The Emory Wheel
index
Emory Events Calendar, Page 2
Police Record, Page 2
Ask Me Anything, Page 15
Staff Editorial, Page 10
Eagle Exchange, Page 15
Since 1919
The Independent Student Newspaper of Emory University www.emorywheel.com
Friday, August 31, 2012 student life
Stand-up comedian Amy Schumer, Swedish DJ duo Cazzette and American band Slightly Stoopid are among the performers that the Student Programming Council (SPC) has booked as part of Homecoming Week. The Fall Band Party performer has not yet been announced. Schumer, who stars in “Seeking a Friend for the End of the World” with Steve Carell and who was a finalist on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” will deliver her comedy routine during Homecoming on Thursday, Sept. 27 at Glenn Memorial Auditorium. Cazzette will take the stage at Homecoming Ball on Friday, Sept. 28, and Slightly Stoopid will perform for students and alumni on Saturday, Sept. 29. College senior and SPC Speakers Chair Corey Teich wrote in an email to the Wheel that SPC chose Schumer as this year’s comedian because he watched her routine during “The Roast of Charlie Sheen” and “started to realize her potential.” “In the three years I have been at Emory, we have not had a female entertainer,” Teich wrote. “I wanted to break the mold, and I thought with Amy Schumer I would be doing just that.” College senior and SPC President Will Levinson said that while Slightly Stoopid was popular during the 1990s, the band also recently released an album. For this reason, he said, Slightly Stoopid will appeal to both students and alumni. In addition, SPC chose Cazzette “because they keep rising in the charts and in their ratings,” Levinson said. “It just sort of worked out nicely that they’re going on tour and have some hype and are a mix between electronic and also some hip hop,” Goizueta Business School senior and SPC Band Party Co-Chair Chris
Every Tuesday and Friday technology
put your hands in the air
SPC Reveals Lineup For Fall Performers By Jordan Friedman News Editor
Volume 94, Issue 1
University Shifts to Office 365 For Email
Amy Schumer, stand-up comedian and actress, will perform at Emory’s Homecoming this year.
By Nicholas Sommariva Asst. News Editor
See Inside SPC will no longer be hosting Block Party, which will expand its special events budget. See Page 3. Akavi said. The theme for this year’s homecoming is “Swoop’s County Fair,” which will incorporate the elements of a southern county fair including hay bails, a petting zoo, bluegrass band and a chili cook-off, said College junior and SPC Homecoming Co-Chair Carly Cindrich. The cook-off will take place on Asbury Circle on Monday from 5 to 7 p.m. at Asbury Circle and will include food from two different chili restaurants from Atlanta as well as live music and beer. There will be no event on Tuesday during Homecoming week. “[We] are really excited for the chili cook-off,” Cindrich said. “It’s original, fits with the theme and who doesn’t love free food and a fun cookoff? ... It will be a good atmosphere.” SPC will hold its Homecoming Wonderful Wednesday on Asbury Circle, and the organization will partner with the Red Cross to host a Blood Drive in the Woodruff P.E. Center from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Slightly Stoopid’s performances on Saturday will be preceded by a tailgate, parade and a Homecoming soccer game.
Asst. News Editor Nicholas Sommariva contributed reporting. — Contact Jordan Friedman at jordan.m.friedman@emory.edu
H
Tianran Zhang/Staff
arris Hall placed first at this year’s Songfest, followed by Dobbs in second. Harris created routines to songs such as Mulan’s “Make a Man Out of You” and Kayne West’s “Stronger.” See Page 6 for Full Story.
greek life
Freshman ‘Social Freeze’ Shortened By Jordan Friedman News Editor The period during which freshmen are prohibited from Eagle Row during the beginning of the semester has been slightly shortened to just more than two weeks this fall from three weeks last year. The name of the time period has also been changed from “delay” to “social freeze.” The social freeze started Aug. 24 and will end Tuesday, Sept. 11. Victor Rudo, the Interfraternity Council (IFC) president and Goizueta Business School senior, specified in a May 18 letter to the IFC that the social freeze is not an IFC policy but rather one that former Senior Vice President and Dean of Campus Life John Ford established in order “to allow first-year students to grow
village
acclimated to campus during their first few weeks.” The policy additionally aims to reduce the risks students may pose “to themselves and organizations when they attend fraternity events,” Rudo wrote. IFC met with Dean of Students Bridget Riordan and Director of Sorority and Fraternity Life Megan Janasiewicz in late April to discuss options for this year’s social freeze as well as potential issues with having first-year students attend fraternity events in the beginning of the semester and the importance of having chapters “protect themselves from these risks,” Rudo wrote in an email to the Wheel. IFC also proposed the name change from “delay” to “social freeze” – called the “blackout” prior
tuesday’s issue A new assistant director of housing and operations position will focus on Greek housing. to 2011 – in order to more accurately reflect the purpose of the “social freeze” policy, Rudo wrote in an email to the Wheel. “The social freeze extends to first year students’ participation in events and activities on Eagle Row,” Rudo wrote. “But in reality, there is no ‘blackout’ or ‘delay’ of those social activities for other students and Greek members.” But, Rudo also wrote in his letter that he feels the social freeze puts a negative spin on fraternity life —
See ifc, Page 9
campus life
Emory Construction Progresses
Village Adds New Wine Bar, Pizza Place
See romeo’s, Page 9
Abigail Chambers/Staff
Courtesy of Residence Life and Housing
Phase I of Emory Point, the mixed use retail-residential complex on Clifton Road, is nearly complete.
Trimble was demolished this summer to make room for Phase Five of Emory’s Master Plan for housing.
Phase I of Emory Point Nears Completion By Joy-Annette Atsegbua Staff Writer As Phase I of Emory Point, the mixed-use development located adjacent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nears completion, more retail locations, restaurants, and residential spaces are becoming available for the Emory community. Current construction of Emory Point is moving according to schedule, and the construction of the two future phases will require the demolition of Emory Inn, wrote Jason Frost, vice president of
News IFC, ISC to
SPC as Block Party hosts this year ... PAGE 3 replace
See university, Page 9
campus life
By Harmeet Kaur Contributing Writer Students eager to momentarily escape campus will soon be able to do so at a variety of new shops and restaurants in addition to a park that will come to Emory Village during the fall. The Emory Village Park, which will occupy the area next to the abandoned gas station that was left vacant when N. Oxford Rd. was reconstructed to form the roundabout driving circle in Emory Village, will feature a grassy area surrounded by benches and trees. According to Todd Hill, the chair of the Alliance to Improve Emory Village (AIEV), the park will open in approximately two months. Ted Kelly, president of Architectural Fountains and Pools, will donate a fountain, which will be called the Mary Kelly Fountain in honor of his mother and his wife. This fountain — which will serve as the centerpiece of the park — is being made from old trolley rails that were use as part of a trolley rail public transportation system in the Decatur
The University’s new email system, Microsoft Office 365, replaced Learnlink for student email and calendar on Aug. 10, but LearnLink remains in use for conferences. All email for students, faculty and staff can now only be accessed using Microsoft Office 365. In addition, students can now link their email accounts on their smartphones. Alan Cattier, director of academic technologies, said that the transition process ran very smoothly and that he and the Office of Information Technology had made great progress and that the transition had been going smoother than they had expected. Cattier added that the Information Technology (IT) department has received positive feedback from students about the new Office email system. Still, some students have said they find checking both Office 365 and LearnLink to be a hassle. College sophomore Caroline Capponi said it is too early to tell if she prefers the new system to LearnLink. “I feel like there is a lot of places I have to check now,” Capponi said. “I have to log in to so many different things.” Similar to Capponi, College sophomore Evan Rhea said he finds using both LearnLink and Office 365 a hassle. “I haven’t spent much time with [Office 365], but so far I don’t like it because I feel like now we always need to check two different systems,” Rhea said. The IT department has been working with the College Council (CC) and both the undergraduate and graduate student government associations for the past three years to find a new
Cousin Properties, in an email to the Wheel. Frost added that though many retail locations will be open by the end of the year, portions of Emory Point will be completed through early 2013. The product of a partnership between Cousin Properties and Gables Residential, Emory Point will eventually cost more than $100 million to complete. The development will offer retail and residential leases from Cousin Properties and Gables Residential, respectively.
See emory, Page 9
OP-EDs Editorial
board’s reaction to misreported data
... PAGE 7
Trimble Hall Falls as Hamilton-Holmes Rises By Elizabeth Howell Multimedia Editor For Emory housing, it’s in with the new and out with the old. Emory completed several major housing projects this summer, including the demolition of Trimble Hall and the opening of Hamilton Holmes Residence Hall, Emory’s newest freshman housing option. Dobbs Hall also underwent renovations. The demolition of Trimble Hall — a 61-year-old, three-story residence hall that could house 72 students — began in June and ended in
student life
Student brings home money from poker world series ... PAGE 9
late July, Campus Services Capital Planner Julie Moran said. Any reusable materials were salvaged, making the demolition a summer-long process. The dorm notoriously contained asbestos, a set of minerals that can cause serious illness including cancer, according to Executive Director of Residence Life and Housing Andrea Trinklein. Asbestos is commonly found in older buildings around pipes in mechanical spaces or under old floor covering, she said, and it is usually not visible or
See new, Page 9
sports Emory University alum wins national tennis title ... BACK PAGE
Campus Tobacco Ban Takes Full Effect By Anusha Ravi Staff Writer The University has eliminated all temporary smoking zones on campus, thereby completely prohibiting all tobacco usage at Emory University. This move marks the final stage of the University’s tobacco-free policy, which became effective Aug. 1. of this year. The initial phase of the tobaccofree policy launched on Jan. 1, 2012 with the intention of transitioning Emory into a tobacco-free campus. The policy designated 14 smoking areas around campus which were marked by blue signs. This temporary smoking zones were meant to ease the adjustment for students, staff and faculty who smoke. Emory has now removed these transitional areas, making it one of about 800 college
See rehabilitation, Page 9
see online
Emory begins the search for a new provost ...
2
news roundup National, Local and Higher Education News • Tropical Storm Isaac’s winds slowed to 40 miles per hour on Thursday as it brought rain and flooding north from Louisiana. It moved at 9 mph through central Louisiana and on toward Arkansas.
just over one percent of fatal car crashes. There is usually something wrong with one of the drivers, but experts say planners can take some precautions to help prevent wrongway collisions.
• The U.S. Supreme Court for the District of Columbia struck down a Texas law requiring voters to have government issued photo identification in order to order to vote in November. They said that the law would lower voter-turnout and put minority voters and the poor at a disadvantage by charging them fees to obtain ID cards.
• Fire services in Northern England had to rescue a cow after it fell 10 meters down a riverbank and got stuck in a tree. Its farmer discovered it after he noticed one of his cows was missing. It was sedated before the firemen used specialist equipment to remove the cow.
• Authorities caught a man in North Georgia with five pounds of raw meth with a street value of about $100,000. Gordon Country Sheriff’s officers searched Alexis Renteria Maldonado’s house on Wednesday while he was taken into custody. He was arrested and charged with trafficking in methamphetamine.
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, August 31, 2012
— Compiled by Multimedia Editor Elizabeth Howell
• Three wrong-way drivers have caused car crashes on Georgia highways in the past month. Such collisions usually only occur once or twice a year in Atlanta and make-up
This Week In Emory History
police RECORD • Officers responded to a call from a taxi driver at the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house at 8 Eagle Row on Aug. 28 at around 8:40 p.m. The cab driver explained to the officers that he had previously taken a student from the airport to campus and when they arrived on campus, the student’s card was declined. The student and the cab driver arranged to meet later to pay the driver the $75 fair. The student did not show up and officers are actively pursuing the student’s identity. • The Emory Police Department (EPD) arrested Grant Powell on Aug. 24 at around 7:20 a.m. after the man locked himself in the bathroom at the Starvine Parking Deck and refused
to come out. The man had been seen on campus during the summer and when officers arrived on the scene he responded and gave them his name but refused to leave the bathroom. EPD called Emory maintenance and workers unlocked the door. It appeared that Powell had left the sink running which flooded the bathroom. He was transported to DeKalb County Jail and caused about $300 in damages.
tried to restrain the belligerent girl and treat her. She was transported to Emory Hospital.
• EPD responded to a call outside of the sorority lodge at 11 Eagle Row to a female Emory student who was clearly intoxicated and unable to control herself. She was yelling about vampires and other nonsense as Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
— Compiled by Asst. News Editor Nicholas Sommariva
• EPD responded to a fire alarm at the Kappa Alpha fraternity house at 14 Eagle Row on Aug. 30 around 10:30 a.m. Officers made contact with the house manager and they could not locate any signs of smoke or fire. Officers left the scene without further action.
September 2, 1983 The George W. Woodruff Physical Education Center opened to the Emory Community. It was scheduled to open the previous June, but faced “routine construction delays.” However, the planned indoor running track was not yet finished, and the six tennis courts where the old gym had yet to begin.
Events at emory FRIDAY Event: Athletics - Men’s Soccer Time: 7 p.m. Location: Woodruff P.E. Center
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 94, Number 1 © 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.
The Emory Wheel General Interest Meeting.
85% chance of milk & cookies. 100% chance of putting out twice a week.
WEDNESDAY,SEPT. 5 HARLAND CINEMA 4:30 P.M. Contact Arianna Skibell at arianna.skibell@emory.edu for any questions.
