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Since 1919
The Independent Student Newspaper of Emory University www.emorywheel.com
Friday, April 27, 2012
Every Tuesday and Friday administration
camel craze
Schapiro Appointed As Law School Dean By Roshani Chokshi Features Editor
E
James Crissman/Staff
mory Students for Israel brought iFest 2012 to Asbury Circle yesterday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. iFest featured free food, music and a camel. The event serves as both a celebration of Israel’s independence and a way for students to learn more about Israel. College freshman Noah Selman (above) admires a camel during the event. See page 4 for more information.
crime
transportation
Eleven Forum Addresses Rail Line Sales Tax Computers Stolen from Classroom By Daniela Viteri Staff Writer
Atlanta government and transportation officials discussed a regional sales tax transportation referendum at an on-campus Town Hall meeting on Wednesday. The referendum, which will be held on July 31, will support the development of a light rail service connecting the Emory/Centers for Disease Control (CDC) complex to Lindbergh station. Emory’s Office of Sustainability
By Nicholas Sommariva Asst. News Editor Computer equipment worth $17,000 total was stolen from a third floor classroom in the Burlington Road Building between April 23 at 11 p.m. and April 24 at 6:50 a.m., according to Emory Police Department (EPD) Lieutenant Cheryl Elliott. Eleven Apple iMac computers, each valued at $1,545, are now missing from a classroom inside the building. The Burlington Road Building is located at 1804 North Decatur Road and houses the department of music at Emory. According to Elliott, the room opens at 8 a.m. and closes at 11 p.m. every day and requires key card access. Only staff, faculty and students who use the classroom have card access. A facilities management building service employee who had been in the building since 4 a.m. that morning but did not visit the room until 6:50 p.m. discovered the missing computers, according to Elliott. College freshman and music major Bradley Mintz said that the situation is very unfortunate and has put the music students in a bind, especially because these computers have a special program called Sibelius, which allows users to write music compositions. “We use the computers almost each class session and extensively since spring break for our composition projects,” Mintz wrote in an email to the Wheel, adding that there are now only four computers on campus with Sibelius. “The 11 stolen computers [are] a big blow to all of the students who need to finish their composition projects,” he wrote. Elliott said EPD feels they have solid leads that they are actively pursuing but could not comment further because the investigation is ongoing. — Contact Nicholas Sommariva at nsommar@emory.edu
followed by a question-and-answer session afterward. If the referendum passes, Georgians will face a one-percent sales tax during the next 10-year period to fund a series of regional transportation projects. The one-percent sales tax is expected to generate a total of $7.22 billion in the 10-county region during a 10-year period. Eighty-five percent, or $6.14 billion, will be used to finance regionally
See admins, Page 5
The University appointed Robert Schapiro, the interim dean of the Emory School of Law since July 1, 2011, as the new Law School dean and an Asa Griggs Candler Professor, effective May 3. “The ability of the law to effect transformation in people’s lives, making the world a more just place, is what makes this work so important and so exciting,” Schapiro said. “Lawyers and law schools are central to promoting the rule of law and human rights around the world. In the years ahead, their role will only grow, as we engage some of the most complex social, political and economic challenges we have ever faced.” In addition to Schapiro’s appointment, the Law school also announced the recruitment of Mary Dudziak who is currently the Guirado Professor at the University of Southern California (Calif.). “Robert brings to the role superb academic and legal credentials as well as strong administrative experience,” Emory Provost Earl Lewis said in a press release. “He has been sought after by law schools across the country for both academic and leadership roles. He is recognized for his innovative thinking and his ability to integrate cutting-edge academic research with teaching so that students develop practical skills in the law. We are happy he will continue to make Emory his home.” According to the press release, Schapiro’s administration will focus on enhancing students’ success in the global law environment, drawing on the perspective of the alumni community and increasing Emory Law’s international impact and developing the school’s focus in health law and policy. Schapiro has been a member of
Robert Schapiro, current interim dean of Emory Law, has been appointed dean of the School of Law. Emory Law’s faculty since 1995. He has additionally served as associate vice provost for academic affairs of the University and co-director of the Emory School of Law’s Center on Federalism and Intersystemic Governance. According to the April 26 University press release, Schapiro specializes in constitutional law, federal courts, civil procedure and legislation and regulation. While serving as Emory Law School’s interim dean, Schapiro recruited Rafael Pardo from the University of Washington (Wash.) and Sue Payne from Northwestern University (Ill.) to build Emory Law’s programs in bankruptcy law and transactional law. Schapiro is a 1984 summa cum laude graduate from Yale University who received his Master’s degree at Stanford University in 1986 before returning to Yale in 1990 to complete his Juris Doctorate. During his time at Yale Law, he served as the Editor of the Yale Law Journal. Prior to coming to Emory, Schapiro clerked for Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court and also taught for two years at Duke University. Schapiro became interim dean of the Emory School of Law when former Law School Dean David Partlett stepped down on June 30, 2011.
— Contact Roshani Chokshi at rhchoks@emory.edu
speaker
Philosopher Explores Politics in Fiction By Stephanie Fang Asst. News Editor
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Ian Trutt/Staff
his week’s Wonderful Wednesday featured a puppy petting zoo. Students had the opportunity to take a break from their days to play with dogs.
administration
New Council to Replace President’s Commissions By Arianna Skibell Executive Editor The three President’s Commissions will be replaced by an Advisory Council on Community and Diversity in fall 2014. The purpose of the council is to institutionalize and broaden the University’s involvement in issues of diversity on campus. Senior Vice Provost for Community and Diversity Ozzie Harris established the council, which will begin transitioning during the summer with presentations to the University’s governance committees.
News Evening at Emory ...
Initiatives, Bike Emory and the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs sponsored the event, which featured officials including DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, Mayor of the City of Decatur Bill Floyd, Director of Development and Regional Coordination at Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) John Crocker and Chief of the Atlanta Regional Commission of the Division of Research Mike Alexander. Panelists gave a brief introduction
puppy love
establishes new programs for local adults
Volume 93, Issue 50
PAGE 3
The three commissions currently consist of the President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), the President’s Commission on Race and Ethnicity (PCORE) and the President’s Commission on Sexuality, Gender Diversity and Queer Equality (PCSGDQE). Each commission advises members of Emory’s community about matters pertaining to each respective area. The Advisory Council is designed to take on the responsibilities of
See advisory, Page 5
OP-EDs Finals advice
2011 Bobby Jones PAGE 7 Scholar ...
from a
Jacques Rancière believes that the genre of fiction encompasses more than just stories conjured up by novelists and sold along the shelves of bookstores. For him, fiction represents “a practice of presentation that makes things, situations and events perceptible,” a combination of sensory imagery and action that creates a dynamic story. A renowned French philosopher, Rancière — whose work with literary analysis, aesthetic theory and philosophy have received critical acclaim — lectured on “Telling, Showing, Doing: The Poetics and Politics of Fiction” Wednesday evening. He spoke on the evolution of fiction writing and its implication for both novels and other modes of discourse, such as political or social dialogue. The Department of French and Italian sponsored the event, which was free and open to the public. Following an introduction by Claire Nouvet, an associate professor of French who spearheaded efforts to coordinate the event along with Professor of French, Philipe Bonnefis, Rancière began to discuss the rise of what he called the “modern novel,” drawing examples from various writers, such as Virginia Woolf, Honoré de Balzac and Gustave Flaubert. In order to construct a novel that does not fall flat as merely the description of a series of events, a novelist must incorporate sensory imagery that reflect the “perceptions and affections which are the real form of manifestation of life,” Rancière said. “The problem is to reconcile the luminous halo of life and the organic
ENTERTAINMENT
WMRE’s Spring Band Party to feature indie bands ... PAGE 9
James Crissman/Staff
Jacques Rancière gave a talk about poetics and politics of fiction Wednesday at 6 p.m. in White Hall. link of the fiction with a beginning, a development and an end,” Rancière said. “This also means a story of wills, actions, successes and failures.” According to Rancière, when writing fiction, novelists must pay close attention to detail — particularly to the physical and emotional sensations that each character experiences — in order to drive the plot forward successfully. “Such is the essence of ‘modern fiction’,” he remarked. “It is an arrangement of the relationships between the perceptible and the sayable [sic] — a rearrangement that entails a jump between heterogeneous regimes of the sensible.” Rancière cited Flaubert as having mastered this technique of fiction writing, which uses seemingly innocuous sensory details to make any action or story progression seem more realistic, in certain scenes of
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his novel, Madame Bovary. He recounted one scene in particular, during which the female protagonist smells “a perfume of vanilla and citron” which evokes “memories of old desires.” “Like grains of sand, [the memories] get mixed with the sweetness of the perfume,” Rancière commented during the event. “This is how a continuum of sensations is turned into a cause and makes for the success of the causal chain.” In an April 23 University press release, Elissa Marder, the chair of the Department of French and Italian as well as an associate professor of French, cites Rancière’s work as revolutionary in that it “crosses the boundaries” of several different disciplines of contemporary thought such as “history, psychoanalysis, cinema
See professors, Page 4
Next issue
The Wheel’s commencement issue ... May 11
2
Friday, April 27, 2012
The Emory Wheel
News
news roundup National, Local and Higher Education News • Officers responded to a call from a staff member at Callaway Center on April 26 around 1:30 p.m. The staff member said there was a suspicious package in the women’s restroom. It was addressed to a faculty member and when EPD inspected it they determined it was nothing but a box full of magazine issues of Southern Quarterly. • On April 25 between 9:45 and 11:45 p.m. a male Emory student said someone took his bike from the bike rack outside Cox Hall. The bike is described as being black and white and worth $1200. • EPD received a report about fraudulent charges on an Emory ID card between January 17 and April 25. The card is in the student’s pos-
session but has a balance of zero. • Two composites were taken from number 8 Eagle Row, the address of Zeta Beta Tau. The victims said they think the thieves entered from an unlocked window on the first floor. The situation has been turned over to an investigator. • A male Emory student left his Apple iPhone at the basketball courts in the Woodruff P.E. Center on April 20 around 4:30 p.m. When the student returned he found his phone to be missing. The phone is valued at $500.
— Compiled by Multimedia Editor Elizabeth Howell
Correction In a letter to the editor printed on Tuesday titled “Ben Carson’s Outright Rejection of Evolution Is Against Emory’s Ideals,” the piece was incorrectly attributed solely to Nicole Gerardo. In fact, this letter was signed by 494 signatories, including 90 faculty from the Emory College of Arts and Sciences and Oxford College, 72 faculty from the Emory Schools of Public Health, Medicine and Nursing, 55 staff and postdoctoral researchers from across the University, 154 graduate and medical school students, 121 undergraduate students, and two Emory alumni. The Wheel reports and corrects all errors published in the newspaper and at emorywheel.com. Please contact Editor in Chief Evan Mah at emah@emory. edu to report an error.
The Emory Wheel Volume 93, Number 50 © 2012 The Emory Wheel
Dobbs University Center, Room 540 605 Asbury Circle, Atlanta, GA 30322 Newsroom (404) 727-6175 Business (404) 727-6178 Editor in Chief Evan Mah (404) 727-0279 Founded in 1919, The Emory Wheel is the financially and editorially independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University in Atlanta. The Wheel is a member publication of Media Council, Emory’s organization of student publications. The Wheel reserves the rights to all content as it appears in these pages, and permission to reproduce material must be granted by the editor in chief. The Wheel is published twice weekly on Tuesdays and Fridays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions. A single copy of the Wheel is free of charge. To purchase additional copies, please call (404) 727-6178. The statements and opinions expressed in the Wheel are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Wheel Editorial Board or of Emory University, its faculty, staff or administration. The Wheel is also available online at www.emorywheel.com.
This Week In Emory History
police RECORD
• Emory Police Department (EPD) officers responded to a call from a staff member at Callaway Center on April 26 around 1:30 p.m. The staff member said there was a suspicious package in the women’s restroom. It was addressed to a faculty member and when EPD inspected it they determined it was nothing but a box full of magazine issues of Southern Quarterly.
• On April 25 between 9:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m. a male Emory student said someone took his bike from the bike rack outside Cox Hall. The bike
is described as being black and white and worth $1,200.
• EPD received a report about fraudulent charges on an Emory ID card between Jan. 17 and April 25. The card is in the student’s possession but has a balance of zero. • Two composites were taken from number 8 Eagle Row, the address of Zeta Beta Tau. The victims said they think the thieves entered from an unlocked window on the first floor. The situation has been turned over to an investigator.
• A male Emory student left his Apple iPhone at the basketball courts in the Woodruff P.E. Center on April 20 around 4:30 p.m. When the student returned, he found his phone to be missing. The phone is valued at $500. — Compiled by Asst. News Editor Nicholas Sommariva
April 29, 1983 Dr. James F. Glenn, former dean of the Emory University School of Medicine, resigned his position. Reasons for his resignation included a $160,000 budget cut, apparent lack of support from the University and personality differences with the acting director of the Woodruff Medical Center and the Emory Clinic director. School of Medicine officials praised his many accomplishments during his time at Emory.
