This year marked major changes on Georgetown University’s campus, in Washington, D.C. and across the nation.
Federal government actions, the detainment of a postdoctoral researcher, the interim university president testifying before Congress, the naming of a new university president and labor rights on campus represented some of the most significant issues for students and community members. As the Georgetown community looks to the next year, the political climate, administrative budget questions and collective action efforts will likely continue to shape campus life.
Here are some of The Hoya’s most critical stories from this year.
Federal, Political Influences on Campus
Since President Donald Trump entered office in January, federal and political changes have significantly impacted Georgetown’s campus in the past year.
The hiring freeze that began days after Trump entered office left Georgetown students uncertain about their professional futures, as they lost jobs and internship opportunities. For many, the freeze impacted students’ intended career paths and professional aspirations. This fall, the record 43-day government shutdown left students pursuing federal internships in a state of looming disappointment, as many said they lost key experiences.
Since February, the federal government has pushed universities to end programming related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), citing alleged “discriminatory” practices on campus. In March, following a letter from Ed Martin, the former interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Georgetown University Law Center (GULC) Dean William Treanor rejected warnings to end what the government classified as DEI programming, drawing support from the university community.
During this time, Georgetown also removed language related to DEI on university websites, erasing references to specific groups such as Black, LGBTQ+ or Latinx students and taking down DEI-related websites entirely.
In April, the federal government also terminated the immigration status of around six community members, later terminating at least four more visas before reinstating an unspecified number of student visas. The entry processes for community members on visas — including the H-1B visa for foreign skilled workers — and for international students from countries with a travel ban has become more uncertain. This uncertainty, students say, greatly impacted their experiences on campus.
Connections between the men’s basketball team’s transportation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) also emerged. According to an analysis by The Hoya, publicly available flight data suggested the men’s basketball team used the same planes to travel for away games that ICE uses to transport detainees and deport migrants.
Flyers referencing the assassination of the conservative political activist Charlie Kirk led the university to report their discovery to the FBI, garnering national attention. Days later, flyers that refer to the KKK and appear to threaten a left-leaning political ideology appeared on campus.
Federalization of MPD
In August, Trump announced he would federalize the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), D.C.’s police force, and order 800 National Guard soldiers to join his efforts in what he called a public safety emergency. Days after the announcement, federal agents patrolled public entry places on campus.
The result of federalization left students concerned about the District’s future independence, as Republican members of the federal government continued to pass legislation granting the federal government more authority. The federalization also created anxiety among other community members, who expressed confusion about their presence.
In response, students, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) (CAS ’86) and community members joined a walkout in Red Square.
Divestment Referendum, Ongoing Investments
Students passed a referendum in April that asked students if the university should disclose private investments, divest from private companies supporting the Israeli military and end partnerships with Israeli academic institutions. Interim University President Robert M. Groves quickly announced the university would not implement the referendum, citing “institutional values and history and existing university resources and processes that address our investments.”
Since the referendum, students and faculty groups have continued to protest the university’s response to the referendum and host vigils and other gatherings to commemorate children killed in Gaza.
October marked two years of the latest Israel-Hamas war, resulting in protests against the federal government and the university’s investment process.
Federal disclosures later revealed that Georgetown increased its direct holdings in Alphabet and Amazon — companies that have ties to the Israeli military — from April to September.
Detainment of GU Researcher
U.S. Department of Homeland Security agents detained Georgetown postdoctoral fellow Badar Khan Suri, an Indian national residing in the United States legally, March 17 outside his Virginia home, seeking to deport him and accusing him of opposing U.S. foreign policy. The government offered no evidence that Khan Suri had broken the law or that he posed a threat to foreign policy.
Immigration officials moved Khan Suri to a detention center in Texas, where he remained until his release in May. Khan Suri’s case garnered national attention, spurring protests at Georgetown and nationwide and raising questions about free speech, academic freedom and federal attacks on speech supporting Palestine.
During and after his detainment, students, faculty and community members protested in support of Khan Suri and backed his legal case through numerous protests, walkouts, petitions, letters and fundraising campaigns.
As Khan Suri’s legal cases — one regarding the detainment and one regarding the immigration battle — continued, an immigration judge ruled that Khan Suri is deportable, prompting continued community support.
Groves Testifies Before Congress
In July, Groves testified before a U.S. House of Representatives committee on antisemitism in higher education, becoming one of the several university presidents to testify following the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hamas war.
During the three-hour testimony, Groves referenced the university’s new mask ban at protests, defended Georgetown’s campus in Qatar and addressed the leave of Jonathan Brown (COL ’00), a professor whom the university is investigating following criticism for his advocacy and social media posts in support of Palestine.
His testimony appeared to assuage Republican members of Congress, who had been previously combative, resulting in a relatively tranquil hearing.