SATURDAY Event: U.S. Poet Laureate Natasha Trethewey Keynote Address for AJC Decatur Book Festival (SOLD OUT) Time: 8 p.m. Location: Schwartz Center, 1700 North Decatur Road
Event: Athletics - Men’s Soccer Time: 7-9 p.m. Location: Woodruff P.E. Center
SUNDAY Event: University Worship with The Rev. Susan Henry-Crowe Time: 11 a.m. Location: Cannon
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, August 31, 2012
3
student life
Block Party, SPC Budgets Altered By Jordan Friedman News Editor The Student Programming Council (SPC) will no longer co-host the Block Party, an annual fall concert for students on Eagle Row. The move will enable SPC to fund smaller initiatives throughout the semester but will also replace the customary Block Party band with a DJ. The Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Intersorority Council (ISC) will host the event in collaboration with the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) and the Multicultural Greek Council (MGC) this year. This year, SPC has been aiding the co-sponsors in planning and running the event but is not an official co-sponsor, College senior and SPC President Will Levinson noted. SPC has co-sponsored the event with the IFC and ISC since the organizations established Block Party in 2010. The event originally took place late in the spring semester but has occurred during the fall for the past two years to ensure that the event is held before freshman recruitment in the spring, Levinson said. This year, Run the Row, which traditionally marks the end of Emory’s fraternity recruitment periods, will kick off the Block Party on Saturday, Sept. 15 — following upperclassmen rush — on Eagle Row. The co-sponsors of Block Party will hire a DJ instead of a performer this year, according to Goizueta Business School senior and IFC President Victor Rudo. He wrote that hiring a performer “is a substantial cost with limited benefit.” In the past, the fall concert on Eagle Row has featured groups like Canadian indie rock band Born Ruffians and indie pop rock duo Matt & Kim. The Greek organizations involved
in hosting Block Party this year had to eliminate the performer because they have less funding than SPC did for the event, according to Director of the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life Megan Janasiewicz. Block Party will also place a greater emphasis on recruiting new Greek members, according to Rudo. The Block Party aims “to make [Eagle] Row more welcoming and comfortable for freshmen,” according to Levinson. Janasiewicz said that while IFC and ISC are taking over the event, other students are still permitted and encouraged to attend. “We still want it to be an open event, but it is just being funded more from a fraternity and sorority perspective,” she said. College senior and ISC President Camille Sheppard said that despite these changes, the event will mostly remain the same. “We’re largely basing the event off of what SPC has done in the past,” Sheppard said. “We followed the model that they used to [sponsor] the event.” According to Sheppard, fraternities and sororities will pair up to host different booths at the Block Party. This year’s Block Party will feature a mechanical bull, food and music, along with other events that will “bring the community together,” Sheppard said. To prepare for the event, IFC and ISC have formed a planning committee with NPHC and MGC and have been working with a food vendor, the Emory Police Department and the Office of Sorority and Fraternity Life to “ensure Block Party runs smoothly,” Rudo explained. SPC will use the funds traditionally allocated to Block Party to sponsor smaller events such as a Halloween
event and a new cellphone app., according to Levinson. SPC members discussed removing the organization as a co-sponsor of the event during meetings last semester, Levinson said. Levinson also noted that many general body members “felt it was becoming too Greek-centric,” meaning that the event already had a focus on fraternity and sorority life and recruitment. “As SPC, we’re not a Greek organization by any token, and [we] encompass all nine schools of the University,” Levinson said. He added that it makes sense for IFC, ISC and the other Greek umbrella organizations to host the event given that its goal is to introduce freshmen to Eagle Row. The event was also becoming too expensive for SPC’s budget and had placed “too much of a strain” on SPC’s special events budget, Levinson said, adding that SPC “really wants to have more diversified events and not just Block Party.” The details of the smaller events and initiatives that SPC will add this semester have yet to be determined. Thus far, however, SPC has launched a new “SPC Beyond” initiative in which the organization will assist other groups on campus with planning and preparing for events they plan to hold. “Maybe an organization doesn’t want our stamp on the event; maybe they just want to know how to plan an event,” Levinson said. “We are getting that kind of advisory and consulting relationship going.” Levinson said that SPC’s assistance to IFC and ISC in planning the Block Party is “a good first part” of the SPC Beyond Initiative.
— Contact Jordan Friedman at jordan.m.friedman@emory.edu
4
Friday, August 31, 2012
News
The Emory Wheel
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, August 31, 2012
5
join the club
S
Emily Lin/Photography Editor
tudents gathered at the Student Activities Fair Wednesday afternoon. The event took place at the Dobbs University Center (DUC) terraces this year rather than McDonough Field. Members of Alpha Delta Pi (above) show signs to attract members to their station.
obituary
Aue, 69, Intellectual, Respectful By Stephanie Fang Asst. News Editor Maximilian Aue, a professor of German Studies who founded the University’s longest-standing summer study abroad program to Vienna in 1973, died on Aug. 6. He was 69. The cause was sustained injury from a vehicular accident. A genuinely bilingual scholar whose Viennese German was as proficient as his English, Aue had a profound interest in and knowledge of comparative and German literature, according to Associate Professor Peter Höyng, his colleague in the German Studies Department. Aue translated several key philosophical texts and conducted research on romance, decay and death in 19th and 20th century Vienna. Aue’s work earned him two University Research Committee grants as well as one from the American Council of Learned Societies grant. Aue, who worked with students at every different level throughout his 44-year career at the University, joined the German Studies faculty in 1968 and received his Ph.D. in German from Stanford University in 1973. Despite living in Atlanta for most of his life, Aue — whose passion for culture, literature, music and the arts pervaded his personality — considered Vienna, Austria his true home.
Maximilian Aue, German Studies professor, died on Aug. 6 due to sustained injuries in a vehicular accident. In addition to studying contemporary Austrian literature, he focused on Modernist philosophy and German Romanticism. Aue published articles in several journals. At the time of his death, he was working on a book entitled At Utopia’s Threshold: The
Reinvention of Venice in German Literature and Thought in the Twentieth Century. This work would have explored the development of Viennese culture during the 19th and 20th centuries. Students remember Aue as a professor who didn’t allow his own intellectual prowess to preclude others’ suggestions or thoughts. He encouraged his classes to accept all ideas, no matter how intellectual they may seem, with open minds. “[He] was eager to engage everybody,” said College senior Sarah Corrigan, a student in the German Studies department. “He would ask hard questions, too. [He was] always
open to discussion through different mediums.” Corrigan fondly recalled going to his office hours where he’d translate and discuss poetry with her and her friend, helping them understand and place it into a historical context. “[He] would translate it in the context of this generation and this time,” she said. “Honestly, [it] was one of the most precious parts of my college career. It seemed that Aue felt that the best way to learn was to internalize material in a personal way and let it grow through your own experience. And he was a true guide in this way, in introducing beautiful material and helping it grow in the ideas and essays of his students.” In addition, colleagues remembered Aue as a warm person who treated everyone he met with respect and was always eager to help. He had a witty sense of humor and enjoyed athletic pursuits — such as swimming and biking to school “before it was fashionable,” according to Höyng. “He was a gentleman, always with a touch of an elegant demeanor, sensible, open-minded and a colleague who always pulled us together,” said Höyng, who cited Aue’s ability to successfully mediate disagreements within the department.
News Editor Jordan Friedman contributed reporting. — Contact Stephanie Fang at
health sciences
Study Links Marijuana Usage, IQ Drop By Danielle Muoio The Duke Chronicle, Duke U A nearly four decade study led by Duke U. researchers holds harrowing implications for adolescent marijuana users. The study followed more than 1,000 people from the time they were born and found that individuals who used marijuana regularly in early adolescence suffered on average an eight point IQ decline by the time they reached age 38. Not only is this drop in IQ irreversible, but it is enough to knock a person of average intelligence from the 50th percentile to the 29th percentile. “Those who started to use cannabis a lot between 16 and 18 were the kids who experienced a lot of the IQ decline,” Avshalom Caspi, an Edward M. Arnett professor of psychology and neuroscience and co-author of the study, said. “Even among people who had quit…if they started very early and used cannabis for many years, their neurological test scores didn’t seem to rebound.” An IQ drop of eight points has a variety of long-term ramifications for individuals. Not only does IQ influence college admission and job placement, but it can even have an effect on mortality, said Madeline Meier, a post-doctoral researcher and lead author of the study. The findings only pertain to individuals who were early onset and
dependent users. Those who started using marijuana before turning 18 were categorized as early-onset users, and those who continued using even when there were significant health or social consequences were labeled dependent users. As a result, the findings only pertain to a small segment of the population. Only five percent of the individuals studied were considered early-onset and dependent users and suffered from a significant drop in IQ. “Some people may look at these findings and say, ‘Well, we knew that all along, we knew stoners and what they were like in high school,’” Caspi said. “But the findings are more nuanced than that because they suggest we must really pay attention to sensitive periods in development where substance use may have more harmful effects than it does in other points in development.” Although people generally accept that cigarettes are not good for you, many will maintain that marijuana is not harmful—an idea that has been propelled by the medical marijuana movement. The findings reverse any perception that marijuana is completely harmless, Meier said. But the research could also be used to support marijuana use, Caspi said. “A lot of people have believed for a long time that cannabis really isn’t
harmful and is a wonderful recreation drug,” he said. “There is evidence for that [argument] as well, since many people in our research have smoked cannabis on and off in their lives without any adverse effects on their function.” Regardless of how the study is ultimately interpreted, the findings highlight that a heavy reliance on drugs during adolescence can haunt an individual far into the future. “Certain maturational changes occur in the brain from age 13 to up until the early twenties and adolescents who use cannabis are interrupting these critical brain changes,” she said. “To anybody who is an adolescent whose brain is still developing, which can be up to the early twenties, marijuana is not harmless.” Thomas Szigethy, associate dean and director of the Duke Student Wellness Center, wrote in an email Wednesday that marijuana is the second most heavily used substance on campus, after alcohol. Although some students think pot is less dangerous than alcohol, it can still adversely affect their academic and social lives. “Many more people smoking pot lose motivation,” Szigethy said. “Ultimately, people need to assess why they are using a substance— what are they avoiding [and] why can they not accomplish the same positive feeling about life without using [this] substance?”
6
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, August 31, 2012
news from the summer: Emory’s mireported admissions numbers
Admins Misreported Students’ Test Scores, Class Ranks Emory’s Ranking to Stay at This article was originally written by Jordan Friedman on Aug. 21. Emory has intentionally misreported data to organizations that rank colleges and universities for more than a decade, according to the results of a three-month internal investigation announced Friday morning. University President James W. Wagner disclosed the findings of the investigation to the Emory community in a school-wide email. In May, John Latting, the recently appointed assistant vice provost for undergraduate enrollment and dean of admission, discovered that Emory submitted misrepresented information to “various external audiences,” specifically to groups that use statistical data to produce institutional rankings, according to an Aug. 17 University statement. The Office of Admission serving the College and the Office of Institutional Research sent organizations SAT and ACT scores for admitted undergraduate students, rather than the requested scores of enrolled students, which were lower. Emory also misreported the high school class rank of incoming freshmen. To ensure objectivity, Emory’s Office of General Counsel conducted the internal investigation with the help of an outside firm, Jones Day. The results have revealed that two former deans of admission and leadership in the Office of Institutional Research were aware of the misreported information, according to the statement. The individuals involved are no longer employed at the University. “The actions of [these employees] are no longer associated with Emory, and they all fall well below of what we expect of Emory,” Steve Sencer, Emory’s general counsel, said in a press briefing via phone on Friday. The University does not intend to release the names of the employees involved because this situation is a personnel matter, Emory said in a “Questions and Answers About Data Reporting” page on its website. The investigation found no evidence that members of the Offices of the Provost, Dean or President were aware of or involved in the misreported information. Latting become the dean of admission last December. He replaced Jean Jordan, who took over the position in 2007 after serving as director of enrollment services at Emory for 11 years. She succeeded Dan Walls, who became associate vice provost for enrollment after serving as dean of admission since 1983.
Jordan did not respond to email messages seeking comment. A secretary at the Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta, where Jordan served as director of college counseling after her time at Emory, said she no longer works there, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that she resigned during the weekend. In her resignation letter she wrote that she wished to “pursue another endeavor.” As of press time, Walls did not respond to emails, and he did not return a phone call to his number at Pace Academy in Atlanta, where he worked in college counseling after leaving Emory in 2010. His number listed in the Emory Directory has been disconnected. His name is no longer listed on the Pace website. “I have to take responsibility even though some of the data was delegated to others,” Walls said in an interview with the AJC. “It happened under my deanship.”
its deadline rolls around for new submissions,” the University said on its website.
Launching the Investigation
Latting discovered the misreported information shortly after the May 1 deadline for potential students to accept or reject Emory’s offer of admission. He recognized discrepancies in data and informed the Office of the Provost. “I pulled up last year’s class and read a bunch of statistics on them, and then I noticed that what had been reported in print was somewhat different,” Latting said. “That was the moment I thought, ‘why was the reported data so different from what I had calculated myself when I was looking at that class?’” Being new to Emory, Latting said he “trusted the Provost and other leadership” to handle the issue effectively. The University “acted swiftly” in launching an investigation, The Misreported according to Wagner. Information “We are holding ourselves accountable for no other reason than The University annually to follow through and commit ourreports statistical information to selves to being an ethically engaged the Common Data Set (CDS) — university,” Wagner said. which is used by the College Board, Emory’s investigation focused on Peterson’s and U.S. News and World three main points, according to the Report — in addition to data that University statement: whether incorindividual companies request. Emory rect data was submitted, who was also submits information to the responsible and involved, and how Integrated Postsecondary Education and why this practice began. Data System In the past, fac(IPEDS), a system ulty in Office of of surveys that the Admissions were “I have to take U.S. Department’s directed — and responsibility even National Center encouraged — to for Education though some of the data continue misreportStatistics conducts the data, accordwas delegated to others ...” ing annually. ing to Sencer. The 2010 CDS There were a — Dan Walls, “number of individdata showed that Emory’s former dean of uals who respected incoming students’ admission the lines of authorSAT scores ranged from 1310 at the ity and were told by 25th percentile to their superiors that 1500 at the 75th percentile. The this is how they did it,” Ron Sauder, corrected data shows that the scores vice president of communications actually ranged from 1270 to 1460. and marketing, said during the press In addition, the University report- briefing. ed that in 2010, 87 percent of stuAdministrators said it is unclear dents graduated in the top 10 percent when and under what circumstances of their high school class, while that these actions began. number was actually 75 percent. The Next Steps Prior to 2004, Emory may have also excluded the bottom 10 percent In releasing the results of the of students when reporting SAT/ACT scores, GPAs and the top decile, or investigation to the public, University the percentage of entering students administrators have been stressing who graduated in the top 10 percent the importance of integrity. “This really was a shock and of their high school classes. Emory submitted the correct people really wanted to get back data for 2011 to U.S. News in June on the right track and whatever it and “will submit corrected data to took, they were willing to do that, each publisher and data source as and there was no sense of ‘how can
student life
we keep this quiet,’” Latting said. “We’re going to have a great admissions operation and we’re going to keep bringing in great students.” The Office of the Provost has announced changes to the ways in which Emory collects and reports data, and has launched a corrective action plan outlining these alterations. Provost Earl Lewis said during the press briefing that the University is “implementing new internal controls to ensure a system of checks and balances in the manner of data.” Each unit that submits data to Institutional Research must now “attest to its validity,” according to the action plan. The Provost will establish an independent Data Advisory Committee (DAC) consisting of faculty from multiple divisions within the University to review policies and procedures for data reporting. The DAC — which will be led by Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Planning Nancy Bliwise — will meet at least once each semester to provide a written report to the President’s cabinet, Lewis said. Bliwise is currently reviewing all procedures for reporting and collecting data. In addition, the Office of Admission will appoint a data analyst to “ensure accuracy in the analysis of large data sets,” according to the plan. “We’re going to have someone who’s really an expert on statistics and will take that role on,” Latting said. The University is in the process of correcting submitted misreported data, according to Lewis. The final component of the corrective action plan is “supporting a culture of integrity and open communications,” the plan states. Staff members involved in data collection throughout the past will attend additional meetings to “ensure they understand Emory’s approved processes going forward,” according to the action plan. The plan encourages the Emory community as a whole to bring issues of concern to their supervisors or the Emory Trust Line at 1-888-550-8850. Sauder emphasized that although the misreported information may be a “blow” to the school’s reputation, it is also an opportunity “to begin rebuilding by the way we’ve managed this institution.” “We are very confident that the investigation was thorough,” he said.
Features Editor Roshani Chokshi and Asst. News Editor Stephanie Fang contributed reporting.