Events at emory FRIDAY Event: Coach Chat: The Psychology of Interviewing Time: 12 p.m. Location: Webinar Event: Muslim Jumma Prayers Time: 1:55 p.m. Location: Cannon Chapel Event: Hindu Aarthi Time: 5 p.m. Location: Cannon Chapel Event: Shabbat Services and Dinner Time: 6 p.m. Location: Marcus Hillel Center Event: Emory Chabad Friday Night Live! Time: 6:45 p.m. Location: Emory Chabad House Event: The Celtic Roots of Southern Music Time: 7 p.m. Location: Cannon Chapel Event: Emory Dance Company Spring Concert Time: 8 p.m. Location: Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts
SATURDAY Event: The Celtic Roots of Southern Music Time: 10 a.m. Location: Cannon Chapel
Event: Emory Chabad Shabbat Services Time: 10:30 a.m. Location: Emory Chabad House
Event: The Celtic Roots of Southern Music Time: 1 p.m. Location: Cannon Chapel Event: Emory Chabad Friday Night Live! Time: 6:45 p.m. Location: Emory Chabad House Event: Emory Dance Company Spring Concert Time: 2 p.m. Location: Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Event: Oxford College Alumni Reunion Weekend 2012 Time: 3 p.m. Location: Oxford College Campus Event: Emory Dance Company Spring Concert Time: 8 p.m. Location: Dance Studio, Schwartz Center for Performing Arts Event: Emory Wind Ensemble Time: 8 p.m. Location: Schwartz Center for Performing Arts, Emerson Concert Hall
SUNDAY Event: Mass and Reception in Cannon Chapel Time: 9 a.m. Location: Cannon Chapel Event: Mass and Dinner Time: 6 p.m. Location: Cannon Chapel Event: Wesley Fellowship Worship, Coffee and Conversation Time: 7 p.m. Location: Glenn Church School Building, Room 211 Event: 175th Anniversary: “The Story of Emory University” documentary on PBA TV Time: 8 p.m. Location: PBA 30: Public Television Atlanta
MONDAY Event: Mass at Catholic Center Time: 12 p.m. Location: Emory Catholic Center Lecture: “Global Burden of Disease: Preliminary Findings” Time: 2 p.m. Location: Rollins Auditorium, Claudia Nance Rollins Building, Rollins School of Public Health Event: Personal Statement Workshop Time: 4 p.m. Location: Woodruff Library, Room 310
TUESDAY Lecture: Xi (Erick) Lin, Ph.D. “Mechanisms of Deafness Caused by Mutations in Connex in Family of Proteins” Time: 12 p.m. Location: 5052 Rollins Research Center Event: Meet Me @ Lullwater Preserve Time: 12:15 p.m. Location: Meet at the gates to Lullwater Event: AntiquiTEA Time: 4 p.m. Location: Carlos Museum, Reception Hall Event: Farewell to Donna Wong Time: 4 p.m. Location: Dobbs University Center (DUC), Winship Ballroom
— Compiled by Multimedia Editor Elizabeth Howell
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, April 27, 2012
3
in need of global heed
T
Jason Lee/Contributor
he Career Center, Emory Alumni Association and the Office for Sustainability Initiatives sponsored Global Heed, an environment and development awareness and networking night on April 24. The event served to teach about the environment and development through networking.
academics
Evening at Emory Expands Offerings By Jordan Friedman News Editor Evening at Emory, a personal enrichment program within Emory Continuing Education (ECE), will be expanding its online presence and location options, and possibly the number of certificate programs offered in the next few years, according to Lisa Kozicki, ECE director of programs. ECE started offering certificate programs in 2005, Kozicki wrote in an email to the Wheel, to cater to local adults as well as students. During this past year, the program has launched certificate programs in sustainability, fundraising, predictive health and Spanish and French language proficiency. Kozicki wrote that ECE is currently conducting research regarding possible certificate programs within health care and information technology. Courses in the Event Planning
Certificate program, taught by Michael Kloss, the chief of protocol and executive director of the Office of University Events, “have exceeded initial capacity and we are seeing substantial crowds at our information session,” Kozicki wrote. The growth of the ECE program combined with workforce demands has prompted ECE to establish several of these new programs, according to Kozicki. The certificate programs that ECE currently offers emphasizes students’ ability to demonstrate growth through several capstone projects, portfolios and other assessment methods, Kozicki said. “A certificate program designed to meet the needs of this growing segment of the labor market — aligned with an area of expertise here at Emory — is an ideal opportunity,” Kozicki noted. “...In a challenging economy, many working adults search for ways to enhance existing
skills and differentiate themselves in the job market.” In addition to new program offerings, Evening at Emory will be developing online programs, which will “enable us to meet the learning needs of students outside the metro Atlanta region,” Kozicki wrote. ECE is, meanwhile, also evaluating new location options to house offices and classrooms. Classes currently take place at locations such as Briarcliff campus and main campus as well as Alpharetta and Decatur satellites. The program has been the University’s non-credit division since its establishment in 1951 and offers open enrollment courses in professional development and personal enrichment. Subjects range from web design to communications, from fine arts and health to test preparation.
— Contact Jordan Friedman at jordan.m.friedman@emory.edu
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News
Friday, April 27, 2012
Professors Credit Rancière with Innovative Literary Analysis Continued from Page 1 and contemporary art.” According to Nouvet, Rancière’s works show that he possesses “the acute vigilance of someone who refuses to be reconciled with the state of things,” mentioning that his work in literature — whereby he has found innovative methods of writing and
interpretation — especially reflects this vigilance. “[He contributes] to the possibility of what is thinkable, perceptible and therefore possible,” Nouvet said. “He has, quite simply, reconfigured the theoretical landscape.” Rancière, who serves as a professor of philosophy at the European Graduate School and Emeritus
Professor of Philosophy at the University of Paris at St. Denis, has authored several books on philosophy, literature and politics. His most recent works include “The Politics of Literature” and “Staging the People: The Proletarian and His Double.”
— Contact Stephanie Fang at fang.fang@emory.edu
iFest Celebrates Israel’s Independence Students stressed out from the approaching onslaught of final exams had the chance to decompress between classes yesterday afternoon with an unlikely surprise in the middle of Asbury Circle: a camel. Emory Students for Israel (ESI) brought the camel to campus as part of its annual Israel Fest, or “iFest.” The event serves as both a celebration of Israel’s declaration of independence in 1948 and as a chance for students to learn more about “cultural, commercial and current events in Israel,” according to College senior Brooke Feldman, president of ESI. ESI has sponsored iFest every year since the club was founded in 2003. This year’s event featured a replica of the Western Wall, food, music, prizes and tables sponsored by various other student groups. Organizations that chose to sponsor tables at this year’s iFest included Young Democrats of Emory, Reformed United Fellowship, the Office of Sustainability, Bubble fashion magazine and Emory’s Center for International Programs Abroad. According to Feldman, students could go to each table and listen to presentations from organizations that related their areas of expertise with contemporary issues in Israel. For example, Young Democrats of Emory, Feldman noted, gave presentations on Israel’s political affairs. The theme of this year’s iFest was “Tel Aviv.” According to Feldman, ESI chose this theme because members felt that the city of Tel Aviv served as a “good representation of Israel” since it reflected what she
Top and Bottom: James Crissman/Staff
Students listened to presentations on contemporary issues in Israel given by various student organizations, which sponsored tables on Asbury Circle. described as the diversity of Israel’s population. Goizueta Business School senior Dylan Connor said he enjoyed the celebration — particularly the food
and the camel, which he remarked were a “nice way to attract people” to the event.
— Asst. News Editor Stephanie Fang
The Emory Wheel
The Emory Wheel
News
Continued from Page 1
Dean’s Cup
Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Kappa Gamma Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority were awarded with the Dean’s Cup at the 29th annual Greek awards yesterday evening. In addition, the following awards were given: Best Collaboration with Another Greek Organization
Outstanding New Member Education
GLA or Educational Program of the Year
1. Kappa Alpha Psi 2. Alpha Kappa Alpha
1. Alpha Tau Omega 2. Delta Phi Epsilon
Most Improved Chapter
New Member of the Year
1. Sigma Alpha Epsilon 2. Delta Delta Delta
1. Phi Delta Theta 2. Zeta Phi Beta
Outstanding Philanthropy
Most Sustainable Chapter
1. Jenna Everly (Kappa Alpha Theta) 2. Jason Stern (Zeta Beta Tau)
1. Alpha Tau Omega 2. Kappa Kappa Gamma
1. Sigma Chi 2. Delta Phi Lambda
Service Project of the Year
Outstanding Campus Involvement
1. Alpha Tau Omega 2. Kappa Kappa Gamma
1. Kappa Alpha Psi 2. Kappa Kappa Gamma
Service Leader of the Year
Advisor of the Year
Athlete of the Year
1. Cecilia Gilmore (Alpha Kappa Alpha) 2. Ian Cohen (Alpha Tau Omega)
1. Zeta Beta Tau 2. Kappa Kappa Gamma
1. Hannah Lilly (Delta Phi Epsilon) 2. Michael Boord (Beta Theta Pi)
1. Phi Delta Theta 2. Kappa Kappa Gamma
Outstanding Social Media 1. Kappa Alpha Psi 2. Delta Phi Lambda
Outstanding Brotherhood
1. Alpha Epsilon Pi 2. Kappa Alpha Theta
Greek Woman of the Year Vincenza Pimpinella (Kappa Kappa Gamma)
Phi Delta Theta
Outstanding Sisterhood Delta Delta Delta
Outstanding Alumni/ae Relations
5
Admins, Local Residents Address Pros and Cons of Rail Line
greek awards 2012
Scholarship Program of the Year
Friday, April 27, 2012
President of the Year 1. Sylvia Tsakos (Delta Delta Delta) 2. Gregory Reith (Sigma Alpha Epsilon)
Greek man of the Year Colin Washington (Kappa Alpha Psi)
significant projects, according to the Atlanta Regional Roundtable website. The Regional Roundtable was the group responsible for creating the project list. At the meeting, Crocker explained that the rail line would be 3.7 miles long with five stations and would provide high capacity transportation access to people entering and exiting the Emory area. Emory Executive Vice President of Finance and Administration Mike Mandl related to the crowd of mostly local residents. “For too many years on a daily basis, tens of thousands of people have endured the limited and congested roads that lead to the Clifton corridor going to work, classes, clinics or hospital or just trying to get home from other areas,” he said. Mandl said that the Emory area is the largest employment center in metro Atlanta without direct access to an interstate or a MARTA rail line. People commuting to the CDC, Children’s Healthcare, Druid Hills High School, Emory, Emory University Hospital and Emory Clinic all commute on two-lane roads as opposed to rail line access or major highways. “Emory is committed to sustainable living through its campus operations, academics, patient care and outreach programs,” Mandl said. “Healthy commute options are essential to achieving this solution.” Specifically, the Clifton Corridor Initiative — the name given to the rail project — is scheduled to receive $700 million. An additional $25 million would be used for a new bridge and road improvements at Clifton and Haygood roads. At the Town Hall meeting, residents lined up to ask panelists questions regarding the project and its implications. One local resident stood up to ask Ellis about bicycle space near Emory but not before cracking a joke about the slow and endless traffic that currently congests North Decatur Road. “I live on one of the longest parking lots in Atlanta,” he joked. “It is called North Decatur Road.” “There is another one,” responded Ellis. “It is called 285,” referring to
the interstate. Another attendee was concerned with lower-income families being taxed on their “bare necessities,” referring to the tax being a sales tax, as opposed to a tax on gasoline, which would increase the gas price. For a lower income family, an additional tax can be painful when purchasing groceries and other basic items, he argued. Alexander gave a thorough response by explaining that to generate the same revenue, it would take 25 cents worth of gas tax. “If you are a working household, a gas tax will actually cost you more and be more painful to you than your household expenses,” he explained, based on statistics obtained from his department. Floyd also emphasized the importance of stimulating the economy through the project. He also said that it is important for people to understand what is at stake and to realize that if the referendum does not pass, cities Atlanta compete with for jobs will be cheering. “As we compete with other regions throughout the nation for jobs to bring industry to the metro Atlanta region, oftentimes we are counted out not because we don’t have a quality airport ... and not because some of the other wonderful amenities that we have to offer, but because of the traffic congestion problem,” Elis said. “We have an opportunity to do something about it.” Others expressed concerned with one-cent taxes adding up. However, the panelists emphasized that the rate of return for this project would ultimately be greater than the required investment. According to the Atlanta Regional Commission’s analysis found on its website, there would be a four-to-one return on investment, which means that the investment made would be rewarded four times more once the projects have been completed. Additionally, the analysis predicted that the transportation investment would either create or support an additional 200,000 jobs in the local area. “It will be much more costly to the citizens and employers if the investments are not made,” Mandl explained in reference to the fact that
the tax would only last for 10 years. By the end of the event, many attendees said they were almost sure as to how they would be voting. Bill McClellan, who is a local resident, said he felt the session was less informative than he had expected because of subsidiary questions asked by the audience and the lack of visual elements to illustrate the plan. Still, he noted that he was in favor of the tax. “It is clearly going to disrupt traffic and travel on Clifton Road which will be an inconvenience, but overall it will improve things dramatically,” he said. Director of Sustainable Initiatives Ciannat Howett explained that having healthy commute choices other than single occupancy vehicles that have less impact on public health is part of Emory’s sustainability initiative. She said she thought the event went very well, and she was impressed by the level of detail the audiences’ questions involved. “The vote is projected to be extremely close,” she said. “Every vote will matter a great deal. We want to make sure everyone has their voice in, so we are promoting registering to vote, absentee vote, and the kind of educational forum that happened last night.” She explained that, although students will most likely be away during the referendum, they can still register to vote and receive an absentee ballot through mail or email if a student is abroad. Stands to register and request an absentee ballot will be situated around campus. Floyd said he believes that the referendum is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “People want more time with their kids, they want more time to do things they want to and they want that 40-hour work week back, and that is what this is about: quality of life,” he said. Mandl wrote in an email to the Wheel that the initiative would have a tremendous impact on the Emory community by alleviating traffic congestion and facilitating access to the area through road, sidewalk and bicycle pathways and light rail improvements.
