Join us every Monday for a wrap-up of the week’s hottest stories! For this week’s “Mondays With Melanie” podcast, we begin with Senior Sports Editor Oliver Ni (SFS ’26) as he outlines The Hoya’s upcoming basketball issue and provides insights on both the men’s and women’s teams. Then, Senior News Editor Clayton Kincade (SFS ’25) discusses his piece reviewing Taylor Swift’s recent “1989” rerecording release. Finally, Features Editor Jack Willis (SFS ’26) shares his article on the Israel-Palestine conflict and its recent tragic escalations. 

Transcript

Melanie Elliott (ME): Hello Hoyas! And welcome back to “Mondays with Melanie.” Through this series, I will be bringing on the authors of each week’s top stories to discuss their articles and provide a brief synopsis of their topics. This week, that of Oct. 30 to Nov. 5, has been an exciting one, with Halloween festivities. On this episode, we have a wide array of topics, ranging from basketball to Taylor Swift to politics.

ME: Firstly, we begin with Sports Editor Oliver Ni and his discussion of The Hoya’s upcoming Basketball issue.

Oliver Ni (ON): Hi, my name is Oliver Ni and I’m the senior sports editor for The Hoya. This week, we published our annual basketball issue in preparation for the upcoming season where we preview the men’s and women’s basketball seasons and get an in-depth look at both teams. On the men’s side, Head Coach Ed Cooley has begun his rebuilding effort with a new-look roster for the year. Headlined by returning players such as Jay Heath and Wayne Bristol Jr. and incoming players such as Jayden Epps and Rowan Brumbaugh, the men’s team will be in for an exciting season where they hope to establish a new identity fast. For the women’s team, Head Coach Tasha Butts unfortunately died last month and Interim Head Coach Darnell Haney will take over the reins for the remainder of the season. Returning players Kelsey Ransom and Graceann Bennett will lead an experienced corps that hopes to establish an identity of toughness and resilience amid personal tragedy. The women’s team kicks off first on Monday at 7 p.m. at McDonough and the men’s team kicks off on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Capital One Arena.

ME: Thank you for that Oliver! And now, we move to a review from News Editor Clayton Kincade on Taylor Swift’s most recent rerecording.

Clayton Kincade (CK): Hi, everyone. My name is Clayton Kincade, and I’m one of The Hoya’s senior news editors. This week, I returned to my Guide roots and reviewed “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” by the one, the only Taylor Alison Swift, giving it a five star. “1989” was originally released in 2014. But, even today, it remains one of the best pop albums of recent memory. This new rerecording is much angrier and sharper than the originals and brings so much for new and returning listeners, with vault tracks that are just as good as the originals and serve as a perfect supplement to the main material. But, “1989″ is an album for everyone. It is an album for those who are sad, those who are anxious, those who are angry, those who are heartbroken, those who are so happy, drunk on love, or just searching for better pastures. It is the epitome of what pop music should be, and it is one of the funnest, most inventive projects in recent memory. And I think that it absolutely is a masterpiece and has stood the test of time.

ME: I couldn’t agree more. And happy listening to all of you Swifties! Finally, Features Editor Jack Willis talks to us about his article on the recent tragic events of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Jack Willis (JW): Hey, everyone. My name is Jack and I’m one of the features editors here at The Hoya. I’ll be telling you a little bit about our story for the week. We took a look at how Hoyas are responding to the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. Using Red Square as a centerpiece, we explored the various vigils, rallies and protests that are attracting student involvement. And we talked to a number of professors, student activists and graduate researchers to paint a picture of how the Georgetown community is grappling with their grief and hoping for a brighter future in the region. Perceptions of the university response are varied. While some say they felt seen and heard by administrators, others report that things like President John DeGoias’s letter did not rise to their standards for the university. A common consensus is that community and mutual support are the most important things of the moment. And if chalking efforts in Red Square suggest anything, it’s that student engagement on this issue is here to stay.

ME: Thank you, Jack.

ME: That concludes another hectic week here at the Hilltop. Thanks so much for tuning in! I’m Melanie Elliott, and this has been “Mondays with Melanie.” Be sure to check back in next week for another round of top stories. And until then, have a great week!

ME: This podcast was edited by me and produced by Amna Shamim and Emily Han.