No. 20 for Past Two Years
This article was originally written by Stephanie Fang and Jordan Friedman on Aug. 21. The misreported admissions data that administrators disclosed to the public on Friday will not affect Emory’s No. 20 position in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges” 2011 and 2012 rankings, the news organization said in an Aug. 17 statement. Administrators have misrepresented the SAT/ACT scores and class ranks of incoming freshmen since 2000, and sent this data to companies that rank colleges and universities, the University announced on Friday. U.S. News said in its statement that the misreported information “would likely have had a small to negligible effect in the several years prior” to 2011. Emory was ranked No. 17 in U.S. News’ 2010 edition of “Best Colleges,” a rise from the 2009 ranking of 18th in the nation. In 2008 and 2007, Emory ranked No. 17 and 18, respectively. “We deplore the long-standing misreporting which Emory made public today, but we’re encouraged that the university disclosed it,” U.S. News Editor and Chief Content Officer Brian Kelly said in the statement. “We appreciate the university’s commitment to fixing its data process. We’ve always believed that honest data reporting is in everyone’s interest.” Businessweek, which annually ranks business schools around the country, has verified that the institutional data submitted by Emory’s Goizueta Business School has not been misreported, the company said in an Aug. 20 statement. Businessweek has ranked Goizueta among the top five business schools in the country for the past two years. Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean and director of Goizueta’s BBA program, said in the statement from Businessweek that the B-school collects and fact-checks data for rankings differently from the College. She explained that Goizueta Business School administrators cross-reference student information to the University-wide database and the dean’s office before reporting it to Businessweek. The undergraduate business program submits data only to Businessweek, according to the Businessweek statement, and
because Emory students enroll in the B-school typically during their junior year, there are no admitted students who do not enroll. Emory has taken steps to ensure that the data it submitted to the U.S. News for its 2013 edition of “Best Colleges,” which will be released Sept. 12, were accurate, according to the statement. In addition, the University has “no way of knowing” whether Emory’s 2013 rankings will drop as a result of correcting the data, the University said on its website. While the University acknowledged that slightly lower SAT and class rank data will hurt the school’s ranking, those lower indicators might improve the school’s scores in the graduation performance category in the future. According to John Latting, the dean of admission and assistant vice provost of undergraduate enrollment, U.S. News determines how it ranks universities based on a variety of factors. In addition to “more objective statistics” — such as test scores and class rank of enrolling students, admission rate, percentage of alumni donation, faculty salary, and class sizes — the organization uses “subjective information,” Latting explained. He said that this includes opinion surveys of administrators at different universities regarding “reputation [and] academic stature.” The weight given to certain criteria can change from one year to the next, according to the U.S. News website. “As I stand back and reflect on this whole issue of reporting coming from admissions office all around the country, I think you have to be concerned about [fact-checking] because these are increasingly highprofile rankings and these statistics seem to matter more and more to people,” said Latting, who hired a statistical analyst in order to create a more systematic and transparent method of determining University admissions data. After an investigation conducted by an external organization revealed that past leadership in the admissions office had directed staff to misreport data, Latting said he met with his staff and told them to “please come to [him] if anything [the admissions office is] doing doesn’t meet [their] ethical test.” He also told his staff that if he did not respond satisfactorily, that they should go to his superiors.
administration
Emory Welcomes New Admins By Stephanie Fang Asst. News Editor Ajay Nair, Dean of Campus Life
Ian Trutt/Staff
Harris Hall claimed the No. 1 spot at the fall 2012 Songfest event, basing its routines off of the residence hall’s theme of “champions.”
Harris Claims First Place at Songfest By Mallika Manyapu Staff Writer With quirky slogans, colorful war paint and a sea of excited students, the class of 2016 displayed their residence hall pride by competing for the coveted title of Songfest Champion. This year, Harris claimed the No. 1 spot with an underlying theme of “champions” in their powerful lyrics and much enthusiasm with songs including Mulan’s “Make a Man Out of You” and Kanye West’s popular song, “Stronger.” “Being a part of Songfest and winning Songfest feels awesome and is something we will definitely never forget,” said College freshman Zoe Pollock, a Harris resident. Dobbs followed in second with songs such as The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” and McTyeire in third with a tribute to Trimble Hall in Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always
Love You.” With multiple practices led by sophomore and residential advisors, Songfest is a way for incoming freshman to bond and become acquainted with one another during their first week at Emory, explained College junior and residential advisor at Few and Evans Amanda Mui. College senior Hanna Kim, current Senior Resident Advisor and a resident of Harris for the past four years, credits the sophomore advisors of Harris for choosing the songs, creating the lyrics and choreographing all of the dance moves. “I have lived in Harris four years, and it feels awesome to say that we have finally won,” she said. Ajay Nair, Emory’s new senior vice president and dean of campus life, was one of the judges who evaluated each of the residence hall routines. “There are no words to describe
Songfest other than ‘absolutely amazing,’” Nair said. “This is my very first Songfest, and I am so proud to be a part of this great Emory tradition.” The Songfest tradition was first started in 1985 by a former Emory resident advisor Marth Wisbey and has become a part of orientation week ever since. Emory’s unofficial mascot Lord James W. Dooley also made his annual appearance by welcoming the new class and dancing to many popular songs. Additionally, Emory’s 2012 Orientation Leaders participated in Songfest with their lively dance routine using a wide range of songs such as “Wobble” and Rihanna’s “Where Have You Been.” In addition, Few and Evans won best T-shirt design and banner, while Dobbs won best lyrics. — Contact Mallika Manyapu at mmanyp@emory.edu
The University has appointed Ajay Nair as senior vice president in addition to dean of the campus life division. In an email to the Wheel, Nair explained that he hopes to help Emory construct a “strong and inclusive community where every student feels a sense of belonging” through holding office hours twice a week – on Mondays from 2-3 pm and Fridays from 11 a.m.12 p.m. He also plans to expand his social media Ajay Nair presence through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Tumblr and will hold virtual office hours on Twitter. “I enjoy being part of a studentdriven intellectual community and helping students reach their fullest potential,” he said. “It is a blessing to have the opportunity to help guide and support our next generation of courageous and ethical leaders. I have the best job in the country.” Prior to his work at Emory, Nair served as the senior associate vice provost for student affairs at the University of Pennsylvania in addition to holding positions at Columbia University, Penn State University, and the University of Virginia. He succeeded Former Senior Vice President John Ford, who retired at the end of last year. Nair also conducts research that focuses on quality assurance in educational systems, service learning, civic engagement, and second-generation Asian American identity. He is currently working on a book about the current state of multiculturalism
in higher education.
Matt Garrett, Director of OSLS Matt Garrett will serve as the new director of the Office of Student Leadership and Service (OSLS). Garrett, who is also the assistant dean of the Campus Life division, plans to expand OSLS programming this year to improve the Leadership Emory Initiative with additional curriculum and assessments. The initiative seeks to teach undergraduate students “ethical leadership and civic engagement” according to its website and also includes an lead- Matt Garrett ership institute, LeaderShape – which the University hosted for the first time last year. “Emory is already becoming a nationally known institution for innovative leadership development opportunities for our students,” said Garrett, who will also oversee the expansion of the University’s Emerging Leader Experience. According to Garrett, OSLS will also collaborate with the Student Government Association in order to encourage what he calls “organic student involvement” on campus. In addition, the office will focus on expanding their offerings for alternative break programs and introduce a Social Justice Dialogue series with Volunteer Emory. “I love that every day, I get to be a part of and support student engagement,” Garrett remarked. “The moments when I get to see students demonstrating authentic leadership and supporting students as they give back to both their Atlanta community and Emory family all really keep me motivated and passionate everyday.” Prior to this position, Garrett has
served as the Student Programming Council advisor since 2008 and the Interim Director of Campus Life after Former Director Bridget Riordan stepped down at the end of last year.
James Francois, Director of OMPS The University’s Office of Multicultural Programs and Services (OMPS) has appointed James Francois as its associate director. As associate director, Francois manages the University’s annual Crossroads Retreat – a pre-orientation program for freshmen that seeks to promote community building and diversity, according to its website – and oversees programming for Unity Month. In addition to working on new initiatives for this year, the OMPS will continue to run the Multicultural Council. According to Francois, the Multicultural Council allows OMPS to support student organization programming and encourage collaboration. “For our office, we need to increase outreach efforts and learn more about the offices and resources our students need in order to maxiJames mize their Emory Francois experience,” said Francois. “The increased outreach will help us to better advocate for our students and to work more collaboratively and effectively for our colleagues to support and serve our students.” Francois noted that he enjoys the “opportunity to empower students to take ownership of their Emory experience and engage with the Emory and Atlanta community” through his work in the OMPS. He remarked that his “passion has always been working with young people.”
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, August 31, 2012
7
8
Friday, August 31, 2012
News
The Emory Wheel
The Emory Wheel
News
Friday, August 31, 2012
9
Rehabilitation for Smoking on the Rise, Long Says Continued from Page 1 campuses in the United States that is completely tobacco-free. These temporary zones were established to ease smokers into the change and give them eight extra months to quit smoking, Erin Long, who serves as both the director of human resources communications and the communication liaison for the Tobacco-Free Task Force, said. “This tactic has been employed at other universities attempting to become tobacco-free and has worked,” Long explained. The purpose of the tobacco-free initiative is to increase the overall health and wellness of the campus, Long said. The Task Force consists of students, faculty and staff who have worked toward establishing a tobacco-free campus. “Emory is an institution of health,” Long said. “With the Public Health program, Hospital and proximity to [the] CDC [Centers for Disease Control], allowing people to smoke on our campus does not align with our missions and goals.” Because smoking is one of the primary preventable causes of death, Long said, promoting a tobacco-free campus would tremendously benefit the health of students, staff and faculty. Since the transitional period began last January, the number of people seeking rehabilitation for tobacco use at Emory has increased, according to Long. When Emory first established the transitional zones, one issue that the Task Force encountered was indifference toward the policy with people still smoking in many other areas on campus, as reported in a March 5 Wheel article. Long attributed these issues to either ignorance about the policy or disregard for the new rule. However, in order to ensure that this does not continue this fall, the Emory TobaccoFree Task Force will increase signage regarding the new policy in order to raise awareness of the change. Additionally, students, faculty and staff will be able to report areas on campus where smoking prevalently occurs using a form on the TobaccoFree Emory website. Afterwards, the Task Force can send services to clean up these areas, Long said. The Tobacco-Free Task Force will also combat continued tobacco usage by encouraging students, faculty and staff to remind those who are smoking on campus of the policy, Long said.
— Contact Anusha Ravi at aravi7@emory.edu
Emily Lin/Photography Editor
Hamilton Holmes, the University’s newest residence hall, opened doors this fall. Construction lasted from Jan. 2011 to July 2012 and contains beds for 125 freshmen. In addition, the residence hall has both double rooms and semi-suites as well as study lounges.
New Freshman Residence Hall Hamilton Holmes Includes Creativity and Innovation Theme Continued from Page 1 accessible. Construction on Hamilton Holmes Hall lasted from Jan. 2011 to July 2012. The residence hall is 37,500 square feet and contains 125 beds. College freshman Nancy Ejike, who is living in Hamilton Holmes, said that she feels she knows her fellow residents much better because of the hall’s small size. “Because there aren’t a lot of people, it feels like a small community,” Ejike said. “I think we are much closer than some of the other residence halls.” Hamilton Holmes has sustainable features similar to Few, Evans and Longstreet-Means Halls, including a green roof plaza, a collection of graywater for reuse and green-certified and recycled materials, according to Moran.
Similar to other residence halls, Hamilton Holmes has both double rooms and semi-suites as well as study lounges, Trinklein said. The residence hall has community bathrooms and private baths. Hamilton Holmes is the home of the Creativity and Innovation LivingLearning community. This community encourages residents to work to together and shapes leaders with the ability to solve problems in new ways, according to the Living-Learning Communities website. College freshman and Hamilton Holmes resident Chidimma Egbulem said she is already acquainted with the residence hall’s theme. Her floor — the sustainability floor — focuses on finding innovative ways to save energy. Trinklein said she expects students living in Hamilton Holmes to have excellent experiences similar to those
in other freshman halls. “We have provided the environment, and now we want the students to help create the experience,” she said. Both the demolition of Trimble and completion of Hamilton Holmes fit into Emory’s Freshman Housing Master Plan, which includes plans for freshman housing options in the center of campus. Hamilton Holmes was Freshman Phase Four of the housing project. Since Turman Hall opened in 2007, 819 beds have been constructed for freshmen, Trinklein said. Hamilton Holmes completed the southwest corner of the new Freshman Quadrangle, which Longstreet-Means Hall also borders, Moran explained. Freshman Phase Five will be located on Trimble’s former location, Trinklein said. The Phase Five Residence Hall will complete the
IFC Plans to Promote Greek Life During This Year’s ‘Social Freeze’ Continued from Page 1 a sentiment that IFC and fraternity leaders have echoed in the past. “It is my personal belief that despite our strong recruitment numbers this year, the social freeze damages our reputation and potential to attract certain students to our community,” he wrote. Janasiewicz said she sees social freeze as a beneficial time period for fraternities and freshmen alike. “I would see it as everyone needs time to adjust to starting school,” Janasiewicz said. “That’s [not only for] freshmen, but also [for] everyone in our community. I want [fraternities] to remember that they are Emory students first and to get their classes scheduled first and get their routines
established before they start recruitment. We want the same thing for the freshmen: to get ready and then start thinking about joining the [Greek] community.” As a result of IFC’s perspective on the social freeze, the organization plans to use the social freeze period this year to sponsor events for freshmen interested in Greek life, according to Rudo. In regards to the future, according to Rudo’s letter, Ford has noted that the social freeze may be eliminated in future years. The new Dean of Campus Life Ajay Nair will determine the future of social freeze, according to Rudo’s letter.
— Contact Jordan Friedman at jordan.m.friedman@emory.edu
northwest corner of the Freshman Quad, according to the campus services website. The residence hall will have three wings and house 341 students in double rooms, semi-suite doubles and singles, according to Trinklein. In addition, the elevated green roof connected to Longstreet-Means and Hamilton Holmes will be completed as part of the Freshman Phase Five construction, Trinklein said. The roof contains a rainwater storage system for irrigation purposes. Foundation work on Freshman Phase Five has already begun. The hall will have a total of 1,123 new freshman beds when Phase Five is completed in 2014, Trinklein said. In the fall of 2014, Dobbs Hall will continue housing freshmen, but Alabama Hall, which currently houses sophomores, will become a freshman residence hall.
Meanwhile, according to Trinklein, the furniture and sinks in Dobbs Hall were destroyed and replaced. The rooms were painted and received new carpet, and the building now has redesigned lounges, new doors, private bathrooms and sprinklers, as well as other changes to its appearance and infrastructure. College sophomore Berit Reisenauer returned to Dobbs this fall as a sophomore advisor after living in Dobbs during her freshman year. She said she was very pleased by the improvements. “Even though it’s an older building, it feels like any of the other newer residence halls,” Reisenauer said. “But we still have the Dobbs community … even though it might look a little different.”
— Contact Elizabeth Howell at ehowel5@emory.edu
dunkin’ delight
D
Emily Lin/Photography Editor
unkin’ Donuts replaced Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Dobbs University Center (DUC) during the summer. The new store offers doughnuts, bagels and serves as a full-run Dunkin’ Donuts, meaning it serves what the store traditionally offers.