— Contact Daniela Viteri at dviteri@emory.edu
Advisory Council to Include Three Divisions, Harris Says Continued from Page 1 the three President’s Commissions as well as advise on other matters pertaining to diversity. Harris referenced other potential areas that need attention, such as class, religion and disability. Harris said he views the Council as a broader reaching continuation of the Commissions’ work. “We need to create something much more robust,” Harris said. “[The Council] is the next stage of work that needs to be done.” The Council’s goal is to institutionalize the progression of “our community in the areas of race and ethnicity, [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender] concerns and women’s issues … while maintaining a dimension of volunteer service that can still bring a sort of freshness to it,” University President James W. Wagner said. The Council will include three major divisions, according to Harris. The first division would be an executive committee, and Harris said he envisions senior administrators of the University making up this committee. This committee would include President Wagner, Provost Earl Lewis, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Mike Mandl and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs S. Wright Caughman, according to a March 5 Emory Report article. The second committee, termed the Steering Committee, would consist of current staff and faculty members whose jobs deal with concerns about diversity. The last committee, the Division Committee on Diversity, will include liaisons for major divisions and each of Emory’s nine schools. According to Harris, the Division committee will have six areas of
focus: faculty, staff, students, local and global programs, facilities and data and collection of data. “The fundamental thing is trying to create an infrastructure that is better capable of supporting the work that needs to be done and the work that has been done on campus and in our community,” Harris said. According to the Emory Report article, Harris plans for the Council to host four “Town Hall-type presentations” each year to inform members
“...I concluded [the Council] would give us the opportunities to do some great things ...” — Sheryl Heron, co-chair of PCORE
of the Emory community on issues of diversity as well as create an open forum where questions can be asked and effectively answered. These President’s Commissions, which are currently funded through the Office of Community and Diversity, offer a means for the University to uphold its values of “access, equity and inclusion,” according to the Office of Community and Diversity’s mission statement on its website. Currently the co-chairs of each Commission are volunteers, and the position changes each year, according to Wagner. This rotation in commission leadership inclines the co-chairs to choose one-year projects, Wagner said. A permanent and robust infrastructure will allow the University to “focus on things that may take more
than a year to do,” Harris said. Felicia Bianchi, co-chair of the PCSW, wrote in an email to the Wheel, “We [the Executive Committee of the PCSW 20112012] feel that an advantage [of the Advisory Council] would be the ability to address all of Emory’s diversity needs with a larger group focusing on these concerns.” Some of the current chairs of the President’s Commission expressed hesitation regarding the efficacy of the Council. “One of the key items that we hope will remain is the ability for the minority voices to be heard and to have access to the president’s ear as it could be lost in the larger organization.” Bianchi wrote. “This is something that needs to be clarified.” Sheryl Heron, co-chair of PCORE, said in the March 5 Emory Report article that the structure of the new Council “is the biggest question on the table.” “But I concluded [the Council] would give us the opportunities to do some great things ... and provide opportunity for some really important dialogue around diversity,” she said. Although Wagner will be a part of the Executive Committee, he stressed the need to keep all channels and opportunities open for communication and advising about these issues so he can make changes that are in the University’s best interest. “It’s really important for me to hear the perspectives and sensitivities of those that the Commission speak for,” he said. “So we … have to ensure that within in this new structure there will continue to be an avenue of communication to me, even though they are now organized within Ozzie Harris’ office.”
— Contact Arianna Skibell at arianna.skibell@emory.edu
Editorials The Emory Wheel
Contribute
Friday, April 27, 2012 Editorials Editor: Shahdabul Faraz (sfaraz@emory.edu)
E-mail: sfaraz@emory.edu
Our Opinion
Emily Wang, Joanne Kim, Gloria Kang & Daniel Cho
Carson Letter Beta’s Cheers Are Offensive Sparks Dialogue Controversial Issue Causes Campus Divide
On April 23, the Wheel published a letter to the editor, titled “Ben Carson’s Outright Rejection of Evolution Is Against Emory’s Ideals,” in which four professors discussed commencement speaker Ben Carson’s rejection of the theory of evolution. They refer to previous comments from Carson where he “equates the acceptance of evolution with a lack of ethics and morality,“ and they go on to discuss the merits of and scientific advancements due to the theory of evolution. Since then, hundreds of students, faculty and alumni have signed the letter, showcasing their support. There has been much controversy surrounding the issue of Carson for commencement. It is important for faculty and students alike to feel free to voice their opinions about this matter. We commend the writers of this letter in speaking out and stating their views in an appropriate forum. At the same time, we feel it is prudent to suggest that the authors of the letter utilize their garnered support to further their cause if they deem it worthy. If, for instance, they are worried that Carson will bring up evolution during his commencement speech, they have the support to suggest in a respectful manner that he avoid discussing it, or at least be sensitive to the beliefs of those in the Emory community. We feel that the commencement ceremony is a celebration of the University’s graduating seniors, and any contention surrounding Carson should not overshadow the students. It is a worthy cause to urge Carson to be sensitive to the beliefs of many of Emory’s students, and we support the writers of the letter in attempting to accomplish this as a way of solidifying their beliefs with positive action. As a newspaper, we fundamentally support the free expression of ideas, and this letter is an example of the kind of discourse we encourage. The above staff editorial represents the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.
The Emory Wheel Evan Mah Editor in Chief Arianna Skibell Executive Editor Jeremy Benedik Managing Editor News Editor: Jordan Friedman Editorials Editor: Shahdabul Faraz Sports Editors: Nathaniel Ludewig, Vincent Xu Arts & Living Editor: Justin Groot Entertainment Editor: Lane Billings Photo Editor: Emily Lin Asst. News Editors: Stephanie Fang, Nicholas Sommariva Asst. Editorials Editor:
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David Giffin
Bursting The College Loan Bubble
up bad loan packages, used its governmentbacked status to shield those bad loan bundles from market forces. By artificially extending and inflating the problem, the resulting crash was made that much worse. College lending is starting to head down that same road. Justin Pope from The Huffington Post wrote this past November that college loans share many of the key warning signs of a market bubble. Everyone wants a loan because everyone wants to go college. The amount of money being lent keeps increasing as college becomes more expensive. Loans are paid out with little or no concern for the future financial viability of the borrower, and defaults on college loans have jumped over the last fiscal year from 7% to 8.8%. However, Pope notes that one major difference between the housing market and the student loan market is that unlike housing loans, student loans cannot be discharged during a bankruptcy – if you go broke, you still have to find a way to pay up. This difference between home loans and college loans is important because it means those loans will have a more limited affect on the economy as a whole. However, as job numbers continue to suffer individual student borrowers will be left on the hook for money they cannot afford to repay. The current administration’s moves to absorb all college lending under the federal government umbrella, and to ease the requirements for repayment, is eerily similar to the moves taken to absorb bad home loans under Fannie and Freddie. Federal officials, acting out of political self-interest, will no doubt continue to massage the college loan market and artificially sustain it until the ever-growing bubble bursts – with disastrous effects for current and future college loan holders. And by isolating students from the real costs of a college loan, these policies also shield both public and private universities and colleges from the rapidly-growing need to combat rising tuition rates. The college loan bubble will not be deflated through government intervention alone. It is time for the private consumer – the student – to take responsibility for the costs of their own education and demand reforms. Better to pop the bubble now while it is still small, before it gets bigger and it becomes too late to respond.
David Giffin is a first year Masters in Theological Studies student at Candler School of Theology from Charleston, Ill.
were born here in the United States, and our loyalties lie with the country that has given us so much. Gloria Kang pulled out an American flag from her bag and draped it across her shoulders. True American pride. Because that is who we are: we are Asian-Americans.
Asian-Americans must take a stand against intolerance Type in diversity.emory.edu and you’ll find a Diversity Profile that outlines Emory University Composition Statistics. This 52-page, multi-colored document is meant to indicate just how diverse Emory is, with students coming from every state in the United States as well as 140 different countries. Ironically, the pages upon pages of statistics, pie charts, graphs and numbers do not reflect upon the main issue that we stumbled upon this past Monday: having diversity contributes greatly to the community but it does not automatically eliminate racially and ethnically intolerance and ignorance. Eleanor Roosevelt wisely stated that “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” and we the writers of this editorial do not consent to this blatant act of racial intolerance. We will not sit by and let those students define us. This act of discriminatory harassment will not be forgotten.
We ask that all those who have ever been subjected to intolerance in any form because of their ethnicity, race, national origin, gender, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or any other separating status know that the Emory administration is very willing to hear your voice and encourages you to come forth if you have every felt this way at Emory. Emory is proud of its stance on diversity and its multi-colored student body. The commitment that Emory has made to its students and faculty should never condone these acts. Discrimination against Asian-Americans is predominantly unreported because of our familial nature to tolerate and not make a “big deal.” We are not standing by or brushing it off. We do not consent. We are raising our voices. The students hurt by this incident have met with a representative number of the Beta fraternity. We have started an enlightening conversation on racial and ethnic sensitivity. We hope this discussion will continue for years to come. Additionally, we maintain our love and pride for the unified Emory community. We look to all types of students for their support and hope that the conversation we have started will speak to them and empower them to raise their voices. And finally, we appreciate the great amount of feedback we have received from students, professional staff and administration.
Emily Wang, Joanne Kim, Gloria Kang and Daniel Cho are College seniors.
L e t t e r S t o t h e edi t o r
Chervickia Thomas Business Manager
The Emory Wheel welcomes letters and op-ed submissions from the Emory community. Letters should be limited to 300 words and op-eds should be limited to 700. Those selected may be shortened to fit allotted space or edited for grammar, punctuation and libelous content. Submissions reflect the opinions of individual writers and not of the Wheel Editorial Board or Emory University. Send e-mail to emah@emory.edu or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. 30322.
President Obama went on another speaking tour this week. On Tuesday, he spoke at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill to promote his economic policies and education agenda. He even made an appearance on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon program when it filmed on the campus that night to help “slow jam the news.” During his speech, President Obama emphasized his views on higher education and expressed concern with the increasing burden of college debt carried by graduating seniors. Everyone is going to have to engage in some form of higher education, he argued. “...not everybody is going to go to a four-year college or university. You may go to a community college. You may go to a technical school and get into the workforce. And then, it may turn out that after you’ve had kids and you’re 35, you go back to school because you’re retraining for something new. But no matter what it is, no matter what field you’re in, you’re going to have to engage in lifelong learning.” The President is right in a certain sense. Many careers in our ever-changing economy now require some form of higher education. And the increasing rates of tuition do heavily impact the financial well being of students around the country – myself included. However, the President makes the same assumption with college lending that he has made with the majority of his other political initiatives – that more government involvement in the system can stabilize the college loan market and thereby control costs. His policy decisions – his absorption of almost 85% of student loans under the Federal Direct Lending program and his changes to repayment requirements - reflect this thinking. He may be very wrong in this assumption. The housing crisis was the last financial bubble to burst and it took a great deal of time for the fragility in that system to finally catch up with reality. Multiple parties are to blame for the delayed crash: Private financial institutions created the bundled mortgage securities that were used to spread the bad loans so far throughout the market, and should definitely be held accountable for their actions. However, the federal government contributed just as much to the crisis. Financial institutions were required under the Community Reinvestment Act to offer more home loans to less-than-creditworthy recipients (under the guise of offering equal credit access to minority borrowers). Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, by acting as a clearinghouse and buying
On Monday, April 24, the men’s intramural volleyball championship took place at the Woodruff P.E. Center between Beta Theta Pi and a team made up of predominantly AsianAmerican students. Each team had a number of fans cheering them on. In the middle of the second game, we heard the Beta fans cheering something. The meaning was not imminently clear for the first few seconds, but the raciallycharged cheer soon struck us like a bolt of unwelcome, unrelenting lightning that rooted us to where we stood in shock. “USA! USA! USA!” cheered the Beta fans with their fists pumping in the air as they chanted again and again. Suddenly, our yellow skin, black hair and Asian heritage became the target of this subtle, yet jarring taunt. With each declaration, we felt more alienated. Suddenly, we weren’t Americans, born and raised, but “Others” who didn’t belong. It is difficult to explain the emotions that wash over you when you are subjected to such cruel and inconsiderate actions. What should you do? Do you yell back? Do you tell the intramural coordinator who is watching the game, listening to the same chant you are? Do you just take it and brush it off as a joke? In the few seconds we had to react, we joined them in their chant. “USA! USA!” we yelled back. We yelled not because we needed to retaliate, but because we wanted to let the Beta fans know how truly ignorant their cheer was. Most of us
Insensitive Chants from the Audience Reflects Poorly On Emory To the Editor: Picking on someone because of their ancestry and national origin is always wrong and always unacceptable behavior at Emory. Such unacceptable behavior reared its ugly head this past week during what should have been a fun Emory sporting event, an intramural volleyball game between a predominantly Asian-American team and a fraternity team. But any fun to be had was lost when fan members in the audience shouted chants of “U-S-A, U-S-A” and “learn English” at the Asian American players and at the audience. Comments targeting ancestry, national origin, ethnicity at a competitive sports event cannot be laughed off and cannot be an acceptable norm in our campus that strives to be a welcoming, inclusive global community. The disturbing chants labeled the Asian Americans as less than fully vested and appreciated members of the Emory fabric. Jeering and stereotyping are demeaning and hurtful. The Asian American students on the
team and in the audience were first shocked: Could this really be happening at Emory? Stereotyped as foreigners and the ‘other,’ rather than supported and protected as members in our diverse community? KUSA students bravely came forward, reporting this incident to the Office of Multicultural Programs and Services. The report offers an educational opportunity for raised awareness of the racism and historical context behind the stereotyping of all Asians as ‘the perpetual foreigner’ and rejecting Asian Americans as full citizens. Given the history of the United States, to imagine any of us would share a common ancestry suggests that we are not intellectually curious and poorly informed. We’re all part of the Emory community. We must embrace common values of respect. Expect the best from each other to become a better Emory community. Do your part by speaking out when confronted with intolerance; don’t be a bystander as intolerance pass-
