Robert Gilbert, Managing Partner of Gilbert Litigators & Counselors and one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiffs, said that this suit aims to bring “substantial restitu tion for 200,000 students who have been harmed by the collusion.” In the next step of the case, Gilbert said his firm hopes to take depositions from the University officials involved in the alleged “antitrust conspiracy.”Partner at Roche Freedman LLP Edward Normand, a lead firm for the plaintiffs, further expressed gratitude for the court’s decision to sustain the lawsuit and said “we look forward to vindicating the rights of students.”
By Matthew ChupaCk Executive Editor Emory University could have provided each undergraduate student on financial aid an additional $14,256 scholarship toward tuition, room, board and fees, on average, if Emory had not colluded with other private, elite universities, a legal briefEmoryalleges.and the 16 other universities listed in the lawsuit — the defendants — filed a motion to dismiss the case, which included arguments about the timeline of Emory’s involvement in the Cartel and the alleged implications of the membership.
The Emory Hope Clinic is also starting a monkeypox vaccine study next week, Paulina Rebolledo, an MD investigator at the Hope Clinic, said. Healthy adults who are inter ested in participating in the study should contact the clinic about volunteering.Thoughthe Emory Hope Clinic — which is part of the Division of Infectious Disease at Emory School of Medicine — provided space and assisted with vaccina tion, Executive Director of Student Health Services Sharon Rabinovitz said that there are no plans for Student Health Services to provide the vaccine themselves. The monkeypox outbreak has infected 18,416 people in the United States and 49,974 people worldwide.
Cartel Chairman and Georgetown President John DeGioia has admitted that Cartel members use a common formula for determining financial aid packages, Gilbert noted. In a March 2009 student town hall addressing the implications of the Great Recession, DeGioia indicated that Georgetown uses a particular methodol ogy to determine students’ financial assis tance“Inpackages.anenvironment as volatile as the one that we are in, we know families are hurting and that some may experience deeper levels of need than they had in previous years,” DeGioia said. “We are anticipating greater need and have built the budget accordingly. As a 568 school, we are committed to using a common and consistentDeGioiamethodology.”addedthatthere is “no doubt at times” that the financial need calculat ed through this methodology “is less than some families would hope.” At the time of the speech, about 35% of Georgetown undergraduates were receiving financial awards averaging $25,000 a year.
The plaintiffs say the universities’ argu ments are “premature; ignore the plain language of the statutory exemption they invoke as an affirmative defense; mis construe the controlling precedent; and assume it should have been clear to Class members since 2003 that Defendants have been artificially inflating net pric es — which Defendants simultaneously insist they have not been inflating.”
NEWS COVID-19 Cases InCrease FOllOwIng MOVe-In A&E CultureshOCk DelIVers hIgh energy PerFOrManCes The Emory WheelSince 1919 EMORY LIFE new r estaurants at eMOry Make Fall Debuts OPINION PrICe-FIxIng Case DeManDs JustICe FOr stuDents SPORTS sPOrts are stuPID Back PagePAGE 13PAGE 6 PAGE 9 Wednesday, August 31, 2022Volume 103, Issue 9 Printed Every Other Wednesday Emory University’s Independent Student Newspaper P PAGE 4 ‘Stranger Things’ film location to be demolished amid renovations See BRIARCLIFF, Page 2
Lawsuit background
Georgia monkeypox cases rank fifth in United States
“He has further admitted that Cartel members ask the family to contribute ‘the maximum that they are capable of according to that formula,’” Gilbert added. “That is textbook antitrust price fixing. The table overcharges in the plaintiffs’ court filing illustrates the substantial impact on price.” The named universities outlined four reasons why the lawsuit should be dropped in their motion to dismiss the case: exemption from antitrust laws, no defined market, speculatory injury claims and an expired statute of limitations.
Emory’s involvement in the lawsuit is unique as it is one of three defendants — alongside Brown and the University of Chicago — arguing that they quit the con spiracy. The 568 Presidents Group mem ber roster currently does not list these institutions.According to the case, Emory joined the Cartel in 1998 and implemented the Consensus Methodology in 2003. Emory allegedly left the Cartel in 2012. A defendant must take “affirmative acts to disavow the conspiracy and its goals” in order to withdraw from the conspiracy, the plaintiffs explained in response to the defendants’ motion to dis miss the case. The plaintiffs further allege that Brown, the University of Chicago and Emory cannot prove that they took these measures to adequately withdraw from the Cartel.
The Emory University Hope Clinic hosted the DeKalb Department of Public Health (DPH) to provide free monkeypox vaccinations to those eli gible to receive the vaccine on Aug. 25.Eligibility requirements included being at least 18 years old and being a man who has sex with other men (MSM), or people who regularly have close, intimate or sexual contact with persons who are MSM, among others.Atotal of 36 vaccine doses were administered during the clinic event, Eric Nickens, the Manager for the DeKalb County Board of Health Office of Communications and Media Relations, said.
Court denies Emory’s motion to dismiss financial aid collusion lawsuit
The other universities named in the lawsuit include Brown University (R.I.), California Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Columbia University (N.Y.), Cornell University (N.Y.), Dartmouth College (N.H.), Duke University (N.C.), Georgetown University (D.C.), Johns Hopkins University (Md.), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Notre Dame (Ind.), University of Pennsylvania, Rice University (Texas), Vanderbilt University (Tenn.) and Yale University (Conn.).
A lly Hom/PHoto Editor
The defendants’ motion was heard by an Illinois federal district court on Aug. 2. The court denied the defendants’ motion to dismiss the case on Aug. 15. The effort is part of a lawsuit filed in January by nine former students who attended some of the 17 universities named as defendants in the case. The lawsuit is premised on arguments sur rounding these universities’ current or former involvement in the 568 Presidents Group, or 568 Cartel. More than 200,000 people across all of the universities are involved in the proposed class. The plaintiffs allege that these institutions violated antitrust laws by engaging in price fixing, which is arti ficially inflating the net cost of attendance for students receiving financial aid.
Formed in 1998 and named after Section 568 of the Improving America’s Schools Act of 1994, all universities in the 568 Presidents Group must practice needblind admissions. The group established the Consensus Approach Methodology in 2003, which is “a set of common stan dards” to calculate an applicant’s family’s ability to pay tuition, the 568 Presidents Group website states. “It seeks to reduce much of the vari ance in need analysis results that has been experienced in recent years,” reads a statement on the group’s website. “The participating institutions believe that the Consensus Approach, when applied in a consistent manner, serves to diminish or eliminate the divergent results that threaten the long-standing tradition of awarding aid on the basis of need.”
PHoto CourtEsy of WikimEdi A Commons Building A, which was used for Hawkin’s Lab in “Stanger Things,” stands on the Briarcliff campus.
By LauRen BaydaLine Asst. Multimedia Editor and Atlanta Campus Desk Building A on Emory University’s Briarcliff property, which is an aban doned mental health hospital that served as the filming location for Hawkin’s Lab in the popular Netflix series “Stranger Things,” will be torn down as part of Emory’s plans to renovate Briarcliff into a gated senior living community. The Atlanta-based senior living company Galerie Living recently entered into a 99-year lease agree ment with Emory to develop and operate the senior living commu nity, Corso Druid Hills. This will be Galerie Living’s second community under its Corso brand. Galerie Living opened its first Corso location in Atlanta last year.
See UNIVERSITY, Page 3
By eva RoytBuRg News Editor
“Due to its distance from the main campus and various site consider ations, Emory decided to enter a long-term ground lease with a senior living community developer and operator,” Associate Vice President for Planning and Engagement David Payne said. At least 32 acres of the 42 acre Briarcliff property will be leased, according to Galerie Living Director of Marketing Stephen Corder. Payne noted that Emory will maintain the rest of the acreage and land where the Library Service Center is located for future use.
See PUBLIC, Page 5
By Madi oLivieR News Editor
— Contact Madi Olivier madi.olivier@emory.eduat
An artist’s rendering of Emory’s plans to renovate the Briarcliff campus into a senior living community.
“It also means that the three schools are able to coordinate with each other on training and education opportuni ties for students and honor council members,” Ciejka wrote. He added that the schools will still have individual honor councils to han dleIncases.addition to expanding to all undergraduate schools, Ciejka wrote that the new Honor Code includes elements of “restorative justice.”
Undergraduate schools adopt single Honor Code Briarcliff campus to become senior living community
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PHoto CourtEsy of Emory univ Ersity
— Contact Lauren Baydaline lauren.baydaline@emory.eduat
PHoto CourtEsy of WikimEdi A Commons
For example, students who wish to take full responsibility for a violation will be allowed to request an informal res olution meeting and bypass the formal investigation and hearing of their case.
Executive Editor Matthew Chupack (24C) and Managing Editor Gabriella Lewis (23C) are members of the Emory College Honor Council and had no role in writing or editing this article.
When the meetings were first implemented in spring 2020 due to COVID-19 and remote learning, stu dents were required to sign a waiver acknowledging that they were not going through with the entire investi gation. The new Honor Code will make informal resolution meetings more accessible, Ciejka said. Honor Council Co-Chair Molly Miller (23C) said in an email to the Wheel that the Honor Code was also “majorly shortened for ease of understanding.”“Now,students will be able to take classes within all three of these schools at Emory without having to scavenge through multiple honor codes in order to understand their rights as students, ensuring a more consistent experience across the University,” Miller wrote.
The Emory WheelNEWS2 Wednesday, August 31, 2022
“All of them had valuable input that shaped the new code and will set a foundation for the work of the Honor Councils for years to come,” Ciejka wrote in an email to the Wheel. Each undergraduate school former ly administered its own Honor Code with different procedures. The former ECAS Honor Code was in place for over a century with only a handful of revisions, according to Ciejka. He added that Oxford and Goizueta also both had their own Honor Codes for the majority of their existence. The new Honor Code will create con sistent expectations of academic integ rity across the schools, Ciejka said.
A new Honor Code was implement ed across three of Emory University’s undergraduate schools — Emory College of Arts and Sciences (ECAS), Oxford College and Goizueta Business School — at the start of the 2022-23 academic year. The Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing opted to retain its own Honor Code instead of adopting the new undergraduate academic Honor Code, according to Associate Dean and Director of the Honor Council Jason Ciejka (11G, 17L). He explained that the nursing school has both undergradu ate and graduate students and wanted to maintain additional expectations in their Honor UndergraduateCode. students enrolled in Emory College voted in favor of adopt ing the single Honor Code in April. In total, 211 (84.7%) of the 249 students who voted supported the revisions. Ciejka noted that the new Honor Code is the culmination of several years of work, beginning in 2019 when Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs Pamela Scully asked the schools to create a unified Honor Code. Ciejka discussed the idea with a working group of representatives from all three undergraduate schools, including stu dents from each of the schools’ Honor Councils, faculty and staff.
“This is a much faster process for students than a traditional investigation and hearing, though students will still have the right to use a full investigation and hearing if they wish,” Ciejka said. During informal resolution meetings, students discuss any violations with an Honor Council student member and faculty member. Ciejka explained that informal resolution meetings “focused on understanding the circumstances that led to the violation, the value of the honor code and academic integrity in our community, and ways that the reported student can learn from the inci dent and move forward productively.”
The mansion, which was showcased in “Stranger Things” and “Vampire Diaries,” features 22 rooms, seven bedrooms, two solariums and a ball room with 14-foot ceilings and goldleafedThewalls.mansion’s construction in 1922 makes it ideal for period pieces, Denise Chandler, the head of film production management, said. She added that the variety of spaces in the building allow it to be converted into “a bank lobby, a police bullpen, a hospital or an office.”“Briarcliff is also visually strik ing, and many production designers appreciate the brutalist architecture,” Chandler said.
Once renovated, Briarcliff will fea ture independent living options like cottages, as well as one to two bed room apartments and memory-care residences, Corder said. A total of 500 units will be built to house senior citizens.Galerie Living will also refurbish the Candler Mansion as part of their agreement, although it will not be used to house senior citizens. CocaCola mogul Asa Candler’s son Asa Candler Jr. originally lived in the mansion until the land was sold to Emory and turned into the Briarcliff campus in 1998.
The Candler Mansion was used as a filming site for TV shows like “Vampire Diaries” and “Doom Patrol.”
When it comes to filming on Briarcliff, however, production com panies are expected to fulfill a few requirements.Productions are generally not allowed to film during the academic year, according to Chandler. She added that the majority of filming takes place in inactive buildings to avoid disturb ing“Ifstaff.a scene will affect staff, film management and the production work with the unit to ensure that the impact is minimal,” Chandler said. Emory receives compensation for the films, Candler noted. “A portion of the revenues go to the hosting school or unit, a portion help fund film management and a por tion fund University special projects,” Chandler said.
There are no definitive plans to stop filming on the property so far, accord ing to “TheCorder.mansion now, at least part of the mystique and appeal is that some of it is still very grand and exquisite, but lots of it is in disrepair,” Corder said. “Once we renovate and refurbish it, it’ll become a destination location where we envision weddings, recep tions, community events, corporate events.”
Competition and market definition
“The fact that at least one member of the conspiracy is plausibly alleged not to be, or not to have been, need-blind means that the plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that none of the schools are protected under the 568 Exemption,” the court states in their rejec tion of the motion to dismiss the case.
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 printed every Wednesday 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.
Exemption from antitrust laws
The University continues to be needaware for international applicants. The University did not address the Wheel’s specific questions regarding Emory’s current need-blind practices.
“Without the conspiracy, the plain tiffs allege, the defendants would have competed for students by providing more competitive aid packages,” the court said in their denial to dismiss the case. “This is supported by evidence cited in the amend ed complaint from Yale and Harvard that suggests that these schools left or declined to join the 568 Group because they con cluded that doing so would hinder their ability to provide larger aid awards.”
Alleged financial injuries
The defendants argue that the claims of the seven plaintiffs who enrolled in college before January 2018 should be dismissed due to the Sherman Act’s fouryear limitations period. In response to this defense, the plain tiffs highlight the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals’ “discovery rule.” Several federal courts adopted this rule, holding that the start date for a federal statute of limita tions does not begin until the plaintiff knew or should have reasonably known that they had been injured. The court noted that the Seventh Circuit has continued to use the discov ery rule in antitrust cases as recently as this year, hindering the defendants’ argu ments in their motion to dismiss the case.
“A reasonably diligent person would have not known the Cartel was causing artificially inflated net prices for students receiving financial aid,” the plaintiffs contend.They add that a reasonably diligent plaintiff would not have known that the Cartel harmed them until two years before the complaint was filed because discovering the claim “required uncover ing, assembling and combining the full array and effects of Defendants’ unlawful conduct.”Thecourt added that “the defendants have not provided any basis to reach a conclusion … that this is not conceivable or plausible.”Although the court denied the univer sities’ motion to dismiss the case, Lande said that the parties will most likely eventually settle instead of going the trial route, citing that, on average, well over 90% of antitrust cases settle. Whether the lawsuit faces a jury or is settled, the scope of potential punish ment will remain financial consequences, Lande“Nobodystated.is going to put these people in prison,” Lande said. “The very first time the antitrust authorities bring a novel kind of case, they do so civilly, not criminally.”Landeelaborated that if none of Emory’s defenses work, they can be required to pay a large sum of money, but if even one of their defenses work, they pay nothing. Likewise, if plaintiffs successfully prove their claims, each stu dent will be awarded the argued amount of financial aid loss, but if they lose, the students are awarded nothing.
Emory’s unrestricted endowment in 2021 was over $2.35 billion. An additional 2% of that fund is just over $47 million. In the 2020-21 academic year, 3,307 Emory undergraduates received financial aid. With the average need-based grant per Emory student that year being $44,450 and the estimated average net price of attendance for aided students being $33,967, Emory could have provided all students on financial aid with an addi tional $14,256, the plaintiffs calculated.
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Lande indicated that this would still likely entail large sums of money, unlike cases that send individuals a relatively minimal amount of money in the mail saying they’ve been a person impacted by a certain class action lawsuit.
“They’ll have an economist who will say, ‘absent the price fix, we think the amount of financial aid would have been whatever,’ and that will be disputed,” Lande said. “If the plaintiffs’ version of the story is true, a lot of relatively poor students … would have their entire debt canceled by what the plaintiffs hope to get from this lawsuit.”
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“Emory University thinks the lawsuit has no merit and we will fight this litigation.”
