attributed the jump in trans- school.” fer admission rate to a slight increase in juMatthew Ahern (COL ’16), a transfer from niors studying abroad, as well as attrition Austin College, acknowledged that differin the Class of 2017 over the summer, also ences between arriving at Georgetown as a citing a welcoming attitude toward transfer transfer and a freshman. students.

“After one year of college, you know more “We welcome transfer students as a criti- specifically what you want or what you don’t cal mass, and bringing 220-plus students want — you can think about things you defireally gives some nice unity and some sense nitely need to have in your new institution,” of cohesion and community to the transfer Ahern said. “That can definitely inform students when they arrive,” Chamberlin said. where you’re looking. And you’ve already “We’re not talking about a handful of stu- gone through the process once, and while it’s dents. We’re talking about a sizeable portion not identical, it’s rather similar. That makes of the student body … at least the transfer it more straightforward.”

Hoya Staff Writer

Condition Set Helps Vets Adjust to Civilian Life VETERANS, from A10 all veterans with the job search.

“A lot of them tend to focus on finding jobs for officers as opposed to enlisted members,” Fisher-Thompson said. “Instead of trying to be a complete solution, we wanted to focus on resume-building and do it well.”

One of the nonprofit’s first clients was a Marine who hoped to find a job in law enforcement after being deployed to Iraq. Conditions Set helped him cut down his standard military four-page resume and tailor the language in it to be specific to each position to which he was applying. The resumes were reviewed by both military and civilian personnel from a 30-person volunteer staff.

“We were able to get it down to one page of concise information on ‘who I am and this is what I’ve done,’” Vinograd said. “People can follow the military guidelines, but it’s still coming from a certain perspective which may not be relevant in the civilian world.”

To find new clients, Conditions Set has

reached out to servicemen currently serving in the Marines and launched a social media effort aimed at veterans. So far, Conditions Set has helped 13 servicemen from the Navy, Air Force, Marines and Army, graduating three candidates to the interview process.

“Right now our biggest focus is on getting more candidates,” Vinograd said.

Six other Georgetown alumni have since partnered with the original founders to support Condition Set’s work.

“As college students, many of us had volunteered for various organizations but had been unable to continue doing so after graduation due to the very limited amount of free time that came along with a full-time job,” Vasdeboncoeur wrote. “We realized that this would be a great opportunity to help others that would also work with our schedules.”

Condition Set hopes to repay veterans for their service defending the country.

“We want our candidates to have what they need in order before they move on to the next stage of their lives,” Vinograd said.

Business FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 2013

COMMENTARY

Back From Boot Camp

Summer Internships Provide Grueling Taste of Wall St. TM Gibbons-Neff Hoya Staff Writer

Aaron Schuermann

In Hunt for Jobs, Every Point Counts

I

t’s fall again, and for the McDonough School of Business, that means recruiting season. During the fall, it becomes easy to forget that you’re in the political center of the free world. That is because Wall Street descends on Georgetown. The “Big Four” accounting firms and the “Bulge Bracket” investment banks send their recruiters to campus to put on information sessions — a chance for the firms to try to sell themselves to the students. They send Hoyas from among their ranks to talk about their industry, what makes their firm unique within their industry and what the hiring process entails. The most important part of the information session, however, comes at the very end.

After they give their talk, the team disperses around the room and students introduce themselves to as many people as possible. This is the students’ chance to sell themselves to the firm. Although it’s not as formal as the hiring process, it’s just as important. I have talked to associates from many of the Wall Street firms, and they all say that if they don’t remember you from info sessions, it really hurts the chances of getting hired. It may seem like an impossible task to stand out among so many people and with so little time, so here are some tips to make yourself memorable: 1. Dress the part. Everyone will be dressed well, so it won’t get you noticed, but if you don’t, it will draw negative attention. Negative attention is worse than no attention at all. Don’t dress sloppy, and don’t go over the top. There’s no need to show up looking like Gordon Gekko.