es you by. We strongly encourage all students to come forward to report acts of intolerance and share experiences of discrimination, bias, and harassment. We remind our community of the University’s Discriminatory Harassment Policy, the Residence Life and Housing’s Acts of Intolerance Policy, and the Student Conduct Policies regarding ‘Respect and Consideration’ that may be accessed at http://conduct.emory.edu/policies/code/index. html Students can readily access staff in Residence Life, LGBT Life, OMPS, Office of Student Conduct and Office of Community and Diversity/EOP to seek support and investigation. Again, we’re all part of the Emory community. Donna Wong Director of Office of Multicultural Programs & Services Ozzie Harris II Senior Vice Provost, Community and Diversity
Gerardo and Company Must Be Open to Conflicting Views To the Editor: I am writing in response to a recently submitted letter to the Emory Wheel written about Dr. Ben Carson. The authors make some over-reaching statements about science and appear to condemn Dr. Carson for not holding to the authors’ same scientific views. I agree with the authors’ outrage concerning Dr. Carson’s statement accusing individuals who believe in evolution as being incapable of having ethics or morals. This tenant of Dr. Carson’s is over-reaching, offensive, and untrue. Despite this warranted concern, I am compelled to address the authors’ own overreaching statements put forth in their letter to the Wheel. 1. “Accepting evolution, and the scientific
method in general, are not at odds with being moral …” The authors attempt to tie the scientific method directly to evolution, suggesting that if one rejects evolution, then they reject the scientific method. The scientific method is not based on evolution but upon forming a hypothesis and testing whether or not the data obtained supports or denies the hypothesis. 2. “… science rests squarely on the shoulders of evolution.” Science includes a wide gamut of disciplines ranging from physics to biology to astronomy. To say that all of science depends on evolution is simply inaccurate since some disciplines do not investigate biological/chemical systems. Despite the blatant insensitivity and offensive nature of Dr. Carson’s statement, we must
guard ourselves from the same use of overreaching statements in confronting or judging such individuals. I am aware that the topic of evolution and religion can be very volatile and full of emotion. However, we at Emory pride ourselves on diversity and encourage open dialogue of differing views. It is our responsibility to approach others who believe or think differently from ourselves with the same respect and tolerance we expect from them. If we do not, we undermine the very ideals upon which Emory University operates and find ourselves engaged in the very behavior we so adamantly abhor. Matthew Randolph Emory Science Graduate Student
co m m e n t s f r o m t h e w ebsi t e
“Ben Carson’s Outright Rejection of Evolution Is Against Emory’s Ideals” 4.23.12
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Dr Carson is an accomplished man, no doubt. But accomplishments do not wash away an unhealthy attitude towards intellectual discourse. This really isn’t about evolution v. creationism. Its about the ability to participate in an academic debate. His statement on the morality (or the lack thereof) of atheism is disturbing, and sounds like defamation of the character of his opponents, as opposed to a rebuttal of their arguments. Ostensibly accomplished, but internally irrational or prejudiced: this is hardly the sort of speaker Emory should choose for its commencement. - “Anand Bhardwaj”-4.25.12
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...it is quite unsettling to me that the Emory community should reject a speaker with certain beliefs when we commend ourselves as a diverse and open-minded institution. We must abstract the essence of his speech, which I’m sure we will find is not to push us towards Christianity, but to find inspiration and a path of guidance in our own lives as well. In the past, Emory has invited many commencement speakers who have always aligned themselves with a particular political or religious belief; we must extend that same courtesy to Dr. Carson. - “Jay” 4.26.12
It seems that the author is most concerned with Dr Carson’s claim that people who believe in evolution lack morality. I read the original interview and encourage people to look at it themselves. In the proper context, It seems he is implying that people who have strong moral compasses are either consciously or subconsciously basing their beliefs in what is right or wrong in something special that is larger than us. In other words, these people really aren’t “true” evolutionists. There is a slight distinction between this and the stance that the author implies of Dr Carson attacking those who believe in evolutionary theory as lacking morals. - “HRF” 4.26.12
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The Emory Wheel
Op — Ed
Friday, April 27, 2012
Rylee Sommers-Flanagan
Calm Down, Finals Aren’t That Bad It Could Be Worse, Your Mascot Could Be a Clam
Finals: also known as the horror that afflicts college students everywhere except at Evergreen State College, where professors forgo grading students’ work in favor of writing narrative evaluations. But they’re experimental (read: hippies), right? I just want to point out that among the student groups featured on Evergreen’s Wikipedia page are the Giant Robot Appreciation Society, the Flaming Eggplant Café and the Evergreen Socialist Alternative. Experimental (hippie) seems like an appropriate qualifier. This is supposed to make you feel better. Or maybe it is supposed to make you contemplate the odd reality of not having exams. Or it could just be that I am tired of our feud with Wash U, so making fun of a school as different from Emory as Evergreen seems like a good idea. How much would you like to road trip to Oregon to steal a statue of their mascot (which, by the way, is actually a very large edible clam called a geoduck. We the Eagles would just eat them.)? See? That must make you feel better. Drowning in papers and exams is always easier when you know that somewhere out
MSA’s Fast Event Focuses on Gaza Crisis Hamad Hamad This past Sunday the Emory Muslim Students Association (MSA) held its annual Fast-A-Thon. Every year the event seeks to raise awareness about the Islamic practice of fasting and a specific charitable cause. In past years, the causes have included refugees in Burma and flood victims in Pakistan. This year, the theme was “Humanity before Politics,” and the focus was on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The event had over 300 attendees and featured a keynote address by former Ambassador Edward Peck, a series of musical performances and a closing act by worldfamous comedian Ahmed Ahmed. Although it is unfortunate, the fact of the matter is that any desire to raise awareness about the situation in Gaza has become a controversial or, at the very least, a sensitive issue. The hesitation to raise awareness about the clear injustice in the region stems from a reluctance to criticize the Israeli government. Even on a college campus like Emory’s, where our own government’s decisions are freely and openly discussed and debated, the criticism is curtailed when it revolves around the actions of the Israeli government. The mere criticism of the actions of the Israeli government, or a few individuals within the government, do not equate to hatred of all Israeli citizens and definitely not the Jewish people. While the historical political developments surrounding the situation are complex, the presence of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is clear. It is also clear that many innocent Israelis live in fear because of the actions their government has taken. At multiple points throughout the night, thoughts and prayers were dedicated to both the innocent citizens of Israel and the Palestinians. However, what made this event truly unique was its ability to maintain this balance without taking away from the reality of the matter: innocent Palestinians, especially Gazans, are clearly faced with the greatest hardship and injustice of the involved parties. There will always be those who, either because of their blind hatred of Palestinians or blind support of the Israeli government, will seek to discredit any attempt to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians anywhere, including in Gaza. There will also always be those who are led to hatred and extremism because they have been blinded by their frustration at the injustices Palestinians face. When addressing situations like these, moderation is the key. It is important to acknowledge that there are Israelis who have unjustifiably suffered because of the situation, and even the suffering of one innocent Israeli is one too many. However, it is clear that the suffering of Palestinians is far greater to the point that it is simply not comparable. Any attempt to justify the oppression of over a million innocent Gazans and the death of thousands for the security of a smaller number of Israelis is simply inhumane and built upon a supremacist undertone that determines the value of life based upon ethnicity. Despite the differences in opinion around the world about the situation, there is still hope for a better future. This hope was reinforced Sunday night by the Emory community’s ability to come together in support of the shared humanity, regardless of the color of one’s passport.
Hamad Hamad is a College senior from Fairfax, VA.
there, robot-appreciating socialists are eating eggplants and cheering for geoducks. Since my goal here is to entertain you (and eventually offer some friendly advice), let me try another tack: I’m in St. Andrews, but I can predict next week at Emory. For the moment, there’s some hectic energy — people buzzing around looking busy, but really, this is the quiet before the storm. Soon, the library will be filled with desperate souls flipping between Facebook, Wikipedia, and a Word document that is growing by about 100 words per hour. Some are hovering over a laptop endlessly watching YouTube, while the nearest thirty people glare both because the YouTube-watchers are laughing loudly and because they sort of wish they could see what is so funny. The overachieving types are turning in papers a few hours early and cramming up until the last minute for that 8 a.m. exam — yes, we see you, shuttle-crammers. The underachieving types are planning parties that involve costumes, because that’s how much time they have. Somehow their schedules include a combination of classes that don’t give exams
and/or require only a ten-page paper on the last day of class. How did you do that? If that’s not you, there’s no need to panic. As a veteran of the finals “brain dash,” I have offered advice in the past and now I’m going to offer some more. It’s not exactly that there was a lot of applause for an encore, but I have a feeling you won’t read it if I write about the two-year anniversary of the BP oil spill or Mitt Romney winning five more Republican primaries. So here goes: 1. Most important: take a break. Especially to you freshmen that are feeling rocked by finals last semester, resting your super intelligent between-the-ears organ will make it work better. 1a. Don’t get smashed while you’re taking a break. Health 101 should have taught you that it totally counteracts the good stuff that studying does. If you weren’t paying attention and you’re studying for that final, trust me, this was covered material. 3. Do a cartwheel on the quad. 4. Call your dad and discuss something unrelated to school. Ask him what he’s doing. Tell him about doing the cartwheel on the
quad. 5. Be nice to your roommates and hallmates. 6. If someone offers to hug you in a nonpedophilic/ stalker fashion, accept immediately. Physical contact with other humans will maintain your sanity. 7. Eat some vegetables in addition to the ramen. 8. Exercise, dude. Sprinting across campus to make it on time to a study session with your professor is simply not enough. 9. It’s sunny! Go to the pool! Have a picnic! Run outside! Eat ice cream! 10. For inspiration, forget clichés and motivational quotes. Imagine instead that all of the people in the library are zombies and that they will attack if you do not produce results at half hour intervals. Your vivid imagination will carry you home. But seriously, a whole year is gone! It’s summer, kids, and at least you’re not a geoduck.
Rylee Sommers-Flanagan is an alumna (’11C) and current Bobby Jones Scholar at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Bring Back Emory ROTC Emory Students Are Ignorant of Military Issues
Richard Doner Matthew Pesce Our university community reflects an unfortunate national pattern: lack of involvement with and awareness of the U.S. military. Regardless of what one thinks of our decision to invade Iraq and our strategy in Afghanistan, this gap raises important questions about the quality of our citizenship. Consider first the national pattern. The percentage of Americans serving in the armed forces is less than one percent of our population. The trend toward a smaller military began with the drawdown of U.S. troops from Vietnam, the shift from a draft to an all-volunteer force in 1973, and, of course, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. But it has persisted during our engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, despite the fact that our involvement in these conflicts has lasted longer than WWI, WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Although an all-volunteer force might make our military more professional in the short run, the length of these wars and the relatively small percentage of our population actually in the military has had significant costs. First, they have resulted in multiple lengthy deployments that in turn contribute to significant problems for our troops when they return home. These include a large and steady increase in the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (according to one study, rates of PTSD jumped from 0.2 percent in 2002 to 22 percent in 2008). They include rising suicide rates: At present, over 6,500 vet suicides occur annually; this is more than the total number of soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq combined since those wars began. A study in the American Journal of Public Health reported that for men ages 17 to 24, being a vet almost quadruples the risk of suicide. And they include rising rates of homelessness, including among female veterans (who account for 8 percent today of all vets compared to 4 percent in 1990).
Second, they have led to the most significant dependence on private military contractors in our nation’s history (accounting for roughly half of Americans serving in Afghanistan). Without detracting from their commitment to the nation’s defense, reliance on contractors raises serious questions of accountability and control. Finally, the small percentage of our citizens in the military is less and less representative of America as a whole. Our military comes from few geographical locations and fewer segments of the population. As former Defense Secretary Robert Gates noted, the result is that, for most of us, “Warfare has become something for other people to do.” This disconnect has its own costs: It precludes the kind of cross-class, citizenship-building that occurred when all were expected to serve. It deprives young people of the pressure and opportunity to get informed about decisions that affect their lives. It enables leaders to commit troops without adequate national debate and budgets. With little skin in the game, it enables all of us to claim that we “support our troops” by wearing American flag pins but avoiding tough tradeoffs, including whether we should tax ourselves to provide adequate equipment for our troops, or whether we should just kick the bill down the road for our kids and grandkids. The situation at Emory reflects this national pattern. According to the Registrar’s Office, there are just 31 veterans out of roughly 7,000 Emory undergraduates and graduate students. Although a campus-wide debate in 2003 about the Iraq invasion drew over 1,000 participants, there has been little discussion of the conflicts since then. While we have not done a systematic survey, our impression is that very few of our courses address issues of military deployment, and very few of our students devote much thought to these issues. Although many are open to some form of national service, the idea of compulsory military service is seen by many students as a violation of personal freedom rather than a citizen’s duty.
To address this disconnect at Emory, we decided to host a radio program on the campus station, WMRE, devoted to interviewing those with experience and/or knowledge of military issues. From our interview with an Emory graduate student who served one tour in Iraq and two in Afghanistan, we learned of the challenges of reconciling the need to win over the local population with the need for effective military responses to the Taliban; we learned of concerns with and resentment toward private contractors operating under different accountability standards; and we learned of the challenges of returning stateside. From our interview with the volunteer coordinator at the Atlanta VA hospital, we learned of the VA’s engagement with community and veterans’ groups; we learned of the commitment of the VA’s medical providers; and we learned of the importance of volunteers. From our interview with two Emory researchers, we learned of the difficult emotional shift from the toughness required for combat to the openness required to address PTSD, and we learned of Emory’s important role in developing therapies for vets and others struggling with PTSD. Finally, from our interview with the author of a book on electronic medical records in the VA health system, we learned of the impressive results of an open-source EMR system developed by doctors within the VA. We at Emory can do a lot more. Whether in neuroscience, economics, psychology, public health, political science or history, we can enrich our syllabi to help our students learn how the various disciplines deal with military issues. We can provide opportunities for our students to engage in ongoing volunteer work with the Atlanta VA. We can encourage the return of ROTC. And we can build on the emerging interest, from conservatives and liberals, in the benefits of compulsory national service.