The Emory Wheel NEWS Wednesday, August 31, 2022 3 The Emory Wheel Volume 103, Issue 9 © 2022 The Emory Wheel Alumni Memorial University Center, Room 401 630 Means Drive, Atlanta, GA, 30322 Business (404) 727-6178 Editors-in-Chief Brammhi bbalara@emory.eduBalarajan
“I think we’re not talking about $25 checks,” Lande said. “I think we can easily be talking in the $1,000s if not $10,000s perExhibitstudent.”F, which the plaintiffs filed in June, calculates the average additional financial aid that each of the 17 defendants could award to students on financial aid if the institutions allocated an additional 2% of its unrestricted endowment funds to financial aid.
The Emory University Office of Financial Aid is located in the Boisfeuillet Jones Center.
In the Aug. 15 decision, the court rejected Emory, Brown and the University of Chicago’s arguments, ruling that the amended complaint indicates that “some of the defendants have claimed to with draw, but this does not amount to a con cession that they did, in fact, withdraw.”
Statute of limitations
“One direct result is that scholarship applicants receive scholarships smaller than they would receive in the absence of collusion by the universities,” Gilbert said.
A statement of interest from the U.S. Department of Justice also pointed to flaws in these arguments, including that the defendants misinterpreted the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890, which protects free market competition by outlawing monopolies.“TheDefendants suggest that plaintiffs cannot establish a Sherman Act violation unless Defendants have ‘actual knowledge’ that their conduct was unlawful,” according to the statement. “But that is not the law.” In other words, the Sherman Act does not require institutions to have “actual knowledge” that another institution is not need-blind, the Department of Justice statement indicated. The plaintiffs further allege that the defendants do not meet these condi tions and outline flaws in the defendants’ reasoning.“With a finite number of seats for undergraduates, any admissions practice that awards spots to the wealthy logically does disfavor those applying for aid; and for their waitlisted and transfer applicants, Defendants specifically disfavor financialaid applicants,” the plaintiffs argue. Siding with the plaintiffs, the court explained that the case should not be dismissed because “the plaintiffs have alleged — plausibly — that all of the defen dants engage in non-need-blind admis sions decisions” with “evidence specific to certain schools as examples.” Emory’s undergraduate admissions practiced completely need-blind admis sions prior to fall 2013, according to an Emory News Center report from January 2013. While Emory College remained need-blind, Oxford College shifted to need-aware practices for some admits, meaning admissions officers could see the amount of financial assistance an applicant would need before deciding whether to admit that applicant. According to the article, “internal and external financial pressures” spurred this change to help Oxford remain within its financial aid budget.
Applying the text of the statute, the plain tiffs advocate that the exemption would only apply to a member of the Cartel if all other members admit all their students without considering applicants’ financial circumstances. In other words, even if an institution admits all of their students on a need-blind basis, the antitrust exemption does not apply if they were colluding with another institution that does not admit all its students on a need-blind basis.
While the plaintiffs claim that the alleged price fixing is anticompetitive, the universities contend in their motion to dismiss the case that Congress has recognized the Consensus Methodology’s “procompetitive benefits.” According to the universities, one procompetitive benefit of the Consensus Methodology is that it results in “lower expected contributions for at least some students.” They add that even if the meth odology “theoretically” results in higher contributions for some students, the higher contributions “should not fore close those students’ access to the school and can in turn ‘increas[e] the financial aid available to needy students,’ further expanding the pool of students who can access an education at a high-quality university.”Countering the defendants claims, the plaintiffs contend that the universities’ alleged price fixing is not entitled to any procompetitive presumption.
PHoto by m A di oliviEr/nEWs Editor
The University did not address the Wheel’s specific questions regarding the steps Emory took to leave the Cartel, whether the University still has access to the Consensus Methodology and whether students were aware of the University’s participation in and alleged withdrawal from the AssistantCartel.Vice President of University Communications Laura Diamond told the Wheel that “Emory University thinks the lawsuit has no merit and we will fight this litigation.”Thedefendants outline four reasons why the lawsuit should be dropped in their motion to dismiss the case: exemp tion from antitrust laws, no defined mar ket, speculatory injury claims and an expired statute of limitations.
Contact Matthew Chupack matthew.chupack@emory.eduat
The universities claim that the “plaintiffs’ alleged injuries are too speculative to satisfy antitrust injury and standing requirements.” The defen dants also contend that the plaintiffs share few details of their own finan cial circumstances and aid, as well as provide no information on how the Consensus Methodology affected their individual financial aid packages, thus only speculating that they would have received more grant-based aid if not for the Consensus Methodology.
Lande said that the plaintiffs have the burden of proving how much the cost of attendance for students on financial aid would be different without the cartel.
“Such a presumption arises for hori zontal competitors only where they col lectively offer a product that would not even exist without collusion,” the plain tiffs argue in response to the universities’ arguments in their motion to dismiss the case.The defendants elaborate that the only court of appeals to have considered a case involving the legality of colleges collabo rating and financial aid was with United States v. Brown Univ. in 1993. The court “flatly rejected per se treatment” in this case, the defendants state. However, the plaintiffs argue that United States v. Brown Univ. does not suggest that competing universities are “presumed to be creating procompetitive effects” when they allegedly participate in priceThefixing.defendants also contend that the plaintiffs have not made tenable arguments regarding the universities’ “actionable mar ket power in any properly defined market.” “Their claimed product market — pri vate national universities with an average U.S. News & World Report ranking of 25 or higher from 2003 through 2021 — is nonsensical,” the defendants state in their motion to dismiss. “It is cherry-picked from a magazine’s rankings that say nothing about competition, and it implausibly dis regards all public universities, all liberal arts colleges and private universities that fall below the arbitrary top-25 ranking.” This argument was rejected in United States v. Brown Univ., with the plaintiffs in that case demonstrating how what is commonly referred to as the “Ivy Plus” constitute a market for higher education, the plaintiffs write in their response to the motion to dismiss. The plaintiffs further argue that the universities recognize that they compete within a relevant market. Of the top 25 elite, private universities that the plain tiffs defined as the market, Northwestern President and economist Morton Schapiro has previously identified 24 of the universities — including Emory — as market competitors, the plaintiffs note.
University could pay some undergraduates extra $14 thousand
— Laura PresidentAssistantDiamond,ViceofUniversityCommunications
The defendants rely on Section 568 of the Improving America’s Schools Act as part of their defense. This sec tion allows two or more need-blind higher education institutions to engage in agreements about awarding needbased financial aid that would other wise be prohibited under antitrust laws, which regulate businesses by forbidding unlawful restraints, price fixing and monopolies.InthisAct, Congress defines “on a need-blind basis” as college admittance “without regard to the financial circum stances of the student involved or the student’s family.” Their definition of “stu dent” is limited to U.S. citizens and lawful permanentLikewise,residents.Venable Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law Robert Lande — who is a third party antitrust law expert not affiliated with the lawsuit — noted that this case only pertains to domestic students. The defendants argue that the anti trust exemption applies to the Cartel because the universities involved are need-blind institutions. Under the univer sities’ interpretation of need-blind admis sions, they contend that they can favor wealthy students in admissions as long as they don’t disfavor applicants in need of financial aid.
“The law is clear: unless and until Emory publicly disavows the 568 Cartel and its purposes, Emory remains a mem ber of the price-fixing conspiracy,” Gilbert said. “In fact, under settled law, Emory is liable to students and their families not only for current ongoing overcharges, but for damages going back to 2003.”
“If the plaintiffs’ version of the story is true, a lot of relatively poor students ... would have their debt canceled by what the plaintiffs hope to get from this lawsuit.”
— Robert Lande, Venable Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore School of Law
By eva RoytBuRg and uMa Shenai News Editor & Staff Writer
ClairThesaid.University is continuing to enforce its immunization policies “in alignment with other immunization compliance measures in place, includ ing but not limited to enrollment holds and [Wi-Fi] restrictions,” according to St. Clair. The University restricted around 1,300 students’ Wi-Fi last spring because of their failure to comply with the booster vaccine requirements, and was met with national criticism. However, within a couple of weeks, over half of the affected students either sub mitted proof of vaccination or requested an St.exemption.Clairadded that the Emory com munity has the power to protect one another in the upcoming year. “As Emory moves forward in its next phase of the pandemic response, all campus members should continue to be familiar with the protocols on Emory Forward, know what to do if they become sick or exposed, and continue practicing healthy behaviors,” St. Clair wrote.
— Contact Madi Olivier madi.olivier@emory.eduat as
Chief Resilience Officer Amir St. Clair noted in an email to the Wheel that the University previously saw a similar trend, and expected cases to increase again as students returned to campus.However, St. Clair reinforced that this increase in cases is not necessarily a “spike.”“Instead, it may reflect how the emer gence of new Omicron subvariants in late spring, which has resulted in cases rising across regional and national metrics since that time, are now being reflected across our campus commu nity,” St. Clair wrote. The BA.2 subvariant of Omicron likely played a role in the increase in cases at Emory last spring, St. Clair speculated. There was a 178% increase in campus cases between April 16 and May 1 — jumping from 41 to 114 reported cases — while BA.2 accounted for about 68% of U.S. cases reported in the week ending on April 23, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The summer was also character ized by waves of Omicron variants. A subvariant similar to BA.2, BA.2.12.1, became dominant in late May. The near ly-identical BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants were widespread by July and remain prevalent. The BA.5 subvariant account ed for 88.7% of U.S. cases reported in the week ending on Aug. 27, according to the CDC. St. Clair added that case rates are expected to rise even further as students learn about the University’s reporting requirements. The student communi ty compact for the 2022-23 academic year states that by enrolling at Emory, students are agreeing to comply with COVID-19 policies, which includes reporting any positive cases.
Executive Editor Matthew Chupack (24C) and Photo Editor Ally Hom (24C) are resident advisors on the Atlanta campus and had no role in writing or editing this article.
— Contact Eva Roytburg eva.roytburg@emory.eduatandUmaShenaiatuma.shenai@emory.edu
Oxford College resident assistants are receiving a $1,800 stipend starting this year following a decrease in the number of resident assistant applicants for the 2021-22 academic year, accord ing to Oxford Residential Education and Services (RES) Director Phillip Sullivan.Resident assistants previously received only free housing in a sin gle room for their compensation, while resident advisors on Emory University’s Atlanta campus have for merly received the $1,800 stipend in addition to free housing. With the introduction of the stipend, Oxford resident assistants’ compensa tion will be comparable to first-time resident advisors on the Atlanta campus, Sullivan wrote in an email to the Wheel. Many students expressed excite ment about the additional payment. Marlon Dubose (23Ox) and Sana Punjani (23Ox), who are Oxford resi dent assistants this academic year, believe that the stipend will increase interest in the position. “[The stipend] definitely makes the work feel more fulfilling,” Dubose said. “[The lack of compensation] was something I was thinking about last year, with whether or not I wanted to do this, because you’re putting in a lot of work but you’re not really receiv ing a lot of compensation in terms of payment.”Punjani agreed, believing that the stipend will help with morale among resident assistants now. “I know in the past, a lot of RAs complained that they worked a lot harder than Emory paid them to work, which has caused a fair amount of decline of applicants,” PunjaniResidentsaid. assistants have also expressed that it was difficult to hold down a paying job while also being a resident assistant, Punjani noted. “Now that you get paid to be an RA, it relieves a lot of that pressure,” PunjaniOxfordsaid.resident assistant duties
Several former Oxford resident assistants — including Mahmood — said that their duties could be demanding.“Itdoes seem like the RA role for some of my coworkers has been a detriment to their mental health and their well-being, which can come with any job, but I’ve noticed this more so with being an RA,” Mahmood said. While Mahmood did not receive an additional stipend when he was an Oxford resident assistant, he said that he still enjoyed the position. “It’s been the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, to be honest,” Mahmood said. “The downsides definitely are outweighed by the fulfillment you can get from this job.”
Atlanta ResLife
fulfillmentoutweigheddefinitelydownsidesarebytheyoucangetfromthisjob.”—NaemanMahmood(22Ox,24C)
Gr APH CourtEsy of Emory univ Ersity Trend of reported cases of COVID-19 on campus since August 2020.
Although St. Clair wrote that report ing cases with the “COVID-19 Reporting” form on the Return to Campus portal is as “efficient and convenient as pos sible,” there is no way to guarantee that students report positive at-home test results.This is the first notable increase in cases under the University’s new COVID-19 operating model, which was announced on Aug. 11. The model fea tures two levels: standard operations and heightened response state. Under the standard operating status, commu nity members will be asked to remain vigilant and follow healthy behaviors such as hand washing. If COVID-19 cases increase, the University may shift into the heightened response status and implement stricter protocol. “As Emory moves into its next phase of its pandemic response, the univer sity continues to regularly review mul tiple risk indicators across our campus community, along with evolving public health guidance, to inform its operating model and any modifications to campus protocols,” St. Clair wrote. The uptick in COVID-19 cases also follows a week of events welcoming students back to campus, such as Songfest, Culture Shock and First Day Fest. Many of the events brought in large groups of people without mask requirements.Therearecurrently no restrictions on the types of gatherings and events permitted on campus, although Emory recommends that events with more than 250 people reduce transmission risk through means such as moving outside, gathering in smaller groups, shortening the length of the event and providing masks.
St. Clair noted that in addition to event guidelines, it is important to con sider the other safety measures being implemented by the University, such as vaccine requirements, enhanced cleaning measures, free masks and testing, isolation protocols and visitor policies. Emory also offers free test ing, although less frequently than last year. Testing is currently available in the Emory Student Center on Mondays and Wednesdays and Clairmont’s Student Activity and Academic Center on Thursdays. Oxford College stu dents can get tested at Murdy Hall on Tuesdays.Thesecond round of booster vac cines, which the CDC recommends for adults 50 years and older and some immunocompromised people 12 years and older, is currently not required by Emory.“Should it become recommended for the general public, Emory would likely undergo the same type of review process we’ve done in the past to determine, ‘What are the public health imperatives and the recommendations for moving from a strongly recom mended to a required setting?” St.
CHA rt CourtEsy of tHE CEntErs for disEA sE Control A nd Pr Ev Ention
By Madi oLivieR News Editor
include handling RES policy and com munity building. They are also trained to assist during emergency situations, mediate conflict between residents and report maintenance or behavioral issues.There is an Oxford resident assis tant on call for four to five hours each day, and Dubose said that on average, a resident assistant will be on call about twice a Naemanweek.Mahmood (22Ox, 24C), who was a resident assistant during the 2021-22 academic year, also said that he helped his residents navigate academic and social problems on campus.“Forsome people, I’m like an aca demic advisor: I tell them classes they should take, classes they shouldn’t take,” Mahmood said. “For others, I help them with their emotional and relationship issues, so I’m like a coun selor in that regard.”
Emory University has experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the semester, with 414 students, faculty and staff report ing positive tests in the last 10 days, Emory’s COVID-19 dashboard indi cates. This is a 245% increase from the 120 10-day case count reported on Aug. 15, which was before many students returned to campus for the 2022-2023 academic year.
COVID-19 cases increase following summer marred by Omicron subvariants
The Emory WheelNEWS4 Wednesday, August 31, 2022
Oxford RAs receive same payment
A lly Hom/PHoto Editor Atlanta resident advisors attend training before their residents arrive on campus. Training included workshops on mental health, alcohol use, planning programs, campus resources and more.
Prevalence of Omicron subvariants in the United States during the summer.
“It’s been the most rewarding job I’ve ever had, to be honest. The
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On Aug. 30, the first death in a severely immunocompromised per son with monkeypox in the U.S. was confirmed in Texas. Georgia has the fifth highest num ber of reported monkeypox cases of any state in the United States with 1,387 cases as of Aug 30, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Experts in the field have “a lot of concern” over the spread of monkey pox in college, Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at the Emory University School of Medicine, said. “If it gets into colleges, there’s going to be a lot of transmission,” del Rio said.Director of the Emory Global Health Institute and former Director of the Center for Global Health at the CDC Rebecca Martin agreed, noting that there should be strong surveil lance in areas with close living spaces, such as Monkeypoxcolleges. has been on the University’s radar for several months, Rabinovitz said, and the University has been establishing plans and pro tocols to manage the virus since then. “Monkeypox is very different from COVID, but from a public health standpoint, we do similar things,” Rabinovitz said. “We want cases to be identified, tested and then resources allocated to them to support them.” Rabinovitz also said that a house on Eagle Row will be used as an isolation space.Martin said that students should be aware of their risk and act accordingly.“Individuals at school and students should think about, ‘What is my risk personally? What can I do to help pre vent it or reduce my risk?’ And make sure you have all the facts and get vac cinated,” Martin said. Students who develop monkey pox symptoms such as a rash or have been exposed to someone with a known monkeypox rash should make an urgent care appointment at the Student Health Center, according to the Student Health website.