2. Have an “elevator pitch.” You don’t have

The most important part of the information session comes at the very end. much time to talk. In a few seconds you have to introduce yourself and pose a question: your “elevator pitch.” If you had 30 seconds in an elevator with someone, what would you tell them about yourself? Elevator pitches depend a lot on the audience. If you learn that you and the person you are talking to share something in common, like a hometown, a professor you took, etc., exploit it. If they work in an area that you are particularly interested in, you might mention what sparked your interest.

3. Have a good question. Remember, there are stupid questions. Put some thought and research into your question. Good questions will show that you have some interest in the firm or in the industry and will provide a ground for further dialogue.

Regulations and market conditions have a large impact on these businesses. Reading the Wall Street Journal can raise questions that may be relevant to what they do. There are many safe questions to go with, such as, “What is your normal day like?” However, this question is asked a lot, it won’t make you memorable and it doesn’t keep things open for further dialogue.

4. A simple “thank you” goes a long way.

When your question has been answered, be sure to get their card. If they are out of cards, have paper and a pen ready to take down their email. Send them a thank you email. This is probably the most important thing to do to make sure you’re remembered as it shows your appreciation. It also opens up a channel of communication, and it puts your name in their mind.

Emails aren’t bound by the same time restrictions as the info session, so you can ask more in-depth questions. It is also a good time to ask those safe questions, because understanding the lifestyle at the firm is important, but not when your goal is to stand out among the masses.

Aaron Scheuerman is a senior in the McDonough School of Business.

“I spent the summer working on Wall Street” likely conjures images of posh offices, nights out in the city and weekend getaways with the bosses. Yet while the pay is good and prospects of full-time employment are enticing, interning on Wall Street is no vacation.

Zach Zimmerman (MSB ’14) — who worked at Barclays in New York City this past summer — said he worked 43 straight days, taking off only two Sundays during his 10-week internship.

Hans Claessens (MSB ’14) said he logged 120 hours some weeks in his office at Goldman Sachs, leaving work on occassion not long before some of his colleagues arrived.

Wall Street internships are incredibly competitive, and many interns quickly find themselves working alongside senior analysts on projects involving huge sums of money. Although the hours are difficult, interns say bosses rarely are pushing part-timers to the breaking point as a test of commitment.

“You’re going to work your butt off and learn a lot,” said Christoper Kenney (MSB ’14), an intern at Houlihan Lokey’s Washington, D.C. office.

With some interns clocking 18-hour work days without days off, internships are a crash course for what some will experience if they do land a job on Wall Street. That workload is typical for entry positions, and sometimes interns find themselves working alongside company vice presidents at 3 a.m.

“It’s a sprint, not a marathon,” Zimmerman said. “You need to know your limits.”

Earlier this month, an intern at Bank of America working in London was found dead in his shower after reportedly working three straight days without sleep and eight sleepless days over the previous two weeks. The Brit-

ish paper The Independent also reported that the Bank of America intern was also epileptic, which may have contributed to his death.

Nevertheless, that story has brought into question working conditions for those interning at large banking firms, where some bend over backwards to make an impression. Getting the internship is a feat in itself; at Goldman Sachs, 17,000 students from around the globe applied for just 250 openings.

While many people reel at the thought of sleep deprivation in the name of banking, many of those interviewed said that the work is not meant to be backbreaking. Isaac Freedman (MSB ’14) said he was encouraged to take breaks to go to the office gym while interning this summer at Credit Suisse.

aLEXANDER BROWN/THE HOYA

Hans Claessens (MSB ’14) talks with MSB professor Lynn Doran.

Claessens spent this summer at Goldman Sachs in New York City.

Alumni Help Vets Find Employment Andrew Wilson Hoya Staff Writer

When John Fisher-Thompson (MSB ’09) returned from active duty in the Marine Corps in May, his path to civilian employment was not initially clear.