Richard Doner is a professor in the Emory Department of Political Science. Matthew Pesce is a College sophomore majoring in International Studies.
Emory’s Perspective: China-Tibet Relations Bart Qian A young street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire to protest against the hardships and inequalities he faced daily in Tunisia, which became the catalyst to the Tunisia uprising and eventually lead to the Arab Spring. Hardly anyone, including Bouazizi may not have foreseen the change his single sacrifice has brought to the world, but what if the number of self-immolations is 33? On the other side of the world, this is exactly what Tibetans are doing in protest against the limitations on religious and cultural freedoms imposed by the Chinese government. In the past year, there were a total of 33 Tibetans burnt themselves to death, most of whom were in their 20s. On April 18th, BBC published a news article Self-immolations shake Tibetan resolve by Sue Lioyd-Roberts, where she essentially applauded the extreme protests inside Tibet and deemed the non-violent protest as ineffective because those acts attracted international attention and increased Tibet’s visibility. She concluded the article with “Now, Tibetans in Tibet are asserting themselves and those in exile can only respond with candles and prayer.” However, even though self-immolation increased Tibet problem’s visibility, the act is counter-productive and leads to more suppression from the Chinese government. When international actors start to pressure the Chinese government, Chinese government will impose stricter rule to Tibet, and this is a vicious cycle. Granted this act attracted more international actors like Amnesty International and Human Rights
Watch to pressure the Chinese government to engage in dialogue with the Tibetan community and its leaders, but the Chinese government condemned the protests as terrorism acts. In Chinese culture, “face” or reputation is very important and those acts in Tibet are considered a disgrace especially when the Chinese government is trying to expand its influence. Therefore, in reaction to questions from Western media and to global attention, Chinese government confiscated and destroyed physical evidence from self-immolation and imposed more strict regulations on Tibet. The paradox is, will these strict regulations foster more self-immolations?
Multiple Tibetan self-immolations highlight crisis. Many have argued, self-immolation is necessary to force Chinese government react and change its policy to Tibet, but there are plenty other alternatives that leaves selfimmolation as the last resort. Previous president Jimmy Carter once commented on the China-Tibet issue saying the problem should be left to Chinese and Tibetan people to decide which direction to go. However, most people depends their opinion on limited resource or are influenced by propaganda. According to the Dalai Lama, “1.3 billion Chinese people have every right to know the reality, whether good or bad. They must know. They can judge what is right and what is wrong.” When I asked one of my friends if they have noticed the banner hung at Asbury
Circle and about the Tibetan self-immolation, she had no idea about the self-immolations and was surprised “33 Tibetans burnt themselves in Emory?” Thus, engaging in personal dialogues between Chinese and Tibetans will foster more understanding on each side. When I first met Ngawang Norbu and Sangpo Lodeo, two Tibetan monks who came here under the Emory-Tibet Science initiatives, we agreed it that is necessary to initiate meetings between Chinese students and Tibetans to share stories and experiences. After several meetings, many Chinese students were shocked at the dangerous escaping process Tibetans had to go through, and the risks they faced; on the other side, Ngawang commented: “Dialogue opens the door for better relationship and more harmonious society.” This dialogue has greater impact in the future: because when Chinese students tell their friends and families, Tibetans tell their fellow Tibetans, the two groups will gradually understand each other. A couple weeks ago, Muslim Student Association (MSA) and Hillel co-hosted an art gala, and I must applaud Emory’s liberal environment for providing this kind of opportunity because when we try to get to know each other on a personal level, tensions don’t matter. Therefore, I encourage everyone to withdraw stereotypes and promote tolerance. Only when we hear stories from different perspective, can we form our own opinion and make our own judgment, and the dialogue is a starting point to mutual understanding. On the contrary, in terms of self-immolation, what’s the difference between 33 and 34 other than the number? Bart Qian is a college Sophomore from Shenyang, China.
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Emory Students Don’t Gain The Akhil Sood, Roger Tieu & Kenny Tsui Last week The Emory Wheel published an editorial regarding the replacement of Einstein Bros. Bagels with Dunkin’ Donuts. We agree with the Editorial Board that although a Dunkin’ Donuts may “bring new life into campus dining” this clashes with Emory’s efforts to encourage students to live healthier lifestyles. In the past few years, across college campuses nationwide, there has been great interest in the so-called “Freshman 15” — a phenomenon of student weight gain during the first year of college. However, recent findings by Dr. Jay Zagorsky at Ohio State University suggest that the Freshman 15 is actually a myth, suggesting instead that freshmen only gain two to three pounds. Although this weight gain seems insignificant, this increase could be reflective of poor dietary habits or lifestyle choices of college freshmen, which could prove harmful later in life. We, as freshmen, were intrigued by these results, leading us to study the dietary habits and lifestyle changes in college freshmen. Our project began as part of the freshman seminar ORDER (On Recent Discoveries by Emory Researchers). ORDER is a research-based seminar run by Professor David Lynn and Professor Leslie Taylor. With the guidance of our mentor, Dr. Dennis Mishler, our study began in fall 2011. We collected data from first year students who live in the LongstreetMeans residence hall and, with the assistance of Dr. Michelle Lampl and Dr. Jill Welkley, freshmen enrolled in Health 100. The 125 participants were anonymously surveyed with questions related to eating habits, physical activity and general lifestyles. From this data set, we noted several correlations. Our findings indicated that over twothirds of those surveyed had a normal Body Mass Index (BMI), suggesting that Emory’s freshman class is relatively healthy when it comes to weight. Furthermore, the freshmen with “overweight” BMI scores were predominantly athletes and physically active freshmen, suggesting that they were not, in fact, overweight but simply had more muscle mass. Despite the high number of freshmen having a healthy BMI, our findings suggest at least one potential health concern: The transition from high school to college was accompanied by a dramatic decrease in athletic participation. This drop in athletic participation is particularly substantial among females and Asians/Pacific Islanders with a decrease of over 50 percent for each group. Our initial findings did not show any strong nutrition trends. We wanted to inquire in more detail about the eating habits and food choices of the freshman class. We continued our study by recording the food selection of freshmen at the Dobbs University Center (DUC) for one hour during dinner for one week in the spring semester. The data collected from the DUC support our previous finding that Emory freshmen are eating meals that appear to be nutritionally balanced. Overall, we concluded that Emory freshmen are relatively healthy compared to other universities. However, we are unsure whether this is a result of a healthy lifestyle or the required meal plan. Nevertheless, a required meal plan makes having healthy dining options on campus of utmost importance and as far as we can tell, the DUC is accomplishing this. Currently there are several healthy options available but upcoming changes might threaten the balance. It seems contradictory to have a Dunkin’ Donuts in the center of campus, whereas healthy dining options, such as Organic-To-Go, are located on the outskirts of campus. We are not proposing that the University move Organic-To-Go to the DUC, but that we have two Organic-To-Go restaurants: one for the general Emory population and one for those on the outskirts of campus. When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, there must be a healthy environment. This includes the availability of healthy food and physical education programs. A “Freshman Olympics” of sorts amongst first year residence halls would promote physical activity and a sense of community. With regard to the DUC, we observed there were insufficient fruit options. By having more prepared fruit available throughout the day, students would have healthier eating choices. By implementing positive changes such as these, we, the Emory community, can promote a healthy environment. Since there will always be changes to the Emory environment, we plan to conduct further studies on the health of Emory undergraduates in the coming academic year. If you have any questions, concerns or an interest in our study, please contact us. We gladly welcome any advice, suggestions or assistance. After all, we are all members of the Emory community.
Akhil Sood is a College freshman from Houston, Texas. Roger Tieu is a College freshman from Rochester, N.Y. Kenny Tsui is a College freshman from Philadelphia, Pa.
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1 Barrel supports 7 ___ Solo of “Star Wars” 10 Attic nester 14 Stop 15 General on a Chinese menu 16 Two times tetra17 See 55-Across 18 Appt., often 19 Naturalist John 20 One of five Norwegian kings 21 1963 title role for 55-/17-Across 23 “No, No” girl of Broadway 26 TV’s “20/20” creator Arledge 27 1965 film starring 55-/17-Across 31 It can go over hill and dale, briefly 34 List shortener 35 Western author Grey 36 English class assignment 38 Slowing, in mus. 40 Pont Neuf’s river 41 “Rule, Britannia” composer 42 Pooped 44 Australian outlaw Kelly
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1960 film for which 55-/17-Across won a Best Actress Oscar 50 Harder to locate 51 Put through the paces 55 With 17-Across, late Hollywood star 58 “Casablanca” role 59 Mad 60 Colo.-to-Ga. direction 61 “Suddenly, Last ___” (1959 film starring 55-/17-Across) 63 Caffeine nut 64 PC screen type 65 Tied in a best-ofthree series 66 Ajar 67 Message on the beach of a remote island, maybe 68 Gets ready to hogtie
Down 1 Squelched 2 Merry refrain 3 Early Indian invader 4 1944 title role for 55-/17-Across 5 That, to Tomás 6 Bering, for one: Abbr.
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7 WWW code 8 Toward the rudder 9 Bum 10 Philander 11 Migraine, e.g. 12 Paint can instruction 13 Law office worker, for short 21 Chávez of the U.F.W. 22 Sound of breaking a vacuum seal 24 “Nearer, My God, to ___” 25 Asian holiday 28 Cover, so to speak 29 Feminizing suffix 30 Saxophonist’s need
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___ (not pay as you go) Word shortening on a traffic sign Piece of one’s heart Multicellular animal They may be brushed or bared Fed. agencies may issue them Tavern offering Good fig. for Maddux or Martinez Protagonists in “Star Wars” “The Last Supper,” for one
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Entertainment The Emory Wheel
Friday, April 27, 2012 Entertainment Editor: Lane Billings (ltbilli@emory.edu)
Entertainment News
Campus Feature
This Week
Pop Culture Column
‘Nerd’ Is The Word:
Troubled Star Lohan to Play Icon Elizabeth Taylor Lately, actress Lindsay Lohan is better known for her off-screen antics, rather than her on-screen talents. Despite LiLo’s run-ins with the law, Lifetime has announced that the actress will play Elizabeth Taylor in “Liz & Dick,” a TV movie based on Taylor’s life.
Geeks Strike Back
The KarCASHians Back for Three More Seasons How much does it cost to keep the most popular reality family, the Kardashians, on TV for another three years? Over $40 million, making it the richest contract in reality TV history. The new season of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” premiers on May 20 on E! “Seacrest In!” For a reported $15 million annually, Ryan Seacrest will continue to host the hit show “American Idol” for another two years. Producers hope that Seacrest’s continued presence will prevent any further erosion in the show’s already sinking ratings. — Compiled by Staff Writer Deana Bellen
By Grace Cummings Staff Writer
Courtesy of Focus Features
WMRE Welcomes ‘Spring’ with ‘Party’ By Alex Nathanson Contributing Writer
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Lindsay Lohan
“I wanna go home/Let me go home” was the chorus to “Sloop John B” — a single from the Beach Boys’ classic album Pet Sounds. The sentiment is probably shared nowadays among students who just want to finish school and hit the beach. And with WMRE’s Spring Band Party happening this weekend, that appetite for the lazy days of summer will be whetted even more. This Saturday, WMRE will hold its Spring Band Party, an annual concert full of performances from
artists who all have been labeled as “summery” or “chilled.” Brooklyn surf rockers Beach Fossils will headline the event, with electronic acts Sun Airway and Elite Gymnastics performing as openers. Continuing with the radio station’s tradition of bringing rising artists to campus, WMRE Special Events Chair and College senior Chelsea Douglas explains that these bands were picked for the buzz surrounding them both on and off the web in an interview with the Wheel.
“Beach Fossils had an album that came out in 2011 that was on a lot of top album lists and Sun Airway has been heavily featured on the concert circuit lately. Elite Gymnastics is also super up and coming and has gotten a lot of really good reviews on blogs like Pitchfork and Gorilla vs. Bear,” Douglas said. Incoming WMRE General Manager and College sophomore Adam Valeiras also explains that these bands were picked for being in a similar stage in terms of their
Garage Collaboration Forms Rocking Duo By Jordan Francis Contributing Writer
Courtesy of Jo McCaughey
Jack White has collaborated with a variety of acclaimed musicians, including Beck, the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan to create his new album entitled Blunderbuss.
White Woos New Fans, Wows Old With Solo Debut Jack White trades in his White Stripes for a solo career in his debut album Blunderbuss. The lead singer and guitarist for the White Stripes, Raconteurs and Dead Weather has broken free of his bandmates’ influences to create a record that is entirely his own. White’s solo endeavor does not identify with a single genre of music, and the fruit of his labor satisfying, though we have to wonder what was keeping this folksy, lyrical White at bay for so long. Blunderbuss appeases fans of the defunct White Stripes with familiar hard rock melodies in tracks “Missing Pieces” and “Sixteen Saltines,” the second single off the album. The song I’m singing all day long, however, is the album’s first single, “Love Interruption.” It’s approachable melodies and instrumentals are fodder for both the shower singer and the teenage garage musician. White also makes good use of an acoustic coffee house sound and backup vocals by Ruby Amanfu of Nashville duo Sam and Ruby. Many artists tend to let the inbetween tracks slump, but nobody sinks as far as White in the disappointing title track “Blunderbuss.”