‘We saw this coming’ Titanji, Martin, del Rio and Guarner all said that the response to the monkeypox outbreak has been tooTheslow.demand for vaccines is cur rently greater than the supply, Titanji noted. As of Aug. 24, there were 16,467 monkeypox vaccines administered in Georgia, but a shortage of the vaccine – on both a federal and state level –has Additionally,persisted. testing for monkey pox is still minimal — there is no home test, and results from a clinic can take days.Public health authorities “should have been prepared for monkeypox,” del Rio said. He added that public health agencies’ focus on the COVID19 pandemic over the last two years likely contributed to a lack of pre paredness for monkeypox, given how exhausted the agencies are. Martin said she hoped the response to the outbreak would have been faster.
Public health authorities have been prepared’ for of rtmEnt of PubliC HEA H CourtEsy of HE GEorGi A dEPA rtmEnt of PubliC HEA ltH Monkeypox cases in Georgia as of Aug. 24.
“There isn’t one reason why we see that pattern,” Smith said. “It’s tied to things like structural racism. It’s tied to inadequate access to health care services.”Titanji agreed, noting that there is also inequality in vaccine distribution. She cited monkeypox vaccination data from North Carolina, where 70% of those infected with monkeypox are Black gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, but 67% of the vac cines have been administered to white individuals.“Again,showing you that disparity that exists, really driven by the social determinants of health — poverty, rac ism and just a disproportionate bal ance in who is able to have access to the tools,” Titanji said. One element of monkeypox that exacerbates inequities, Smith noted, was the long isolation period. Those with monkeypox typically have to iso late for two to four weeks, which Smith said could be unfeasible for many.
Jeannette Guarner, a Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Emory University Hospital, added that if a student is in a high-risk group, they should consider reduc ing their number of sexual partners. High-risk individuals currently include gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, according to theTheCDC.CDC also suggests that individ uals keep themselves safe from mon keypox during sex by having virtual sex or wearing gloves when perform ing sexual acts online. ‘This, in many ways, feels like the early days of HIV’ John Stanton (98PH, 17N, 18N, 22N) remembers what it was like to be LGBTQ+ during the dawn of the AIDS epidemic, which devestated the LGBTQ+ community – particularly gay men – throughout the 80s and 90s. By 1995, one gay man in nine had been diagnosed with AIDS, and one in fifteen had died from it. “[It’s] something that’s important to me, that I’ve lost friends to,” Stanton said.Stanton said that’s why he now manages the Decatur arm of the Positive Impact Health Centers, an infectious disease organization that serves Georgians living with or at risk forStantonHIV. has seen the amount of patients coming in with monkeypox symptoms “exponentially grow” over the past few months. In just eight weeks, Stanton went from treating just one patient to having 25 under his care.All of his patients have a lesion, and its appearance has varied from “a pimple” to a “more disseminated, poxlike rash,” Stanton explained. Other signs of monkeypox include a “fever, body-ache, and cold and flu-like symp toms,” he Monkeypoxadded.has been spreading almost exclusively through skin-toskin contact during sex among gay and bisexual men. About 94% of patients who provided demographic informa tion to clinics reported male-to-male sexual or close intimate contact dur ing the three weeks before symptom onset, according to the CDC. Stanton cited smaller sexual net works as a cause for the spread in the LGBTQ+ community. “Our social networks are a much smaller percentage of the population, and they’re thereby tighter and inter connected,” Stanton said. While everyone has responded to the outbreak differently, fear and apprehension prevail in the LGBTQ+ community, Stanton said. “Both as a provider or a member of the community, this, in many ways, feels like the early days of HIV,” Stanton said. “ I feel very much, like HIV, we’re not responding fast enough to something that’s hitting a perceived portion of the community for which, in reality, everybody’s at risk.”Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases Boghuma Titanji also emphasized that everyone is at risk and that monkey pox does not spread solely through sexual“Youcontact.canalso get transmission through prolonged contact with con taminated inanimate objects used by someone who is infectious, or in very rare circumstances, through a droplet or aerosol transmission route,” Titanji said.Georgia has already seen three cases of monkeypox in children, which “are considered to be house hold transmission,” DPH spokes woman Nancy Nydam told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Household transmission would include touching contaminated bedding, clothing or other fabrics used by someone with monkeypox.
According to Aug. 24 DPH data, 79% of the state’s cases are among Black people, who make up only 31% of the state’s population.
While the stark racial inequity in Georgia monkeypox infections is “horrifying and enraging” to Justin Smith (19G), Director of the Campaign to End AIDS at Positive Impact Health Centers, he said it is not surprising. Smith explained that the demographics reflect the pat tern seen in most types of infectious diseases.“Weknow that for most communi ties in the U.S., diseases follow these kinds of established social fault lines that we have, and so the people that are the most marginalized will always experience the highest level of harm,” SmithHowever,said. the reasons for the dis parities are manifold, he added.
t
“Because there is a lack of invest ment generally in neglected and emerging infections, that’s how we find ourselves in the situation in which we are now,” Titanji said. “With the interconnectedness of the current global landscape … we really need to move from the mindset of if it’s hap pening far away over there, then that is not our Monkeypoxproblem.”isendemic in 10 coun tries in West and Central Africa, with repeated outbreaks occurring over the past three However,decades.antiviral drugs that have the potential to help treat monkeypox are still primarily only available in European and North American coun tries, Titanji “Vaccinationsaid.is being rolled out primarily, again, in European and North American countries, and Africa, as well as South America do not have access to any of these resources,” Titianji said. “So while it is important to raise awareness of an emergency situation by declar ing a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, those remain just words if it’s not fol lowed by a concrete plan to actu ally make that to ensure that there is equitable distribution of the resources.”
The Emory Wheel NEWS Wednesday, August 31, 2022 5 Continued from Page 1
tHE GEorGi A dEPA
“I think we saw this coming … dur ing COVID we’ve learned that vaccine supply was a very big issue,” Martin said. “We recognized that we needed stronger systems and manufacturing and regulations and all these com ponents that we have not put into practice yet at the level that they need to be.”Martin added that the nation has a lot to do to prevent monkeypox from becoming endemic in the United States.“Itis going to take not business as usual, but really actually in that emergency mode, accelerating and engaging and firing on all cylinders from the community to the federal level and from federal to global,” MartinTitanji,said.who is Cameroonian and an expert in HIV drug-resistant viruses, said that she believed the monkey pox outbreak was a result of Western health experts neglecting diseases that originated in Africa.
The racial disparity of monkey pox in Georgia
‘should
“If you’re working a service job or some type of position where you have to be in person in order to earn your wages, that produces a lot of diffi culty,” Smith said. “One of the things that I am hoping is that, now that it’s become declared as a public health emergency, there’ll be funding that could help people supplement their income so if they need to take time off, that there are ways that folks can be supported with the financial resources.”Blackand Hispanic Americans are overrepresented in jobs that require work from outside the home and in jobs that are less likely to provide paid leave, according to a University of Illinois Chicago study. Stanton echoes this, indicating that financial support for isolation should’ve been taken into account after COVID-19.“Whenyou think about the commu nity that this is impacting and other disparities that the community goes through, in terms of socioeconomic disadvantage, most people are not in a position where they have a job that they can say, ‘Oh, hey, you know what, I’m not going to be here for four weeks,’” Stanton said. “We haven’t seen a response either from state or federal public health like we saw with COVID, in terms of helping people financially with rental assistance, food insecurity.”
monkeypox, experts say Gr APHiC CourtEsy
lt
— Contact Eva Roytburg eva.roytburg@emory.eduat
Thislawsuit,perhapsthemost prominentcasesincetheVarsity Bluesscandalin2019,amongother things,exemplifiesthecommercializationofhighereducation.Institutionsareturningintoprofit-andPRhungrymachines,callingintoquestiontheirintegrity,theirdedication andultimatepurposeinservingall students.
Furthermore,astatementissued bytheU.S.DepartmentofJustice suggestingmultiplelegalerrorsin theinterpretationbythedefendants furtherdemonstratessupportforthe plaintiffs’case.Thedefinitionof need-blindasgivenbythedefense doesnotalignwiththelegalinterpretationwidelyacceptedunderU.S. law.Additionally,underSection1of theShermanAct,anysortoftradeor conspiracyto restrictcompetitionis considered illegaland canbedeterminedby ruleofreason orperse, whichthe Department ofJustice believesthe plaintiffs adequately providedevidenceforthis claim. Theoutcomecould costbillions ofdollarsin lossesforthe universities.Lawyersinvolvedinthe caseestimatemorethan200,000 studentshavehadtheirfinancialaid packagesreducedbybetween $10,000and$20,000;violationsof antitrustlawautomaticallytriplethe totalvalueofcompensation.But eventhen,thelosswouldbarely makeadentinthetotaluniversity endowment. WiththeU.S.DistrictCourtJudge MatthewF.Kennellyrulinginfavor oftheplaintiffsonAug.15and denyingthedefendantstheirmotion todismissinitsentirety,thedefendantswilllikelyfindthemselves answeringtotallerordersasthecase movesforward. **
Askingfortransparencytoknow whereallthismoneyisgoingisthe bareminimum.Whilespecific endowmentsfromdonorsare restrictedintheirusage,unrestricted endowmentcanbeusedtosupport students.Sowhereistherestofthe unrestrictedendowmentgoing?
Specifically,atEmory,eachof the3,307studentson financialaidwouldbeableto receiveanadditional$14,256 offundsperyear,the defendantsallege.
See UNIVERSAL,Page 8
“Thetable…illustratesthatby devotingjust2%peryearofthe unrestrictedfundsintheirextraordinarilylargeandsuccessfulendowmentstoscholarshipaid,nineofthe defendantscouldgiveeveryaid recipientacompletelyfreefour-year education,andtheothereightcould giveeveryaidrecipientanother $12,000peryear(onaverage)in scholarshipfunds—allwhilestill growingtheirendowments,”said RobertGilbert,ManagingPartnerof GilbertLitigatorsandCounselors, oneoftheleadlawyersforthe plaintiffs. Specifically,atEmory,eachofthe 3,307studentsonfinancialaidwould beabletoreceiveanadditional $14,256offundsperyear,the defendantsallege.Thisisapproximately19%ofourannualcostof attendance,notjustafiguretobrush away.Toofferalittlemoreperspective:thepovertylineforafamilyof fourwassetat$25,100inJanuary 2018.Forlow-incomestudents,the additionalmoneywouldcountfor overhalfoftheirfamily’sannual income. Becausetuitioncostscontinueto playaroleinthedecliningcollege enrollment,anyeffortacollegecan maketolessenthegapofeducation inequalityiscrucial,especiallyin promotingwidespreadaccessibility toeducation.Endowmentsofeach universityfrom1994to2021have skyrocketedatleast300%;Emory’s endowmentwentfrom$1.6billionto $8billion.Intotal,however,the endowmenthadonlydistributed morethan$342milliontoward scholarshipsandresearchin2021, whichonlyaccountsfor3.1%ofthe totalendowmentand17%oftheir unrestrictedendowmentspendings.
“Onedirectresult[ofthecartel]is thatscholarshipapplicantsreceive scholarshipssmallerthantheywould receiveintheabsenceofcollusionby theuniversities,”saidGilbertinan
TheEmoryWheel O������ W��������,A�����31,2022 |OpinionEditor:SophiaPeyser(sophia.peyser@emory.edu) TheEmoryWheelwelcomeslettersandop-edsubmissionsfromtheEmorycommunity.Lettersshouldbelimitedto300 wordsandop-edsshouldbeatleast500.Thoseselectedmaybeshortenedtofitallottedspaceoreditedforgrammar,punctuationandlibelouscontent.SubmissionsreflecttheopinionsofindividualwritersandnotoftheWheel’sEditorialBoardor EmoryUniversity.Sendemailstoemorywheelexec@gmail.comorpostalmailtoTheEmoryWheel,DrawerW,EmoryUniversity,Atlanta,GA,30322. Volume103|Number9 BRAMMHI BALARAJAN EDITOR IN-CHIEF MATTHEW CHUPACK EXECUTIVE EDITOR,NEWS SOPHIA LING EXECUTIVE EDITOR,OPINION AND EB Business/AdvertisingEmail wheelbusinessmanager@gmail.com HUNTER COLLINS BUSINESS MANAGER RACHEL BROUN DIVERSITY,EQUITY AND INCLUSION EDITOR SARAH DAVIS MANAGING EDITOR,EMORY LIFE AND A&E GABRIELLA LEWIS MANAGING EDITOR,MULTIMEDIA AND PODCAST JADA CHAMBERS CopyChief MADI OLIVIER NewsEditor EVA ROYTBURG NewsEditor SOPHIA PEYSER OpinionEditor XAVIER STEVENS EmoryLifeEditor OLI TURNER EmoryLifeEditor EYTHEN ANTHONY A&EEditor JACKSON SCHNEIDER A&EEditor ALLY HOM PhotoEditor JENNA DALY SportsEditor CLAIRE FENTON SportsEditor HALEY HUH CopyEditor KAITLIN MOTTLEY CopyEditor NICOLE SEMAAN CopyEditor JENNY ZHA CopyEditor AMAIA INCE AsstMultimediaEditor LAUREN BAYDALINE AsstMultimediaEditor LAUREN BLAUSTEIN Editor-at-Large JESSICA SOLOMON Editor-at-Large MICHAEL MARIAM MANAGING EDITOR,SPORTS TheEmoryWheel DISAGREE WITH US? WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR. Submithere: emorywheel.com/op-edsubmissions/ Universitypricefixingcaseepitomizesthecorruptionof education SophiaLing ThedayIreceivedanemailfroma lawyerclaimingtobeoneofthelead counselinalawsuitEmoryUniversitywasinvolvedin,Ithoughtitwas ascam.OurEditorialBoardhadjust writtenaboutEmory’salleged involvementinthe568Presidents Group,acartelwhichcreatedthe “ConsensusMethodology”toprice fixandlimitfinancialaidforstudents.Acommitmenttopricefixing isanagreementamongcompetitors —inthiscase,universitiesfor studentenrollment—tocollectively determinehowmuchtoraise,lower ormaintainprices.Asaresult,this practiceraisesthepriceofenrollmentandcauseshighereducationto costmoremoney.
Byconfidinginoneanother,the misconductofthisorganization limitsupwardmobilityandburdens low-incomefamilieswithextracosts thatpreventthem fromfurthersuccess.Higherinstitutionsmayclaim towelcomesocioeconomicdiversity, butthedatarepresentingeconomic segregationdoesn’t lie.6%ofEmory studentscome fromthebottom 20%,whichisconsideredahighpercentagecompared toothereliteuniversities.Calling thisjustanother lawsuit,diminishingitto“routine capitalism”discountsthemagnitudeofthecaseand theprecedentitsetsforthefuture.
Foremost,theU.S.continuesto maintainastrongreputationforits teachingqualityaroundtheworld. Butuniversitiesarefallingshorton theirgoalofaccessibleeducation regardlessofsocioeconomicstatus. Ouruniversitiesfocusmoreonthe tangibleblingofnewresearchcentersandcommercialgrowthto attractprestige,ratherthanputting effortintomakingsureallstudents whowantaneducationareableto receiveandaffordone.Highereducationinstitutionsmightpridethemselveson“excellence,”butnowit’sa termasmeaninglessasdietwater. Universities’obsessionwith wealthandprestigeisfurther demonstratedbyExhibitF,filedby plaintiffsinJune2022,whichcalculatesjusthowmuchstudentswere cheatedoutofanaffordable education.