University to Search for Program Romeo’s Pizza to Open in Two Weeks; Restaurant to Be Constructed in Empty Lot To Replace Learnlink Conferences commented Gene Romeo, owner of Romeo’s New York Pizza. “I’m a area almost a century ago. high-end pizza place with very low “For the benefit of the students, it’s prices.” going to be a fun, According to Hill, active area,” said there are also plans Hill, chair of AIEV to open a new sitand landscape “I’m not a regular pizza down restaurant in designer of Emory the empty lot next to place. I’m a high-end Village Park. Starbucks. Hill explained pizza place with very low Hill also noted prices.” that he hoped the that the Village area would become will be much safer a popular hang-out — Gene Romeo, for pedestrians due spot for University owner of Romeo’s New York to developments in students. Pizza construction which The opening of include wider and the new restaurant more elevated Romeo’s New York Pizza in approxi- sidewalks. mately two weeks provides students There will additionally be extenanother dining option. sive new lighting and a newly conThe family-owned pizza chain structed roundabout driving circle will sell pizza by the slice as well as and brick crosswalks that will make it by the pie in addition to salads, subs easier to navigate through the Village. — Contact Harmeet Kaur at and beers. hbhagra@emory.edu “I’m not a regular pizza place,”
Continued from Page 1
Continued from Page 1 email and calendar system that will allow easier collaboration between students and faculty. Later this fall the IT department will team up with CC and the Student Government Association (SGA) to look into a new community tool to someday in the near future replace LearnLink, according to Cattier. “LearnLink continues to be the best of Emory; it’s the software that underlies it that is no longer current and doesn’t appear to be viable for the future,” he said.
Cattier said a new and exciting feature with Office 365 is how much easier it is to send and receive emails on a mobile platform such as smartphones and tablets. “Most people are especially interested in the mobile experience of the new environment on their smartphones,” Cattier said. In addition, Cattier said students can check in with the Cox Computing Center for dedicated training sessions on Office 365 throughout the month of September. — Contact Nicholas Sommariva at nicholas.sommariva@emory.edu
Emily Lin/Photography Editor
Emory Village has added its newest location: the Purple Corkscrew, which is a wine bar and is located underneath Saba.
Emory Point’s List of Retailers Includes Clothing Shops, Restaurants economic downturn, construction of Emory Point atop a 15-acre plot of “When Emory Point was first land on Clifton Road resumed in envisioned several years ago, we July 2011. expected that the With nearly new mixed-use 80,000 square feet project would bring “I am confident that ... of retail space, a dynamic element Point’s list of this area will be a very Emory to the northern edge confirmed retailers popular spot for stuof campus,” Michael include American Mandl, Emory’s Ann dents, faculty and staff Threads, executive vice presiTaylor Loft, CVS to gather ... ” dent of finance and Pharmacy, Fab’rik, development, in an Jos. A Bank, and — Mike Mandl, Lizard email to the Wheel. Thicket. executive vice president of Emory Point has “I am confident that finance and development also signed more with a wide variety of retail and resileases with restaudential options, this rants, including the area will be a very popular spot for General Muir, a Jewish-style deli students, faculty and staff to gather — one of the most recent restauand interact.” rants to sign a lease with Cousins After suffering a delay in construc- Properties. Other restaurants include tion from 2008 to 2010 following the Fresh to Order, Marlow’s Tavern,
Continued from Page 1
La Tagliatella, Paradise Biryani gram and other amenities. Pointe, Tin Lizzy’s and Which Wich? “Many of our residence halls Superior Sandwiches. and administrative offices are withJazmine Spa, Solar Dimenions and in a short walk of Emory Point, a dry cleaner have and we hope that also signed leases at pedestrian traffic Emory Point. “We expected that the will increase for Aside from its lunch, dinner, and new mixed-use project errands,” Mandl commercial establishments, Emory would bring a dynamic wrote. “Early indiPoint will also house element to the northern cations are that the 443 luxury urban residential units edge of campus.” apartments. Through are being leased the end of the year, by employees and — Mike Mandl, students who curstudio, one-, two-, and three-bedroom executive vice president of rently work or apartments will be finance and development study along Clifton available for move in. Road.” Frost explained that A full list of the first residents of Emory Point signed retailers and more specific have already moved in this month, opening dates is available on the and residents of Emory Point have Cousins website. — Contact Joy-Annette Atsegbua access to a saline pool, courtyards at jatsegb@emory.edu and green spaces, a bike share pro-
Editorials The Emory Wheel
Contribute
Friday, August 31, 2012 Editorials Editor: Shahdabul Faraz (sfaraz@emory.edu)
Our Opinion
Low Ranks For Emory Admissions
Email: sfaraz@emory.edu
Zachary Elkwood
Zachary Elkwood is a member of the Class of 2015. His cartoons appear in every other Friday issue of the Wheel.
Misreporting Data Reflects Poorly On College In the recent misreporting of admissions data, former Emory employees acted heinously by unfairly representing itself to the general public, prospective students and, most importantly, currently enrolled students. The misrepresented data consisted of scores for the SAT and ACT tests for admitted undergraduate students, rather than the requested scores of enrolled students, which were lower. Emory also misreported the high school class rank of incoming freshmen. Falsified information has been submitted since 2000 to various agencies that use this statistical data to produce institutional rankings, including the U.S. News and World Reports which currently has Emory ranked as the 20th best college in America. Despite the University’s assurances that the effect of this misreporting has been negligible in the past, we will not know the full extent of the consequences until the new rankings are released on Sept. 12. The misreporting only now comes to light through the diligent and honest work of John Latting, the newly appointed assistant vice provost for undergraduate enrollment and dean of admissions. We commend Latting for coming forward once he noticed the disparity within the data. We also approve of the steps the University has taken to assure that such a situation will never arise again. An independent Data Advisory Committee will be established to review policies and procedures for data reporting, as well as the hiring of an additional statistical analyst to take over the tasks of inputting and analysis of admissions data. As far as the University’s reputation is concerned, these rankings are crucial for attracting the brightest minds possible and have consequences for current students and the value of their diplomas upon graduation. When applying for jobs, graduating from a top 20 school is much more impressive to potential employers than a top 30 or top 50 school would be. The importance of the rankings, however, are the least of our concerns. The intentional misreporting of admissions data highlights bigger issues present within the admissions office and the process by which we report this information. Misreporting has been going on for more than 10 years, supposedly without the knowledge of any of the higher officials in Emory’s administration, while being ordered from the previous deans of admissions. That the administration neglected to understand the internal workings within one of their most important offices is a disappointment. But we, as a community, must remember that while the unethical actions of a few former officials may harm Emory’s rankings in the future, they, in no way, reflect the quality of Emory’s professors, students and honest administration officials who have and will continue working for the best interests of Emory’s students.
UGA’s Students Should Be Heard
Independent Media Scores Victory In Athens Student editors at The Red & Black, University of Georgia’s student newspaper, walked out after their editorial advisor was given full discretion over the paper’s content earlier this month. The head of the journalism department at UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and a member of The Red & Black’s board of directors sent out an email explaining that new, non-student personnel would be joining the staff to manage content and marketing, among other things. Those who walked out, including the editor in chief, explained that tensions had been rising after facing external pressure to cover certain stories with particular angles. The crisis made national headlines and support for the editors poured in from all corners of the country. The situation has since been resolved: the board retreated on their demands, the person responsible for many of those demands resigned, and the students returned to their positions. Such turmoil coming from one of the largest student-newspapers in Georgia is a reminder that having a student-run, independent newspaper is a privilege for both us (editors at the Wheel) and for the Emory community at large. The Red & Black is financially independent from the University, but they are governed by a volunteer board of directors. While the Wheel does have a faculty advisor, we are not governed by a board of directors and receive no funding from the University. This precise relationship has not always been convenient. Financially, times have been difficult for all newspapers whether they be The Oxford Eagle or the New York Times. For the University, this campus has not exactly been free of controversy, but thus far the Wheel has maintained the editorial freedom to cover those issues as it wishes. Moving forward, we congratulate the editors of The Red & Black who held fast in their journalistic integrity and, in the end, won the good fight. We at the Wheel wish to assure the Emory community of our dedication to editorial independence and journalistic integrity. These are not just goals, but foundational pillars, and without them, a true, honest newspaper that serves the community cannot exist. The above staff editorials represent the majority opinion of the Wheel’s editorial board.
The Emory Wheel Evan Mah EDITOR IN CHIEF Arianna Skibell Executive Editor Roshani Chokshi Managing Editor News Editor Jordan Friedman Editorials Editor Shahdabul Faraz Sports Editor Elizabeth Weinstein Student Life Editor Justin Groot Arts & Entertainment Editor Annelise Alexander Stephanie Minor Photo Editor Emily Lin Asst. News Editor Stephanie Fang Nicholas Sommariva
Asst. Editorials Editor Nicholas Bradley Asst. Sports Editor Bennett Ostdiek Asst. Sports Editor Austin Price Layout Editor Ginny Chae Associate Editor Steffi Delcourt Jeremy Benedik Copy Chief Amanda Kline Multimedia Editor Elizabeth Howell
Volume 94 | Number 1 Business and Advertising Glenys Fernandez BUSINESS MANAGER Blaire Chennault Sales Manager Alexandra Fishman Design Manager Account Executives Angella Chun, Jamie Landman, Samuel Ratner, Natasha Vlahovic Business/Advertising Office Number (404) 727-6178
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 email to emah@emory.edu or postal mail to The Emory Wheel, Drawer W, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. 30322.
Freshmen Should Value Alone Time Rhett Henry Okay, first thing’s first: you’re reading the
Wheel, so good for you. A lot of freshmen
don’t, so it’s encouraging to see someone new here interested in student journalism. Secondly, I want to give you some — not quite advice — but definitely a scattering of thoughts. I’m just a sophomore. I don’t know ... anything, in the grander sense of things. But I have some things you ought to know as you transition into the hot and sexy life of a college student. Your parents and guardians probably told you some things about “decisions” or “alcohol,” some of which may have been valuable. Older friends may have spoken of “opportunities” and “meeting people.” Lovely, lovely stuff, I’m sure. But college is not just an eternity of classrooms and fraternities. It is a lot of time spent: staring at your ceiling, walking around the quadrangle at 11:30 in the evening, and flipping vaguely through your book bag in a, frankly, weird 40-minute gap between one engagement and another. Not to belabor the
point, but your alone time just became a significantly different sort of commodity. Chances are your orientation leader didn’t speak much about solitude, and that’s fine. Their job is to bring you into Emory’s social universe, after all. But you’re in the test run of adulthood, and that means figuring out what to do with yourself. That’s a hefty notion. It doesn’t take much until it’s a few months later and you catch yourself surrounded by a few beloved friends and almost at the end of your classes’ syllabi and in a fun organization or four and you can’t pin down for certain what’s been going on within. Soul, essence, personality, heart. Whichever noun suits your philosophical inclinations. I urge you, leave time for yourself. Think about your hometown and how much you love/hate it ... Consider your new feelings and thoughts and actions and consider if you could justify them to yourself a year ago, and if that even really matters. Eat lunch at four when no one is in the DUC. Chart the progression of Georgia’s plant life through the seasons from the benches behind Bowden. Grab your time alone and say it is yours and that it is never
ever ever going to be anyone else’s. If this all sounds fluffy and abstract and a little goofy, I’m sorry. It’s just that not everyone knows that being alone can be positive or even okay. This isn’t a swipe at extroverts or a pat on the back for introverts. Solitude is an inevitability. Let it happen. If it gets to where you feel lonely and it just rips you up inside, then act against it. But mere aloneness is anything but “mere”. I know I said this wasn’t going to be advice, but I do have one concrete thing to say. Read books you aren’t assigned. If you have the time, read voraciously. But just read and grow from it. I forget who, exactly, said it or wrote it, but someone who came before me said that college is defined by the books you chose to read. One last thought before I go. This is wisdom that I got from a good friend’s mom before I left for college in August of 2011. “Go, learn things, have a lot of fun. Don’t get arrested. If you do get arrested, call a lawyer.” Food for thought, most definitely.
Rhett Henry is a College sophomore from Lawrenceville, Ga.
L etter S to the editor
Why Is There No Debate On Kicking Chick-Fil-A Off Campus?
To the Senior VP and Dean of Campus Life: My name is Karen McCarthy, and I am a third-year graduate student of philosophy in the Laney Graduate School at Emory University. I have been contemplating for the past week whether or not to write this open letter in response to the ongoing controversy surrounding Chick-fil-A and Emory’s official response. I find that, ultimately, I will not feel settled until I do so. I am, you see, one of the people who are directly harmed by the actions of Chick-fil-A and its supporters. And Emory University, unfortunately, stands now as one of those supporters. Your letter on August 1st, 2012 was intended, I believe, to assuage concerns and present a message of inclusivity and balance. I do not doubt that you, personally, and Emory University in general, condemn the hateful positions espoused by Dan Cathy or any of the number of hate groups that have been directly enabled in their goals by contributions from his company. It is unfortunate, however, that you and Emory University persist in viewing this matter as a conflict of opinion. You state that while Emory University does not support Dan Cathy’s “public statements” it does support “freedom of expression and the open exchange of ideas.” This framing grievously misstates the actual issues at play. What concerns those of us who are opposed to the financial support that Emory gives to Chick-fil-A by enabling the franchise to remain a part of the local community is, emphatically, not Cathy’s ability to make such public statements nor his right to hold such beliefs as to the legitimacy of LGBTQ relationships. Cathy’s so-called “freedom of expression” is not the focal point of the debate. The focal point of the debate is whether or not Emory University wishes to support Cathy and Chick-fil-A in denying myself and all other members of the LGBTQ community our position as fully human. This is not an abstract theoretical point for me. It cannot be. I cannot afford to take as anything other than a direct attack the actions of Cathy, Chick-fil-A and all of those who would contribute support and funds to a campaign to ensure that I can never be counted as a full citizen capable of availing herself of
all the protections granted under the law and under the Constitution. While I am offended and deeply hurt to constantly confront the fact that there are many people in my “local and global communities” who would deny me basic civil rights, those beliefs do not harm me in the same manner that I am harmed by the direct actions and exertions of extrademocratic power that are a known causal result of those who not only believe that I am not fully human but work to ensure that my government will not recognize my humanity. As a member of the LGBTQ community, as a woman in a lesbian relationship, I cannot see your statement with regard to my University’s position on whether or not to continue giving not just financial support but institutional support to Chick-fil-A by allowing them a home within the Emory community as genuinely seeking to promote those “members [who] work collaboratively for positive transformation in the world” nor as support for genuine “diversity of thought.” My humanity is not an appropriate subject for debate nor diverse opinion. Nor is my love. Nor is my right to have a family. Emory, as a private institution, does not engage in suppression of “freedom of expression” when it expels those who would cause direct and lasting harm to members of the Emory community. Rather, Emory, as a leader in an ethical world, displays those values it, and you, purport to endorse and encourage when it, and you, refuse to continue a relationship that has been shown beyond doubt to actively cause direct and lasting harm to some of the most politically vulnerable members of the Emory community. It does not just hurt me that Emory University is permitting Dan Cathy to raise funds directly through the use of Emory’s dining funds. It harms me. It harms me as an individual. I am one of those millions of very vulnerable people that Dan Cathy, Chickfil-A and every person who gives money to that corporation wants to deny the right to have my relationship recognized as equal to a heterosexual relationship, to deny the right to be sure that I will be able to build a legally secure family with the love of my life, to deny, at every turn, the right to feel safe from physical violence based purely on the fact that it
is a woman I love and not a man. It damages me, my family, each member of the LGBTQ community and anyone else who cares in the least for someone in that community. These are only part of the harms that Chick-fil-A, Dan Cathy and those that support them are choosing to encourage. Seeing the reports of the lines on Aug. 1, 2012, lines that I’m sure existed even on Emory’s campus, some using dining dollars subsidized by Emory University, not only hurt me, but it was a stark reminder of the harm to me each one of those people wished to do. It brings tears to my eyes, even now. I hope, genuinely and sincerely, that you will never have cause to see such an outpouring of hate and malice directed against you. It not only hurts, it harms. It makes it more difficult for a genuine freedom of expression to exist, for an actual diversity to take hold. But I would like you to remember, when these so-called differences arise, that it is not a difference of opinion at stake. It is not an abstract idea, nor the musings of theory, for me. Dan Cathy not only wishes that I will never marry my girlfriend, never feel secure in my right as a parent, nor in my job, nor in my house, nor in my physical safety; Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A, and all of those who provide support for that institution are choosing to act to make sure that I, personally, and everyone like me will never hope for better. I only wish that Emory University did not want to count itself as an institution that would willingly support such a campaign against actual members of this community. While I do not, after this week, have the energy or emotional grace to hope that Emory University will reconsider throwing its support behind Dan Cathy and Chick-filA, I can hope that you all spare a moment to remember that there are real individuals who are harmed, actively and at this point in history knowingly and willfully harmed, by any continued support, financial, institutional, de facto or otherwise, for those who would deny myself and people like me our humanity and our place at the political table. Karen McCarthy is a third year graduate philosophy student. This letter was originally sent to Dr. Ajay Nair (Senior VP and Dean of Campus Life).