See WMRE, Page 10
Album Review
Album Review
By Ian Trutt Contributing Writer
discography. “Each of these bands has released one full-length album and all of them are about to release a sophomore album this year,” Valeiras said. SBP headliners Beach Fossils first made waves with their 2010 fulllength debut Beach Fossils and their 2011 EP What A Pleasure. With song titles like “Vacation” and “Lazy Day,” summery themes are pretty easy to pick out even if you’re only
Jack White Blunderbuss On sale now
The song is sleepy, and the musical arrangement feels simple at best with a repetitive piano line and only occasional percussion.The track’s one saving grace is that its lyrics are highly relatable and showcases White’s insight, such as when he says “doing what two people need is rarely on the menu.” But wait, there’s more! More bad news, as evidenced by the songs “Hypocritical Kiss” and “Trash Tongue Talker.” “Kiss” is simply so forgettable that I don’t remember why I hate it, and “Talker” becomes dreadful after listening to the boring bass line for more than a minute. But just when I’m about to stop listening, Blunderbuss gets right back on track with “Hip (Eponymous) Poor Boy,” which counters some of the more aggressive songs on the album with a bit of lighthearted relief. The track is silly and retro, but the lyrics in “Poor Boy” are a clear criticism of White’s ex-bandmate and
ex-wife Meg. The closing number, “Take Me with You When You Go,” is a mindblowing piece that unites White’s blues and folk explorations with his traditional aggressive rock side during another plea to Meg White. The track starts light and bouncy featuring the album’s characteristic female backup vocals, but halfway through the song a crunchy electric guitar riff segways into a frenetic verse more reminiscent of the White Stripes. By the end of it, you don’t doubt for a second that White knew what he was doing with Blunderbuss the entire time — even in spite of “Hypocritical Kiss” and “Trash Tongue Talker.” White’s soul-folk-blues-rock blend, so familiar yet unique from his collaborative works, is fresh and exciting. To be fair, the album may be too erratic and genre bending for generic pop lovers, but fans of The Black Keys and Bob Dylan will feel at home with the album, and followers from the White Stripes and the Raconteurs can ease gradually and happily into the expanded blues and folk arrangements. When White said a seven nation army couldn’t hold him back, he was right.
— Contact Ian Trutt at itrutt@emory.edu
White Fence and Ty Segall form a sort of garage rock Odd Couple. White Fence — the solo guise of the incredibly prolific Tim Presley — dabbles in reel-to-reel psychedelic pastiche complete with faux production mistakes such as undeleted outtakes and warped magnetic tape. His foil Ty Segall once wrote a song about buying a couch. Nonetheless, the duo has a peanut butter and jelly like rapport on Hair, an album that effortlessly alternates between pop gems and guitar squelches. If all goes according to plan, the duo will have released a total of five albums between them by year’s end, but Hair is far from slight.
Lead single “I Am Not A Game” begins with a Doors-esque organ line before exploding into a foot-stomping, in-the-red guitar epic. The album’s highlight “Crybaby” has Segall yelping like an acid damaged Little Richard over a mutant rockabilly-punk bass line. In all, the album is virtually a drugged out tour of the genesis of rock and roll, but Presley and Segall keep the sound fresh by simply performing like two guys having the time of their life. Its easy to imagine the pair trading harebrained ideas and world class guitar solos between takes just to the pass time. Collaborative records run the risk of becoming a segregated affair, but even when an verse or chorus can
See Ty, Page 10
Whether you gave wedgies in grade school or received them, you have probably noticed an infiltration of nerds in television and movies lately. The popularity of TV shows such as CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” and Fox’s “New Girl” and movies such as “Project X” and “Superbad” have made “geek” chic. Audiences from all social walks of life appreciate “The Big Bang Theory,” a show ripe with geeky pop culture references as well as scientific guest stars such as Neil deGrasse Tyson and Steven Hawking. As Jess on “New Girl,” Zooey Deschanel brought the word ‘adorkable’ into our vocabularies. The characters of these shows are loving caricatures of nerds. We are laughing with them, not at them as we would have been before the ’80s, when characters like Eugene from “Grease” made audiences poke fun at nerds. The men of “The Big Bang Theory” know quantum physics, astrophysics and mechanical engineering but still have a hard time figuring out relationships. It is a successful sitcom because the jokes are not about obscure scientific references but are about the foibles of social awkwardness, relatable even if you do not identify as a nerd. “New Girl,” for that matter, is a bit like “The Big Bang Theory” if all the dorkiness of the men fit into one girl. In its beginning, the show verged on the stereotypical ‘makeover’ motif as Jess’s male roommates tried to think of ways to make Jess more dateable, but as the show progressed they learned to leave her alone. This show’s success is in this freedom that the other characters give Jess in being herself. Anthony Michael Hall made his name as the “brainiac” in “The Breakfast Club,” a lady-builder in “Weird Science” and the freshman who held up Molly Ringwald’s panties in “Sixteen Candles.” Then there was Jaleel White. Jaleel who? Maybe the name Steve Urkel from the show “Family Matters” rings a bell. Ross on “Friends,” played by David Schwimmer, had a Ph.D. in paleontology and yet managed to end up with one of People Magazine’s Most Beautiful People, Jennifer Anniston. (Spoiler alert if you’re still living in 2004.) A couple of nerdy ladies helped with this trend, namely Hermione from the Harry Potter series and Willow from “Buffy the Vampire
See Nerd, Page 10
Album Review
Wainwright Takes Risks With New Album By Logan Lockner Contributing Writer Rufus Wainwright is a busy guy. In the past three years, he’s gotten engaged, welcomed his daughter into the world, arranged and performed musical adaptations of Shakespeare’s sonnets and written an award-winning opera. As if all of this weren’t enough, he also managed to record Out of the Game, his new album out next Tuesday. Despite what the album’s title may suggest, Rufus is undoubtedly at the top of his game. Out of the Game represents a few changes in Wainwright’s style. Instead of the lush operatic fare that is his trade-
“Out of the Game” is Wainwright’s seventh album.
Rufus Wainwright Out of the Game mark, this album offers listeners the most pop-oriented work Wainwright has produced to date. New to his production team is Mark Ronson, an English producer whose previous credits include Amy Winehouse’s lauded Back to Black and Adele’s debut, 19. No matter what changes have
Courtesy of Alex Lake
occurred with Out of the Game, though, it’s important to remember that even if this is unabashedly pop music, it is pure Rufus pop music, which means its dramatic arrangements owe more of a musical debt to Elton John and Elvis Costello tracks than to today’s sometimes regrettable chart-toppers. The album’s opening track, the titular “Out of the Game,” is undeniably one of its best, with its irresistible, spirited chorus and slyly self-deprecating lyrics. Wainwright claims that this song was inspired by
See Wainwright, Page 10
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The Emory Wheel
Entertainment
Friday, April 27, 2012
Film Review
Music Interview
Drive-By Frontman Sticks to the Basics By Mark Rozeman Senior Editor
Mike Cooley does not like happy songs. Such a sentiment may, at first, seem a bit incongruous. A guitarist and one of the principal songwriters of the Drive-By Truckers, Cooley has, for nearly 20 years, been involved in a band celebrated for their rousing, southern-flavored rock and rambunctious live shows. Yet, as anyone who knows the band’s lyrics can attest, the worlds of the Truckers’ songs are far from rosy. Rather, they are dark visions filled with alcoholics, burnouts, loose women and a good share of dead bodies. For Cooley, this juxtaposition of rowdy rock with grim subject matter has always been a driving force in the group’s songwriting. “We always had fun playing live, it’s rocking and everybody’s happy,” Cooley explained in a phone interview with the Wheel. “I just think when you’re actually thinking about subjects that move you enough to want to comment on or write about, [you’re in] a more melancholy state of mind. It’s a better place to work from.” This style has certainly served the Truckers well. Nine studio albums and more than 12 years into their career, the band stands as one of contemporary rock’s most critically acclaimed and beloved acts, with their recent release, 2011’s Go-Go Boots, exploring the group’s country and soul influences. Although fellow guitarist/songwriter Patterson Hood stands as the more prolific writer of the two, Cooley can always be counted on to deliver a memorable number or two with each new album — even if he has no tried-and-true way of doing it. “There’s never been a set way [of writing songs],” he says. “I usually come up with something that sounds kind of cool or hits a nerve when playing guitar and start trying to come up with a melody and turn that melody into language. Sometimes I
might take a phrase or a line that sounds good to me and hang onto that. Sometimes, after a couple of years, it’ll become a song; sometimes, it never does.” In the wake of the band’s unusually lax touring schedule, Cooley recently underwent a series of solo shows. Besides giving him a chance to try out stripped-down versions of his songs, these shows also afford Cooley a more intimate interaction with the band’s fans — a diverse group to say the least. Attend any of the Truckers’ live shows and you’re likely to find a wide spectrum of demographics, whether it be the elderly, teenagers, rural rednecks or East Coast-bred intellectuals. “I guess there’s, for lack of a better word, a classic rock element to it,” he says of their appeal. “I think [younger audiences] like being able to grab onto something like that, especially when it’s not trying to be retro or revisionist.” A reductive term in many ways, “classic” does go a long way in characterizing the band. From the beginning, the Truckers have tried to do things the old fashioned way, including recording their music in analog. Despite his love for the classic, Cooley acknowledges the advantages to newer technology. “I like the fact that additional [technology] exists because we were able to make some records on our own with a much smaller budget than you used to have to have,” he says. “I love what you can do with recording at home, but if you want to do something real, getting the best of both worlds together is the way to do it.” That being said, Cooley says the Truckers won’t be incorporating more digital fiddling into any future albums, nor are we likely to ever get a Mike Cooley electronic album anytime soon. “I don’t think I could even say I would experiment with that stuff and keep a straight face,” he chuckles. “It makes me laugh.” — Contact Mark Rozeman at mrozema@emory.edu
Universal Pictures
Emily Blunt (“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”) and Jason Segel (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”) star in “Five Year Engagement,” a romantic comedy from the producers of “Bridesmaids.”
Segel’s ‘Five Year Engagement’ Drags On By Deana Bellen Staff Writer Tom and Violet complement each other perfectly. She wants to “get weird” in public places, and he wants to plan their wedding. She likes to “people watch,” and he enjoys to cook. All seems well and good until Violet lands a job as a psychology researcher at the University of Michigan, forcing the couple to relocate from the warm and pleasant climate of San Francisco to the treacherous hills of Ann Arbor. Now the couple has to weather the storm and hope that their relationship can withstand this major setback. In the film “The Five-Year Engagement,” director Nicholas Stoller strives to tell a modern day romance. In contrast to the all-toofamiliar premise of the woman dropping everything to follow her man, Tom (Jason Segel, “How I Met Your Mother”) is instead willing to sacrifice his career as a chef to follow Violet’s (Emily Blunt, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”) pursuit of
The Five Year Engagement Now Playing Starring: Jimmy Carter
academia. This isn’t to say that Tom is overly joyous about the move. The majority of the film is laughout-loud funny with shticks such as Violet and her sister Suzie’s (Alison Brie, “Mad Men”) banter in Elmo and Cookie Monster voices. However, if there is one flaw in the film, it would be Stoller‘s overuse of flashback sequences and lame gags. This causes the film to drag at times. The repeated flashbacks of the couple’s romance seem forced and unnecessary. We get it: the two met at a New Years’ Eve costume party — she as Princess Diana, he as a bunny — and have been inseparable ever since. The first time, this scene was funny and showed the couple’s light-hearted relationship, but the continuous use
of this technique becomes annoying. Stoller falls into the same trap with the dying grandparent gag. One grandparent dying from the anguish of waiting for the two to finally tie the knot was funny, yes. Two, three and so on felt more like overkill. The acting in the film, for the most part, was above par, with only a few glitches here and there. Both Segel and Blunt brought the energy needed to create a free-spirited yet believable romance. Their relationship didn’t feel like a contrived Hollywood take on a romance, but instead like a natural courting. It is endearing that the couple is able to laugh off each other’s failed attempts at the “perfect” proposal. Needless to say, it does help that the stars of the film had a supporting cast that did just that: support. Chris Pratt’s (“Parks and Recreation”) character Alex is one that immediately comes to mind. As Tom’s fellow chef, Alex is the immature bonehead that girls’ mothers warn them about. His highly
inappropriate rendition of Billy Joel’s classic song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” in which he namedrops all of Tom’s previous lovers is telling of his character in itself. However, his childish antics don’t prevent him from impregnating and then marrying Suzie. Also providing entertaining support and humorous moments are Violet’s misfit Ph.D. candidates Vaneetha (Mindy Kaling, “The Office”) and Ming (Randall Park, “Larry Crowne”). “The Five-Year Engagement” is a comedy about staying rather than falling in love. Audience members will genuinely sympathize with both of the leads’ predicaments: Violet’s struggle to pursue her dream and Tom’s misery in trudging through the snow to serve sandwiches at a local joint. That being said, this film has no business lasting a full two hours. After all, it is only a matter of time before they walk down the aisle. — Contact Deana Bellen at
dbellen@emory.edu
Wainwright Matures with Surprising New Release Continued from Page 9
Cass Bird/EMI Music
In an interview with the Wheel, Drive-By Truckers frontman talks about his love for sad songs and stripped-down folky sounds.
Nerds Win Over Audiences In ‘New Girl,’ ‘Big Bang Theory’ Continued from Page 9 Slayer,” but in the early days nerdy ladies in leading roles seemed to leave a bad taste in Hollywood’s mouth. Misfit girls, like many of Moly Ringwald’s characters, were acceptable as long as they were pretty and fashionable in their own way. Movies with female characters who didn’t care about fashion such as “She’s All That” and “The Princess Diaries” tended to have an agenda to morph a caterpillar into a butterfly, which can be fun to watch but ultimately superficial and unsatisfying.