Thelegalbriefwasbroughtby nineplaintiffsonJan.9.Inresponse, all17defendants,includingEmory Universityfiledajointmotionto dismiss,citingtheuniversitiesas “exemptfromchallengeunderthe antitrustlaws.”Selectschoolslike YaleUniversity(Conn.)andJohns Hopkins(Md.)alsofiledindividual motions.Accordingtothe568 Exemptioninantitrustlaw,universitiesmaystandardizefinancialaid practices,solongaseverystudentis admittedonaneed-blindbasis. However,theplaintiffsassertthat thedefendantsdonotabidebythe statutorydefinitionof“need-blind” whichisthattheymust“admitall studentswithoutregardtotheir financialcircumstances.”Allowing childrenofdonorstobeprioritized duringadmissionsisanactof disfavorment.Further,theuniform formulaanddatasharingamong universitieswithinthecarteleliminatespricecompetition,acrude violationoftheShermanAct. Themotiontodismissisafourprongeddefense:first,theydisagree onthenotionofneed-blind,claiming theviolationoftheExemptiononly appliesifastudentneedingfinancial aidisovertlydisfavored.Second,the universitiesdefendpricefixingasa procompetitivebehavior,aphenomenonthatattractscompetitorsinthe market.Effectively,itmeanscolleges havetofightforstudentsbyimplementinghigherfinancialaidpackages,ratherthangivingoutthesame calculatedprices.Third,theeffectsof pricefixingarepurelyspeculative. Finally,whiletheplaintiffsaskfor compensationfromtheuniversities forallstudentsaffectedbythecartel, thedefenseinvokesthefour-year statuteoflimitationsandclaimsthe caseshouldonlyapplytostudents from2018tothepresent.
Astratifiedstructureandlimited accesstohighereducationbarstudentsfromlower-incomebackgroundsfromsocialmobility.The desireforabetterlifeencouragesthe lessprivilegedtopleadforaccessto highereducationthroughthedemocraticpoliticalprocess.However,the accesstohighereducationthatis grantedtolower-incomestudentsis extremelylimited.AtEmoryUniversity,forexample,58%ofstudents comefromfamilieswithincomesin thetop20%ofthenation.Only6%of studentsatEmorycamefromthe bottom20%.Therefore,theeconomicdiversityofthestudentbody ateliteinstitutionslikeEmoryis dismal. Unfortunately,economicsegregationisgoingtostaythiswayinhigher education,especiallyamongelite institutions.DavidLabaree,ahisto-
Thebillfocuseslargelyonfunding forclimatechangereduction, loweringhealthcarecostsand increasingminimumtaxeson corporations.Incontrasttothe critics'rebukesofthelegislation— callingitirresponsiblespending ontherightandtoomoderateon theleft—thebillistimelyand necessary.WhileIhesitateto claimthatthosewhoareboth frustratedwithinflationand opposeincreasesintaxesare votingagainsttheirself-interests, thefactthatself-proclaimed economicconservatives consistentlysupportradical decreasesintaxesshouldbe surprising. Wheneconomiesaredeflated, Keynesianeconomicstells governmentstolowertaxesand
Thecriticsmaybecorrect;from SenatorBernieSanders(I-Vt.)to SenatorMitchMcConnell(R-Ky.), manyhaverebukedthebillforits minimalpotentialimpacton battlinginflation.ToSanders’ point,thislackofeffectisaresult ofamoderationintaxincreases, nottheotherwayaround.If loweringtaxesandpouringmoney intotheeconomywillpullthe countryoutofacrash,then raisingthemwillnaturally counteractinflation.Evenifthe billfailstoactivelyimprove out-of-controlinflation,the legislativeactiontostaveoffa recessioncouldhaveanother effect:maintainedconfidenceina cautiouslybalancedeconomy. Becauseoftheseeffects, businesses,jobsandthestock market,allsignificantlybackedby traditionalconservativepolicywill bekepttogether,atleastinthe shortterm.Ifthegoalistosafely avoidrecession,significantwork mustbedonebybothparties. Thereisnosingledefinitionof arecession.Theaccepted definitionistwoconsecutive quartersofdecreasedGDP,which hasalreadyhappenedthisyear. Butthiseconomicmomentis differentthaninthepast. Recessionsoftenoccurwhena marketfails,causingthestock markettocrash.Thecrash decreasesliquidcapitalforlarge corporations,leadingto widespreadlayoffsandalackof moneycirculatingintheeconomy. 2022isdifferent.Asaresultof inflationandlowunemployment rates,Americansarestilllargely employed.Therefore,if governmentactioncandelay corporatelayoffsuntilthe economyreadjuststoarguably irresponsibleCOVID-19spending between2019and2022,wemay avoidacrisisaltogether. Manchinisasmartguy.He foundhundredsofbillionsof dollarstoaddressrealissuesin perhapstheonlytimewherethe moneywouldbeavailablefor years. Bytaxingthosewhohave thrivedthroughthestockmarket boomfollowingtheCOVID recovery,thevastdistance comparedtothosewhosaw disastrouslossesduringthe pandemiccanbemitigatedin yearsandevendecadestocome. Inflation,climatechangeand healthcareissuesaffectlow incomecitizensmost,and Democratshavemanagedtofind awaytoaidallthreeissueswith onepresidentialsignature.Even withtheimperfections,their decisiontofallbackonironclad economicsinatimeof polarizationwillsucceedinthe longrun. BenBrodsky(25C)isfrom Scottsdale,Arizona.
OnAug.16,PresidentJoeBiden signedtheInflationReductionAct of2022,votedonbytheSenate downpartylinesandbacked heavilylastminutebycentrist SenatorJoeManchin(D-W.Va.).
rianofeducationatStanfordUniversity(Calif.),arguesthatevenwith increasedaccesstohighereducation, theprivilegedcankeeptheirpositionsofpowerbycreatinglower tracksinhighereducationorlowerlevelinstitutionslikecommunity colleges.Asthelessprivilegedpour intothoselowertracksinhigher educationorlower-levelinstitutions, whichwereestablishedbythosein power,socialdifferencesremain.
Apple.Additionally,CaliforniaState Universitycampusesadmitasmany communitycollegetransfersevery yearastheydofreshmen,which meansagreatportionofstudents fromcommunitycollegesalsohave accesstojobsatmajortechcompanies.Thesetwolowertiersofhigher education(communitycollegeand majorpublicresearchuniversities) contain77%ofallundergraduates. Thebenignnarrativeisthatpeople fromlowertierschoolscanalsogeta high-payingjobwithoutattending oneofthetop1%schools,butpeople tendtoignorethatthesystemis extraordinarilystratifiedand unequal,withdifferentlevelsof highereducationofferingdramaticallydifferentprestige,admitrate andopportunities.Privateelite universitiesallocatelimitedaccessto studentsthroughtheiropaque admissionprocess.Withalower admissionrate,thesehighlyselective institutionsworkasagatewayto preventmanystudentsfromgetting thebestbutlimitedresourcesand opportunitiestogetaheadorstay ahead.Unfortunately,studentswho cannotenjoysuchresourcesare oftenthosefromlower-incomefamilieswhoaremostinneedofthese resourcestoobtainsocialmobility butdonothaveaclearunderstand-
Althoughimprovementsmight notbeseenintheshortterm, Manchinhasfoundmoneytoboth deflateaready-to-bursteconomy andprovidesignificant improvementsinspaceswherethe U.S.hasnotoriouslyfallenshort. AlthoughRepublicancriticsmay questionthemeritsofexcess governmentspendingduringa timeofinflation,Manchinwas abletoputmoneytowardssocial fixeswhilepullingmoneyoutof theeconomy.
Unfortunately,studentswhocannotenjoysuchresourcesareoften thosefromlower-incomefamilies whoaremostinneedofthese resourcestoobtainsocialmobility butdonothaveaclearunderstandingoftheadmissionprocess.
HenryXu(25C)isfromShanghai, China
Afterreadingmoreabouthigher educationasavehicleforsocial mobility,I,unfortunately,foundthat myfriend’sunintentionalcomment wastrue.Thenarrativeofhigher educationbeingattheforefrontof inclusionandchangeisnothingbut bellsandwhistles.Eventhough socialmobility—orhavingupward mobilityineconomicstatus—isthe primaryinstitutionalschemaof highereducation,highereducation doesnotprovideasmuchupward mobilityasitintendsto.
BenBrodsky
tionsmadewithprofessorsandcan helpthemmoveupthesocialladder. Overall,highereducationasatool forsocialmobilitybecomesmeaninglesswithoutequalaccess.Usually, however,entranceintohighereducationispredeterminedbysocial advantagesorculturalcapitalthat studentshavebutdonotearnon theirown.AccordingtoAssociate ViceProvostandDeanofAdmission JohnLatting,test-optionalchoice fromlastyearopeneduptheapplicationstostudentsfromlow-income backgrounds.Thecorrelation betweentheincreaseinapplications fromlow-incomebackgroundsand test-optionalchoiceimpliessomethingcrucialtobeuncovered.Scores ontestsliketheSATandACTwere firstdesignedforcollegestoselect students.Inreality,highandlow scoresareanotherformofindication ofeconomicstatusbecausestudents whostartfromahighersocialeconomicpositionhave“unlimited” resourcestoaidthemtoscorehigher onthetests.Incontrast,thosewho donothavethesameamountof resourcesarelimitedtogettinglower scores,andtherefore,educational zoneswithfewerresources.The probabilitiesofmovingupinthe systemareinevitablylowaswell. Despiteallthesechallenges,the lowerclassstilltriestoclimbupthe socialladderbyusinghighereducationasasteppingstone,butthe privilegedwillalwaysinventwaysto stayontop.Ultimately,whenpeople arealltryingtocompeteforthesame limitedresources,havinglosersand winnersinthehighereducation systemsuddenlybecomesjustified. Aslongasthereiscompetition,the constanttensionoverwhetherhigher educationdoesprovideenough accessandsocialmobilityforpeople fromdifferentclasseswillnever cometoanend.
ingoftheadmissionprocess. Evenforsomestudentsfrom lower-incomefamilieswhodohave accesstohighereducation,theystill donotsucceedinmovingupthe socialladderbecausetheydonot knowhowtoutilizetheresources thathighereducationprovidesthem. Studentswhogrowupwithmiddleclassnormsusuallyfeelcomfortable exploringsituationswithprofessors. Althoughtheymaynothavebeen bornintofamilieswithconnections, theyviewadultsas facilitatorsoftheir academic,socialand professionalgoals andlearnhowto connectwiththem.I amoneofthem. Facingthoseauthorities,Ihadnofearof seekinglifeadvice andguidancefrom teachersoutsideof academics.Atthe McCallieSchool (Tenn.),theprivate boardinghighschool Iattended,interactionsbetweenstudentsandteachersbeyondclassroom settingsareencouraged.Theseinteractionsareonlypossibleinaprivate institutionwhereacohesivecommunityisworshiped.Thisgavemethe couragetoconversewithauthorities withoutconcerns,whichisan importantassetatcollege.Incontrast,predominantlyworking-class studentsperceiveprofessorsas authorityfiguresratherthan resourcestoseekhelp.College,for them,isfocusingonattendinglectures,completingassignments,and takingtestsontheirown.Successin thosestudents’ownwords,shouldbe “basedonhardwork”insteadof beingaflatterer.However,keeping thosevalueslearnedathomewill causethemtomissopportunitieslike joboffersorresearchprogramsthat usuallyarefoundthroughconnec-
Manchin’sbillwillslowthe damageofinflationbyincreasing taxesonthetop1%,thefastest waytodecreaseinflationwouldbe byrestrictingthespendingpower ofaveragepeople:increasing taxesacrosstheboard.Thismove wouldbeimpossiblyunpopular, butthepolicywouldultimately leadtoimprovementsinallareas whereinflationwasdamaging. Mostnotoriously,inrisinggas prices.
UnderthescorchingJulysunin Kentucky,oneofmyhighschool friendswhodecidednottogoto collegejokinglyaskedme,“Sowhat y’allevendointhatrichkids’ school?”Irespondedwithasarcastic laughandreturnedtobalingstraw. ButIwonderedifpeopleoutsideof highereducation—likeSam,who wassavingmoneytohiketheentire AppalachianTrailinsteadofgoingto college—perceiveitasthehubof privilegedstudents.
Duringthe2019–20academic year,publictwo-yearcommunitycollegesaccountedfor about35%ofallcollege enrollmentsintheUnited States.Whatisworthnoticingisthatthenewlower-tier collegesallhadonethingin common—theyfocusedon preparingstudentsforimmediateentryintolow-level white-collarjobs,whichdid nothelpthosestudentsreallocatetheirsocialpositions. However,low-incomestudentscontinuepouringinto theselower-levelinstitutions asatcommunitycolleges, dependentstudentswhoare inpovertyhavedoubledfrom13%in 1996to27%in2016astheycanonly affordgoingtotheselower-level institutions.Afterall,thenewlower tierofAmericanhighereducation createdbythesystemdidmeetthe increasingeducationaldemandfrom thelessprivilegedbutdidnothelp studentsfromlower-incomefamilies climbthesocialladder. Comparedtolessselectivecolleges,eliteuniversitiesprovideeven lessmobilityforstudentsduetotheir selectiveness.SanJoséStateUniversity(Calif.)(67%admitrate),a nonselectiveregionalstateuniversity,topstheothertwobiggestname universitiesinthearea,Stanford University(Calif.)(5.2%admitrate) andUniversityofCalifornia,Berkeley(17.5%admitrate),forthemost alumninowworkingtechjobsat
incentivizespending,allowingthe markettoreinvigorateitself throughconsumermobility.The exactoppositeistrueofan inflatedeconomy,teachingthat methodsoflimitingoverspending areessentialtomarketcalming, fromraisedinterestratestotaxes. Keynesiantheoryisagreat prototypetolooktointimesof economicdistress.Addressing marketissueswithcounterspendinghasworkedinthepast, andincomparisontothetheory thatmarketsebbandflowfreely, allowsformuchmore governmentalintervention.
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U.S.highereducationleavesstudentsinthedust JoeManchinwaspayingattentioninEcon101 HenryXu
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**
Inmultipleemailexchangesto theEmoryadministration,Laura Diamond,AssistantVicePresident inUniversityCommunicationssaid, “EmoryUniversitythinksthislawsuithasnomeritandwewillfight thislitigation.”
Ifinditalmostlaughablethat Emoryischoosingto“fightthe litigation,”consideringI’mnoteven surewhattheyarefighting.Emory mayhaveallegedlyleftthecartelin 2012,butremovingtheirnamefrom thecartel’swebsitedoesnotmean theyhaven’thurtstudentsinthe past.Infact,thedismissalofthe motiontodismissclearlyexplains thatlikeacriminalcase,Emoryhas theburdenofproofinshowingtheir completewithdrawalfromthecartel. Soifthelawsuittrulyhasnomerit andEmorybelievesithasdone nothingwrong,theyshouldhaveno difficultyprovingit.
“Thelawisclear,”saidGilbert, “unlessanduntilEmorypublicly disavowsthe568Cartelandits purposes,Emoryremainsamember oftheprice-fixingconspiracy.Infact, undersettledlaw,Emoryisliableto studentsandtheirfamiliesnotonly forcurrentongoingoverchargesof theentireCartel,butfordamages goingbackto2003.”
** Thepurposeofeducationcan’tbe summedupinonesentence.But throughouthistory,oneofeducation’scoregoalsisindisputablyto buildpeoplecapableoflearningand criticalthinking,promoteintellectualachievementandcompeteona globalscale.Duetothelackof transparencyfromcollegesand universities,studentsremainwoefullyunawareoftheopportunities beingtakenawayfromthem.