Budget Cuts, Hiring Freeze
Following the federal government’s cuts to higher education, Georgetown announced steps to limit expenses and increase revenue, including a temporary hiring freeze for faculty and staff and a pause on merit salary increases. The effect led to lower morale among faculty and staff and to increased calls for transparency.
In October, Groves announced that Georgetown is forecast to lose $35 million in federal research grants and to see a 20% decline in international graduate student enrollment. To address the deficit, the university announced accommodations including decreasing the doctoral student cohort, which could affect Georgetown’s research 1 (R1) status, and increasing international programs to attract foreign graduate students.
Amid budget cuts, the philosophy department suspended Ph.D. admissions for Fall 2026, a week after the Dec. 15 application deadline.
Eduardo Peñalver
Eduardo Peñalver will become Georgetown’s 49th university president, the university announced Oct. 15, and is set to begin his position July 1, 2026.
Peñalver will also become Georgetown’s first non-interim Latino president, his father having immigrated from Cuba in 1962. Georgetown also chose its second university president who is not a member of the Catholic Church clergy, the other being President Emeritus John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95).
Before joining Georgetown, Peñalver served as president of Seattle University — a private Jesuit university in Washington State — since 2021, and before that, as dean of Cornell Law School. Peñalver has also advocated for immigration, defended affirmative action and criticized Trump’s policies and rhetoric.
Admissions, Tour Guides
Beginning the fall 2026 application cycle, Georgetown will join the Common Application, an online college application platform that more than 1,100 U.S. colleges and universities accept as a form of entry to their undergraduate programs. The change, which The Hoya broke the story for in March, will see Georgetown join the Common App on a three-year trial.
The change marked a major shift away from the university’s years-long practice of using its own admissions application, leaving students with mixed reactions. As a result, applications will likely increase while the Common App reaches a more diverse applicant pool.
Data from an internal presentation in March also showed that children of Georgetown graduates were nearly three times as likely to be admitted to the university’s entering class as applicants without parental connections to Georgetown. The data became public amid student advocacy against legacy admissions pushing for local law changes.
Georgetown’s admissions office directed student tour guides in the Blue & Gray Tour Guide Society to stop giving land acknowledgments — a statement recognizing Indigenous peoples’ history in a location — during their tours. Following conversations with the Office of Admissions and Blue & Gray, tour guides may choose to make land acknowledgments during campus tours and are developing ways to incorporate aspects of Indigenous students’ experiences on campus.
RAs, GUTS Drivers Face Campus Changes
Following a seven-month bargaining process, resident assistants (RAs) voted in favor of a proposed contract with the university May 9. The Georgetown Resident Assistant Coalition (GRAC), the RAs’ union, bargained for several clauses that addressed the original motivations behind unionization, including an initial stipend of $1,750 per semester before increasing incrementally, a process of automatic hiring for RAs in good standing and new processes for RAs to arbitrate grievances.
As the first semester under the new contract progressed, Georgetown unilaterally implemented a series of policy changes, including a requirement that RAs living in suite-style housing may choose only their direct roommate. The changes drew criticism for anticipated impacts on RAs’ living situations and employment with the university, prompting a petition calling on the university to reverse them.
In response to RAs’ concerns, the Office of Residential Education (Res Ed) reversed one policy and will now inform RAs of what communities they have been placed in when they receive their employment offers in February.
In September, The Hoya reported that Georgetown planned to shift its shuttle bus drivers — Georgetown University Transportation System (GUTS) drivers — from direct university employment to subcontractors for a third-party vendor, thereby transitioning them off most university benefits.
In response, the student labor rights advocacy group Georgetown Coalition for Workers’ Rights (GCWR) launched a petition and protested in support of GUTS drivers. GCWR later staged a sit-in in Healy Hall in favor of GUTS drivers having direct university employment.
The Advisory Committee on Business Practices (ACBP), which consults the president on the ethics of labor and business policies at the university, voted in October to advise against enacting the plan. In December, The Hoya reported Georgetown would not move forward with a proposal to subcontract GUTS drivers.
Men’s Basketball Program Develops, Soccer Earns Titles
In the NBA draft, forward Thomas Sorber was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 15th overall pick, marking the first Georgetown player drafted since Otto Porter Jr. in 2013. The New Orleans Pelicans drafted forward Micah Peavy with the 40th pick.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, men’s basketball Head Coach Ed Cooley outlined his plan, leading to a rival win against the University of Maryland and a nonconference win against power conference opponent Clemson University. However, Cooley was suspended for one game after throwing a water bottle that hit a child sitting in the audience.
In a historic season for women’s soccer, the Hoyas fell 3-1 to Florida State University at home in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament in a season where they became the first and only team to achieve a perfect record since the Big East re-formed in 2013. Men’s soccer also won the Big East title this year before getting knocked out in the Elite Eight round against North Carolina State University.