The Emory Wheel
Op — Ed
Friday, August 31, 2011
11
Katrina Worsham | Staff
The Rankings Scandal: Anger, Disappointment and Thoughts Perspectives On How This Affects the Emory Community Nicholas Bradley Last week, the conclusion of a threemonth investigation conducted by Emory University revealed that the university’s Office of Institutional Research was misreporting its SAT and ACT scores to surveys and university ranking organizations such as U.S. News and World Report. Emory had been reporting the scores of its admitted students in place of the scores of its enrolled students since as early as the year 2000, according to University records. In a series of frequently asked questions posted on its website, Emory University acknowledged that it is uncertain how the false data may have aided its rankings or how these rankings might change as a result of this realization. While it declined to release the names of the employees involved in the incident, the University did note that those involved no longer worked at Emory. Although Emory was not the first university, and certainly not the last, to misrepresent student performance statistics in the name of improving its standing amongst its peers, the actions were a breach of the bond of trust between the school’s administrations and its students. The incident has left a black mark on Emory’s esteemed reputation and calls into question any other statistic that the university might have reported in the past. While Emory’s practice of misreporting SAT/ACT data speaks poorly of the university itself, it also speaks to the competitive, cutthroat nature of the college admissions process and the unreliable system of college rankings that has grown around it. As the importance of having a college education – the best college education – continues to grow in society, so too grow the incentives that inspire academic institutions to misreport statistics so that they might benefit from an improved ranking. Furthermore, as the importance of rankings and statistics – be it real or perceived – continues to grow as well,
the college admissions process becomes more focused on numbers. Attending the highest ranked university becomes more important than what really matters: going somewhere that will best serve our individual needs. At its core, this incident is a question of consumer value. Put simply, it is more valuable to the applicant to attend a betterranked university. To misreport statistics in the name of skewing the rankings is to devalue the investment that students are making when they attend Emory University – or any university for that matter.
Despite scandal , Emory still fantastic place to learn. The problem in this situation is that the rankings that drive applications to universities are not an accurate indication of the kind of return the student will enjoy on his or her enrollment. The SAT/ACT scores of a university’s students are not in any way related to the most important return on an investment in college education – the education itself. They say nothing of the quality of the professors, of the atmosphere on campus, or even of the kind of students that attend said university – except that they probably scored well on the SAT or ACT. SAT/ACT profile is only one of several criteria used to rank colleges and universities, but it seems that the true problem lies in a system of rankings that seeks only to report readily quantifiable data instead of attempting to report and rank those more qualitative characteristics of a university. It’s the certain je ne sais quoi of a university that, ultimately, speaks to the degree of success – be it academic, social or otherwise – that a student will enjoy.
Isn’t that what’s most important, anyway? Admissions officers and college counselors alike talk about “that feeling” – the feeling a person gets when they’ve found the school that’s exactly right for them. It’s hard for a prospective student to understand a zeitgeist of a campus simply by reading a magazine article about it. In the end, it doesn’t appear that this incident will negatively impact Emory any more than it already has. The school’s reputation has been tarnished mildly and will require a few years of good behavior to restore to its former glow, but the essential character of the university hasn’t changed. Its students are still hard working, high achieving and deeply involved in campus life. The facilities are still beautiful, and the professors are still some of the world’s best. Emory is more than just “Number 20” – it’s a school full of people seeking to understand themselves and to learn more about the world around them. While there is no excuse for the lack of integrity exhibited by those employees responsible for misreporting Emory’s SAT/ACT data, it will take far more than tampering with statistics to ruin the Emory experience. As for the issue of the college ranking system, I challenge Emory’s administration to examine the possibility of not reporting to ranking organizations at all. Emory has always been a leader amongst its peers, and it is time once again for it to claim that position. Application issues aside, it is hard to believe that not appearing in a magazine will be of any detriment to the campus community and environment. If Emory is truly a liberal arts institution, it should take pride and derive satisfaction from success in its own right, instead of success with respect to its peer institutions.
Asst. Editorials Editor Nicholas Bradley is a College sophomore from Skillman, N.J.
Wayne Rackoff I graduated from Emory with classmates who chose Emory over other schools without the guidance of magazine ratings and paid college consultants. I chose on the recommendation of my older brother, who was diagnosed with cancer during his sophomore year, but expressed his desire to return to school at Emory until his dying day. My younger sister attended Emory on her brothers’ recommendations. For many of my classmates, Emory represented educational excellence in our native South, a chance to enjoy a small campus and a big city at the same time, and a chance to attend school among classmates and faculty who enjoyed learning and each other. We started the Rathskellar, which continues to this day as the campus comedy-improvisation group. We started the group that became Volunteer Emory. On a summer study trip in England, we scouted a limited edition poetry collection that was the first brick in what Professor Ron Schuchard and others built into the one of the finest manuscript collections in the world. These are the little truths about Emory that are never mentioned in the U.S. News & World Report college edition. That Emory stands in contrast to the one represented by the email that alumni received from Emory President James Wagner on Sunday. That email took me back to my days at Emory,
not in its honest and heartfelt approach to a serious institutional cheating problem, but in the way that it aped the Watergate testimony playing on every television set during my freshman year — deflecting blame, isolating the problem to the dishonest few, failing to recognize the extent of the damage. Those of us who support Emory await the denouement. Whether those at the top knew what was happening is not the issue. They should have known. This is not a trivial matter, easily written off. This is the administration’s equivalent of cheating on every final examination for all four years of school. In that regard, the current administration should put itself in front of the student honor court and be willing to suffer the consequences. Two of Emory’s trustees attended college during the years when I was there. Their fathers were faculty stalwarts. I urge them — Lynn Stahl and Katherine Rohrer — to ask the tough questions about how Emory can continue to build on its success in attracting top students and faculty while remaining true to its origins. Yes, this story is about the need for integrity in higher education, but, more than that, it should be the impetus for the unpretentious, caring, intelligent Emory to take back its university.
Dr. Wayne Rackoff C’75 is an Emory alumni and former Op-ed writer for the
Emory Wheel.
‘Illegitimate’ Rape Is Still Rape Today, Religion Hurts More Than It Helps Sid Raju
Wenews | Flikr
Survivors and Victims Deserve Immense Respect Lauren Bernstein The Respect Program in the Office of Health Promotion engages the Emory community to prevent and respond to sexual assault and relationship violence. As the primary office for preventing and responding to interpersonal violence for students, we believe students disclose that they’ve experienced sexual assault or rape. This should go without saying, but I think it is critical to address the idea of “legitimate rape” that has been floating around. Even though these comments have been criticized already, I feel a need to debunk Congressman Akin’s statements in the context of Emory University. This is not about politics or elections or party affiliations. These comments are objectively offensive and medically unsound. Survivors deserve respect. “It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, [pregnancy from rape is] really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,” Akin said. Between Aug. 2011 and the end of July 2012, I worked with over 100 undergraduate and graduate students via almost 200 individual consultations. Every single one of these students’ experiences are legitimate. The one in four women and one in 13 to one in 33 men who’ve experienced sexual assault on college campuses are legitimate. Some of those students became pregnant from what happened, and they made all sorts of choices about those pregnancies.
I have the privilege of engaging with student leaders, interns, and advocates. Their work is also legitimate. Sexual assault is a serious and pervasive public health problem, including on college campuses, including at Emory. Pregnancy is a potential consequence of some forms of sexual violence for individuals who can physiologically become pregnant. Here are some facts: - The U. S. Department of Justice has found that false reports of sexual violence are rare. Less than two percent of reports are actually false. - Seeking medical care after sexual assault can be critical for survivors. There’s a risk of physical injury, STIs and pregnancy. A lot of survivors are scared to seek medical care because of fear they won’t be believed or feeling a loss of control of their bodies. - A NIH study reported that about 32,101 pregnancies in the U.S. a year result from rape. That’s about a 5 percent possibility of pregnancy from rape. - No one asks to be raped, and the body has physiological reactions to nonconsensual sex that it could have to consensual sex. This can be used by perpetrators to manipulate survivors. The idea of pregnancy not being possible after rape has a history in invalidating and disbelieving folks who were sexually assaulted even though this is medically inaccurate and damaging misinformation. If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence, what you or they have experienced is legitimate. There is no such thing as an illegitimate rape or experience of sexual assault or relationship violence. There’s
a continuum of violence and abuse, and none of it is OK. All of those experiences are legit. and real. If you’ve been triggered by this conversation in the media or want to get involved to change culture around this issue, contact me. You have support at Emory. You can start by giving me a call at 404.727.1514 or emailing me at Lauren.Bernstein@emory.edu to talk or to get involved. The DeKalb Rape Crisis Center also has a 24-hour hotline at 404.377.1428 and RAINN has a national 24-hour hotline at 1.800.656.HOPE or online at rainn.org. Survivors deserve respect. It’s not political to say that sexual violence is not okay in our communities and that we should support survivors and medical facts related to sexual assault — it’s common sense. We are all a part of ending sexual violence and challenging comments like these are a great first step. There are many ways to get involved in ending sexual violence at Emory. One way is to attend the Emory @ the Red Zone Rally on Fri., September 14 at 5:45 p.m. in Asbury Cir. to show that, as a community, we are intolerant of sexual violence, which is most common in the first three weeks of school. Join us.
Lauren (LB) Bernstein, MSW is the coordinator of the Office of Health Promotion’s Respect Program, which engages the Emory community to prevent and respond to sexual assault and relationship violence. You can learn more about the Respect Program at http://www. bewellexcel.org/respect.
It is hard to pinpoint when exactly religion, as a concept, came about. Perhaps organized religion is more a recent phenomenon — within the last few thousand years or so — but some form of belief, or at least a primitive code of ethics, likely existed before then as a way to keep humans in check. When an omniscient and omnipotent being mandates a certain set of actions, we are more likely to follow these actions than the mandated actions of any mortal, provided that we truly believe in this being. How else could we have convinced humans to act cooperatively, to think about others and not only themselves? We could not have survived as we do today if we simply stole when we needed things and murdered when we were upset. We can even suppose that religion guided us towards healthier and sustainable habits; in Hinduism, the eating of cows may have been banned by its founders not because cows are inherently holy, but because red meat is unhealthy and because a cow’s milk can provide sustenance for much longer than its meat can. We can guess that similar practices occurred in Islamic and Jewish faiths with regard to the health horror of pork, and even in Leviticus where high-cholesterol shellfish is forbidden. Whatever purpose religion may have served in the past — and even serves today — it would appear that religion now hurts more than it helps. With the religious wars that have plagued human history and still cause tension in the Middle East, the special interest groups that complicate our democratic process and force politicians to further play politics rather than act as public servants and the barriers to progress in areas such as gay marriage and women’s rights, it seems that religion, once our uniting principle and strength in hard times, has now become a principal reason for why we have hard times in the first place. It goes without saying that religion is not wholly evil and most observers — even the most devout — do not cause any harm; in fact, many are charitable and offer solace to the lost and beleaguered. Faith is something to be admired and often religion can make us kinder and more responsible citizens in a sometimes indifferent world. The problem arises from a small minority of passionate individuals, extremists and misinterpreters who act in the name of
God. In some cases, we end up with nominees, like Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann, who advocate against evolution as a scientific “fallacy” and claim that the only medicine for the United States is a return to the original Christian values on which the nation was founded — despite a distinct separation of Church and State in our laws — and a turn away from further progress, scientific, intellectual or otherwise. We fearfully look to the Middle East, knowing that instability around Jerusalem could erupt at any second. We get a nation that, despite having the acumen, financial resources, and technological advancement to send an engineering marvel to Mars, must debate whether rape is “legitimate” in deciding if a woman should be allowed an abortion instead of discussing how best we can help victims of these crimes. We even prevent couples from getting married on the sole basis that they are of the same gender. Religion was definitely necessary at some point in history to keep early civilizations in line but in today’s times, where we understand that actions like stealing and murdering are wrong and have an appropriate judiciary system meant to deal with these issues, religion has weighed us down, slowed our progress, and harmed our society. While we cannot erase religion from our past, our present, or even our future, we can urge our clergymen to not focus so much on the nuances of the scripture and the literal interpretation of the text, but to adapt the teachings into a modern context. Modern discourses should focus on core values such as compassion and duty rather than attemtping to impose details of what we must and must not do in our daily lives and, for some faiths, in our thoughts. We have the judicial and legislative system to mandate our boundaries. We must petition our governments to isolate religious advice from non-negotiable rules. If religion could adapt to run parallel with law and show us how we could become better citizens instead of forcing us into daily rituals, outdated practices and backwards viewpoints, we would be better served. However, if religion in modern times cannot adapt or restrict itself to that complementary role, we are certainly doomed to never reach humankind’s potential.
Governments should isolate religious advice from the governing of the people.
Sid Raju is a freshman on Oxford campus from Princeton, New Jersey.
12
&
Friday, August 31, 2012
The Emory Wheel
Classified Advertising Crossword Puzzle rates Place Your Ad Sudoku Today Child Care Needed
Got something to sell? Want to make an announcement?
to place a classified ad Go online. www.emorywheel classifieds.com
deadlines
Tuesday issue: Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday issue: Tuesday, 2 p.m.
Welcome Back!
0-25 words: $12.00 26-50 words: $19.00
classifieds index Apts/Lofts/Rooms Real Estate for Sale Roommates Travel Part-time & Full-time Child Care Needed Employment Miscellaneous Announcements
policy The Emory Wheel is not responsible for any damages resulting from advertisements. All sales are final. We accept Visa and MasterCard.