Two friends from Georgetown, Ben Vinograd (SFS ’10) and Quentin Vasdeboncoeur (MSB ’10) helped Fisher-Thompson improve his resume and land a position at a top consulting firm in New York.

Their efforts inspired the trio to found Conditions Set — a new nonprofit that helps veterans find employment as they adjust to civilian life — in July.

“As [Fisher-Thompson] was leaving the Marines, he was communicating with [Vasdeboncoeur], trying to get his resume up to scratch from a corporate point of view,” Vinograd said. “We realized there was a bigger need for this kind of thing.”

The group realized the dif-

Sleep, however, is indeed in short supply at many of these offices. Kenney noted that recent hires at Houlihan Lokey would spend nights in the office, take short one- to two-hour naps and get back to work.

“It’s not for the faint hearted,” Zimmerman said.

While banking analysts tend to stay in the office until late into the night, Nicole Trawick (SFS ’14) — who worked as a securities analyst for Goldman Sachs — found herself with shorter hours yet an equally dynamic work environment.

“You need to demonstrate that you prepared on your own,” Trawick said.

Trawick noted that while she was out of the office by nine in the evening on most days, she was still expected to spend time studying the job off the

ficulty of translating military experience into terms that civilian employers would be able to understand and appreciate, and the need for a wider solution.

“We agreed that there were definitely many other people in a situation similar to his but could not think of any service currently in place to provide dedicated assistance with resume building,” Vasdeboncoeur, Conditions Set’s chief financial officer, wrote in an email.

The resume help was key to Fisher-Thompson’s success finding employment. “[Vinograd] was able to convey my experiences in a way that was more recognizable to corporate recruiters,” FisherThompson said.

While there are other organizations that support activeduty servicemen as they return to civilian life, Condition Set is uniquely focused on assisting

INSIDER

clock.

Claessens, who worked with healthcare investment banking at Goldman Sachs, said he was exhilarated by the work he was given.

“Consulting and investment baking jobs give you exposure that you wouldn’t get at another job. You’re exposed to the largest companies in the world and billions of dollars in transactions and you’re able to put to use the things you’ve learned at Georgetown,” Claessens said.

Claessens also noted the benefit of the Georgetown network at Goldman, where roughly 90 alumni work throughout the company.

Trawick was also quick to point out the accessibility of senior level employees and the level of professionalism at the firm.

“It’s like the first day of college,” Trawick said. “You can go up and talk to anyone.”

While the firm’s employees were accessible, the amount of information the interns were expected to know was daunting. “It’s like drinking from a fire hose,” Zimmerman said.

According to many of those interviewed, legend of cutwthroat co-workers are largely mythical. Freedman likened the camaraderie between his fellow interns to the bonds formed in a fraternity pledge class.

Although interns found the office environment supportive, the work is nonetheless grueling. “It one thing to think you’re going to work long hours, it’s another thing to do it,” Kenney said.

Yet as some interns found out, there’s light at the end of tunnel.

“It’s definitely a celebratory moment to know that I’ll be financially independent after my parents spent $50,000 a year for me to go to Georgetown,” said Claessens, who accepted an offer this week to work at Goldman Sachs after graduation.

TRADING

What is the strangest question you have been asked in a job interview?

“How many tennis balls could fit in this 27-story building?”

Will Pierce is a senior in the MSB majoring in finance and accounting.

“What should I ask you in this interview?”

Francesco Di Stefano is a JD/MBA candidate in the MSB.

See VETERANS, A9

“How many gas stations are there in Bangkok?”

Alisa Keetanitinun is a graduate student in the MSB.

“What do you like to do when you’re bored and have a few hours of free time?”

COURTESY JOHN fISHER-tHOMpsON

From left, Ben Vinograd, John Fisher-Thompson and Quentin Vasdenboncoeur collaborated to establish Conditions Set.

Ryan Whelan is a senior in the MSB majoring in finance and management.

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