Theramificationsextendfar beyondtheplaintiffs–accordingto bothGilbertandProfessorRobert Lande,VenableProfessorofLawat theUniversityofBaltimoreSchoolof Law,thecaseonlyappliestodomesticstudents.Thosewhoareunaffected,suchasinternationalstudents,struggletoobtainfinancialaid aswell.WhilestudyingintheU.S.for studentslivingabroadisoftenconsideredanincredibleopportunity,as manyconsideritalife-changing movethatwillopendoorstotheir future,theycanonlyreceivelimited need-basedfinancialaid.Sucha policyleavesthemataninherent disadvantage,givinguniversitiesa loophole:nowtheycanacceptstudentswhoseparentsareamongthe richest1%inaforeigncountry. Nothingisstoppingthem.Thelawsuitexposestheunfairassumptions wemakeaboutinternationalstudents–notallofthemcanaffordthe fulltuition,andthelackoffinancial supportonlyfurtherexacerbates theirchancesataccessinghigher education.Shouldtheyreceivescholarshipawards,theymustalsomaintainhighacademicachievement,or puttheiraidinjeopardy. Technologylikeenrollmentmanagementsoftwarefurtherjeopardizes theintegrityofcollegeadmissions. Bysimplyinputtingastudent’szip code,theirparents’professionsand otheridentifyinginformationoffered ontheircollegeapplication,admissionsteamscancalculatearough estimateonhowmuchparentscan contributetotuitionandthelikelihoodofenrollment.Whilebudget allocationisimportanttoconsider, enrollmentalgorithmsarecreatedto helpcollegesdeterminetheleast amountofaidtheycanallocateto studentswhilestillmeetingtheir goals. Theunfairprioritizationof wealthystudentsmaybefurther incentivizedbecauseschoolswill stopatnothingtoboosttheirrankings.Today,collegerankingsunfortunatelymattermorethananything else.Amelangeoffactors–from endowmentsizetoselectivityto academicreputation–arecalculated andanalyzed.Itbecomesaraceto thetop,withcollegesusingpromotionalgimmickstoenticestudentsto enrollandbeingpickywitharbitrary standardsinordertoupholdtheir prestige.Suchselectivity–evenin thevaguestmostillogicalsenseis elitism,andeducationispushedinto thebackground. Schoolmarketingisacoveted skill,andmerit-basedscholarships arethetrophiesawardedtoselect studentswhocanbecomeaninstitution’snewposterchild.Buthere’sthe thing:I’vetoured34schoolsand attendedalltheirinformationsessionsacrosstheU.S.Allrankinthe top50andmostinthetop20.The marketingstrategiesaresosimilar,I startedlosingtrackofallthedifferencesbynumberfive.IfIcouldget in,graduatingfromallofthese schoolswiththesamebachelor’s degreeisonlydifferentiatedbyits nameandintangibleplaceinthe socialhierarchy.IvyLeagueschools areattractivebecauseit’salmosta crapshoottogetin–andonceyou do,itfollowsyouon yourresumeforever. Evennotknowing someone,there’san instantaneousreactionofrespectand occasionallythinly veiledjealousyinour societywhenyouhear thattheygraduated fromHarvard. Educationis offeredasacommodity.Institutionsareno betterthancorporations,seekingto increaserevenueand installstate-of-the-art technologyand machineswhereonly studentsofacertain socioeconomicstatus canaccessthem.It’s proofofhowknowledgeisincreasinglyunattainable.Commercialventuresformerchandiseandresearch facilitiespromoteauniversityora professor’sgrowthinnumerical rankingsandacademiccircles.Yet forstudents,theabilitytobeeducatedismaskedbehindaneventaller andever-growingwall:onlythose withenoughmoneyandaccumulatedprestigecanbreakthrough.
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interviewwithTheWheel.Effectively,everyschoolwouldonlylose 2%oftheirever-growingendowment topayforstudenteducation.How tragic.Ipitytheschoolwhoprobably couldn’ttellthedifferenceif2%of theirmoneyjustleftthebank accountthenextday.
Theunfoldingofthiscasehas beentragicanddisappointing.Being rightinacourtoflawandsavingface shouldnottakeprecedenceover accessibilityofeducation.Roughly estimating,thetotalamountoflost financialaidcouldreachmorethan $4billion.Ifauniversityistruly committedtoupholdingacademic excellenceandwantstobragabout welcomingalltypesofdiversity withoutlying–proveit. SophiaLing(24C)isfromCarmel, Indiana.
Accesstoeducationisoneofthe mosteffectivewaystomoveupthe socialhierarchy.Whenhigh-income studentsdominatecollegeenrollmentlevels,theadjacentdevelopmentofcollegeculture,social backgroundandlivedexperiences becomeidentical–andsuddenly everyoneisaragingupper-class liberalwhodoesn’tactuallyunderstandthedifferencebetweensocialismandcapitalism. Low-incomestudentsdon’t alwayschoosenottoattendschool, theydeserveanequitableand affordableeducation.Ifsomeone wantstolearn,educationalinstitutionsareresponsibleforproviding it,notcomingupwithexcusesto restrictastudent’spotential.
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Highereducationinstitutionssacrificeaffordabilityanduniversalaccessibilityforacademicprestige.Thepricefixingcasehas becomeahighlypublicizedlawsuitacrossthenation,andcallsintoquestionthemoralvaluescollegesanduniversitieshold.
Universalaccesstoeducationismorethanaprivilege
Whenhigh-incomestudentsdominate collegeenrollmentlevels,theadjacent developmentofcollegeculture,social backgroundandlivedexperiences becomeidentical–andsuddenlyeveryoneisaragingupper-classliberalwho doesn’tactuallyunderstandthedifferencebetweensocialismandcapitalism.
Forindividualstudents,compensationfromtheuniversitycouldbe lifechanging—forsome,itcould makethedifferenceofbeingableto graduatedebtfree.Universities wouldn’tseeanydifference,butstill choosetospendtheirtimeand moneyshellingoutmillionsof dollarstofightthislawsuit.Inan interviewwithTheWheel,Gilbert explainedhowintheory,thedefense lawyerswhoarepaidbythehour wouldprefertodragthecase, understatingtheriskstoearnmore moneyandbelessincentivizedto settle.Whileit’sonlyaspeculation, theunderlyinglogicmakescomplete sense.Thedefenseargumentisnot foolproofandhasbeenbrokenapart bytheDepartmentofJusticemore thanonce.PartnersatJonesDay,the lawfirmrepresentingEmory,earned over$1millionperpartnerin2021; theirhourlyrateshavebeencalculatedtobearound$950.While financialincentivesarenotasignificantdriverforholdingoutthecase, butundeniablyplaysaroleinhow peoplemayact,lessmotivatedto settlethecase.Foracartelof organizationswhoclaimthey’re dedicatedtobuildingthestudentsof thefuture,they’refailing spectacularly. Unfortunately,moneyiscomplex andneveraclearcutissuewhenit comestomanydifferentinterest groups.Certainly,itwouldbenear impossibleforuniversitiestonot takeintoaccountfamilyfinances. Butclaimingtobeneed-blindand favoringwealthystudentssolongas theydonotdisfavorlow-income studentsisinherentlyhypocritical. It’sinane–thesimpleactoffavoring onegroupisdisfavoringanother.
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Likelastspring’sCultureShock,Saturday’s eventwashostedonthefieldrather thantheoriginaleventspacein WhiteHall,adecisioninitiallymade tocomplywithCOVID-19restrictions.Withtheeventoutside,many morestudentswereabletoattend. Uponenteringthevenue,attendeesweremetwithamassof studentshurryingtositattablesor joiningfriendsonpicnicblankets,all eyingthestagewithanticipation. Nearlyeverypersonwassportinga CultureShocktoteorchowingdown onminidonutsfromtheOperation Donutstruck.Noteventhesudden raincouldextinguishtheenthusiasm ofEmorystudentsamidanightof music,movesandmagic. Momentsbeforethefirstperformerswalkedonstage,theraincameto ahalt,meltingtheskyintohuesof orangeandpurpleagainstthegiant Emoryletterssilhouettedonthe stage. CultureShockkickedoffwitha whirlofcolorsasKarmaBhangra, EmoryUniversity'spremierco-ed Bhangrateam,burstout,dancingto amixofIndianpopmusicin multicoloredgarb.Jawsdroppedas theyspunandleapedintotheair,and eachperformerhadamassivesmile astheperformanceconcluded.With astartlikethat,theeveningwas boundtobeunforgettable. AHANADance,thelargeststudent-rundancegrouponcampus, hadanequallyelectrifyingperformancetoCharliXCX’s“Lightning.” Meanwhile,attendeescheeredfor theirfriends,rushingtothefrontto takephotosorpumpingfistsinthe air.Thecrowdclappedalongwiththe VoicesofInnerStrengthGospel Choir,whostudentscouldhearfilling thePittsTheologyLibrarychapel withsongjusthoursbefore.
Whiletherainhadlongstopped, thundercontinuedtorumbleonas BOPsteppedout.Theduobreakdancedtoamixtureofpopandrap, receivinganabundanceofcheersand supportfromfriendsandfansalike. Thisdelightcontinuedastheschool’s premierSouthAsianfusionacapella team,Suri,fusedpopwithAsian music. ThenightconcludedwithBlaeZ,a co-eddancecrewfocusedonhip-hop andk-pop.Astheyconnectdifferent danceculturesandperformatstudentevents,theyworktounify communitiesacrossEmory.ByendingCultureShockwithBlaeZ,CC highlightedthesenseofcommunity thatcelebratingdiversitycanbring andbroughtthecampustheenergyit neededforthecomingyear.
EvenwithdenseAtlantaheat hoveringintheairandthunder boomingoverhead,acrowdofstudentseagerlylinedupalltheway backtoAsburyCircletowatch CultureShockatMcDonoughField Aug.27. TheCollegeCouncil's(CC)event startedtheschoolyearoffwitha bang.CultureShockshowcasesand celebratesdiversitywithintheEmory communitybyhighlightingthetalentsofdiversegroupsandindividuals.Thebiannualeventbeganinfall 2013withtheintentto enhanceschoolspirit,culturaldiversity,collaborativeunityandcommunity engagement,thefour tenetsthatcompriseCC’s communityoutreach.Severalstudentdancegroups andindividualperformers tooktothestageafterthe attendeeshadlinedupat foodtrucksandsnagged someCultureShock merchandise.
ContributingWriter
TheEmoryWheel W��������,A�����31,2022 |Arts&EntertainmentEditors:JacksonSchneider(jdschn3@emory.edu)&EythenAnthony(eaantho@emory.edu) A���E������������ � BY JACKSON SCHNEIDER ArtsandEntertainmentEditor Thisreviewcontainsspoilers. AftercomedianNathanFielder wakesupinhisOregonhome,he greetshiswifeandhisson,Adam, andsitsdownforbreakfast.Itis wintertime,andoutsidetheiridyllic familyhome,dozensofproduction assistantsareblanketingtheground andcarswithsnowfromanice chipper. FieldergetsuptotakeAdamto school,scrapingtheiceoffhiscar windowbeforedrivingoutintothe Oregonsummer.Ashiscarpulls awayfromtheschoolentrance, anotherpullsuptotakeAdamtohis realschool.WhenhepicksAdamup attheendoftheday,Adamisthree yearsolder. Thisisnotthepremiseofsome surreal,LynchiancritiqueofsmalltownAmerica.Itis“TheRehearsal,” asix-episoderealityshowthatranon HBOfromJulytoearlyAugustofthis year. Theshow’spremiseisrelatively simplewhencomparedtothe extremelengthsFieldergoesto achieveit.Hewantedtogivepeople theopportunitytorehearsesignificanteventsintheirlifebeforethey happen,suchasadifficultconversationwithafriendorrelative.While Fielderisbestknownasacomedian, “TheRehearsal”hasadistinctphilosophicalcore.Canweevertruly understandoneanother?Whatifwe couldremoveuncertaintyfromour livesandplanforeverythingthat couldgowrong? Mostof“TheRehearsal”follows oneelaboraterehearsalinwhich FieldergivesAngela,adeeplyevangelicalwomanwhobelievesinvast satanicconspiracies,theopportunity topracticemotherhood.Byhiring dozensofchildactorsagessixto eighteenandswappingthemout discreetlywheneverchildlaborlaws dictate,Fielderattemptstocreatethe ‘TheRehearsal’elevates realityTVintoacontroversialpieceofart See NATHAN,Page 10 COURTESY OF HBO Traditionalhip-hopis aliveandwellwithJID’s ‘TheForeverStory’ BY BEN BRODSKY ContributingWriter JIDreleased“TheForeverStory,” asequeltohisdebut“TheNever Story,”onAug.26.Knownforhis cleverwordplayandreputationfor entertainingfeature-verses,the Atlantarapperhasmadeanamefor himselfwithincirclesoflyricconsciouslisteners.Withhisappreciationofthemusic’shistoryandits humblebeginnings,JIDcarrieson animportantroleinhip-hop:the classicist. Hip-hopis,atitscore,spoken poetryoverthefragmentedinstrumentalofaDJ’sscratchingandwas createdasaresultoftheingenuityof BlackNewYorkCityyouthinthe ’70s.DJsengineeredtechnologyto transitionbetweensongs,queue tracksandphysicallyscratcharecord tocreateadistinctsound.Thisnew artdevelopedfurtherwhen,atparties,attendeesbeganrhymingover theDJ’sbeats.Withthisinnovation, hip-hop’smostessentialdynamic wasformed.Therapper,orMC,was taskedwith“movingthecrowd” whiletheDJbackeduptherhymes withenergeticbeats. Sincethen,hip-hophaschanged asanartform.Revolutionaryartists likeTyler,theCreatorandMacMiller havepushedboundariesforwhat beingarapperentails,allowing topicslikementalhealthandqueer identityintoagenreknownforits bravadoandstoicism.Whilethese progressionshaveinarguablymade thegenremoreaccessibleand diverseinsound,theysometimes moveawayfromtheinventedstyle championedfordecades.However,a selectfewhavemanagedtofind varyingdegreesofmainstreamsuccesswhileutilizingthesimpleyet beautifulcombinationofsounds madefamousbyhip-hop’spioneers. Inhisnewalbum,JIDattemptstobe See OLD-SCHOOL,Page 11 BY ERIN DEVINE
ContactErinDevineat erin.devine@emory.edu Moments beforethefirstperformers walkedonstage,therain cametoahalt,meltingthe skyintohuesoforange andpurpleagainstthe giantEmoryletters silhouettedonthestage. CultureShockelectrifies campuswith studentperformances COURTESY OF COLLEGE COUNCIL
Othergroupperformances includedZuri,Emory’sfirstandonly Africandancetroupe,andEmory MulanDanceGroup,thesole Chineseculturedancecluboncampus.Bothcrewsarefocusedon spreadingawarenessoftheirrespectiveculturestoEmoryandAtlanta. TheywerefollowedbyEmory’s officialdanceteam,E-Motion,TNT andthenationallyrankedSaRaas. Whilethegroupperformances hadtheaudiencejumpingand clappingalong,theindividualartists movedthecrowdinotherways. SumaiyaDickens(25C)enchanted theaudiencewithhersoulful,rich voiceasthefirstsoloistofthenight, andattendeescriedoutinsupportof WensyPerez(24B)ashesang acapellaliveforthefirsttimein years.HazelOh(23C),CC’sVPof Programming,returnedtoCultureShock’sstagetosing“Breathe” byLeeHi,sayingshehopedthelyrics wouldremindeveryonethateverythingwouldbeokay.
Theethicalquestionsthat“The Rehearsal”bringsuparealso poignant,asFielderarguablymanipulatesreal-lifepeopleintofulfilling hisbizarrequestforperfectionunder theguiseofsolvingreal-lifedilemmas.Thesearemoralquestionsthat Fielderseemstobeaskinghimselfas well. Inoneofthemostpoignantscenes intheseries,awomanplayingthe partofAngelainarehearsalconfrontsFielderhead-on.“Whyareyou doingthis,”sheaskshim,“Areyou reallytryingtohelpme?Or,amIthe sillypartthatyoutalkabout,huh?Is mylifethejoke?Doyousitherewith yourfriendsattheendoftheday laughingatme?”
illusionofanentirechildhood. “Adam”agesthreeyearseveryweek orso,andthechallengesofraising himchange.Eventually,Fielderfalls intohisownillusion,offeringto co-parentAdamalongwithAngela. AfterbeingawayfromOregonfor threeweeks,Fielderinstructsthe actorplayingthenow15-year-old Adamtoapproachthesceneasif Fielderhasgenuinelybeengonefor nineyears.Adam’sinabilitytodeal withhisfather’sabandonmentsends himspiralingintodrugaddictionand otherself-destructivebehaviors.At thispoint,FielderandAngelaagree toturnbacktheclocktosix-year-old Adam. Throughouttheshow,Fieldergoes overeverylittledetailfromreal-life conversationsthroughrehearsalsof hisown.Onmorethanoneoccasion, heevenbroughtinanactortoplay himselfsothathecouldreview momentsfromanother’sperspective. Theserehearsalsbegintofoldinon themselvesasthelinebetweenrealityandsceneblur,becominga profoundlyuncomfortableportraitof amanobsessedwithcreatinga perfectillusion.
seemsoridiculousthattheaudience feelscompelledtolaughather.But Angelaisanactualperson,nota characterinastory.Havewerefused toseeAngela’shumanitythiswhole time?
repressionandcontrol.Inthehive, queensfighttoholdtheirthrone, hardeningagainsteventheirown kin.TheQueenreflectsonthe prospectofpassingdownherpower, saying,“Ihavebeenpregnantsince thedayIwasborn—andforwhat?