Baby Sitter Needed Looking for a responsible & energetic student to babysit a 1st grader after school. Hours are 3:00 - 6:00pm Tues. - Fri. in Virginia Highlands neighborhood. 678596-8984
Part Time
VA-Highland-Retail P/T Sales Judith Bright, Inc. is a Nashville Based Jewelry Design and Retail Business with stores in Atlanta and LA. Looking for a genuine, energetic, self-motivated, detail-oriented associate. Hours bet. 11a-9p. $10-$12/hr. References & some retail experience mandatory. Email resume & cover letter explaining why you would be a great addition to our team. anne_finley@judithbright.com 404-803-0915
Across 1 Pursuit of a goal 6 Yoda, for one 10 Altar locale 14 Thompson and Watson 15 Two eighth notes, for iTunes, e.g. 16 Empty, in math 17 Cause to cower 18 Oater fare 19 Understand, slangily 20 What a smudge may indicate 22 Foreman portrayer on “House” 23 Typewriter keyboard format 26 Bluffer’s undoing, in poker 28 Use one’s scull 29 *Like a baby girl’s laundry? 34 Bag brand 36 One going before a judge 37 Corrida wear 39 Done for 40 Eye problems 42 Theocratic state 43 Often-mocked cars of the past 45 Jack’s love in “Titanic” 46 Possessing many pesos
The New York Times Syndication Sales Corporation 500 Seventh Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10018 For Information Call: 1-800-972-3550 Edited by Will Shortz
47 Like
light from stars moving away from us … or like the answers to this puzzle’s starred clues? 50 Confirm-deny link 51 Opportunities for discussion 52 “___ touch!” 54 Vista part: Abbr. 56 He had a Blue Period 60 Dolly the matchmaker 61 Grow wearisome 62 ___ de Torquemada, Spanish inquisitor 66 Abe or Ike 67 They may clash 68 City on the Mohawk 69 Like the Atacama 70 Scrubbed, as a mission 71 Material for a baking dish
Down 1 “And that proves it” 2 Thurman of “Pulp Fiction” 3 Creature on Australia’s 50-cent coin 4 Not so off the wall 5 Feature of some sandals
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE S A T O N
T R A L A
A R Y A N
A T A B
T H R U
E L K O
L O O P
V E N T R I C L E
V E L V E T
E S S T O R
T T H E E T M E E T E R A R E Z A B O E A L N S
H T M C L E S A A L R I B F I R E T S E C D O S
A S T E R N T E E T H
N W A O O C G M U O P A T O O N E D P I P Z A S E I A T N L D 8 E S T O I L S U M M O N E O L A S S
Instructions: •Each row, column and “area” (3-by-3 square) should contain the numbers 1 to 9. Rules: •Each number can appear only once in each row. •Each number can appear only once in each column. •Each number can appear only once in each area.
1
2
3
4
5
6
No. 0330 7
8
9
10
14
15
16
17
18
19
20 23
24
21 26 29
34
35
30
31
32
44 47
41
46
48
55
49 52
56
38 42
45
51 54
33 37
40
43
13
27
36
39
12
22
25
28
11
57
58
50 53
59
60
61
62
66
67
68
69
70
71
6 Happy people dance them 7 Color of raw silk 8 Ill-humored 9 Still being tested 10 Pasta variety 11 *Newspapers read by royalty? 12 Not stay in the bucket, say 13 Some lodge members 21 “Sealed With ___” 23 Canine, to a tot 24 Bravery, in Britain 25 *Illness caused by eating Cheetos? 27 Key near F1 30 ___-Grain cereal bars
31
63
64
65
puzzle by erik wennstrom
Stevie Wonder’s “Songs in the ___ Life” 32 Take forcibly 33 Priest’s assistant 35 Freshen 38 Bull pen sound 41 Comes across as 44 Ukr., e.g., until 1991 48 Come to pass 49 Quarrel 53 Like a chimney sweep 54 Matterhorn’s locale 55 “A ___ technicality!” 57 “Aladdin” parrot 58 Pipe problem 59 Moreover
63 Atlantis
docked
with it
64
Sleuth Ventura
S T I R
P A R A
E N N E
65 Tenor ___ R E E For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554. subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: D Annual 1-888-7-ACROSS.
U S E N O
T A R E S
AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information. Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/ crosswords ($39.95 a year). Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay. Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.
Sudoku
StudentLife The Emory Wheel
Friday, August 31, 2012 Student Life Editor: Justin Groot (jgroot@emory.edu)
Student Spotlight
Schoder’s Gamble: All-in on Poker T
By William Partin III Contributing Writer
he skinny 21-year-old in the Alpha Tau Omega hat at the center table doesn’t like his odds. He’s holding the ace of spades and the jack of diamonds, but the flop was the nine of hearts, 10 of spades and six of clubs — not exactly a four of a kind.
Courtesy of Jonathan Schoder
Goizueta Business School junior Jonathan Schoder considers his next move at the World Series of Poker. Schoder came away from the event with almost a quarter million dollars in winnings.
Hey! What’s Student Life?
Dear Emory, The Wheel would proudly like to present our newest section, Student Life. In this section you will find articles focusing solely on Emory students and things that pertain to our lives on campus. This section will include a comprehensive calendar. Our hope is that soon this calendar will inform the student body of every major event happening around campus. To
Aries
achieve this goal, we need the help of every Emory student, club and organization. If you would like an event to appear on our calendar please email our multimedia editor Elizabeth Howell at ehowel5@emory.edu. The Wheel will also use this section to highlight exceptional achievements of students and organizations as a way to create a portal for celebrating often unacknowledged student activity. If you know an Emory
Horoscopes Leo
Welcome back! Celebrate your return by checking out some of Emory’s new attractions — like the luxurious five extra feet of space next to the Chick-fil-A in Cox, or the mysterious, enigmatic new shuttle routes!
Oh, Leo...this is the year for you to get your act together. Go to the gym and play some basketball with the nice boys in muscle shirts and Air Jordans. Ask that special someone out to coffee.
Taurus
Virgo
Put a spin on your dreary summer. If you spent all summer playing video games in your basement, tell your friends you were busy researching “nocturnal, catatonic ludonarrative structures.”
This year is an opportunity for you to try new things. Pick a club or two at random and show up at the interest meetings — a lot of the time, those things have free food, anyway.
Gemini
Fed up with your housing arrangements this year? Don’t worry — you can always pretend your outdated dorm agitated your allergies and get yourself moved somewhere more comfortable.
Use Add/Drop/Swap this year. Do you really want to take that 8:30 class? Of course not. Aim to have your earliest class start at 1 so you can sleep in every day.
Cancer
This year, do your best to meet some new people. Try walking up to random strangers and begging them to play Mario Kart with you. Everybody loves Mario Kart.
Libra
Scorpio
You had a rough summer, but don’t worry — you’re back among friends now and everyone missed you. It’s common knowledge that Scorpios are the baddest dudes and dudettes.
student who has a story that should be told, please reach out to our Student Life editor Justin Groot at jgroot@ emory.edu. In order to accomodate the new section, we have combined Arts & Living and Entertainment into Arts & Entertainment, which will feature the best of both sections. Yours, The Emory Wheel
Sagittarius
Sagittarians are optimistic, enthusiastic, adventurous and independent. So ... you probably don’t need any advice.
Capricorn
If you’re premed, just give up now. Trust me on this.
Aquarius
Danger lurks around every corner for Aquarius this week. When backto-school shopping, beware of sofas tumbling off the top shelves and squishing you. Visiting the Atlanta Aquarium? Watch out for freak stingray attacks. You might consider staying in your dorm room ... but then again, we all know how unstable those lofted beds are.
Pisces
Your love for the arts and all things creative will direct you this week past the lower baseball fields to the illustrious Visual Arts building, where you will join the Art Club and have a magical year of art and love and stuff.
Or much of anything, for that matter. His chips are looking a little lonely, too, whittled down to a meager $650,000. Just a few moments before, he tweeted something possible only for speculators, investment bankers and professional poker players. “Just lost 1/2 mil... damnit.” The turn is revealed: the four of clubs. Not good — he was hoping for an ace. One more card to go. The odds are against him, and oh, does he know that. This is the World Series of Poker, after all. There’s no room for that kind of error. The dealer delivers the river: it’s the six of hearts. The opponent calls, and just like that, the skinny 21-year-old at the center table is busted. But it’s not as if he’s going home empty-handed. Quite the opposite, actually — he’s walking out with nearly a quarter-million dollars in profit. And who says gambling doesn’t pay? Meet Jonathan Schoder, Goizueta Business School junior and Professional Poker Wunderkind. Over the past few years, he’s played millions of hands in tournaments across the globe and online, culminating in his performance at this year’s World Series of Poker where he finished in 36th place. And while that might at first seem disappointing, in a field of nearly 6,600 entrants, it’s more than impressive, especially for a competitor who is half the age of many of his opponents. “There’s a lot of rich businessmen, who are really, really bad,” Schoder said in an interview with the Wheel. “But if you see a young guy with a $10,000 buyin, [he’s] from the generation of online kids, 19-25, who understand the math side of it and have a good understanding of the game.” Schoder himself belongs to that swell of young poker professionals who came of age at the height of online poker. For such a prodigious talent, one might think that Schoder has been honing his skills since childhood, practicing hours
Q
& A
a day on his path to poker virtuoso. As it turns out, his professional career was a bit of an accident. In the summer of 2009, freshly graduated from Fort Lauderdale’s Pine Crest School, Schoder, who was better known in those days as a nationally-ranked chess player, chose to take a year off before coming to Emory in order to hike the Appalachian Trail. It was a fateful decision. “I started out, and three weeks into it, my back gave out, and I had to stop and come back home,” Schoder said in a 2010 interview with Emory Magazine. Back in South Florida with little to occupy his time, Schoder turned to online poker to entertain himself and maybe even earn a little pocket change. “I needed to do something for about six months,” Schoder said, “and I needed to make some money, so I started playing poker for something like ten to twelve hours a day.” His years of chess helped propel his skills, but didn’t provide all the answers. “There are similarities [between chess and poker],” Schoder explained, “but poker is [the] next step — in chess, you know everything, it’s a perfect game of information. But poker brings in a chapter of something you don’t know. It’s not only math-based but also psychology-based. Short-term variants. You have to understand the player.” Still, even in a game of chance, practice makes perfect. Schoder estimates that he played one and a half million hands in those months, sometimes juggling up to 24 games at once. But playing hands, he learned, isn’t everything. “At the top level, I would do research where I could go back and replay the hands, also looking at what opponents are doing. At that level, you play against the same people every day. Especially with the other online players, you talk to other people about hand histories.” Schoder doesn’t like to talk about his
See 10,000, Page 14
We sat down with Wheel Editor-in-Chief Evan Mah to discover his deepest, darkest secrets. The results of our investigation were shocking.
Are you a boxers or briefs guy? On a side note, which sock do you put on first? Boxers for business and briefs for pleasure. Left sock first.
Where in Atlanta would you bring someone on a first date? Why?
People often ask me for restaurant recommendations for dates, and I always ask them what their objective is and how they want that night to end. Iberian Pig is classy with plenty of energy to fill any awkward silences. If they want to impress AND signal other intentions, Sotto Sotto is the best Italian in the city. The noise level is just right for relentless flirting to go alongside that risotto.
What was the most embarrassing moment in your life?
Failing my driver’s permit test. I didn’t study because I had heard it was easy, but when the computer shut down after I missed four questions, I had to face my mother and the dozens of people waiting in line. Feeling intellectually inferior in the lobby of the DMV is a tragedy in itself.
What is your favorite bathroom reading material?
I usually check email on my iPod so to anyone who wants to steal my stuff, keep this in mind.
Would you rather shave off your left eyebrow or dye your hair pink? Elaborate.
The latter because I can change my hair color faster than I can grow back an eyebrow.
Which dinosaur would you most enjoy being eaten by, and why? Whatever dinosaur has the longest tongue. Duh.
If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why? Roasted chicken thighs in a white wine jus. It’s simple and nutritionally sound. On the other hand, I really do love Cheetos ...
14
The Emory Wheel
student life
Friday, August 31, 2012
Oh Look! A Calendar Full-o-Stuff Friday, August 31 — Thursday, September 6 music music
be athletic
AHANA
Club Soccer
A Cappella Auditions Friday, Aug. 31, 1—4 p.m.; Saturday, Sept. 1, 12-5 p.m.; Sunday, Sept. 2, 1-6 p.m. Schwartz Center
Interest Meeting Wednesday, Sept. 5, 5 p.m. Coke Commons
religious life
For business leaders of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.
Emory Reads
their hips don’t lie
Informational Meeting Monday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. Goizueta Business School 130
Emory Dance Program
Fall Interest Meeting
Informational Meeting Friday, Aug. 31, 4 p.m. Dance Studio, Schwartz Center
Emory Wheel Wednesday, Sep. 5, 4:30 p.m. Harland Cinema
Meet faculty and current students, find out about auditions, and learn more about studying dance.
The Emory Wheel is the only student-run, financially newspaper on campus.
Emory Hillel
Catholic Student Union and University Catholic Center
Karma Bhangra
Informational Meeting Tuesday, Sept. 4, 6-8 p.m.; Wednesday, Sept. 5, 6-8 p.m. WoodPEC
Trip to the World of Coca-Cola Saturday, Sept. 1., 1 p.m. Meet at the Catholic Center
Kharma Bhangra is Emory’s Co-ed Bhangra Dance Team.
Emory Student Ambassadors
Kick-off Meeting Wednesday, Sept. 5, 5p.m.; Thursday, Sept. 6, 5p.m. Oxford Road Building, Presentation Room This meeting is required for current ESA students.
Emory Dance Company
Minority Pre-Medical Society
Come prepared to move and bring your schedule. You must be enrolled in a technique clas to be cast in a role. If you are cast, you will be enrolled in DANC 270R (1-2 hours).
An opportunity to meet and ask questions to a few of the deans at Emory School of Medicine.
Karma Bhangra
“Chips, Salsa & Magnets” Thursday, Sept. 6, 8-10 p.m. in front of the SAAC
White Water Rafting Trip on the Ocoee River, TN Sunday, Sept. 2, 10 a.m. Meet outside the DUC
Picnic at Piedmont Park Monday, Sept. 3, 12:30 p.m. Meet behind the DUC
General Body Meeting Monday, Sept. 3, 5:30 p.m. Goizueta Business School 130
Emory Swing Club
A Cappella Auditions Saturday, Sep. 1, 12-6 p.m. Schwartz Center
Emory Christian Fellowship
Ascend
Informational Meeting Monday, Sept. 3, 5 p.m. Coke Commons
The Gathering
Sign up at http:/ltinyurl.com/Hillel2016.
Informational Meeting Sunday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m.; Wednesday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m. White Hall 102
Club Gymnastics
A Cappella Auditions Saturday, Sep. 1, 11-5 p.m.; Sunday Sep. 2, 1-6 p.m. Schwartz Theatre Lab
Emory Hillel
GlobeMed
Informational Meeting Saturday, Sept. 1, 3 p.m. WoodPEC 306/308
Dooley Noted
Welcome Back Shabbat Friday, Aug. 31, Services at 5:30 p.m., Free dinner at 6:30 pm
random stuff
“Meet the Deans” Thursday, Sept. 6, 6 p.m. Room 120 of the Medical School
Auditions Tuesday, Sept. 4, 6 p.m. Goizueta Business School 130
Try-outs Thursday, Sept. 6, 6-8 p.m. WoodPEC
Rides will be provided.