“Revenge of the nerds?” Maybe. But if current trends continue, nerds are here to stay. The advent of nerdy characters bodes well for pop culture. It sends two important messages. One: that you can be your weird, awkward self but still find love and friendship, throwing away the stereotype that nerds are annoying misanthropes. Second: that you’re not alone when you argue that Captain Kirk is better than Captain Picard. Because, people, let’s face it. William Shatner rules. — Contact Grace Cummings at gccummi@emory.edu
his fascination with “what kids today do to themselves for attention.” It’s hard to resist smiling as Wainwright defiantly cries, “Look at you, suckers, does your mama know what you’re doing?” One’s affection for the song can only increase after watching its adorably odd gem of a music video, which features a deadpan Helena Bonham Carter as an uptight librarian and Wainwright himself in drag. Wainwright’s voice soars like it always has, but in Out of the Game, it does so over danceable horn sections and crooning female backup singers instead of over complex orchestral melodies. The singer’s remarkable talent and unique musical perspective permeate the entire album, complemented by Ronson’s soul-infused contributions. Their collaboration is especially fruitful on tracks like “Rashida” and “Barbara,” which ooze with nostalgia for the soft rock of the 1970s. The pop music Wainwright has crafted on Out of the Game may not be for all listeners, but for those who have come to love the singer’s trademark blend of delicious campiness and sweet sincerity, this album is another interesting product of his prolific, undeniably artistic career. — Contact Logan Lockner at llockne@emory.edu
Ty and White Fence at Ease with Stylistic Collage Continued from Page 9 be tagged as distinctly Presley or unmistakably Segall, the music still feels cohesive. “Easy Ryder” features a tossed-off hook straight from the Ty Segall song book, but as a whole, Segall’s melodic ambitions smooth out Presley’s experimental tendencies. Vise-versa, when a White Fence
like sound experiment intrudes on the never ending parade of pop, the moment is a welcome change of pace. For instance, two-thirds of the way into “Scissor People,” the song breaks down into a stylistic collage of the same guitar chord performed with different production techniques. The effect makes for one of the most arresting stretches of the album. The song’s aesthetic melange
mimics that of the album, with the pair drawing from an vast array of mind-bending influences — from The Beatles to the 13th Floor Elevators. Yet, for all it’s artistic intentions, Hair plays more like a greatest hits collection then a set of genre exercises. These guys know how to rock.
— Contact Jordan Francis at jordan.francis@emory.edu
Courtesy of captured tracks
Beach Fossils (above), Sun Airway and Elite Gymnastics are lined up to perform at WMRE’s Spring Band Party this Saturday night in Cox Ballroom at 7 p.m.
WMRE Spring Band Party Lineup Features Upand-Coming Indie Bands, Summertime Sounds Continued from Page 9 half-heartedly listening to the band’s simple lyrics. What makes Beach Fossils distinctive, then, is not necessarily the lyrical depth of its songs, but a characteristic combination of jangling guitar riffs, bouncy bass lines and simple drum rhythms. In past years, comparisons have been made between Beach Fossils and surf rockers like Best Coast and The Drums. They have also drawn comparisons to dreamier-sounding bands like Craft Spells and Wild Nothing in their recent releases. Sun Airway, a Philadelphiabased electronic duo consisting of Jon Barthmus and Patrick Marceill, achieves similarly dreamy effects with its music, but through different means. The duo’s 2011 fulllength debut Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier conveys a sense of tropical dreaminess with its glistening keys, Caribbean percussion and various hazy synth sounds. The
impressive vocals of front man Jon Barthmus — whose crooning voice has soften been compared to that of The Strokes’ Julian Casablancas — may make Sun Airway a more accessible act than SBP headliners Beach Fossils. Neither Sun Airway nor Beach Fossils can claim the title of most eclectic act though, as that title goes to Elite Gymnastics, a Minneapolisbased electronic duo consisting of James Brooks and John Clancy. Never mind the fact that the duo is based in a city with no electronic scene to speak of, the fact that the two are avid fans of K-pop, cats, and Lil B is a story in its own right. The duo’s 2011 debut “RUIN” reflects some of this quirkiness, sprinkling in everything from heavy, ’90s-sounding drum and bass lines, to piano samples from the “Final Fantasy” video game franchise. The combination of these instrumentals from different cultures and decades strangely works to produce a chilled, semi-Balearic sound.
Elite Gymnastics follows in the footsteps of past acts to visit campus like Washed Out in terms of being subtly influenced by hip hop and rap. Ghostface Killah was the last rapper to perform at a WMRE-organized event back in 2008. This raises the question: could a rapper headline the next WMRE event? If Valeiras has his way, that might become a reality over the next year. “I think I’m a bigger fan of rap than past general managers, so I would be interested in bringing a rap show to campus,” Valeiras said. So, whether the soundtrack to your summer involves languid guitar riffs or hazy, pulsating beats, there should be something for everybody to enjoy at this year’s Spring Band Party. WMRE’s Spring Band Party is scheduled to take place this Saturday, April 28 at the Cox Hall Ballroom. Doors will open at 7 p.m. — Contact Alex Nathanson at alex.nathanson@emory.edu
E
The Emory Wheel
Sports
agle xchange Sat 28
Sun 29
vs. Oglethorpe vs. Oglethorpe University University 2 p.m. 1 p.m. Atlanta, Ga. Chappell Park
Mon 30
Dan, David, Gina and Geoff... Emory, are you not entertained?
Tues 1
vs. North Georgia 7 p.m. Dahlonega, Ga.
Track & Field Women’s Men’s Tennis Tennis
UAA Outdoor UAA Outdoor Championships Championships All Day All Day Pittsburgh, Pa. Pittsburgh, Pa. UAA UAA Championships Championships TBA TBA Altamonte Altamonte Springs, Fla. Springs, Fla.
The No.2-ranked men’s tennis team is still undefeated after one round of play in the UAA championships. The Eagles won their first round match against Rochester in straight sets.
UAA UAA UAA Championships Championships Championships TBA TBA TBA Orlando, Fla. Orlando, Fla. Orlando, Fla.
Team Seeks to Extend UAA Monopoly, Eyes NCAAs
Christine Hines/Staff
Continued from The Back Page
Golf
With the coaching staff back and another year of experience for Pottish, Goodwin and Humphreys, the Eagles feel poised to win the UAAs. But despite their status as heavy favorites and their perfect record, the team is avoiding complacency. “It is tough to be disappointed with an undefeated record thus far in the season. We feel confident as a team, but we are not stagnant in our development,” said senior captain Will Humphreys. “We are always looking to improve our games so that we can peak at the right time of the season: nationals.” The Eagles are paying particular attention to doubles and to the health of their players. “There are many areas we still need to address. Doubles is always key, so we spend a fair amount of
time working on our teams,” Head Coach John Browning said. “Also, a big key is staying healthy. It’s a long season, and a lot of our guys are battling nagging injuries.”
“I want to be remembered as a member of the team who won the National Championship in 2012. ” — Chris Goodwin, senior captain This will be the last season together for the trio of Pottish, Goodwin and Humphreys, who will all graduate in May. Pottish has garnered many accolades since transferring from the
University of Portland in 2009. Goodwin has battled many injuries but still is within inches of becoming Emory’s all-time career singles wins leader. Humphreys walked onto the team and overcame illnesses and injuries to be a captain. Despite their different pasts, these captains have instilled in their team a sense of perseverance, professionalism and work ethic. Before they depart, they would like to leave as UAA Champions and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champions. “I want to be remembered as a member of the team who won the National Championship in 2012,” Goodwin said. “Me, Will and Dillon want to lead this team to a national title.” — Contact Zonair Khan at zonair.khan@emory.edu
Isabel Kurzner/Staff
Sophomore Brenna Kelly and the women’s tennis team enter the UAA championships as the top seed.
Top-Seeded Women’s Tennis Looks to Repeat UAA Title Continued from The Back Page especially in doubles, because the players were hard hitters, and this is something that we don’t always see when we play D-3 schools.” The Eagles are led by senior Zahra Dawson and sophomore Gabrielle Clark. Dawson’s 6-2, 6-0 win over Georgia Perimeter’s Sadietou Mayou put her in second place on the Emory school singles wins list. Dawson is also second all-time in doubles victories with 97. “Every match is a way to prepare for the matches to come, so in that sense, yes, Georgia Perimeter has prepared us going into UAAs,” Dawson said. “Our game plan is just to focus on the specific personal goals that our coaches have given us for our singles and doubles matches. They know that when we meet our goals, we play our best.” Emory is 13-4 on the season, with
quality wins against Johns Hopkins University (Md.), Amherst College (Mass.) and Tufts University (Mass.). The team has always had one goal though. “We definitely had a lot of success last year, but our goal is always to win a national championship,” Dawson said. “Throughout the season, we’ve been really focusing on the process, and I think that our preparation allows us to not feel this kind of stressful pressure. Instead, we are prepared to compete and fight to the finish.” On Friday, April 27, Emory will play its first match of the UAA tournament against New York University (N.Y.) at 1:30 p.m. The winner of this match will advance to face the winner of Wash. U against Brandeis. This second-round match will take place on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. — Contact Daniel Baum at dbaum2@emory.edu
Isabel Kurzner/Staff
Check swing? The Eagles’ offense was not stymied, battering LaGrange pitching to the tune of ten runs and 12 hits in Wednesday’s 10-5 victory.
Squad Hopes to Solidify Case for Regional Bid Continued from The Back Page and North Georgia College next week. The team considers a win against Birmingham-Southern, who is ranked ninth in the country, to be
crucial for them getting a regional bid. “We have beat BiringhamSouthern twice already this year,” Welch said. “Sweeping them would really solidify our chances for making the playoffs. The selection com-
mittee would see how well we can play against good competition.” The Eagles will play again next Saturday, April 28 when they travel to Oglethorpe for a 2 p.m. game. — Contact Bennett Ostdiek at bostdie@emory.edu
Weather To NCAA Tournament Opponent to be Announced May 7 Affect UAA Tournament Continued from The Back Page
Continued from The Back Page said that the weather will be a major factor for the team to deal with. “Conditions we are looking at for this weekend will be tough,” he wrote. “The weather will be a factor and the teams that rise above [it are] the teams that are going to win.” However, Davies is trying to keep the issue out of his mind. “Everybody is in the same conditions,” he said. “If you don’t worry about it you are ahead of everybody who is.” A particular strength of the Emory team is its spirit and energy. “We come together as a team and cheer each other on” Dyer wrote. “We have heard other teams complain that, when they are racing, all they hear is the Emory crowd cheering on its own athletes. It is really a great atmosphere.” — Contact Bennett Ostdiek at bostdie@emory.edu
Senior Bridget Holloway was the winning pitcher, striking out three players and allowing three earned runs in five innings. Holloway won the 59th game of her career, good for second place on the Eagles’ all-time list. Holloway has issued only one walk in her last 42 innings played. “I feel very proud and confident in myself as well as our pitching staff,” Holloway said. “I really think our pitching is right where it needs to be and we look very strong.” In the second game against Piedmont, Emory’s offensive put forth a strong effort. The Eagles put up runs in four of the five innings, and came through with their pitching once again thanks to sophomore Amanda Kardys. Kardys pitched through the entire second game, and allowed only one hit. After scoring in the bottom of the second, the Eagles scored twice more in the third inning. Boni scored the first run, and
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On Fire
Softball
baseball
Fri 27
Friday, April 27, 2012
Sullivan scored the second. Emory through with RBI singles. went on to score four more times in The game ended after five innings, the fourth inning. with the Eagles having tacked on “We were determined to come three more runs n the meantime. back from that first inning and show Emory’s offense was just as Piedmont that they couldn’t beat us,” aggressive in the second game, taking Boni said. “When they score first it is a 4-0 lead in the first inning. like they are telling Light hit a threeus they think they run double, while can keep up with Sullivan connected “The competition at the us, and it is our job for a single that regional tournament is to show them they allowed Light to always intense, but I can’t.” cross the plate. know we have the ability On Tuesday, the Sullivan came to go all the way.” Eagles started out back again in the their first game fourth inning, scoragainst Covenant — Jessica Boni, ing two of the four with a bang. runs. senior captain The team conHolloway pitched nected for 11 hits, the entire first game with Boni and Light as the main against Covenant College, striking contributors. out four players. Boni went 2-for-2, scoring two Sophomore Lena Brottman threw RBI’s and two runs. Light scored two the first four innings of the secruns as well and one RBI. ond game, and Senior Jaclyn Jacobi The Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 pitched the final two. lead after the first inning, and shortly “The team as a whole did amazing thereafter extended it to 8-0. on defense and offense,” said Boni. Light, Boni, Scharff, Bailey and “I could not ask for a better set of freshman Moira Sullivan all came games.”