TheEmoryWheelWednesday,August31,202210 A&E
ContactJacksonSchneiderat
Aconstantbuzzingmadeofmany voices,butonlyonemind.Agreat secrethiddeninthefoldsofahive. Anthropomorphizedbeesblindedto theirtruth. “ToServetheHive”openswiththe premiseofafailingqueenbee(Emily Musgrove)indenialofherhive’s slowstarvation,andmembersofthe hiveawakeningtohiddensecrets, likethecollapsinghive.Theplay servesasananalogyfortheeffectsof climatechangeandthestrugglesof matriarchy,whileexploringthemes ofidentityandpowerplay. WrittenbyJuliaByrne(20C)and directedbyWanyuYang(20C),“To ServetheHive”waspresentedAug. 25and26attheSchwartzCenterfor PerformingArts.Theplaywasapart ofSheATL,asummertheaterfestival featuringworkwrittenby“gendermarginalized”playwrights,which showcasedfourplaysfromAug.18to 28.
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Theindividualandthecollectiveclashin‘ToServetheHive’
ThecastincludedSiChenas Nurse1,CharisSellickasNurse2, AffteneCeriTaylorasNurse3,Indya BusseyastheNewQueen,and MontgomeryDavisasWorker1. Atitscore,theplayisaboutthe struggleforsurvival,andsurvival comesdowntofoodsupply—bothin thebeesworld,andourworld.The lackoffoodleadstostarvation, becomesareasonforcontroland, later,forrevolt.TheQueen’sneedto feedalsomaterializesasdesire, settingoffamurkypowerplay,asort ofsubservience-with-benefits betweentheQueenandNurse1. Feedingisalsosignificantin legitimizingaQueen’srule.Carrying forthtradition,Queenseattheir predecessorstosignifyvictoryand solidifytheirreign.Afterwards,their powercannotbequestioned.This traditionbindstogetherthequeens ofthepastandpresent,areminder thattheyaremoreconnectedthan theythink. “ToServetheHive”examines matriarchythroughthelensof
Togiveitaway?”Itishardnotto thinkaboutthetwo-foldburdenof shoulderingunwantedresponsibility andthepressuretofightforit.The playremindsusofcyclesandthe roleswestepintofromourmatrilineageasthequeenbeeacknowledges
NathanFielder’s bizarreutopia ContributingWriter
thatshetakeshermother’swisdom intoherrule. Theplaydealswiththemesof identityandself,andthetension betweentheindividualandthe collective.Theworkersthatmakeup thecommunalhivehavebeen
Thequestionisseeminglydirected atbothFielderandhisaudience,as Angela’sextremeborn-againvalues andassertionofsatanicconspiracies
TheconsequencesofFielder’s questarenotrevealedtohimuntil theseasonfinale.Onesix-year-old childactor,Remy,refusestoleave thesetasit’stimeforthenine-yearoldstostepin.Fielderlearnsfrom Remy’smotherthathedoesn’thave afatherinreallifeandhasbegunto believethatNathanistrulyhisdad. Inadeeplyuncomfortablescene, FieldervisitsRemyathishometo ensurethatheknowsheisnothis father,muchtoRemy’sdismayand denial.Fielderspendstherestofthe episodeobsessingoverwhathedid wrong,gettingotherchildactorsto playRemyandre-doingmomentsin whichhemayhavebuiltaconnection thatwastooreal.Inprocessingthe real-lifepsychologicalconsequences ofhisactions,Fielderhasan epiphany:“Life’sbetterwith surprises.” “TheRehearsal”isaprofoundand emotionalRorschachtestforviewers thatistrulyunlikeanythingthat’s comebeforeit.Itisfunny,uncomfortableandfascinatingallatonce. Critiquesoftheshow(suchas RichardBrody’sscathingpieceinthe NewYorker)arevalidas,despite Fielder’sself-awarenessofits immoralities,hestillusesrealpeople (includingchildren)tomakethat point.Yet,artischallenging,and Fielderwantsustofeeluneasy. Howeveronefeelsabout“The Rehearsal,”it’shardtodenythatit elevatesthemediumofrealitytelevisiontoprovidealookatthehuman psychethatissomehowbothartificialanduncomfortablyreal.When everythingissimulationsandsimulacrums,theonlyrealthingleftis ourselves. jackson.d.schneider@emory.edu
COURTESY OF WANYU YANG IndyaBusseyasNewQueen See ALUMNI,Page 11
TheEmoryWheel Wednesday,August31,2022 11A&E amongthem.Thealbumprojectshis bestfirstweekalbumsalestodate,so heseemstobesucceeding. Twoofthemostincredible momentson“TheForeverStory” revolvearoundtheinclusionofa classicartist.On“SurroundSound,” ahigh-energy,densetrack,JID samplesthelegendaryMosDef,aka YasiinBey.Thesamplegivesa nostalgictonetoanotherwise contemporarytrack,thankstoBey. Inhip-hop,therearefewfigures morerespectedthanMosDef,ashis workintherapundergroundhas servedasinspirationforseveral generations.On“Stars,”JIDfeatures Beyhimself.ThetrackallowsJIDto examineanalternativestyletothat on“SurroundSound,”matching Bey’sold-schoollyricismandflows. Thisfeatureisatrulyspecial moment,andararecosignfroma highlyrespectedmusicalicon. JIDshowsoffhislyricalability throughoutthealbum,especiallyon “DanceNow,”applyingmultiple meaningstoseverallinesinthesong. Forexample,heraps: “LemmebearitallwhenI’mtellin' God, YouknowI'marantwhenItalkto Jah” Here,hetiesreligiousandcultural referencesintothelyricsallatonce. Thelinesatfacevaluerefertothe ChristianGod“Yahweh”orJehovah, oftendubbedas“Jah”inRastafarianism.However,whenexamined,“I’ma rant”cansoundlike“I’mMorant,”in referencetoMemphisGrizzlies’ basketballAll-StarJaMorant.Under evenmorescrutiny,alistenermay realizethatJIDclaimsto“bearitall,” perhapsdoublyreferencingthe Grizzlies’mascot.Thislevelof writtencomplexityaddsalayerof meaningtothemusic,emphasizing JID’sabilitytoleadalbumproductionwithhiswritingratherthan hidingbehindover-complicated instrumentals.
Anotherhumanconnectionin“To ServetheHive”istheshieldingof informationforpoliticalgainand personalmotivation,manifestingin theQueen’sprideandappetitefor selfishpowerandtosustainher reign.Nurse1resiststhis,exercising hernewlydiscoveredpersonalfreedomtopushfortruth-tellingand transparencybypassingonthe information,andevenappealingto theQueenherself. Theuseofcatchyrefrainslike “maythehoneyflow”helpedtoform thehivechorus,andtherhythmic dialogueaddedtothesenseofcycles andrepetition. Movement—coordinatedhand andheadgestures,aswellassimple formationsinconjunctionwithblack andgoldcostumes—broughtusinto theworldoftheplay.Andthe symbolicprops,suchasthesheet usedtorepresentthehiveexterior andasheetofcrumpledplasticfor water,wereminimalistic,allowing thefocustoremainonthemovement anduseofspace. Throughitsstrategichumor,the playhighlightstheabsurdaspectsof thehumancondition—forinstance, thewayweviewpleasureanddesire. Intryingtounderstandit,Nurse2 describestheQueen’sdesireas “non-reproductivepleasure.”
Old-SchoolmeetsNew-School innewrapalbum ContinuedfromPage9
-ContactMitaliSinghat mitali.singh@emory.edu ContinuedfromPage10 Alumniplaywrights callonustoletgoof TheHivemind IndyaBusseyasNewQueenandSiChenasNurse1 COURTESY OF WANYU YANG Similartoourown depletingfoodand watersupplies,we’re leftwiththesame loomingquestionas thehive:Whatwillwe doaboutit?
JID’sintriguingrappingcapabilitieson“TheForeverStory”doesnot meanthattherearenototherrappers doingboombaphip-hopbetter. Notably,rapduoRunTheJewelshas releasedfouralbumsinwhichtheir old-schooltakeonmodernrapholds myattentionlongerthanJIDdoes.I wouldberemissnottoalsohonorthe lateNipseyHussle,aCaliforniaartist whosealbum“VictoryLap”wonthe heartsofrapfanswhilestayingtrue tohip-hop’sroots.Comparedto thesetopnotchlyricistsor’90sand ’00slegendslikeCommon,theWuTangClanandJay-Z,Ihaveahard timehearingJID’sworkasespecially novel.
JIDclearlyseeshimselfasan artistcarryingontheprophetic,wise roleembodiedbyhismoresenior contemporariessuchasLupeFiasco, J.ColeandKendrickLamar.My mostcriticalcommentaryonthis goalisnotinhisintentions;seeingan ambitiousartistattemptingtomake adifferencethroughhismusic shouldinspireanylistener.However, ColeandLamar’swisdomand fatherlyroleinthehip-hoplandscape comefromyearsofmeticulous, competitivedominationandslow maturingthroughintentionalwork. WhileIcan’tapplaudJID’svisionsof influenceenough,Ibelievesome timeandimprovementisrequired beforehecanreachtheheightsofthe moderngreats. DespitemycriticismsofJID’s evolutionandhiscurrentendeavors, thebestmomentof“TheForever Story”comesasthepleasantweight ofthefirsthalfofthealbumreaches therecord’sfulcrum,beginningtotip towardamoreconscientioussecond run.Asthealbum’stonebeginsto shift,wearegifted“KodyBlu31,” JID’stakeonaresilienceanthem similartoKendrickLamar’s2015 “Alright.”Astheouterclayisfurther chiseledaway,allthatisleftisa minimaldrum,bassandbrass instrumentalandJID’sunaltered voice.Anextremelypersonaland intimatecut,theartisttellsthestory ofafriend’ssonwhopassedawayat ayoungage.Inasinceretone,JID encourageshisfriendstokeepmovingforwardthroughhardshiporto “keepswangin’on.”Onecan’thelp buttobemovedbythiscommentary, asinthefaceofdifficulttimes,Ifind thatartservesabetterescapethan anypitofdarknessordistraction.In JID’sattemptstomovehiscrowd,he succeedsinvaliantfashion,albeit differentlythanpoetsofthepast. With“TheForeverStory,”JID continueshispursuitofcultural importanceaswellashissearchto distinguishhissoundfromhis contemporaries.Heneverfailsinhis regardstotheinnovatorsofthepast, alwayschoosingtohonortheartists thatcamebeforehim.Attimes,his charismacanbelostinthedepthsof thelyricallabyrinthsthroughwhich weareushered,buthisgenuinelove forthearthereleasesalwaysshines bright.WhileIhopetoseeJID continuehisgrowthasacultural figureandanMC,fornowIwillkeep “swangin’on”withhim.
ContactBenBrodskyatben .brodsky@emory.edu bannedfromusingpronounslike “you”and“I,”becausetheQueen fearsallowingthemfreewill.The possibilityoffreewillariseswhen Nurse1beginstoviewherselfasa separateentity.Shecanfeelthe impactofstarvation,yettheothers don’tevennoticeitbecausetheyhave beencommandednotto.Thefact thatthehiveisconstantlyseekingfor morenectar—abloom“towardsthe settingsun,fartherthanwe’veever flown”—remindstheaudienceofthe limitationsofthecollective. Theconflictsalsorepresentthe effectsofclimatechangebecause, quiteplainly,thereisnohoneyleft. Aswefaceourowndepletingfood andwatersupplies,we’releftwith thesameloomingquestionasthe hive:Whatwillwedoaboutit?
Ittakestheentiretyofthe playforNurse1torealizethat herdesireforthewell-beingof thehivemakesheratrue leader.Lefttodealwiththe consequencesoftwo dethronedanddeceased queens,thetwoNursesare sentspiralingastheyattempt todefinetheirroles.Theylist outsynonymsforleader,until inevitably,Nurse1lands,quietly,on“queen.”Thisseemed tobeahopefulpromisetoredefine theroleofqueenandtorealizethe waysthetitlecouldbeusedforthe goodofthecollective. Oneofthefinallinesoftheplayis adirectpleatotheaudience:“Go, andeatandbeyourbody.Befreeand full.” Itisaremindertonurturenotonly ourbodies,butalsothenaturethat surroundsit—andtorememberthat theyareconnected,likeahive, alwaysbuzzing. Thebloomisstilloutthere,Byrne insists.It’suptoustofindit.
I can’t think of a better way to mark the beginning of a stuent’s Emory journey than to invite them through our front door and greet them as they come into their new home.-JillCamper
“It’s a very supportive environ ment, and it’s kind of like a family and everything: a very safe space,” Oriahi said.In order to facilitate interpersonal connections, ABE will host another event in late September in the Barkley Forum for its Table Talk series, which is designed to foster a safe environ ment where students can talk about their experiences. Oriahi said issues discussed on the podcast may carry over into Table Talks to continue the conversation.PoolesaidABE is more than just a podcast, and he hopes it encourages students to engage with their club. “[All Black Emory] is talking about things that are important to us in the ways that we see fit,” they said. “It’s just a necessity in the context of living in a predominantly white environment.”
The road was lowered and iron work raised to allow ambulances or firetrucks to pass underneath, Emory entranceformal,wasbuilt,EmoryaboutJamesLandscapeUniversityArchitectJohnsonsaid.“WhentheroundoutsideofVillagewaswefeltthatitimportantforaceremonialthatcould accommodate all people and vehicles to return to Emory,” Johnson said. The University decided to formally create a ceremony for new Emory stu dents with this year’s gate crossing. During graduation, each class will complete the tradition by walking out the gate to signify their transition from Emory into the world. Camper and the University hope to continue the beginning-of-the-year tradition for the Class of 2027.
The gate is named after two 19th century Emory presidents, Atticus Greene Haygood and Isaac S. Hopkins. Haygood, a slave-owning Methodist, changed his views on enslavement following the conclusion of the Civil War, and became a vocal proponent of integration of African Americans in Southern society during his tenure at Emory. Hopkins succeeded Haygood as president in 1884 and notably brought focus to technology and science to the EmoryConsistingcurriculum.ofapair of marble col umns, a red brick road lies underneath and shares an intentional resemblance to the white marble buildings around the academic quadrangle with redbrick roofs. Ornate ironwork arches blend in with the background of the dark green trees of campus and connect the two columns.The campus entrance has taken a beating during its long tenure. Buses and damagedambulancestheironworksomuchthatin1971itwasmovedfromtheroadtothesidewalk.Thegateremainedmerelyanoverhang on a pedestrian path before returning to its rightful place in the early 2000s as Emory Village grew.
The podcast is one of many initiatives the club started this past year. ABE features educational posts on Instagram and host Table Talks for students to talk about their experiences.
By OriOn JOnes Contributing Writer Members of the Class of 2026 crossed under the Haygood-Hopkins Gate on Aug. 23, simultaneously entering and expanding the Emory community.Alumniand faculty lined Dowman Drive cheering them on as they ven tured onto a more recognizable and storied Emory tradition — the Coke Toast.These new members of the Emory College of Arts and Sciences are the first participants in the inaugu ral gate crossing, a new Emory tra dition coordinated by the Office for Undergraduate Education. Director of Orientation and New Student Programs Jill Camper said the tradition will be a memorable start to students’ careers at Emory. “Rites of passage experiences are some of the most treasured traditions on college campuses across the county, and they are so important to fostering and celebrating community,” Camper said.“The Gate Crossing brought us all together to celebrate the one thing that connects all of us—Emory.”
— Contact Orion Jones orion.jones@emory.edu.at
“I remember that really stuck with me, and it was kind of hard dealing with that because I felt like I didn’t belong at this space,” Oriahi said in the episode. “However, getting to know the Black community on cam pus was really helpful for me and knowing I do belong and I do have a space here in the community.” Oriahi said that space for them was ABE.Poole cited Being Black Emory (BBE) as an important predecessor to ABE.BBEwas a student organization that posted YouTube video podcasts in 2019 to create a discussion space for Black students at Emory to talk about issues that were important to them. While the club is no longer operating, its student panels inspired ABE’s ini tiative, Poole said. Oriahi said the club plans to release one or two episodes per semester, and listeners can expect another episode in late September or October. Educational posts on the club’s Instagram will expand on topics dis cussed on the podcast. Some of ABE’s previous educa tional posts offer detailed informa tion and images to inform followers about Pride Month, Black History Month and the International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and Its Abolition.
Emory Life Wednesday, August 31, 2022 | Emory Life Editors: Oli Turner (oli.turner@emory.edu) and Xavier Stevens (xsteven@emory.edu) The Emory Wheel
I remember when I was looking at Emory, and I didn’t know that much about the Black experience there. The podcast is to help people, whether it’s parents or new students, that are just finding a place and community at Emory.