Emory Christian Fellowship
Want to be listed on our calendar?
“Thursdays at 7” Thursday, Sept. 6, 7 p.m. Candler Library 114
Oxford Continue Association
Come eat chips and salsa and make your own fridge magnets!
Email Elizabeth Howell at ehowel5@emory.edu. Include the name of your event, the name of your organization, date and time, location and a one sentence description of the event.
Best in Show
Friday, Aug. 31, 8 p.m. McDonough Field
$10,000 Buy-In Pays Dividends Continued from Page 13 earnings, but suffice it to say, being an online poker shark netted him a whole lot more than most gapyear jobs. Along with the success he was experiencing came an inevitable debate: is college the right decision when there’s just as much, if not more, to be gained from playing professional poker? A tough choice for many, but in the end, a clear one for Schoder. “You don’t know whether this game is just a fad or going to last 10 or 15 years,” Schoder said. “And thank God I did [go to college], because December of freshman year [in 2010], online poker got shut down.” With those tables closed off, many turned away from poker for good. But not Schoder, who began to take his talent to offline events, first in Florida and then around the world. “I played a couple of $1,000 and $1,500 events both in Florida and in Vegas,” Schoder said, referring to the dollar value of the buy-in required
for entrants. “I also made the trip out fall semester last year to play in the Venetian Deepstack tournament series.” Although he didn’t win these events, they weren’t a complete loss. “I had minimal results in both — no major cashes but enough to pay the bills.” More importantly, they established Schoder’s reputation as a world-class player both on and offline. Backed by his newfound distinction, Schoder chose to take his biggest gamble yet: the World Series of Poker (WSOP), a No Limit Hold’em tournament with a pot of over $62 million. Only one thing stood in his way: a hefty $10,000 buy-in. “You’re never supposed to put in more than 3 percent of your income up for one tournament,” Schoder explained. To make up the difference, he reached out to his community to raise the money he needed for his buy-in. “I went out to friends and people I’ve played poker with and let guys
buy a percent of me with a 12 percent markup. In the end, I sold around 40 percent of myself. It’s nice to have friends rooting for you, and I started a WSOP Twitter,” Schoder said, referring to his @SchoderWSOP, through which he live-tweeted most of the main event. Some of his most exciting hands will also be shown during ESPN’s coverage of the WSOP in early October. For those who had faith in Schoder, their money proved to be in good hands. Entitled to a portion of his winnings corresponding to their own contribution, Schoder’s backers received quite a return on their investment: every $100 put forth yielded over $2,000 dollars in profit. But the biggest winner was, of course, Schoder. “A lot of people ask what I’m doing with the money,” Schoder said. “So far I haven’t made any big purchases, but I’m probably going to drop some money on golf clubs, and might splurge on a Hublot or something. It’s important to keep your
the
Twitter Shorts Contest Think you know how to write a story? Try your hand at our 140-character short story contest. Winners will be featured in an upcoming issue. Submit entries to jgroot@emory.edu. Deadline is September 12th.
poker money (work money) separate from your spending money, but you also have to treat yourself to something nice once in awhile.” Schoder doesn’t know if he’ll turn to poker full-time after college, although he certainly could if he wanted. Maybe it comes as little surprise, but he’s got his eye on a different sort of gambling. “Investment banking. I want to do mergers and acquisitions,” he said when asked of his career plans. “I’ve also been told that sales and trading is most relatable to poker. A lot of people in the world of poker have finance backgrounds.” Whether it’s buy-ins or buy-outs, blue chips or clay ones, no one knows what’s in the cards for Schoder. But if it’s a betting game he wants, Schoder’s success sounds like a safe bet. With a degree from Goizueta and a big pot of gold, the odds are looking better every day for this ace among Eagles. — Contact William Partin III at wcparti@emory.edu
S
By Chloe Olewitz
insighter
tarbucks has stayed empty these past few short summer weeks. There was greenaproned barista buzz about regulars returning, familiar faces and talk about students complaining just as much to be back as we did when everyone was gone. I tiptoed the edge lines of campus, thinking if I stayed outside the physical academic perimeter for just a while more, my summer would last longer. August’s end is here, and without the first day’s passing I have already decided which of my classes I like and which I don’t. One decision down. On the other hand, there is the notebook quest that plagues me as it has for as many falls past as I can remember. Spiral-bound or composition, five-subject or one-, binders or folders? How many different colored pens can I possibly carry around in one textbook-toting backpack? The tough questions. We are counting down the days at this com-
munal coffee shop table, still spread out with stuff on seats and table spots, each of which will be occupied in 10 days or fewer. The bookstore buzz is almost audible. Is it textbook time? I have spared myself counting the hours and minutes, maybe because I hear that most of us kind of sort of want to come back. Are we counting down with dread or joy? A little of column A, a little of column B? Someone throws another book across the table. We take up space. Across the room, I see the familiar embrace of returning after summer’s trips and trials, sisters reunited, bro bumps and lots of Emory love. I find freshmen tweeting “welcome home” and “here we are,” treatments of our quad on Instagram, and I think we are all a little proud of returning to something we know to be beautiful; somewhere full of people who look to be the best they can. People fresh among us post “How’s the WoodPEC?” and “What is Dobbs like?“ on
Facebook pages where they know no one. Yet, we were there, and we know that they have no clue what they’ve gotten themselves into, but we saw them at Songfest last night and none of it mattered because cheering for our freshman dorms we cheered for the memories we made and the year that starts this week. It’s almost senior time for me, and is it too early to be ready to go? We worry for what will come next, where to go, what to do. How to pay. We waste time worrying, we miss the Cox clock ringing too loud too long to usher us to classes that we’ve thought about skipping. It is my wish that we do not get lost in worry. It is my dream that we soak up what we have together here, and be our best while we do our best. We are good at that, I think. Yes, it is too early, and instead I hope this year we soak up Emory, all of us, new and incoming and almost outgoing. Welcome back, I say. Welcome back and welcome home.
E
The Emory Wheel
Sports
agle xchange sat 1
sun 2
mon 3
vs. Rhodes vs. Centre College (Tenn.) College (Ky.) 3:30 p.m. 10 a.m. Maryville, Tenn. Maryville, Tenn.
It’s Sean Rodriguez’s world, we are all just living in it.
tues 4
1. Ryan Tannehill, NFL Scholar
at Lee University (Tenn.) 7 p.m. Cleveland, Tenn.
at Messiah at Franklin & College (Pa.) Marshall College 1 p.m. (Pa.) Mechanicsberg, 1 p.m. Pa. Lancaster, Pa. vs. Berry/ Sewanee TBA Rome, Ga. vs. Berry/ Sewanee 9:45 a.m. Rome, Ga.
Emory Athletics
The men’s tennis team defeated Kenyon College to win the program’s third national championship title, all three of which have come under 13th-year Head Coach John Browning.
MLB Should Punish Teams, Encourage Self-Enforcement Continued from The Back Page goal of completely eradicating PED use from the game. Teams will have a greater incentive to test players. As matters stand now, teams can benefit from a cheating player. The fear of a one-season post-season ban will lead teams to more strictly comply with league testing and initiate more of their own testing at all levels of the game. A lost season would result in fan anger or, worse, disinterest, leading to drastically reduced ticket sales and enormous decreases in revenues. No player in baseball is worth giving up a season. This increased team enforcement will give the players an incentive to follow the rules. In the current system, players like Manny Ramirez have been able to benefit financially as a result of illegally inflated statistics. Teams are already cautious with reported PED users, but a one-season playoff ban would take this to the
extreme. Teams would not only subject potential new players to highly stringent testing standards before acquiring them, but a single positive test would become career-threatening. As mentioned above, there is not a single player in baseball worth a lost season. Players and their agents know this. Instituting a one-year post-season ban on the teams of PED users would enhance the game of baseball. In a league that is becoming increasingly competitive, it will eliminate PEDinflated records and clean up the great game of baseball. The revenue decrease and fan disaffection that would result from a lost season would motivate teams to establish stricter PED testing policies, which will in turn incentivize players to avoid cheating. An overhaul of the league’s enforcement of PED policy would competitively enhance the game of baseball. — Contact Nathaniel Ludewig at nludewi@emory.edu
Eagles Recover from Early Deficit on Backs of Wagner, Kowalski, Halpern Continued from The Back Page do in a championship match is to go down 3-0 in doubles. It’s a huge momentum lift for the other team,” Browning said. However, Emory’s No. 3 duo of Pottish and sophomore Brian Kowalski prevented the team from being swept in the doubles round and perhaps saved the season for the Eagles, who battled back in the singles portion of the match to claim a 9-8 victory. “That was probably one of the most nerve-racking matches I’ve ever had to watch,” sophomore Alex Ruderman said. “Going down 3-0 we still wouldn’t [have been] totally out of it because we have relied on our singles all season, but [winning the match] definitely gave us that boost of confidence.” In the No. 3 singles slot, sophomore Ian Wagner managed a 6-1, 6-4 victory to tie the match score 2-2. The win was Wagner’s 21st of the season, and he finished the year with a 21-3 record. The Lords regained their lead after sophomore Michael Razumovsky bested Goodwin in straight sets in the No. 2 singles match. But this lead was short lived as Ruderman‘s 6-1, 6-3
triumph in the No. 6 singles match evened the match at 3-3. It was not until 3.5 hours into the match that Emory took its first lead, when Kowalski notched a 6-3, 6-1 verdict over sophomore Wade Heerboth in the No. 4 singles match. With the Eagles’ ahead 4-3, only
“And the fact that Halpern clinched it in the way that he did it was perfect.” — Alex Ruderman, sophomore one more win was needed for the championship. While Pottish was playing his third set at the No. 1 singles spot, sophomore Eric Halpern was battling in the No. 5 singles match. It was Halpern who eventually clinched the win for the Eagles, as he finished with a 7-5, 7-5 victory, which marked his 20th win in his 22nd outing of the season. “We could have relied on [Pottish] to win, but at the same time, we were
just going to take the first point that we could get,” Ruderman said. “And the fact that Halpern clinched it in the way that he did it was perfect.” With Halpern claiming the final win to make it 5-3, Pottish did not finish the third set of his match. However, Pottish would still have more playing to do in the NCAA D-III Men’s Tennis Singles Championships. Pottish fell to his teammate Goodwin in last year’s title match, but he redeemed himself this year with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-2 decision to capture the national championship. “It was enormously disappointing for Dillon losing last year ... and he could have turned around and just given up, but he didn’t, and he worked harder,” Browning said. Overall, Browning could not have asked for a better ending. Between their 25-0 record, National Championship Title and a National Championship Singles Title, the only word to describe their year could be perfect. “It shows that I should probably retire and never coach again,” Browning said. “It’s an amazing group of kids that was on that team.” — Contact Elizabeth Weinstein at eweins2@emory.edu
Men, Women Look to Build off Strong 2011 Campaigns Continued from The Back Page
ask me
anything
seven rebounds per game last year, was named both First Team All-State and First Team All-UAA. Greven and Friedberg, both having been named UAA Players of the Week, will return to offer senior leadership to the squad. The men’s basketball team plays their home opener against Berry on Nov. 20. Just as the men’s team set high marks in its history, so too did the women’s basketball team. Last season, the women finished with the third most wins (18) in the regular season in school history. Likewise, their UAA record (9-5) ranked as the third-highest conference record in school history. Building on last season’s success, the Eagles expect their experience and
depth to carry them this season. “We are returning four of five starters, and we have a deep and experienced bench,” said junior forward Gabi Whitmer. “We start our pre-season next week with our sights set on capturing the University Athletic Association and making the NCAA Tournament.” The Eagles started on their journey to improvement by traveling to Rome to play against Italian club teams. After the trip to Italy, the Eagles feel ready for a break-out season while having a critical eye for improvement. “Our trip to Italy was incredible,” said Whitmer. “Not only was it an amazing cultural experience, it also has given us an advantageous first step into the season. Between our hot shooting and strong post play, we
What was your favorite Olympics moment? What are your goals this year for the team? What is your pre-game ritual/superstitions? What is your favorite sports team?
team selections Jonathan Chen, Alex Wunderlich, David Collura and Nick Szem. Removed from a season in which six athletes were named to the Capital One Track and Field/Cross Country Academic All-District Team, and both teams won the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Honors, the scholar-athletes of both men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete against Berry/ Sewanee at Rome, Ga. on Sept. 1 to begin their season. With five of six all-team UAA selections, the men’s soccer team seems destined for their 11th consecutive season with double-digit wins and a rank in the top 20. Seniors Andrew Natalino, David Garofalo and Alex Scott will provide
Breanah Borque
Ashley Kaiser
Stephen Ellwood
Melanie Frank
Soccer
Volleyball
Soccer
Cross Country
Cross Country
Watching the U.S. Watching my Mom Alex Morgan scoring women’s soccer team imitate Gabby Doug- the golden goal in OT win gold las on the beam of the U.S. vs. Canada semi Match I expect us to win a The ultimate goal is National the final four, but we To win it all! Championship need to focus on one game at a time I always listen to a I always put on my few songs from the right sock then left, I have to put my right Space Jam and Tarzan right knee pad then cleat on first soundtracks left...