The games against Covenant College concluded the regular season for the Eagles. They will find out on May 7 if they earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Because Emory is an independent school, the softball team does not earn a bid automatically for winning the conference championship. Instead, receiving a bid depends on the team’s record in and out of the region. “With the record we have we are very confident we will get [a bid],” Boni said. “The biggest question we have is where we will end up. The competition at the regional tournament is always intense, but I know we have the ability to go all the way.” There are eight regions, with six teams per region. The winner of each region moves on to the College World Series. The Eagles’ goal, according to Holloway, is to make it through regionals and go on to win the World Series. — Contact Katherine Wilson at knwils3@emory.edu
1. Elusive Perfection Asante Samuel was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. Stopping cheering ATLiens, he’s criminally overrated. Cue the incredulous retorts. Dude Asante is amazing. He gets so many interceptions. One of the best defensive backs in the National Football League. Asante does haul in an impressive number of interceptions, 45 in nine year career. He’s a “ball-hawk.” And yes interceptions are obviously good defensive football results. However, what if a cornerback corrals many picks, but also allows a lot of big plays. That’s Asante, insane big-play gambler. Think of a slugger who swings for the fences, hits a bunch of home-runs, but strikes out a crap load. Like David “Kong” Kingman. But what really turns us off about Asante is one play. Yes, it’s unfair to judge an athlete on one mistake. Ask Bill Buckner, or the legendary Ray Finkle. But still. Rewind to Superbowl XLII. Yeah 42, the 18-0 Pats versus the quarterback-hound Giants. With the Pats up 14-10 with two minutes left in the game, Asante completely flubbed a potential interception which would have iced the game. And this isn’t a case of a defensive back making an insane effort for the ball and nearly hauling one in. No, Asante was by himself on the right sideline, elevated slightly with hands reaching for the ball. His fingertips graze the ball but it sails straight through his hands. A play later, no fault of Asante’s, the David Tyree Helmet Catch materialized. Thusly, and hence, Asante sucks. 2. NFLDRAFT Yesterday was every body’s favorite day of the year, NFL draft day. Okay so maybe not everyone’s favorite day, but here we cannot get enough of it. So what, it kind of really sucks that the draft is three days now. You can no longer wake up early on a Saturday and watch the draft for 8 straight hours. Instead, ESPN and the NFL get to drag out their coverage for three slow, monotonous days. But whatever. No matter what they do the NFL draft we will always love it. So what happened in the first glorious day of the draft? At the top of the draft Andrew Luck and Robert “RGIII” Griffin III went fast to the Colts and Redskins respectively. The debate surrounding these two quarterback phenoms has been exhausted so we will give you a break and stop talking about them. After the second pick, shit hit the fan trades wise. The Vikings and Browns switched places at three and four so that the Browns could grab Trent Richardson third overall. That was pretty cool we guess. Richardson has all the tools to be a great running back so it is not exactly a reach. Just a boring pick. Some other notable moves in the draft? The Jaguars traded up to the fifth overall pick to grab star wide receiver Justin Blackmon. The Jaguars are giving little miss sunshine Blaine Gabbert all the tools to succeed at this point. You have to feel bad for Blackmon though, because working with Gabbert can’t be fun. At the sixth overall pick the Cowboys got even dumber than they already are with the drafting of star LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. Claiborne is a talented kid and will have a chance to succeed, but you can’t but laugh at his reported wunderlich score of four. No, that is not a typo. Yes, he scored lower than Vince Young. A lot more stuff happened in the draft, but whatever. It’s the NFL draft. Oh and the Miami Dolphins reached for Ryan Tannehill. LOL! 3. Club Futility Those Charlotte Bobcats. Yeah the ones who cannot defeat the University of Kentucky Wildcats. True or not, with their loss to the Knicks last night the Bobcats will finish with a 7-59 record. It’s significant (but not really) because a 7-59 record comes out to a .106 winning percentage, the losingest winning percentage, or winningest losing percentage, of all time. Forget that it’s in a 66 game schedule. We love futility, no matter how superficial. It’s easy to mock, and it directs attention away from our own failures. Too far? At least a strong draft class is upcoming, though the Nets are moving to Brooklyn and need a superstar… Stern always answers the big city’s prayers 4. Death Is Not An Option Ron Artest’s therapist or Javy Guerra’s face?
Sports The Emory Wheel
Friday, April 27, 2012 Sports Editors: Nathaniel Ludewig (nludewi@emory.edu) and Vincent Xu (vxu@emory.edu)
Track & Field
Baseball
Dillman Sets Two Records in Victory By Bennett Ostdiek Asst. Sports Editor
Tianran Zhang/Staff
The men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete at the UAA championships this weekend, which will take place at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. The women’s teams won the event last season, while the men’s side placed fourth.
Women to Defend Conference Title By Bennett Ostdiek Asst. Sports Editor Both the men’s and women’s track and field teams will be competing in the University Athletic Association (UAA) Outdoor Championships this weekend. The meet will be hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, and is set to take place on April 28 and 29. Head Coach John Curtin said that he expected women’s competition to be a very close one between Washington University in St. Louis and Emory. The Eagles have won the UAA Outdoor Championships two years in a row, but Wash. U won this year’s indoor title. “Wash. U caught us earlier this year and has shown they are willing to load up their distance kids to go
for the title,” Curtin wrote in an email to the Wheel. “We simply need to match them and do a little more in the sprints, hurdles and jumps to make it a horse race.” Curtin also explained that the men’s squad will be entering the meet without two key players, making the road to a championship tougher. Senior thrower Ben Euwer and sophomore sprinter and jumper Mike Moserowitz will both be unable to compete due to injuries. “Ben [was] the conference’s best all-around thrower and Mike [was] among the top horizontal jumpers,” he wrote. “Their loss has definitely set us back, but our guys are resilient and I will never count them out.” Strong showings in the high jump and distance events will be especially
Men’s Tennis
critical to the success of the women’s team, according to senior captain Alix Dyer. “Wash. U is the national cross country reigning champion, so they are obviously very strong in the longer events,” Dyer wrote in an email to the Wheel. “At last year’s indoor conference [championships], [the] high jump swung things our way. This event can really be a hit or miss, so it is important that our athletes perform at their best.” Senior captain Geraint Davies explained that, for the men, the jumping events would be crucial to a successful meet. “The triple jump and long jump are events that we are traditionally strong in and are looking good in,” Davies said. “If the distance guys can
come up with some points as well, we will be looking really good.” Davies went on to add that a few members of the team have really been stepping up lately, and he looks forward to seeing quality efforts from them. “Stephen Ellwood ran a great 1500 last week, Edward Mulder has the fourth fastest 5k time in the UAA and the other captains are really getting the sprint guys ready to go,” he said. We should see some good performances — a lot of guys are peaking at the right time.” The meet will take place outdoors in Pittsburgh. The forecast on Saturday calls for a high of 47 degrees and a chance of snow. Curtin
See Weather, Page 11
The baseball team played the LaGrange College Panthers Wednesday night, winning by a score of 10-5. With the win, the Eagles improved their record to 24-11 on the season. “This was a great game for us,” senior first baseman Jay Page said. “Everything came together. It was a great win for our team.” Freshman pitcher Connor Dillman started for Emory, earning the win to improve his record to 8-1. April 26 With his eighth Emory 10, victory, Dillman LaGrange set a new record for College 5 wins by an Emory freshman pitcher, breaking a mark which had stood since 1997. “Connor has pitched amazingly the whole year,” Page said. “Every time he goes out, we feel that it is going to be a win because he has such dominant stuff. He is a force to be reckoned with on the mound.” Dillman threw for six innings, allowing four runs, four hits and four walks while striking out 10. He increased his season strikeout total to 76, setting another freshman pitching record for the Eagles in the process. “Connor has stepped up for us big time this year,” sophomore catcher Jared Welch said. “He had never been a starter before coming to college, and has made the transition really well. He has exceeded all expectations.” The Eagles got on the scoreboard first, bringing a run across home plate in the second inning. Freshman outfielder Wes Peacock reached base after being hit by a pitch, stole second base and advanced to third base on a throwing error. Junior second baseman Mark Lindemann then doubled, scoring Peacock. The Panthers retaliated with a run in the bottom of the inning, but Emory took the lead for good in the third inning. Walks to Welch, junior designated hitter Daniel Iturrey and Page loaded the bases.
Softball
The No. 2-ranked men’s tennis team (18-0) swept the University of Rochester 9-0 in day one of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Tennis Championships Thursday. Emory has won 21 of the past 22 UAA conferences. The tournament began yesterday and will continue through April 29. It is being held at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs, Fla. The hosts for the tournament are the University of Chicago and Emory. Emory’s flawless record earned it the No. 1 seed in the tournament. In the opening round at 9 a.m. yesterday, the Eagles played No. 8 seed Rochester (N.Y., 6-12). Emory won by a 9-0 margin. Emory began the match by taking a 3-0 lead in doubles, losing just five games along the way. Seniors Chris Goodwin and Will Humphreys won on the No. 1 doubles line, as did junior Elliot Kahler and freshman Ian Wagner on the No. 2 line. Senior Dillon Pottish and freshman Brian Kowalski remained undefeated playing No. 3 doubles. The Eagles won all of their singles matches in straight sets. Goodwin and Pottish played on the first and second lines, while freshmen Kowalski, Wagner, Eric Halpern and Alex Ruderman played Nos. 3-6. No. 2 seed Carnegie Mellon (Pa., 12-6) defeated No. 7 seed New York University (N.Y., 9-5) 5-4. Third seed Washington University
in St. Louis (Miss., 13-5) beat sixth seed Brandeis (Mass., 4-12) 8-1. No. 4 seed Case Western (Ohio, 13-7) prevailed against No. 5 seed University of Chicago (9-8) 6-3. In order to win the tournament, Emory must win three matches in three days. Even though the UAAs this year will pose more of a challenge than in years past due to the higher than usual number of nationally ranked opponents in the field, the Eagles are still favored heavily to win. The Eagles have had much success in the UAA’s, winning 21 of the last 22 championships. Their lone loss came in the 2009-2010 season at the hands of the rival Washington University in St. Louis Bears. However, the Eagles regained the UAA championship last season when current senior captains Dillon Pottish, Chris Goodwin and Will Humphreys led the Eagles to victory. In last year’s tournament, Pottish, who is currently the No. 1-ranked player in the nation, was named Most Valuable Player. Additionally, Emory’s coaching staff, led by Head Coach John Browning, was named the Coaching Staff of the Year. Pottish and Goodwin topped the All-Association First Team as the top first and second singles players, respectively. Furthermore, Goodwin needs two more victories in singles play to match the school’s all-time record of 99 career singles victories.
See Team, Page 11
See Squad, Page 11
Women’s Tennis
No. 2 Team Serving Off In Florida
Eagles Sweep First Match At UAAs By Zonair Kahn Staff Writer
After senior shortstop Kevin O’Connor lined into a double play, Peacock doubled, scoring Welch and Iturrey. A single from freshman third baseman Warren Kember scored Peacock and gave the Eagles a 4-1 lead. “We were patient at the plate and hit very well,” Page said. “We have stopped swinging at bad pitches.” The Eagles added two more runs to their tally in the fourth inning. Freshman right fielder Brett Lake and sophomore center fielder Brandon Hannon both reached base on errors to begin the inning. After a Welch groundout advanced them to second and third bases, respectively, Iturrey singled to score Lake. Page then grounded out, driving in Hannon. LaGrange scored twice in the bottom of the fourth, but the Eagles tacked on three more runs in the fifth to put the game out of reach. Lindemann began the inning with a walk, then advanced to second base on an error and to third base on a failed pickoff attempt. Lake then hit a sacrifice fly to score Lindemann. Hannon bunted for a single, advanced to second base on an error and to third base on a Welch single. Welch stole second base, and Page then doubled to bring home both Hannon and Welch. Senior Connor McGuiness came in to pitch for Dillman in the seventh inning. He threw one and twothirds innings of scoreless baseball, not allowing a single runner to reach base. McGuiness, a captain, has been battling injuries throughout his career. “Connor has been a key factor on the team the whole year,” Page said. “He is a major reason why the whole pitching staff is throwing so well. He works with all the young kids. He is pitching through a lot of pain, but came out and dominated [Wednesday] night.” The Eagles only have four games left on their schedule, facing Oglethorpe College this weekend in a two-game series before battling Birmingham-Southern College (Ala.)
By Daniel Baum Contributing Writer
The Eagles reached 19 hits in their first game, the tenth highest total in school history. Freshman Micah Scharff, senior Jessica Thomas, sophomore Megan Light and sophomore Claire Bailey all went 3-4 at the plate. Boni drove in four runs in the first game, including a two-run double that ended the first affair.
The No. 2-ranked women’s tennis team will be competing in the 25th annual University Athletic Association Championship. The Eagles are the top seed out of eight conference teams and will look to defend their conference title in Altamonte Springs, Fla., from April 26-27. Other participants in the championship include No.4-ranked Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.), No.11ranked Washington University in St. Louis (Wash. U, Miss.) and No.20ranked Brandeis University (Mass.). “I wouldn’t say that what we feel is so much as pressure but, instead, I think this year we have more of a desire to succeed and improve,” sophomore Brenna Kelly said. Emory is coming off of a 9-0 win over Georgia Perimeter College. The Eagles’ success against Georgia Perimeter was highlighted by junior Jordan Wylie and freshman Lauren Pinsky, who won 8-0 in doubles play. “The match against Georgia Perimeter was great because we were able to put more of our younger players into the lineup,” Kelly said. “The match was also good for us,
See NCAA, Page 11
See Top-Seeded, Page 11
Christine Hines/Staff
Senior outfielder Jessica Thomas connected for two hits and scored three runs as the Eagles swept Covenant College in a double-header Wednesday afternoon.
Team Claims Four Mercy Rule Wins, No. 1 Ranking By Katherine Wilson Staff Writer The softball team continued their winning streak this week, run-ruling both Piedmont College and Covenant College in respective doubleheaders Tuesday and Wednesday. “We don’t like to lose, especially if we know we can beat the team we are playing,” senior captain Jessica Boni said.
The Eagles are ranked No. 1 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25 for the first time this season. In their opening game Tuesday, Emory dominated Piedmont 12-4 in five inning, and later ended the second game 8-0 at the six-inning mark. Emory took this momentum into their Covenant doubleheader the next day, winning the first game 11-2 in five innings, and 8-0 later in the day.