Left: Courtesy of emory News CeN ter r ight: Courtesy of emory historia N’s BLog
That’s Ronald Poole II (23C), student adviser of All Black Emory (ABE), describing the essence of the club’s new“[Thepodcast.podcast is] outside of the context of professionalization and respectability,” he said. “It’s talking about things that are important to us in the ways that we see whichThefit.”podcast,launched in March 2022, serves as an honest discus sion space for Black students and com munity members at Emory. Following the release of its first episode in March, ABE is preparing for a productive semes ter and continuing to foster a the(24C)Producercommunity.closeExecutiveJadaOriahisaidshehopescreationofapodcast will broaden the club’s mission to create a safe space for dialogue about Black stu dents’ experiences on campus. “With the podcast, people from all over the world are able to hear it as well and also share their experiences too, so make even a bigger community in that regard,” she said. ABE posts audio and social media content for current and prospective students, parents and members of the greater community to listen and view. The podcast is available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. “I remember when I was looking at Emory, I didn’t know that much about the Black experience there,” Oriahi said. “The podcast is to help people, whether it’s parents or new students, that are just finding a place and community at personal,conversationalyears.2022-23reflectingBaskinPoolemembers—Oriahi,threeMaythe“ThetheirEmory.”ABEreleasedsecondepisode,EndisOnlyBeginning,”inandfeaturedexecutiveboardandKennedy(22C)—ontheiracademicThepodcastisandwithparticipantssharingtheirfirsthandexperiences navigating the University as Black students and discussing challenging topics like impostor syndrome. In the second episode, Oriahi shared that, after being accepted to Emory, someone told her she only got in because she was Black.
“The Haygood-Hopkins Gate serves as the iconic front door of Emory’s campus,” Camper said. “I can’t think of a better way to mark the beginning of a student’s Emory journey than to invite them through our front door and greet them as they come into their new home.”
By Oli Turner Emory Life Editor
All Black Emory podcast creates safe space for Black students, community members
The inaugural ceremony (left) of crossing underneath Haygood-Hopkins Gate unofficially dates back to 1937, when it was built to commemorate the connection of the Atlanta and Oxford campuses. Due to damage from buses, the original ironwork (right) has since been raised and the road lowered to allow anything as tall as an ambulance or firetruck to pass through.
- Jada Oriaha (24C)
Despite the novelty of the gate cross ing tradition, the marble and steel structure adorning Emory University’s southern point has been welcoming students for nearly 90 years. Built in 1937, the architects hoped to honor the creation of the Atlanta campus in 1915 and dedicate a gateway from the university’s original Oxford campus.
One of the executive board’s pri mary goals is to bring in voices and aspects of the Atlanta community as well as OriahiEmory.saidthey’re looking for stu dents, professors and “anyone who’s willing to talk for a bit” to make a guest appearance on the podcast and share their stories. Poole emphasized the importance of discussing issues that matter to Black“Allstudents.BlackEmory is one of those quintessentially ‘for us, by us’ spaces,” theyWithsaid.the goal of expanding the involvement of Black students in ABE, applications for the club’s Executive Production Team are currently open on a rolling basis.
A new tradition: crossing Emory’s doorstep
— Contact Oli Turner oli.turner@emory.edu.at
Courtesy of a LL BL aCk emory iNstagram
“All of this is ... unfiltered. It’s unedited. This is just us being us.”
The Emory WheelEMORY LIFEWednesday, August 31, 202213
By Ali BArlOw Staff Writer
Faraya serves up flavorful Lebanese cuisine at Cox Hall
Baker Dude revitalizes breakfast, lunch options in Emory Village
— Contact Ali Barlow ali.barlow@emory.eduat
Courtesy of tay LorjeNkiNsreid Com Baker Dude was founded in 2015 by Orran Booher, an avid baker who saw great success and now has 3 locations in metro Atlanta including Emory Village.
We are excited for the community to try Faraya and welcome any and all feedback to further enhance the dining on campus.
The new boba addition in Cox Dining Hall, Nom Station, caused a flurry of excitement amongst our Wheel editors, but what everyone failed to mention was Faraya, the new Lebanese restaurant that had taken over Maru’s former Cox Hall location.Thenovelty of Lebanese cuisine at Emory was a welcome change and perhaps one of the most appealing factors that drew me to try the restaurant in the first meMaru.riceandheavyfromwasFaraya’splace.menuaniceshiftthecarb-TwistedTacotheoverly-filledbowlsfromDon’tgetwrong–they’re both great places to eat–but there’s something about the rich seasonings and options at Faraya that put it on top. The Faraya station offers three main options: sandwiches, platters and rice bowls, in addition to a number of side dishes. For each broad category, you can choose a protein–either beef, chicken, falafel or cauliflower and eggplant. Meals cost somewhere between $7 and $12, which is pretty reasonable for the amount of food you get.
In recent years, the landscape of Emory Village has been in a constant state of flux, with new eateries replacing more established ones due to financial struggles experienced during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Located next to All Fired Up and the vacant Lucky’s Burger and Brew is the Village’s latest addition: Baker Dude, a bakery and eatery that boasts a wide variety of sweet treats and breakfast foods. Baker Dude was founded in 2015 by Orran Booher, an avid baker who sought to turn his passion into a career. In addition to the storefront in Emory Village, Baker Dude has locations in Chattahoochee Food Works and The Beacon Atlanta. I stopped by Baker Dude on August 26 to grab a late lunch with a friend. The restaurant was quite empty with only one other table being occupied, perhaps because it was later in the afternoon or since the location opened only last April. The dining area is spacious and decorated minimalistically with white and black tables and chairs. Modern art paintings adorn the walls, creating a casual ambience. Initially, I was keen on having a heartier meal like the BBQ Sloppy Jack Sandwich made with slow simmered BBQ jackfruit and The Mighty Egg Bowl—a brunch bowl with eggs, sprouts, toast, sundried tomato pesto, chickpeas, avocado slices and pickled onions. However, I was told that the chef leaves an hour before closing time at 3 p.m. on weekdays, so only sandwiches or meals that could be readily assembled were served.As a result, I opted for the Overnight Oat Bowl, the “Ah-Vocado” Toast and an apple cranberry muffin, the former two being great options for gluten free and vegan customers. The “Ah-Vocado” Toast, which came out first, was a unique twist on this popular breakfast item. It came in a whole wheat tortilla wrap and was topped with avocado, arugula, hummus, pickled onions and mung bean sprouts.Thisdish was light, tangy and fresh, with the the wrap making it a suitable option for lunch as well as breakfast. Although it differed slightly from its menu description, lacking balsamic glaze and heirloom tomatoes, it was still delectable and a refreshing take on the classic avocado toast recipe. As I had never had overnight oats before, I was excited to try their recipe, and it did not disappoint.Thebowl of oats came with almond milk, a hint of sea salt and cinnamon and was topped with berries, chia seeds and a dollop of peanut butter. I chose to have mine served warm, making this a great option for a cozy breakfast in the Thefall.oats were rich and creamy with a perfect amount of sweetness from the fruit, which was balanced out by the salty peanut butter, creating a well-rounded and nutritious meal. To add to my sugar rush, I also tried the apple cranberry muffin to get a sense of the baked goods. The muffin was among the freshest I have ever had, staying true to Baker Dude’s vision of sourcing fresh ingredients to make their baked goods. There were pieces of fruit with every bite, and the sugar sprinkles added texture to the Overall,top. Baker Dude offers an array of tasty baked goods along with breakfast and brunch foods that make it a perfect Saturday morning brunch spot with friends. It is particularly a solid option for those who are vegan, vegetarian or have a gluten allergy, as the menu has plenty of variety and offers substitutes as well. There were some hiccups in the service, such as having to send back a dish with an ingredient I’d asked to be omitted. Still, I believe that this can be chalked up to the establishment being new and did not largely detract from the dining experience.
Rating: 4/5 — Contact Krithika Shrinivas krithika.shrinivas@emory.eduat
New restaurants make fall debuts in Cox Hall, Emory Village
By sOphiA ling Executive Editor
“We are excited for the community to try Faraya and welcome any and all feedback to further enhance dining on campus,” said Chad Sunstein, Senior Director of Emory Campus Dining.Faraya is my new Cox Hall obsession, and it should be yours too.
I am, some might say, a boba tea fiend. There’s just something about a chewy drink that scratches an itch in the back of my brain—it’s the only drink that I will spend over seven dol lars on without batting an eyelash. Much to my excitement, I found out that Cox Dining Hall is now home to Nom Station, a local company that serves lunch food and boba tea. To soothe my anxiety on the first day of classes (why is my to-do list already a mile long?), I tried the Thai tea with tapioca pearls. I had heard mixed reviews and wanted to see for myself.Ifyou, too, are a boba fiend, you’ll know that there are a few things that make a good drink: sweetness, tea taste, boba chewiness and ice levels. Nom Station’s Thai Tea is exactly what I want: so sweet that two more sips would send my blood glucose levels into the But—andstratosphere.thisiscritical— it isn’t just sugar water. The tea had a nice flavor, and I definitely would have enjoyed it even if I wasn’t toeing the line between sugar high and the need for an insulin injection.Additionally, the boba was cooked nicely, and the ice levels were high enough to keep the drink from boiling in the Georgia heat, but low enough to feel like I was getting my money’s worth (I’m looking at you, Kaldi’s). Speaking of places with question able avocado toast execution, Nom Station seems to be missing the mark when it comes to price versus uniform qual ity in the eyes of my peers.Maddy Schulte (24C) posted a picture to her Snapchat story of her “woefully dis appointing” $9 Nom Station avocado toast takeout, in which the avocado was haphaz ardly sliced and barely clinging to the bread. She said she still holds out hope for the boba, which has also met mixed reviews among students. These sentiments are a far cry from the images and reviews on Nom Station’s Facebook page. The page is filled with colorful, delectable pictures of their food and 15 five-star reviews. At Emory, things are a little less vibrant. The frustration lies primarily in the price of the items – which can turn out powdery, sloppily presented or inconsistent.Justasfrustrating for me is the lack of available feedback mechanisms. I try to never morph into a fullyevolved Karen – especially at a worker just trying to make minimum wage – but the current ways to provide feed back are a filling out a form or taking part in the Food Advisory Committee Emory (FACE) … which seems to be created in an effort to maintain just that.The link for the FACE page doesn’t even work, which makes it exceedingly difficult to gauge if the thoughts of myself and my peers will ever be trans lated into direct action by the person who is actually yeeting the avocado onto the toast. Nom Station’s window to shift its image is closing rapidly; once the word has spread regarding their products — one way or another — their fate is pretty much set. And when we’re not checking things off our mile-long to-do lists, Emory students are doing one of two things: lamenting the frequency of OPUS crashes during course registration, or talking.There is still time yet, and I real ly hope Nom Station is here to stay. Nothing soothes my nerves like nicelycooked tapioca pearls. This prompts me to wonder: is this lack of quality just a growing pain as the company adjusts to the fast-paced demands of Cox during lunch rush? Will Nom Station survive at Emory? And, in a rare moment of introspec tion, why am I spending–or gambling–more than Georgia minimum wage on a drink?
While I haven’t tried the side dishes, I did see hummus and baba ghanoush on the menu, which I look forward to inhaling the next time I eat there. For my first meal at Faraya, I tried the beef shawarma sandwich. It’s a thin pita wrap layered with onions, parsley, pickles, tomatoes, French fries and a nutty, herby sauce.All ingredients in the sandwiches, platters and rice bowls are customizable; just let them know what you prefer to leave out before they start preparing your meal.While I loved the beef shawarma sandwich, I prefer the cauliflower eggplant rice bowl and would eat it every day if I could. The bowl contains a generous amount of cauliflower and eggplant, and the higher ratio of veggies to rice ensures you are not left with only rice by the end of yourFurthermore,meal. the sweetness from the tomatoes adds another dimension to the richness of the sauce and eggplant. I leave out the parsley and pickles due to pickiness, but I’m sure they would enrich and lighten the meal even more.The addition of Faraya came through student feedback and community outreach. As a result, Bon Appetit successfully collaborated with Faraya to join our dining hall.
- Chad Sunstein
m adi oLiver/the emory wheeL Faraya, the new Lebanese restaurant, took over Maru’s former Cox Hall location, yet during lunch and dinner hours, the lines have yet to fade with reasonably-priced and reliable food.
Courtesy of tay LorjeNkiNsreid Com The “Ah-Vocado” Toast, wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla wrap, is one of several unique breakfast options with a twist at the new Baker Dude, located in Emory Village.
— Contact Sophia Ling sophia.ling@emory.edu.at
By KriThiKA shrinivAs Staff Writer
Boba fiends rejoice: Nom Station arrives at Cox, receives mixed reviews
Courtesy of tay LorjeNkiNsreid Com High demand for boba tea on campus led to the addition of the Nom Station at Cox Dining Hall with a packed menu of tea, smoothies, sandwiches, and more.
As the fall semester begins, busy lives start up again for students across campus.Between classes, extracurricular activities and jobs, it’s easy to for get to prioritize your mental health. Here are some suggestions for staying healthy and maintaining balance as the semester ramps up.
Striking a balance: six realistic tips to prioritize mental health
The quad features lounging chairs and thick-trunked oaks to provide shade during the day if you need a study break or looking for a nice place to read. the emory wheeL
Add exercise into your routine Classes and on-campus involve ments are time-consuming, but just like getting enough sleep is essential, it is important to move. Exercise is one of the best things to do for your mental health, and it is a great idea to break a sweat and have a healthy distraction from everything going on. A regular exercise schedule “can help keep your thinking, learning and judgment skills sharp as you age” and “reduce your risk of depression and anxiety,” accord ing to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.Thereare many opportunities on and around campus to get active, such as weightlifting at the Woodruff Physical Education Center, riding a bike on the Stone Mountain Trail or going for a walk or run in Lullwater Park. It’s different for everyone, and there’s no right way to stay active, but it’s important to move! Be busy, not overwhelmed Staying busy is important. Doing so can lead to surprising benefits such as increased creativity, productivity and positivity.It’sgreat to be well-rounded and involved outside of class, but at the same time, it is important to find a good balance between your involve ments and not doing too much, with the latter likely leading to excess stress, anxiety and pressure.
— Contact Eric Jones eric.jones2@emory.edu.at
Hayworth.GardnerMarilynisbelievable.seamlesslyEvelynherselfreminiscentofMonroe,AvaandRitaSomeof Evelyn’s husbands are comparable to celebrity heartthrobs like Frank Sinatra and Mickey Rooney. Yet because these public figures are usu ally so disconnected from reality, Evelyn Hugo’s character edifies their archetypes.Thisnovel is deep, revealing and exciting. It is sure to make read ers shed a tear at least once, and it expertly explores themes of love, friendship, fame and grief. Each character has an identity that forges a bond with the reader, and their traits resonate with a diverse crowd.
‘The
sensationEvelynHusbandsSevenofHugo’:aBookTokworthreading
Try something new Whether you’re a freshman, senior or anywhere in between, it can be hard to leave your comfort zone when it comes to life on campus, but that can be one of the most impactful ways to expand your intellectual curios ity. Oftentimes, we gravitate toward activities we are comfortable with, but there are a lot of positives to be gained by trying something new. Take a class in a subject area you have never been exposed to. Join an activity that you have never done before. Study with new classmates. Explore a different part of Atlanta, such as the Atlanta BeltLine, the National Museum for Civil and Human Rights, or the World of Coca-Cola. In doing so, your learning can increase and you can meet people you would have never thought to be sur rounded by. While it can be hard to get outside of the box at first, it will pay off!
MIRANDA’S BOOKSHELF
Courtesy of tay LorjeNkiNsreid Com Author Taylor Jenkins Reid offers readers a glimpse of the less glamorous side of a Hollywood lifestyle, filled with secrets, revelations, and moral questions.
By MirAndA wilsOn Staff Writer
aureN Bayda LiNe/the emory wheeL
By eric JOnes Staff Writer
Lullwater Park features wide-paved trails that travels along the banks Candler Lake, or split off onto smaller trails to explore an old mill and dam in the forest.