What has been your favorite Beating Rochester 4-0 my sophomore year Emory memory? Which of your teammates is most likely to come back and coach at Emory?
steamrolled both teams [we played]. However, the game experience was helpful as we pinpointed specific areas that we need to improve before the season begins.” Their first game is against Spelman College in the Emory Tip Off Classic on Nov. 16. In their 2011-2012 season, the Emory golf team overcame playing in a difficult conference and strived under first-year Head Coach John Sjoberg to win their second straight UAA championship and ultimately to rank 11th in the nation according to the Golf World/NIKE DIII Coaches’ Poll. Despite losing standout and NCAA postgraduate scholarship recipient Ryan Dagerman (’12B), the team looks poised for another great year with the return of All-UAA first
Andrew Natalino
Real Madrid
15
On Fire
vs. Kean College (N.J.) 7 p.m. WoodPEC
Men’s Cross Country
vs. BrewtonParker College 7 p.m. WoodPEC
Women’s Cross country
woMen’s Soccer
Men’s Soccer
Volleyball
FRI 31
Friday, August 31, 2012
Boston Celtics
I don’t really follow pro sports
Watching Olympic David Rudisha breakBeach Volleyball live ing the world record in 800 meters in London Win a regional cham- Win regionals again pionship and move to and be in the top 20 at nationals top 4 in UAA A chant that we do on I do, but I don’t think the starting line that you’d like to hear it has been passed down for years J E T S Jets Jets Jets
Emory...obviously
Winning the 2012 So far it is setting the Going abroad to Cape school record in the Town, South Africa Winning regionals at round of 16 game against Wheaton in 1500 meters home PKs Lauren Gorodetsky. I would have to guess Haha probably myself While we are all doing Calleson Edwards. Nico Dalton She talks about it all HW, she’s scouting opNo one the time ponents #playercoach
the team with guidance, along with the many returning players. Their first home game is this Friday against Brewton-Parker College in the Sonny Carter Invitational. After an unprecedented undefeated season in which they won the UAAs for the sixth time, the women’s soccer team plans to continue their success by returning a total of 23 players from last season. The team, ranked sixth nationally, boasts a potent, experienced offense with the return of their top four goal scorers and a marquee defense that held its opponents scoreless for a school record of 16 times. With many teams primed for historic seasons, we will have another exhilarating year in Emory Athletics. — Contact Zonair Khan at zonair.khan@emory.edu
Reasons To Wake Up At 5 a.m. Continued from The Back Page to meet her, but two out of three is not that bad. Of course, there is a lot more to watch at the Olympics than the girls. Usain Bolt made an argument for being the best sprinter of all time. Michael Phelps proved that he is the greatest Olympian of all time. And when asked what the highlight of these games was, he said getting a tweet from Lil’ Wayne. The Fab Five of the women’s gymnastics team stole the hearts of more than teenage boys. Bob Costas is still trying to find a hairstyle that works for him. Synchronized swimming, white water rafting and equestrian all got their time in the sun. The good old USA proved that, even if China has all our money, we can still win the medal count. But those things are not going to get Karsten out of bed at 5 a.m. to fulfill my Olympic dreams for him. With any luck, those girls will. — Contact Bennett Ostdiek at bostdie@emory.edu
Coming off a 6-10 season in 2011, the Miami Dolphins are hoping for a resurgence under the leadership of their first-round draft pick, number eight overall selection Ryan Tannehill. The learning curve is steep for new NFL Quarterbacks – there are hundreds of different plays, formations and packages to memorize, in addition to meeting over 50 new teammates and figuring out the best ways to spend the millions of dollars from the signing bonus. Tannehill has all of these normal issues to deal with, but there is one more task he must accomplish – learning which teams are in his division and conference. “I know most of the conferences but some of those, I really have no clue,” Tannehill said on HBO’s “Hard Knocks”. “And they don’t make sense. You have the AFC East, and we’re freaking in the bottom of the map, and the directions don’t make any sense where the teams actually are.” Granted, Tannehill does have a point. Why are Miami and Buffalo in the same division when they are over 1300 miles apart? And why would Buffalo be in the AFC East while Baltimore is in the AFC North? Not to mention St. Louis being in the NFC West – since when is Missouri part of the West? We recall from playing Oregon Trail on old Macintoshes in elementary school that Independence Mo. is the gateway to the west, but it still seems like a questionable geographical title at best. And Dallas is in the NFC East? As your folks at On Fire all happen to be Texans, we shudder at the idea of anything from our great state being associated with the East. Being Texans, we could chalk up Tannehill’s lack of basic NFL knowledge to his education. For better or worse, his Texan A&M classmates have been the butt of jokes for many years in Houston and Dallas. So an Eagle, a Longhorn, and an Aggie walk into a bar… But the fact of the matter is, Tannehill’s problems can happen to the best of us. At least, they happened to one of us here at On Fire. While he was lying, wretched and miserable, in a hospital bed recuperating from a devastating illness, a singularly wretched and miserable quarterback came to visit him – David Carr, formerly of the Houston Texans. Carr asked your sickly correspondent which team the Texans were going to beat in the Super Bowl. Proud of his NFL knowledge, your sickly correspondent replied that it would be the Patriots. Carr laughed, because the Patriots and Texans are in the same conference, and your poor sickly On Fire correspondent felt deeply ashamed. The Texans went 2-14 that season. That is karma for you. 2. Passion, Loyalty and Brains In the MLB, Sean Rodriguez has not been having a very good season for the Tampa Bay Rays. Before being optioned to the minor leagues on August 21, he was hitting .215 in 106 games over the season, where he was expected to work out a few kinks before rejoining the big club for the stretch run. You just cannot win sometimes. Rodriguez recently broke his right hand after punching a locker in the clubhouse of his temporary (though now indefinitely extended) new team, the Triple-A Durham Bulls. Not only will Rodriguez have to put off his opportunities to better his stats this year, he will also be missing out on the Rays’ playoff push. They are only four games out of the division lead and just a single game away from securing a Wild Card berth. Now they will have to somehow manage to do this without Rodriguez’s dynamic bat. He could possibly return before the end of the season, but in the words of Rays’ manager Joe Maddon, “that’s no great solace now.” However, we at On Fire sympathize with Rodriguez. There is nothing that we admire more than passion, and he clearly has plenty to spare. He wants to win so badly that he will pick fights with opponents like lockers who will not fight back, in order to ensure his victory (when initially asked about his hand, rumor has it that Rodriguez quipped “You should see the other guy”). He is so loyal to his team that he will do anything it takes to help them win, and he is so smart that he understands the best thing for his team is for him not to be able to play. Sean Rodriguez, we salute you.
Sports The Emory Wheel
Friday, August 31, 2012 Sports Editor: Elizabeth Weinstein (eweins2@emory.edu)
Emory Athletics
Tennis
Both Dillon Pottish and Gabrielle Clark brought home a Singles Championship Title at the NCAA tournament. It was just the fourth time in D-III history that both players came from the same school
Emory Athletics
Pottish and Clark at the NCAA Championships
Baseball
Eagles’ right-handed pitcher Paul Schwendel was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the final round of the MLB draft. Schwendel is currently pitching for the Hickory Crawdads.
Women’s Basketball
The squad prepared for the 2012-2013 with a trip to Rome. From August 13-21, the team will play three games against Italian club teams.
Track and Field
Head Coach John Curtin appointed Aaron Campbell as the team’s Assistant Coach. Campbell served as a volunteer coach at Duke University for the 2011-2012 season.
Eagles Set for Historic Fall Seasons By Zonair Khan Staff Writer Emory once again excelled athletically last year, placing sixth in the 2011-2012 Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings. The Directors’ Cup is awarded to universities based on their sports teams’ overall performances. “It’s validation of a great deal of time and effort, and it’s a barometer for broad-based athletics success,” Emory Athletic Director Tim Downes said. “The idea that we will compete for national championships with some of the best students in the country confirms the value of the intrinsic role that athletics plays in higher education. It allows Emory to set a standard for what intercollegiate athletics should be.” While the 2011-2012 year was successful, the Eagles are returning to practice and seeking improvement. Emory Athletics appears to be poised for yet another great year. During the 2011 campaign, the women’s volleyball team unfortunately fell short in the quest of a Division III national championship; their season, however, was still quite successful. The squad not only matched the school’s record for most wins in a season (36), but they also joined the ’94 team with an impressive 23-match winning streak. The Eagles’ national ranking as the third best team in the country after the regular season and eighth best team at the end of the post season only added to their storied history as one of the more dominant programs in the country. For the past 15 seasons, they have been consistently highly ranked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Excelling in
As September approaches, the Major League Baseball (MLB) season is roaring to a close. With the post-season only a month away, fans will soon get their first taste of the new playoff format. In place of the old system, which sent the three division winners and one wild card team from each league into the playoffs, the new format includes an extra wild card team from each league. The two wild card teams will face off in one winner-take-all game, with the victor advancing to the division series. The effects of this new playoff format have been debated ad nauseam, and until we actually see it play off, no one can say definitively whether the change was for better or worse. It is indisputable, however, that more teams than ever before have a legitimate shot at playing in the post-season. With one month to go, nine teams are within five games of a post-season berth. This added competition makes a team/player breaking the rules of competition all the more frustrating. This season, two of the 10 teams in contention have faced scandal. Oakland Athletics pitcher Bartolo Colon was recently served a 50-game suspension after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels. Colon was 10-9 with a stellar 3.43 ERA at the time of his suspension. Less than a week earlier, San Francisco Giants’ outfielder Melky Cabrera was suspended for a similar violation of the league’s performance enhancing drug (PED) policy. Cabrera was batting .346 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs at the time. Colon’s A’s are currently tied for the second wild card spot in the American League and Cabrera’s Giants have the best record in the
models for the many younger players on the team. “Our captains just set a tone the entire year that allowed the younger freshmen to grow into becoming great players and wanting to work hard every single day,” said Browning. Along with their senior leaders, the freshmen players also played a significant role throughout the season and most notably in the finals matches. “They were amazing,” said Browning. “There really are no words to describe what they did. If they hadn’t stepped up and if they hadn’t did what they did, there was no chance that we were going to win.” In each match, there were chances for the Eagles to lose. This was especially true in the final. Emory lost the first two doubles matches, giving Kenyon a boost of confidence and an early 2-0 lead. “One of the worst things you can
One of my closest friends from high school is six feet five inches, a lean 200 pounds and rows crew for Stanford. He is the ideal shape and size for a rower, and his coach has told him that if he does everything right and gives all that he can, he can row in the Olympics for Team USA. However, Karsten is also a frat star, and the twin lures of beer and California girls are tempting distractions from 5:00 a.m. workouts. I have taken it upon myself to motivate him, mainly because I want to say that I have a friend in the Olympics. Originally, the strategy was to appeal to his love for his country, the pride he would feel while representing it and the glory that could be his. But it turns out that those things are all well and good until you have to wake up for them before sunrise. So I have turned to a new motivational tactic — tempting tales of the Olympic Village. In retrospect, I feel naïve for not seeing this coming. Take several thousand of the world’s best athletes who have been training gruelingly and ceaselessly for the past four years and throw them all together for two weeks, and some steam is going to get blown off. In acknowledgement of this fact, 70,000 condoms were bought for the Beijing Games in 2008 — and they ran out. In the words of one male Olympian: “Even if her face is a seven, her body’s a 20.” Or as another athlete put it: “Sex will only hurt your performance … if you do it while competing.” Though none of us besides possibly Karsten will ever set foot in the Village, for my friends and I, the Olympics are still all about the girls. Starting in 2004, my best friend and I watched every single match played by Misty May and Kerri Walsh. We were their biggest fans as they made their first two gold medal runs. We became connoisseurs of the sport, analyzing every bump, set and spike, admiring their flawless communication and impeccable technique. Not to mention their great bodies. Then they came to cold, rainy London. A little-known rule stipulates that beach volleyball players do not have to wear bikinis if the temperature is less than 60 degrees. And the sport no longer seemed the same. Fortunately, there were other talented, hard-working and gorgeous athletes for us to turn our eyes to. The Dutch field hockey team became well known as the most attractive squad competing in these games — a quick Google search yields over 2,000,000 results for these lovely ladies. Word also spread about Paraguayan javelin thrower Leryn Franco who, in her spare time, is a model. And of course, there is Alex Morgan, who has single-handedly created a generation of women’s soccer fans. My cousin is stationed at an Air Force Base in England and managed to secure tickets to no less than five of the USA Women’s soccer games. After getting his tickets, the first thing he did was make a sign giving her his number. My personal favorite, however, was Logan Tom. Not many of my friends knew who she was, and those who did often questioned my judgment. Yes, at 34 years old she may be a little mature. Her cool focus and icy determination might be a little intimidating. But I like my girls smart, and she went to Stanford. I like someone who will tell me what to do, and she is clearly the boss on the court. I also prefer my girls to be shorter than me and she would tower over me by 10 inches if I was ever fortunate enough
See EAGLES, Page 15
See REASONS, Page 15
File Photo
The women’s volleyball team is ranked fourth in the national pre-season standings. The Eagles will open their season on Friday against Rhodes College. volleyball, they also received the AVCA Team Academic Award. Expectations run high for our Eagles this season, who are ranked fourth in the national preseason standings. With 13 experienced players returning, they look to build on their success from the previous season. The 2011 First Team All-American selected Breanah Bourque and 2011 All-UAA honorable mention selections Alex Duhl and Alena Ransom will provide senior leadership for the squad. “We are going to push and hold each other accountable in the gym every day to make us better as a whole,” said Bourque. “It’s a new
Steroids and Baseball: A Foot Needs to be Put Down Nathaniel Ludewig
What the Olympics Are Really About
Bennett Ostdiek
MLB
National League West. One would imagine that the A’s and Giants’ fellow playoff contenders are frustrated by this. The Dodgers do not have any players who have tested positive for an illegal substance this year. Nor do the Pirates, Tigers or Angels. Rather, all of these teams have put together great seasons this year while playing within the rules. Meanwhile, both the A’s and the Giants’ records are artificially inflated by players who cheated. The A’s would not be where they are today without their ace pitcher Bartolo Colon’s 10 wins and above-average ERA. The Giants would not be keeping pace with the Dodgers without allstar game MVP and batting title contender Melky Cabrera. Both players’ irregularly spectacular seasons were directly related to their performanceenhancing drug (PED) use. The league deals with rule breakers, like Colon and Cabrera, by pun-
Olympics
ishing the players themselves. The teams, however, get off scot-free. Yes, they have to make do without the offending players, but nothing is done to adjust for their PED-inflated records. Both the A’s and the Giants cheated to get into playoff contention and the league knows about it, but neither team either has been or will be punished for it. Both teams still are in contention to make the playoffs. The increased competitiveness in baseball this year has made it clearer than ever that teams should be punished for their players’ actions. A team with a known user of a banned substance should be given a one-year post-season ban. This will keep teams from benefitting from the artificial record inflations that go along with cheating players. A one-season playoff ban will also help the league to achieve its ultimate
See MLB, Page 15
team, so all we can do is take it one step at a time and grow as a team along the way.” Their first home games are against Averett and Berry in the Emory Classic on Sept. 7-8. Last year, the men’s basketball team blazed out of the gates, posting a school-record 12 consecutive victories to begin a season and tying the school record for most victories in the first 16 games of a season (15). The Eagles’ inability to sustain such dominance throughout the remainder of the regular season and postseason (19-6, 8-6) should not overshadow their incredible accomplishments. The school received its first spot in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top
WikiMedia COmmons
See MEN, Page 15
Men’s Tennis
Emory Athletics
Eagles’ graduated senior Dillon Pottish capped off his three-year Emory career winning the NCAA D-III singles title.
Team, Pottish Bring Home Championships By Elizabeth Weinstein Sports Editor
Oakland Athletic’s Bartolo Colon tested positive for PEDs. The MLB punished him with a 50-game suspension.
25 poll at 13 and jumped even higher in the D3hoops.com Regular Season Top 25 poll at a school-record ranking of fourth in the nation. This year, the Eagles have a tremendous void to fill with the departure of Austin Claunch (‘12C), one of the all-time Emory greats. Claunch ranked in the top 10 in school history in a whopping 17 statistical categories. The trio of junior Jake Davis, senior Alex Greven and senior Michael Friedberg, however, should help the basketball team continue its upward trend. Davis, who averaged 19 points and
In May, while the majority of Emory’s students were beginning their summer vacations, the men’s tennis team had one more task to complete — winning a National Championship. And they did just that with a 5-3 victory over Kenyon College (Ohio) in the NCAA Division III Men’s Tennis Championships in Cary, N.C. “It was a very special team, and they captured that moment, but they worked for it too,” Head Coach John Browning said. “I think just going through all the travails along the line and with the close matches that we could have given away, I just think it makes it that much more sweeter.” Under the leadership of graduated senior captains Dillon Pottish, Chris Goodwin, and Will Humphreys, the Eagles could not have been better positioned to win their third National Championship. Browning says the three seniors served as superior role