“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” is delectable, all-consuming and deeply emotional. For readers that might be in a current reading slump, Taylor Jenkins Reid’s 2017 novel is sure to reinspire your love of books; it is the definition of a page-turner.Infact,you might be familiar with the title from its recent popularity on BookTok, a TikTok sub-community that shares book suggestions. The plot is difficult to summa rize without spoilers, but the basic premise involves a recently divorced journalist, Monique Grant, looking to kick-start her career. The perfect opportunity she needs to write an award-winning piece falls neatly into her hands – maybe a little too othercostars,sevenEvelynbasicverythefabulousherwritetheHugomovieWorld-famousperfectly.starEvelynoffersMoniqueopportunitytoafeatureaboutdramaticandlife,ofwhichpublicknowslittleexceptthefacts.Forone,wasmarriedtimestovariousdirectorsandsocialites.AsMoniquelearnsthe story of Evelyn’s life, deep truths and startling secrets are revealed. Behind the glam orous details, however, Evelyn reveals herself as a complicated person, who knows the virtues of good and evil and of love and loss. The best kind of character renders readers unable to form a clear opinion on their likability. These characters are the most realistic and unarguably human.Evelyn Hugo is that kind of char acter. She is cunning, smart and resilient, and while there are compel ling reasons behind her decisions, readers might not always agree with her“Thechoices.Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” is also a truthful glimpse into Hollywood production from the 1950s to 1980s. It acknowledges the spark ing glamor of a Hollywood lifestyle, but also exposes the less-glamorous part of the true goings-on in movie making.Through her characters, Reid explores gender dynamics, such as the beauty standards that seem to affect women more than men in the public eye, and the culture of celebrity com petition and controlling agencies. Reid’s characterization is really what makes this novel shine, but her world-building is commendable. Even though the movies and people she cre ates for Evelyn’s story are inevitably based on real figures in history, they are still entirely unique to her novel and
It’s great to be wellrounded and involved outside of class, but at the same time it is important to find a good balance between your involvements and not too doing too much.
Schedule downtime A great way to prioritize your wellbeing is to schedule breaks to do things you enjoy. Whether that’s going for a walk on the quad, attending a Dooley After Dark event or watching a student directed play, everyone has different interests and distinct ways they would like to spend their downtime. Scheduling relaxation into your week can increase productivity and happiness. Do what makes you happy, and preserve this time for yourself to keep your spirits high. Reach out when you need it Above are the regular things you can do to destress, but if it ever gets to a point where you need external help, there are ample resources to take advantage of when you need it. Emory stu dents have access to Counseling and PolicecanareawellServicesPsychological(CAPS)asasTimelyCareon24/7basis.Ifyouoncampus,youreachtheEmoryDepartmentat 404-727-6115.Additionally, in times of crisis, any one in the U.S. can now call the num ber +988, which is the new suicide prevention hotline implemented this summer.
The Emory Wheel EMORY LIFE Wednesday, August 31, 202214
Rating: 5/5 stars — Contact Miranda Wilson miranda.wilson@emory.edu.at
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Get enough sleep Being a student at Emory is not a cake walk. That being said, getting enough sleep is essential. Staying up until 3 a.m. on a school night to finish an assignment is not healthy. Getting enough sleep can improve your retention between 20 and 40 per cent, and you can feel more refreshed the following morning. Routine is important for yourself and for your body. Having a consistent sleep schedule makes a difference in mental functioning as well as in your emotional and physical health and overall well-being.
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Through her characters, Reid explores gender dynamics, such as the beauty standards that seem to affect women more than men in the public eye.
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TuesdaySept.6 VolleyballMSoccer West Georgia University Birmingham-Southern College 7 p.m. 8 p.m. other than cheer for their desired outcome.Andso after reading my clickbaity statements, you may be thinking that I ‘don’t get it’ or ‘must hate sports;’ but it’s actually quite the opposite. The beauty of sports lies in its fakeness.Although we have no control and the games are for show, the impact of sports is far from make-believe; families are born and bred to breathe rivalries, worship home-town teams and play the games they love. And this incredibly real passion we have for elaborate scenarios is stupid, but that’s why it’s Whenbeautiful.Ithink about baseball, a sport I find painstakingly boring, I remember the hundreds of hours I have spent at baseball games next to people I Whenlove.new acquaintances men tion the cities they’re from, we find immediate moments of camaraderie about their sports teams. And when I hear any sports radio broadcast, I am immediately transported to the backseat of my dad’s car, listening to the play-by-plays of Oakland A’s games.Aside from personal anecdotes, sociological research provides a con crete reason for why getting emotion ally wrapped up in sports is a global phenomenon: sports are tribalism. They make us feel part of a larger group through the rivalries they pro duce. A Brazilian study with soccer fans indicates that affinity for a team is constituted as “non-romantic love” so intense that it “reflects a specific arousal and motivational state.” At the end of the day, sports make us feel less alone. They foster com munity, whether it be with fellow fans turned friends, commenters on online forums dedicated to debating the greatest players of all time, or the inevitable yet fictitious relationships with our favorite pros. So, I urge you, the next time you cry or laugh or feel any spark of emotion when you witness a sports moment, whether or not you’re a hardcore sports fan, recognize that it’s a beauti ful thing.
“I think that our mindset going into any game is going to be the same, and that’s going to be to work collectively as a team and to get the job done,” Miller said. “The mindset and the intensity and the level of play should always be with the intention of winning and with the intention of working together as a team to be the best that we can be.” Hall doesn’t put much stock in the preseason rankings, knowing that what matters is how the team per forms when they step out on the field. Hall is confident she and her team mates are ready to tackle what lies ahead of them. “I know our team doesn’t think about it,” Hall said. “I don’t think those numbers necessarily reflect anything and I don’t want to look or read into those too much, just because I know the numbers aren’t everything. I know that we can surprise a lot of people, and that’s what I’m hoping we’ll do.”
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Players, assistant coaches to embrace Bryant’s valuable lessons moving forward berth a goal for women’s soccer L in Yu/Staff Senior defender Peyton Robertson kicks the ball upfield during a game against Carnegie Mellon University (Penn) on October 17, 2021.
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Harding will continue to work alongside volunteer coach Kevin Ye, who has been part of the team for five years now. Ye defined Bryant as being “dedicated” throughout her career at Emory and has adopted Bryant’s philosophy of extending the role of a coach beyond just training their athletes. “I think we gotta use our platform of coaching to be able to help them succeed as athletes after tennis as well,” Ye said. “I think there’s a high er purpose of doing that, and it’s our responsibility to [the players] to help put them in the best possible position to succeed after school.”
Community makes sports beautiful GabrieLL a L ewiS/M anaGinG editor of diGita L operationS Lewis and her brother posing in their Oakland Athletics gear.
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— Contact Gabriella Lewis gabriella.lewis@emory.eduat Bryant understood that the les sons her players learned on the court were applicable to their personal lives as well. Her focus on nurtur ing them both as athletes and people for their long-term wellbeing reso nated with McPherron, who said that Bryant framed setbacks and losses as “building blocks” that strengthen one’s“Definitelycharacter.‘trust the process,’ is something that she has preached from the very start,” McPherron said. “Every time we had a hard loss, [Bryant] was always running up at the end and would bring us in and she’d be like, ‘It’s all part of the process . . . What did we learn today? And how can that help us become better tennis players and better peo ple in the future?’ In sports, I feel like that’s such a huge thing.”
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Harding has no doubt that Bryant’s legacy will continue to live on through the work ethic of the players and the continuous sup port of the athletic department. The program’s past victories have dem onstrated that the strategies cur rently in use, largely adopted under Bryant’s watch, effectively maximize the team’s potential. “I think that the reason that this program is so successful is because it’s run the right way,” Harding said. “One of my biggest emphasis points for them is just making sure that they’re not just plowing forward and always looking at the next thing they want to do, but also taking time to reflect on the things that they are doing and finding value in that as well.”
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Former Emory women’s tennis assistant coach Bridget Harding (20PH), who played under Bryant from 2014-2018, has assumed the role of interim head coach and plans to incorporate Bryant’s advice. “It’s a privilege for me to be able to say that I get to lead this team now,” Harding said. “I really do walk in here every day feeling grateful that I was afforded this opportunity, and I’m very excited to pay it forward to our team and continue the legacy that Amy has built.”
Contact Claire Fenton claire.fenton@emory.eduat
C ourte SY of a MY brYant Bryant coaches a player during a match in the NCAA Tournament.
C ourte SY of a MY brYant Bryant encourages her players to stay “hungry” for a win.
— Contact Martinna Roldan martinna.roldan@emory.eduat
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Former Wheel Sports Editor Ryan Callahan (22C) told me about the 2019 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the crushing last second loss for his Philadelphia 76ers. “I just couldn’t do anything but stare at the screen. I just watched it happen for five minutes. After that, I slowly closed my laptop, climbed into bed, ate a full Domino’s pizza and didn’t wake up until the next day. … It’s just so heartbreaking.” I’ve thought a lot about why sports make us feel, because these extreme emotions seem foolish. First, we don’t personally know the people on the pitch or rink or field or court. Second, sports are games made up of arbitrary rules, and some folks were born with an athletic talent that makes themAndsemi-heroes.lastly,wehave no control. Aside from being a millionaire owner, there’s nothing ordinary sports fans can do
“We’re very goal-oriented, which is fine,” Bryant said. “Once you achieve the goal, it’s really important to be able to reflect and look back . . . it’s even more important to enjoy that process of learning and growing, and I think sometimes we lose sight of that in pursuit of the goal.”
In an effort to feel less crazy about my undying love for and fascination with sports, I asked sports fans in my life to describe their most emotional sports moments. Unsurprisingly, their testimonies comforted me.
If you have ever been an athlete, you know that a coach can become one of the most meaningful, impact ful and treasured aspects of your life. Coaches not only refine players’ tech niques, game strategies and training methods, they also have an enor mous impact on every generation of athletes they take under their wings. For three decades, former Emory women’s tennis head coach Amy Bryant (96C) has exceeded the com mon expectations of a coach and uplifted her teams to unimaginable levels of competition, teamwork and success.Coaching is not a traditional col lege major, nor was it among Bryant’s initial career plans. Bryant, who played varsity soccer and tennis during her time at Emory, initially planned to go into administration. However, after testing the corporate environment, Bryant was back on the court as the Emory women’s tennis interim head coach in 2000. “I don’t know that coaches ever really say that they’re going to be coaches,” Bryant said. “It’s not some thing that you really think, ‘That’s my first goal.’ But once you’ve been a coach, you can’t imagine not being a coach.”
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During the 23 seasons Bryant led, the women’s tennis team became a leader in Division III. Bryant’s squads accumulated a record of 428116, reached the NCAA Tournament in every season except for 2020 dur ing the pandemic, when the tourna ment was canceled. The team also reached the tournament quarter finals 21 times, the semifinals 18 times and made 13 appearances in the championship match. In addition to the memories of her teams’ impressive victories, Bryant has had the opportunity to take sev eral players on tournament trips to countries across the world – includ ing Australia, Brazil, South Africa and Thailand. The unforgettable experiences will accompany Bryant forever, she said. “Things like [those trips] that we had to experience together, meeting new people and gaining perspective about lives that are so foreign to our own, those are some of the memories that I probably cherish the most,” Bryant said.
The rapport that developed between Bryant and her players through such bonding experiences led her to realize one of the biggest lessons of her tennis career: “it’s more important to focus on the pro cess of learning and the process of development than it is to really focus on the end result.”
By Claire Fenton Sports Editor Usually when a team earns a post season berth in the NCAA Tournament and graduates ten seniors, questions arise as to whether the remaining ros ter will have enough experience to replicate their success the following season.Nosuch concerns apply to this year’s Emory women’s soccer team: the nine seniors, four juniors and three graduate transfers at the helm are prepared to captain their teammates to the program’s fourth consecutive NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship appearance. Senior forward and the team’s reigning assist leader Kylie Hall explained that, as a newly minted cap tain, she is responsible for nurturing the team atmosphere and helping the newcomers thrive as they transition into becoming Eagles.
“I’m really just trying to make sure that all the freshmen and the transfers who come in just feel like they’re really a part of the team,” Hall said. “They are all so talented, and I want them to know that they can play at this com petitive level, and they’re fully ready and capable. I just want them to be filled with Adaptingconfidence.”toanunfamiliar team culture and college is understand ably challenging for freshmen, but the move can be equally demanding for transfer players accustomed to the habits of their old programs.
“There I was in the stands: I’d left my newborn daughter [me] at home, and the Oakland A’s were on the verge of clinching,” my father said, set ting the scene of the 2001 American League MLB Division Series. “They were on the verge of winning and just all of a sudden, total dejection. I felt such sadness when they went on to lose the next two games [and] to lose the whole series. … It’s just seared into yourSportsbrain.”editor Claire Fenton (24C) described her connection to the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins squad and the moment they won the Stanley Cup. “It just struck me how fleeting yet euphoric those moments are, and how truly it is something to savor, being on top of the world like that. I remember… tearing up a bit as I watched everyone celebrate together. It made me hope that someday I have a moment in my life with a group of people that mean as much to me as it did for those players.”
Gloves off with Gabriella: Sports are stupid
Sports The Emory Wheel Wednesday, August 31, 2022 | Sports Editors: Jenna Daly (jenna.daly@emory.edu) and Claire Fenton (claire.fenton@emory.edu) WOMEN’S SOCCER
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Once a coach, always a coach
Women’s soccer to weather competition
Senior goalie Emma Miller, who transferred from the University of Colorado Boulder last year, is especial ly equipped to help this year’s graduate students feel as welcomed and sup ported as she did.
Bryant’s advice resonated with the two current team captains, sopho more Eliza McPherron and senior Stephanie Shulman. As captains, they play a significant role in lead ing practices during the off-season and maintaining communication between the players and team staff. Their relationships with Bryant pro vided them the skills and lessons necessary to be successful captains, athletes and students. For Shulman, Bryant’s emphasis on building relationships that are reciprocally positive has informed how she approaches her new lead ership role and the camaraderie she is trying to build among her teammates.“Ihavelearned from [Bryant] that if you surround yourself with people that support you and that you sup port, the better relationships that you have . . . you’re setting yourself up for better success,” Shulman said.
“I truly couldn’t have asked for a better transition,” Miller said. “I’m very thankful for Emory women’s soc cer and for the relationships I’ve made, because without that family I don’t know that my transition would have been as seamless and smooth as it was.”Miller split time between the goal posts with former Eagle Emma Platt (22B) last fall and finished with a 3-2-2 record in net. On the offensive end, the team will have to fill the shoes of Olivia McBerry (24B), who led the team in points (19), goals (8) and shots (57). Although last year’s team com piled a 12-5-3 regular season record, their conference play in the University Athletic Association (UAA) was dis appointing. They won just two UAA games outright and settled into sixth place in the conference standings. After earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, they suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to Centre College (Ky.) in the second round. According to Hall, avenging last year’s loss begins with defensive stin giness. The team has been focusing on fine-tuning their fitness and tighten ing up their defense during the pre season in preparation for their season opener against Berry College (Ga.) on Sept.“Our1. team is really big on defend ing and locking it down in the back before going forward,” Hall said. “We all came in really fit. We came ready to work . . . it’s been really fun and the environment’s been really good.” With two scrimmage wins against Division II teams under their belt already, the Eagles seem poised to live up to their No. 22 national Division III preseason ranking. It’s an honor that might inspire more confidence if it weren’t for the fact that five other UAA teams – University of Chicago (Ill.) (8), Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) (11), Case Western Reserve University (Ohio) (12), Carnegie Mellon University (Penn.) (15) and Brandeis University (Mass.) (21) – boast higher spots.While Miller acknowledged that conference games have heightened importance, she emphasized that the team will approach every matchup with the same intensity and competi tive spirit because the desired outcome of each is the same: a win. By GaBriella lewis Managing Editor of Digital Operations Sports are stupid. As inflammatory of an opening line for the inaugural piece of my column as that is, there’s truth in it. Sports make us yell, they make us laugh and, most embarrassingly, they make us cry. Sports elicit emotions. I cried when the general manager of my favorite baseball team traded my favorite player at 10 years old. When I was 13, I cried tears of inspirational joy watching the U.S. Women’s National Team win a World Cup. At 19, I cried in Mercedes Benz Stadium immediately after getting vaccinated as I looked out at the manicured field. And when I was 20, I cried during the final seconds of the WNBA Finals. When I watch sports, even as an objective journalist, I’m incapable of detachment. I become so invested that I find myself gasping, jumping up and down and feeling real anxiety watch ing a game; it doesn’t matter whether it’s my high school’s junior varsity vol leyball match or the Super Bowl. A hard loss will ruin my day, and a big win will make my week.
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GabrieLL a L ewiS/M anaGinG editor of diGita L operationS Atlanta residents in line to receive their vaccination at the Mercedes -Benz Stadium in April 2021.
ourte SY of a MY brYant Bryant celebrates with her team after winning the 2021 NCAA Division III Women’s Tennis Championship.
